My birthdays have been weird since the calendar flipped to 2020. But I know better than to take them for granted because I know another trip around the sun is guaranteed for no one. Here’s to another one in the books.
The Chicago Bears will kick off their regular-season slate of games in 69 days. Nice!
Ja’Tyre Carter wears No. 69 for the Bears right now, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he looks at training camp and in the preseason. Carter was one of the handful of offensive line prospects who were part of Ryan Poles’ first draft class in Chicago. The Southern University product will battle among the guards for a reserve spot along the line. There was a time when I thought he could be in the mix at center, but that doesn’t seem like it is in the cards right now. Then again, there is still uncertainty at the position. Plus, it couldn’t help to have depth at that spot until a long-term option presents itself.
The most accomplished player to wear No. 69 as a member of the Bears is Jared Allen, who played 18 games in Chicago from 2014-15. Allen finished his career with five Pro Bowl appearances, four first-team All-Pro nods, and 136 sacks in 187 games. It’s a shame that he didn’t play at a high level in Chicago because his peak was as good as they get.
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Other notable Bears who wore No. 69 include Henry Melton (2012 Pro Bowler who I wish the 2024 Bears could plug into the 3-technique DT role), Fred Miller (offensive tackle on the Super Bowl LXI team), and Rashaad Coward (whose conversion from defensive tackle to offensive lineman was fun to follow, but not all that successful).
You don’t want to wait 69 days? Fine. I don’t blame you. The Chicago Bears are one month away from opening the professional football season with their appearnace against the Houston Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. One month. That’s it. OK, so we won’t get to see Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud duke it out in Canton. But if you can wait out the next month for football, then you can surely wait it out until the Bears-Texans regular-season matchup gets going in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.
Because I know you care: All of the Bears’ exhibition games will be shown nationally this summer. So if you’re out of market, then there is no reason to fret. Your favorite football team will be in front of your face soon enough.
Best wishes and happy birthday to birthday twin Khari Blasingame, who is the Bears’ fullback. Do you remember when the Bears got rid of the fullback under Matt Nagy, then immediately brought the position back when Matt Eberflus came to town? Shane Waldron doesn’t use the fullback much in his offense, which makes me think Blasingame could be on the bubble. But if an offensive coordinator is worth his salt, he’ll find ways to deploy a useful player on his roster.
• Best Player: DJ Moore • Key Addition: Keenan Allen • Most Overrated: The center options • Most Underrated: Kyler Gordon • Could Surprise: Caleb Williams • Takes a Leap: Tyrique Stevenson • Prove-it Year: Nate Davis— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) July 1, 2024
I’m going to chew on mine for a day and share a list tomorrow. Does that sound good to you?
There are times when the Bears operating like a mom-and-pop shop can be a drag. But in moments like this, it feels like it pays to have family ownership that understands that some things are bigger than football. And allowing safety Jonathan Owens to take time away from training camp to watch his wife, Simone Biles, compete in the Paris Olympics is a nice touch:
Simone says Chicago Bears are allowing Jonathan Owens a couple of days off from training camp so he can watch her in Paris.
It’s not as if Owens is a key cog in the grand scheme of things. The 28-year-old safety will play in a reserve role behind Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker on the depth chart. I’m sure he’ll be playing catchup while he is away.
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day: Bonilla is set to collect $1.193 million from the NY Mets today, as he will each July 1st through the year 2035, which is $208,000 more than the $985,000 base salary that 49ers QB Brock Purdy will make this season.
As a fan of American football, I find this to be unacceptable:
Austria 🇦🇹 defeat the United States 🇺🇸 32-25 in a thriller to secure the Bronze Medal in the 2024 IFAF U20 World Championship. pic.twitter.com/w0JPSVhzUz— Int’l Fed of American Football (@IFAFMedia) June 30, 2024
The United States should not be losing international football games. It is time to get the pigskin version of the Dream Team together for the next IFAF World Championships.
Andre Drummond leaving the Chicago Bulls isn’t surprising. Disappointing? Sure. Especially when given this context:
The Bulls could have traded Andre Drummond to the 76ers at the deadline for three second-round picks.
They decided not to and remained "competitive." Now, Drummond goes to Philly and the Bulls end up with nothing.
Just some crazy mismanagement by this front office.— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) June 30, 2024
That is a Ryan Pace kind of asset mismanagement. I feel awful for our friends who are Bulls fans. They deserve better.
I’m sorry if you were holding out hope for a Patrick Kane reunion with the Chicago Blackhawks. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is reportedly returning to the Detroit Red Wings. (BN Blackhawks)
Our pals in the BN Cubs department are working hard to find silver linings in the dark cloud that is the 2024 season:
Once nice thing about today: Ethan Roberts takes the mound in the big leagues for the first time in over two years. 💪 pic.twitter.com/oQ4qSk8FU1— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) June 30, 2024
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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