Will Roquan Smith be the next Wilber Marshall? Or Greg Olsen? Or Willie Gault?

Trading Pro Bowl- or All-Pro-caliber players in their prime generally yields mixed results at best. The Bears traded All-Pro defensive tackle Wally Chambers, 26, to the Buccaneers in 1978 and used the first-round pick they got in exchange to draft future Hall of Famer Dan Hampton.

But that was a bygone era, with Hall of Fame general manager Jim Finks working his magic. He traded a former All-Pro coming off knee surgery for the eventual fourth overall pick in 1979. Hampton became an all-time great. Chambers played two seasons for the Bucs before retiring at 29.

In 1988, the Bears traded wide receiver Gault, 27, to the Raiders for draft picks that turned into cornerback Donnell Woolford — an eight-year starter and one-time Pro Bowl player — and quarterback Peter Tom Willis. Gault was missed, but it wasn’t one of those deals that haunted the Bears for years to come. And whatever regret lingered from that deal doesn’t compare to what the Bears felt after general manager Jerry Angelo’s ill-fated trade of Olsen, 26, to the Panthers for a third-round pick at the start of 2011 training camp.

That wasn’t even about money but rather Olsen’s fit as a tight end in coordinator Mike Martz’s offense. A year later, Martz was gone and Olsen was emerging as one of the best tight ends in football, with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2014-16. The Bears packaged the draft pick they acquired from the Panthers with another third-round pick to get wide receiver Brandon Marshall. But that wasn’t nearly enough to quell the criticism of the Olsen deal as one of the most nonsensical trades in Bears history.

The Smith trade is most reminiscent of Marshall’s departure in 1988. The No. 11 overall pick in 1984, Marshall was a destructive outside linebacker who had emerged as the Bears’ best defensive player in the post-Super Bowl XX years. Like Smith, he was 25 and wanted to be the highest-paid player at his position.

Marshall was a restricted free agent after his fourth season in 1987. The Bears could have matched the Redskins’ five-year, $6 million offer, which made Marshall the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time,but instead took two first-round draft picks as compensation.

It was a regrettable move but didn’t quite elicit a historic Lou Brock/Greg Maddux level of regret. Marshall played at a Pro Bowl level for most of his five seasons with the Redskins, helping them win the Super Bowl after the 1991 season and being named a first-team All-Pro in 1992, but unlike Olsen, he wasn’t better with his new team than he was for the Bears. And the Bears acquired two productive starters with the first-round picks: wide receiver Wendell Davis (No. 27 in 1988) and defensive end Trace Armstrong (No. 12 in 1989).

The Bears led the NFL in scoring defense in 1988 with Jim Morrissey a capable replacement for Marshall. Theironce-vaunted defense faded from there, but it’s unlikely even Marshall could have prevented that. Quarterback Jim McMahon’s health is still the biggest reason the Bears won only one Super Bowl in the Mike Ditka coaching era.

2

Right now, trading Smith looks like a deal that could blow up in general manager Ryan Poles’ face. Smith is the kind of player who could flourish in the Ravens’ defense for several years. But given the realities of the NFL and the windows of opportunity that often close fast for players, as well as teams, things often aren’t as bad as they appear. Especially if you draft well.

3

The top six players the Bears regret losing: 1. Bobby Layne (Hall of Fame quarterback); 2. Bill Brown (four-time Pro Bowl running back); 3. Chuck Howley (five-time All-Pro linebacker and the only defensive player named MVP of the Super Bowl); 4. Olsen (three-time Pro Bowl tight end); 5. Marshall (All-Pro linebacker); 6. Don Meredith (three-time Pro Bowl quarterback).

4

The Bears liked Smith but didn’t love him, something that was made ever more clear when coach Matt Eberflus was asked if he would have wanted Colts GM Chris Ballard to draft Smith had guard Quenton Nelson not been available at No. 6 overall in 2018. The Bears took Smith two picks later. The Colts took linebacker Shaquille (nee Darius) Leonard at No. 36.

“Yeah, I don’t think at that time [that] Ballard was in the business of taking an off-the-ball linebacker at 8,” Eberflus said. “I don’t think I could have convinced him of that.”

5

Smith’s departure means none of former GM Ryan Pace’s five first-round draft picks has signed a second contract with the Bears. Kevin White (2015), Leonard Floyd (2016), Mitch Trubisky (2017) and now Smith (2018) are gone. Only quarterback Justin Fields (2021) is left.

In fact, since Mark Hatley, the Bears’ former vice president of football operations, signed linebacker Brian Urlacher in 2000, only four of 18 Bears first-round picks have played more than four complete seasons with the team: defensive lineman Tommie Harris (2004, seven seasons, 104 games); offensive lineman Kyle Long (2013, six-plus seasons, 77 games); quarterback Rex Grossman (2003, six seasons, 36 games); and cornerback Kyle Fuller (2014, six seasons, 96 games).

The Bears’ first-round picks since 2001 have averaged 4.2 full seasons with the Bears. Not good.

6

The 42 points the Bears’ defense allowed against the Cowboys on Sunday are more than what Eberflus’ defense with the Colts allowed in four seasons. That defense allowed a high of 38 points four times, once in each season.

The 42 against the Cowboys are also the most points a Bears defense has allowed since 2014, in back-to-back games against the Patriots (44) and Packers (48). Sunday’s breakdown was nowhere near as hapless as those games.

7

Eberflus plays the two-point conversion game too early. He went for two after Khalil Herbert’s 12-yard touchdown run cut the Cowboys’ lead to 28-23 with 9:42 left in the third quarter. A subsequent two-point conversion attempt after Fields’ 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet also failed, leaving the Bears behind 42-29 with 13:40 left in the fourth quarter. Had the Bears just kicked the PATs, they would have trailed 42-31 — within a field goal and a touchdown/two-point conversion.

John Fox, then the Panthers’ coach, did that in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots in 2004. Had he just kicked a PAT after an early fourth-quarter touchdown, the Patriots’ field goal in the final seconds likely would have only tied the game instead of winning it.

8

Quentin Johnston watch: The 6-4, 215-pound TCU wide receiver, who has size and speed, showed off his grit against West Virginia last Saturday. Twice leaving the game with an ankle injury, he gutted it out and returned to catch a 55-yard touchdown pass in the Horned Frogs’ 41-31 road victory.

Johnston had four catches for 76 yards for the game. He has 42 catches for 650 yards (15.5 average) and four touchdowns in eight games this season.

9

Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Saints quarterback Andy Dalton completed 22 of 30 passes for 229 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 117.2 passer rating in a 24-0 rout of the Raiders at Caesars Superdome.

Special mention: Falcons wide receiver Damiere Byrd had three receptions for 67 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown that gave the Falcons the lead in a 37-34 overtime victory over the Panthers.

10

Bear-ometer: 7-10 — vs. Dolphins (L); vs. Lions (W); at Falcons (L); at Jets (L); vs. Packers (W); vs. Eagles (L); vs. Bills (L); at Lions (W); vs. Vikings (W).

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BOSTON – DeMar DeRozan did his part.

All the ageless veteran tried to accomplish on Friday was throwing his entire team on his back and will them to a win against the Celtics.

Whether it was the season-high 46 points for DeRozan, the 22 free throw attempts, or the five assists, he was hell-bent on leading the Bulls (5-5) to a third-straight win. If only his teammates were more accommodating in the 123-119 loss.

Too many missed opportunities on key rebounds to go along with 17 turnovers, and just like that what could have been a signature win of the season ended up being another loss for a .500 team.

“He was just spectacular,” coach Billy Donovan said of DeRozan. “He has a refuse-to-die attitude. His scoring kept us close and gave us a chance late. He was incredible.”

There wasn’t much argument there.

“If we’re having a great game from DeMar, we’re going to play off him,” Zach LaVine said. ” ‘Debo’ was rolling.”

Early on, DeRozan wasn’t alone.

Considering the difficulty most visiting teams have in the Garden, the Bulls couldn’t have asked for a better first quarter.

The offense kept the ball moving, and the defense kept the Celtics on lockdown. So when DeRozan hit a free throw with 3:14 left in that opening stanza, the lead was eight and the mood was energetic.

Then it wasn’t, and thank the bench for that.

The grouping of Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr., and Goran Dragic, along with LaVine, has usually been lights out this season, but with Andre Drummond (shoulder sprain) sidelined yet again, that was obviously a very important piece.

How important?

By halftime, Boston had grabbed back the lead and the Celtics bench had outscored the Bulls 21-5.

Neither team would budge much in the third, playing each other to a 30-30 tie, but the concern was LaVine, who only took one shot in that entire quarter and played just over six minutes.

“Just running the offense,” LaVine said of that third. “If the ball finds me it finds me.”

LaVine also admitted after that while the left knee is good enough for him to play, the explosion is still a work in progress. That’s why he was seemingly trying to draw fouls on the ground rather than the air.

“Trying to get the rhythm back,” LaVine said. “Obviously I’m not all the way back yet. Not going to lie. It’s coming. I’m not scared of that.”

LaVine also brought up the idea of changing his game a bit from his younger days, thinking long-term preservation rather than putting the opposition on a poster.

Even with all the back and forth, there were the Bulls in the final few minutes, hanging around.

With 1:24 left, DeRozan was at it again, as his two free throws cut it to a two-point game. Derrick White had an answer, however, and a loud one, nailing the three with 1:07 left to keep that five-point buffer for the home team.

But the Bulls weren’t going away, courtesy of Nikola Vucevic and the three-pointer he hit just six seconds later.

Then it became a street fight.

Jayson Tatum fought Patrick Williams for a rebound and earned a trip to the free throw line, and then after Williams took an unnecessary three-pointer with 22.9 seconds left and missed, Tatum went to the free throw line again, hitting both to stretch the lead back out to five with 19.5 seconds left.

The free throw contest continued for both teams, with DeRozan hitting on free throw 19 and 20, and Malcolm Brogdon returning the favor for Boston (5-3).

After an Ayo Dosunmu layup, Brogdon iced the game with 1.9 seconds, splitting a pair.

“Self-inflicted mistakes,” DeRozan said after. “The game came down to that.”

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Neuqua Valley put together a solid season despite losing three-year starting quarterback Mark Mennecke for five games with an injury. Mennecke, a dynamic running and passing threat, was back for the Wildcats’ second-round Class 8A playoff game against Lincoln-Way East on Friday.

His presence gave Neuqua Valley a puncher’s chance against one of the state’s heavyweight programs, but it wasn’t enough. The Griffins held on for a 17-14 win in Naperville after running back James Kwiecinski fell on the Wildcats’ onside kick attempt in the final minute.

Kwiecinski has been Lincoln-Way East’s reliable offensive threat all season. The senior had 25 carries for 125 yards. His 10-yard touchdown run with 2:31 left in the third quarter provided the winning margin.

The biggest play of the game came early. Griffins quarterback Braden Tischer connected with Jimmy Curtin for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 5:45 to play in the first quarter. Lincoln-Way East only completed three more passes the rest of the way, but the seed was planted.

“Obviously they have one of the best defenses in the state,” Griffins linebacker Jake Scianna said. “It ruins your morale really, as a defense, and it made us feel a little bit better. That’s a big play for sure.”

Scianna made a big play of his own, blocking a Neuqua Valley field goal attempt late in the second quarter.

“We came out with this one because we were the more disciplined team,” Scianna said. “There are still things we need to improve on but we are coming together.”

Tischer was 5-for-10 passing for 111 yards with one touchdown. Senior Jimmy Curtin had three catches for 84 yards.

“This was a tough draw,” Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar said. “They were every bit who we thought they were.”

With five minutes left the Griffins (11-0) led by 10 points. Mennecke was injured while sliding and left the game. Junior Ryan Mohler took over and on his second drive led the Wildcats (8-3) on a scoring drive. He connected with Grant Larkin on a 58-yard pass and then Carter Stare caught a 27-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds left.

But Lincoln-Way East recovered the onside kick, ending the threat.

“We have a bunch of guys here with huge hearts,” Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “They battled until the very end. We just feel three points short.”

Larkin had seven catches for 186 yards for the Wildcats. Mennecke was 13 of 24 passing for 193 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“Shout out to [Mennecke] for playing through that ankle injury,” Scianna said. “He’s a great player, really mobile with a good arm.”

Mennecke’s standout athleticism and daring make him an intensely fun player to watch. But circumstances (covid shutdown and this year’s injury) have hampered his recruitment.

“The kid is a college football player,” Ellinghous said. “He can play with the best of them. He’s got a ton of arm and a ton of talent and he’s a fierce competitor. I don’t know why teams wouldn’t want to take a shot on him because he’s unbelievable.”

Lincoln-Way East will host the Warren vs. Andrew winner in the quarterfinals next weekend.

“We have to be better finishers,” Zvonar said. “We had a chance to shut the door. The offense has got to punch one in there in the fourth quarter and the defense has to keep them out. The onside hands team shouldn’t have had to go and save the game. But we are excited as heck to come back home in the quarterfinals.”

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BOSTON – Billy Donovan has hope.

That’s going to have to do for now.

While Bulls guard Lonzo Ball and his injured left knee were making positive strides, according to the coach, there is still an unknown. It’s that unknown that the organization has no choice but to keep operating in.

“Everything is very, very optimistic right now,” Donovan said of Ball’s status on Friday. “I think there are things that he is able to do that he feels a lot freer that he did prior to the surgery. The biggest part was allowing the incision inside of his knee to heal. And then he started to do some things. He has done some running on a treadmill in the water, which is a positive sign. There are things he’s doing that he wasn’t able to do.”

But what Donovan and the medical staff still aren’t able to do was offer up a more detailed timeline.

Ball had the second surgery on Sept. 28, and was given a re-evaluation date of four-to-six weeks. While the Bulls have been working with Ball’s team evaluating him on a daily basis in that window, there are still major obstacles that have to be figured out. Many of those won’t come until the guard is able to start basketball activity and really test his discomfort level.

That’s why when Donovan was flat-out asked if he thought Ball would even play this season, he responded, “I’m hopeful.”

Vague? Cryptic? It can be taken in many ways. Or simply that too much is still up in the air.

What Donovan was clear about was that when Ball told the media leading up to the surgery that he wasn’t going to rush back, all sides involved are on that same page. This wasn’t a situation where Ball’s team wanted one thing as far as a timetable and the Bulls want another.

“When guys get second opinions and you have other really smart people in the room talking and collaborating and working together, you have more minds involved,” Donovan said. “Certainly he’s going to be the driver of how he’s feeling. And his communication is going to be very important. But along with him, the doctor in LA, our medical staff, our orthopedic surgeon, they’re all going to communicate. Very much so everybody is on the same page.”

MASH unit

The Ball injury wasn’t the only one that still had more questions than answers surrounding it.

Andre Drummond injured his left shoulder midway through the loss to San Antonio last week – a game in which he remarkably finished – and while the MRI showed it was a left shoulder sprain, the initial feeling was it would be days.

Days could now easily be weeks for the reserve center.

“Obviously the MRI was clean, it’s a sprain, but what happens is he probably had way better mobility the following morning and then there was a period of time it just got worse, which is normal with a sprain,” Donovan said, when asked why the reports went south days after the injury happened. “So he’s still having difficulty raising his arm over his head, and as a big guy that rebounds like he does, they just want to be cautious of him ever getting yanked back and it turning out to be something more significant.”

As for back-up guard Coby White, he was still dealing with a deep thigh contusion, and missed his third-straight game. White remained day-to-day.

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Class 8ASecond Round

(1) Lincoln-Way East at (17) Neuqua Valley, Fri. 6

(8) Warren at (24) Andrew, Sat. 7

(13) Maine South at (4) South Elgin, Fri. 7

(12) Glenbrook South at (5) Glenbard West, Sat. 1

(2) York at (18) Marist, Sat. 1

(7) Palatine at (23) Minooka, Fri. 7

(14) Lyons at (3) Plainfield North, Fri. 7

(6) Loyola at (22) Edwardsville, Sat. 1

Class 7ASecond Round

(1) Mount Carmel at (17) Downers Grove North, Sat. 1

(8) Collinsville at (24) Brother Rice, Sat. 6

(4) St. Charles North at (20) Hoffman Estates, Sat. 2

(12) St. Rita at (5) Prospect, Fri. 7

(2) Hersey at (18) Batavia, Sat. 1

(10) Moline at (7) Yorkville, Fri. 7

(3) Pekin at (19) Normal, Fri. 7

(11) Lake Zurich at (6) Wheaton North, Sat. 4

Class 6ASecond Round

(8) Notre Dame at (1) Wauconda, Fri. 7

(4) St. Ignatius at (12) Grayslake Central, Fri. 7

(7) Kaneland at (2) Prairie Ridge, Sat. 1

(3) Grayslake North at (11) Harlem, Sat. 6

(1) Lemont at (9) Quincy, Sat. 3

(5) Bremen vs. (13) Kenwood at Lane, Sat. 1

(7) Crete-Monee vs. (2) Simeon at Gately, Sat. 1

(6) East St. Louis at (3) Normal West, Sat. 1

Class 5ASecond Round

(1) Sycamore at (9) Carmel, Sat. 2

(5) Sterling vs. (4) Goode at Lane, Sat. 5:30

(7) Payton vs. (2) Morgan Park at Gately, Fri. 7

(3) Boylan at (11) Nazareth, Sat. 1

(8) Metamora at (1) Mahomet-Seymour, Sat. 7

(4) Morris at (12) Centralia, Sat. 3

(7) Mascoutah at (2) Highland, Sat. 2

(6) Kankakee at (3) Peoria, Fri. 7

Class 4ASecond Round

(8) UP-Bronzeville at (1) Richmond-Burton, Fri. 7

(5) Joliet Catholic at (13) Providence, Sat. 1

(7) Rochelle at (15) Johnsburg, Fri. 7

(6) Evergreen Park at (3) St. Francis, Sat. 1

(8) Coal City at (1) Carterville, Sat. 1

(5) Breese Central at (4) Rochester, Sat. 4:30

(2) Sacred Heart-Griffin at (10) Waterloo, Sat. 5

(6) Murphysboro at (3) Macomb, Sat. 3

Class 3ASecond Round

(8) Genoa-Kingston at (1) Princeton, Sat. 1

(5) Stillman Valley at (4) IC Catholic, Sat. 3

(7) Pecatonica at (2) Reed-Custer, Sat. 5

(6) Byron at (3) Seneca, Fri. 7

(1) Prairie Central at (9) Roxana, Sat. 2

(5) Mt. Carmel, Ill. at (4) Tolono Unity, Sat. 2

(7) St. Joseph-Ogden at (15) Olympia, Sat. 6

(6) Eureka at (3) Williamsville, Sat. 3

Class 2ASecond Round

(8) Farmington at (1) Maroa-Forsyth, Sat. 1

(4) Rockridge at (12) Bloomington Central, Sat. 1

(7) Knoxville at (2) Bismarck-Henning, Sat. 1

(6) Tri-Valley at (3) Wilmington, Sat. 6

(1) St. Teresa at (9) Athens, Sat. 1

(4) Pana at (12) Fairfield, Sat. 4

(2) Johnston City at (10) Arthur-Lovington, Sat. 3

(6) Red Bud at (14) Althoff, Sat. 1

Class 1ASecond Round

(8) Oneida at (1) Lena-Winslow, Sat. 1

(4) Fulton at (12) Rockford Lutheran, Sat. 1

(2) Hope Academy at (10) Forreston, Sat. 2

(3) Ottawa Marquette at (11) Dakota, Sat. 1

(1) Ridgeview-Lexington at (9) Salt Fork, Sat. 2

(5) Routt at (4) Tuscola, Sat. 2

(7) Sesser-Valier at (2) Camp Point Central, Sat. 2

(6) Cumberland at (3) Greenfield-Northwestern, Sat. 2

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Dave Butz, one of the best football players in Illinois state history who went on to win two Super Bowls, has died. He was 72.

A spokesman for the Washington Commanders confirmed that Butz’s family informed the team about the All-Pro defensive lineman’s death Friday. It was not immediately known where Butz died or the cause of his death.

Butz was a three-sport star at Maine South. He was an All-American football player, scored more than 1,500 points in basketball and held the state discus record for 13 years.

Butz spent 14 of his 16 NFL seasons with Washington after breaking into the league with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played his first two years (1973 and 1974). As one of the league’s biggest players at the time at 6-8 and nearly 300 pounds, he was a key part of Washington’s defense for the franchise’s first two Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1982 and 1987 seasons.

“Every quarterback I hit knows I hit him,” Butz said upon his retirement after the 1988 season.

The fifth overall pick from Purdue in 1973, Butz was an All-Pro selection in 1983 and finished second in voting for AP Defensive Player of the Year when he started all 16 games for Washington and had 11 1/2 sacks. He also made the Pro Bowl that season.

Butz retired after the 1988 season, is a member of Washington’s Ring of Fame and was chosen as one of the organization’s 90 greatest players earlier this year when the team commemorated its 90th anniversary.

The team said on Twitter it was “heartbroken” over the loss of a “Washington legend.”

Former teammate and Washington quarterback Joe Theismann posted: “Lost a dear friend today. Dave Butz. Dave, Mark [Moseley] and I used to ride to games together. A true gentle giant. Rest In Peace my friend.”

Butz had 64 sacks in 216 regular-season games with St. Louis and Washington. He became a free agent after his second season with the Cardinals after an error in his rookie contract. Washington gave up two first-round picks and a second-rounder to the Cardinals as compensation for signing him.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame made him a second-team all-1980s selection for his play during the decade.

Butz is a member of Purdue’s all-time football team. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

In his final NFL season in 1988, Butz played in his 197th game for Washington, at the time a franchise record. In an interview with the Washington Post around the time he set the record, Butz recalled coming up six inches short of a touchdown on one of his two career interceptions — in 1981 against the Bears.

“Only good thing was Walter Payton didn’t catch me,” Butz said of his near score, mentioning the Bears’ legendary running back. “Bad part was that the center did.”

Butz got the game ball the day he broke the record. It was inscribed, “Six inches too short.”

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