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3️⃣0️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener!
Good morning, Bears fans!
Gotta admit I’m glad Kevin Warren and George McCaskey took the week before the preseason opener to serve us a stadium nothing burger, rather than the week before the start of the actual season.
More on what the Duo of Due Diligence had to say (or didn’t) below …
Headlines
Bears welcome Browns on Saturday: The only home game of preseason kicks off at noon on Fox 32 and NFL Network for out-of-town fans. Adam Amin, Stacy Dales and Jim Miller are on the call.
Caleb Williams won’t play: No big surprise here as Tyson Bagent is expected to get most of the first half work against Cleveland. Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie will rotate throughout the game at left tackle.
Chuba Hubbard ‘week to week’ with hamstring injury: Week 1 opponent Carolina is confident their RB will be back to face the Bears, but still something to keep an eye on. Jonathan Brooks was already making a play on Hubbard’s spot atop the depth chart. (Yahoo Sports)
Terrion Arnold expected to sign with Seattle: Ah, the NFL. The only place where someone can get fired by the Lions for facing eight felony charges including kidnapping and robbery, only to see the defending Super Bowl champions snap him up from a mini derby that included the Texans, Saints and Giants. I’m interested to see how they handle this on Hard Knocks. (ESPN)
Same As It Ever Was
Chicago Bears/YouTube
George McCaskey and Kevin Warren met with the media for the first time since the Illinois legislature came up empty and the Bears said they would dance with Indiana for the time being (and maybe forever).
But if you were expecting any big news you were, well, duped.
Here’s a list of the actual news items from Thursday's presser:
The Bears have concluded testing on the Lost Marsh site in Hammond and found it to be a viable site.
A nearby parcel of land has piqued their interest and the two sites could be joined if the second plot passes environmental tests.
Discussions with Illinois were described as “occasional” and “minimal.”
Warren’s wife told him to stop placing timelines on the project.
And that was pretty much it.
No declarative statements. No name changes promised by a Twitter insider cosplayer. Not really much of anything.
I think we all would’ve preferred had the pair held a press conference after the end of the Illinois lawmaking session or June’s Indiana announcement, but that wasn’t the case.
McCaskey and Warren traditionally hold a press conference this time of year and, well, that’s what we got.
But with the actual on-field product in a relatively good spot — thank god for Ben Johnson — the stadium developments were the only thing anyone was really interested in. (McCaskey even made a timid request to field “non-stadium” questions at the start of his availability, only to solely be asked stadium questions.)
When all of this ends is still anyone’s guess, but I had three takeaways after I clicked out of the press conference on YouTube …
Kevin Warren was a man of contradictions: The Bears president named Indiana the “sole focus” of the process while also acknowledging “occasional” meetings with Illinois.
Those statements, of course, are conflicting … just like Warrensaying it’s “prudent” they “move with pace” while also saying they want to take the time to get a “40-50 year decision” right.
Or Warren touting the Bears record revenue last year before immediately pivoting into discussions of pursuing a publicly-funded stadium in two different sites.
Talk as much as Warren has the past few years and it gets pretty hard to avoid the double talk.How does the NFL feel about Indiana? At one point, McCaskey said the team believes the league will “ultimately … become comfortable” with the Hammond site. But at another, he relayed that commissioner Roger Goodell said “hope is not a strategy” when it comes to waiting around for Illinois politicians to pass legislation.
So has the NFL given its blessing to cross state lines and leave 107 years of Illinois residency behind? If it hasn’t … will it?This remains the world’s worst staring contest: While the Bears are sharing the current dance with a new state, I think it’s still evident they’re looking past Indiana’s gaze to see if Illinois is taking notice. This leverage that’s been created is an absurdly awkward situation and both sides have billions of reasons not to be the first to give in.
Who’s more likely to throw in the towel first? It would stand to reason it’s the Bears given they have Indiana willing to provide the money that Illinois won’t.
But at this point, who knows? Anyone claiming they do is a liar.
What do you think will happen with the Bears stadium situation? Pop into the Bears By 7 community to chat!
Quotable
"Do I need to see Caleb Williams play in the preseason? No. I see him every day in practice."
Worth Your Time
If you haven’t read Dan Pompei’s incredible “day in the life” of Ben Johnson article yet, what are you waiting for? (The Athletic)
Burying Lake Shore Drive vs. A New Bears Stadium (Dear Kevin Warren)
Luis Medina on the mechanical tweak that could help Gervon Dexter take the step his career needs. (Bleacher Nation)
Pete Martuneac on how the Bears schedule could help Ben Johnson fulfill his dream of breaking the 2013 Broncos scoring record (Sports Illustrated)
From Caleb to Colston, stock up on officially-licensed player gear for the season (BreakingT)
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