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CONCUSSION Hub Arkush: New movie exposes NFL head-injury issue 2
THE LIST
Lovie Smith’s five best moments as head coach of the Bears 3
2016 DRAFT
Former Bears scout looks ahead to team’s offseason needs 8
TALL ORDER
Despite his 5-9 frame, Bears undrafted rookie Bryce Callahan earns playing time in secondary 10
Will NFL survive its concussion problem?
The NFL has a serious problem with its proliferation of concussions, traumatic brain and head and neck injuries. What remains extremely foggy, however, is whether the NFL as we know it can survive this problem. Ask commissioner Roger Goodell, and he races for the cover of all the improvements the league’s implemented in player safety rules and equipment research. The problem is that, although newer player safety rules might indeed help to alleviate certain head and neck issues from which the main concern would be hard tissue fractures and potential loss of function or paralysis, they will not make a dent in the danger of concussions. There are no rules that will eliminate the likelihood or frequency of players’ heads making contact with other players’ heads, shoulders, elbows, knees, or even the ground, all of which cause concussions. A new spotlight is now shining on the problem with the release of the movie “Concussion,” the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is cred-
FROM THE EDITOR
By HUB
ARKUSH
harkush@chicagofootball.com @Hub_Arkush
ited with discovering the first case of brain damage in an NFL Player, a condition now known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, and the NFL’s alleged efforts to silence him. By any medical standards, CTE is a newly discovered phenomena, and it is fair to debate what exactly it is and how much it can be caused by football. There is no debate, however, that football causes concussions and that they are extremely dangerous to both the current and future health of individuals who suffer
them. With all of the current attention on the issue, I asked Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey if he thought the NFL could survive long – term based on the decline in youth participation in the sport, the negative publicity and the financial liability the owners face from former players claiming to be damaged by the game. “I think so. We need to make the game safer,” McCaskey said. “That’s something that the commissioner emphasizes at just about every league meeting. Whatever we’re doing, we need to do more. ... So one of the things that we’re encouraged about is that the research that’s being done, the changes that are being made will filter down to other levels of football and other youth sports to make all youth sports safer.” If McCaskey’s answer sounds familiar, it’s because it’s right off the Commish’s talking points sheet. While the owners’ hearts are in the right place with their efforts at safety improvements, their heads – no pun intended – are not
in response to the real crisis. Further damaging the league’s position on the issue is a report this past Tuesday from ESPN’s Outside The Lines that after the NFL made a $30 million grant commitment to the National Institute of Health for research on the problem to be used at the NIH’s discretion, the league now has vetoed the use of $16 million of that money on a seven-year study to investigate the relationship between football and brain disease because it is being led by Dr. Robert Stern at Boston University, who has been critical of the NFL in the past. The NFL disputes the report, but it appears the NIH is going forward with the study without the NFL money. The bottom line is, the NFL faces billions of dollars in potential liability from its former players. There is nothing the owners can do to stop that short of getting the players to waive it, and that kind of assault on the owners’ bank accounts is likely to signal the end of the game as we know it somewhere down the road.
BY
NUMB3RS
84-66
Lovie Smith’s record in his nine years as head coach of the Bears, good for a .560 winning percentage.
18-28
Combined Bears record of Marc Trestman and John Fox, the two coaches who followed Smith, good for a .391 winning percentage. The Bears play Smith’s Buccaneers Sunday in Tampa Bay.
37-18
Bears’ all-time record vs. the Chicago Football Weekly is produced by Shaw Media, the Daily Herald Media Group and the Chicago Sun-Times in partnership with other Illinois daily newspapers.
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ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
2
Top 5 moments of Lovie Smith’s tenure as head coach of the Bears By
2. CLINCHING NORTH IN GB Smith famously stated at his introductory news conference that his No. 1 goal as the Bears’ head coach was to beat Green Bay. It’s fitting, then, that Chicago’s path to its first NFC North crown went through Lambeau Field on Christmas in Week 16 of the 2005 season, when Smith’s club earned its first series sweep of the Packers since 1991, picking off Brett Favre four times and getting a 100-yard day from Thomas Jones to key the momentous win.
ARTHUR ARKUSH
aarkush@chicagofootball.com @ArthurArkush
When his nine-year coaching tenure with the Bears ended, Lovie Smith had compiled an 81-63 record (.563), three trips to the postseason and a Super Bowl appearance. Although Smith’s run ended with his firing following a 10-6 campaign in 2012, it included many memorable games, several of them coming in his first few seasons. With the Bears playing Smith’s Buccaneers for the second time Sunday, here is our top five moments from Smith’s Bears tenure.
AP photo
After cruising to their second consecutive division title of the Smith era, going 13-3 in the process, the Bears edged Seattle in overtime in the divi-
D Dreaming g
1. RAISING HALAS TROPHY
3. VASHER FG RETURN Nathan Vasher, the Bears’ fourth-round pick in 2004, was an All-Pro in 2005 after leading the NFL in interceptions.
Yet, it was Vasher’s 108-yard touchdown return of a Joe Nedney field goal as the first half expired in Week 10 that gave Chicago a lead it would never relinquish going into intermission. Smith’s Bears clubs were fueled by his opportunistic Tampa-2 defense and Dave Toub’s perennial special-teams juggernauts. Devin Hester would match Vasher’s 108-yard mark with his own field goal return for a touchdown the following year.
4. URLACHER GOES NUTS In Week Six of the 2006 season, the Bears overcame four Rex Grossman interceptions and a 10.2 passer rating, and a 20-0 third-quarter deficit to the Cardinals thanks largely to a heroic performance by Brian Urlacher, who played like a man possessed with 19 tackles, three QB hits, two passes defensed and a forced fourth-quarter fumble that Charles Tillman would return for a touchdown. Mike Brown had the first return touchdown, scooping a Mark Anderson strip-sack and bounc-
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5. NFC TITLE LOSS On a frigid January day in 2011 at Soldier Field, the Bears came up just short of erasing a 14-point deficit and taking the Packers to overtime with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line – with third-stringer Caleb Hanie at quarterback. Following Jay Cutler’s knee injury, a controversy in and of itself, Smith had seen enough of backup Todd Collins in two second half three-and-outs before turning to Hanie, who led a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives to rally Chicago but who also threw a pair of interceptions. Smith’s ‘D’ notched two interceptions and shut out an Aaron Rodgers-led offense after intermission, limiting the Pack to 104 second-half yards, 18 percent on third downs and 14 total points.
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3 CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | Thursday, December 24, 2015 • ChicagoFootball.com
sional round, then blasted the Saints in the conference title game en route to the Halas Trophy and just Chicago’s second Super Bowl. The Bears’ 44 takeaways in the regular season led the NFL and were the most under Smith’s watch.
GAME PREVIEW WK 16
ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
4
BUCCANEERS
VS.
BEARS
GAMEDAY: NOON SUNDAY, DEC. 27 / RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM, TAMPA BAY
By
KEVIN FISHBAIN
Jay Cutler, Adam Gace
kfishbain@chicagofootball.com @kfishbain
BEARS RUSHING OFFENSE vs BUCCANEERS RUN DEFENSE
Maybe the Bears can actually commit to the run, like they prefer, instead of falling behind and having to be more one-dimensional. Matt Forte averaged 5.9 yards per carry on Sunday – but on only eight carries. The Bears are 14th in the NFL with a rushing average of 3.9 yards. Although this game is set up to be a shootout, the most important advantage Tampa will have is against the Bears’ rushing attack. The Buccaneers are second in the NFL, allowing a paltry 3.3 yards per carry. They have held their last four opponents to less than 100 yards rushing. In fact, in those four games, the Colts, Falcons, Saints and Rams combined to average 2.5 yards a touch. Weak-side linebacker Lavonte David leads Lovie Smith’s defense with 126 tackles, including eight behind the line of scrimmage. Smith’s 4-3 defenses in Chicago were always stout in the box, and he certainly knows what he’s facing in Forte. Skill-wise, Forte and Jeremy Langford are as good as any running back duo in the league, but with the O-line struggles and facing a Tampa Bay strength, this does not appear to nett and Marquess Wilson on be a favorable matchup. injured reserve. He can only EDGE BUCCANEERS rely on Forte and Zach Miller so much. Jeffery’s status will need to be monitored, as he was limBEARS PASSING ited last week with a hamstring OFFENSE vs injury. Cutler will be facing a BUCCANEERS Bucs team that has allowed opPASS DEFENSE Defenses are starting to real- posing quarterbacks to rack up a ize Jay Cutler doesn’t have much passer rating of 100.5, throwing else in the passing game when 28 touchdowns and 11 intercepAlshon Jeffery is covered. There tions. The offensive line will obsimply aren’t enough weapons, viously have to play much better especially with Martellus Ben- than it did in Minnesota against
H. Rick Bamman – Shaw Media
pass rushers Gerald McCoy and Jacquies Smith. The secondary is not Tampa Bay’s strength. Chris Conte actually leads the defensive backs with six passes defensed. But can the Bears’ receivers get open against that group, and can Cutler protect the football against Smith’s Cover-2 defense that will try to take it away? This is not the Bears’ weakness, but it hasn’t looked consistent of late. It is, however, a Bucs weakness, as they let
rookie form with 1,305 rushing yards at a very impressive 5.1yard average. Martin’s compleEDGE BEARS ment, Charles Sims, is running at 4.7 yards per carry. Tampa’s run game gets big chunks outBUCCANEERS RUSHING OFFENSE vs BEARS RUN side the tackles and behind Pro Bowler Logan Mankins at DEFENSE One big help to Jameis Win- left guard (6.48 yards a carry). ston in his rookie season has Thanks to nice efforts from unbeen the Bucs’ running game, as sung players Mitch Unrein and Doug Martin returned to form John Timu, the Bears actually after two mediocre and inju- did a good job against Adrian Pery-riddled seasons. He’s in his terson, holding him to 3.5 yards
Case Keenum have plenty of success last Thursday with a 158.0 passer rating on 17 attempts.
Jameis Winston
THIS WEEK IN THE NFL
AP photo
CHARGERS @ RAIDERS 7:25 p.m. Thursday, NFLN
49ERS @ LIONS
Bolts sparked Qualcomm one more time with energetic sendoff in Week 15; can Raiders bid O. Co similar farewell?
Maybe Jim Caldwell, Jim Tomsula will rekindle another San Francisco-Detroit Jim rivalry?
REDSKINS @ EAGLES
TEXANS @ TITANS
AP photo
a carry. The problem for the Bears’ run defense has been consistency, but for the season, the Bears are 28th in the league allowing 4.56 yards a pop. The group’s communicator, Shea McClellin, is in the concussion protocol, and his inside linebacker position has been a weakness. The Bears didn’t tackle well in Minnesota, and now they face a group that has gone over 100 yards rushing in 11 of 14 games this season.
EDGE BUCCANEERS
BUCCANEERS PASSING OFFENSE vs BEARS PASS DEFENSE
Rookie quarterbacks often have two struggles: accuracy and decision-making. Winston’s 58.4-percent accuracy rate leaves a lot to be desired, but he has only 12 picks to 20 touchdowns on the season. Winston has a strong arm and can move the pocket. It helps, too, that he has Mike Evans to throw to on the outside. The big, physical receiver had 157 yards receiving against the Rams on Thursday. The Bears can counter with Tracy Porter, if they choose to shadow Evans, but Evans’ size might be an issue for Porter in the red zone. Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Luke Stocker can watch the tape and attack the middle of the Bears’ defense like recent tight ends have. The Bucs
lead the league, averaging 9.0 yards per pass play categorized as “short middle.” That’s where the Bears are last in the league, giving up 10.56 yards on such plays. Tampa has done a solid job protecting Winston, but the Bears will need to hit him and find a way to keep Evans from beating them. The way Teddy Bridgewater and Kirk Cousins carved up the Bears’ secondary the past two weeks makes it difficult to have much confidence in Fangio’s passing defense.
EDGE BUCCANEERS
SUNDAY’S OVERALL EDGE
A Lovie Smith staple: The Bucs are solid on special teams, ranked high in punt returns with Bobby Rainey and in punt coverage. The Bears actually are coming off their best special teams performance, thanks to Deonte Thompson’s long return and Robbie Gould’s 51-yard field goal and onside kick, but it was all for naught. The Bears have fallen from seventh in the league in defense inside the 20 to 18th in three weeks. The Vikings were four for four scoring touchdowns there last week. The Bears are trending downward, but the Bucs aren’t much better. Talent-wise, these teams are similar, but the Bucs have more playmakers in their front seven.
EDGE BUCCANEERS
Top players
OFFENSE / QB Jameis Winston, RB Doug Martin, WR Mike Evans, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, LG Logan Mankins DEFENSE / DT Gerald McCoy, DE Jacquies Smith, WLB Lavonte David, MLB Danny Lansanah, CB Sterling Moore
Schemes
OFFENSE / Among Winston’s most impressive attributes as a rookie are his level of freedom at the line of scrimmage and ball security in a big-play passing attack. Martin is as healthy and explosive as he’s ever been. Evans has the size and speed to damange at all levels and the O-line, though not without its issues, has held up OK. DEFENSE / Smith utilizes more man coverage and pressure than his Chicago days, but the explosive McCoy and speedy David, playing the two prototypical playmaker spots in Smith’s trademark Tampa-2 defense, lead this unit. Smith is an underrated rusher off the right edge and Lansnah is a physical player with decent range and ball skills.
Weaknesses Consider us not surprised a back end held together by former Bears Chris Conte and Major Wright would be an underperforming defense’s Achilles’. Opposing QBs complete a league-high 69.2 percent versus this secondary.
Last time they met
11/23/2014: The Bears managed just 204 total yards but harassed Josh McCown with a season-high 5 sacks, plus four takeaways en route to a 21-13 Week 12 triumph at Soldier Field.
help for playoffs.
Noon Sunday, FOX
7:25 p.m. Saturday, NFLN
Noon Sunday, CBS
Win and Washington is in; win both of remaining games and division belongs to Eagles.
The AFC South rests in the hands of Brandon Weeden; The No. 1 pick rests in the hands of Zach Mettenberger.
COLTS @ DOLPHINS Noon Sunday, FOX Colts need more than Luck after losing to Weeden-led Texans; Fins get look at potential head candidate, Pagano?
BEARS @ BUCCANEERS Noon Sunday, FOX Bears ‘D’ wouldn’t make Lovie proud, nor would Buccaneers’ for that matter.
BROWNS @ CHIEFS
STEELERS @ RAVENS Noon Sunday, CBS Antonio Brown attempting to carry Steelers to postseason; move over Clausen, it’s Ryan Mallett time for Ravens.
JAGUARS @ SAINTS 3:05 p.m. Sunday, CBS If Jags couldn’t win AFC South this season, when will they? Saints’ ‘D’ a tragic waste of Drew Brees.
Noon Sunday, CBS
RAMS @ SEAHAWKS
Manziel stumps for coaches/teammates, but he could be gone too in 2016; Dangerous Chiefs first-ever to lose 5, then win 8 in a row.
Case Keenum heated up; Russell Wilson has been historically hot during five-game rise.
PATRIOTS @ JETS
PACKERS @ CARDINALS
3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX
Noon Sunday, CBS
3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX
Less likely figure in AFC East playoff push: Patriots’ Steven Jackson or Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Pack ‘O’ not built for shootout but ‘D’ might be capable of taming NFC’s No. 2 seed in conference showdown.
COWBOYS @ BILLS
GIANTS @ VIKINGS
Noon Sunday, FOX
7:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC
Cowboys playing out string with Kellen Moore – will they finally draft QB? Accountability questions arise within Rex’s Bills.
All the talk about Beckham, but can leaky Giants ‘D’ make a play against hot Vikings? Minnesota should get defensive playmakers back.
PANTHERS @ FALCONS
BENGALS @ BRONCOS
Noon Sunday, FOX
7:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN
300-plus passing yards, 100 rushing yards, 5 TDs = MVP for Cam. Falcons win, finally, but need ton of
Osweiler giveth and taketh away in Pittsburgh; So far, so good for McCarron-led Bengals.
CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | Thursday, December 24, 2015 • ChicagoFootball.com
Amari Cooper
5
ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
6
BEARS
VS.
BUCCANEERS STAFF PREDICTIONS
Wednesday spread: Bears +3
Hub
Kevin
Arthur
Nate
Bob
ChicagoFootball.com
ChicagoFootball.com
ChicagoFootball.com
ChicagoFootball.com
Daily Herald
Bears 23 Bucs 34 Even though it’s a Lovie Smith team, the Bucs’ offense can be explosive and the Bears’ ‘D’ has shown few signs of life.
Bears 20 Bucs 23 The Bucs aren’t very good, and the Bears have one good game left in them, but not enough for a win in Tampa.
Bears 20 Bucs 24 Bucs ‘O’ a step up from Washington/Vikes, a concern for Bears club taking backwards steps.
Bears 20 Bucs 28 Bears don’t have healthy playmakers to handle Jameis, Mike Evans, Lavonte David and others.
Bears 20 Bucs 24 Bucs look like an upand-coming team with weapons. Bears seem to be sleepwalking to the finish line.
Season Record: 5-9 Versus Spread: 7-6-1
Season Record: 4-10 Versus Spread: 6-7-1
Season Record: 4-10 Versus Spread: 5-6-3
Season Record: 6-8 Versus Spread: 8-5-1
Season Record: 7-7 Versus Spread: 10-3-1
Jon
Adam
Jay
Kyle
Wes
Northwest Herald
Chicago Sun-Times
Rockford Register-Star
Kankakee Daily Journal
Peoria Journal Star
Bears 14
Bears 20 Bucs 27 Lovie Smith gets his revenge, and rookie quarterback Jameis Winston has a good day.
Bears 24 Bucs 21 This ugly slide will end and this Bears team will prove it’s better than last year’s.
Bears 14 Bucs 24 You have to imagine Lovie Smith will get a chuckle out of the Bears’ defense.
Bears 24 Bucs 21 It’s becoming obvious I can’t get a good read on this team. But they’re better than the Bucs, right?
Season Record: 5-9 Versus Spread: 5-6-3
Season Record: 7-7 Versus Spread: 7-6-1
Season Record: 6-8 Versus Spread: 6-7-1
Season Record: 3-11 Versus Spread: 7-6-1
ARKUSH
STYF
Jameis Winston is proving he’s the real deal, while the Bears are in free fall, looking to the draft and next season. Season Record: 6-8 Versus Spread: 8-5-1
FISHBAIN
JAHNS
ARKUSH
TAFT
ATKINS
NABORS
LEGERE
HUETT
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ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
8
With two games left, Matt Forte’s future unclear By ADAM
JAHNS
ajahns@suntimes.com @adamjahns
The Bears’ locker room at TCF Bank Stadium was nearly empty. Food was grabbed and the team buses loaded. The offensive linemen were gone, and so were quarterback Jay Cutler and the tight ends and receivers. Only running back Matt Forte remained. He was the last player to leave the locker room after the Bears’ 38-17 loss to the Vikings. “We’re always optimistic going into the year,” Forte said, “but it’s reality. We have nine losses, and we have to deal with that.” Forte also has to deal with his own reality. This season – these next two weeks – could be his
last with the Bears after eight seasons. But should it be? In the Bears’ past two games, the shared approach for the backfield has been obvious. Forte has been on for 58 plays, and rookie Jeremy Langford has gotten 59. Langford has had more carries than Forte (22-18), but Forte has had more receptions (7-4). When it comes to total production, Forte has been better, recording 157 yards and two touchdowns. Langford totaled 121 yards. The point being is that moving on from Forte may not be the obvious decision that some think it is. He’s still a team leader – and a productive one. He’s indicated multiple times that he’s open to a shared workload, understanding its benefits for his own well-being and productivity and the Bears’ offense.
Matt Forte
cuss. Forte has said in the past that he knows he might have to move on, but that he also wants to retire with the Bears. There will be competition for Forte. Teams need quality backs. The Patriots, for example, just signed 11-year veteran Steven Jackson, who is 32. Either way, Forte said he isn’t thinking beyond this week. “I just go out there and play my hardest,” he said. “As I was growing up, my father always told me to play every down like it’s my last. So that’s how I play.”
H. Rick Bamman – Shaw Media
The Bears should also know that a wave of backs featuring Forte is better than one that doesn’t include him. Forte recently said that his goal is to play 10 to 12 years, and a two-year extension wouldn’t be irrational for either side to dis-
Considering the angst on social media, it seems to be forgotten that rookie center Hroniss Grasu wasn’t expected to play this season. The third-round pick was supposed to sit, learn and develop behind veteran Will
Montgomery. Instead, Montgomery suffered a broken leg in Week Four and Grasu was forced into the starting lineup much earlier than the Bears wanted. His issues and ups and downs shouldn’t be discouraging, but expected – he’s a rookie. You think playing center in the NFL is easy or something?
Cutler is two big games away from another Bears record. He needs 581 passing yards against the Buccaneers and Lions to surpass Erik Kramer’s team-best mark of 3,828 passing yards from 1995. Last year, Cutler finished with 3,812 passing yards, his highest total with the Bears. His career-high remains the 4,526 yards he had in 2008, his final year in Denver.
Pro Football Weekly’s first look at the Bears’ 2016 NFL Draft needs By GREG GABRIEL PFW Draft expert If you are a Chicago Bears fan, you know that sitting through a 5-9 season to date is not fun. With each loss, that empty feeling in your stomach gets worse and worse. The only way to get a better feeling about the season is to know that in about four months, the NFL Draft will be here. Between that and free agency, the Bears have a chance to get better. In a perfect world, a team hopes to match the strengths of the draft with the strengths of free agency to acquire enough quality players to take care of needs. Most of the Bears’ needs this spring will be on defense, where they will need at least two defensive linemen, an inside linebacker, a safety and perhaps a corner. On offense, the need will be to add at least two offensive linemen. Can the Bears fill those needs in the draft and free agency? That
Eddie Goldman
H. Rick Bamman – Shaw Media
remains to be seen. At this time, we really have no idea who will be available in free agency or the draft. The reason we don’t know who will be available in the draft is because it won’t be until January 18th that we know what underclassmen have made themselves available to the draft. As it stands now, because there were 88 underclassmen in the draft last year, the current senior class has been
wiped out. We need an influx of about 45 to 50 quality underclassmen to give the draft some strength. What we can say already is it’s not a great year to find a franchise quarterback, and the recent trend of premier pass rushers being at a premium will continue. We don’t know exactly where the Bears will be drafting – right now it would be between eight
and 11. But it could be as high as six or seven, or as low as 12-15. Assuming that most of the underclassmen that we figure will enter the draft actually do enter, then the Bears will get a quality player, that’s for sure. In the 2015 draft, the Bears got four players who already have given strong contributions to this team. That is a very high number for any draft. As we all know, first-round pick Kevin White has not played, so he will in essence be a bonus addition to the next draft class. Second-round pick Eddie Goldman is the starter at nose tackle and has had an excellent season to date. He is, in fact, a better inside pass rusher than was predicted. Third-pick Hroniss Grasu is the starter at center and, while his play has been up and down, he has a bright future. He just needs to add some strength and bulk. That should happen this coming off season. Fourth-round selection Jeremy Langford has started some games at running back and right
now is splitting time with Matt Forte. He looks like a legitimate NFL running back. Fifth-round selection Adrian Amos has been a starting safety all season and his play has been a pleasant surprise. If the Bears can repeat that draft success this year, they will be well on the way to putting a competitive and contending team on the field. Looking ahead in another week, I will have a little better idea as to what underclassmen will be in the draft. We also will have a little better idea of where the Bears will be picking in the first round. I can then have a better idea of what the Bears will be looking at in the first couple of rounds.
• Greg Gabriel spent 32 years as an NFL scout and is the former director of college scouting for the Chicago Bears. He is Pro Football Weekly’s draft expert, and also contributes to the National Football Post, Bleacher Report and AM 670 The SCORE.
Are the Bears in a better place now than they were a year ago, when they stumbled to a 5-11 finish? The fact that it’s G.M. Ryan Pace and coach John Fox. After the Thanksgiving upset of the Packers in Green Bay, the Bears were 5-6 and flying high. Well, as high as a sub-.500 team can fly. But with each of the three losses that followed, those great expectations have been dialed down. Dialed down for everyone except Fox, who apparently didn’t think much of the talent he inherited and still doesn’t. “I came there thinking there was a lot of work to be done,” Fox said, “and that hasn’t changed much.” And whose fault is that? The Pace-Fox think tank gave journeyman cornerback Alan Ball $3 million this year, and he’s been, at best, a sixth defensive back. Wide receiver Eddie Royal got $10 million of a $15 million threeyear contract guaranteed. He’s missed six games with injuries and averaged 6.8 yards on his 32 receptions. Safety Antrel Rolle, who just
OPINION
By BOB
LeGERE
rlegere@dailyherald.com @BobLeGere
turned 33, got a three-year deal for $11.25 million with $5 million guaranteed. He played just seven games before a knee injury in practice shut him down for the remainder of the season. In those seven games, he broke up one pass. The Bears did not have a single player voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 1998. It’s not that anyone expected the Bears to be a playoff team this year, but it wasn’t unreasonable to expect them to beat a bad 49ers team at home or a mediocre Wash-
ington team at home. Both those home games were winnable with a bit of good fortune, and that had been the argument optimists made for the previous two months. Even though the Bears lost five of eight games, they were right there at the end – just one play away. But that ended in Sunday’s 38-17 loss to the Vikings, who are clearly a better team, but not 21 points better. This Bears defense is better than last year’s clunker, yet it still made second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater look better than he ever has. Bridgewater’s 154.4 passer rating was the second highest in Vikings franchise history and easily a personal best. His four TD passes were twice as many as he ever had before in an NFL game. The defense is still in much better hands with Vic Fangio calling the shots than it was under Mel Tucker in 2014, when the Bears were 30th in total yards allowed. They’re 12th this year and had kept the Bears competitive until the Vikings game. There have been no humiliations like last year’s back-to-back
Team rankings 2014/2015 OFFENSE Total yds Rush yds Pass yds Points Int % Sack % 3rd down
’14 20 26 13 21 27 13 22
’15 18 14 21 23 7 13 9
51-23 and 55-14 losses, just two of the seven double-digit defeats the Bears suffered. But linebacker Pernell McPhee isn’t sure everyone is on the same page. “I just think other teams want it more than we want it, and that’s the end of the story,” McPhee said. “When you want something, you go take it. Right now, ain’t nobody really trying to take it.” The offense is better, too, though not by that much. Jay Cutler has improved in Adam Gase’s offense, especially when it comes to limiting turnovers. But, statistically, the team rankings aren’t
DEFENSE Tot tds. Rush yds Pass yds. Points Int % Sack % 3rd down
’14 30 16 31 32 16 18 19
’15 12 28 3 20 27 15 31
that much better than last year. The Bears have not scored more than 21 points in any of the past five games, and Cutler has cooled off with just five TD passes in the past five games. The quarterback didn’t seem too thrilled with the offense after the loss to the Vikings. “It doesn’t matter who we played today,” Cutler said. “We weren’t going to win with our offensive football.” It will be interesting to see if the Bears win again this season or if they wind up with the same record that got coach Marc Trestman and G.M. Phil Emery canned.
9 CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | Thursday, December 24, 2015 • ChicagoFootball.com
Debatable that 2015 Bears are better than 2014
ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
10
Chicago Bears cornerback Bryce Callahan (37) and teammates head to the field during introductions before an NFL football game Nov. 22 against the Denver Broncos in Chicago. AP photo
LONG ON EFFORT,
INTELLIGENCE Bryce Callahan overcomes height
to make impact in Bears secondary By
KYLE NABORS
knabors@daily-journal.com
The topic of Bryce Callahan’s height brings a slight chuckle from the rookie defensive back. The Bears list him at 5-foot-10 and he’s answered all the questions before. “That’s definitely generous,” he said with a smile. “Maybe 5-9. That’s closer.” A familiar story has unfolded at each stage of Callahan’s football career, from his time at Cypress Woods High School in Cypress, Texas, through his playing days at Houston’s Rice University. The same story is unfolding for the 24-year-old at the NFL level. Callahan went undrafted this past spring despite many projections slotting him into the later rounds. He signed with the Bears as a free agent following the
draft and spent the spring and training camp with the organization before being cut Sept. 22, just two weeks into the season. The Bears, however, found a spot for Callahan on the practice squad just two days later. “With me being a short guy, I’m automatically going to be in the back of the pack,” Callahan said. “I really don’t look like an intimidating football player.” That’s long been an issue, dating back to his time at Cypress Woods. There, head coach David Jones knew he had a special talent early, but it wasn’t until the Wildcats and Callahan started making noise in the Class 6A Texas state playoffs that college coaches and scouts started to take notice. Even then, they were surprised by what they found. “He was always smaller and that was going to be the one thing that kept him
from being a major college recruit,” Jones said. “Then we played in the playoffs, and I’ll never forget it, everybody in the country was coming by to look at him because they had heard about it. Every time they looked at him you could see that look on their face like, ‘Well, that’s not what we expected.’” The college offers soon started rolling in from across the nation. Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, among others – all made their sales pitches. But the local program, Rice, had a special appeal to Callahan. Not only did his mother, Heide, want him to pursue the best education available to him, but it also allowed him to remain in the Houston area. Rice head coach David Bailiff was happy to find a spot for him. “He truly had the greatest man cov-
erage skills, even in high school,” Bailiff said. “He even had a 25.8 [yard] punt return average. That’s amazing. He was tough. He tackled well. And when you watched him, his vertical jump at the point of attack, it made you not worry at all about his height. And he was a fantastic tackler in space.” The Owls elected to redshirt Callahan his freshman year in order to give him more time in the weight room. He joined the active roster in his second season in a reserve role, and was soon called into action when his friend Philip Gaines, currently with the Kansas City Chiefs, went down with an injury. Callahan immediately made an impact with two interceptions in his first game. He went on to lead all FBS freshmen with six picks and finished second with 15 deflections. Callahan soon gained notice across Conference USA as a shutdown defender with Bailiff and his staff using him to shadow the opponent’s top wide receiver on a weekly basis. “It got to the point where he could just shadow the receivers and he had such tremendous vertical jump that he could always play the ball at the high point,” Bailiff said. Callahan finished his college career with 13 interceptions, including one in his final game at the Hawaii Bowl. “The only reason he didn’t break the interception record here is people
Chicago Bears cornerback Bryce Callahan runs the ball Dec. 6 against the San Francisco 49ers in Chicago. Sandy Bressner – Shaw Media
whole field. He saw things and anticipated things a lot quicker than most of the guys who were on the field with him.” Callahan’s effort landed him a spot on the Bears’ opening 53-man roster, yet he didn’t see action before being released after a Week Two loss against Arizona. The Bears quickly re-signed Callahan to the practice squad, where he stayed
have been ups and downs. He was caught looking inside on a slant play against the Rams in Week ine that went for 37 yards — a play he’s learned from but would like to forget. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio pointed to Callahan’s intelligence as to why the undersized rookie is getting a chance. “He has very good football knowledge and instincts,” Fangio said. “So he understands the game of football. So when you’re coaching him, there’s a good base of knowledge there. The game kind of comes to him in a good way. And he’s got good quickness, good speed and good anticipation.” In all, Callahan played six straight games, recording 17 tackles and three pass deflections before a hamstring injury sidelined him for the recent losses to Washington and Minnesota. With only two weeks left in the 2015 season, Callahan hopes to get on the field before the season’s end to further make until being added to the active roster his case for a long-term spot on the Bears’ prior to the team’s Week Eight matchup roster. It’s a gamble Jones feels the Bears won’t regret taking. with Minnesota. “He’s one of those kids you knew was Callahan quickly provided an upgrade in the Bears’ secondary over the strug- going to be special if somebody gave him gling Sherrick McManis. The rookie a chance,” he said. “If somebody could called his sideline tackle of Adrian Pe- get over his size and that he didn’t fit the terson in his first professional game one box you expect, they would find a trehis best moments, but he admitted there mendous athlete.”
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11 CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | Thursday, December 24, 2015 • ChicagoFootball.com
decided it was probably a good idea to stop throwing it toward him,” Bailiff said. “Teams wouldn’t even challenge him.” Callahan next turned heads at his pro day, where he turned in a 43-inch vertical jump and 4.47 40-yard dash time. The showing moved him up teams’ draft boards despite the size concerns, with many scouts projecting Callahan to be selected in the fifth or sixth round. The phone, however, started ringing for a different reason on draft day. “I’d get calls and think I was getting drafted,” Callahan said. “Teams would say they were running out of picks but wanted me to come for free agency. It was kind of messing with my head.” The Bears eventually signed Callahan as a rookie free agent, giving him a $7,500 signing bonus and the chance to fulfill his NFL dream. Soon after, looking for more snaps, Callahan approached defensive backs coach Ed Donatell about an opportunity to try nickelback. “I think coach was just waiting for me to ask,” he said. Callahan quickly picked up the position despite never playing it before, which didn’t surprise his high school coach. “He has an incredible feel and knack for the game,” Jones said. “He played safety for us and he could cover the
ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
12
NFC NORTH REPORT By
ARTHUR ARKUSH
aarkush@chicagofootball.com @ArthurArkush
front office reportedly remains confident in rookie coach Jim Tomsula.
Matchup to watch 49ERS @ LIONS
Overview
The next coach of the Lions would be wise to try and retain interim coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who’s overseen the blossoming of 27-year-old Matthew Stafford. Since the bye week, Stafford has tossed 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions, leading Detroit to a 4-2 mark, including a road victory at New Orleans Monday night in which Stafford played the most efficient game of his seven-year career. Remember, the Bears were interested in interviewing Cooter for the coordinator vacancy Adam Gase eventually would fill, but their request was blocked. Both young play-callers have done an excellent job taming two of the NFL’s more gifted gunslingers. A 24-14 loss to Cincinnati keeps the Niners on pace for their worst season in a decade, yet the
After tracking the lightning-fast Brandin Cooks a week ago, Detroit’s ascending top cornerback Darius Slay likely will be assigned physical Niners WR Anquan Boldin. It’s the first meeting between the two, and a chance for the speedy Slay to play patiently against the Niners’ leading receiver and perhaps squat on a route or two in an attempt to pick off Blaine Gabbert, given Boldin rarely runs by corners anymore.
By the numbers
Stafford completed a franchise record 88.0 percent (22-of-25) of his throws Monday with three TDs, 10.16 yards per attempt and a 148.6 passer rating, the highest of his career.
PACKERS @ CARDINALS
Overview
Until further notice, the Packers are a
defense- and special teams-driven football team with an MVP quarterback as their ace in the hole. Coordinator Dom Capers’ unit ranks fifth in the NFL in scoring (18.9 points per game) and sixth in sacks (38) after a 30-20 triumph in Oakland. The 30 points are misleading: Green Bay bailed out its lackluster offense by generating a pair of takeaways – including a Damarious Randall pick-six – and averaging its own 41yard line to begin drives. Mike McCarthy again calling plays isn’t a magic elixir for a middling WR corps, but Julius Peppers has found one of his own. Peppers, 35, leads Green Bay in sacks and is closing in on his first double-digit total since 2012 after arguably his best game of 2015 Sunday.
Matchup to watch
With their sixth consecutive postseason berth secure – tying New England for the longest active streak in the NFL – the Packers’ remaining to-dos include attempting to poach a first-round bye from the Cardinals and lock up another division crown with a Week 17 win against Minnesota. The Cardinals won convincingly in Philadelphia but lost Pro Bowl defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, perhaps the defense’s most important player after CB Patrick Peterson. Look for Aaron Rodgers to take advantage of Mathieu’s absence by targeting new nickel Jerraud Powers in the slot across from Randall Cobb. Powers is smart and capable, but gets a tough first assignment in Green
Bay’s top pass catcher.
By the numbers
Peppers’ 135 career sacks trail Jared Allen by one for most among active players.
PACKERS @ CARDINALS
Overview
A win over the Giants would improve Minnesota to 8-1 against sub-.500 teams and, more importantly, send the Vikings to the postseason for the first time of the Mike Zimmer tenure and first time overall since 2012. Riding the best two-game stretch of his young NFL career, Teddy Bridgewater welcomes the NFL’s worst passing defense in the Vikings’ home finale. Moreover, they should welcome back top defenders Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph from two-game injury absences. Adrian Peterson avoided serious injury to his ankle as he looks to get back on track after being held below 70 yards in three straight.
Matchup to watch
After tallying his first sack post fireworks incident, Jason Pierre-Paul opposes LT Matt Kalil, who’s yielded sacks in two consecutive games. Bridgewater’s big outings have been mostly the result of getting the ball quickly into his playmaker’s hands, but since we likely won’t get the Odell Beckham-Xavier Rhodes matchup, this is one to key on.
CARS815.com
FOOTBALL
Week 16 matchups to exploit and avoid By
J.C. TALON
ChicagoFootball.com fantasy football writer
Week 16 is championship week for most fantasy leagues. The good news is that you’ve made it this far. The bad news is that the end of the NFL season is always tricky from a fantasy perspective. The one-week suspension of Odell Beckham, Jr., pending appeal as of press time, did not make things any easier for his owners. On to Week 16 …
MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT WASHINGTON (@ EAGLES) 725 p.m. Saturday Admittedly, it’s hard to have much faith in an offense led by Kirk Cousins, especially when it averages just 22.6 points a game. However, Cousins has played very well the past two weeks, throwing for 300 and 319 yards in Weeks 14 and 15, respectively. Washington and Cousins have been wildly inconsistent this year, and fantasy owners would be wise not to invest too much in Washington. At the very least, avoid their backfield quagmire. Either Alfred Morris or Matt Jones could have a good day, but it’s about a 50/50 proposition at best. The most likely scenario is that they’ll both stink it up. The 29th-ranked Philly defense has been equally inconsistent, and mostly bad. Must start: Jordan Reed Solid play: DeSean Jackson Worth a look: Cousins, Morris Last resort: Jones, Dustin Hopkins Stay away: Washington D/ST
LIONS (vs. 49ERS) Noon Sunday Although the 49ers’ defense has played better as of late, the Lions’ offense should have enough to score mid 20’s or
more in this game. Calvin Johnson has had just one reception in each of his past two games. He is clearly bothered by a lingering ankle issue. Monitor his status. Ameer Abdullah is getting the “lion’s” share of the carries in Detroit. Must start: Johnson* (if he is active in practice) Solid play: Matthew Stafford, Abdullah, Golden Tate Worth a look: Matt Prater, Lions D/ST Last resort: Joique Bell, Theo Riddick, Eric Ebron
STEELERS (@ RAVENS) Noon Sunday The Steelers are on a tear and would be recommended against pretty much any defense. The Ravens (No. 15 against the pass, No. 11 against the run) are OK defensively, but they are playing for pride at this point. Pittsburgh has scored at least 30 points in six straight games, and they need to win this one. Keep an eye on the Ravens’ QB situation. If Jimmy Clausen starts, the Steelers D/ST is a great play. Must start: Ben Roethlisberger, DeAngelo Williams, Antonio Brown Solid play: Martavis Bryant, Chris Boswell, Steelers D/ST Worth a look: Markus Wheaton, Heath Miller
BUCCANEERS (vs. BEARS) Noon Sunday The Bears just made Teddy Bridgewater look like 1980’s Joe Montana. Do not be fooled by the Bears’ No. 3 ranking in pass defense. Chicago has perhaps the least talented defensive unit in the NFL. Bridgewater connected on four TD passes and ran in another for good measure. The week prior, Kirk Cousins threw for 300 yards in Chicago. Even Blaine Gabbert had a good day against the Bears defense, gaining a combined 271
yards rushing and passing. The Bears 26th-ranked rush defense gives up 4.6 yards per carry. Doug Martin owners have to be salivating. Must start: Martin, Mike Evans Solid play: Jameis Winston, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Connor Barth Worth a look: Adam Humphries (if no Vincent Jackson) Last resort: Jackson*, Bucs D/ST
CHIEFS (vs. BROWNS) Noon Sunday Don’t be surprised if Cleveland makes this a close game. They are a different team with Johnny Manziel at QB. Yes, they got waxed in Seattle, but they remained competitive into the third quarter. If the Browns can put up 20 points or so, that will force the Chiefs to come out of their offensive shell, which is good news for KC owners. Charcandrick West sat on a lot of fantasy benches last week because Spencer Ware was active. Ware had zero touches. We won’t know until game day, but the guess here is that West will get at least two-thirds of the carries, making him a borderline must-start/solid play. Facing Cleveland’s No. 31 rush defense, we’d lean toward the former. Must start: West Solid play: Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce, Cairo Santos, Chiefs D/ST Worth a look: Alex Smith Last resort: Ware*
AP photo
team than the Packers, and Bruce Arians is looking forward to proving that to a national audience.
MATCHUPS TO AVOID GIANTS (vs. VIKINGS)
7:30 p.m. Sunday It’s hard to believe that the Giants and their league-worst defense are just one game back of the NFC East lead. The Vikings are giving up just 19.4 points per game. If super-stud Odell Beckham, Jr. remains suspended, it’s hard to see the Giants having much success in this game. Must start: Beckham (if he is eligible) Solid play: None Worth a look: Eli Manning, Rueben Randle, Will Tye Last resort: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Dwayne Harris, Josh Brown Stay away: Orleans Darkwa, Andre Williams, Giants/DST
against San Francisco last week, but he’ll face a much tougher test in Denver. Much. Tougher. Despite allowing Pittsburgh to go off last week, the Broncos still have the NFL’s top-ranked defense. In fact, their 279 yards allowed per game is a full 23 yards better than the second-ranked Seahawks. Must start: None Solid play: A.J. Green Worth a look: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard Last resort: Tyler Kroft, Marvin Jones, Bengals D/ST Stay away: McCarron, Mohamed Sanu, Mike Nugent
ALSO BEWARE
TITANS (vs. TEXANS)
Noon Sunday Zach Mettenberger had some success last week when he relieved an injured Marcus Mariota. With Mariota out for the season, Mettenberger will now face a Houston defense that is ranked No. 4 in yards RAMS (@SEAHAWKS) allowed and has had a week to 3:25 p.m. Sunday Remember the first meeting prepare for him. Outside of Delof the season when the Rams anie Walker (must-start) and, upset Seattle 34-31? The Sea- maybe, Dorial Green-Beckham hawks do. In his past seven (worth a look), there’s not much games, Todd Gurley has sur- to like in Tennessee this week. passed 100 yards rushing just PACKERS (@ CARDINALS) once and has been held under 3:25 p.m. Sunday 50 yards four times. There is a possibility this is ALSO CONSIDER Must start: None a high scoring game, but that Solid play: Gurley would depend on Green Bay fixSAINTS (vs. JAGUARS) Worth a look: Tavon Austin ing things on offense. The Pack3:05 p.m. Sunday Last resort: Kenny Britt ers have not looked good lately, Drew Brees should fare well Stay away: Case Keenum, even when they win. Arizona’s at home against the league’s Jared Cook, Greg Zuerlein, seventh-ranked defense is not 25th-ranked defense. Rams D/ST unbeatable, but Green Bay will have to play better than they CARDINALS (vs. PACKERS) BENGALS (@ BRONCOS) have in recent weeks. 3:25 p.m. Sunday 7:30 p.m. Monday *Check injury status The Cardinals are a better A.J. McCarron looked OK
13 CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | Thursday, December 24, 2015 • ChicagoFootball.com
FANTASY
Kirk Cousins
14
ChicagoFootball.com • Thursday, December 24, 2015
| CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY
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Current Bears or Lovie Smith’s Buccaneers? It’s Lovie Smith Week, so in Take Two, Chicago Sun-Times Bears beat writer Patrick Finley and ChicagoFootball.com Bears beat writer Kevin Fishbain wonder how this Bears team stacks up to Lovie Smith’s final squads in Chicago, and what Sunday’s game means.
FINLEY: Kevin, four years ago, the Bears’ GM was Jerry Angelo and their coach was Lovie Smith. Their replacements have been hired, fired and replaced again. With an election year coming up and Smith’s Buccaneers awaiting the Bears on Sunday, I’ll ask you the incumbent presidential question: Are the Bears better off than they were four years ago? FISHBAIN: Ah, four years ago, the days of Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman and Peppers ... and Kellen Davis, Roy Williams,
Chris Williams and J’Marcus Webb. So, maybe the offensive personnel is better? The franchise is in more of a rebuilding position than it was then, but at least it’ll get a better draft pick as opposed to be being stuck drafting in the late teens and early 20s and not making the playoffs. When Marc Trestman took over, the franchise shifted to offense, and that’s still where the team has its strength, but Lovie Smith’s teams could be awful at offense and still win. Looking back at the Lovie era just shows Ryan Pace how much work he has to do on defense. Is it more than Phil had to do on offense, when he traded for Brandon Marshall? FINLEY: That’s a fantastic question, Kevin. The Bears had Jay Cutler and Matt Forte on offense, and Emery drafted Alshon Jeffery. All three were better building blocks than the Bears have on
talent on his side of the ball. As good as they’ve been on pass defense, the Bears haven’t been dynamic. And there’s no way they’ll ever be elite without a few more dynamic players. It’s kinda like Lovie’s offense pre-Brandon Marshall; you can talk about throwing it a ton, but it won’t work until you’ve got a stud to throw to. Sunday’s reunion with Smith won’t mean much to most of the locker room – only a handful actually played for him – but it will to fans. Can we put too much emphasis on the outcome? FISHBAIN: When you think about Lovie players, you don’t think about Cutler, Forte, Gould, McClellin, Jeffery and McManis, so that takes some of the juice out of this game, but I assume he wants a win against the team that fired him. Too bad Josh McCown isn’t still in Tampa. Lovie or not, these Bears have to have a sense of urgency after losing three in a row. But I’ll leave you with this: would the Bears rather be ... the Bucs? FINLEY: Would they rather have a 21-year-old franchise quarterback, a 22-year-old star wide receiver and a running back who’s second in the league in rushing yards while being four years younger than Matt Forte? That’s another fantastic question, Fishbain. But say this: For a team that won only two games last year, the Bucs’ prospects are closer to those of the Bears than you’d think.
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15 CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | Thursday, December 24, 2015 • ChicagoFootball.com
TAKE TWO
defense now. Eddie Goldman and Kyle Fuller look like young keepers; Adrian Amos has been solid and Pernell McPhee is a winning big-money bet. Beyond that? The Bears could certainly use a defense-first draft, though Ryan Pace proved, by taking two offensive players in the first three rounds last year, that he’s not into thematic drafts. Is that all it takes to bring an offense-defense balance to a team that hasn’t had one in forever, Kevin? FISHBAIN: I always have fantastic questions, Patrick. I should be a reporter. Ryan Pace is a best-player-on-theboard kind of guy, as we learned last spring, and I expect that to continue. But what if – aside from a couple positions of need on offense – he just ranked all the defensive players first, then the top player available would almost always be on defense! Consider this, Patrick, as we get set for Lovie week – the Bears have 14 takeaways, tied for fourth-fewest in the NFL. Chris Conte has two picks with Lovie in Tampa this year. That 2011 Bears team we were getting all nostalgic about had 31 takeaways. Seeing Lovie this weekend should remind Pace he needs to find more playmakers on defense. Though, if he actually needs a reminder of that, well, then the Bears have bigger problems. FINLEY: I’m curious to see what Vic Fangio would dial up if he had more
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