This is not what I wanted to write on a Saturday afternoon. Coming home today, I heard on WBBM that Hroniss Grasu, the man who was going to be the starting center this season, is out with a “serious non-contact injury”. That pretty much means he tore his ACL. FUCK.
And all of the Bears wide receivers and tight ends seem to be on the injury report already. And preseason games haven’t even started yet. Alshon Jeffery has a shitty hamstring injury again. As much as I love the guy, this may be his last year in Chicago because of the inability to stay healthy. He’s not going to get the money he is asking for.
This is what the NFL is these days. It just sucks because this is happening to the Bears and all too often, the Bears have a ton of injuries every year in training camp. It seems to be even worse now.
Grasu was someone I was very excited about this year and this really pisses me off. The good news is, the Bears have signed and drafted a ton of lineman this offseason. The only issue is, most of these guys’ natural position isn’t center and they may not be that great if they switched to it. The Bears may need to go look for help on the waiver wire as the preseason goes on.
The Bears start the preseason Thursday against the Broncos at Soldier Field.
Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Matt Eberflus 
August 6, 2016 at 6:20 pm
Fro…..Did you catch any of Rosenbloom and David Schuster this morning? They talked quite a bit about this very subject. Rosey pretty much blamed……….John Fox. And apparently, this is a recurring pattern with him. What the fuck is it with Bears coaches? Either they’re running a touch football practice, treating the players like a bunch of pussies, or they’re some kind of intellectual assclown who has a bad case of word salad syndrome, or they hire some sadistic prick who sounds like he gargles with Drain-O. The Bears aren’t going to do shit this year. You read it here first.
August 6, 2016 at 6:53 pm
I did, actually. I can’t sit here and say for sure if it’s really John Fox or not. A lot of teams have players with freak injuries and this is just another example. It’s hotter than hell outside and they are doing these practices. No, this has nothing to with wanting them to be “babied”, but they need to figure something out. As crazy as this sounds, one thing Lovie did do was have practices at night in Bourbonnais and that might not be such a bad idea to do again. All of these pulled muscles, cramps and other injuries could be due to the heat.
I always try to be optimistic with the Bears. I know that sounds insane too. But they seemed to have fixed their offensive line and the defense should be much better this year. The running backs should be strong as a group. Now, the Grasu injury possibly fucks them at center.
It’s just looking bad without any games even starting now.
August 6, 2016 at 9:48 pm
I discussed this with a friend at work a few months ago. I told him that it amazes me how today’s NFL athlete is more physically fit and more mentally prepped to handle the game then back in 1981, when I first started following the bears. he told me an anecdote by John Madden: “You can’t pull fat.” In other words all these assholes are so musclebound now, that they’re all ligaments and veins and muscle, more than fat. They’re so highly wound up that if they move an arm or a leg wrong, they’re gonna tear a ligament or pull a muscle.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but when the NFLPA did their last collective bargaining agreement, the players got reduced OTA and cut back on two-a-days and shorter practices. That means a lot less time working out the fundamentals and getting “muscle memory” on doing things right so you don’t get hurt as much.
All these alleged “Greek gods” walking the NFL training camps who are supposed to have bodies that ordinary men would kill for, and these motherfuckers can’t stay game ready. This is one of the reasons why I set the NFL draft on “ignore:” all these draftees don’t mean a damn thing if there not on the roster for Opening Day (or Night).
And if it’s this bad now, God help the Bears come mid-season; this team will look like a MASH unit. The bears front office will be scouring the streets looking for any former NFL player with a pulse when the injuries start mounting up.
Amazed that Goodall actually wants expanded regular seasons and playoffs while three quarters of the teams are struggling to put people on the field. Stupid motherfuckers, man. Just stupid.
August 6, 2016 at 10:00 pm
Packers are the same way. Midseason comes around, I swear half the team is either on IR or inactive because of injury.
Good analysis, dvx.
August 7, 2016 at 10:06 am
I’m not a Goodell fan. Stupid mf’s is right…for going along with his bs.
August 8, 2016 at 12:32 am
I fucking hate this shit. I am so damn frustrated with this fucking franchise. I get it. It’s the NFL. Teams fall apart at the seams with injuries. But these really good franchises always find a way to win. I know, the Patriots are one of those “once in a lifetime” teams that sustain a run for a good decade or so (they’re on year 15/16 right now). But the Bears and how they have been managed in the last 30 years is absurd.
Michael McCaskey fires Ditka and replaces him with Dave Wannstedt. Wannstedt was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys during their two Super Bowls before that. Instead of getting someone who was supposedly, a defensive genius, they had a poor man’s Ditka instead. And trust me, I am not a meatball by saying, “DEY SHOOD NEVER FIRED DITKA, MY FRENDT”, but damn. At least replace him with someone better. I mean, that’s the whole point, right?
Dave Wannstedt, Dick Jauron, Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman and now, John Fox. The Bears, in the last 24 years, have had five head coaches. I am not a smart man, but I don’t that’s very good.
Meanwhile, Ted Phillips has been with this team for three decades. Maybe they should do more than just firing coaches. I am just saying.
August 8, 2016 at 7:44 am
Fro……they should sell the goddamned team. Which won’t happen until the OLD BITCH is dead.
August 8, 2016 at 5:25 pm
Fro, your frustration is well-founded. It is ownership and the front office. The Patriots have it, but the Bears don’t. It’s the same in all sports. If you have a dim-bulb owner, like the Angels in baseball, the Chargers in football, and now the Lakers in basketball, then you are going to flounder year after year.
And what DVX said about injuries is right. I’ve been watching pro football since 1963, and I have never seen as many injury problems as we’re seeing today. These players are too big for their joints and ligaments to handle, and they aren’t in the kind of shape needed to handle the rigors of a 16 game schedule. But, owners want more regular season games to fill their coffers. And players, who love those huge multi-million dollar contracts, will go along with it. The team best able to sustain itself through all the injuries – not necessarily the best team – will come out on top.
August 8, 2016 at 10:12 pm
Fro…I hear you. It’s very sad how the Bears have “fallen”.
Ted Phillips should not only be fired, he should be paddled – with his pants around his ankles – at that bar we went to, during a televised Bears game.
I’d pay good money to see that, my frendt!
You guys have all made great points. Again, Goodell makes be sick…asshat supreme.
August 8, 2016 at 10:12 pm
*me (not be)
August 8, 2016 at 10:48 pm
Genre, I am going to be a good frendt and record the pre-game show on Thursday to see if they bring on Teddy Bear like they did last year. I remember Phillips saying on TV that they feel a sense of “comradery” and that everyone is working together. If I get some good bits, I will send them to you. My apologies in advance if you end up in a hospital because blood is coming out of your ears.
August 9, 2016 at 12:10 pm
I’ll have a female nurse on hand, with tourniquet. If Teddy gets too out of hand, I’ll have her wrap it around my neck and pull hard…
August 9, 2016 at 12:11 pm
…so DO send, my frendt!