Pixote

You're right, I was way off in my concern. I decided to use good ole "Ask Gemini" about NFL team ownership and was amazed at the answer (assuming it is correct.) He states:

Many of us have not shied away from admitting we'd love for the team to be sold. How does this "rent" scenario affect the team's value if sold?

I read somewhere about the Bears not owning the stadium, but the piece I read had them renting the stadium for 40 years. 35 or 40, I don't like the fact that the Bears wouldn't own the stadium from day one. I guarantee you, long before the 35 years pass, this new stadium will be considered outdated and need to be replaced or go through major renovations.

I believe you're right. Pretty sure I read this elsewhere when Press got the promotion,

Nope, not me. We're not ready to go all in.

Last year we had joint practices with Miami and Buffalo This year Cincy and? My guess is Cleveland for a second team.

Just read this announcement from the Bengals:

Guess this is as good a place as any to post this, since it is OTA season, and yet Burden is lighting it up despite some off-the-field distractions. Luther Burden is getting married! Bears’ WR Luther Burden III and Girlfriend Kendall Announce Major Personal News

Per NFL.com:

The only thing I'm concerned about is not Indiana, but the location in Indiana. I am familiar with the odor emitted from oil refineries. I had a job out of Houston in the early 80s and had to service clients along the Gulf. Nasty! The plans for Arlington Heights were magnificent. If built as displayed in their presentation, it would be one of the best stadium complexes in the NFL. However, that design would never work in the location being offered. The business complex, park, etc... would be out. I assume they could prevent the odor from entering the stadium and being an issue, but anything remotely like what was planned for Arlington Heights would be a failure. Heck, I had to air out my car after parking for an extended period while servicing equipment in one of the refinery offices. I wouldn't even want to park in an outdoor parking lot if the odor is as strong as I am led to believe.

Caleb throwing to Loveland, Burden, & Odunze. OH MY! I'm reading more and more about how Luther Burden is showing enormous progress, killing it in OTAs. In an article that was actually promoting Loveland, claiming he would challenge for All Pro this year, it went on to discuss our other emerging star, Luther. Statistics. Sometimes it can be misleading. Sometimes it can be enlightening. Here is a quote from Warren Sapp (Not a big fan of him, but as it may), giving some stats that showed just how great a rookie year he had:

Not sure how many of you are familiar with a website called "Heavy." I love that the articles are always solid, more often backed up by statistics than unfounded opinions. Today, there was another feel-good article that had any Bears fanatic dreaming of the coming season. How The Bears’ Offense Is Set Up To Take An Exponential Jump In 2026 Good Site for Bears' News: Heavy on Bears

If he could make the easy throws, just imagine what his completion % would be? More important than his Comp. %, we might actually be able to sustain drives, score in the first three quarters, give our defense a chance to get a breather, and avoid the need for Caleb to revert to the Ice Man (although it is fun to see frost on his beard).

I don't recall seeing this here, and too lazy to review, but it just adds to the adrenaline running through Bear fans' veins when you see something like this. I'm referring to the on-the-dime completion to Rome during Thursday's OTA @ Halas Hall, which Case Keenum says went 67 yards in the air. Not bad since Caleb was scrambling and actually threw off his back foot. ;-)

Or possibly June 1st surprise cuts?

They (the 2 authors of the article) were suggesting it would be a 'trap game.' If we lose a game this year because the players thought they could take a game off and win, I would be all ugly on BJ and his staff. BJ should have these guys fired up. Trap games are, IMO, the fault of the HC & staff for failing to sense their team's mood and motivate them. I'd be totally disappointed if the players don't show everyone we deserve their respect.

Very impressive. Looking good. I may have rushed to judgment. He looked to be in terrific shape & working hard.

Always seems to happen. Players get the big money guarantees on their first major contract after their rookie deal, and suddenly, they have soft tissue issues that keep them from earning the extension. If we're going to take a step forward to the Super Bowl against a strong schedule, we need all hands on deck.

A bit early, but what else can we do to kill time waiting for camp to open? There was an article on NFL.com predicting the outcome of every regular-season game to be played in 2026. The authors of the predictions were two guys I'm unfamiliar with, Ali Bhanpuri & Tom Blair. These guys were generous with their predictions for the Bears. One had us at 10 wins; the other at 11. Both had us winning the NFC North title again. One had us going into the playoffs as the #2 seed; the other as the #3 seed. What really surprised me was how optimistic they were compared to so many other doom-and-gloom predictors. Yet they both had the Bears losing to Carolina in our season opener. If we lose our opener, I would be so depressed. Carolina??? Seriously? Your prediction?

I'm with you 100%. I've always been a big fan of Booker. I was expecting him to hit 10+ last year, but then he got injured. If he stays healthy, he will finally complement Sweat. I also agree we will, because of the speed we have added to our defense, see multiple players contributing 4, 5, or 6 sacks. (I would still love to see them sign a vet edge to rotate with the young lads.)

Personally, I believe Braxton will come back strong and have the best year of his career. Dare say a top-tier L.OT. It will put us in a fantastic position when Ozzy returns.

The Bears play the toughest schedule (based on last year's results), but at least we stay home. No overseas games for the Bears. GOOD! 2026 international games: 🏈Week 1: Rams/49ers (Australia) 🏈Week 3: Ravens/Cowboys (Brazil) 🏈Week 4: Colts/Commanders (London) 🏈Week 5: Eagles/Jaguars (London) 🏈Week 6: Texans/Jaguars (London) 🏈Week 7: Steelers/Saints (France) 🏈Week 9: Bengals/Falcons (Spain) 🏈Week 10: Patriots/Lions (Germany) 🏈Week 11: Vikings/49ers (Mexico)

Just read this article, and I'm totally pumped for 13 personnel packages this year. Why Bears rookie tight end Sam Roush fits head coach Ben Johnson’s vision Great article on Roush, best I've read since we drafted him. Goes into a ton of detail on what to expect from him. Tough kid. Missed 1/2 of 1 practice the entire time at Stanford, and only because they forced him to leave the field with a temperature of 102. On an assigned chip block, he managed to "chip" his man so hard that he was propelled back into a DT, and he got 2 pancakes on one block. It details how we had great success running 13 personnel last year. I'm surprised BJ didn't call it more often. After reading this article, I have no doubt we will more than double the number of 13 personnel plays.

We are going to lose more than usual to other teams needing depth on their active rosters.

For so many years, many of us have pointed out examples of the NFL's bias against the Bears. From refs calling penalties against the Bears that were bogus. To the penalties committed by the opposition that the refs never called. And then they rob us of two 3rd round compensatory picks from the Ian Cunningham signing with Atlanta. There is an article on SI com that gives some interesting data to back up our claims: Link to article: Stunning NFL Penalty Data Suggests There is Bias Against the Bears It starts off wth this paragraph and then continues to break down the statistics. "The Chicago Bears have a league-worst -795 net penalty yardage gap since 2022. From missed Caleb Williams hits to the 'Bears Tax,' see the data that proves the NFL bias." An excellent read during a time we are starving fr Bears' info: