🐻Why It’s Different in Chicago This Time
For over 100 years, the Bears have mostly been reactive, not proactive, lacked QB vision and offensive innovation, chased old-school toughness instead of modern football smarts.
This guy in the building is a lot different than anyone that’s ever even stepped foot in Lake Forest in over 100 years.
Caleb Silences Haters in First Preseason Action of 2025
Bears vs Dolphins
As “Who’s Line” host, Drew Carey used to say, “where the rules are made up and the points don’t matter”. A story without an ending. Literally. The Bears hosted the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon for their first preseason contest of 2025 and under new Head Coach Ben Johnson. In an aggressive all or nothing finale orchestrated by both Ben Johnson and Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel, neither team managed to score, both opting not to attempt a field goal on their their final few possessions. Resulting in a tie, 24-24. After watching Jacksonville Jaguars kicker, Cam Little split the upright on a 70 yard field goal attempt on Saturday night, Ben Johnson elected not to attempt a 56 yard field gaol to take the lead with less than 2 minutes left in the game. I must admit, the overly persistent “go for it” approach, prompted a lazy and manipulated memory based comparison to Johnson’s former mentor, and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. It is just and only the preseason, however, the Bears had a few opportunities late in the game to test their young undrafted free agent kicker Jonathan Kim. “NO OVERTIME?” You ask? There is of course another reason that the game resulted in a tie. Nobody cares. Nobody cares enough to see the rest of the story written. Not even the players….especially not the players. Admit it or not, an NFL preseason game, is the only game, in which the parts matter more than the sum. The performance of the individual, provides a lot more implication, than the result of the entire unit. Especially considering the Dolphins decided to play both of their starting units on offense and defense on the first drive of the game, where Ben and company did not.
Takeaways from the Bears' Preseason Opener: Standouts, Struggles, and Signs of Promise.
The first preseason game rarely offers a full picture of what a team will become in Week 1. It's a time for players to get their legs under them, shake off the rust, and start playing competitive football again—albeit in a very "vanilla" version of the playbook. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to learn, especially from young players trying to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Remembering Ryno 1959-2025
For many, like me and my father, Sandberg wasn’t just the Cubs’ second baseman, he was the Cubs. That clean infield dirt after a double play, that smooth pivot, that clutch home run—it all felt a little more meaningful when it came from Ryno. He made the extraordinary look routine, and he did it with dignity.
Wheels Up in 2025
After earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 during his first year with the Bears, Montez Sweat looks primed to elevate his game even further in 2025. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen brings a unique and aggressive approach to the front seven, often using a singular 9-technique EDGE to create pressure. That’s a perfect fit for Sweat’s combination of speed and power, allowing him to take wide angles and attack off the edge with more freedom.
Commanding Attention: Luke McCaffrey’s Year 2 Leap Incoming
Now entering Year 2 with the Washington Commanders, the 6’2", 198-pound McCaffrey is an intriguing deep sleeper in all fantasy formats. Despite the learning curve, he’s shown flashes that hint at a much bigger leap in Year 2. There’s competition on the depth chart, sure — the Commanders drafted Jaylin Lane in the 4th round, and Michael Gallup is in the mix — but Noah Brown could be out for the year, and let’s be honest: this isn’t an overwhelmingly crowded WR room.
Forward Thinking
On Wednesday night the Chicago Bulls selected French forward Noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the lottery. Essengue has a very small frame but is similar in length to last year’s lottery pick Matas Buzelis whom had a fair rookie outing, averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in only 18 minutes per game. Head Coach Billy Donovan clearly has a “type” of player he prefers in his front court. Long, high motor guys who play aggressively above the rim. Essengue has been touted by many as a “project player” with a very high upside. Which implies to me a turning of the tide.
Can the Cubs Hold the Line? 26 Games in 26 Days Will Tell the Story
As the first 60 days of the 2025 MLB season wrap up, the Chicago Cubs find themselves in an enviable position: 37–22, sitting atop the National League Central with a four-game lead. It’s been a torrid start, but as we turn the page to June, the real test begins.
The Curious Case of Roschon Johnson
While many say we need to add a running back, Roschon Johnson may already be the running back the Chicago Bears need.
Arian Smith – Deep Sleeper of the Year
Looking for a deep sleeper with league-winning upside? Keep your eyes on Arian Smith. The 4th-round rookie out of Georgia quietly turned heads all offseason and might be the fastest player in his draft class. He’s already quietly drawing comps to Jameson Williamsin NFL circles. Clocking rumored 4.2 speed, Smith brings Olympic-level explosiveness to the field
Shawn’s Fantasy Files- Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is definitely a name to watch as a late-round sleeper with real upside. The Commanders grabbing him in the 7th round looks like a strategic move with high reward potential, especially given the current running back landscape in Washington:
Shawn’s Top 10 Rookie RBs
That’s not just elite, it’s historic. For perspective, that means even if defenders got to him instantly, he still turned runs into chunk plays almost every time. And the fact that the entire Raiders rushing unit couldn’t even match that total with 380 attempts? Brutal for Vegas, but a huge endorsement for Jeanty.
Dustin’s Draft Grades
This is an A simply because this was Ben Johnson’s first pick as the Chicago Bears’ head coach. I trust Ben Johnson to know what he needs to unlock this offense, and he chose Loveland over the majority number one tight end in the draft, Tyler Warren. Loveland is going to be a beast in the league that Ben Johnson is going to daydream daily about moving all around his offensive alignments. He will be the number one redzone threat on this team within year. I can’t wait.
🐻⬇️ Chicago Bears Draft CB Zah Frazier (Round 5, Pick 169)
The 2025 NFL Draft saw its fair share of surprises, but few stories are as inspiring as that of Zah Frazier, the cornerback from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), who was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 169th overall pick in the fifth round. Frazier’s journey to the NFL is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of perseverance—qualities that will serve him well as he transitions to the next level.
Who is Kyle Monangai?
At Rutgers, he was a workhorse with solid production between the tackles—showing good vision, balance, and toughness. However, his limited contribution in the passing game (both as a receiver and in pass protection) likely hurt his draft stock. NFL teams generally want third-down backs to be versatile, and Monangai’s lack of dynamic receiving skills makes him more of a two-down option initially.
Culture
Two years ago, prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, most scouts and pro NFL analysts had DT Jalen Carter out of Georgia ranked as the number one talent in the draft. Carter was involved in a motor vehicle incident that left two people dead and two severely injured. Carter was sentenced to 12 months probation, but in regard to his future NFL career, he was heavily criticized for fleeing the scene in the vehicle he’d been driving the night of the event.
Day 1 Reactions
Many Bears fans are upset with the Bears’ pick at 10 of Colston Loveland, but I love this pick. Detractors will say that the Bears needed to solidify the trenches, or that Loveland was a reach at 10. “You could have traded back a few spots and still gotten Loveland!” I don’t understand the logic of any of this. First of all, the only offensive lineman left on the board I would have felt comfortable taking at 10 was Tyler Booker, and the Bears just traded for two starting guards earlier this off-season… they didn’t need him.(as much as I LOVE Tyler Booker.) Secondly, if you’re comfortable taking Loveland at say pick 14 if you were able to trade back, what is the difference between taking him 4 spots earlier? If the Colts were a legitimate potential trade partner, who’s to say they wouldn’t have wanted to take Loveland at 10? It’s been clear for some time that finding a trade back partner was going to be very tough in this draft for the Bears, and if Loveland was the Bears’ guy then I appreciate their confidence in pulling the trigger at 10 personally. Lastly, many draft outlets had Loveland ranked higher than Tyler Warren at the tight end position throughout this process, and obviously the Bears thought higher of Loveland than Warren as well. This isn’t idiocy.
Trust in Ben
Today is Thursday, April 24, but more importantly, today marks the beginning of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears sit at ten in the pecking order, and for the first time in recent history, draft experts, sports writers, and Bears fans alike haven't the faintest idea how the draft will play out. Will Ashton Jeanty make it past five? Is Tyler Warren a "blue chip" talent? Does Josh Conerly Jr. merit a top ten pick? Nobody knows.
The 4 stars top ten picks for the 2025 draft
See who the guys think will go in the top ten!