Good morning, Bears fans!
I’m excited to announce the first Bears By 7 giveaway below and it’s with a brand I’ve enjoyed watching a fellow Bears fan build over the past year.
May your luck be better than the Blackhawks lottery outcome last night!
— Kevin Kaduk
01 Stadium News
Brandon Johnson’s final blitz
The Chicago mayor is “determined” to block the Bears’ move to Arlington Heights, per the Sun-Times. Johnson’s Hail Mary is likely a whole lot of nothing considering over 30 Chicago delegates already helped the megaprojects bill through the House. But real obstacles still remain to get it past the Senate by May 31.
02 NFC North
Parsons weighs in on Bears losses
The Packers rusher spoke to The Action Network and was asked if his presence would’ve affected the outcome of the two defeats to the Bears.
Said Parsons: “I won when I was in Green Bay, so I don't see why I can't pull out another one out of two of those games. Besides I always have a rule that if my quarterback puts up 21 points, you're probably gonna win the football game."
Editor’s note: The Packers scored 16 points on December 20.
03 NFL Free Agency
DJ Reader to the Giants
Two years, $12.5 million to the ex-Lion. The 32-year-old nose tackle was rumored New York-bound for awhile, but still worth noting as fans look for more DL depth.
Win this ‘Darth Burden’ cutout!
Talley Brand wants to award this 36-inch, custom Darth Burden cutout to one lucky Bears By 7 reader!
Put it in your front yard. Hang it in your fan cave. Make it the talk of your tailgate.
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Also worth knowing: Anyone who shops Talley Brand right now gets 10 percent off and free shipping with code BEARSBY7 at checkout. They have great team-adjacent gear all fans will love. (My package from Rob, a prince of a Bears fan, is on the way.)
Cutout winner announced here on May 18. Punch your ticket asap.
Pushing Back On A Packers fan
If one needs instant engagement on social media, one can never go wrong by baiting a hook to catch a couple thousand proud Chicagoans.
So you can call out deep dish, say New York is superior or claim one will get shot simply by walking outside … odds are that we’ll drop the gloves instead of calling out the troll attempt.
Peter Bukowski from Locked On Packers knows this better than most. In fact, it would seem his entire raison d’etre on X/Twitter is to rile up the Bears fan base.
He succeeded in a big way during Tuesday’s slow news day, questioning if the division champion Bears had actually upgraded this offseason.
Because I respect his ability to, uh, “create conversation,” I thought I’d go line by line on his callouts riddled with misspellings and omissions.
Besides, I think it’s healthy for us to be objective about these questions, even if it’s criticism coming from someone backing the green and gold.
Drew Dalman —> Garrett Bradbury (or a rookie): Bukowski admittedly started out strong. Dalman’s surprise retirement was a blow to everyone and demanded a solution to a problem we didn’t think needed solving. Logan Jones may be a long-term solution, but neither he nor Bradbury are likely to be a short-term upgrade. No one in Bears fandom is claiming otherwise.
Nahshon Wright —> ????: The rest of the NFL was so impressed by Wright’s five-interception season he was handsomely rewarded with … a one-year contract worth up to $5.5 million with the Jets. Then again, who better to recognize cornerback deficiencies than a Packers fan?
Kevin Byard —> Coby Bryant: Here’s where he starts to really lose me. Byard is 32. Bryant is 27. Surely Bukowski knows it’s generally a good thing to get younger (Bryant) and not overpay players in danger of crossing their expiration date during the contract (Byard).
Jaquan Brisker —> “A rookie”: As much as we liked him, Jaquan Brisker was just a guy and a sometimes unavailable one at that thanks to some unfortunate head injuries. Meanwhile, only referring to Dillon Thieneman as “a rookie” after he was one of the few universally-praised first-round picks is a choice.
Terrell Edmunds —> Devin Bush: SMDH, can’t even get Tremaine Edmunds’ name right. We have no idea if Bush will produce like we want him to, but the Bears got a cheaper solution that should bring better coverage ability. Again, that’s good process.
DJ Moore —> Khalif Raymond: False equivalence alert! The Bears were able to part with Moore’s salary thanks to Luther Burden’s presumed elevation in the offense. So that’s your real 1:1. Plus, if we’re being technical about it … DJ Moore —> Sam Roush, Keyshaun Elliott + $16.5 million of cap space.
Look, at the end of the day, the Bears defense ranked near the bottom of the league in many categories. Bukowski seems preoccupied with the Bears losing 12 interceptions between Byard and Wright, but counting on that duo to replicate that performance on a still flawed unit would’ve been a true misstep.
Instead, Ryan Poles gave Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen the opportunity to go out and find the players for their team vision and not just stick with the players they inherited.
Maybe the new direction will work out.
Or maybe it’ll be something less than what Allen envisions.
Regardless, it’s not as if we’re seeing Wilber Marshall and several other members of the ‘85 Bears defense head elsewhere.
Someone who watched the Bears play three times last year should know that.
Wonder who had control of the Bluetooth speaker?
Congrats to Ron Rivera for being a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night. (WGN TV)
New OC Press Taylor talks with Gabby Hajduk about assimilating on a staff that had a lot of success without him last year. (ChicagoBears.com)
Usayd Koshul looks at five plays the Bears ran in 13 personnel last year (Bear Report)
Mike Florio says get ready for a Bears schedule that will be “all over the map” this year. (The Score)
Is there already a trade market for Garrett Bradbury? (Windy City Gridiron)
BEARS BY 7 CORRECTION: I mistakenly deleted Steve Lamberti’s alma mater from Tuesday’s newsletter. He went to Augustana and not Duke, like he was hoping some readers would assume.
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