Chicago Bears: Tarik Cohen’s fitness comment raises eyebrowsBrandon Hinrichson June 19, 2020 at 1:00 pm

Chicago Bears’ Tarik Cohen recently shared that he didn’t prioritize his fitness last season which was a big reason why the Bears took a big step backward.

Many fans and media pundits out there have continually blamed quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s performance on the field being the main reason why the Chicago Bears went from being 12-4 in 2018 to 8-8 last season. The criticism is certainly warranted, given Trubisky’s regression as a quarterback, but it’s not entirely justified to make Trubisky the lone scapegoat here.

Head coach Matt Nagy seemingly struggled to get into any sort of a good rhythm with his play-calling, while the offensive line couldn’t generate enough holes for runners to power through. Furthermore, Khalil Mack and the entire defense struggled to generate the type of impact they produced in 2018 when they led the league in turnovers created.

Most notably, however, was the fact that the Bears just couldn’t rid themselves from the injury bug all season long. Akiem Hicks, Kyle Long, Trey Burton, Anthony Miller, and a whole cast of noteworthy players on the roster couldn’t stay healthy throughout the season. Add all of these factors up, and it’s no wonder the Bears found themselves back to being a .500 team, missing the postseason in disappointing fashion.

Recently, Tarik Cohen opened up to the Chicago Sun-Times about the grueling effects that the physicality of the season brings.

‘I’ve been doing yoga now, stretching more often and just like the small training room — in-house things you do to keep your body durable,” he said. ”And to keep the wear-and-tear of the season off of you longer.” Cohen later added: ”I really slacked on that. I always had older guys that would keep me on that, keep me in line.”

Cohen’s noteworthy comments here reflect how the entire 2019 season played out for the Bears. It’s entirely possible that the Bears as a unit felt high-and-mighty from their previous success, therefore not displaying the same focus and intensity, whether on the field or during team workouts, that propelled them to a division title. Cohen also mentioned that reliable veteran players like running back Benny Cunningham weren’t around last season to keep him focused on taking care of his body.

The Bears, despite their previous success under Matt Nagy, seemingly had a void in leadership in 2019, possibly because many impact players were hurt on the sidelines, focusing more on their own rehab as opposed to being on the field practicing and playing in actual games. Maybe like Cohen, it’s because they too didn’t properly take care of their bodies.

It all comes down to doing all the little things necessary to avoid these types of hurdles that plague teams like the Bears who were seemingly on the rise before the 2019 season began. That means the Bears can no longer be complacent because they’re no longer the ones being hunted in their own division. Whether it’s in practice, during workouts, or once the games actually matter, the Bears must not take anything lightly from here on out if they want to get back to winning frequently again.

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Chicago Bears: Tarik Cohen’s fitness comment raises eyebrowsBrandon Hinrichson June 19, 2020 at 1:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Best of luck to NFC North quarterbacksPatrick Sheldonon June 19, 2020 at 12:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears defense will be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

Last season, the Chicago Bears defense was among the best in the league, ranking in the top five in DVOA. One area, however, where they took a step back — besides turnovers forced — was in the sack department. In 2018 they recorded a whopping 50 sacks, but that number fell to just 32 in 2019.

However, based on a significant offseason acquisition in Robert Quinn and an apparently rejuvenated Khalil Mack, NFC North quarterbacks could become an endangered species this season.

While Leonard Floyd did a lot of things adequately, he was not adept at rushing the quarterback. Perhaps he was above average against the run, but the Bears seem more interested in their edge rushers being able to rush.

In steps Quinn who comes over from the Dallas Cowboys where he recorded 11.5 sacks last season, which is only seven fewer sacks than Floyd recorded in his entire four-year Bears career.

Outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino believe Quinn’s addition brings “a new sense of urgency” to the linebackers room and definitely thinks he and Mack will challenge each other and make one another better on a daily basis.

Perhaps we are already seeing this play out, as other comments from Monachino suggest Mack might be on a mission this year. Monachino mentioned that Mack has been “training like I’ve never seen anybody [train] before” and that “he’s approached this offseason with something to prove.”

Mack is one of the best defensive players in the entire league and has been absolutely dominant throughout his career. Granted, by his standards, he had what would be considered a down year last season, but considering the number of double and triple teams he faced, he was still quite effective. Add to that the fact that he was missing his running mate, Akiem Hicks for much of the year, and the aforementioned lack of pass-rushing production from Floyd and Mack’s performance looks even better.

Next: Bears have plans for Shaheen in 2020

But now the defensive line will have a healthy Hicks, a motivated Mack, and a second edge rusher who knows how to consistently get to the quarterback. Sunday afternoons in the NFC North might be full of carnage, as these bloodthirsty Bears will be looking to decimate their opponents. In some ways, you have to feel bad for opposing quarterbacks. On second thought — no you don’t.

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Chicago Bears: Best of luck to NFC North quarterbacksPatrick Sheldonon June 19, 2020 at 12:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: What would it mean if team won draft lottery?Ryan Sikeson June 19, 2020 at 11:00 am

While the odds are not favorable, if the Chicago Blackhawks landed the number one overall pick, the results would be franchise-changing.

Alexis Lafreniere is the consensus number one pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. He is, in every way, the next great talent to enter the National Hockey League. This past season, he tallied 35 goals with 77 assists for 112 points and a +41 plus-minus rating playing for Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. And the Chicago Blackhawks have a chance to land him.

Sure, the odds are not favorable by any means. In fact, with just a five percent chance to land the top pick in the draft, they’d probably have better odds playing the PowerBall right now. All joking aside, while still not great, the Blackhawks have a 16.0 percent chance to luck into a top-three pick.

A year ago, the Hawks had a 2.5 percent chance at the top pick, and they ended up with the number three overall pick, taking Kirby Dach, who scored eight goals with 15 assists for 23 total points in 64 games in his rookie year.

What would it mean for the Chicago Blackhawks to win the No. 1 pick and a chance to draft Alexis Lafreniere?

Landing the top draft pick would be the equivalent of the Chicago Bulls grabbing Derrick Rose number one overall in 2008, despite having a 1.7 percent chance to do so. Lafreniere is the most NHL-ready player in this draft. He is an excellent skater. His vision is off the charts. He’s the quarterback on the ice, leading rushes down the ice while having a keen sense of where everyone is. His timing is impeccable; fitting passes between tightly-knit windows. He’d be an immediate plug-in along the third or fourth line of the Blackhawks, thus bolstering their offense from their top two lines.

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What would winning a top-three pick mean for the Chicago Blackhawks?

Missing out on Lafreniere is not the end of the world. This class is loaded with NHL talent, and grabbing Quinton Byfield in the top three is the next best thing. The Newmarket, ON native turns 18 in August and is a left-handed centerman. He’s spent the last two years playing for the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL, tallying 32 goals with 50 assists for 82 points and +26 plus-minus rating in 45 games.

The Blackhawks have an immense amount of talent at center on their roster, but Byfield would fit well on the fourth line to start, working his way up to the top line. They could potentially find salary relief by trading Andrew Shaw, again, who carries a cap hit of $3.9M through the 2021-2022 season.

Byfield is widely viewed to be the second-best pick in this draft, so if the Blackhawks land the number three pick again, they can go with Lucas Raymond. The 18-year-old is from Goteborg, Sweden, and can play both winger positions. He’s one of the faster forwards in this class. Raymond tallied four goals with six assists for ten points this past season for Frolunda HC of the SHL.

What if the Chicago Blackhawks pick outside the top three?

If the Blackhawks end up on the outside looking in of the top three draft picks, then it starts to become a bit unclear who the top choice is. Do they draft based on need or take the best overall player on the board? Cole Perfetti, who we have discussed before, is a talented winger who can score in bunches. Might they grab Corey Crawford‘s replacement in Yaroslav Askarov? He’s considered to be on the best goalie prospects in quite some time.

Regardless if they go with other players like Tim Stutzle, Marco Rossi, Jamie Drysdale, or Jake Sanderson, the Blackhawks will be adding to an already talented farm system. Ideally, outside of the top three picks, the preferred option would be a defenseman to shore up the issues at the blue line.

Next: Draft Profile: Jake Sanderson

Drysdale would be that guy for me, one who can change the dynamic of the power play while still providing sound defense.

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Chicago Blackhawks: What would it mean if team won draft lottery?Ryan Sikeson June 19, 2020 at 11:00 am Read More »