Tag: 670 The Score

Rome Odunze was shocked to learn the Bears receiving record

In an interview on 670 The Score, Rome Odunze learned about the Bears’ dismal receiving record and he could not believe it.

Wide receiver Rome Odunze has only been a member of the Chicago Bears for a day, but he’s already learning about the team’s history and records. It’s safe to say he wasn’t prepared for how low some of them are.

In an interview on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel Show, Odunze learned who the team’s all-time leading receiver was and how many yards they had. The 21-year-old receiver guessed it was Brandon Marshall, who spent three years in Chicago and is No. 13 on the list. It’s safe to say he didn’t expect the answer to be Johnny Morris with 5,059 yards.

“In the career?!” Odunze exclaimed as he and the hosts laughed. He immediately took that as a challenge, though. “I hope I’ll go break that record and hopefully add a few thousand to that… 5,000 is the goal, then. Let’s get after it.”

For Bears fans, it’s no secret that the team has struggled to develop and maintain prolific wide receivers. Productive players like Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Allen Robinson were only around for a few years, and former Bears receiver Muhsin Muhammad infamously said that Chicago was where receivers go to die. Morris played in the 1950s and 1960s, and his receiving record is the lowest of any all-time team leader in the league.

Odunze was shocked at the ineptitude of the position but is prepared to change and make history within the organization. Here’s hoping he’s around long enough to break the record and provide the Bears offense with a consistent and dangerous receiving threat for many years to come.

CB Jaylon Johnson ‘confident’ he will get a deal done with the Bears

Jaylon Johnson joined 670 The Score for his weekly radio hit and expressed confidence that he will get a long-term deal done with the Bears.

It’s been a roller coaster of a season for Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson. From a 0-4 start that included an early injury to playing at an elite level by midseason in the midst of trade talks and finally getting his first Pro Bowl nod, he’s gone through it all in his fourth season. But now that the dust has settled on the 2023 season, it’s time to officially turn attention to Johnson’s impending free agency. The talented defensive back believes he’ll get a deal done with the Bears, however.

Johnson spoke with 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel during his weekly radio hit on Monday evening and expressed plenty of confidence that he would be back with the Bears for the 2024 season when asked what is going to happen this offseason. “I think we get a deal done. I expect to get a deal done, let’s say that,” Johnson told the hosts with a smile via 670 The Score.

After making the comment, Johnson did try to temper expectations that a deal would be coming soon. “It’s going to get done; we ain’t even started [talking] yet; we barely just finished the season yesterday. So, I mean, let everything calm down. We still got the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl. It’s a lot going on still that there’s some time maybe to go by, but at the end of the day, we’ll be in contact soon, hopefully quicker rather than later. And then we’ll go from there.”

The 25-year-old cornerback continued to say he’s appreciative of all the love and support and admits it makes the situation easier before ending with a strong statement: “I’m confident and expect to get a deal done in Chicago.”

Johnson picked a great time to have a career year as he totaled four interceptions, 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble, and 36 tackles (one for a loss) in 14 games. He was PFF’s highest-graded cornerback for the majority of the season and had the top coverage grade. To put it simply, he shut down opposing receivers whenever he was on the field, and the Bears would be foolish to let him leave.

The contract situation will be one of the biggest storylines this offseason, and the Bears can always use the franchise tag to make sure Johnson doesn’t go anywhere. But the way he’s been talking recently, it sounds like he may be around for the long haul, and that would benefit this defense greatly.

Olin Kreutz says Bears QB Justin Fields should want out of Chicago

Olin Kreutz joined 670 The Score’s to share why Justin Fields should want out of Chicago and why the Bears should stick with Tyson Bagent.

The Chicago Bears are set to start undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent for a second week in a row when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday night due to Justin Fields’ thumb injury. Head coach Matt Eberflus made it clear that when Fields is healthy, he will return as the starting quarterback. But given how Bagent has looked and the type of offense the team put together for him during his first start, one former Bear and current analyst thinks Fields should start looking for new places to play while the team sticks with Bagent moving forward.

Olin Kreutz, the former Bears center and current NFL analyst, joined 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel show on Friday for his weekly hit and shared that he believes the Bears coaching staff is unwilling to design an offense around Fields. For that reason, he thinks Fields should want to go elsewhere to a team that will use him in a more effective way and for the Bears to stick with Bagent going forward. Kreutz explains his reasoning:

The Bears have shown you that they’re not going to design an offense around Justin Fields. It’s not that any of us think Justin Fields can’t win in the NFL, that we don’t see his immense talent, that we don’t see the way he runs the ball, that we don’t think he’s a dynamic playmaker, it’s that the Bears are insisting they want a quarterback that can beat you from the pocket. The only thing that tells me that is the film.

The film tells me they insist on coach [Luke] Getsy, coach [Matt] Eberflus, Ryan Poles, they want a quarterback in the pocket, they don’t want these college concepts, they don’t want to run a of quarterback runs, they don’t want to run a lot of zone reads. So if they’re going to do that, if I’m Justin Fields, I want out of Chicago. I want to go somewhere where they use me the way I think I can help a team win, the way I think I can be elite.

I think they should stay with Bagent because that’s the kind of quarterback they want anyway.

Kreutz has seen his fair share of quarterbacks trying to run offenses that don’t fit their style, and he makes valid points. For much of the season, Fields and Getsy haven’t been able to work effectively together. Things looked to be improving overall before Fields’ injury in Week 6, but that was after three weeks of poor offensive play. Now Bagent comes in and operates the offense like Getsy and Eberflus wanted with positive results, abeit for one game.

There’s no denying Fields’ natural talents, as Kreutz says, and there have been periods of success during their year and a half together. But after 21 games in this offense, it feels like the two sides just aren’t a match and are destined for divorce at some point.

That being said, it’s highly unlikely the Bears will bench Fields for the rest of the season, and it would come as a complete shock to see him moved prior to the NFL trade deadline next week. He will make his return in the next week or two and look to show the organization he deserves to be in the long-term plans. The third-year quarterback has thrown for 1,201 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in six games, the bulk of his production coming in recent games. But Kretuz thinks he should want out and it’s hard to blame him.

Jaylon Johnson says his team is working on a possible contract extension with the Bears

Johnson told 670 The Score that his team is working on a possible contract extension with the Bears, but admits it’s a process.

Chicago Bears Jaylon Johnson had himself a career day on Sunday. Could it be a precursor to a multiyear contract extension with the team?

Johnson is coming off a two-interception performance in the team’s 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the first of which was returned for a touchdown, where he promptly did a money celebration in the end zone. That was a clear sign of his desire to get paid, and during his weekly appearance on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel show on Monday, he let it be known he and the Bears are talking about a possible deal.

“It’s a process, but things are, I would say, starting to hopefully ramp up,” Johnson told the hosts. “We’ll see kind of where things go, especially in this next week and a half before this trade deadline.” When host Danny Parkins asked Johnson directly if his representatives were in contract negotiations with the Bears, the cornerback said yes.

Johnson was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and is arguably the team’s most coveted impending free agent. He’s one of the better cover corners in the league, but was knocked for not creating enough turnovers throughout his career. Those criticisms were answered on Sunday, and while it likely didn’t spur any contract negotiations, it was a reminder of Johnson’s abilities and why he deserves to remain with the Bears for the foreseeable future.

There’s a chance the Bears decide to part ways with Johnson at the trade deadline, but by most accounts, it seems general manager Ryan Poles is wanting to hold onto the 24-year-old defensive back. Johnson did mention the franchise tag as a possibility this spring in his interview as well, but perhaps a contract extension happens sooner rather than later.

Patrick Mahomes wanted to be a Chicago Bear, according to his father

Old wounds were ripped open on Monday as Patrick Mahomes’ father confirms the Bears told the star QB they were picking him back in 2017.

It’s been over five years since the Chicago Bears traded up one spot to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky second overall, passing up on superstar Patrick Mahomes in the process. Mahomes of course was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs eight picks later and is now headed to his third Super Bowl in four years, while Bears fans everywhere have been left to wonder what could have been.

Rehashing the past gets old after a while and Bears fans have done their best to move on, but thanks to a new revelation by a member of Mahomes’ family, those old wounds were ripped open.

Fresh off celebrating the Chiefs’ 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game, Patrick Mahomes Sr. joined 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel. After talking about the win, the conversation steered towards the infamous draft decision and Mahomes Sr. not only confirmed reports of the Bears’ interest in his son, but said he was told he would be going to Chicago.

“They told him they were going to draft him,” Mahomes Sr. said. “We thought he was going to be the third pick overall and go to Chicago. He had a great meeting when he went there and liked all the guys that were doing the stuff there and thought he was going to be a Bear. Then once they traded up and got Mitch, it kind of hurt him. It really did. He always knew that Kansas City had told him that they were going to come up and get him. They just didn’t know how far they’d have to go. But initially, he thought he was going to be a Chicago Bear.”

The Bears’ interest in Mahomes had already been documented, thanks to an in-depth piece on Bleacher Report that broke down the 2017 NFL Draft by Kayln Kahler in 2020. But hearing it from his father hits differently, especially knowing that he wanted to be a Bear.

“He definitely wanted to be there,” Mahomes Sr. said. “He liked everything about it and he was looking forward to going there. Who doesn’t want to be the first quarterback taken in the draft? It was definitely a situation where he thought he was going to be there and be there for a long time.”

The draft process that season was all over the place, with then-GM Ryan Pace reportedly going rogue by drafting Trubisky and not running the decision by his staff, including then-coach John Fox. Mahomes Sr. couldn’t identify which members of the Bears his son met with, just that he had met with multiple personnel over the course of the pre-draft process.

The sting of picking Trubisky over Mahomes will always be there for Bears fans in some way shape or form. Mahomes is likely on his way to winning his second Most Valuable Player award and is breaking records every season, all while still being just 27 years old. Trubisky, on the other hand, lasted just four seasons with the Bears with mixed results and is now a backup for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Mahomes Sr. likes what he sees from the Bears’ current quarterback Justin Fields.

“Ya’ll got a good one there,” Mahomes Sr. said of Fields as the hosts pined over the revelation. “He’s going to do some things. I like everything that he does and I think he’s going to be a hell of a quarterback.”

Fields isn’t in the same stratosphere as Mahomes and may never get there, but he showed flashes in his second season that at least helps ease the pain of missing on a generational quarterback five years ago. Mahomes and Fields are set to square off in 2023 for the first time in the regular season as the Bears will visit the Chiefs at some point next fall.

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NFL analyst: ‘There’s no cure’ for Bears pass blocking woes

Trent Dilfer has a stern warning for Bears fans when it comes to the offensive line

It was a bad day for the Chicago Bears offensive line on Sunday against the New York Giants and if one NFL analyst is correct, things aren’t going to get better as the year goes on.

The Bears lost to the Giants 20-12 and the biggest gripe from the game was the offensive line’s inability to protect quarterback Justin Fields. As a whole, the line surrendered six sacks and 15 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. A poor performance was made worse when guard Cody Whitehair left the game due to a knee injury that will likely sideline him for multiple weeks.

At full strength, the line had plenty of deficiencies. Now without one of their captains, things look grim with no end in sight, according to NFL analyst Trent Dilfer.

Dilfer, a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback and longtime NFL analyst joined 670 The Score’s Parkins and Spiegel Show on Monday to discuss the Bears offensive woes. Dilfer was complimentary of Fields’ performance and encouraged by the steps he took, but had a stern warning for the rest of the season when it comes to the offensive line and their pass blocking woes. “They’re going to really struggle in pass protection. There’s no fixing it. Just so you know, there’s no cure to this.” Dilfer said.

The former quarterback did detail how the Bears can limit the damage, however when it comes to obvious passing downs. “You can get better and put in pass protection schemes that are more full slides, more full gaps, covering up the inside players.” Dilfer explained. “But the center and right guard are going to get picked on. The center is getting destroyed and it’s going to happen the rest of the year.”

The center Dilfer is referencing is Sam Mustipher, who has struggled all season long in pass protection. On Sunday, Mustipher allowed six of the 15 pressures himself and graded out with a lousy 1.5 pass blocking grade on Pro Football Focus.

A change should be made at the position with someone like Lucas Patrick, who was signed in the offseason to play the position but missed all of camp with a thumb injury. Mustipher filled in and the coaches were reluctant to demote him and had Patrick play right guard instead. Now with Whitehair getting hurt, Patrick will fill in at left guard, leaving Mustipher as the struggling starting center for the foreseeable future.

With this current line combination, Bears fans might need to accept that Fields is going to be running for his life seemingly every week moving forward. It’s not exactly the ideal situation for a second-year quarterback who still needs developing.

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Bears, former teammates respond to Brian Urlacher’s comments on Jacob Blake shooting

Brian Urlacher came under intense scrutiny following comments he posted on Instagram following Jacob Blake shooting.

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher came under severe scrutiny on Thursday for his recent activity on Instagram following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. Many fans and media members had immediate thoughts on the activity and now his former teammates, as well as his former team, are speaking their minds on the matter.

Urlacher posted an image criticizing the NBA players for not participating in the playoffs, comparing the walkout to former Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre playing through the grief of losing his father back in 2003. The 2018 Hall of Fame inductee then “liked” a photo showing support for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year old who is accused of multiple homicide charges after three people were shot during the protests in Kenosha, two of whom were killed.

Following the activity, the Chicago Bears and Urlacher’s former teammates responded. First, the Bears released the following statement on Thursday evening:

The social media posts in no way reflect the values or opinions of the Chicago Bears organization.

Later on, Urlacher’s former teammate running back Matt Forte, who played with the linebacker for five seasons, shared the following in a series of tweets.

The comment @BUrlacher54 (Brian Urlacher) posted is void of empathy, compassion, wisdom and coherence. But full of pride and ignorance! I pray for those who have been blinded by their wealth, privilege and earthly fame that breeds arrogance in their hearts. And those who refuse to acknowledge racism and injustice but instead choose to place their energy into justifying it by quickly judging the victims life as if they themselves are more valuable because their sins are different or weren’t caught by man… but God sees all. End Racism and injustice #byanymeansnecessary.

Forte then followed up those posts with this series of tweets on Friday afternoon, expanding on his thoughts on the situation:

Now my agent is getting media requests for me to comment on 54. Nah, I’m not talkin to you so you can use it to further the division btw humanity. Just read these tweets and nothing will be twisted to create headlines. The reason I’m continuing to pray for 54 and those who share his perspective is because he can ignore my accountability towards him but he’s defenseless against these prayers. [People] have to realize that we all have something in common with someone who’s a criminal, thug, a racist or someone who’s made bad choices etc… and that is YES my character may be better, my morals and values may be better but as a human being created in the image of God. We are all sinful and have the same value and deserve dignity, love and respect for our lives. No matter what you’ve done. So wether you’re HOFer, practice sq, homeless, addict, sex predator etc. I’m no better and my value is NOT more because of my earthly accomplishments. #truth. 

The reason I kept referring to Brian as 54 is because it’d be a shame for him, as well as me, to only be remembered for our tackles and touchdowns. Right now he and the number 54 are synonymous as 22 with me. But when our days end if that’s all people think of us then we’ve failed to be a public success and a private failure is no life to live. I still have love and respect for 54, as well as all people, and we can lovingly disagree but not when it comes to the oppression of people and racism. It’s evident that you can spend the majority of your life with and around black ppl and still not understand the struggle. Even while playing on the same field and being in the same locker room because true understanding doesn’t come from reading a book about it, watching a documentary or an episode of Black-ish. It comes from the actual experience of racism and injustice or self honesty in saying you know what I’ll probably never understand but I’m willing to listen and humbly with compassion put my feet in the oppressed shoes and walk through it with them, as I try to understand the inequality and mistreatments of black and brown people since the first slaves touched U.S. soil. But battles are surly not won on Twitter. The seeds that birthed America were sown in slavery and watered with oppression and racism and it’s roots run deep. So they MUST be rooted out and extinguished. So don’t justify, rather think Just-if-i would fight against racism how much better this world would be for our children! #EndRacism. M. Forté Out ✌🏿.

Forte’s posts resonated with another former teammate and someone who played with Urlacher more than most; linebacker Lance Briggs. Briggs, who played next to Urlacher for a decade, simply shared Forte’s comments on his Twitter.

Finally, another former teammate receiver Rashied Davis, spoke out on the matter as well. Davis, who was a member of the Bears from 2005-2010, joined Dan Bernstein on 670 The Score to talk about the protests as well as Urlacher’s comments. The former wide receiver has been on the front lines, protesting in Kenosha over the last week and has had personal experience dealing with police brutality in the past. When asked about Urlacher, Davis said the following:

“When I did find out about his statement yesterday, I did reach out to him and he agreed to sit down and have a conversation with me and hopefully we can do that. But his statement, it was tone deaf. It lacked any empathy, lacked all wisdom. There was no equivalent between Brett Favre’s dad dying – which I sympathize with him, I lost my father when I was 8 years old. And I understand that. But that’s not the same courage it takes to stand up and protest against racism and racial inequality and police brutality.

“I personally have family members who have been brutalized by police. One who almost died, had to have emergency surgery. He had no idea that it had happened until he was allowed to make a phone call and call my mom and say what was happening.

“To hear it, it hurts. It hurt me deeply to hear someone that I cared about, or care about, someone I call a friend, someone I went to work with everyday for six-seven years here, playing football. To read those words and have conversations with people, it was painful.”

The comments and social media activity from Urlacher hurt many Bears fans and sports fans across the nation, but they also deeply affected some of the people who knew him best during his playing days.

As of now, Urlacher has not responded following the criticism.

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Interview: Analyzing Cole Kmet’s Fit with Chicago Bears

How do you evaluate the Chicago Bears selection of ND TE Cole Kmet? I was asked to do just that on the radio. Enjoy that right here!

Chicago Bears fans had mixed emotions Friday night when their team selected tight end Cole Kmet with the 43rd overall pick.  Kmet is a local product which thrills Bears fans but is far from a perfect tight end prospect despite being the first tight end off the board.

I was welcomed as a guest by colleague Joe Ostrowski, evening host at 670 The Score in Chicago.  Joe wanted to discuss my thoughts on the Kmet pick and how he’ll fit with the Bears.  It’s a strange mix of Kmet being a project at the NFL level but also likely being the most complete tight end currently on the Bears roster.

I like the pick but acknowledge the Bears issues at other positions that remain with Kmet and Utah corner Jaylon Johnson being selected Friday night.

Enjoy the interview here.

And if you’re interested I’ll be on 670 The Score again Sunday morning at 10:40 a.m. ET.  You can listen live to The Score to catch my appearance here.