The Chicago Bears changed a player’s position

The Chicago Bears are trying out a lot of new things this year. The Bears overhauled their defense in the offseason. The offense has progressed rapidly from a conservative, bland scheme to one of the most explosive units in the NFL in the past month. Recently, the Bears made a former basketball player turned NFL tight end into a defensive player.

Sammis Reyes played basketball in college. The Chilean athlete transitioned to learning the tight-end position as he took part in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. Reyes played with the Washington Football Team last season. He played in 11 games with Washington. Reyes joined the Bears practice squad in October.

According to a report by Brad Biggs with the Chicago Tribune, Reyes is transitioning once again as an athlete. The Bears are trying him out on the defensive line.

He was signed to the developmental squad Oct. 18 and spent the first three weeks at tight end before switching to defense and playing end last week…

At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, he certainly has the frame to be an edge rusher, but except for a week during preseason practice in high school, he never has played defense.

“We’ll take this week to see how everything goes,” Reyes said. “We’ll have a conversation next week. I’m having fun with it. I’m enjoying it. I am trusting Coach (Matt Eberflus). He knows what he’s doing. I’m putting my head down and working — whatever they want me to do.

“I’ve played it for a couple days, but defensive end feels like me.”

The Chicago Bears need help on the defensive line

It’ll be interesting to see how Reyes can progress at the defensive line position with the Bears. The defensive line has been a major complaint for most of the season. The unit has failed to get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

They could also do better filling gaps in run defense. Reyes should get a shot to play this season, as the Chicago Bears’ playoff hopes are practically over before Week 11. It couldn’t hurt to elevate him for a few weeks to see what he can do on the defensive line. At the very least, Reyes can contribute to special teams.

Read More

Six people were killed and 21 others were wounded in shootings across Chicago over the weekend.

o A robber and a clerk who tried to stop him were both killed Friday night inside a South Shore neighborhood grocery store. Police say Nicholas Williams walked into the El Barakah Supermarket near 73rd Street and Coles Avenue shortly after 6:20 p.m. and showed a handgun. Williams, 24, shot Ali Hasan, a 63-year-old worker at the store, in the chest and back, authorities said. Hasan — who had a firearm owner’s identification card and a concealed carry license — pulled a gun from his waistband and fired back, hitting Williams in the chest. The younger man, who lived in the neighborhood, ran from the store but collapsed about a block away and died, authorities said. Hasan, a Palestinian immigrant who lived in Berwyn, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

On Saturday, a man died after being shot in Chicago Lawn. The man, believed to be in his 40s, was dropped off about 9 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital with a gunshot wound to his neck and died a short time later, police said. The shooting occurred in the 6300 block of South Fairfield Avenue. Early Sunday, a man was fatally shot on the Near West Side. Officers in the 2200 block of West Walnut Street heard gunshots about 2:40 a.m and saw someone fire at a man, then get into a gray car and drive off, police said. The man, who was shot in the back, was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A man was shot to death Sunday afternoon in Archer Heights on the Southwest Side. The man, 29, was shot in his arms about 4:15 p.m. in the 4800 block of South Tripp Avenue, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Sunday night, a man was fatally shot while driving on the Near West Side. The 49-year-old was traveling west about 10:50 p.m. in the 1900 block of West Fulton Avenue when people in two cars opened gunfire, striking him in the left armpit, police said. He crashed his car into a bus stop. He was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where he died.Less than two hours later, a person was fatally shot in a South Austin drive-by on the West Side. He was on the sidewalk in the 200 block of South Laramie Avenue when he was shot in the face and leg about 6 p.m., police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.Two men were wounded around 2:10 a.m. Saturday while standing in the 2300 block of South Damen Avenue on the Lower West Side, police said. One man, 19, was hit in the leg and hip; the other man, 22, was grazed in the hip. Both were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were listed in good condition.Sunday morning, a 12-year-old girl was shot in the neck while walking in Calumet Heights. The girl was in the 8900 block of South Chicago Avenue when someone in a dark-colored car fired at her. She was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition.A 17-year-old boy was shot Saturday evening in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. The teen was walking in the 5300 block of West Harrison Street when he was approached by someone who fired shots about 6:30 p.m., police said. He was struck in the groin and taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he was listed in good condition.A 15-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting Sunday evening in Greater Grand Crossing on the South Side. The teen was in an alley in the 4900 block of South Indiana Avenue when he was shot in the right leg about 6 p.m., police said. He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

At least 16 other people were wounded in gun violence across Chicago between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

Read More

North Carolina and Gonzaga remain 1-2 in the first regular-season men’s college basketball poll from The Associated Press.

The top-ranked Tar Heels (2-0) earned 44 of 63 first-place votes in the AP Top 25 while the second-ranked Bulldogs (2-0) picked up 14 after the opening week of the regular season. Third-ranked Houston and fourth-ranked Kentucky picked up the remaining votes in a poll that featured only slight changes from the preseason poll released Oct. 17.

Baylor and Kansas were tied for fifth previously. This time, Baylor is alone at No. 5, followed by Kansas and Duke. UCLA, Arkansas and Creighton round out the top 10.

Tennessee (1-1) took the biggest tumble, falling 11 spots to No. 22 after losing to Colorado in its home state. And Villanova went from 16th to unranked for the first time since February 2019 after a loss to Temple in its second game under Kyle Neptune, who took over in the spring after the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright.

Illinois (2-0) had the biggest jump, climbing four spots to No. 19 after two easy home wins.

No. 24 Texas A&M and No. 25 Connecticut are the week’s new additions, while Oregon joined Villanova as the two teams to fall out from the preseason poll.

The Top 25

1. North Carolina (44 first-place votes) 2-0

2. Gonzaga (14) 2-0

3. Houston (2) 2-0

4. Kentucky (3) 2-0

5. Baylor 2-0

6. Kansas 2-0

7. Duke 2-0

8. UCLA 2-0

9. Arkansas 2-0

10. Creighton 2-0

11. Texas 2-0

12. Indiana 2-0

13. Auburn 2-0

14. Arizona 2-0

15. TCU 2-0

16. Virginia 2-0

17. San Diego St. 2-0

18. Alabama 2-0

19. Illinois 2-0

20. Michigan 2-0

21. Dayton 2-0

22. Tennessee 1-1

23. Texas Tech 2-0

24. Texas A&M 2-0

25. UConn 2-0

Read More

South Carolina passed its first test of the season and now the top-ranked Gamecocks have a tougher challenge: a visit to No. 2 Stanford on Sunday.

South Carolina remained the unanimous choice as the top team in first regular-season Top 25 women’s basketball poll from The Associated Press. Texas, Iowa and UConn round out the first five in the poll released Monday.

The Gamecocks (3-0) beat then-No. 17 Maryland 81-56 last week, setting up the showdown with Stanford.

It will be the 63rd meeting between the top two teams in the women’s AP Top 25 and the seventh time it has happened in November. The last 1-2 matchup was also South Carolina-Stanford with the Gamecocks beating the Cardinal by four points last Dec. 21, rallying from an 18-point deficit. The No. 1 team holds a 39-23 advantage in the meetings.

“I call it a win-win. Because no matter what happens in the game, you’re gonna learn more about your team, people have to do the right thing,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “It’s sort of like a tournament game, I mean, 1-2 matchup, it’s awesome.”

Before Sunday’s game, Dawn Staley’s squad will play at Clemson on Thursday. Stanford hosts Cal Poly on Wednesday night.

Ohio State made the biggest leap in the new poll, climbing six spots to No. 8 after upending then-No. 5 Tennessee in its season-opener last week. The Lady Vols fell to 11th.

Louisville and Iowa State were sixth and seventh while North Carolina State and Notre Dame round out the top 10.

Villanova entered the rankings for the first time since 2018 at No. 24 after knocking off then-No. 24 Princeton. The Tigers fell out of the poll. Utah came in at No. 25, replacing 23rd-ranked South Dakota State, which lost to Creighton.

CROSSING THE CENTURY MARK

LSU has scored over 100 points in each of its first three games. The 343 points combined is the most in the first three games of a season by any team in the past 20 years.

“The non-conference schedule was done before we knew we had Angel Reese and all these transfers coming in here,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “The good thing about right now is we’re building confidence. Making mistakes in a game that can be corrected when the SEC does come around.”

It’s the second time the school has had three straight 100-point games matching the mark set during the 1995-96 season. The Tigers have a chance to break that on Wednesday when they host Houston Christian in a matinee game.

RARE LOSS

Tennessee’s loss to Ohio State was the first time since 2008 that a top-five team was beaten in its first game by either an unranked team or a team outside the first five in the poll since No. 3 Maryland lost to unranked TCU, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The top five teams had gone 69-0 in those games until last week.

THE TOP 25

1. South Carolina (30 first-place votes) 2-0

2. Stanford 4-0

3. Texas 1-0

4. Iowa 3-0

5. UConn 1-0

6. Louisville 3-0

7. Iowa St. 2-0

8. Ohio St. 2-0

9. Notre Dame 2-0

10. NC State 3-0

11. Tennessee 1-1

12. Indiana 2-0

13. North Carolina 2-0

14. Virginia Tech 2-0

15. LSU 3-0

16. Oklahoma 2-0

17. Baylor 2-0

18. Arizona 2-0

19. Maryland 2-1

20. Creighton 2-0

21. Oregon 2-0

22. Nebraska 2-0

23. Michigan 2-0

24. Villanova 2-0

25. Utah 3-0

Read More

The best and worst of the Chicago Bears in Week 10

The Chicago Bears surrendered their third game in a row this season. The loss came against the Detroit Lions in Week 10. The Lions, who were at the bottom of the division two weeks ago, have won two games in a row against their divisional rivals, the Green Bay Packers and Bears.

The Bears dominated most of the game but let the Lions come back in the fourth quarter. Penalties and turnovers cost the Bears a chance to win their fourth game of the season. Pro Football Focus has released their grades for the Bears-Lions game. We’ll look at the top and bottom three players on offense and defense and Justin Fields’ grade in Week 10.

Bears offense

Top performers

Trevon Wesco: 87.8Cole Kmet: 80.6Khalil Herbert 76.4

The Bears had solid production from their tight ends against the Lions in Week 10. Wesco received a high grade for his run-blocking abilities on his limited 15 snaps. (He was brought in primarily to run block, as ten of his snaps came in the rushing attack. Wesco only had one passing target on the day.) Kmet was tremendous in everything except run blocking. He added two touchdown catches to his steadily improving resume. Herbert averaged 5.7 yards per rush against the Lions.

Bottom performers

Ryan Griffin: 47.2Sam Mustipher: 53.4Byron Pringle: 57.5

Griffin was the lone Bears tight end with an off day in Week 10. He was graded poorly for run blocking and received an okay score, 68.1, for his pass protection. A holding penalty that erased Herbert’s 19-yard effort didn’t help Griffin’s overall score. Mustipher was dinged for his run-blocking against the Lions. He had a decent score for his pass blocking and didn’t allow a pressure Sunday.

Coming back from injured reserve against the Lions, Pringle only caught one pass for 12 yards. He earned a low 49.0 score for his run blocking–something he’s supposed to be good at. Why he was getting playing time in the red zone over Chase Claypool is curious after Pringles’ performance.

Bears defense

Top performers

Dominique Robinson: 69.0Eddie Jackson: 68.8Jack Sanborn: 65.5

Robinson had a solid performance for the Bears, relatively speaking. The fact the Bears best graded defensive player is in the 60s says quite a bit about where the unit is in Week 10. He finished with five tackles, a hurry, and one-stop. Jackson made five tackles as well. He was targeted once in pass coverage and did not give up the reception. Sanborn had a great game in everything except pass coverage. He was credited with two sacks and five stops. However, the undrafted rookie free agent surrendered four receptions of the five passes he was targeted on.

Bottom performers

Jaylon Johnson: 28.4Lamar Jackson: 31.9DeAndre Houston-Carson/Nicholas Morrow: 45.0

Like most of the Bears’ secondary, Johnson had a forgettable game against the Lions. His two stupid penalties allowed the Lions back in the game. (One can argue the merits of the second call.) Johnson had a missed tackle, no stops and gave up three of his four targets. His run defense received a 27.4 rating. Houston-Carson missed a tackle. Morrow was decent in tackling, but he gave up three of his four targets. The Lions should have played pass-heavy against the Bears all day. If they had, the Lions could have dominated the game instead of needing a comeback.

Bears QB Play Week 10: Justin Fields

Fields was given a 67.8 overall rating for his play against the Lions in Week 10. He was great in the Bears’ run game, as he ran for 147 yards. However, Fields needs to improve his passing game. He finished 12-20 (60-percent completion rate) with 167 yards passing and two touchdowns. Fields’ poor decision on a fourth-quarter throw resulted in a pick-six. PFF gave him a 56.9 grade for his passing game against the Lions.

We all know Fields can run and has a great arm to throw deep balls. Fields is best on his intermediate passes. What’s concerning about his play in the passing game right now are his short throws. Here’s his chart on NFL Next Gen Stats for the 2022 season:

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More

The Chicago Cubs are among the several teams that have engaged in trade talks with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Hot Stove season is here and the Chicago Cubs have been active early, already had conversations with Scott Boras about Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts, discussed bringing some veteran help in Martin Perez and Josh Bell, and now they are among the five teams discussing a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Chicago Cubs have been involved and could be looking at some bullpen help in Ryan Yarbrough, Yonny Chirinos and Shawn Armstrong. The other possibility is going for a bigger deal and getting outfield help in Randy Arozarena or a potential big starter in Tyler Glasnow.

The three bullpen arms would be experimental as all three arms’ numbers don’t exactly scream success, but relievers have proven that a change of scenery could work wonders.

The big tickets here that could be available but there has yet to be any indication that are available are Glasnow and Arozarena. Glasnow, 29, is coming off Tommy John surgery and had a few starts at the end of the year, including one in the playoffs. The upside there is a big one as Glasnow has posted numbers that would show he’s an ace caliber pitcher but the other side of the coin is that started more than 15 games in a season.

Arozarena, 27, could solve one of the outfield spots for the Cubs along with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. A young dynamic player with playoff experience is exactly the kind of player the Cubs are looking for. Posting a 6.9 WAR and hitting 40 homers in the last two years could translate well at Wrigley.

The Rays are known for trading the superstar players while the value is high. Lets see if this in fact taht sort of situation and see the Cubs will pull the trigger on a big deal.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More