The Farmer’s Almanac defines “the dog days of summer” as a period of particularly hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. Well, that doesn’t sound fun. And to me, dogs are only fun.

My dog, Casey, is truly one of the joys of my life. I love him, and I hate hot and humid weather. So, there you go. Casey is by my side as I write quizzes, books and emails. (I will share any emails from you with him.) My dog was named for Casey Stengel and for the star of “Casey at the Bat.” I have had only two doggies in my life (I don’t call myself a “dog owner” since they own my heart), and I truly feel they have made me a better person. They say that a dog is a human’s best friend, and I don’t disagree.

However, I spend each day trying to be Casey’s best friend. If you have a dog or even know a dog, make sure the pooch has plenty of water on these hot days, give the dog a treat, tell the pup it’s from the quiz master and see if you get a quizzical look.

1. I need to give a loving remembrance to the first dog in our family, Mookie, named for the outfielder Mookie Wilson. Many years ago, I met Wilson and showed him some pictures of our wonderful Wheaton Terrier. He told me that he would frequently get mail from someone who named their pet after him and that he felt so honored to be a part of so many families. Wilson is a part of World Series lore, and he’s associated with which former Cub?

a. Anthony Rizzo

b. Bill Buckner

c. Davey Lopes

d. Greg Maddux

2. At the same time that Mookie was a part of our family, we had a wonderful cat named “Wilson.” It was then that I fully understood George Carlin’s great line, ” ‘Meow’ means ‘woof’ in cat.” A recent inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame went by the nickname of “Kitty.” Who is he?

a. David Ortiz

b. Jim Kaat

c. Minnie Mi?oso

d. Tony Oliva

3. My first cat was named “Mickey Charles Mantle Chuck.” My dear friend Lorelei named her cat “Mickey Charles Mantle Chuck Jacob.” Mickey Mantle (the Yankee) first learned to play baseball at 319 S. Quincy St. in Commerce, Oklahoma. From the time he was 4, Mantle waited six afternoons a week for his father to come home from the coal mines at 4 p.m. to play baseball, and he learned very well. In his career, Mantle hit 72 of his 536 homers against the White Sox. He never played against the Cubs. What was Mantle’s dad’s name?

a. Snoop-Dog Mantle

b. Mutt Mantle

c. Schnauzer Mantle

d. Jock Mantle

4. Year after year, on the top-10 list of most popular dog names is “Max,” which happens to be my wife’s name (it’s really Maxine, but she hates that). One of the great pitchers in the game today is Max Scherzer, who has a non-debilitating condition called Heterochromia Iridis. His dog has it, as well. What is this?

a. Left-handedness

b. Excessive drooling

c. Color blindness

d. Each eye is a different color

5. What makes Chicago fans great baseball fans is their respect for talent, no matter what team the opponent plays for. With that in mind, here’s a shout-out to Yadier Molina, who is Hall of Fame-bound (IMHO). Yadier is one of three Molina-catching brothers who have been inhabiting the majors since 1998. One of his brothers is Jose. What is the name of the third Molina brother?

a. Snoopy Molina

b. Bengie Molina

c. Odie Molina

d. Jock Molina

6. In Walnut Creek, California, Tony and Elaine La Russa have created a terrific organization to rescue dogs and cats before they run out of time at shelters. Its unique, dual mission of People Rescuing Animals … Animals Rescuing People(R) is a model for many other organizations. What is the acronym for the establishment?

a.WOOF

b. ARF

c. ARK

d. RELIEF

7. There was a wonderful time in my professional life when I worked for the Brockton Rox, an independent league team in Massachusetts. There’s a special kind of fun for the fans with independent baseball (I presume you’ve heard of the Savannah Bananas?), and I encourage you to enjoy the experience by seeing the Chicago Dogs, managed by Butch Hobson, who played eight years in the big leagues, mostly with the Red Sox. There are many doggies named “Butch,” but few go by Hobson’s given name, which is what?

a. Clell Lavern Hobson

b. Cletis Shirley Hobson

c. Bear Bryant Hobson

d. Dogg Snoop Hobson

8. “Blue” is another name that frequents the top 10 of popular dog names. The two baseball Blues that immediately came to me were Vida Blue and Blue Moon Odom, both of whom achieved fame pitching for the A’s in the early 1970s. One of them ended his career pitching for the White Sox. Which one?

a. Blue Moon Odom

b. Vida Blue

9. On the TV show “Frasier,” the well-trained Jack Russell Terrier was named “Eddie.” Which of the following Eddies is not a Hall of Famer?

a. Eddie Murray

b. Eddie Stanky

c. Eddie Mathews

d. Eddie Collins

ANSWERS

1. Let me quote the great Vin Scully from Game 6 of the 1986 World Series: “So the winning run is at second base … with two out … three and two to Mookie Wilson. Little roller up along first … BEHIND THE BAG! IT GETS THROUGH BUCKNER! HERE COMES KNIGHT, AND THE METS WIN IT!”

2. Jim “Kitty” Kaat won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves pitching for five teams (including the White Sox) over a 25-year big-league career. He also has been an outstanding broadcaster.

3. Mickey’s dad was Mutt Mantle.

4. The right-hander’s left eye is brown, and his right is blue. Heterochromia Iridis causes color differences in the iris (the colored part of the eye). Scherzer has adopted dogs with the same characteristic.

5. It wasn’t exactly the movie dog Benji, but Bengie Molina was close enough for me.

6. Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) can be found on the web at https://arflife.org/.

7. Clell Lavern Hobson played football for Bear Bryant at Alabama.

8. On July 28, 1976, while pitching for the White Sox, Blue Moon Odom combined with Francisco Barrios to no-hit the A’s. Odom allowed no hits but issued nine walks in five innings.

9. Eddie Stanky started his career with the Cubs and went on to manage the White Sox. That’s his consolation for not being in Cooperstown.

A quick astronomy lesson before departing today: This period of sweltering weather coincides with the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is part of the Canis Majoris constellation, aka the “Greater Dog.” Not including our Sun, Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. Have a great week and be cool. Send questions for and about the quiz to me at [email protected].

Check out Bill Chuck’s new book, ”In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair,” a love letter to the game of baseball from sports columnist Bob Ryan and our favorite baseball historian and statistician.

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The Fire are up against it. Their hopes of making the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2017 are vanishing quickly, and they’ll need to reel off more than a few wins to stay in contention.

Unfortunately for the Fire (8-12-6, 30 points), there are numerous factors that make a postseason return unlikely.

There’s not enough depth

Midfielder Gaston Gimenez is out for the year after undergoing hamstring surgery. Salary debate aside, he was an important cog in the Fire midfield to help link the back line to the attack.

That underscores how much the Fire needed to find a reinforcement in the midfield or the center of their defense before the transfer deadline. Center back Wyatt Omsberg could be out for the year after tearing ligaments in his left foot, fellow CB Carlos Teran has had trouble staying on the field, and Mauricio Pineda can’t play on defense and in the midfield at the same time.

Yet sporting director Georg Heitz didn’t get anything done, leaving the spine of the team vulnerable. To compensate for Gimenez’s loss, coach Ezra Hendrickson might move Jairo Torres to a central role after he’s played this season on the wing.

Because of Heitz’s inactivity, further attrition up the middle could be fatal.

The schedule won’t help

The Fire got themselves back into the race with four wins in five games, but the last two matches have shown where they really rank in the league hierarchy.

East-leading Philadelphia ended that run with an easy 4-1 win, and then defending-champion New York City FC had little trouble during a 2-0 victory over the Fire. The latest loss is more concerning for the Fire, since NYCFC was coming off a mid-week game, had been winless in its last four and has dropped from its title-winning level after losing championship coach Ronny Deila and star Taty Castellanos to Europe.

Things don’t get much easier for the Fire. Saturday’s match at Soldier Field is against second-place CF Montreal (14-8-4, 46 points), which is followed by a mid-week game at New England then a trip to Columbus. New England currently sits outside of the playoffs but set a league record for points last year, and Columbus has traditionally been a difficult place for the Fire.

Judging by their performance against Philadelphia and NYCFC, it’s possible the Fire could be all but done by the time they host Inter Miami on Sept. 10 in Bridgeview.

The math doesn’t work

Entering Saturday, the Fire are 12th in the East and five points behind seventh-place Columbus. Not only will they have to leapfrog five teams, but the Crew also have a game in hand over the Fire.

Last week, Hendrickson said 45 or 46 points could be enough for a playoff spot. Sitting at 30, the Fire would need to average two points per match over their last eight to hit 46.

Even if the schedule wasn’t tricky, that would be a difficult benchmark. Only Los Angeles FC is averaging more than two points per game, and over a full season that pace would put a club in contention for the league’s best record.

There’s little indication the Fire can play that well, regardless of the opposition.

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Derek King was sitting around his Florida vacation home in June when Kyle Davidson called with news: He had hired someone else to be the Blackhawks’ new coach.

But Davidson told King to sit tight for a few days before looking for other job openings.

“I waited,” King said Friday. “Then, all of a sudden, I had great conversations with Luke [Richardson], and he asked me if I’d be willing to come aboard and help them. I guess Kyle and the rest of the staff had a lot of good things to say about me and felt I could still contribute. So after that, it was a piece of cake. We just hashed out the contract negotiations, and here I am, back with the Hawks again.”

Behind the scenes during the days in between, Davidson — the general manager who appointed King as interim coach last November — had approached Richardson, his new choice as coach, about the possibility.

“When we brought Luke in and [started] developing a profile of the coaching staff, we wanted really good people,” Davidson said last month. “We wanted a group that’s -going to drive a really positive culture. Derek is someone that’s emblematic of that endeavor. [To] Luke, we said, ‘We really value Derek, but we’re not going to force anything on you. This is your staff.’ “

It’s rare for an interim coach to return to the same organization the following season in a lesser role — in this case, as one of three assistant coaches. Egos typically get in the way, in both directions. Ex-interim coaches often don’t want to start reporting to someone else, and new coaches often want a clean slate to bring in their own assistants.

Of the six other interim coaches besides King around the NHL last season, three (Edmonton’s Jay Woodcroft, Vancouver’s Bruce Boudreau and Montreal’s Martin St. Louis) dropped the interim tag, while the other three (Florida’s Andrew Brunette, Philadelphia’s Mike Yeo and Winnipeg’s Dave Lowry) didn’t return and thus left for different organizations (New Jersey, Vancouver and Seattle, respectively).

But King’s flexibility, humility and affability are also rare traits in NHL coaches, and they make him better-suited than anyone else to navigate this unusual transition.

He admitted he felt some initial disappointment about not keeping the top job. Still, he wanted to stay in northern Illinois, since the area has become home for his family — although they are moving from Rockford closer to Chicago this summer — and he saw no issues with an assistant role.

“[In my] conversations with Luke, I felt really comfortable, and I felt that he felt comfortable, that we could work together and I’d be a good fit for him,” he said. “I wasn’t upset. I wasn’t not going to talk to him because he got the job. I have no ego about it. I wish I would’ve got the job, but I’m more than happy and privileged to be part of the organization.”

King and Richardson seemingly know half the hockey world, but their social spheres barely included each other before this summer. Their reminiscing so far has primarily been about playing against each other in the OHL in the mid-1980s. The same goes for King and new fellow assistant Kevin Dean.

King does know the Hawks’ other new assistant, Derek Plante, fairly well. They played together in 2001-02 with the Munich Barons in Germany.

The four coaches’ philosophies and visions align well nonetheless, and they’ve begun to roughly divide duties, although more specific job descriptions will be “etched in stone” between now and the start of training camp Sept. 21.

King and Plante, as forwards during their playing careers, will focus more on the offensive side, while Dean, as a former defenseman, focuses on the opposite end.

“Luke’s fairly similar to me,” King said, “[in that] we’ll have job details but we’ll all work together, help each other out and throw in our opinions on things.”

An assistant role with more hands-on coaching opportunities and a narrower -column of responsibilities could play more to King’s strengths, too.

He was thrown into the fire last year, his first as an NHL coach in any capacity, when he inherited a poorly constructed, mentally broken team abruptly 12 games into a lost season. He did a much better job than predecessor Jeremy Colliton did, restoring morale in the locker room and guiding the Hawks to a respectable-given-the-circumstances 27-33-10 record the rest of the way, but the situation still challenged his abilities.

Asked to reflect on the knowledge he gained, King — humble as always — was quick to point out his mistakes.

“The biggest thing I learned was to take more control over the team,” he said. “You’re busy as a head coach. You’re dealing with all these different people from the outside. And I maybe got a little bit away from the coaching part of it.

“It [requires] talking to the media, talking to [team services director] Tony Ommen, talking to the trainers, making sure everybody’s good to go, talking to the doctors, making sure everybody’s healthy. And by the time practice is ready, you’re like, ‘You know what, I’ve still got to go over the practice plan with the coaches.’ “

The experience did convince King, who previously had always seen himself as a purely minor-league guy, that he does have the chops — and the ambition — to be an NHL head coach. That thought clearly -lingers somewhere in the back of his mind.

“If I got that opportunity again, I’d take more time to do those little things that I’ve always done,” he said. “I’ve always done some video [analysis]. I’ve always broken games down. I’ve always been a lot more involved with the coaching part of it.”

But for now, he’s wholeheartedly looking forward to his first camp and first full season as an NHL assistant, even if the route he followed to this milestone wasn’t exactly conventional.

“It’ll be a lot easier,” he said. “I’ll have a lot more time to do what I like to do: sit one-on-one with forwards and show them clips and work with them after practice. Stuff like that.”

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There will be a plan in place to try to keep Bulls guard Alex Caruso as healthy as possible this season — crash helmet not included.

That’s because Caruso’s playing style too often is better suited for a gladiator arena than the hardwood. With that comes collateral damage. Unfortunately, it has come at Caruso’s expense far too often.

A quick glance at his injury report since 2020 reads like an anatomy class. There’s a neck, then a wrist, then a few days in the health-and-safety protocols, then a hand, then a concussion.

In Caruso’s first year with the Bulls, he was dinged with wrist, ankle and hamstring injuries during the first half of the season. But the big injury setback was a fractured right wrist, courtesy of Bucks guard Grayson Allen deciding to tackle him in midair.

Caruso eventually returned, only to suffer a concussion in Game 4 of the Bulls’ first-round playoff series against the Bucks. He was sidelined for Game 5, when the Bulls were sent home for an extended spring break.

So what’s the solution? That’s where it gets tricky.

The Bulls need Caruso to be disruptive and play a hard-nosed style, especially because they have so many high-priced players who don’t necessarily do so all the time. But they also need him to stay healthy and active in the rotation.

What Caruso can do is to armor himself up with a little more muscle. That’s what this summer has been about for him.

”Just trying to gain a little weight, a little muscle on the lower extremities, a little bit on my back,” Caruso told NBC Sports this month. ”And then just, you know, grinding on my game. I’ve been in the gym [for the] last month, month and a half.”

What the Bulls and coach Billy Donovan can do is control his playing time. Load management isn’t in Caruso’s vocabulary, so forget trying to get him to sit out games. If he’s healthy, he’s playing. But what the Bulls found out last season was that, because he plays so hard, less from Caruso in terms of minutes was actually more.

When Caruso was healthy and playing, he averaged 27.5 minutes in games the Bulls won and 28.6 minutes in those they lost. It was like that with the Lakers during the 2020-21 and 2019-20 seasons, too.

A statistical anomaly? Unlikely, especially when you watch game film. Caruso is a high-energy player on both ends of the floor and plays with a fiery edge. But that fire only burns so long.

That’s one reason the Bulls’ drafting of Dalen Terry in June made sense. Like Caruso, Terry is a high-energy defender who doesn’t mind playing the role of irritant. He is expected to earn a spot in the rotation, and maybe three or four of his minutes will come at the expense of Caruso’s playing time.

Either way, Caruso not only is hoping that he can stay healthy but also that the entire roster can do so. He saw enough last season to know a healthy Bulls roster can be a dangerous one.

”I don’t know if we got to see our full potential,” Caruso said. ”Having as many guys as we did having to miss as many games, Lonzo [Ball] not being able to come back and play in the playoffs . . . just big pieces that hurt the symmetry, the chemistry, the ability to build habits throughout the season.

”But I think we’re a really good team with some really good pieces that I think has a chance to be really special if we can put the work in and get to where we need to get to.”

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There are high school football hotbeds all over the area, schools and communities that gather to socialize and celebrate before and after games.

Mount Carmel’s new on-campus stadium doesn’t have a reputation like Glen Ellyn or some other places, but it is only a matter of time until the Caravan’s home-field advantage is appreciated throughout the state.

It’s a truly special gameday experience. The walkway around the convocation center to the field is full of vendors hawking food and merchandise and lined with tributes to the 13 state championship teams.

The stadium itself is a hornet’s nest. Fans are closer to the field than anywhere else in the area.

That’s the scene No. 6 St. Rita walked into on Friday. And the Mustangs were starting a rookie quarterback.

The top-ranked Caravan dominated, winning 35-3.

“Ever since we started watching film on them we knew we were the better team,” senior linebacker Danny Novickas said. “It just depended on if we came out strong or not. I might sound a little bit cocky but we know ourselves better than anyone.”

Junior Jett Hilding, the Mustangs’ quarterback, was 1-for-4 passing for one yard.

“We [wanted ] to let him know what he was getting himself into,” Novickas said. “Mount Carmel defense doesn’t get better than that.”

St. Rita (0-1) is expected to have a strong running game this season, but without an aerial threat, the large and quick Caravan defense was able to contain juniors Ethan Middleton and DJ Stewart (eight carries, 31 yards).

It was a statement, breakout game for Mount Carmel quarterback Blainey Dowling. He’s always been a dependable leader and solid player, but the senior is now a star.

Dowling was 19-for-21 passing for 318 yards and five touchdowns. He connected with seven different receivers.

The biggest strikes were a 54-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Furlong and a 48-yard touchdown pass to Darrion Gilliam.

Gilliam, an unknown heading into the game, was an eye-opening talent. The junior receiver is 6-5.

Furlong had three receptions for 92 yards and Damarion Arrington had four catches for 76 yards.

“[St. Rita] was leaning heavily on the run, which opened up the passing game,” Dowling said. “You have to give the ball to your athletes to make plays.”

Junior Darrion Dupree had six carries for 34 yards and caught four passes for 36 yards. Marist transfer Alonzo Manning made an immediate impact for the Caravan with 12 carries for 75 yards.

“This is one of the most packed games I’ve played in,” Dowling said. “It was fun being out there. The crowd was awesome and we played good as a team.”

It was the 100th meeting between the rival South Side Catholic schools. The loss will sting for St. Rita, but they recovered from an opening loss to the Caravan last season and made it to the state championship.

“It’s a learning experience,” Mustangs coach Todd Kuska said. “We knew these guys were really good. We knew it could go sideways on us. We showed some promise in the second half. We have to find our identity on offense. We’ll be alright. It’s Week 1. We’ve been down this road before.”

St. Rita scored on a stunning 51-yard field goal by Alabama recruit Conor Talty.

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M ILWAUKEE — During the lost 2020 minor-league season, then-Yankees pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski would talk on the phone with Daniel Moskos, then a pitching coach in their farm system, for so long that Moskos’ wife started giving him grief about it.

Cameron Moskos, a physician’s assistant, would get home from work to find Daniel on the phone and feign exasperation: ”Oh, my goodness. Is that Wesneski again?”

Wesneski laughed when he was reminded of those calls.

”There were a few times his whole family was in the car when I called him,” Wesneski recounted in a phone interview Thursday. ”And, like, that didn’t help.”

The day before the trade deadline last month, when the Yankees sent Wesneski to the Cubs for sidearmer Scott Effross, Moskos, now the Cubs’ assistant pitching coach, was one of the first to call him.

After the trade, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he talked with several teams who were interested in acquiring Effross. In the end, the Cubs were able to send a rookie reliever having a standout season to the Yankees for a promising starting-pitching prospect.

Compared to the Cubs’ last rebuild, their budding prospects this time lean more heavily to the pitching side. And strengthening that group at the deadline with the addition of Wesneski made sense.

For Wesneski, the news that he had been traded to the Cubs caught him off-guard.

”As a young guy in the Yankees’ organization around the trade deadline, you’re kind of expected to have your phone on you,” Wesneski said. ”At any moment, you could get traded. It’s a real lingering thought, and they make jokes about it in the locker room.”

The players kept their eyes on rumors, but the Cubs hadn’t been on their radar as a likely destination.

For Wesneski, going to the Cubs also meant reuniting with Moskos.

”It was one of the things that was in the front of my mind, not in the back,” Wesneski said. ”Because he’s really that good, in my opinion. And I was kind of upset when he left because I liked him so much.”

Their time together began during spring training in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the minor-league season. Wesneski was in Moskos’ player group, and they both reported early.

Wesneski asked what it would take for him to get to the next level. Moskos saw that he was neglecting his lower half. They could get more velocity out of his frame.

”The introduction of the weighted balls, PlyoCare drills, forced him to feel some things in his delivery he wasn’t able to feel when he was just going through pitching,” Moskos told the Sun-Times. ”So he started to incorporate a little bit more of his lower half, cleaning up a couple of inefficiencies. But, like, his delivery was still very good.”

Wesneski was wary about working with weighted balls. His mechanics weren’t as sound as they are now, and he didn’t want to get hurt. But Moskos talked him through it.

When minor-league baseball returned in 2021, Moskos served as the pitching coach at Double-A Somerset. And Wesneski met him there in the middle of his climb from High-A to Triple-A during the course of the season.

”In between starts, he’s charting in the dugout . . . every game because he wants to get better,” Moskos said. ”He’s always coming up with a plan of attack for his bullpens in between, like, what didn’t he like about his last outing? What can he improve on? So it’s all practice reps that are leading toward in-game execution and helping his performance there. He’s just got a good head on his shoulders, and he wants it.”

Wesneski could be reunited with Moskos in the majors this season. The Cubs will have to add him to their 40-man roster by the end of the year to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. And he has settled down in his last couple of starts at Triple-A Iowa, allowing a combined one run and three hits in 10 innings.

Wesneski said he’s trying not to let himself get distracted by the possibility of a call-up.

”You try to take it like each start, five days at a time,” he said.

Later, on the subject of his goals for this season, he said: ”Yes, I would like to make my big-league debut.”

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1. Mount Carmel (1-0)Won 35-3 vs. No. 6 St. Rita

2. Lincoln-Way East (1-0)Won 41-15 at No. 15 Crete-Monee

3. LoyolaSunday vs. Cincinnati St. Xavier

4. BataviaSaturday vs. Phillips at Gately

5. Bolingbrook (1-0)Won 49-12 vs. Minooka

6. St. Rita (0-1)Lost 35-3 at No. 1 Mount Carmel

7. Glenbard WestSaturday at No. 12 Marist

8. Prairie Ridge (1-0)Won 36-28 at McHenry

9. Warren (1-0)Won 41-7 vs. Barrington

10. Kankakee (0-1)Lost 2-0 at Nazareth

11. Neuqua Valley (1-0)Won 28-3 at Oswego

12. MaristSaturday vs. No. 7 Glenbard West

13. Maine South (1-0)Won 42-3 vs. Stevenson

14. Naperville North (1-0)Won 40-21 vs. Homewood-Flossmoor

15. Crete-Monee (0-1)Lost 41-15 vs. No. 2 Lincoln-Way East

16. St. Ignatius (0-1)Lost 19-14 vs. St. Patrick

17. Glenbard NorthSaturday vs. Kenwood at Gately

18. Prospect (1-0)Won 56-20 vs. Sandburg

19. Willowbrook (0-1)Lost 28-0 vs. Notre Dame

20. Lockport (1-0)Won 28-6 vs. Joliet West

21. Cary-Grove (1-0)Won 41-21 vs. Dundee-Crown

22. Joliet Catholic (1-0)Won 49-14 at Waterford, Wis.

23. Hinsdale Central (0-1)Lost 24-9 at Naperville Central

24. Jacobs (1-0)Won 41-31 at Crystal Lake South

25. Lemont (1-0)Won 32-27 vs. Libertyville

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The Oakland Raiders might be done with Alex Leatherwood

The Chicago Bears need help at the offensive line position, and Alex Leatherwood might be available soon as an option for the team to add to the roster. The Chicago Bears have been throwing everything they can at the unit, trying different combinations this preseason.

There have been rumors the Bears are looking to make moves for more offensive linemen before the season starts. One possible option that would make sense is Leatherwood. Reports have come out this week that the Oakland Raiders are ready to move on from Leatherwood either via a trade or cutting the second-year offensive lineman.

Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN:

Alex Leatherwood has a high ceiling

Leatherwood was drafted in the first round last year. The Alabama Crimson Tide product struggled as a rookie. He received an overall grade of 45 by Pro Football Focus as Leatherwood gave up eight sacks in 2021.

Leatherwood’s technique is his main issue to overcome, according to Ted Nguyen with The Athletic:

Alex Leatherwood’s unpolished technique is one reason many felt the Raiders reached for the right tackle in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The regime led by former coach Jon Gruden fell in love with his explosiveness and mean streak and believed that he could improve his technique under then-offensive line coach Tom Cable, but Leatherwood struggled in four starts at right tackle as a rookie, causing the Raiders to move him to right guard for the remainder of the season.

Leatherwood’s situation with the Raiders is similar to the Bears and Teven Jenkins. Former general manager Ryan Pace traded up to draft Jenkins in the second round. The expectation was that Jenkins would be a left tackle. He’s currently the Bears’ right guard.

Leatherwood could potentially make an excellent guard in the Bears system. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy says his scheme favors guards over tackles as they have to deal with more mentally stressful situations. The offensive line could be all thumbs in the form of tackle frames.

It’s possible he could be a solid fit for the Bears at left guard, where Cody Whitehair could switch to center until Lucas Patrick is back. This would free the Bears from having Sam Mustipher be a starter in Week One and, eventually, Whitehair when Patrick is healthy.

With time and the proper teaching from Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan, Leatherwood could eventually return to being a tackle. He has the size to be a Pro Bowl-caliber offensive lineman in the NFL.

The Bears should explore the option, especially if Alex Leatherwood is cut from the Raiders. Could he make a positive transformation in Chicago? The Bears need a storyline like that.

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What should we expect from the Chicago Bears in 2022?

To no one’s surprise, the Bears decided to part ways with general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy after a dismal 6-11 season provided very little optimism for the future ahead. The McCaskey family will be hoping to reverse a trend that has seen the franchise suffer through a 10-year drought that includes just two playoff appearances and no playoff wins. In Pace’s seven-season tenure at Soldier Field, the Bears finished above .500 just once, and last season was their fourth since Pace arrived with double-digit losses. New GM Ryan Poles came in from the Chiefs’ personnel department to try and turn things around and alongside former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as head coach. Poles’ rebuilding plan has seemingly favoured veteran free agents with only a handful of newcomers receiving two-year deals, and none were more lengthy than that; it’s a risk but given the current state of affairs it might be a risk worth taking. While the Bears have some promising young talent to build around, they will not complete the turnaround in one season. Patience is a virtue and will be required by all parties in Chicago if this team is to take strides towards repairing the damage of the last seven years. 

Justin Fields will be the focal point for the Bears 

The Bears will not be on most analysts’ radar to do anything special this year; a Super Bowl appearance is farfetched and their chance of reaching the playoffs is a long shot. Their odds of winning the Super are slim at best according to these NFL betting sites and with good reason. However, what little chance they do have will likely hinge on the exploits of Justin Fields this year. Quarterback Fields, the 11th overall draft pick in 2021, will be the offensive centerpiece but needs the offensive line to significantly improve with more weapons at his disposal. It was pretty clear to everyone that Justin Fields would have a challenging rookie season and it proved to be the case. The rookie threw only seven TDs while giving away 10 interceptions. However, it was a tough situation to be in and there were glimpses of excellence; he threw 291 yards against the Steelers and 103 rushing yards against San Francisco. Despite his potential, it might prove another tough year for the youngster as there weren’t many upgrades to the offensive line this offseason. 

Eberflus showed his influence with the Bears’ first two Draft picks used on improving the defence. To add to that top receiver Allen Robinson II departed for the LA Rams while guard James Daniels signed on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They picked up just one offensive player out of the 167 picks in the Draft this year in what is looking more and more like a make-or-break decision. But if Fields can develop his game further then maybe he will be rewarded with more resources around him in the following seasons as the rebuild starts to gain traction. The Bears would probably be happy with this season simply if Fields plays well, regardless of how many wins it produces. It’s looking like it could be a tricky season for the quarterback from the get-go but if Fields can manage to make the most of a seemingly bad situation, the building blocks placed elsewhere throughout the team could pay dividends and speed up the recovery in Chicago. 

Who will step up to help Fields?

There aren’t too many strengths to speak of in this Bears roster but one of them this season will be the running game. David Montgomery has had two solid seasons in a row and last season Khalil Herbert showed he is a starting-caliber player, but they will definitely need to improve after the offensive line gave up a league-high 58 sacks last year. Montgomery’s stats seem mundane but are much more impressive considering the subpar offensive lines he’s operated behind. That lack of support up front has forced him to display his elite tackle-breaking ability, and he’s a solid pass-catcher as well. Herbert filled in last season when Montgomery was injured and maintained the necessary level of performance with no discernible drop-off in his absence. In all honesty, though there won’t be much choice other than to run the ball with Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet likely to be the best receivers in the lineup this year. For what Chicago lacks in top-tier talent in the offensive line, maybe they can make up for it on defence. 

Eberflus’ Indianapolis defenses finished in the top 10 in forcing turnovers in each of his four seasons as coordinator, and he has emphasized the importance of turnovers from Day one. But he and defensive coordinator Alan Williams will be working with a watered-down version of the group that was a Bears strength in recent years. Despite that, the defensive line is where the Bears will be at their strongest with tackling machine Roquan Smith at the heart of the action. He has the athleticism to play coverage and the instincts and toughness to shut down the run but Smith’s supporting cast is far from settled and will need to up their game from last year.

A fleeting glance will tell you that Poles doesn’t see this rebuilding process as a quick one, so it would be wishful thinking to expect the Bears to contend in 2022, in fact, it’s more than likely going to be another losing season for them. This team has plenty of question marks. A new general manager and new head coach make everything more exciting and interesting but no one knows for sure how this group will do. Based on their spending and the names on the back of the uniforms, the Bears will likely struggle in 2022. Having said all that there is still hope for 2023. Justin Fields must prove himself as a dominant, franchise quarterback for years to come. The defense should be even better than it was in 2021 and there are enough solid new faces in very key roles. This Chicago Bears team is unlikely to surprise anyone this year but they can set themselves up for the future and a good crack at it in 2023.

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