GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes throws a pass during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 29-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears are known for messing everything up. They have had a terrible play at the quarterback position for a very long time. Now, we finally hope that it all changes for the foreseeable future. The Bears traded up to select Justin Fields of Ohio State University. He is going to come to Chicago and try to save the position for the first time in franchise history.
The Chicago Bears need Justin Fields to become great for them to save their franchise.
Justin Fields was known as the second-best quarterback in the draft going into the season. Only Trevor Lawrence was considered better than him but for some reason, he started to fall in this draft. Quarterbacks like Zach Wilson and Trey Lance went ahead of him. When the New York Giants came on the clock, it felt like a good partner for the Bears to move up.
They sent the Giants a big haul to get their guy. Fields finished in 7th place for the Heisman Trophy in a year where the Big Ten got off to a late start due to COVID-19. He played in 8 games where he completed 70 percent of his passes for 2100 yards. He had 22 touchdowns and six interceptions to round out a huge season. Now, he gets to come to Chicago to play.
He is going to try and save the jobs of both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace. Both of them have been pretty lousy in their Bears tenure outside of one year. Pace has a bad record in the first round so it is up to Fields to change that. If he has a nice start to his career, many jobs will be saved.
It will also help a lot of other players in the organization. There are some weapons there on offense that they are looking to develop further. Adding a kid like this under center is going to change everything. We can only hope that it works out the way that it has the potential to. We have ripped on the organization all offseason so far but they deserve credit for this one.
When the time came for the 2021 NFL Draft to start, Chicago Bears fans were on edge. The tensions were high and expectations were low.
But, who could blame them?
This is a fan base that’s coming from quarterback purgatory decade after decade. The franchise leader in passing, all-time, is Jay Cutler for crying out loud.
I think it’s safe to say the franchise may have a new number one in that category — a few years down the road.
General manager Ryan Pace did exactly what he needed to do, and landed the ChicagoBears’ next franchise quarterback in Justin Fields.
The Bears traded up to pick number 11 overall by swapping a few picks with the New York Giants and took Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. In total, the Bears gave up this year’s first, next year’s first, along with a fourth and fifth rounder.
Widely considered the second-best quarterback in this year’s draft class for quite some time, it wasn’t until mid-season last year that BYU’s Zach Wilson overtook Fields with his tremendous amount of hype.
Still, many think Fields was the second-best quarterback in the draft — including yours truly. The athleticism that Fields possesses, accompanied by the way he played in big games… it’s undeniable.
At 6-foot-3 and weighing 228 pounds, Fields ran a blistering 4.43 in his 40-yard dash during his pro day. This kid makes plays with his legs almost as good as he does with his arm. And, oh, his arm… it’s not half bad either.
Over his last two seasons with the Buckeyes, Fields tossed 63 touchdowns to only nine interceptions while throwing for over 5,300 yards. And oh, by the way, he rushed for 867 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with that.
Fields joins a Bears quarterback room that features two veterans on the second half of their careers, and shouldn’t have a problem beating them out for the starting job in training camp. If, for some reason, Andy Dalton gets the start Week 1, it won’t be long until Fields gets his shot.
What Bears fans are about to see on the field is something the NFC North hasn’t seen from a Bears quarterback, ever.
The Bears might also have the second-best quarterback in the division very soon, here. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers still reigns supreme. But, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff? They have their moments. I’ll put my money on Fields surpassing them both by Year 2, if not sooner.
This pick is a home run for Ryan Pace and lets the NFC North know that he means business. He knew his job was on the line, and this selection goes to show he’s not about to go out without a fight.
Fields may end up securing the job of not only Pace, but Matt Nagy, for a long time. The things Nagy can do within his offense, with Fields, is going to be a thing of beauty to watch. Finally, we can confidently say the Bears have a franchise quarterback. It’s been far too long.
The first 32 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft will go off the board tonight as the first round is held in Cleveland. The action starts at 7 p.m. CT with television coverage on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
The Jaguars opened the night with the first overall pick, which they used on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who’s widely considered the best QB prospect in years. The Jets followed that up by taking BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, as expected, with the second overall pick.
The real mystery started with the third overall pick and the 49ers, who took North Dakota State’s Trey Lance after trading up earlier in the offseason. The Falcons took Florida tight end Kyle Pitts and Bengals landed LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to round out the top five.
The results of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft are below. This story will be updated with each pick.
2021 NFL Draft results
Jaguars — QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Jets — QB Zach Wilson, BYU
49ers (from MIA via HOU) — QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Trevor Lawrence heads to Jacksonville after a storied college career at Clemson. | Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Lawrence, the most unimpeachable draft prospect since Andrew Luck, was picked first overall, as expected, by the Jaguars.
A night primed for melodrama didn’t start that way.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the most unimpeachable draft prospect since Andrew Luck, was picked first overall, as expected, by the Jaguars. Lawrence has been the presumptive top pick for more than a year, prompting fan bases to implore their teams to “Tank for Trevor.” The Jaguars did just that, winning in Week 1 and not again.
One year after conducting its draft virtually, the NFL held Thursday’s first round in Cleveland, at an outdoor stage on the shore of Lake Erie. Fans were allowed to attend both the draft and its surrounding fan festival, albeit socially distanced and with masks.
The hours leading up to the draft provided an offseason’s worth of fireworks. Early Thursday afternoon, ESPN reported that Aaron Rodgers, the reigning MVP, wanted out of Green Bay. The Packers reportedly rebuffed a trade offer from the 49ers, who hold the No. 3 overall pick, for their star quarterback.
Rodgers was angered by the Packers’ drafting of Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in last year’s draft; he had hoped they’d give him a wide receiver in the first round for the first time in his career.
If Rodgers isn’t dealt during the draft, he’ll join a list of some of the NFL’s biggest stars who have, at least through intermediaries, shared their displeasure with their own teams. The Bears made a trade offer for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, only for coach Pete Carroll to scuttle any movement.
Wilson’s agent told ESPN earlier this offseason that the Bears were one of four teams — the Raiders, Cowboys and Saints were the others — to which he’d accept a deal. Deshaun Watson has wanted out of Houston for most of the offseason, but the Texans quarterback’s future is complicated by accusations of sexual misconduct.
Robert Gorodetsky walks out of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after pleading guilty in a $9.6 million wire fraud scheme, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
The sentencing hearing on the 23rd floor of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse made for an ignominious ending for a career that once prompted USA Today to ask, “Is this the future face of sports gambling?”
Rob Gorodetsky moved to Las Vegas to make something of his life, and he wound up turning himself into a “human meme,” his attorneys said.
He created the larger-than-life “Instagram persona” known as “Big Rob” who bet big, bought flashy cars and jewelry, enjoyed piles of cash and made his way into exclusive events with celebrities and models.
But they said Gorodetsky’s piles of cash never lasted long. He often had to sell the cars immediately. “Big Rob Style” was “a living lie,” they told a judge. And Thursday, U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo sentenced the 28-year-old Gorodetsky to 28 months in prison for wire fraud.
“You are very young,” Bucklo noted before handing down the sentence. “But it’s just a massive, massive fraud.”
A lengthy 2017 profile in the newspaper described Gorodetsky as having “emerged as one of the most compelling and controversial, albeit largely unknown, figures in sports.” It said Gorodetsky and his inner circle thought he could go on to be “America’s leading sports bettor.”
But that was before federal prosecutors filed charges against Gorodetsky in January 2020, accusing him of swindling $9.6 million out of a single investor between 2014 and 2018. Though the investor has not been named, he is described in court papers as a successful New Jersey ophthalmologist and the father of a onetime girlfriend of Gorodetsky’s.
Gorodetsky pleaded guilty shortly after the charges were filed. Before he was sentenced Thursday, Gorodetsky spoke to the judge in a voice that was barely audible inside the courtroom. He apologized to the investor he stole from, and he said there was “nothing I can say or do that will ever make it right.”
The feds say Gorodetsky falsely made himself out to be a successful day trader, convincing the investor to hand over $953,000 between February and July 2014 with the understanding that they would share in the profits from the investments Gorodetsky would make. Instead, prosecutors said Gorodetsky invested only $215,000 and put another $747,388 to other use.
And while Gorodetsky told the investor the $953,000 had grown to $2 million, the money Gorodetsky had sunk into an E-Trade account was worth less than $72,000 by July 2014, records show.
Still, Gorodetsky convinced the investor to hand over another $8.74 million between July 2014 and November 2017 for sports wagering. Prosecutors said Gorodetsky used more than $2.2 million of that on travel and entertainment, as well as a Rolls Royce, a Bentley, two Lamborghinis and watch and jewelry purchases in excess of $324,000.
Prosecutors also said Gorodetsky failed to report nearly $7 million between 2014 and 2017. And before he scammed his girlfriend’s father, they said he managed to talk $516,570 out of at least eight other investors between 2011 and 2012, putting $231,500 to his own use and losing the rest in trading.
Defense attorney Chris Gair wrote in a court memo last year that Gorodetsky began his life as an “incredibly shy child” who was introduced to poker in middle school and began to gamble whenever he had the opportunity. USA Today wrote that Gorodetsky went to New Trier High School in Winnetka, and Gair wrote that Gorodetsky was suspended from school “for taking his classmates’ money at poker games and setting up a gambling hall in high school.”
Gair wrote that the USA Today profile turned out to be Gorodetsky’s undoing, prompting investigations by the Nevada Gaming Commission and the FBI.
Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. | Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Several teams will hope to find their franchise quarterbacks Thursday night in Cleveland.
The first 32 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft will go off the board tonight as the first round is held in Cleveland. The action starts at 7 p.m. CT with television coverage on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
The Jaguars opened the night with the first overall pick, which they used on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who’s widely considered the best QB prospect in years. The Jets followed that up by taking BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, as expected, with the second overall pick.
The real mystery started with the third overall pick and the 49ers, who took North Dakota State’s Trey Lance after trading up earlier in the offseason. The Falcons and Bengals round out the top five this year.
The Bears will hit the clock with the 20th overall pick unless they decide to make a trade.
The results of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft are below. This story will be updated with each pick.
2021 NFL Draft results
Jaguars — QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Jets — QB Zach Wilson, BYU
49ers (from MIA via HOU) — QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Roxana Figueroa cries after speaking about the injustices behind the shooting of her cousin Anthony Alvarez during a press conference by the family of Anthony Alvarez and local organizations, Thursday, April 29, 2021. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Standing near where 13-year-old Adam Toledo was fatally shot by cops just two days before Alvarez was killed, Alvarez’s cousin detailed a list of questions she had about the shooting.
The family of Anthony Alvarez gathered with community activists Thursday in Little Village to demand answers about the 22-year-old’s fatal shooting at the hands of a Chicago police officer last month on the Northwest Side.
Standing in the parking lot near where 13-year-old Adam Toledo was fatally shot by police just two days before Alvarez was killed, Alvarez’s cousin, Roxana Figueroa, detailed a list of questions she had about the shooting — and rebutted a videotaped statement by police union President John Catanzara claiming it was “100% a good shooting.”
“He started his video not even knowing the right age of my cousin … you don’t even have his information correct,” Figueroa said. “He said that the first time Anthony fell … that closed the gap between the cops and Anthony, so why not just tase him? Why not just tackle him down? Why shoot him five times?
“We thought we were going to get more clarity on the case after watching the videos but it has brought nothing but more questions,” Figueroa added. “They said the day before that he had already fled from police in his vehicle. Why didn’t they run the plates and try to get a warrant for his arrest? Why did they have to go to that extent and shoot him?”
Activists also took the opportunity to announce plans for a May Day march on Saturday at Union Park.
“I am a mother, and I call on all the mothers of our communities to bring out their families to march and rally for the promise May 1,” said Cecilia Garcia, a member of the Right 2 Family and Family Reunification campaigns.
After the press conference, Anthony’s mother, Veronica Alvarez, remembered her son as a loving father to his 2-year-old daughter.
“Anthony loved to play soccer, but after he became a father he dedicated all his time to his baby. He was a great son, a great brother, a great father. He loved cooking, he loved everything. He didn’t deserve to die that way, he shouldn’t be dead at all,” Veronica said in Spanish.
She said she still hasn’t been able to tell her granddaughter about what happened to her father.
“She’s little, but we’ve been thinking about it and we don’t know how we’re going to tell her. She asks for her dad, grabs his photo, kisses it and asks to speak with him. It’s really painful,” Veronica said.
Illinois received more money from the Volkswagen emissions scandal legal settlement than any other Midwest state. | Gene J. Puskar, AP Photos
Environmental groups praise new focus on electric vehicles after governor proposes spending almost $90 million windfall after automaker’s emissions scandal.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proposing to spend nearly $90 million from a legal settlement over the Volkswagen emission scandal to pay for more electric vehicles and infrastructure — largely by converting more public transit and school buses — in Chicago and elsewhere.
Pritzker’s environmental agency rewrote a state plan that was originally put together by former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Administration. Influenced by industry, Rauner favored awarding state grants to replace old diesel-engine trains, boats and other equipment with newer ones — that were also diesel-fueled. That proposal infuriated environmental organizations.
Pritzker’s revised plan drew praise from those same groups that noted electric vehicles are the best way to cut down on air pollution, improve health and fight climate change.
“There are huge opportunities here that are new and exciting and can benefit public health,” Susan Mudd, a lawyer and senior policy advocate for the Environmental Law and Policy Center said.
The state originally won about $109 million from Volkswagen as part of a legal settlement over the carmaker’s emissions cheating scandal discovered by U.S. officials in 2015. Volkswagen was caught having installed software in diesel-fuel cars that helped fool air emissions tests, which meant the vehicles were polluting far more than advertised. That led to actions ending in billions of dollars of fines and civil settlements, including money for individual states to help reduce air pollution. Because Illinois residents had purchased so many of the cars in question, it had the largest haul in settlement money in the Midwest.
The money prioritizes the Chicago area and the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area because of the heavy air pollution around those communities. Money will be distributed based on applications from those and other areas.
Under the Pritzker proposal, up to 45% of the remaining money ($88.6 million) will fund all-electric public transportation, up to 38% will go toward electric school buses and 15% will go to light-duty electric charging infrastructure. The remaining 2% pays for administrative costs.
In a statement, Pritzker called it a “critical step forward in protecting our environment and building a greener transportation sector.”
The state is accepting public comment on the proposal through June 21. It will send a final report to a national trustee that approves spending plans for the Volkswagen settlement. With a newly published draft report, Pritzker is sending a signal that electric vehicles are going to be a big part of the environmental and public health agenda for the state going forward, advocates said.
“This has been a drumbeat for at least four years,” said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs at the Respiratory Health Association. “ You need to prioritize and get zero-emission vehicles with the limited amount of money we have.”
He noted that multiple clean energy bills introduced in Springfield this legislative session and President Joe Biden’s climate agenda all emphasize electrification of vehicles.
“Most clean energy bills recognize we need to accelerate this,” Urbaszewski said.
Brett Chase’s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 29: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers drops back to pass during a game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on November 29, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Bears 45-21. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Laddies and gentleman the time has now come, a chance for the Chicago Bears to crush the Green Bay Packer faithful. Since 2005 it’s no surprise that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have had their way in the NFC North. In 15 seasons with the Pack, Rodgers has made the playoffs a familiar place to play.
The ChicagoBears would love to see Aaron Rodgers leave the Green Bay Packers.
In his 20 playoff starts, Rodgers is only 11-9 but his personal statistics will wow you. He has completed 64.1% of his passes in the postseason as well as 45 touchdown passes to only 13 interceptions.
Rodgers has also had his way with the Bears in his career. In his 26 career games against the Bears, he is 21-5, completing almost 67% of his passes for a total of just over 6,000 yards. If it hasn’t been hard enough to read these ridiculous stats, he’s thrown the ball in the end zone vs the Bears a total of 55 times.
By now you’re probably asking yourself why must the author torture me this way? Here’s the good news, everything you just read may be coming to an end. We may live in a world where Aaron Rodgers is no longer in the NFC North division or maybe even a world where Rodgers wears blue and orange on Sundays.
After a recent report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it has become apparent that Rodgers has grown an extensive amount of frustration pertaining to his contract and that his plans to stay with Green Bay have come to an end. As a Packer fan, that might be a pretty tough pill to swallow. For the Bears fans, however, it sounds like a whole lot of smiles, laughs, and even opportunity.
Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team, league and team sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Trading within the division is usually a tough task to fulfill. Trading with NFC North rivals may even be harder. While the Packers and Bears could make an argument for the league’s most anticipated rivalry, it becomes very hard for Bear fans to get excited knowing they are the lesser of two teams.
Quarterback play has been a real issue for the Bears for as far as I can remember. Names that make up a list that include below-average quarterbacks like Erik Kramer, Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Craig Krenzel, Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles, and now Andy Dalton.
So what can the Chicago Bears do to land a Super Bowl champion clutch time gunslinger like Aaron Rodgers? They will have to offer a huge amount of picks and players to the Green Bay Packer’s front office. Here’s a Chicago Bears trade package I have put together that I think would secure the MVP.
Bears Get
Aaron Rodgers
Packers Get
2021 First-Round Pick
2021 Second-Round Pick
Khalil Mack
Akiem Hicks
The Bears would need to trade the 20th pick. Green Bay could then take that 20th pick to fulfill their most needed position of cornerback by drafting Greg Newsome out of Northwestern. The Packers could also then use their 29th pick to grab an offensive lineman. Dillon Radunz, out of North Dakota State, could be that guy.
The Bears also would then trade Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks which would fill the Green Bay void on the defensive line. Pace could sell the Pack on Hicks lining up next to Pro Bowler Kenny Clark in place of Dean Lowry or Tyler Lancaster which would be a huge upgrade for Green Bay.
While Hicks is a difference-maker, I think the Bears can dump him and fill his void with guys like Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols who is a great player. Green Bay adding another second-round pick in the deal wouldn’t hurt either.
While it sounds like a lot giving up a 1st and 2nd round pick, potentially the league’s best edge rusher and a dominant interior D-line presence, it’s going to take every bit of that for the Bears to pry one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time out of the hands the Green Bay Packers. Only time will tell where Rodgers will land but at this point, it doesn’t appear the All-Pro will be dressed in green and gold at the start of the 2021 season.
