Category: general

Davis Schneider became a sensation during the 2025 World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays. In Game 5, Schneider hit a homer on the first pitch of the game against Blake Snell.

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. Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard III to ESPN on 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 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 two 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 felt like those two were philosophically at odds when it came to team building. For instance, Poles arrived discussing the importance of building in the trenches and having offensive playmakers on the outside … only to build a defense from back to front and kicking the can down the road on adding impact weapons on the outside. 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. I think the biggest takeaway from Poles’ comments (you can read more here) is that collaborative efforts are only as good as the people you are collaborating with. New Bears defensive lineman Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on 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) Transactions around the league don’t stop just because the NFL Trade Deadline is in our rearview mirror. The Bears will reportedly host a visit with free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. next week. He has some other visits lined up before then, so I hope we make it to that point where he gets to link up with folks at Halas Hall. In his last healthy season as a pro, Samuel posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 73.9. That checked in as the 25th-best among the 128 cornerbacks who played enough snaps to qualify for the leaderboard. I’d gladly bring that type of production into the locker room. Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (26) in called for pass interference on a throw to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) during their football game Sunday, November 19, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Chargers 23-20. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin The Chicago Bears opting for a slow and steady approach when it comes to addressing roster issues makes sense, writes Sun-Times reporter Jason Lieser. I think that sometimes we — as a football-consuming public — want quick fixes and stop-gaps because we see that stuff work for other teams. However, it is easy to lose sight of what happens afterward. And there are plenty of instances where that short-term fix just masks a long-term problem. The Bears need to be better about fixing long-term issues by addressing them with potential long-term solutions. Perhaps the steady hands of Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen can help in that regard. One of my favorite facts (via Brad Biggs on Twitter/X) about this Bears season is that punter Tory Taylor has jsut 26 punts this season, which is the lowest number for this team through its first eight games in the Super Bowl era. After watching Taylor punt 82 times last year, this is a welcome fun fact. WIth that being said, I’d like to see Taylor’s punting numbers improve. His 48.5 yards per punt ranks 14th, while his 41.5 net yards checks in at 18th. Taylor’s percentage of punts inside the 20 has dipped from 41.5 percent to 30.8 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of punts resulting in a touchback is up from 4.9 percent to 7.7 percent. We need to have a wider discussion about the disappointment across the board from Chicago’s special teams unit in a separate post. The passing of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland is surprising and saddening. Hug your loved ones whenever you get a 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. pic.twitter.com/4kowniiC0c— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2025 🙄🙄🙄: Of course, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a performatively angry alter-ego. Here’s what he had to say 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. First up, a Week 10 matchup with the New York Giants. A nugget from Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, who 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, which comes out to a pace of 38 sacks. It is wild to think about how a quarterback taking 38 sacks would be a career-high when Caleb Williams took 68 last year. Perspective is everything. Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling told reporters that Aaron Rodgers is the reason he signed on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That isn’t something I’d admit publicly, but to each their own. MVS and Rodgers were teammates with the Green Bay Packers from 2018-21. Since then, Valdes-Scantling has bounced around with stops in Kansas City, Buffalo, New Orelans, Seattle, and San Francisco before landing in Pittsburgh. The Bears will see Valdes-Scantling, Rodgers, and the rest of the Steelers in Week 12. MORE BEARS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad-Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter Chicago Bulls’ Set Two Franchise Records, One NBA First in Crazy Comeback Winhttps://t.co/iMrvVA50Db— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 5, 2025 Blackhawks 5, Canucks 2 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways #blackhawkshttps://t.co/TShxJ5bGqq— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 6, 2025 This is the last day Bleachern Nation Fantasy is running this insane promo where new users get a 100% instant deposit match up to $500. Go take advantage with code: DUNKhttps://t.co/u5IJOXu9O9 pic.twitter.com/R6TfSzPASk— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) November 6, 2025