Tag: 2018 season

Bears once offered Olin Kreutz $15 an hour to serve as O-line consultant

The Bears offered Olin Kreutz a job to serve as player consultant under Harry Hiestand for just $15 an hour. Seriously.

The Chicago Bears have garnered a reputation for being a cheap organization. As Mike Ditka once said about the great George Halas, “(Halas) throws nickels around like manhole covers.”

Well, this story from former Bears center Olin Kreutz isn’t going to help the franchise shed that reputation.

Kreutz appeared on 670 the Score Friday, where he explained that former Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand wanted to bring him aboard in 2018. Kreutz said the Bears offered him a position as a player consultant to work with the offensive line for a mere $15 an hour.

Seriously.

“That’s the way they do business,” Kreutz said on 670 the Score. “Those are the things that have to change.”

Recently, there’s been a discussion among former Bears players about wanting to be heard by the organization as a means to get the team on the right track.

Players like Kreutz, Charles Tillman, Alex Brown, Jerry Azumah and Patrick Mannelly have all expressed a desire to meet with the front office and share their thoughts on the organization.

One of the criticisms of Chariman George McCaskey and the Bears organization as a whole has been their inability to impact positive change. It doesn’t help that McCaskey and President/CEO Ted Phillips aren’t “football guys.”

So why not listen to some “football guys,” aka some former players who have some insight to provide that could help get this organization back on the right track?

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Bears fans are reliving the horror of Cody Parkey’s infamous ‘double doink’ on 3rd anniversary

The NFL world is having a laugh at the expense of Bears fans on the third anniversary of Cody Parkey’s infamous “double doink.”

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since Cody Parkey’s infamous “double doink” missed field goal forever changed the trajectory of the Bears franchise under head coach Matt Nagy.

The Bears hosted the Eagles in a wild-card playoff game on Jan. 6, 2019, which was decided by a 43-yard field goal attempt by Parkey as time expired. And it’s haunted the Bears ever since.

We all know what happened. Parkey’s kick doinked not once, but twice, off the crossbar and didn’t go in, cutting Chicago’s playoff journey far too short.

Bears fans would like to forget. But they’ve yet to been given the chance as Parkey’s infamous “double doink” will forever be ingrained into the minds of the NFL world. (Much like I’m reminding you now.)

But the drama didn’t stop there. It was Parkey’s appearance on NBC’s “Today Show” the day after his miss that sealed his fate with the Bears. Nagy described Parkey’s actions as “me not we” move, and he was released by the Bears on March 13.

As the NFL world has a laugh at the expense of Bears fans on the third anniversary of the “double doink,” here’s how Bears fans are feeling:

Allen Robinson still isn’t over the double doink heard round the world

Bears fans, WR Allen Robinson feels your pain two years after Cody Parkey’s infamous double-doink missed field goal.

In a century of Chicago Bears football, there’s been a lot of heartbreak that fans have experienced over the years. But there’s nothing quite as painful as the double doink heard ’round the NFL world.

Even two years later, the mere thought of a football doinking off the upright or the mention of “double doink” brings those emotions flooding back. And fans aren’t alone in their heartache.

Sports Center asked people to name a sports moment that made them feel like the infamous Michael Jordan meme. And Bears receiver Allen Robinson couldn’t even finish his response…although it’s easy to infer “the double” refers to Cody Parkey’s infamous “double doink” missed field goal in the final seconds of Chicago’s wild card playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in January 2019.

While it’s easier to laugh it off now, it still hurts thinking about what could’ve been had Parkey connected on that 43-yard field goal. The narrative surrounding quarterback Mitchell Trubisky would’ve been completely different. The Bears would’ve gotten stud safety Eddie Jackson back from injury in time for the divisional playoffs. And perhaps the Bears could’ve made a run for the Super Bowl.

Alas, we’ll never know. But it’s the not knowing that makes it difficult every time the “double doink” is mentioned.

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Everyone is doubting the Bears, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing

Not many have confidence in Chicago for the 2020 season. But the Bears have already proven that they thrive in the underdog role.

You’ll have a hard time finding many that have confidence in the Chicago Bears heading into 2020. Which makes sense given their disappointing 2019 season just one year removed from a 12-4 campaign.

At this point, it’d be hard to sell the Bears as winning the NFC North and locking up a playoff spot, but it’s not hard to sell Chicago as a team that should be better in 2020. Especially considering their deficiencies, particularly on offense, last season and the upgrades they made this offseason.

But there’s a difference between reasonable expectations and ridiculous takes — although, at this point, it’s safe to say not many put onus on offseason predictions for a season that’s still four months away.

Well, except for the teams. And you can bet that for a team like the Bears, that are used to having the odds stacked against them, that this is the kind of disrespect that they’ll use to fuel their 2020 run.

The Bears have already proven that they thrive in the underdog role. Look no further than 2018, which marked the beginning of the Matt Nagy era. The Bears shocked everyone when they marched to a 12-4 record and a No. 3 seed in the postseason.

Not that these 2020 Bears are going to replicate the magic that was the 2018 season. That season was truly special. But can the Bears pull off a similar surprise? Maybe, although we can’t say that at this point of the offseason. Chicago still has questions to answer and doubters to prove wrong.

But coming off a 8-8 season — where the offense was among the worst in the NFL and the defense still thrived amid injuries — it’s blasphemous to think that this team will be among the worst in the league next season.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller and USA Today’s Nate Davis believe that the Bears will be among the worst teams in 2020 — ranking them among the bottom dwellers like the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins.

And this kind of disrespect is exactly what the Bears can — and will — use to motivate them even more to return to respectability in 2020.

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It’s been 1 year since Cody Parkey’s double doink heard ’round the world

It’s been 1 year since Cody Parkey’s infamous “Double Doink” dashed the Bears’ playoff run and set into motion a bizarre kicker competition.

Bears fans would certainly like to forget the final play of last year’s wild-card playoff game, where Chicago hosted Philadelphia in a contest that was decided by a 43-yard field goal that has haunted the Bears ever since.

Sure, Bears fans would like to forget. But they’ve yet to been given the chance as Cody Parkey’s infamous “double doink” will forever be ingrained into the minds of the NFL world. (Much like I’m reminding you now.)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been one year. One year since Parkey’s missed field goal ended the Bears’ playoff run. A missed field goal that led to a circus-like kicker competition that ended with rookie Eddy Pineiro as the last kicker standing. A kick that ended a magical season that feels so far away removed after a disappointing 8-8 season.

Warning: Some viewers may find the following video disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

But it was Parkey’s infamous “Today Show” appearance the day after his double doink missed field goal that sealed his fate with the Bears. Matt Nagy described Parkey’s actions as “me not we,” and he was released by the Bears on March 13.

While the Bears look like they’ve found their kicker in Eddy Pineiro — at least for now — it doesn’t take away from the sting still still comes at the mention of a “double doink.”

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