Tag: Sam Mustipher

Bears’ Cole Kmet and Sam Mustipher had a spirited ‘cornhole vs. bags’ debate at Wrigley Field

“On ESPN, they call it the Cornhole Championship!”

In a team visit to Wrigley Field this week, Justin Fields mashing dingers all around wasn’t the only noteworthy thing the Bears got up to.

As members of the squad walked onto the field for all their organized festivities, Cole Kmet and Sam Mustipher were embroiled in a hyper-regional name debate:

Was it “soda” vs. “pop?”

No.

“Tennis shoes” vs. “sneakers?”

Also, no. (Does anyone really call them tennis shoes?)

“Lollipop” vs. “sucker?”

No, but let’s be honest, these two are equal!

In this case, the pair of Bears decided to hammer out whether the cookout/barbecue/outdoor party game “cornhole” is actually called “bags.” The resulting conversation was just hilarious:

Mustipher does bring up a good point. Networks like ESPN do call the game “cornhole” because that, technically, is what the game has been called since its original inception — according to my extensive search through Wikipedia.

That said, as a native Chicagoan, I can’t help but agree with the fellow native Chicagoan in Kmet. ESPN is ESPN; let them do what they want. Kmet and I play by our own correct rules here, and it’s absolutely called “bags.”

Sorry to be the bearers of bad news with proper language, everyone!

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Bears tender ERFAs Jesper Horsted, Sam Mustipher and Lachavious Simmons

The Bears tendered one-year deals to all 3 of their exclusive rights free agents in Jesper Horsted, Sam Mustipher and Lachavious Simmons.

The Chicago Bears made some moves ahead of the start of free agency to tender all three exclusive rights free agents in tight end Jesper Horsted, offensive lineman Sam Mustipher and offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons.

Exclusive rights free agents are players with two or fewer accrued NFL seasons who can only negotiate and sign with their original team. Horsted, Mustipher and Simmons all signed one-year tenders.

Horsted joined the Bears as an undrafted rookie out of Princeton in 2019. As a rookie, he caught eight passes for 87 yards and his first career NFL touchdown. He spent the 2020 season on the practice squad before appearing in seven games last year. Horsted’s two catches were touchdowns. Horsted has been used sparingly, but he showed a great chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields. Perhaps that’ll lead to more involvement in 2022.

Mustipher also signed with the Bears as an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame, where he spent his rookie year on the practice squad. He got an opportunity to start at center in 2020, which earned him the starting job last season. He started all 17 games at center. But it doesn’t look like he’ll retain that starting job heading into 2022 following a rough year.

Simmons was a seventh-round draft selection out of Tennessee State in 2020. He made his NFL debut last season, playing in two games, including one start at right tackle against the Buccaneers in Week 7.

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Bears 2022 offseason preview: Where does Chicago stand at OL?

We’re breaking down each position entering the 2022 offseason. Next is the offensive line, which needs plenty of work.

The Chicago Bears have a clean slate after hiring new general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, who will be looking to get this franchise back on track in 2022.

With the offseason in full swing, Poles has plenty of work to do with the current roster, which features some glaring holes at positions of need. Poles will have to decide who to re-sign, who to let walk and who to target outside of the current roster heading into free agency and the NFL draft.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2022 offseason. Next up is the offensive line, which needs plenty of work.

8 pending free agents the Bears should let walk in 2022

Ahead of free agency, we’re looking at some in-house free agents the Bears should let walk in 2022.

The offseason is in full swing, and we’re just over a month away from the start of the new league year and free agency. And the Bears have some important decisions to make when it comes to in-house free agents.

The Bears are slated to have nearly $30 million in salary cap space, but there are plenty of holes to fill on the roster for new general manager Ryan Poles. Perhaps some of those roster spots will be filled by some of Chicago’s in-house free agents. But there are just some veterans who won’t or shouldn’t be brought back.

Ahead of free agency, we’re looking at some in-house free agents the Bears should let walk in 2022.

Bears 2021 OL grades: Plenty of questions on the interior and at tackle

We’re taking a look at how the Bears offensive line fared in 2021.

The Chicago Bears wrapped another disappointing season that resulted in the firings of general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. With the offseason in full swing, it provides an opportunity for the new regime in GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus to look back at went right, what went wrong and how to improve in 2022.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position through the 2021 Bears and grading every player. Today, we’re evaluating the offensive line, a unit that struggled, giving up a league-leading 58 sacks and allowed pressure on nearly 37 percent of dropbacks, the second-highest rate in the NFL in 2021.

PREVIOUS POSITION REVIEWS: QBS, RBs, WRs, TEs

Studs and duds from Bears’ messy loss to the Cardinals

The Bears had some standout performances and others that were about as messy as the weather conditions. Our studs and duds from the loss.

The only thing worse than the field conditions on Sunday was the play of the Chicago Bears against the Arizona Cardinals. The Bears went down early to Arizona and never recovered, losing 33-22, dropping them to 4-8 on the season and all-but-out of the playoff hunt.

It wasn’t a great day for Andy Dalton, who threw four interceptions on the day. On the other side, Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins returned from injury and immediately made their presence known by hooking up for a touchdown. It was all Cardinals from then on as they maintained their NFL-best 10-2 record.

There were many different players who had some standout performances, while others were about as messy as the weather conditions. Here are this week’s studs and duds.

6 adjustments the Bears must make in 2nd half of 2021 season

There are plenty of reasons why the Bears sit at 3-6 after having lost four straight games. Here are some adjustments they need to make.

The Chicago Bears are returning from a much-needed bye week, which allowed injured players to rest up and others to collect themselves before the final stretch of games. And they have quite the challenge waiting for them on Sunday when they host the Baltimore Ravens.

There are plenty of reasons why the Bears currently sit at 3-6 after having lost four straight games — coaching, execution, you name it. Despite a disappointing outing in the first nine games, there’s still another eight games for them to make some progress ahead of what’s gearing up to be an important offseason.

Here are six adjustments the Bears must make in the final eight games of the season:

Bear Necessities: Sam Mustipher likened offense’s film session to a trip to the dentist

When the Bears offense gathered to watch the film from the Browns game, it was as brutal as you’d imagine.

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The Bears offense was a disaster last Sunday against the Browns. As in, they had the worst offensive performance in the last 40 years for this team. And for a franchise like the Bears that’s seen a lot of terrible offenses, that’s saying something.

Chicago mustered just 47 yards of offense in 60 minutes of football, which was not only the worst offensive showing in Matt Nagy’s tenure but also one of the worst in franchise history.

When the Bears gathered to watch the film, it was as brutal as you’d imagine.

“It was like going to the dentist,” center Sam Mustipher said. “No one likes going to the dentist. They just give you honest feedback. We had a lot of cavities on Sunday. That’s something you gotta improve on, gotta fix. Gotta floss everyday.”

Things should get easier against the Lions, a game that couldn’t be more perfectly timed following that embarrassment against the Browns.

As for whether or not we’ll see an actual change on offense, that starts with whether or not Nagy decides to actually give up play calling, something he wouldn’t acknowledge was happening other than it would remain internal.

Given Nagy didn’t flat out say there would be a change in play calling indicates that there likely will be. Although, it won’t be hard to notice who’s calling plays after a couple of series against the Lions on Sunday.

Bears Report Card: How we graded Chicago’s offense in Week 2 win vs. Bengals

Here’s how we graded the Bears’ offense in Week 2’s win over the Bengals.

The Chicago Bears recorded their first win of the season with a 20-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, where it was more of the same with struggles on offense.

While rookie quarterback Justin Fields did make his debut, it was an overall rough outing by everyone on offense, except for Andy Dalton, who was impressive before exiting the game with a knee injury.

There were certainly some surprises on offense, including wide receiver Allen Robinson’s outing and Matt Nagy’s usage of his tight ends. But the Bears got the win. Now, the offense needs to find some rhythm, and it looks like it’ll be with Fields as the starter.

As we wrap up Week 2, here’s how we graded each position group on offense in Chicago’s win against Cincinnati:

Stock up, stock down from Bears’ Week 2 win

From Jaylon Johnson to Sam Mustipher, here’s a look at whose stock is rising or falling after the Bears’ Week 2 win against the Bengals.

The Chicago Bears recorded their first win of the season with a 20-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, where the defense rebounded with a dominating four-takeaway performance and where rookie Justin Fields took over for an injured Andy Dalton.

Now that the dust has settled, we’re taking a look at which players saw their stock rise and which players saw their stock dip during the win.