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New Bears Tight End Adam Shaheen [VIDEO]
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(1) The Bears made their draft about Mitch Trubisky and Ryan Pace staked his tenure on the success of the Tarheel quarterback. One can argue whether the Bears could have stayed pat at three and still ended up with their desired quarterback but Halas Hall did not believe that. They believed staying at three meant possibly losing out on the guy they refused to leave Thursday night without.
(2) I got an email out of the blue Monday saying – essentially – “sounds like you boys are all-in on Trubisky”. I thought, “Okay, that’s odd.” Told Jahns. Told Dannehy. Went to a someone reliable around the Bears and they unreservedly confirmed it. Yesterday, once the Myles Garrett pick became official, I was 100% on Trubisky coming to Chicago.
(3) This pick makes the entirety of the off-season program more interesting. OTAs, Bourbonnais, preseason games…etc. all become about Trubisky and his development. And for the first time in my life, I’m considering going to training camp for a few days.
(4) Pace will try to get at least one of those mid-round picks back tonight.
(5) I refuse to rule out Trubisky playing in 2017.
The future of the Chicago Bears is now Mitch Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina. That’s it. They will continue developing a top defense and beefing up their rushing attack but the organization’s future is 6’3″ and has a last name made for the Windy City (although he should probably change it to Trubiski).
Now the question…when does he play? And all coverage of the 2017 Chicago Bears will center around that question.
The offseason program will be about Trubisky’s grasp of the system. Bourbonnais will be about Trubisky’s leadership and execution. Preseason games will only get exciting once Trubisky enters. And the regular season will either be a year-long learning curve for the Tarheel or a week-by-week will they won’t/won’t they for the John Fox and the coaching staff.
The 2004 Giants did it right. With Kurt Warner on their roster and a newly-drafted Eli Manning, they gave Warner a shot to win games. After half the season they knew that wasn’t going to happen and they handed the keys of their franchise to Manning. He struggled mightily in his rookie campaign, going 1-6. He wouldn’t have a losing record for the next seasons.
The Bears have chosen their franchise quarterback. The rebuild doesn’t truly begin until he sees the field.
If you’re looking for a good time tonight, Mother Hubbard’s will be the official drinking spot of DBB for the first round of the NFL Draft. (Rounds 2 & 3 will be up in the air until midday Friday.)
The NFL’s annual impossible to predict event is upon us and once again I take a shot at trying to predict it:
1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, Edge, Texas A&M
Garrett is the consensus first overall pick and I expect the Browns to just pull the trigger and figure out how to grab a quarterback later.
2. (Trade) Jacksonville Jaguars: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
So much talk about the Jaguars trying to find a way to succeed with Blake Bortles. Why? If the conversation is at that point, they should just replace him and I see Tom Coughlin as liking Watson enough to leapfrog the Bears.
3. Chicago Bears: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
There are two QBs who are worth a top pick and I think the Bears agree with me. Trubisky has a lot of traits that any QB-needy team would want.
4. San Francisco 49ers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
People I really respect keep saying the 49ers love Fournette. It doesn’t sound right because Kyle Shannahan’s offense has worked with lesser running backs but they could see Fournette as being the first building block of their offense.
I am not over-complicating things here. I think this is an extremely deep draft at a wide range of positions. But these are the five guys I like best.
Before injury, I thought Jake Butt was Jason Witten. Big, tough, physical, elusive in the open field, great hands…etc. Then he suffered one of the saddest injuries in many a moon. Supposedly he’s ahead of schedule to return – timetables range between mid-July to October – and who knows how far that will drop him on draft boards. But I can’t imagine a player of this caliber making it to Saturday.
I actually watch Connecticut football. I don’t know why that’s the case, other than maybe geographic proximity, but I do. Obi is the real deal. Someone with his athletic ability paired with a 6’4″ frame is beyond rare. It’s unheard of. I think this kid is going to be a star.
And from the internet: “The 11-9 broad jump was the second-best number the combine has seen since 2003, behind only the record 12-3 recorded by Dallas defensive back Byron Jones in 2015.”
You put McCaffrey in an inventive offense and he’s going to be one of the most exciting players in the league starting September 10th. Let him return kicks and punts. Give him 10-15 carries a game. Stick him in the slot a dozen or so times a game.
I just like the kid. I don’t see one element of his game that won’t translate to the next level. And if the Bears pulled the trigger on him with the third pick, I’d be pretty damn excited about their future.
I have been waxing poetic about this player for months and nothing that’s happened since his epic performance against North Carolina in the bowl game has changed that. If you want to drown yourself in the inanity of “technique talk” you’ve come to the wrong place. Thomas is a special player and a smart defensive coordinator is going to move him up and down the line and rely on his relentlessness to destroy games.
Last time I guessed what the Bears draft board looks like, I didn’t think a quarterback was on it. Now, not only do I think a QB is on it, I think it revolves around the position.
The more I thought about it, the more quarterback made sense for the Bears. It’s the biggest need on the team and there are players who are absolutely worth the third pick (especially if Jared Goff was worth the first pick last year). The signing of Mike Glennon buys them time and, if Glennon plays well, they won’t have trouble trading him for a first round pick next offseason.
Which QB the Bears may like is anybody’s guess. And people have guessed everybody. Within the span of five days, Eric Galko of Sporting News went from writing that Deshaun Watson was their favorite to tweeting that they preferred Patrick Mahomes. The next day it was reported that the Cleveland Browns were convinced the Bears were going to take Mitchell Trubisky. Nobody knows and anybody who says they do is full of it.
Have spent the last two weeks exchanging texts and emails with my two league sources. This is not a good time to gather information but here’s what I think is happening.
Tough start. Easy landing. Bye in the perfect spot. At least in April.
