Chicago Sports

The Bears couldn’t possibly play injured quarterback Justin Fields, presumably the most influential piece of their future, in an inconsequential game against the Jets.

Could they?

Fields and coach Matt Eberflus left that option open, though Fields said that based on how he felt doing some light throwing and handing off in their walk-through he was not in condition to play as of Wednesday because of his left (non-throwing) shoulder injury.

“We’ll see how it feels in four days,” he said, sounding optimistic overall.

Fields said he has a separated shoulder with partially torn ligaments, which is painful and inhibitive, but Eberflus flatly ruled out him going on injured reserve. So the upside for the Bears is that Fields won’t be out long, but it’s unknown how soon he’ll be on the field.

Beyond the pain Fields endures on throws and handoffs is the glaring concern over him taking hits, especially against a Jets defense that ranks fourth in sacks. The injury happened on a play in which Falcons cornerback Dee Alford knocked Fields out of bounds and he landed hard on his shoulder.

Eberflus said Fields has “got to be full go, ready to do everything,” for the Bears to feel comfortable playing him Sunday, meaning they wouldn’t send him out there with a cautiously designed game.

Trevor Siemian, who started four games for the Saints last season and 29 over his eight-year career, is in line to start if Fields is out. The Bears also have had Nathan Peterman on the practice squad all season.

“Of course I’m not gonna [risk] that I might not be able to play later … and have to sit out two or three more weeks after that,” he said. “Just listening to my body and making sure I’m not forcing anything.”

If the Bears held Fields out this week and next week against the Packers, he could return for the Dec. 18 game against the Eagles after getting almost a month to recover.

When pressed on why a 3-8 team wouldn’t automatically play it safe rather than hurry Fields back into action, Eberflus pointed to him being key to the offense and needing as much experience as possible.

“If he’s ready to play, he’s going to play,” he said. “He feels that way [and] we feel that way. If he’s ready to go, feels good about it, he’s going to play.

“Really, the reason is because we’re trying to win. We want to win the game. There’s a lot of great things [about Fields] getting the experience of playing a game — every single game we can. That’s an important part to this season.”

While Fields is still trying to establish himself as the franchise quarterback and needs as many games as he can get, Eberflus’ insistence that the Bears need to play him because winning this game matters isn’t believable. The Bears aren’t in an all-out tank, but they unloaded defensive stars Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn in the past month.

The injury could interrupt the best stretch of Fields’ career. Over his last seven games, he has completed 63.4% of his passes, averaged 167.3 yards per game and thrown for 11 touchdowns against four interceptions for a 97.6 passer rating. He also averaged 98.1 yards rushing and scored six touchdowns.

Fields is widely respected for his toughness and famously played through cracked ribs and a partially torn muscle in his hip for Ohio State in the national championship in 2021 — ” I’ve got to damn near die to not play in that one,” he joked — but the stakes are slightly lower against the Jets in Week 12 of a rebuilding season.

Eberflus labeled Fields “day-to-day” and said he was cleared to practice. The Bears plan to have a shortened practice Thursday, and Eberflus said seeing Fields work at full speed would be key to deciding whether he can play.

That will be a collective decision between Fields, Eberflus, general manager Ryan Poles and the medical staff, but Fields believed he’d have final say.

“[Eberflus] pretty much said it was up to me [and] they want the best thing for me,” Fields said. “He said if I feel that I can play, if I feel that I can go out there and protect myself and stuff like that, then I’ll be able to go.”

If he plays, Fields would almost certainly need a painkiller shot before the game, and he said it’s difficult to predict how much that will help. Furthermore, he said he’ll wear an extra pad on that shoulder and potentially a harness or brace.

All of that seems like excessive duress to put Fields through at this point in the season when there would be little lost by simply giving him time.

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The Bears’ defense isn’t going to take Jets quarterback Mike White lightly. The last time he stepped in for Zach Wilson he torched the Bengals for 405 passing yards and three touchdowns, outplaying Joe Burrow in a 34-31 victory on Oct. 31 at MetLife Stadium.

“He went crazy,” said Bears cornerback Lamar Jackson, who was on the Jets’ practice squad last season. “It gave us a lift and almost created a rift in the locker room. Because the second overall pick is in the locker room [starter Zach Wilson] and your back-up throws for 400 yards and now we’re thinking, ‘Something gotta happen.’

“I’m confident he’ll step into that role and play the best he could play. But it’s still up to us to defeat them. It’s going to be us versus them. But I’ve got respect for Mike.”

The respect that even former teammates like Jackson have for White could make the Jets even more dangerous than they would have been with Wilson, who was benched by coach Robert Saleh despite a 5-2 record as a starter after a demoralizing performance in a 10-3 loss to the Patriots. Wilson completed 9-of-22 passes for 77 yards, with no interceptions or touchdowns for a 50.8 passer rating.

Wilson caused some consternation within the Jets locker room when he was asked after Sunday’s game if he let the defense down and said, “No. no.” The lack of accountability didn’t factor into the decision, Saleh said, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have an effect on the team.

That made sense to Jackson.

“I like Zach Wilson, but I can see comments about how he carries himself, a sense of arrogance — I could see how it could rub people the wrong way,” Jackson said. “When he’s good he’s good, and when he’s bad he’s bad. When you’re not the most likable guy, of course when things are bad, everybody’s going to have a problem with you.”

Wilson still is the future with the Jets, Saleh insisted Wednesday. But turning to White could invigorate the Jets in the short-term — all circumstances considered.

“I can definitely tell you the locker room, they’re behind Mike White,” Jackson said. “He’s one of those guys that’s very likable. I know everybody’s going to be trying to buy in and help him succeed — just [because of] the type of guy he is. I know he has good respect over there.

“Guys are going to help Mike White make it happen. They kind of know the situation. There ain’t no telling how they really feel about Zach. A guy steps in that’s been there … I’m sure they’re all going to play hard for him.”

Bears tight end Ryan Griffin, who played for the Jets last season and caught passes from Wilson and White last season, wasn’t going to get into that debate. But he also has a lot or respect for White.

“He’s a good friend of mine,” Griffin said. “I wish him well — just not this week.”

Strategically, defending White is a little less complicated that defending the more mobile Wilson.

“[Wilson] has the ability to escape — not to say that Mike doesn’t,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “[Wilson] can move. He’s an athlete. He can do the keepers, a lot of things on the edge of the defense, where Mike is more really good at passing. He’s more of a pocket guy.”

But against a struggling Bears defense that has put little pressure on quarterbacks and could be short-handed in the secondary with cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker in concussion protocol, a pocket passer like White is a threat.

“He’s pretty balanced. He never gets high. Never gets low,” Jackson said. “I personally believe in him. I don’t think he’s just anybody. He’s got real potential and he can make things happen.”

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Seven Michigan State football players are charged in the postgame melee in Michigan Stadium’s tunnel last month, according to a statement Wednesday from the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office.

The most serious charge is against Khary Crump, who faces a felony count of felonious assault. The charges against the six others are misdemeanors; five with aggravated assault and one with assault and battery.

The incident occurred on Oct. 29 when multiple members of Michigan State’s football team roughed up two Michigan players.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had said earlier he expected the suspended Spartans to be criminally charged.

“At the University of Michigan we appreciate the thoughtful, deliberate approach from the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office to this unfortunate incident,” Michigan president Santa J. Ono said in a statement. “We also want to express our concern for all the players involved, especially those who were injured. The University of Michigan will continue to cooperate fully with any additional reviews of this matter.”

Michigan State’s athletic director and football coach did not immediately return requests for comment.

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker suspended eight players — including Malcolm Jones, who is not being charged with a crime — for their role in the melee.

Harbaugh has said defensive back Gemon Green was punched by a Spartans player, sparking the fracas shortly after the Wolverines beat their in-state rivals, and that teammate Ja’Den McBurrows was attacked when he tried to help.

Green suffered a concussion, which kept him out of one game before returning to play in Michigan’s 34-3 win over Nebraska.

Michigan increased the security presence in and around the tunnel and prevented Wolverines from entering it until each Nebraska player left the field at halftime and following the game.

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The Chicago Bears have several starters on their injury report

The Chicago Bears are getting pretty beat up by Thanksgiving Weekend. The Bears announced starting offensive lineman Lucas Patrick would be lost for the season. Quarterback Justin Fields was expected to be on it. He is. The bad news is that the Bears’ top two rookies are also on it.

According to the injury report released by the Bears Wednesday, defensive backs Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon did not practice with concussion injuries.

#Bears Wednesday Injury Report: pic.twitter.com/DAaF2sD6Iv

— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 23, 2022

It makes a little more sense why the Bears brought in a defensive back to the practice squad this week. The Bears will hope they can get a few of these guys back before their Week 12 game against the New York Jets.

Bears not practicing Wednesday

DB Jaquan Brisker, concussion
DB Kyler Gordon, concussion
LB Sterling Weatherford, concussion

Bears limited in practice

QB Justin Fields, shoulder

Bears fully participating but on the injury report

OL Teven Jenkins, hip
DB Dane Cruikshank, hamstring

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MILWAUKEE — The Boston game plan was simple on Monday: They were daring Patrick Williams.

Daring the Bulls forward to shoot the three-pointer, daring him to show some aggressiveness, daring him to look like a former No. 4 overall draft pick.

And quietly — much like his personality — Williams didn’t flinch.

Even more importantly for the Bulls, his performance against the top team in the Eastern Conference wasn’t just a one-off. After a dismal start to his junior season in the NBA, suddenly Williams has been trending from disappointment to very serviceable.

It’s still not the trajectory many were counting on, and it’s definitely not moving as fast as the organization wanted it to, but there’s progress in Williams’ development. Finally.

Just look at his October compared to his November.

Williams was just a guy on the floor the first month of this 2022-23 campaign. A passenger in the car who chose to sit in the backseat and stare out a window.

He posted five games in single digits, averaged just 7.1 points, and grabbed two rebounds a game, leaving coach Billy Donovan to explain why he continued to keep him in the starting rotation.

It didn’t help that Williams told the Sun-Times that it was difficult for him to play with All-Stars, simply because he felt that he had to always defer to them.

That mindset was holding him to just six shots a game over those first seven contests.

Entering Wednesday’s Milwaukee game, there was a shift. Williams was putting up almost nine shots a game over his last 10 starts, averaging 11.4 points per game, while shooting 45.5% from three-point range. His rebounds were up to 5.3 over that span, and he just seems to be more engaged defensively.

There was life in the power forward after all.

That was on full display in putting up a season-high 17 in the Celtics win.

“Obviously they had a game plan, heavy shifts, make other guys make shots,” Williams said. “I did that, but a lot of guys stepped up. I think I did a good job making that next play. If you don’t have the shot, get off of it, and let someone else make the play.

“I’m just playing the game, not forcing anything. I’m at my best when I’m not thinking too much.”

Which is still a work in progress.

Donovan said at the start of the year that the area Williams needed to focus most on was between his ears. Overthinking was leading to too many passive moments. That’s exactly how that first month then played out, with frustration quickly turning into concern with the 21 year old.

The switch seemed to flip in that Brooklyn game on Nov. 1, however, with Williams putting up a then-season-high 10 shots, but also active in other ways, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots.

What clicked? A lot, Williams said on Monday.

“You just mentally figure it out,” Williams said. “The best thing about the position I’m in and the type of player I am, of course having all the physical tools, the skill, having all that, for me it’s just mental. Mental in how I approach the game, how I see it, so I had to realize that was something I could control.

“If I didn’t have the skill, yeah, that would take time to develop. Of course I need to make my skills better, but the hurdle was having that mental aggressiveness coming into the game. Now it’s if I see a play, try and go make a play. Don’t overthink it, just play the game.”

Something he’s starting to do.

Just dare him.

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Bears quarterback Justin Fields clarified that his left shoulder injury is “a separated shoulder with partially torn ligaments, basically an AC joint.”

While Fields is a right-handed passer, the injury hinders his throwing motion. He said he was in intense pain during Wednesday’s walk-through when he passed or handed off, and there certainly is concern about him taking hits on runs.

Fields said he was not in condition to play, but “we’ll see how it feels in four days,” when the Bears visit the Jets.

“If I can play and I’m not furthering the risk of injury and I can do what I need to do to protect myself, that’ll be good enough for me to play,” he said, acknowledging that he’d get a painkiller shot on game day.

Fields was unsure whether he’d wear a harness, brace or pad on his left shoulder if he plays against the Jets.

There are much higher stakes in the long run than against the Jets as the Bears sit 3-8, and that will factor into whether Fields plays against the Jets.

“Of course I’m not gonna sacrifice playing in this game for me risking that I might not be able to play later… and have to sit out two or three more weeks after that,” he said. “Just listening to my body and making sure I’m not forcing anything.”

Fields has completed 59.6% of his passes, averaged 149.3 yards per game and thrown for 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions for an 86.2 passer rating. He also has rushed for 75.8 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns.

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I love football coaches. They worry about everything. They analyze everything. If there were a way to analyze players at a molecular level, they would. Actually, I can’t rule out that they’ve already cracked the code and can tell you why Justin Fields’ mitochondria is better than Aaron Rodgers’.

So there’s this intense analytical side to coaches, which involves accounting for every minute of every day, and then there’s this other side, which is a combination of paranoia and superstition. Imagine Dr. Anthony Fauci believing in leprechauns. That’s the kind of dissonance we’re talking about here.

The Bears spent several days saying very little about the injury to Fields’ left, non-throwing shoulder. He was hurt during a foolhardy designed run late in a loss to the Falcons on Sunday. Coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday that Fields had been cleared to practice, which thrilled fans who have become addicted to the quarterback’s brilliant running and amused those of us who have been around too many coaches for too many years.

These are words to live by: If a football coach says one thing, there’s a 90% chance he means the exact opposite. One person’s “Fields has been cleared to practice!” is another’s “Get ready for Trevor Siemian.”

Where Eberflus wasn’t specific about the injury Wednesday, Fields said it was a separated shoulder with ligament damage. Doesn’t he know about loose lips sinking ships?

There’s a distinct possibility that Eberflus knows Siemian will start Sunday but wants the Jets to have to put in extra hours preparing for both quarterbacks.

I’m guessing the Jets are preparing for Siemian like they’d prepare for a math test on addition and subtraction.

Regardless, Eberflus refuses to put away either his cloak or dagger.

“You’ve always got to do that, especially when you’ve got two different types of quarterbacks,” he said. “That’s a big deal. If we had two similar quarterbacks, with the same type of style, that would be easier for them, if I was the opposing defensive coordinator. But because these are opposites, and a big difference between the two, it is a little bit challenging, for sure.”

Now, let’s think about this soberly.

Is there any way of quantifying whether making an opposing team guess which quarterback will start makes any difference at all? If you were a glutton for punishment, you could spend hours tracking down similar situations from the last 25 years. But even if you found out that the teams that kept their quarterback selection secret until the last moment won more often than not, there’s no way to prove that their covertness was the reason for that success.

I don’t know what Robert Saleh’s approach would have been this week had ESPN’s Adam Schefter not reported Wednesday that the Jets coach was benching quarterback Zach Wilson. He might have announced it himself. Or he might have gone the Eberflus route, forcing the Bears to prepare this week for both Wilson and Mike White, his backup.

If you’re a coach preparing for either Wilson or White, you’re not thinking, “Boy, this is a lot of extra work.” You’re thinking, “Wilson isn’t good, White isn’t very good and I hate when Wordle uses the same letter twice.”

If you’re a coach preparing for either Fields or Siemian, you’re mostly preparing for Fields, who has zoomed past defenders since the Bears started drawing up run plays for him. If Siemian starts on Sunday, a Jets coach won’t be thinking, “My kingdom for more preparation time!” He’ll be thinking, “Hallelujah!”

In the NFL, there’s a lot of overthinking about things that don’t deserve a second thought. But there are things that, though seemingly beyond obsessive, make sense. Coaches are so detailed that they’ll scout their own teams to make sure that they’re not tipping their hand to opponents by being predictable. Smart, right? No stone left unturned. A tip of the cap to their rational side.

There’s attention to detail, and then there’s silliness.

Why do coaches cover their mouths with laminated cards when they’re calling plays into quarterbacks’ helmet radios? There are two answers:

1) They think that if they don’t, opposing teams will assign a lip reader to watch the games on TV and relay plays to the defensive coordinator, who will adjust in a split second and ruin what likely was a Super Bowl season.

2) They’re certifiably insane.

I don’t know who the first coach to cover his mouth was. I do know that, because there are lots of sheep in the NFL, everybody does it now, despite the lack of any proof that it makes a difference or that even one team has a professional lip reader on its staff. This is next-level paranoia, the kind normally associated with the Secret Service.

A lot of this weirdness comes directly or indirectly from New England coach Bill Belichick, who is so close-mouthed, he probably hasn’t seen a dentist in decades. He gives short, unsubstantial answers to reporters’ questions, and he has a history of cheating (Spygate, Deflategate, etc.) That combination has turned the rest of an already suspicious league into counterintelligence agencies. And here you thought you were just watching football.

It’s the game within a game. It’s a way for control-freak coaches (read: all coaches) to feel as if they’re in control of everything. They are not. Yet.

I’m guessing Eberflus knows exactly what he’s going to do with Fields on Sunday but wants Jets coaches to have to study a little harder. And if they do end up studying harder, it’ll only be because they’re like all NFL coaches: Crazy.

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December is right around the corner and it’s officially the season of gift giving. If you’re looking for something special for a Bears fan, then look no further than FOCO’s brand new Chicago Bears Holiday Mascot Bobblehead. The Chicago Bears version is part of a larger collection of 53 bobbleheads that feature popular team mascots across 53 teams from the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and select colleges. These exclusive collectables are in stock and ready to ship now.

Each bobblehead in the collection features a team mascot in their team themed holiday pajamas. They stand in front of a fireplace that’s decorated for the holidays with several team logos across the items around it. The mascots names are displayed in front. 

NFL Group

Like all FOCO bobbleheads, each one is handcrafted and hand-painted so no two are exactly the same. They are individually numbered out of 222 units are in stock and ready to ship now. They retail for $65 and stand at 8in tall making them the perfect addition to any collection or desk at work, school, or home. Don’t wait to pick up the Chicago Bears Holiday Mascot Bobblehead for yourself or as gift for the upcoming holidays!

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Chicago Bears Justin Fields Matt Eberflus NFL

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