Bill Simmons teamed up with ESPN analyst Mina Kimes to lay into the Chicago Bears’ handling of their quarterback situation.
The Chicago Bears enter the 2020 NFL Season with three quarterbacks within their stable. Former second-overall selection, Mitchell Trubisky, journeyman-turned-MVP, Nick Foles, and Tennessee product, Tyler Bray.
While the Bears quarterback room doesn’t house an elite talent like Russell Wilson or Drew Brees, I would say that the team has improved at the position since the 2019 season. Yes, it is okay to admit that Nick Foles is a better option than bench savant, Chase Daniel.
The next topic to diagnose is what the Bears forfeited to obtain Nick Foles’ services. Chicago sent a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Foles, under the notion that the man celebrated for the “Philly Philly” would be open to a contract restructure. A bit rich for my blood, but nonetheless.
It was March 18th and a deal was finally struck so obviously media opinions started flying in every which way. Sadly, what got lost in translation is that the Bears were not going to be held hostage for the mega-deal that the Jaguars had once signed Foles for the previous offseason. Instead, the Bears renegotiated a favorable 3-year deal worth $24 million.
Fast forward to June 28th and news begun to leak that the New England Patriots were finalizing a 1-year, bargain deal with former league MVP, Cam Newton. So, what does that mean for the news cycle? Obviously it’s time to bring up the Bears and their “awful” signing of Nick Foles.
Well, on Thursday the latest episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” released with special guest, Mina Kimes. So, what does Simmons bring up immediately upon hitting the record button? How the Bears botched their quarterback situation.
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“So, they [Patriots] got lucky with two teams specifically. The Chicago Bears, it’s indefensible… It’s just indefensible! You can talk to any Chicago fan and be like, “Why didn’t you guys sign Cam Newton?” There’s no answer. The answer is basically, “Well if you do that then you have to give up on Mitch Trubisky.” Then the answer to that is, “Yeah, exactly! You have to give up on Mitch Trubisky!”
If that wasn’t bad enough, Simmons and Kimes dismissed any blame directed toward the Los Angeles Chargers because they had just recently selected Oregon Product, Justin Herbert sixth-overall in the NFL Draft. Kimes and Simmons dropped the topic but not before delivering these last few chirps regarding which team blew the opportunity to sign Cam Newton the most.
“Chicago’s the worst one,” Kimes said. Simmons agreed, “The Chicago thing, I actually feel bad for the Bears fans because the quarterback position has, you know, been a sore spot for decades and it’s just funny that this was such an obvious win every possible way and they just missed it.” Kimes finished the conversation stating, “He [Newton] would’ve looked great too, in like a Bears jersey, I thought…”
So, let us ask the question — Would I have loved Cam Newton in Chicago? Absolutely. However, I think it would be ignorant to disregard the fact that this Bears staff wanted a player that they were familiar with, could trust and that had familiarity with the offensive scheme at hand.
Additionally, I think that strategy only multiplies when you factor in the current COVID-19 pandemic and how it would have been next to impossible to get a good reading on the current health status of Newton. For one reason or another, football analysts are dismissing the notion that Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy don’t have the luxury of a bad season or two like the legendary, Bill Belichick does.