This is #notanad, but if you’re someone with the Portillo’s app, then you should check it to see if you have a free sandwich promo. I saw mine yesterday and cashed it in. As you might expect, a free Italian beef made my day. Adding a chocolate cake shake didn’t hurt either.
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Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard III told ESPN about the team’s wild Week 9 win in Cincinnati:
“We’ll never apologize for winning in this league. It’s very hard to do.”
I’ve been thinking about this quote all week because it reminds me of something we discussed on a recent installment of the BN Bears Podcast. Winning is hard. And winning at the NFL level is extremely difficult. So regardless of the opponent’s issues and shortcomings, wins shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Frankly, the Bears haven’t won enough for us to be dismissive about a victory — no matter how ugly.
**CHECK OUT EPISODE NO. 7 OF THE BN BEARS PODCAST:**
[Apple](#) | [Spotify](#) | [YouTube](#)
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The Ben Johnson-Ryan Poles dynamic works for me. This quote (via the Tribune) captures the essence of the working relationship these two have as the Bears’ top decision-makers:
> “A lot of times you get into these moments and you get tunnel vision about right now: What do I need to do?” Poles said.
> “His ability to see short term and long term for us to be able to have those conversations is, as a front-office person, really awesome to have.
> “Not only him but also (defensive coordinator) Dennis Allen, too, who has been in that (head coaching) chair, to see the big picture and how we want to build this football team. They have a really good understanding of it, which is good.”
Something always felt off about the Matt Eberflus-Ryan Poles dynamic. It seemed like those two were philosophically at odds when it came to team building. For example, Poles arrived emphasizing the importance of building in the trenches and having offensive playmakers on the outside — yet the team ended up focusing on building a defense from back to front while delaying adding impact weapons on offense.
Perhaps this can be one of those “all is well that ends well” situations for the Bears now that Poles has Johnson in his corner.
The biggest takeaway from Poles’ comments (you can read more [here](#)) is that collaborative efforts are only as good as the people you’re collaborating with.
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New Bears defensive lineman Joe Tryon-Shoyinka opened up about why his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a 2021 first-round pick didn’t work out:
> “Consistency, you know? It’s a production-based business. Look at the stats; it probably wasn’t where it needed to be, but you can’t let that stop you. You gotta keep grinding, keep working, you know there’s more ahead of you. That’s in the past.”
— (Marquee)
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Transactions around the league don’t stop just because the NFL Trade Deadline is behind us. The Bears will reportedly host a visit with free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. next week. He has other visits lined up before then, so hopefully, Chicago can get him out to Halas Hall.
In his last healthy pro season, Samuel posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 73.9. That ranked as the 25th-best among 128 cornerbacks with enough snaps to qualify. I’d gladly welcome that type of production into the locker room.
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Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (26) was recently called for pass interference during a game against the Green Bay Packers on November 19, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Chargers 23-20.
*Photo credit: Wm. Glasheen, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin*
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Sun-Times reporter Jason Lieser writes that the Chicago Bears opting for a slow and steady approach when addressing roster issues makes sense.
Sometimes, as football fans, we want quick fixes and stop-gaps because we see that work for other teams. However, it’s easy to lose sight of what happens afterward. There are many cases where a short-term fix merely masks a long-term problem.
The Bears need to focus on fixing long-term issues by addressing them with potential long-term solutions. Perhaps the steady hands of Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen can help steer the franchise in that direction.
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One of my favorite facts about this Bears season comes from Brad Biggs on Twitter/X: punter Tory Taylor has just 26 punts this season, the lowest number for the team through its first eight games in the Super Bowl era.
After watching Taylor punt 82 times last year, this is a welcome stat. That said, I would like to see Taylor’s punting numbers improve.
– His 48.5 yards per punt ranks 14th
– His 41.5 net yards ranks 18th
– Percentage of punts inside the 20 has dropped from 41.5% to 30.8%
– Touchbacks on punts have increased from 4.9% to 7.7%
We need a wider discussion about the overall disappointment in Chicago’s special teams unit in a separate post.
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The passing of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland is both surprising and saddening. Hug your loved ones whenever you get the chance.
> We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the passing of Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland. Our thoughts and prayers are with his girlfriend Catalina, family, friends, and his teammates.
— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2025
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🙄🙄🙄 Of course, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a performatively angry alter-ego. Here’s what he said about it (via ESPN):
> “It really kind of started to show up this year, and it came about last year during IR. Just never had a full season, where you want to be out there so freaking bad, but you can’t. It was just this built-up anger that was kind of ready to just explode, and I chose to harness it instead of letting it go into a self-destructive kind of way. I kind of love feeding that wolf, because my entire life at [the University of Michigan], there was a smiley face on my hand, and [if] you smile, and you have fun, you’re going to play better and all that — which is true. But I also think there’s a lot of power that comes from that built-up anger that you can transmute into your performance.”
The Bears will get to see J.J. McCarthy (and his alter ego “Nine”) in Week 11 in Minnesota. Before that, they face the New York Giants in Week 10.
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A nugget from Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith points out that Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is on pace for a career-high in sacks taken.
Goff has been sacked 18 times in 8 games, putting him on pace for 38 sacks this season.
It’s wild to think about a quarterback taking 38 sacks being a career-high when Caleb Williams took 68 last year. Perspective is everything.
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Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling told reporters that Aaron Rodgers is the reason he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s not something I’d admit publicly, but to each their own.
Valdes-Scantling and Rodgers were teammates with the Green Bay Packers from 2018-21. Since then, Valdes-Scantling has bounced around the league with stops in Kansas City, Buffalo, New Orleans, Seattle, and San Francisco before landing in Pittsburgh.
The Bears will see Valdes-Scantling, Rodgers, and the rest of the Steelers in Week 12.
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**MORE BEARS FROM BLEACHER NATION:**
– Chicago Bulls Set Two Franchise Records, One NBA First in Crazy Comeback Win [Link](https://t.co/iMrvVA50Db)
– Blackhawks 5, Canucks 2 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways #blackhawks [Link](https://t.co/TShxJ5bGqq)
– Today is the last day to take advantage of Bleacher Nation Fantasy’s insane promo: new users get a 100% instant deposit match up to $500 with code: DUNK [Link](https://t.co/u5IJOXu9O9)
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Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more Bears coverage!
https://www.bleachernation.com/bears/2025/11/06/bears-notes-nov-6-2025/