Chicago Sports

Patrick Finley and Mark Potash pick the winner of Thursday night’s Bears game against the Commanders, wonder whether games on short rest are making the NFL worse and debate what Justin Fields needs to show in prime time.

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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The Saints signed a former Chicago Bears running back Wednesday

On Tuesday, reports came out former Bears running back Jordan Howard was working out with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints waived running back Tony Jones last Saturday, and the Seattle Seahawks picked up that player. The Saints invited several running backs to try out for an open practice squad position this week.

According to Nick Underhill of New Orleans Football Network, the Saints signed Howard to their practice squad on Wednesday.

The former Bears running back could be a steal for the Saints. Howard overperformed for the Bears as a fifth-round pick. He rushed for 4,361 yards and 37 touchdowns during his first six years in the NFL. Howard will head to New Orleans averaging 4.3 yards per rush. Howard also has 653 yards receiving and two touchdown catches in his career. He will have to prove he still can be a threat to NFL defenses on the practice squad before being elevated to playing a game for the Saints.

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DENVER — Jack Johnson’s first game with the Blackhawks on Wednesday will include plenty of deja-vu moments.

Across the ice from him at all times will be the Avalanche players he called teammates up until June, when their last memory created together was — of all things — winning the Stanley Cup.

Skating on the Hawks’ top defensive pair Wednesday alongside Seth Jones, the veteran defenseman will need to reverse his loyalties quickly.

“It’s definitely going to be emotional, [and] it’s going to be weird,” Johnson said pregame. “This is something I’ve never come across. This is different than being traded or just signing somewhere else.

“When you’ve gone through something like that with another team, you’ve got a special bond together, and it was not that long ago. When you line up across from them and you’ve got nothing but love for the guys on the other side, it’s definitely a unique experience.”

The scheduling quirk did allow Johnson to attend the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup ring-presenting ceremony and banquet Monday night, as a silver lining.

But come Wednesday, even that had him contemplating another strange situation. With the Hawks playing in Las Vegas on Thursday and San Jose on Saturday before returning to Chicago, how would he transport the ring? The shoebox-size case it came in didn’t help matters.

“You can’t just slip it in your bag,” he said, laughing. “[I’m] definitely not mailing it. It’s still with me, but I’m just going to carry it with me the rest of the time. I don’t want it to go out of my hands right now.”

Tinordi thrown in

Wednesday’s game will also be weird for new Hawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi, but in a different way.

Just three days ago, on Sunday, he was wrapping up training camp with the Rangers when he was placed on waivers. He had no idea if he was going to get claimed or which team it would be.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Tinordi said. “The clock struck 2:00 [on Monday, and] you’re waiting and waiting. You know you’re going to hear from somebody. [Rangers general manager] Chris Drury texted me [Hawks GM Kyle Davidson’s] number and said, ‘Happy for you.’ Then I talked to Kyle, and that was pretty much it. We started making some plans from there.”

Hawks practice Tuesday and morning skate Wednesday were Tinordi’s only opportunities to skate with his new team before the real thing begins.

“Once I found out I was picked up, I put the kids to bed back home, packed and got ready to fly out in the morning,” he said. “There hasn’t really been a whole lot of time.”

Fortunately, he does have two things working in his favor: Hawks coach Luke Richardson’s new box-plus-one defensive system is similar to the Rangers’ system, and Tinordi already knows his partner, Connor Murphy, from overlapping stretches with the Coyotes and the U.S. National Team Development Program.

“He’s a veteran,” Richardson said. “He has been around different teams, [experienced] lots of change throughout the years during the season. He’s a guy that’s going to be able to adapt to that pretty quickly.”

Tinordi has certainly been around. Over the last decade, he has played in 538 pro games: 109 NHL games for five different NHL teams, and 429 AHL games for six different AHL teams.

“I try to be physical, clear the net front, win my battles in the corners and move the puck quickly,” he said. “Those are the keys to success for me.”

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The Bears are in quarterback purgatory as they wait to see whether Justin Fields can be the face of their franchise.

The Commanders, though, are in quarterback hell.

Entering this season, 10 different quarterbacks had started the 55 games since starter Alex Smith suffered a gruesome compound fracture of both bones in his right leg in 2018. The list includes Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom they signed to start last year but needed season-ending hip surgery after throwing just six passes, and the late Dwayne Haskins, the No. 15 overall pick in 2019 whom they eventually cut in the middle of a season.

Since Kirk Cousins left Washington to sign with the Vikings in 2018, the Commanders rank last in yards per completion, fourth-to-last in passer rating and second-to-last in points allowed. Only the Jaguars and Jets have scored fewer points.

Enter Carson Wentz, who will run onto Soldier Field on Thursday night as the franchise’s latest failed escape hatch.

With his Colts needing to beat the 2-14 Jaguars to make the playoffs in last year’s finale, Wentz went 17-for-29 for 185 yards– with 85 coming on a who-cares final drive– in a 26-11 loss. Spooked and angry, the Colts shipped him to the Commanders shortly thereafter.

At the price of a $28.3 million cap hit — the Commanders can cut him after this year –Wentz has been serviceable. He’s 18th in the NFL with a 86.0 passer rating, fifth with 1,390 passing yards and tied for fifth with 10 touchdowns.

It’s not good enough. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said that quiet part out loud this week.

When asked what separated the rest of the NFC East — which features the undefeated Eagles, 4-1 Giants and 4-1 Cowboys — from his 1-4 Commanders.

“Quarterback,” he said. “The truth is that this is a quarterback-driven league. And if you look at the teams that have been able to sustain success, they’ve been able to build it around a specific quarterback.”

Perhaps. But the Cowboys’ Cooper Rush is a backup. The Giants’ Daniel Jones had his fifth-year option declined in April, making him a lame duck while playing for first-year head coach Brian Daboll.

Rivera backpedaled like a linebacker into a hook zone. He apologized to Wentz, with the coach saying he had a “bad day.”

Beating the Bears would go a long way toward tamping down the weeklong controversy. The Bears know what to expect, at least — head coach Matt Eberflus and much of his defensive staff worked with Wentz on the Colts last year.

“It can help you,” Eberflus said. “It can hurt you too sometimes, if you overanalyze some things, but we’re just going to go with what we know.”

While the Bears are familiar with the player, the Colts’ defense didn’t have to scheme for their own quarterback last year. Alan Williams, the Bears’ defensive coordinator who was Eberflus’ defensive backs coach last year, said it’s easier to rely on film. It’s possible, he said, that Commanders coaches have helped iron out some of his weaknesses from last year.

James Rowe, the Bears’ defensive backs coach, compiled film of Wentz’s deep throws this week and showed them to the Bears.

“He’s made some of the best throws I’ve ever seen in my life,” Rowe said. “The arm talent is rare.

“Obviously, we’re gonna do things to try to take advantage of some of his weaknesses.”

Wentz ranks second in the league in air yards this season– but he’s thrown the third-most interceptions and has been sacked more often than all but two quarterbacks.

“He’s going to be who he is,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “He’s a big play guy. Sometimes there’s some high risk and high reward to that.”

The reward is a respite for his coach — and himself. The risk: more hell.

Jason Lieser contributed.

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The latest rankings of Illinois high school football teams in each class, according to an Associated Press panel of sportswriters.

Class 8ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Loyola (9) (7-0) 108 1

2. Lincoln-Way East (2) (7-0) 101 2

3. York (7-0) 88 3

4. Glenbard West (6-1) 74 4

5. Warren (6-1) 59 5

6. O’Fallon (6-1) 44 6

7. Maine South (5-2) 34 7

8. Neuqua Valley (6-1) 31 8

9. Edwardsville (6-1) 20 9

10. South Elgin (7-0) 15 10

Others receiving votes: Plainfield North 13, Glenbrook South 8, Palatine 5, Marist 3, Naperville Central 1, Lyons 1.

Class 7ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Mount Carmel (11) (7-0) 110 1

2. Hersey (7-0) 94 2

3. Prospect (6-1) 76 3

4. St. Charles North (6-1) 66 5

(tie) St. Rita (5-2) 66 4

6. Pekin (7-0) 56 6

7. Wheaton North (6-1) 48 7

8. Jacobs (6-1) 36 8

9. Batavia (5-2) 25 9

10. Lake Zurich (6-1) 21 10

Others receiving votes: Brother Rice 4, Yorkville 2, Moline 1.

Class 6ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. East St. Louis (11) (5-2) 110 1

2. Simeon (7-0) 96 2

3. Lemont (7-0) 88 3

4. Prairie Ridge (6-1) 73 4

5. Crete-Monee (5-2) 58 5

6. Wauconda (7-0) 54 7

7. Belvidere North (7-0) 45 8

8. Normal West (6-1) 26 10

9. Notre Dame (5-2) 23 9

10. Champaign Centennial (7-0) 14 NR

Others receiving votes: St. Ignatius 11, Chatham Glenwood 5, Grayslake North 2.

Class 5ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Kankakee (10) (6-1) 100 1

2. Sycamore (1) (7-0) 96 2

3. Mahomet-Seymour (7-0) 84 3

4. Peoria (7-0) 81 4

5. Morgan Park (7-0) 68 5

6. Morris (6-1) 53 6

7. Sterling (6-1) 39 8

8. Highland (6-1) 38 7

9. Rockford Boylan (6-1) 27 9

10. Glenbard South (6-1) 13 10

Others receiving votes: Nazareth 2, Providence 2, Rochelle 2.

Class 4ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Sacred Heart-Griffin (9) (7-0) 107 T1

2. Richmond-Burton (1) (7-0) 97 T1

3. St. Francis (1) (7-0) 92 3

4. Rochester (6-1) 75 5

5. Joliet Catholic (5-2) 63 4

6. Stillman Valley (7-0) 55 6

7. Carterville (7-0) 42 7

8. Macomb (7-0) 32 8

9. Wheaton Academy (6-1) 27 10

10. Breese Central (6-1) 11 NR

Others receiving votes: Genoa-Kingston 2, Coal City 1, Murphysboro 1.

Class 3ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. IC Catholic (10) (6-1) 115 1

2. Reed-Custer (2) (7-0) 109 2

3. Princeton (7-0) 97 4

4. Byron (6-1) 74 5

5. Fairbury Prairie Central (7-0) 71 6

6. Mt. Carmel, Ill. (7-0) 60 7

7. Williamsville (6-1) 49 3

8. Seneca (7-0) 41 9

9. Tolono Unity (6-1) 20 10

10. Eureka (6-1) 19 8

Others receiving votes: Benton 3, Durand-Pecatonica 2.

Class 2ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Decatur St. Teresa (9) (7-0) 117 1

2. Maroa-Forsyth (3) (7-0) 111 2

3. Bismarck-Henning (7-0) 92 3

4. North-Mac (7-0) 84 4

5. Wilmington (6-1) 71 5

6. Rockridge (6-1) 57 6

7. Downs Tri-Valley (6-1) 46 7

8. Carmi White County (7-0) 35 8

9. Johnston City (7-0) 23 9

10. Nashville (5-2) 11 NR

Others receiving votes: Pana 8, Knoxville 4, Red Bud 1.

Class 1ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Lena-Winslow (13) (7-0) 130 1

2. Colfax Ridgeview (7-0) 114 2

3. Camp Point Central (7-0) 98 3

4. Hope Academy (7-0) 96 4

5. Shelbyville (7-0) 74 5

6. Athens (6-1) 53 7

7. Fulton (5-2) 45 8

8. Greenfield-Northwestern (7-0) 39 9

9. Ottawa Marquette (6-1) 27 10

10. St. Bede (6-1) 26 6

Others receiving votes: Kewanee-Annawan-Wethersfield 9, Tuscola 3, Gilman Iroquois West 1.

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Chicago Bears get good news in Wednesday’s injury report

The Chicago Bears have had several wide receivers out with injuries this season. Injuries to Byron Pringle, Velus Jones Jr., and N’Keal Harry caused serious issues with an offense that already lacked elite talent. The Bears appear to have good news at the position before Thursday’s game against the Washington Commanders.

According to the Bears’ injury report released Wednesday, Harry does not have a designation for his game status in Week 6.

Harry was taken off the teams’ injured reserve list earlier this week. He was projected as a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice. Now Harry appears good to go against the Commanders.

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson also does not have a designation for his game status. He is expected to play Thursday night. This is big news for the Bears’ secondary that missed their top corner against the Minnesota Vikings. Cornerback Dane Cruikshank is still questionable.

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Ayo Dosunmu earns the starting spot for the Bulls’ 2022-23 season

After finishing tonight with 8 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in a preseason win against the Milwaukee Bucks, Ayo Dosunmu has officially been named the Bulls starting point guard.

Chicago’s preseason is now finished, and the Bulls went 3-1 with the 22-year-old Dosunmu as the starting point guard. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.7 assists, and 3.5 rebounds through the four preseason games.

Coach Billy Donovan made sure to use all four games to evaluate which player would fit best at the starting point guard role in the absence of Lonzo Ball. Alex Caruso, Goran Dragic, and Coby White all logged in more playing time than usual and were able to show what lies ahead for the season.

Dosunmu’s defense, speed, and elusiveness to get to the rim are some of the positives during the preseason for the young guard. His shot selection appears to have improved (3/5, 3/6, 5/10, 3/6 FG in preseason) and he’s also been able to hit most of his outside shots (6/11 from 3PT).

Chicago’s roster rotation still has some questions surrounding how the playing time will be split, with plenty of role players fighting to make a difference. The team’s starting point guard role was an immediate question mark once it was announced Ball would be out for an unknown amount of time with his injury.

With Ayo Dosunmu as the starting point guard, the Bulls will likely benefit from what Caruso and the other role players can bring off the bench. Chicago will hope to see Dosunmu put together performances as he did against Toronto a few days ago, where he filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks.

Ayo Dosunmu’s work during the off-season and consistent preseason performances has given Coach Donovan the confidence to name Ayo the starter in the early minutes alongside Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan throughout the regular season.

He will start off the season matching up against a veteran guard in Kyle Lowry, as the Bulls will travel to face the Miami Heat on October 19th for their season opener.

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There is a considerable push coming from inside the White Sox organization to bring in an experienced manager to replace Tony La Russa, but general manager Rick Hahn’s umbrella over the Sox’ lot of candidates extends to those without, such as Astros bench coach Joe Espada.

Espada interviewed with the Sox and Marlins on Wednesday, and both teams were reportedly interviewing Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol as well.

Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro has interviewed for multiple jobs since 2019, and there are those inside the organization who believe he would be a good fit.

Manager experience, however “would be a huge plus because of our team and expectations,” one Sox source said. “It’s not a rebuild.”

As the Sox search enters interview stage, 70-year-old Braves third base coach Ron Washington’s name has gained traction as a potential candidate with experience. Several familiar proven names — including Mike Schildt, Bruce Bochy, Don Mattingly, Joe Girardi and Joe Maddon — can’t be ruled out.

Hahn said he is leading the search and listed recent dugout experience with a contender, communication skill and one who understands “the way the game has grown and evolved in the last decade but at the same time respect old-school responsibilities” as criteria, although he didn’t rule out candidates with no managerial experience.

“Having managerial experience is a positive,” Hahn said. “That said, you can also get good experience being a bench coach or adjacent to a manager.”

While it’s believed pitching coaches Ethan Katz and Curt Hasler (bullpen) will be back, some from La Russa’s staff were told they can talk with other clubs and are in limbo for 2023 pending the new manager’s input.

Espada, 47, interviewed for the Cubs job when David Ross was hired and last year interviewed with the Mets and Athletics. Espada served in the Marlins’ minor league system and was the team’s third base coach from 2010-13.

“Joe’s a very astute baseball man, very good worker,” Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. “He does his homework. He’s prepared. So you don’t know if you’re ready until you get there. But whatever happens, I mean you got to have your first at some point in time.”

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Justin Fields is making progress as the 2022 season rolls on

People frequently discuss the pro level’s speed. Many young athletes struggle with the idea that they must speed up their playing style to make up for it. They frequently make mistakes as a result of this. Both the previous season and the first month of this one, Fields often experienced this issue. He then understood that his role as a musician was to follow his beat. Play as quickly as feels natural. His talent and perseverance should care for the rest if he achieves that.

The outcomes are difficult to dispute. One may argue that his performance versus Minnesota was his best as a professional overall. The efficiency, rather than the numbers, was what stood out. He made each play matter. There is no shame in being enthusiastic if this is the Justin Fields that supporters can anticipate for the remainder of the season. Justin Fields did not contest his talent. His biggest challenge was finding a way to navigate the pace and complexity of NFL defenses without becoming overwhelmed. It seems like Fields has.

According to Courtney Cronin “Getsy pointed out that he saw Fields improving every week, and on Sunday, the stats supported his perspective. Fields set personal highs with a 71.4% completion percentage and 118.8 passer rating”.

At least in comparison to other Chicago Bears quarterbacks, Justin Fields has displayed some excellent football over the previous two weeks. Through the first three games, he had a terrible passer rating of 50.0 due to his numerous struggles. He increased that to 97.2 in the games against the Giants and Vikings. In the pocket, he appeared much more collected and composed. He’s making wiser choices and appears less hurried frequently. This is not a mishap. Justin Fields has spent a lot of time trying to correct it.

Growing familiarity with the new offense is a contributing factor in the new success. Protections, readings, and routes are much easier for him to understand now than they were earlier. It explains why his head no longer appears to be swimming. The quarterback claims there is another explanation, though. On Tuesday, Fields gave a media interview. There, he disclosed that he had started a new ritual for playing games. He was instructed in deep breathing techniques by the team’s yoga instructor. He believes it has negatively affected his stamina and his capacity for composure.

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Alex Leatherwood returns to the Bears roster but when will we see him?

Alex Leatherwood of the offensive line has been taken off the reserve/non-football illness list by the Bears. Leatherwood is currently permitted to participate in team practices but is not yet eligible to play. The Chicago Bears have a window of time to wait before he can rejoin the field in competitions.

Prior to being placed on the non-football illness list with what Ian Rapoport of NFL Network believed to be mononucleosis, Leatherwood had been a member of the team for two weeks, up until just after the season opener victory.

With Cody Whitehair’s knee injury in New York, the Chicago Bears’ offensive line took a significant hit. For some while, he won’t be around. So, the depth of the unit as a whole is still in doubt. They seem to be about to receive assistance, which is a blessing.  Alex Leatherwood’s return to practice was subsequently revealed by the team, giving them the green light to activate him after the 21-day waiting period.

Before the start of the season, Ryan Poles made what was thought to be a low-risk, high-reward move by claiming Alex Leatherwood off of waivers. Even though many draft analysts graded Leatherwood for the second or third round of the 2021 draft, the Raiders chose him in the first round. He started the first game of the season at right tackle but failed in pass protection, allowing 18 pressures in four contests. In Week 5, the Raiders switched him to right guard, where he slightly improved.

The Bears have used an interior lineup with Lucas Patrick at left guard, Sam Mustipher at center, and Teven Jenkins at right guard because they won’t have left guard Cody Whitehair for a few weeks. We’ll see if Leatherwood can perform well at a guard position, freeing up Patrick to switch back to center as the organization has insisted they want to have the best mix of lineman throughout the season.

Beyond the possibility of a swing tackle, it is unknown what Leatherwood’s final function might be. When the Raiders realized he couldn’t play tackle, they used him at guard.

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