2024. What a year. 

DBB tried having someone else run the show. It didn’t take. So, while taking on the full course load of a PhD student, I’m proud that I was able to re-man the ship, add short plays to the structure, and deliver dozens of brilliant haikus.

Are the Bears good? They are not. But the work of DBB doesn’t stop! And we get a new coach…again!

I can only do what I’ve done here because of these pledge drives. I will NEVER put this content behind a paywall. I will never interrupt the content with annoying ads. Instead, I’m channeling the NPR model of soliciting support from our readers and followers for one week. This is that week. We ask for seven days and then we don’t ask again until next season.

So, give what you can. A dollar. A fiver. A hundo. Nothing. Your readership is the only support we’ve ever truly wanted. This drive simply ensures you’ll continue to have unique work to read.

ANYONE GIVING $25 OR MORE WILL BE ENTERED INTO RAFFLE TO WIN TWO (2) BEARS TICKETS FOR A 2025 GAME.

The link to support is right here!

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I.

Always.

Like.

THE.

Chicago.

Bears.

Where is Sam Darnold in 2025?

Darnold’s statistical rankings:

• Yards: 6th.
• Touchdowns: T-3rd.
• Completion percentage: T-6th.
• QB Rating: 3rd.

For the life of me, I do not understand why the Minnesota Vikings are even considering moving on from a quarterback that is not only playing exemplary football, but he will also only be 28 years old next season. Some guys take time. Some guys need the right coach, and the right structure around them. But Darnold has been more impressive in 2024 than anything we’ve seen from Jordan Love or Trevor Lawrence. Why are the Vikings so willing to gamble at the position?

Side note: Josh Allen would be my MVP, and his performance, even in a loss last week, should solidify that. But why isn’t Darnold in the conversation?

Who Will Be the Next Bears Coach?

This has been a very busy time for me academically, but I reached out to folks around the team last night for a list of names and that list is unsurprising (to say the least). Here is what I was told.

• Is Kevin Warren making this hire? No. Is he going to be the one who stamps Ryan Poles’ choice? That seems more likely than not. Is that a good thing? No.

• Ben Johnson’s people have made it clear to the Bears that he’s interested. But the process of communication with Johnson will be complicated by the (expected) deep playoff run for the Lions. Would the Bears be okay waiting for Johnson till after a Super Bowl? “Yes,” I was told, unequivocally, if he’s the guy.
• Everyone seems so down on the notion of a defensive head coach. But citing the coaches “to win the last X Super Bowls” is a very silly metric. The NFL is cyclical. Would you really want Joe Brady or Todd Munken over Mike Vrabel or Brian Flores? I know I wouldn’t, and I don’t think the Bears will either.
• Bill Belichick being the North Carolina coach is wild to me. But you know what? They are now must see television for me in September.
• I’ve been tweeted the name Dan Lanning by multiple folks, but I was told the Bears are not going to take a shot on a college coach with zero professional experience. That also includes Lincoln Riley.
• If there is any coach the Bears should NOT be considering, it is Kliff Kingsbury.

Side note: We’ll be doing the DBB pledge NEXT WEEK, to get that business out of the way before the end of the season, allowing me to concentrate on the coaching search. 

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Caleb, poor Caleb.

There are better days ahead.

There just have to be.

Tomorrow: Game Preview and Prediction!

The next coach will be,

the defining figure of

this generation.

Tomorrow: Haiku Thursday!

Poor, poor Thomas Brown.

A candidacy in flames.

We hardly knew ye.

Tomorrow, another haiku! 

It’s not yet winter.

A season lies in ruins.

Dark before the dawn.

Note: This is the final week of my semester, and thus time will be a precious commodity. Since the Bears are delivering much of an effort on game days, I’m moving to haikus until this week’s game preview on Thursday.

• Bears are +10 in turnovers and not in the postseason picture. Do people understand how difficult that is to achieve? They are tied fourth in the league and the only team in the top 13 not “in the mix.”
• If the Niners had a healthy backfield, you would expect them to have much success running against this Chicago front. But without McCaffrey or Mason, can they still control the game on the ground with Isaac Guerendo? (If they do, Eric Washington will have some questions to answer Monday AM.)
• If Jaylon Johnson tracks Jauan Jennings across the field, the Bears will need to have an answer for Deebo Samuel, a terrific player having a monumentally disappointing season. (And Cairo Santos should not land a kickoff within five yards of him at any point.)
• Looking for a stat that separates these two teams? The Niners are 7th in the league on third down, converting at a 43.2% clip. The Bears are 29th, converting at 33.5%.
• Niners are averaging only 15 points over their last four games. They will need 20+ to win this game, and I don’t think they’ll get there against a motivated, Flus-less defense.

Chicago Bears 24, San Francisco 49ers 16

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I.

Always.

Like.

THE.

Chicago.

Bears.

The State of the 49ers…

…is unstable.

The Niners have lost a majority of their elite talent, with more dropping each week. (They lost both their starting tailbacks in the Buffalo game.) Their quarterback is playing with a serious shoulder injury, and their coach looks exasperated on the sideline. They’ve lost three straight games, and their performance Monday night in Orchard Park was the performance of a club ready for a lost season to be over. (With the exception of Deebo Samuel, who might have had multiple kick return touchdowns on a normal playing surface.) Strange thing? They are ONLY two games back of the first place Seahawks. They’re not buried, even if they can taste the dirt.

This is an interesting matchup from a motivational standpoint. The Bears players wanted their coach gone. He’s gone. They wanted Thomas Brown to take over. He’s in charge. Will we see a Bears team with something to prove squaring off against a Niners team eager for a January flight to Mexico?

Thomas Brown Tweet of the Week

“The initial goal is to unify this football team.” — interim Bears coach Thomas Brown

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 2, 2024

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