2000 was one of the more forgettable seasons in Bears history. They lost their first five games. They went into the bye 1-7. They scored more than 16 points only twice in those games.

But this game was memorable to me for a few reasons.

• This was the first fall of my collegiate life and I watched this game at the ESPN Zone in Times Square. (Which, as far as theme restaurants go, was the best in NYC.) I had been watching Bears games, until that point, alone, in tiny sports bars in New Jersey, with illegal satellites picking up Chicago sports. Now the Bears were in front of me on a massive screen and there were Bears fans EVERYWHERE around me.
• It was impossible to watch this game and not think the Bears had a quarterback. Cade McNown was electric. Big arm. Accurate. And he used his legs to keep drives going and put points on the board. His final stat line 27-41, 290, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. Passer rating of 102.7. Two months later he was inactive. Four months later his career was over.
• It is still amazing to remember what Randy Moss did to the Bears consistently before the arrival of Charles Tillman. It’s item 1A when it comes to the Tillman Hall of Fame argument. (Item 1 is the punch.)

There are very few points on the calendar where the NFL is at rest and this period – between the draft and camp – is the the league at its most restful. That’s why the “Justin Fields Makes Us Happy” and “Classic Game” posts have dominated the site. There’s no point in writing opinion pieces when there’s nothing on which to actually opine. So here are some damn links.

• Lindsay Jones at The Athletic has an interesting piece, breaking down the slow pace of vaccinations for NFL players. These guys should look no further than Jon Rahm on the PGA Tour, and understand vaccinations as a business decision. Rahm cost himself $1.6 million plus by delaying his jab and being removed from the field with a positive test at The Memorial. Testing positive will still take players off the field. And the only players getting tested will be the unvaccinated. Why risk it?
• Not a big Jason La Canfora fan when it comes to his often erroneous news breaks. But this piece for CBS absolutely skewers the Packers and their handling of the Aaron Rodgers situation. What the Packers are currently doing makes zero sense. Why take shots at Rodgers in the press? If you are willing to move on, and start the Jordan Love era, why not just do that and accumulate a million assets from Denver? The Packers are operating as if they have leverage. That leverage doesn’t exist. And Rodgers knows it.
• Where is Deshaun Watson going to play in 2021? My eyes are still fixed on Carolina, a quarterback-needy club that hasn’t addressed the position in a significant way. (Sam Darnold ain’t it.) The Cat Crave blog has a nice breakdown of what the Panthers might need to give up to bring Watson back to the Carolinas. If Watson ends up a Panther, it would be hard to make them a favorite in the NFC.

Also, it is June 15th and we have no idea where two of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL will be playing in September. That’s wild.

• A serious x-factor for the Bears this season will be running back Damien Williams, a Covid opt-out in 2020. (Colleen Kane has a nice profile of his return in the Trib.) Williams’ versatility will be a major asset for the offense, as he’ll be able to spell both David Montgomery AND Tarik Cohen; capable of both a 20-carry game and a 10-catch one. Nagy never had Williams in Kansas City but no doubt he received serious recommendations from the men there who did.
• ACTUAL BEAR NEWS. Two sleeping campers were attacked by bears in Alaska. Two thoughts. (1) If I come home from a night out, and someone I don’t know is sleeping in my apartment, and I throw them out violently, that’s not “an attack”! This is where the bears live. By sleeping there, the campers take on the risk. (2) The story says they had “bear deterrent”. Well, guess what? If you’re doing something that requires you have bear deterrent on you, you deserve to get attacked by bears. I have no sympathy for folks this stupid.
• Registration is now open for the Chicago Bears-led virtual 5K and Kids Dash. Last year the event raised $60,000 for local Covid-related causes in Chicago. This year they expect to do even better. From the release: “Registered participants will have the opportunity to run the 5K (3.1 miles) and Kids Dash 1K (.62 miles) any time from June 14 through July 31. Walkers are welcome, as there are no pace restrictions. All paid registered 5K runners will be mailed an official race shirt, commemorative Bears finisher medal, Bears/PNC-branded gaiter and Bears/PNC-branded fanny pack (for the first 250 registrants), while supplies last. Kids registered for the Kids Dash will be mailed a finisher medal, Bears/PNC-branded gaiter and tie headband from the Chicago Bears Kids Club brought to you by Jewel-Osco, while supplies last.”

Six links. And not one mention of Justin Fields. Not bad.

Justin Fields is bringing a lot of joy to Chicago 🎯 @Darnell_M1 @justnfields @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/OAXZPhN8CO

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) June 10, 2021

The issue facing the Bears is simple. How can you allow a single player to ignite the roster and fans…and then sit him? It’s not only bad business. It’s starting to feel like bad football.

2003 is one of those Bears seasons I barely remember. I watched every game at Josie Woods but most of them were through the haze of a hangover, with this being my first fall in NYC at 21 years old. The team wasn’t even particularly bad. They finished 7-9. But they just created very few memorable moments.

This game, with highlights provided by the great NFL Primetime, provides more of those fun elements that seemed to define the era.

• Big plays from R.W. McQuarters! (A note on Twitter from Reverend Dave about this is what directed me to this game.)
• Edinger making ANOTHER big kick.
• Kordell Stewart showing just enough to make people think he could be the answer at quarterback.
• Marty Booker. Oh, how I miss Marty Booker. (Booker’s game against the Bucs in 2001 is still the best game I’ve seen from a Bears wide receiver.)
• Another Bear who had vacated my memory banks: Stanley Pritchett.

This has been a fun series of posts so they will continue. Again, the series will not include any games from good seasons. These are are classic games from otherwise forgettable campaigns. Watch the below highlights and marvel.

• How good NFL Primetime was on ESPN with Berman and TJ? For an out of state Bears fan, this was the most important TV program of my youth, with the possible exception of ALF.
• R.W. McQuarters made a lot of plays as a Bear. He’s becoming a running theme in these videos.
• Stoney Case?
• Baby Brian Urlacher?
• I had completely forgotten that Marlon Barnes existed. And all I thought watching him run was, “Man, the NFL has gotten a lot faster.”
• The Detroit News published a a terrific piece in 2019 titled, Paul Edinger’s Christmas Eve 2000 kick helped change course of Lions history. In it’s early paragraphs: “…it’s undeniable that Paul Edinger’s 54-yard boot to end the Detroit Lions season sent the franchise into a tailspin like no one could have imagined.”

Didn't take long for Justin Fields to figure out that the #Packers are the enemy.

He gets it. This exchange is great.

(🎥 @TheBuckeyeShow)pic.twitter.com/s3mOXaGtKF

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) June 4, 2021

“I just want to be great so bad.”
– Justin Fields during his pre-draft interview with the Chicago Bears

(Video via @ChicagoBears) pic.twitter.com/eW2POSwftL

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 4, 2021

So much to like about this tweet https://t.co/wE46PkqiOW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 5, 2021

The highlights are all you need, because this is a game that fills up your Lovie Smith Bears Bingo card. What do you have?

• Defensive touchdown.
• Special teams touchdown.
• No offensive production whatsoever.
• The other team misses a big kick.
• Craig Krenzel playing quarterback – and making a big play!
• One of the rarest endings in NFL history.

xxx

Yesterday I profiled five candidates to replace Ryan Pace, should this season not work out. Today, five more.

Joe Hortiz, Ravens Director of College Scouting

The latest in a long line of highly thought of Ravens executives. Hortiz has helped build a roster that has been among the best in the league annually.

The Ravens have had a completely different philosophy than the Bears, in that they’re usually trading back, but they’ve still been able to add quality talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Like many before him, Hortiz just may want to stick in Baltimore where executive life seems to be pretty nice.

Champ Kelly, Bears Assistant Director of Player Personnel

Kelly is going to be a GM in the near future, so why not the Bears?

While Pace may lose his job, there seems to be a general consensus that the Bears have a lot of talent in their front office and Kelly is a big part of everything they do. To top it off, he has GM experience, though in a different league.

Kelly was a huge part of building the Denver Broncos Super Bowl teams with Peyton Manning. We never truly know what each person does in a front office, but Kelly is well-respected in league circles for his work with the Bears and Broncos.

Milt Hendrickson, Packers Director of Football Operations

While working with the Baltimore Ravens from 2005-18, Hendrickson developed a reputation in league circles as an offensive line guru, but that isn’t the only way he worked his way up to Brian Gutekunst’s right hand man in Green Bay.

Hendrickson and Gutekunst go back to coaching together at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, but had been separated since 2004 when both were with the Packers. Hendrickson learned from Ozzie Newsome and certainly could assemble a staff to help build the defense and the rest of the team.

Read More …