The Bears' starters will go back to playing preseason games in 2020
Congrats, grumps. You got what you wanted:
While in the middle of a 45-minute press conference with GM Ryan Pace, Bears coach Matt Nagy confirmed that, actually, the whole no-starters-in-preseason idea is a thing of the past.
"Absolutely. [Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles] are going to play in preseason," Nagy said on Friday morning. It'll be equal reps and it'll be a good competition for them. And, again, that kind of goes in tune with what we're doing really with our whole team. It's going to be some of the things we discuss and talk about when we're able to do that with the team. But I think that's part important and they'll be a big part of that."
It's a notable departure in tone from 2019, when Nagy's adamant refusal to play starters in preseason had, at the time, many wondering if the Bears' coach was setting a trend. Then the Bears finished 8-8 with one of the worst offenses in the NFL, and many (fairly or not) pointed to the lack of competitive snaps in preseason as a precursor to the team's disappointing year.
Whether the Bears even have a preseason remains to be seen, even though it's already shaping up to be a critical one in the Matt Nagy era. Coming out and saying that starters will return to preseason makes all the sense in the world – there's no advantage to doubling-down on last year's optically-doomed strategy. Nagy can run the 1's out for two drives, let Pat O'Donnell do his thing, and never have to spend his weekly radio hits talking about preseason snap counts again.
The sports world is one of many industries forced to a halt by the coronavirus outbreak. As uncertainty continues to loom over professional American sports leagues, the commissioners of a number of leagues had a conference call with President Trump on Saturday.
It's worth noting the NCAA was not included on this call. All leagues represented were fully professional.
Since the call concluded some info has come out about what was discussed. Trump appears optimistic about sports in the later summer and early fall.
Obviously, there are many currently unknown variables that go into that scenario becoming a possibility.
Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski have more info on what was discussed on the call. According to their reporting, NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked about the desire to restart once public health officials allow it:
Silver told those on the call the leagues were the first to shut down and that he and the NBA would love to lead the way in starting the economy once there was an "all clear" from public health officials, sources familiar with the call told ESPN.
The NBA and MLB are considering alternate plans for how to resume their seasons, although there is pessimism within the NBA about resuming this season. The NFL has more lead time before its season would begin. The first game of the NFL preseason is set for Aug. 6 and the regular season is currently scheduled to start in September.
It's a Friday edition of SportsTalk Live. Host David Kaplan is joined by David Haugh, Patrick Finley, and KC Johnson.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy confirm that there will be an open competition for starting quarterback between Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky. The guys wonder how open it will actually be. Meanwhile, Nagy says he can sense Trubisky is a fierce competitor. The panel wonders if competition will elevate his play and make him better.
The Bulls have officially begun their search for the new executive to lead their basketball operations. Bulls Insider KC goes through the potential candidates. Haugh and Finley wonder how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect their search and ability to land a big name. And what about Jim Boylen's future? KC says it will ultimately be up to the new person in charge but reminds everyone how much Boylen is liked by the current front office.
Later, former NFL coach Dave Wannstedt joins Kap on the show from Florida. Wanny dissects the Bears quarterback competition and explains why the pressure will always be high on Mitch no matter what. They also talk about new tight end Jimmy Graham's impact on the offense and pass rusher Robert Quinn's impact on the defense. And what's Wanny up to during quarantine? He tells Kap the shows he's binge-watching and gives his review of "Tiger King".
0:00- There will be an open competition for the Bears starting quarterback job. Does either QB have an advantage? Will competition make Mitch a better quarterback? Also, how much better does Robert Quinn make the defense?
8:00- The Bulls have begun their search for the new head of their basketball operations. KC goes through some of the candidates. Plus, the panel discusses what this means for Jim Boylen's future, John Paxson's role in the search and his future role in the organization.
16:00- Dave Wannstedt joins Kap on the show. He talks about Mitch's chances to win the QB competition and his chances to keep the job throughout next season. Plus, they talk about Jimmy Graham's role in the offense, Robert Quinn's impact on the defense and Wanny gives his honest review of "Tiger King".
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