Mark Potash
@MarkPotash
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Native Chicagoan born under the 49-star flag; Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter, 1987-2025. Mizzou '81. Niles West '77. Pill Hill '67. Founder of https://t.co/sVz1RS0XZ0.
Joined July 2011
A 45-year career in sportswriting in two pictures — from the Chiefs-Colts on Sept. 2, 1979 at Arrowhead Stadium to the Bears-Packers on Jan. 5, 2025 at Lambeau Field. I don't know whether to laugh or cry!
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The Eagle has landed. The Bears have scored five offensive touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since 1956, per @stathead.
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Justin Fields is 2-0. Luke Getsy scored 26 vs. the Ravens and won, with Gardner Minshew. Darnell Mooney beat the Eagles. Lucas Patrick is the top-graded guard in the NFL . if it’s not the QB, the OC or the supporting cast, what else could it be — the water at Halas Hall?.
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Hmmm . Jim Harbaugh took a 5-12 team with a sub-.500 quarterback and lost Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler and Mike Williams — and has the Chargers (10-6) in the playoffs.
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The #Bears: . 1. Have the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck.2. Have DJ Moore, Keenan Allen & Rome Odunze.3. Have a defense that was 6th in scoring over the last 13g in '23.4. Have all their future No. 1 picks.5. Have the 11th most cap space. It'll take some work to mess this up.
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I'm taking a buyout at the Sun-Times. After 38 years at the paper, my last day will be Friday. Thanks to everyone — colleagues, competitors, editors . especially Sun-Times readers — who made it such a great ride. I leave w/ gratitude, great memories & a lot of gas in the tank.
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In 2012, the #Bears hired Phil Emery over Jason Licht, now the Bucs' GM. In 2013, the Bears hired Marc Trestman over Bruce Arians, now the Bucs' head coach. In 2017, the Bears drafted Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes, now the Chiefs QB. It's gonna be a long two weeks!.
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#Bears DE DeMarcus Walker said the win Sunday was for "my brothers in the locker room." But he didn't stop there: . "This is for the die-hard, loyal Chicago Bears fans that's been suffering for a long time. I can understand the pain they're going through and their frustration.".
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Justin Fields through Week 4 of Year 2: 57% comp., 70.3 passer rating, . Josh Allen through Week 4 of Year 2: 55% comp., 68.4 passer rating.
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It starts at the top. Since George McCaskey became the Bears' chairman in 2011, the Bears have fired 3 GMs, 5 head coaches and 3 OCs. In 14 seasons, they have 2 winning seasons, 2 playoff berths, zero playoff wins and a 93-130 record (.417) to show for it, so . .
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Mike Glennon has an NFL job, but this guy doesn’t?.
Colin Kaepernick’s final pass today today at Michigan’s Maize and Blue Spring Game. 📹 @BigTenNetwork
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Pierre McGuire: "Eddie, you getting flashbacks of old Chicago Stadium? Because that's how loud it is here." . Eddie: "Honestly, Pierre, not really. I don't think there was a building louder than Chicago Stadium.".
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The #Bears and Chiefs each fired their head coach on Dec. 31, 2012. The Chiefs hired Andy Reid four days later. The Bears needed 16 days to hire Marc Trestman.
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Justin Fields’ day without drops by Robert Tonyan and Darnell Mooney and with a replay review of the first-half Hail Mary;. 21-of-40, 284 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 100.4. Any questions?.
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Justin Fields' injury could be devastating. It's reminiscent of Joe Burrow's torn ACL in Week 11 in 2020. The Bengals finished 4-11-1 and were never the same . no wait, I'm being told they took Ja'Marr Chase with the No. 5 pick and went to the Super Bowl in 2021. Hmmm . .
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The Broncos are two-point favorites over the Bears on the road next week — after losing by 50 points on Sunday. That says it all.
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The #Bears . 1. Interviewed Dan Quinn for head coach and hired Matt Eberflus. 2. Interviewed Kliff Kingsbury for offensive coordinator and hired Shane Waldron. 3. Evaluated Jayden Daniels for the No. 1 overall pick and chose Caleb Williams. 🤔.
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Robbie Gould, still a Chicagoan despite playing for the 49ers, said he plans to attend the #Bears' playoff game with his sons. "To see them back in the playoffs is going to be pretty exciting. I’m just excited for them to be there and watch them hopefully win a Super Bowl.".
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Teams the #Bears have beaten under Matt Eberflus: . 49ers — Trey Lance benched/traded. Texans — Lovie Smith fired. Patriots — 4-14 in their last 18 games. Commanders — DC Jack Del Rio fired/Ron Rivera likely out. Raiders — Josh McDaniels fired. Panthers — Frank Reich fired.
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Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles this weekend: . 37-for-45, 413 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 134.5 passer rating.
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The Cubs (71-66) are 40 1/2 games ahead of the White Sox (31-107) — the largest disparity between the two teams in the 124-year history of their crosstown rivalry. Yikes!.
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As a starting QB in 2020: . 1. Mitch Trubisky 3-0 (1.000). 2. Patrick Mahomes 4-1 (.800). 3. Deshaun Watson 1-4 (.200).
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The #Bears and Chiefs each fired their head coach on Dec. 31, 2012. The Chiefs hired Andy Reid four days later. The Bears needed 16 days to hire Marc Trestman. And the rest . is history.
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Six of the candidates for the #Bears' offensive coordinator position were hired as an OC in the NFL. The early update . 🤔
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At 3-7, the #Bears currently have the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 draft. At 5-5, they would have the No. 17 pick of the 2023 draft. In 2021, the No. 6 pick was Jaylen Waddle. The No. 17 pick was Alex Leatherwood. So . .
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Do other teams' GMs get bashed for missing fourth-round pick Eddie Jackson like Ryan Pace does every time George Kittle makes a catch? #justwondering.
PAID. 💰 4 more years of @BoJack39 in Chicago. $58.4M, $33M total guarantee. His.$14.6M yearly average makes him the highest paid safety in the @NFL. #BoJack #LegendsLiveHere #BearDown
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Some personal news: I have joined the Bears as their team historian. Special thanks to George McCaskey, the often misunderstood chairman whose bold leadership — including breaking the bank to hire Ben Johnson — is destined to usher in a new championship era at Halas Hall.
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The #Bears and Chiefs each fired their head coach on Dec. 31, 2012. The Chiefs hired Andy Reid four days later. The Bears needed 16 days to hire Marc Trestman.
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Top four choices for the #Bears' next offensive coordinator: . 1. Someone who's worked for Kyle Shanahan. 2. Someone who's worked with Kyle Shanahan. 3. Someone who knows Kyle Shanahan. 4. Someone who's had even a casual football conversation with Kyle Shanahan.
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Joel Quenneville and Jeremy Colliton have coached the Blackhawks for 15 games each this season: . Joel Quenneville: 6-6-3 (.500). Jeremy Colliton: 3-10-2 (.267).
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Fun Fact: Caleb Williams is the first #Bears quarterback to start 16 games in a regular season since Jay Cutler in 2009.
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The #Bears' defense has knocked one QB out of the game (Rodgers), three QBs out of a job (Fitzpatrick, Bradford, Peterman) and two QBs out of the league (Bradford, Peterman) this season.
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Mitch Trubisky and the #Bears are the fourth-highest scoring team in the NFL over the last three weeks (30.3 ppg).
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Kudos to Vic Fangio, an old-school guy still at the top of his game at 66 — not an easy thing to do in this day and age. In 44 years of sportswriting, I can't think of any coach who deserves the validation of a Super Bowl ring like Vic does. A terrific guy and great sports fan.
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#Bears chairman George McCaskey fired coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace on Monday, but wasn't willing to consider the possibility that he might be the problem at Halas Hall: .
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Vic Fangio's defense had five sacks Sunday and won 26-0. Matt Nagy's defense had five sacks Sunday and lost 26-6.
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Jim Harbaugh was 7-4 against the Packers with the #Bears. He beat Favre twice. He beat Majkowski. He beat Tomczak. And he was 4-0 against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers as a coach — twice in the playoffs and 3 times because he had the better quarterback. Bring him home, indeed.
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Sorry. If the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks wanted to ditch NBC Sports Chicago and go their own way — which is their right — their FIRST priority was to make sure their audience could get their product without jumping through any hoops. This is on them.
#WhiteSox fans, if first pitch arrives Thursday and CHSN isn't on Comcast, it's time to direct your anger toward Comcast. Putting pressure on them (calls, emails, posts) is the only recourse.
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A small dose of Combine week perspective . .
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The Blackhawks' days as the NHL gold standard are long gone, but their 15-1 record in Game 6 — always either a clinching or elimination game — still stands as a hallmark of that golden era.
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I think I've asked every #Bears OC since Matt Cavanaugh a form of this question: Why is developing Justin Fields like pulling teeth, yet the Patriots insert Bailey Zappe — a fourth-round draft pick — in a pinch and he's immediately successful?.
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#Bears chairman George McCaskey has now fired three general managers (Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery, Ryan Pace) and has overseen the firing of four head coaches (Lovie, Trestman, Fox, Nagy). How many bites of the apple does he deserve?.
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Struggling for the words to express my profound sadness about the passing of my good friend Jeff Dickerson. His sunny disposition, strength and courage through the worst of times inspires me to be a better person. What a legacy to leave his son, his family & everyone he touched.
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2020 4th-quarter passer rating: . Mitch Trubisky — 145.4.Deshaun Watson — 89.6.Patrick Mahomes — 81.9.
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That the #Bears allowed Matt Eberflus to conduct his press conference today before firing him tells you all you need to know about Halas Hall dysfunction. It makes everyone who walks in the building a lesser version of themselves and gives no hope they'll find the right guy.
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All the Luke Getsy critics are awfully quiet after the #Bears drove one yard on eight plays for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead over the Browns.
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The last team to hold the 49ers to fewer than 20 points without a touchdown pass? . The Bears.
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28. If Justin Fields makes it big this season, we'll look back on Thursday's red-zone drill as The Moment it was clear he was destined for greatness — a dominant performance with six TDs that displayed every facet of his game — run, pass, rollout — that makes him a lethal weapon.
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The #Bears coached Cooper Kupp and Jordan Morgan at the Senior Bowl in 2017 — and drafted Morgan.
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Soldier Field end zone on Aug. 17 vs. Soldier Field end zone on Sept. 8 . 🤔
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Hmmm . Yards per attempt, 2022:. Justin Fields, Chi — 7.7.Patrick Mahomes, KC — 7.6.Justin Herbert, LAC — 7.4.Russell Wilson, Den — 7.4.Lamar Jackson, Bal — 7.2.Matt Stafford, LAR — 6.9.Joe Burrow, Cin — 6.9.Aaron Rodgers, GB — 6.9.Tom Brady, TB — 6.8.Kyler Murray, Ariz — 5.8.
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I asked Dolphins linebacker Melvin Ingram for one word to describe Justin Fields' performance Sunday. He gave me four, but they were all the same: . "Special. Special. Special. Special. It's simple. He's special.".
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The opportunity to hire Jim Harbaugh is George McCaskey's George Halas moment. Just as Halas stepped in to hire Mike Ditka, McCaskey needs to give his blessing, open the Halas Hall vault and hire a former Bear who can make a difference. 1st-and-10: .
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Bears GM Ryan Pace essentially was fired for taking Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft. But the Bills don't get nearly as much grief for igniting the Chiefs' juggernaut by trading the No. 10 pick in that draft to the Chiefs so they could draft Mahomes.
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For the record . the Chicago Sun-Times has published 3,644 consecutive days since Jay Mariotti left the paper in 2008 — 10 years ago next week. Or as my colleague @NeilSteinberg puts it, "every goddamn day.".
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You know it's a new #Bears era when there's a chance Brandon Aiyuk might be available and instead of frantically clamoring for the Bears to do whatever it takes to acquire a quality WR, Bears Twitter says, "We're good.".
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The #Bears and Chiefs each fired their head coach on Dec. 31, 2012. The Chiefs hired Andy Reid four days later. The Bears needed 16 days to hire Marc Trestman.
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#Bears reaction to the Roquan Smith situation: . Trevathan: "[I'm] probably not as concerned as you guys [media]. I'm just here to work and have my guy back." . Mack: It's in-house . we know he's going to get better and we look forward to him getting back out there with us.".
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Is Mitch Trubisky closing the gap on Patrick Mahomes? He's had the better passing rating the last four weeks in a row:
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Bears’ season is not over. But the Hail Mary fiasco is third on my list of bad indicators for this coaching staff:. 1. Totally discombobulated on offense coming off a bye, starting w/ the QB. 2. Calling a handoff to center Doug Kramer in a crucial moment. 3. Hail Mary fiasco.
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7. I've seen many #Bears rookie QBs in their first practice. Vince Evans had a habit of patting the ball before he threw that had to be coached out of. Trubisky had center-snap issues (h/t @jon_greenberg). Fields had no overt bad habits that might slow his developmental arc.
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Justin Fields' dazzling performance elicited only respect from the Dolphins. "I'm glad we don't have to see him again," safety Eric Rowe said.
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4. With all due respect to Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields is a different animal. This kid doesn't look like he needs training wheels. The snaps he took under center looked totally natural. Trubisky, who had just 13 starts under his belt, had a much longer learning curve. 4/100.
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The #Bears’ quarterback evaluation in a nutshell: They can win a Super Bowl with Justin Fields. But they can win a Super Bowl because of Caleb Williams. That distinction will always tip the scales.
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Last two games:. Mitch Trubisky — 116.9 rating. Patrick Mahomes — 77.0 rating. The winds of change could be blowing on Dec. 22 at Soldiers Field.
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The #Bears' current offensive line of Larry Borom-Jake Curhan-Coleman Shelton-Matt Pryor-Darnell Wright is their 21st different combination this season and 63rd in three seasons under GM Ryan Poles.
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Rookie WR Anthony Miller thinks the #Bears are going to open some eyes Sunday:. "I think there’s a lot of people sleeping on us. The history of this team hasn’t been what we wanted it to be, so we’re about to re-write it. This is the beginning of . a new era in Chicago.".
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Chicago pro athletes from out of town who embrace Chicago in retirement and deal with our weather, traffic and parking have a special place in my heart.
JUST IN: Former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould is the new head football coach at Rolling Meadows.
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If Jayden Daniels is a one-read quarterback, it seems like his first read is always open.
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I don't know who the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach is, but he deserves a raise and promotion after Chad Henne came in cold and led a 98-yard touchdown drive in a playoff game.
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Fun Fact: There are more ex-Bears on the Pro Bowl teams (Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack, Andrew DePaola) than there are Bears (Jaylon Johnson).
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With Joel Quenneville in Florida, it's time to put a bow on the Q-era in Chicago. The Blackhawks might win Cups again, but it's unlikely we'll ever see teams quite like those. One more look at the resilience that made the Quenneville-era Hawks special:.
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Fun Fact: Fullback Khari Blasingame won his last three games with the Bears and his last six games with the Eagles this season. The Bears were 1-10 after cutting Blasingame. The Eagles were 8-1 after signing him.
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20 reasons why Mark Buehrle had the perfect baseball career:
The case for Mark Buehrle to eventually make the Hall of Fame. Plus, Bonds, Clemens, Sosa and the big steroids controversy. White Sox Talk Podcast with @RyanMcGuffey and @ckamka. 🎙.
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The #Bears couldn’t have asked for a much more playable schedule — a winnable home game vs. the Titans in Week 1; winnable road games in the first 9, w/ the most challenging games in the final 8, when Caleb Williams will have more experience. But kids today want prime time games.
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Ryan Poles’ culpability in this #Bears mess also is in play. He’s the GM who acquired Caleb Williams, but also the GM who hired Matt Eberflus. And the GM who said prior to Week 1, “I feel more confident in the depth of our o-line than I ever have before.”.
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That their current head coach is someone they rejected as an offensive coordinator candidate should tell the Bears what they need to do now: Hire the guy you don't like. Hire the guy you wouldn't hire. Your hiring instincts aren't what you think they are.
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The Blackhawks were 15-1 in Game 6s in the Quenneville era, including 8-0 on the road — pretty impressive considering Game 6 is an elimination/clincher every time.
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Hearing that Matt Eberflus is a "good teacher," "organized," "a good communicator" with "attention to detail." "Great hire.".
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With Brett Hundley as his QB, Martellus Bennett wanted surgery. With Tom Brady as his QB Martellus Bennett practiced and is questionable for Sunday's game. We in Chicago are not surprised.
Who is to blame, Martellus Bennett or the #Packers? @Eric_Edholm:
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Corey Crawford is now 14-5 (.737) in playoff elimination games in his Blackhawks career.
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A year ago today, the #Bears interviewed Bills asst. GM Joe Schoen and OC Brian Daboll for their vacant GM/HC jobs. The Giants hired both — and are in the divisional round of the playoffs, with the second-hottest QB in the postseason and the second-most cap space for 2023, so . .
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We're in a missing-man formation in the Soldier Field press box, as the #Bears honor our good friend Jeff Dickerson, including a pre-game moment of silence for JD and John Madden. Tough day here for all of us. We all will miss JD forever. He was the best.
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#Bears Week 1 Fun Fact — Points allowed in Caleb Williams' last nine starts: . 38, 36, 52, 49, 34, 48, 41, 41, 28.
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Ryan Poles' top OL acquisitions via free-agency/trade before hiring Ben Johnson:. Nate Davis, Lucas Patrick, Coleman Shelton, Ryan Bates, Matt Pryor. Ryan Poles' top OL acquisitions via free agency/trade after hiring Ben Johnson:. Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson. 🤔.
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The Nationals were 0-3 in elimination games when they had Bryce Harper. They're 2-0 in elimination games since he left.
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I think #Bears fans can take a bow for the hiring of Ben Johnson. With how quickly this deal was done — without Johnson stepping foot in Halas Hall or meeting face-to-face — it's almost like the Bears responded to the furious blowback from the season-ending press conferences.
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The #Bears' 2024 draft:. 1-1 Caleb Williams, QB.1-9 Rome Odunze, WR.2-40 Montez Sweat, DE.3-75 Kiran Amegadjie, OT.4-110 Keenan Allen, WR.4-122 Tory Taylor, P.5-144 Austin Booker, DE.6-184 Dan Feeney, C/G.7-231 N'Keal Harry, WR. Three-word reviews®?.
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Career playoff passer rating, top-12 drafted QBs in 2016-17: . 1. Trubisky -- 89.6.2. Mahomes -- 85.2.3. Goff -- 76.6.4. Watson -- 69.7.5. Wentz -- has no passer rating.
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The #Bulls were 0-0 when facing elimination in the NBA Finals in the Jordan era.
The @warriors are the 5th team to win an NBA Finals game by one point when facing elimination. The others:. 1947 Stags (Game 4).1955 Nationals (Game 7).1974 Bucks (Game 6).1988 Lakers (Game 6). #DubNation.
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100 observations after the #Bears first rookie mini-camp practice: . 1. Quarterback Justin Fields did nothing to convince me he could not be the starting quarterback in Week 1. 1/100.
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