Bears

Matt Nagy’s media breakfast Tuesday at the annual NFL meetings was an hourlong opportunity to learn more about the offense he and his staff are designing. The new Bears coach has been teaching the scheme to assistants and will begin installing it when players report to Halas Hall on April 3.From Nagy’s first extended comments since the Bears added three starting pass-catchers in free agency, here are 10 things we learned about his vision, his philosophies and how the personnel could fit in.1. Exploiting mismatches is the constant mission. Of course, that’s not unique. Every offensive coach strives to do that. But creating mismatches not only has driven the Bears’ personnel acquisitions, it also defines elements of the scheme, including formations, pre-snap movement and option concepts.Mismatches were a theme Tuesday that threaded together Nagy’s thoughts on new receiver Allen Robinson, the group of tight ends on the roster and the different skill sets of … [Read more...] about 10 things we learned about the Bears offense from Matt Nagy’s media breakfast

Robbie Gould got some help Monday cutting the ribbon on a new library at Lurie Children’s Hospital from an 8-year-old cancer survivor he knows pretty well, Chase “Cha” Ewoldt. The former Bears and current 49ers kicker met Cha (pronounced “Chay”) two summers ago at Gould’s golf charity and they hit it off.“Honestly, I think Cha liked seeing an adult with no hair,” said Chase’s mother, Ellie Poole Ewoldt, of Wheaton.“He kind of just adopted Chase as his own,” said Poole Ewoldt, whose son was diagnosed about five years ago with brain and spine cancer and given about six months to live. “This last winter Chase was in for a small procedure and it should’ve been over in a couple of hours, and it was a 12-hour day for Cha and all of sudden, I’m in pre-op, and my phone starts buzzing and it’s Robbie. He was just calling to check in on Chase.“During the dedication, Chase showed Gould the 2016 book … [Read more...] about Ex-Bear Robbie Gould ‘adopted’ 8-year-old cancer survivor

In the quarterback arms race, the NFC North is unlike other divisions in terms of keeping up with escalating salaries at the most important position in sports.Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is the highest-paid player in the league at $28 million per year, a mantle Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford held in 2017 at $27 million annually in a deal finalized in late August.Provided the Packers are able to complete a contract extension for Aaron Rodgers before the season — and it’s expected Green Bay will make that effort— it’s likely the league’s highest-paid player in a 12-month span will have been three quarterbacks from the NFC North. Keeping up with the Joneses never has been so expensive.Rodgers, a two-time NFL MVP, has two years remaining on his contract and currently ranks ninth in the league among quarterbacks at $22 million per year. Rodgers almost certainly would want a deal that pays him more than Cousins and the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo … [Read more...] about As rivals spend big on QBs, Bears have a relative bargain — but Mitch Trubisky must deliver