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Merz Apothecary Game Preview: Week Four

| October 2nd, 2020

Our sponsor this week is the legendary Merz Apothecary and they’re doing a fantastic giveaway!

Because there isn’t any theatre for JQ to do, he’s been forced to actually watch all these Bears games live and his heart is struggling to take it. So the winner of this week’s contest will receive a package of goods designed for heart health and stress relief. We can’t have the Chicago Bears killing anyone!

You’ll get Himalaya HeartCare Capsules, Carlson Fish Oil Capsules and Urban Moonshine Joy Tonic. It’s a package worth $75. This is high-end stuff.

The Contest

In the comments section below, guess the total number of yards receiving for Bears WRs Sunday. No backs. No tight ends. Just Robinson, Miller, Mooney, Ginn, Wims…etc. First correct answer wins the package so don’t duplicate someone else’s guess. (If nobody guesses the number exactly, we’ll roll the prize over to Thursday’s Bucs preview.)

Good luck!


Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I always like the Chicago Bears.

And while I think there will be some growing pains for Nick Foles with these receivers, my confidence level in this team is significantly higher with him under center.


Thoughts on the Colts

  • I have watched all three Colts games and I don’t really know what to make of them defensively. (I guess the same could be said about the Bears.) Kirk Cousins played one of the worst games I’ve ever seen a quarterback play two weeks ago. Then Sam Darnold topped him last week. If you think the Colts defense caused those performances you really need to look at the tape. Both guys missed wide open receivers all over the field. Both guys just seemed to casually throw interceptions. This is definitely the best defense the Bears have faced to this point but their number one ranking is inflated by these grotesque QB performances.
  • When you watch them defensively, it’s their aggressiveness that jumps off the screen. They are a group that likes to hit people. It’s the reason Matt Eberflus was being considered for some head coaching gigs last off-season and why he’ll be a top contender once Eric Bieniemy is announced as the new coach of the Falcons.
  • Mo Alie-Cox looks to be finally developing into a nice weapon for Phil Rivers at the tight end spot. He’s only got ten catches on this young season but you can see the confidence level growing each week. Bears need to be wary.
  • Stopping the run is key every week but it’s absolutely essential Sunday. If the Bears have shown a vulnerability in the passing game it’s the deep middle, underneath the safeties. Those throws require arm strength and the first three QBs they have faced have had it in spades. Rivers does not. He can not pick them apart if he’s trying to fit the ball into tight windows, 10-12 yards down the field.
  • Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship was one of my favorite players in the 2020 NFL Draft and he’s been fine kicking for the Colts. But…he’s doinked three kicks through three weeks. Imagine if the Bears had drafted him and he did this? It would have broken half the fan base.

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My Six Favorite Players in the 2020 NFL Draft

| April 23rd, 2020

Each year I write this column. Usually, the players turn out to be pretty good because I pay zero attention to anything other than their football games, with this year’s exception of a punter doing bench press reps. I don’t care about their forty times. I don’t care about their three-cone. I just know what happened when they played football games against other football players.

Editor’s Note I: These are not the players I think are the five best in the draft. These are the five I like best.

Editor’s Note II: I loved Mitch Trubisky. I was wrong.


#6. Michael Turk, P, Arizona State

Why is a punter benching this much? Why is a punter benching at all?

He’s a good punter. He’s a legacy player. And he’s got toughness to him. Don’t be surprised if he’s still punting in the league a decade from now.


#5. K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State

Here are the names usually associated with Hamler:

Ted Ginn Jr.

Tyreek Hill.

Tavon Austin.

Speed. Speed. Speed for days and night and long weekends and bank holidays. The Bears desperately need speed. Hamler has enough to fire up the grill and cook the hot dogs.

But here’s what stood out to me, watching Hamler’s tape. When he was lined up against the top corner in this draft, Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah, he shook him in press coverage. (Thanks to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com for pointing that out.) Hamler isn’t going to fit every offense. But there’s an offense in the midwest that he fits perfectly.

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