It started with a dinner.

Dan Wiederer told the tale.

Ryan Pace had a “covert” dinner with Mitch Trubisky at a steakhouse in Chapel Hill. The reservation, made by Mitch, was under the name Jim McMahon. History! Trubisky drove a Datsun or Pinto or something. Humility! The Bears decided this was their quarterback of the future because he seemed to check all the intangible boxes found on a form Pace stole from a locked drawer in Sean Payton’s desk.

It didn’t work. And the scrutiny started quickly. What didn’t Pace like about Patrick Mahomes? Why didn’t he meet with Deshaun Watson? What about Trubisky was SO impressive – it certainly wasn’t his collegiate production – that it led the Bears GM to throw horse blinders on and ignore everybody else?

The Pace tenure had become defined by those months leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft and the production of the men he decided not to take. Sure, he whiffed on Kevin White, reached (ridiculously) for Adam Shaheen and tossed some money away on Robert Quinn. But every GM misses on picks and spends money ineffectively in free agency. Trubisky was the story. And that mistake, compounded by Pace’s inability to correct it (an improbable task, to be fair) was the entire narrative. Every positive move, including rebuilding the worst defense in Chicago Bears history, was shuffled into the shadows.

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Come the end of the 2020 season, the expectations were that Pace would be GM no longer. The Bears were coming off back-to-back mediocre seasons, with a flop quarterback and an aging defense. Change felt inevitable, whether that be the coach, the GM or long-time team president Ted Phillips. GMs don’t get second chances to find franchise quarterbacks. Owners, especially in this modern, last-place-to-first-place-yearly NFL, are not patient individuals. It’s been well-discussed how much George McCaskey likes Pace but an owner’s love plus $5.99 will get you a double cheese at the Billy Goat.

They stood pat. They delivered an awkward press conference, preached collaboration, and maintained an organizational status quo. McCaskey and Phillips trusted their instincts, leaning on their belief that Pace – still only 44 years old – was not a completed picture. In any line of work, one usually improves with time and experience and the Bears believed the same would be true for Pace. It was not a decision met favorably by those who cover and cheer for the Chicago Bears. Many claimed it was the Bears acting like 8-8 was perfectly acceptable. But anyone listening to that presser heard a distinct refrain: it was about the quarterback. Pace was admitting his Trubisky failure and vowing to make amends THIS offseason.

As the draft closed in, that vow seemed like horseshit.

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In the first round, the Bears selected Justin Fields. (More on this tomorrow.)

In the second, they selected Teven Jenkins, the most mocked player to the team over the last month.

We posted highlights of fifth round pick Larry Borom. Here are highlights from the rest.

Khalil Herbert, RB, Virginia Tech

Dazz Newsome, WR, UNC

Thomas Graham Jr., DB, Oregon

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Bears still have some picks to come but I will not be sitting at the computer any longer. Posts recapping this draft will be live throughout the coming week.

Three thoughts:

• Love the approach or hate the approach, but Ryan Pace is an aggressive GM when it comes to the NFL Draft. He targets specific players and almost always gets them.
• Jenkins was projected to the Bears in the FIRST ROUND in mocks all across the country. The Bears have come out of the first two nights with a starting QB and a starting tackle. Hard to be bothered by losing a third round pick in that scenario.
• Mauler is the word most associated with Jenkins. Joel Klatt says he has a “nasty demeanor”. And the Bears need those traits on their offensive line.

The Bears are currently slated to have two picks tonight.

• Round 2, Pick 20 (52 overall)
• Round 3, Pick 20 (83 overall)

While many have identified the obvious needs – receiver, tackle, defensive back – I would hesitate before focusing on areas of need. The Bears are now building for a Justin Fields future. They’ll not only be looking to fill roster holes for 2021, but also perceived roster holes coming in 2022 like edge rusher and interior defensive line.

When the Bears gave their postseason presser, they used the word “collaboration” a whole bunch and received the scorn of the Chicago media. Many seemed to think their reliance on clichés and platitudes showed a lack of sympathy for their fans; a failure to understand that the achievements of the previous seasons were not nearly good enough.

But anyone actually listening to that presser heard a clear message: Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy had to solve the quarterback problem. When you heard your favorite radio host (and mine) saying, “They’re not going to make any changes!” you didn’t realize he’d missed the point. The Bears were not only going to make changes. They were going to instigate change at the most important position in team sports.

They tried with Deshaun. Nothing. They had a deal for Russ. Didn’t happen. It all turned to the draft and when the Bears had an opportunity to make a bold move and get their guy – Justin Fields – they made the move. Will it pan out? Who the hell knows? But you have to take the shot when it comes to quarterbacks and the Bears took theirs.

Because of that move, the 2021 season has life. It has excitement. It has promise. And that’s all we could ask for.

DBB will be live on Twitter tonight for the first round and will immediately respond to any moves made by the Chicago Bears.

This is one of my favorite pieces all year. This is where I told you Aaron Donald was the best player in his class. This is also where I told you Justin Blackmon would dominate the NFL. On the lighter note, last year I focused my lens on kicker Rodrigo Blankenship – because he was ridiculous looking – and he was a terrific rookie for the Indianapolis Colts.

So who are my five this season?

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DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama.

I don’t get it.

I’m sure there are scouty/personnel types who will quibble at Smith’s measureables (oh no, he doesn’t weigh enough!) but when you watch him on the field, which is where he actually plays football, you see an NFL star.

In the modern NFL there are very few line-em-up-and-beat-the-corner wide receivers. The game is about matchups and Smith is a matchup nightmare. He’s the best wide receiver in this draft. He’s the best return man in this draft. He’s the best player in this draft.

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Pressley Harvin III, Punter, Georgia Tech

Have you seen this kid?

He’s 260 pounds. And he throws dimes.

Someone is going to draft this kid. And the fans of that team are going to absolutely love him. (God I hope that team plays in a city with several Billy Goat Taverns.) Harvin isn’t just a novelty act. He won the Ray Guy Award for top punter in college football for 2020. He’s going to kick at the next level.

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In 1993, when I was 11 years old, I made my mother drop me off at the Clairidge Theater in Montclair, New Jersey – the only “independent” movie house in north Jersey – so I could see Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. I was the youngest person in the theater by 40 years but I remember laughing at all the same stuff those older folks did, feeling like I was part of a private joke. That day, “the movie theater experience” hooked me. I wanted nothing else (until I discovered women, and booze).

I saw 30 movies in theaters that year. Schindler’s List, The Fugitive and Philadelphia at the Lincoln Cinema in Kearny. The Remains of the Day at the Franklin in Nutley. In the Name of the Father at the Williams in Rutherford. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and In the Line of Fire at the $2 second-run house behind the Holiday Inn on Route 46. Dave at the mutiplex by Willowbrook Mall in Wayne.

In 1997, at 15, I started taking the train into the city. 30 became triple digits easily, thanks to the Angelika Film Center, one of my true heavens on earth. Not a year has gone by since where I haven’t eclipsed the 100 mark. In college, in that same city, I used to spend every Friday at the Loews by Lincoln Center. I’d use Wednesday and Thursday to map out my attack plan. First movie around 11:00 AM. Sneak into a second one around 1:30 PM. Sneak into a third around 4:00 PM.

In late February 2020, I got a Regal Cinemas pass. $20 a month. Unlimited movies. I’d found that as I’d gotten older I was veering more and more towards the smaller, art house fare and lost sight of the Hollywood stuff. This would ensure that I not only saw the Marvel movies but that I saw them on the big screen as intended. (I very famously, at least in our house, watched that 5-hour Avengers: Endgame picture on an airplane.)

In March 2020, Covid happened. Until about a month ago, I’d seen 10 of the movies of 2020. Watching a movie on my couch just didn’t do it for me. I’ve been trying to play catch-up but I’m not doing particularly well. Here are thoughts on the films of the year.

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Top Three

#3. What Did Jack Do?

In David Lynch’s short film for Netflix, the filmmaker interrogates a monkey about criminal activity. It might be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, and I once saw two Greek men end a shouting match in Astoria by throwing fish at each other. I loved every second of that, and this film.

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Maciej Kasperowicz is a special cinematic correspondent for DaBearsBlog. He’s also a good friend, a dedicated Bears fan/Josie Woods loyalist and the voice I trust most when it comes to all things movies.

This is his follow-up to yesterday’s column. (Just scroll down and read it.) 

Best Picture

Whoo boy.

Minari is pretty handily my favorite of these. Granted, I’m a sucker for immigrant family stuff, but it’s as good an old-fashioned family drama as I can recall. It’s almost like a great novel in all the ways that the five main characters are allowed to disappoint, surprise, forgive, and love each other. The movie never seems long, but when I think about how much real emotion and character development is packed into the fact that it’s under 2 hours long seems astounding. I can’t bring myself to think that something this good might win the year after Parasite, but there’s a world where the Amazon stuff gets enough of the progressive wing of the Academy off of Nomadland, it turns out that many people don’t actually like Chicago 7, and this both exciting and traditional movie has enough 2nd and 3rd place votes to actually win.

I am actually picking the favorite, Nomadland, to win, though, and I’ll be relatively happy when it does. Between Nomadland and Promising Young Woman, this has been a great year for totally fair and well-written criticism of movies I still rather like. If you haven’t been keeping up, Nomadland has a scene towards the beginning filmed at an Amazon facility, and mentions that evil megacorporation a few times off-hand, all without really taking any sort of stand on them (it has been pointed out that the book the movie is based on is less afraid to have people voice criticism).

I think that’s a fair reading, though I read Fern’s off-hand remark about how well Amazon pays more as a sad reflection on the available options than any sort of endorsement. Setting all that aside, Nomadland is absolutely gorgeous-looking. And, especially when it takes time to focus on the characters Fern meets along the way, I think it does a beautiful job portraying the search for some kind of freedom and control in a harsh society while allowing for glimpses of beauty and joy. Chloe Zhao rules. 

If you’re the type of reader that enjoys a thorough evisceration, I’d recommend Ayesha Siddiqi’s shredding of Promising Young Woman, much like Nomadland, a movie I quite like while totally sympathizing with many criticisms of it. Indeed, it’s very much not the satisfying rape-revenge movie that its trailer promises (and that many people do still seem to be treating it as). If anything, it’s a deeply sad movie about repeated attempts to grab onto some kind of power or happiness that offers very little solace. I think the acting by Mulligan and a cavalcade of well-cast nice guys really carries it to something unique and good (though I don’t think the ending works).

While I totally see how Promising Young Woman isn’t for everyone, Judas and the Black Messiah seems an easy recommendation no matter what your tastes are. It both works great as a Departed/Infernal Affairs style undercover cop thriller and as a quick primer about the politics of the Black Panthers and the racism of the FBI. One caveat, specifically applicable to readers of this blog, is that you’ll have to tune out how much Cleveland, where the movie was shot, really doesn’t look like Chicago all that much.

I’m not quite as in love with Sound of Metal, but it’s also a really easy movie to like, with the approachable structure of an easily frustrated main character trying to overcome adversity, largely for love (of both music and a woman). The movie really strikes a chord (thanks Sandy Kenyon, I assume) when it questions what “adversity” really means in this case and again, as expected) in its sound design.

The Father, I wouldn’t recommend to everyone, as I know several people for whom movies about dementia and Alzheimer’s are a no go, but damn, it’s actually really good. Neither a Still Alice-style straightforward weepie nor a straight play adaptation, The Father plays some Lynch-y character tricks, and it really feels like it’s playing them on us and on Anthony Hopkins’ aging Anthony at the same time. The rest of the cast is superb, the production design is excellent, I was shocked at how much I liked it (though, again, I’m not quite sure it sticks the landing).

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