Chicago Sports

The Chicago Cubs are entering free agency looking to make a splash and have met with agent Scott Boras to talk Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts.

With free agency set to begin and the Cubs reportedly looking to spend, the team reps met with agent Scott Boras to discuss the possibility of signing either Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts.

As reported by Gordon Wittenmyer, the Cubs had started discussing signing one of the two shortstops, “a lot of the Cubs’ roster needs this winter go through agent Scott Boras and his latest star-studded stable of players — whether it’s premier shortstops Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts, first baseman Josh Bell or even, just maybe, lefty starter Carlos Rodón.” writes Wittenmyer.

Carlos Correa, 28, had a solid year after signing a one year deal with the Minnesota Twins. Posting a slash line of .291/.66/.467 with 22 homers and 67 runs batted in. After signing a one year deal last offseason, it is believed that Correa will be looking a big multi-year deal.

As Xander Bogaerts, 30, a four time All-Star, four time Silver Slugger and top five MVP finisher in 2019, is entering free agency for the first time in his career after spending nine seasons in Boston. Being named to another all-star game in 2022, Bogaerts finished the year with a slash line of .307/.377/.456, with 15 homers and 73 runs batted in.

Having already met with two of the ‘big four’ shortstops available this offseason, the other two being Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson, the Cubs are starting to build up steam as a destination for free agents. Expect to have a lot of buzz and rumors flowing around the team this season, if everything goes the way they have been predicting, the Cubs very well may be in contention again.

“I think the Cubs are ready to begin the truest form of their rebuilding process at the major league level,” said Boras, who would not discuss specifics about talks with any teams. “I think they feel that their minor-league system is in a place now where they need multiple major leaguers to allow for them to build that platform for their success.”

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Ryan Poles is on the road scouting for additional talent for the Chicago Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft, looking to add talent from possibly two of the top programs in the country.

In the most recent episode of 1920 football drive, Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham flew to South Carolina and then onto Alabama to scout two of the top programs in the country for producing NFL talent.

Both teams are known to produce top talent on the defensive side of the ball.

Headed into the 2023 NFL Draft.  Clemson notably has two Top-10 first-round graded players on the defensive line in defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and defensive end Myles Murphy.  They also add a first-round graded stud in linebacker Trenton Simpson.

Alabama meanwhile has Will Anderson who is arguably the highest-graded talent in the country at this point.   Anderson is a generational pass-rushing talent the Bears could add as a defensive end.

What’s interesting here is how involved Ian Cunningham is in the process with Ryan Poles.  Cunningham has the title of assistant GM and is deeply involved in the Bears’ scouting process like no other scout I can remember in my 20 years of covering Chicago Bears scouting stories.

What I enjoyed hearing most from the interview is how Ryan Poles has a preference to be down on the sideline scouting these players rather than up in the booth scouting.  Ryan Poles likes to see these players up close and personal so he can feel the energy they give off as well as better gauge their athleticism and body frames as players.

In 2012 Shea McCellin was drafted to be a base 4-3 defensive end, at 6-foot-3 250-pounds McCellin was nowhere near the size to compete as a defensive end.  When I met him in 2013 in Bourbonnais you could clearly tell that with his frame he was not built with enough size physically to play on the defensive line.  Ryan Poles listing that as a priority observation sets him apart from someone like Phil Emery who seemingly looked at McCellin’s height and weight and thought he would make it at the position.

It’s also important for Ryan Poles to get up close and personal with these players now when they’re at their playing weight rather than all pumped up with 12 weeks of NFL combine preparation and workouts under their belts.

With the Bears set at QB you can clearly see the focus will be on surrounding Justin Fields with talent.  Despite the fact that the Bears drafted two players on defense last year, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a similar tact taken in 2023.  The Bears need help everywhere on both sides of the ball and it remains to be seen whether the 2023 draft will be more loaded on offense or defense.  At first glance, it may be a defensive-heavy draft where the Bears will grab the best player available.

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Ryan Poles is on the road scouting for additional talent for the Chicago Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft, looking to add talent from possibly two of the top programs in the country.

In the most recent episode of 1920 football drive, Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham flew to South Carolina and then onto Alabama to scout two of the top programs in the country for producing NFL talent.

Both teams are known to produce top talent on the defensive side of the ball.

Headed into the 2023 NFL Draft.  Clemson notably has two Top-10 first-round graded players on the defensive line in defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and defensive end Myles Murphy.  They also add a first-round graded stud in linebacker Trenton Simpson.

Alabama meanwhile has Will Anderson who is arguably the highest-graded talent in the country at this point.   Anderson is a generational pass-rushing talent the Bears could add as a defensive end.

What’s interesting here is how involved Ian Cunningham is in the process with Ryan Poles.  Cunningham has the title of assistant GM and is deeply involved in the Bears’ scouting process like no other scout I can remember in my 20 years of covering Chicago Bears scouting stories.

What I enjoyed hearing most from the interview is how Ryan Poles has a preference to be down on the sideline scouting these players rather than up in the booth scouting.  Ryan Poles likes to see these players up close and personal so he can feel the energy they give off as well as better gauge their athleticism and body frames as players.

In 2012 Shea McCellin was drafted to be a base 4-3 defensive end, at 6-foot-3 250-pounds McCellin was nowhere near the size to compete as a defensive end.  When I met him in 2013 in Bourbonnais you could clearly tell that with his frame he was not built with enough size physically to play on the defensive line.  Ryan Poles listing that as a priority observation sets him apart from someone like Phil Emery who seemingly looked at McCellin’s height and weight and thought he would make it at the position.

It’s also important for Ryan Poles to get up close and personal with these players now when they’re at their playing weight rather than all pumped up with 12 weeks of NFL combine preparation and workouts under their belts.

With the Bears set at QB you can clearly see the focus will be on surrounding Justin Fields with talent.  Despite the fact that the Bears drafted two players on defense last year, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a similar tact taken in 2023.  The Bears need help everywhere on both sides of the ball and it remains to be seen whether the 2023 draft will be more loaded on offense or defense.  At first glance, it may be a defensive-heavy draft where the Bears will grab the best player available.

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It looks like Jack Sanborn passed the audition.

The undrafted rookie linebacker from Wisconsin and Lake Zurich had seven tackles in his first NFL start last week against the Dolphins. When defensive coordinator Alan Williams was asked for a bright spot in the 35-32 loss — in which the defense allowed 28 points — he picked Sanborn.

“He looked like he belonged,” Williams said. “Didn’t have errors. Tackled well. Ran around well. You come out of that game going, ‘OK, [that was a] step forward. Now let’s taken more step forward.”

Sanborn showed his instinct for the game and ability to learn.

“There was a bounce-outside run play where Nick [Morrow] filled it and [Sanborn] was over the top and he made a good play just like we designed it,” Williams said. “Those are plays we put in our clinic tape … where you go, ‘Yeah, that’s what we wanted him to do and that’s what he did and that’s what we practiced.’

“Ultimately, you want to see that a guys sees it on tape — this is the play. You do it in practice and the it shows up in the game — there it is. You just want to see that happen on a consistent basis. I think it will.”

That’s Sanborn’s strength. “Football player,” William said. “The No. 1 job of a linebacker is to find the ball, hit the ball. And he did that. That’s a trait he is — fast trigger. He sees it well and goes and gets it.”

Sanborn said he felt “pretty good” about his performance, credited his teammates and coaches and was proud that “the moment was too big.”

Injury report

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (oblique), right guard Teven Jenkins (hip), defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee) and cornerback Kindle Vildor (ankle) were limited in practice Thursday.

Johnson wasn’t too concerned his injury would impact his status for Sunday’s game against the Lions.

Battle of brothers

Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown is extra motivated to beat the Lions on Sunday. He has $1,000 wager with his brother — Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown — over which team will win more games this season.

“I [told him] we were going to put up at least 30 [points], so we’re going to score more than them to win the game, ” Equanimeous said.

Amon-Ra, 23, a second-year receiver from USC, is the Lions’ leading receiver this season, with 39 receptions for 399 yards and three touchdowns. Equanimeous 26, a fourth-year player from Notre Dame, has 11 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown for the Bears.

The St. Brown brothers faced each other twice last season when Equanimeous was with the Packers.

“It is [special],” Equanimeous said. “You can’t take anything for granted, especially having a family member in the NFL. It’s a cool thing.”

Equanimeous made no excuses for his fourth-down drop against the Dolphins that sealed the Bears’ fate.

“I just dropped it,” he said. “Won’t happen again. I promise. It happens.”

NFL to Bears — “Our bad”

After the Bears submitted film to the league, the NFL told them they should not have called pass interference on Eddie Jackson in the fourth quarter Sunday. The Bears safety said it didn’t make him feel any better.

“I mean, not really — because we knew it wasn’t PI,” he said.

Contributing: Patrick Finley

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It looks like Jack Sanborn passed the audition.

The undrafted rookie linebacker from Wisconsin and Lake Zurich had seven tackles in his first NFL start last week against the Dolphins. When defensive coordinator Alan Williams was asked for a bright spot in the 35-32 loss — in which the defense allowed 28 points — he picked Sanborn.

“He looked like he belonged,” Williams said. “Didn’t have errors. Tackled well. Ran around well. You come out of that game going, ‘OK, [that was a] step forward. Now let’s taken more step forward.”

Sanborn showed his instinct for the game and ability to learn.

“There was a bounce-outside run play where Nick [Morrow] filled it and [Sanborn] was over the top and he made a good play just like we designed it,” Williams said. “Those are plays we put in our clinic tape … where you go, ‘Yeah, that’s what we wanted him to do and that’s what he did and that’s what we practiced.’

“Ultimately, you want to see that a guys sees it on tape — this is the play. You do it in practice and the it shows up in the game — there it is. You just want to see that happen on a consistent basis. I think it will.”

That’s Sanborn’s strength. “Football player,” William said. “The No. 1 job of a linebacker is to find the ball, hit the ball. And he did that. That’s a trait he is — fast trigger. He sees it well and goes and gets it.”

Sanborn said he felt “pretty good” about his performance, credited his teammates and coaches and was proud that “the moment was too big.”

Injury report

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (oblique), right guard Teven Jenkins (hip), defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee) and cornerback Kindle Vildor (ankle) were limited in practice Thursday.

Johnson wasn’t too concerned his injury would impact his status for Sunday’s game against the Lions.

Battle of brothers

Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown is extra motivated to beat the Lions on Sunday. He has $1,000 wager with his brother — Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown — over which team will win more games this season.

“I [told him] we were going to put up at least 30 [points], so we’re going to score more than them to win the game, ” Equanimeous said.

Amon-Ra, 23, a second-year receiver from USC, is the Lions’ leading receiver this season, with 39 receptions for 399 yards and three touchdowns. Equanimeous 26, a fourth-year player from Notre Dame, has 11 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown for the Bears.

The St. Brown brothers faced each other twice last season when Equanimeous was with the Packers.

“It is [special],” Equanimeous said. “You can’t take anything for granted, especially having a family member in the NFL. It’s a cool thing.”

Equanimeous made no excuses for his fourth-down drop against the Dolphins that sealed the Bears’ fate.

“I just dropped it,” he said. “Won’t happen again. I promise. It happens.”

NFL to Bears — “Our bad”

After the Bears submitted film to the league, the NFL told them they should not have called pass interference on Eddie Jackson in the fourth quarter Sunday. The Bears safety said it didn’t make him feel any better.

“I mean, not really — because we knew it wasn’t PI,” he said.

Contributing: Patrick Finley

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LOS ANGELES — Arvid Soderblom is a naturally quiet and serious guy. Aside from the fact that English isn’t the 23-year-old Swedish goaltender’s first language, he tends to focus more on improving his play than chatting it up in the locker room after practices and morning skates.

But as he nears the end of his unexpected third consecutive week on the Blackhawks’ NHL roster, he nonetheless feels himself gradually coming out of his shell.

“I’m probably not the guy that speaks the most in the locker room, but I’m feeling confident,” he said Thursday. “When you’re here for a longer time, you start to get to know all the teammates. It’s been all good so far for me. It’s getting easier every day, too. When you know all the guys, it makes it easier on the ice.”

His ahead-of-schedule (albeit temporary) NHL promotion has brought with it some surprises and lessons to learn. The sheer talent level of NHL competition across the board is startling, for one thing.

“Everybody in this league is so good: everybody can shoot the puck, everybody can make moves,” he said. “It means you have to be on your toes and be sharp, so it has been good for my development.”

And NHL arenas packed with tens of thousands of fans are often warmer than rinks in the AHL or in Sweden, which causes him to sweat more.

That turned into an issue Saturday in Winnipeg, when Soderblom was pulled at the second intermission — forcing the Hawks to turn to just-signed Dylan Wells — due to a hydration issue that had him feeling ill. The Hawks’ trainers and nutritionists are now working with him to figure out how to keep him fully hydrated during future games.

That next game will likely come soon. Soderblom is expected to start Saturday against the Ducks, putting his stellar .924 save percentage and plus-1.9 goals-saved-above-average metric to the test again, since Petr Mrazek returned from his groin injury to start Thursday against the Kings.

Coach Luke Richardson said it’s possible that plan could change, but for the sake of Soderblom’s dad Martin — who flew over from Sweden to join the Hawks’ “Dads Trip” this week in California — one would hope it doesn’t.

“[This has] been a great boost for my confidence,” he said. “I have been doing a great job so far, so that makes you even more motivated to…get better. When you realize you can do a good job at this level, it makes you feel good.”

No 11-and-seven

The Hawks’ Thursday visit to the Kings marked their 13th game of the season. In all 13, they’ve dressed 12 forwards and six defensemen.

That’s not surprising at first glance, considering 12-and-six is the typical lineup construction most teams deploy on any given night. But under ex-coach Jeremy Colliton, the Hawks dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen relatively frequently — certainly not the majority of games, but seemingly in at least one out of every 13 games.

Richardson, however, said back in training camp that 11-and-seven lineups don’t tempt him the way they did Colliton. And he has backed up those words.

“That’s very difficult for a defense coach to keep everybody going,” he explained back on Oct. 6. “It’s easier with the proper four lines up front to keep everybody involved in the game. Especially nowadays, there’s usually lots of penalties, especially early in the season, so you find a role for everybody and make sure they’re involved in the game. When you have seven ‘D,’ it’s really hard to [do that].”

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Three people were shot Thursday afternoon at a McDonald’s in Longwood Manor on the Far South Side, according to Chicago Fire Department officials.

Paramedics responding to calls of a shooting after 3 p.m. at a McDonald’s in the 9500 block of South Lafayette Avenue found three people with gunshot wounds, fire officials said.

Two men, believed to be in their 30s, were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in serious-to-critical condition, officials said.

A woman in her 40s was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was also in serious-to-critical condition, fire officials said.

Chicago police said they were aware of the incident but haven’t released official details yet.

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The Bears’ offense is getting better, but it’s still not winning them games.

In the final two minutes of three of the last four losses, the Bears had the ball with a chance to take the lead. It didn’t go well:

o Against the Vikings, Ihmir Smith-Marsette fumbled at the Vikings’ 39 with 1:01 to play. He was cut nine days later.

o Against the Commanders, receiver Darnell Mooney dropped a touchdown pass on fourth down with 30 seconds to play.

o And against the Dolphins, receiver Equanimeous St. Brown dropped a first down on fourth-and-10 with 1:29 remaining — one play after Chase Claypool didn’t get a pass interference call at the Dolphins’ 23.

For all the buzz around quarterback Justin Fields and the growth of an offense that has scored 94 points over the last three games, the Bears know they need to score when they need it most.

“That’s the next step, right?” tight end Cole Kmet said. “I think we’re putting up points, and the past few weeks we’ve been able to do that. But I think if we want to be a championship team, that’s what the NFL is: two-minute situations, end of half, end of the game, executing in those situations. That’s the next step for the offense.”

The last few steps have been exciting enough for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to call some of Fields’ plays “miraculous” with a straight face Thursday. But the next one is critical.

This season, Bears have played 14 fourth-quarter drives either tied or trailing by eight points or fewer. They’ve scored one touchdown — to go ahead against the 49ers in the rain-soaked opener — and made two field goals. They’ve averaged only 4.09 yards per play in such situations. They threw one interception, fumbled twice and turned the ball over downs three times.

The latest turnover on downs came after St. Brown’s drop.

“Of course we wanted to go down there and drive,” Fields said. “[St. Brown] just had a tough drop. I mean, it is what it is, you move on, you learn from it and get better. It’s that simple. …

“I think certain plays, people aren’t going to be perfect in all the situations. Of course, we want that back, he wants that back but we’re just going to keep grinding. Of course, we do situational stuff each and every week in practice. So we’re just going to keep grinding at that.”

Bears coaches, in fact, have said that they’ve never seen a head coach stress situational football more than Matt Eberflus. It shows at the end of the first half — but not the second.

In their last three games, the Bears have scored a whopping 27 points in the final two minutes of the first half. They’ve scored in the final two minutes of the first half in all but one of their last seven games.

“I think when you’re in those [first half] situations you can still kind of stick to just running your offense, and knowing they’re going to be in their base stuff … ” Kmet said. “It’s a little different between that and the end of the game when you have a two-minute situation and it’s known passing, or they know that they can allow some yards.”

When it comes to the end of games, the Bears are still “trying to figure those things out,” guard Cody Whitehair said. Doing it Sunday, with the game on the line, would be another sign of growth.

“It’s about executing, like anything else,” Getsy said. “The guys are getting better at executing. And then when it comes down to those moments … it always is about the players, and they gotta make those opportunities and take advantage of them. They’ve been doing a great job of executing and giving us a chance.”

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What will Justin Fields do for an encore? Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash break down what to expect from Sunday’s game against the Lions.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify and Stitcher.

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Carolina Panthers look for revenge Thursday night against NFC South rival

We are eleven days removed from one of the more thrilling finishes between both of these teams. In week eight, the Carolina Panthers were defeated 37-34 in overtime by the Atlanta Falcons. Although the Carolina Panthers lost on the scoreboard, they did manage to cover as four-point underdogs. There were almost 900 yards of total offense in that game to go along with a 34-point fourth quarter.

The Falcons seemed to be heading towards another crushing defeat as DJ Moore caught the potential game-winning touchdown, but he forgot to leave his helmet on. This cost the Panthers some extra yards on the extra point, and we all know what happened after that.

Both teams are coming into this game off of a loss. The Bengals embarrassed the Carolina Panthers while Atlanta was in a competitive game against a depleted Chargers team. In the previous ten meetings, the Carolina Panthers have been dominated by the Falcons. Since 2017, the Carolina Panthers are 2-8 straight up with six of those losses coming by one possession.

The Falcons have a chance to move into first place in the division and become the only NFC South team with a winning record. The Carolina Panthers are not out of the division race by any means, so they should be motivated to come out and play well. Although these teams have played this year, a lot has changed in those eleven days for both teams.

The number one variable is that the Falcons have their best offensive weapon back in Cordarrelle Patterson who returned with a two-touchdown performance last week. There is no debate that when Patterson is on the field, the Falcons have a more prolific offense. According to PFF, the Falcons’ offense grades out fourth overall for the season.

After seeing what Joe Mixon was able to do to this Carolina Panther defense, it would not surprise me to see Patterson have another solid performance. Returning to the backfield will be Chubba Hubbard, who missed the week eight matchup with an ankle injury. Although the stat line of D’onte Foreman (26 carries, 118 yards, and 3 touchdowns) says Hubbard was not needed, his return will enhance the ground game.

From a matchup perspective, I do not think either team possesses a clear advantage that they could use to exploit the other. PJ Walker had over 300 yards passing in the first matchup but let’s not kid ourselves, that was more of an aberration than a trend. If Baker or Darnold (who is off of IR this week) were going to be behind center, I think the Carolina Panthers would be primed for an upset.

A few things that do work in the Carolina Panthers favor is that the Falcons rank last in pass rush grade, and will be missing their best cover corner. This should allow PJ Walker more time in the pocket to be able to find DJ Moore for another big game. The secondary of the Falcons ranks 32nd in pass yards allowed but can PJ Walker exploit it? That remains to be seen. The offensive line will be able to protect him, but he must be able to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers.

I would expect him to be on a short leash with this game holding a pretty good amount of significance. Sam Darnold is active for the first time this season, and I would not be surprised to see him if PJ Walker is not getting the job done.

The Falcons had no problem moving the ball in week eight and I do not see them having an issue tonight against a Carolina Panther defense that ranks 22nd in red zone defense, 25th in 3rd down conversions allowed, and 28th in rushing yards allowed. With Patterson back, the Falcons can have three different backs rotating in and out to gash this horrible Panthers’ defense.

If the Carolina Panthers were playing either of the two backup quarterbacks, I would be inclined to take them as a small home underdog. With PJ Walker under center, I don’t think this Carolina Panthers team can be bet at these low numbers. What I do recommend is taking the over, which right now sits at 42.5. Both defenses struggle in the red zone and on a yard-per-play basis. I expect a lot of explosiveness by both offenses and once they get in the red zone, neither defense will be able to hold up.

As I outlined earlier, with Patterson back, the Atlanta offense opens up even more on top of the recent success they’ve had against this Carolina Panthers defense. On the other side, the Falcons’ defense will not be able to contain the rush attack of the Panthers. It is also in our favor that each quarterback is prone to making mistakes, which could lead to short fields.

The AFC South is usually wrapped up by now, but due to the underperforming of the Tampa Bay Bucs, it is still wide open. Both of these teams look to inch closer to being able to dethrone (highly unlikely) the Bucs. This is not a star-studded matchup, but I think this will be an intriguing fun game to watch. Let’s kick back, relax, and root for a lot of offense tonight en route to a 28-25 Falcons win.

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