Something interesting should go here. But I’m leaving the interesting stuff for the set of Bears Bullets that follow below.
We’ve got an NFL schedule release update. And for those who were hoping it would drop this week, I hope you’ve got your comfy clothes on because your wait will continue:
News: NFL schedule release set for primetime on May 15, six days later than most teams expected. https://t.co/iLYZxm5ezg
The SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports the league’s schedule release is set for May 15. That is next Wednesday. So mark your calendars and clear your schedule. The leagued isn’t give an explanation why the schedule is coming out a week later than originally expected, but there is a belief (we discussed this in yesterday’s Bullets) that the Christmas schedule is throwing things for a loop. In case you missed it, the NFL is angling for a Christmas Day doubleheader. With Christmas being on a Wednesday this year, there figured to be complications to a schedule that usually plays games on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays.
Is there a game you’re looking forward to most on the schedule this year? For me, that Bears-Texans game pitting Caleb Williams against C.J. Stroud is high on my must-see TV rankings.
Don’t get me wrong. I love football on the holidays, but this seems like a bit much. And only partially because the NBA all-day Christmas happenings is as much of a tradition in my household as baking cookies for Santa before bed and waking up early to oven roast a lechon as part of an all-day cooking fest. And I’m not one to break traditions. I’m willing to be swayed, but I don’t love this development.
In the end, on the one hand, maybe this will be a cool new thing we get to test drive this winter. But on the other hand, spending another holiday with the Bears isn’t necessarily ok every fan’s wish list.
If I were to re-write that statement again to make it fit perfectly for May 2024, I’d take out the note that spending the holidays with the Bears might be on a fan’s wishlist this year — especially after adding Caleb Williams to the roster. It wouldn’t surprise me if the NFL was trying to get the Bears on Christmas in order to get the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s draft in a prime viewing window.
Even still … the NFL messing with tradition in the pursuit of the almighty dollar leaves me feeling uneasy.
Nov 9, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive lineman Montez Sweat (98) is interviewed for television after a 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Austin Mack (The Athletic) asks if anyone can live up to what C.J. Stroud did for the Houston Texans last year. It is a high bar to clear, to be sure. But if anyone can do it, it is Caleb Williams. Right? This isn’t even me being a homer. This is me pointing out that Williams has two proven 1,000-yard alpha receivers in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, a potential dawg in Rome Odunze, useful playmakers at tight end and running back, the makings of a solid offensive line, and an offensive coordinator who helped get Geno Smith to a Pro Bowl.
A line that caught my eye was Mack writing that Caleb is joining “what might be the best roster a first overall pick has landed on in quite some time.” Geez. If only someone would’ve seen that coming back in January.
I’m a little late on this, but the story from Dan Pompei on the star-studded list of visitors checking in on Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael is a wonderful read:
Everyone walks away with something, even if it isn’t anything they can touch or hold. “You always left a better man than you went,” Mike Singletary says. My story on Steve McMichael's visitors. https://t.co/lc9xljasek— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) May 6, 2024
Reading that made me want to check in on everyone in the group chat. I hope all the homies are doing well.
Over at Da Bears Blog, Johnathan Wood takes a deeper look at how new play caller Shane Waldron deploys different personnel and formation packages. There is a bunch of good stuff in here from J-Wood. But one thing that stands out to me is the note about how Waldron prefers to use a third tight end more than a fullback. That is the kind of thing that could decide who makes one of the last roster spots.
Would the Bears retain Khari Blasingame if the team isn’t going to use a fullback? Is there a hybrid fullback-tight end option out there who could essentially fill two slots at once? This wrinkle adds some intrigue to training camp battles to keep tabs on this summer.
While the Bears have wide receiver D.J. Moore, the Detroit Lions will counter by fielding a defense that features safety C.J. Moore. I hope that doesn’t confuse Caleb Williams. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports the Lions are bringing back Moore on a one-year deal after sitting out last season because of a gambling suspension.
The Green Bay Packers are taking steps in building out their offense. I hope the Bears defense is more ready for Green Bay’s offense in 2024 than it was in either of the two matchups last season. (Pro Football Talk)
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
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