CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 13: Houston Texans running back Buddy Howell #38 is gang tackled by the Chicago Bears defense during the second half at Soldier Field on December 13, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The ChicagoBears hurt themselves by winning their football game on Sunday.
Going into the game, it was fair to say that it is better if the Chicago Bears just lose out. They want to have as good of a draft position as they can get. After losing a heartbreaker in shocking fashion last week to the Detroit Lions, it felt like their playoff hopes were gone. The worst thing you can do is have an 8-8 record and miss the playoffs. The Bears are on track to be doing that this year. Winning this game against the Houston Texans hurts more than it helps.
There will be people who are excited about this win. They looked like the team that was dominant in 2018 and won the NFC North Division. Mitchell Trubisky was good along with the rest of the offense and the defense was awesome. The fact of the matter is that all of this came against a Houston Texans team that is so much worse than them.
The Texans went into the game without their top running back and without their top two wide receivers. Deshaun Watson didn’t have the best game of his career but he wasn’t set up for much success anyway. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL but even he couldn’t take care of business against this Bears defense. The defense was great in this game and they deserve credit for it but they weren’t going up against the best competition in the league.
The Bears hurt themselves more than they helped themselves in this game. The worse their record is, the better their draft position will be. They are going to have a first-round pick for the first time in a few years so it would be nice to see them take advantage. Instead, they move to 6-7 with the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Green Bay Packers left on the schedule.
It is unfortunate that we have to feel down about a sweet Bears win. They scored points, ran the ball well for the most part, and saw defensive studs like Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith have good games. The entire time, however, it was hard to be happy about these guys playing well because it was hurting them in the long term. This game will fool some people into thinking they have good stuff going but in reality, they really don’t. Complete change is still necessary.
If they go on to defeat the Vikings and Jaguars it would certainly set up an interesting date with the Green Bay Packers in week 17 but it would be hard to see them winning that. The Bears need there to be big changes in their front office and on the field and a bad record will help force change. They have pieces to turn it around quickly but they need the right people calling the shots. Unfortunately, this hurts their draft position as well and now it will be hard to get into the top ten.
Who are some under the radar quarterback options for the ChicagoBears in the NFL Draft? The Chicago Bears need a new quarterback. That has been painfully obvious for a couple of years. That quarterback will come in the 2021 NFL Draft and there might be a few signal-callers who are flying under the radar […]
A man was charged in connection with an incident in which shots were fired at police Dec. 11, 2020, on the South Side. | Adobe Stock Photo
No officers were shot or injured in the incident in the 6700 block of South Rhodes Avenue, police said.
A man is facing charges for allegedly fleeing from police Friday in Park Manor after shots were fired at officers.
Harold Graham, 44, was allegedly driving a black Infiniti SUV without its headlights on about 11:30 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Rhodes Avenue when officers began to follow him, Chicago police said.
Someone threw a trash can in front of the officer’s vehicle, police said, and when officers got out to move it several shots were fired in their direction. It wasn’t immediately clear who fired the rounds.
The officers did not return fire and continued to follow the SUV until it crashed into a utility pole in the 7600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, police said.
Graham ran from the vehicle but was taken into custody after a brief foot chase, police said. Officers allegedly found a weapon on him.
Graham was charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one felony count of being an armed habitual criminal, police said. He is also charged with misdemeanor DUI and attempting to elude police.
He appeared in bond court Sunday and was ordered held on $50,000 bail, according to Cook County court records.
The Cleveland Indians are reportedly ready to drop their nickname. | David Dermer/AP
Cleveland’s move away from Indians follows a similar decision earlier this year by the NFL’s Washington Football Team.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are changing their name after 105 years.
Citing three people familiar with the decision, The New York Times reported Sunday night that the team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades. The Indians have been internally discussing a potential name change for months.
A team spokesman told The Associated Press the franchise has no immediate comment on the report.
The Times said the team could make a formal announcement later this week. It’s not known when the name change will take affect or if the team has settled on a new moniker.
Cleveland’s move away from Indians follows a similar decision earlier this year by the NFL’s Washington Football Team.
For years, Native American groups and others have protested against Cleveland’s use of Indians as its name as well as other imagery used by the American League charter franchise founded in 1901. Last year, the team removed the contentious Chief Wahoo logo from its caps and jerseys, but the smiling, cartoonish mascot has remained popular and merchandise is still sold bearing its image.
The Indians have dealt with a backlash from fans upset over Chief Wahoo’s removal and the club is certain to hear more with the decision to change its name.
In July, just hours after Washington’s plans became known after being pressured by several sponsors, including FedEx which holds naming rights to the football’s team’s stadium, Cleveland owner Paul Dolan released a statement saying the team would review “the best path forward with our team name.”
In the months since, the team has consulted players, front office members, coaching staff, community leaders, share holders and Native American groups.
A few days after Dolan’s statement, Indians manager Terry Francona said it was time to “move forward” with the name change.
“I’ve been thinking about it and been thinking about it before we put out that statement,” said Francona, who has been with the club since 2013. “I know in the past, when I’ve been asked about, whether it’s our name or the Chief Wahoo, I think I would usually answer and say I know that we’re never trying to be disrespectful.
“And I still feel that way. But I don’t think that’s a good enough answer today. I think it’s time to move forward. It’s a very difficult subject. It’s also delicate.”
The bleeding has stopped as the ChicagoBears beat the Houston Texans on Sunday. That dreadful 6-game losing streak is finally over. Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky tossed three touchdowns in the first half against the Houston Texans, en route to a Bears victory by a score of 36-7. The first half saw the Bears […]
Lovie Smith is out as Illinois’ coach. | Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Too often, an absence of true urgency seemed to surround Smith and his program. In the end, the Illini got nowhere.
After Illinois’ football team got off to an 0-3 start this season, coach Lovie Smith was unbowed.
“Do I look like the guy that’s going to panic?” he said.
Too often, though, an absence of true urgency seemed to surround Smith and his program over five deep disappointing years, and that’s among the reasons the former Bears coach was fired Sunday from his first head job at the college level.
Smith was quick to offer positive assessments of his teams even as the losses piled up, which they did at an alarming rate. His records at the school were miserable: 17-39 overall, 10-33 in Big Ten play and 2-5 this season.
“We see things in our program that we’re doing that will eventually get us over the hump,” he said heading into his final game, Saturday’s physically one-sided 28-10 loss at Northwestern. “We’re gaining.”
Really, the Illini went nowhere under Smith, 62, who was under contract through 2023 and is eligible to receive a $2 million buyout from the school. Four of his 10 conference wins came against lowest-of-the-low Rutgers. His last four recruiting classes ranked 10th, 12th, 14th and 14th in the league, according to Rivals.
The closest thing to success came in a “breakthrough” 2019, when the Illini tumbled to 2-4 — losing to Eastern Michigan along the way — before rallying with four straight conference wins, one of them a stunning upset of Wisconsin. But the Illini lost their last three to finish 6-7, bowing out with a mediocre effort against California in the Redbox Bowl.
Offensive coordinator Rod Smith assumes active head coaching duties for the Big Ten Champions Week finale at Penn State. Meanwhile, Illini athletic director Josh Whitman has the real heavy lift: finding Smith’s successor. Rarely has the Illinois job been less attractive from a national point of view.
Buffalo’s Lance Leipold is a hot name in the profession. Illinois has gone the MAC route before and could again. Whitman will cast a wide net, of course. One name to keep in mind: Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator.
But there are bigger-name coaches Illini fans will talk about who wouldn’t touch the Illinois job with a 10-foot pole. Anyone who calls this a destination job is pulling your leg.
Smith didn’t seem to be purposely pulling anyone’s leg when he promised heading into the Northwestern game that his team would play its “best game of the season.” He said that sort of thing often and usually was wrong.
“We’re better in all areas,” he said. “I think anybody that’s watching football, that knows football, will say that.”
No, they wouldn’t. No, they won’t.
“Lovie Smith led the Illinois football program with unquestioned integrity during his nearly five years of service,” Whitman said in an official statement. “I have tremendous respect for Coach Smith and will always be grateful to him for providing a steady, experienced hand at a time when our program required stability. His unshakeable leadership, never more needed than during this pandemic, will be forever remembered.
“Nonetheless, based on extensive evaluation of the program’s current state and future outlook, I have concluded the program is not progressing at the rate we should expect at this advanced stage in Coach Smith’s tenure.”
One other thing Smith said last week: “Five years is too long.”
He got that one right. Only he wasn’t talking about his time on the job. He was talking about Illinois’ losing streak to rival Northwestern. And now it’s at six years. The games haven’t been close, and the Illini aren’t close to being relevant. But someone else has to get them there, that much is obvious.
