Heads up, Anthony Miller.
Your position coach has put you on notice.
Because if rampanttrade rumors and the addition of new receivers by way of free agency and the NFL Draft weren’t enough, the messaging from WR Coach Mike Furrey should do the trick:
#Bears WR coach Mike Furrey said Anthony Miller has been engaged in meetings. He said he believes Miller is maturing but will believe it when he sees action.
Bears WR coach Mike Furrey says Anthony Miller has been present: “He’s doing his job. He’s growing up. He’s maturing. No issues.”
We’re only five months into the 2021 calendar year, and it’s been an adventure for Miller. Heck, I’d venture to say it’s been “rough” when it comes to discussing his status with the Bears.
LIESER: 10-7. In a vacuum, that record and a wild-card berth are far from thrilling. But managing a decent season with Justin Fields either red-shirting or learning rookie lessons would be a positive. They’ll need a few teams [like the Steelers] to be worse than they’re widely projected, but there are enough winnable games for the Bears to get to the playoffs even if they can’t beat the Packers, Buccaneers or Rams. After they get past the opener in Los Angeles, there’s a soft spot where they can get out to a strong start.
POTASH: 9-8. The Bears have a tough road schedule on paper and not only are they facing tougher opponents this season [the Rams, Browns, Raiders, Buccaneers, Steelers and Seahawks in addition to their division foes], but they’re playing nine road games and possibly in front of packed houses in 2021, which they didn’t have when they went 5-3 on the road in 2021.
Happy NFL schedule rollout day!
The league is planning to share its 2021 league schedule tonight. But as is tradition, dates will leak throughout the day. And because we can’t help ourselves, we’ll share them as they hit the wire.
BEARS AT RAMS, WEEK 1
It’s happening:
The Bears begin the 2021 season under the lights in PRIME TIME against the Rams.https://t.co/Z8EhP1ca0o
All my rowdy friends are here for the Sunday Night Football kickoff party.
It’s a fitting lid-lifter, as the Rams’ So-Fi Stadium will play host to this upcoming Super Bowl in February. And NBC will televise the game. It’s what those of us in this industry might refer to as synergy.
I’ll admit I was getting worried when the Bears had arrived to the sixth round without taking a receiver.
It’s not that I didn’t like their first four picks. Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins were gimmes. Larry Borom was a sensible selection given the need to add depth and the player’s prospect pedigree. Even Justin Herbert made sense on some level. But still … the Bears had a need at receiver that hadn’t been addressed. So it was good to see them do it in Round 6. And pretty neat that Newsome was their guy.
Newsome checks boxes for Matt Nagy’s offense. His game speed looks faster than his timed speed, which was in the 4.5s. And that game speed shows up when he has the ball in the open field. Phil Longo’s offense at Carolina sprinkled in screens, jet sweeps, and deep targets in a scheme that allowed Newsome to tap into his athleticism at a highly productive level.
The Chicago Bears’ money crunch claims another cap casualty.
And once again, it’s a productive starter:
The #Bears will be releasing LT Charles Leno, source said, their starter the last seven seasons. A surprise move. Chicago drafted OK St’s Teven Jenkins in the second round and plans to play him on the left side. Leno now available for LT-needy teams.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport tweets the Bears are set to release left tackle Charles Leno Jr., which is a surprise on some levels … and on some other levels, not so much.
Leno has been Chicago’s primary starter since 2015 and hasn’t missed a game since the 2016 season. The 2014 seventh-round pick from the Phil Emery era was a Pro Bowl selection in 2018 and has been a symbol of steady play and durability throughout his time with the Bears. So, through that lens, it’s a bit of a surprise to see him let go especially with protecting Justin Fields set to become a top priority.