🎬 HIGHLIGHTS

1. NFL Combine rumors

2. Blackhawks get embarrassed twice

3. Bulls can rebound…is that it?

🏒 Chicago Blackhawks

TROPHY TRACKER

1-❌-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

Results:

L - Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 0

Colorado completely dominated all phases of this one as the Blackhawks lost any momentum they may have had from their recent overtime games.

• Connor Bedard was FRUSTRATED all game long. He was punching the bench after hitting the post, he wasn’t getting any obvious penalty calls, and he was even skating into his own teammates.

• Justus Annunen pitched the shutout in just his 5th game this season

L - Blue Jackets 5, Blackhawks 2

A low effort, zero execution, mounting frustration type of disaster. Nobody played well, and Luke Richardson made sure they knew it after the game.

• Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Donato scored goals

• Seth Jones turned the puck over at the beginning of the game that led to a goal 33 seconds in - the rest of the night was just as sloppy from Jones and the rest of the defensemen

Week Record: 0-2

Season Record: 15-41-5

Star of the Week: Ryan Donato

Slim pickings when the team has this bad of a week.

Donato was moved to the top Bedard line against Columbus and provided a much needed spark. He finished with 1 goal and 1 assist as the rest of the team struggled to get any offense going.

Play of the Week: Philipp Kurashev goal

News & Notes:

1. Arvid Soderblom lost his 14th straight game, and the Blackhawks capped off a 1-6-3 February 🤢

2. Every Shift Episode 5 dropped on YouTube - check it out here

3. The Hawks play 3 games on the road this week. They still haven’t won a road game since November 9th (0-20-1 in their last 21 games)

🏀 Chicago Bulls

TROPHY TRACKER

❌-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

Results:

L - Pistons 105, Bulls 95

Ooooof. The Bulls lost in ugly fashion to the worst team in the league, partly due to an unheard of 2-29 (6.9%) shooting night from 3. That’s the worst shooting night in NBA history for any team that took at least 28 3s in a game.

• Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 26 points on 9-13 FGs

• Nikola Vucevic (25p/10r) and Andre Drummond (20p/11r) each had a double-double, DeMar DeRozan also scored 25 points

• Alex Caruso missed portions of the 4th quarter due to a hamstring injury

W - Bulls 132, Cavaliers 123 (2OT)

What a WILD night at the United Center. The Bulls looked sluggish, were not shooting well again, and were down 11 in the 4th quarter. They turned on the jets, Ayo Dosunmu made key 3 pointers and hustle plays, and they forced overtime.

• Bulls outrebounded the Cavs 74-39 🤯 (second-most rebounds by a team in the last 27 SEASONS)

• Nikola Vucevic (24p/13r) and Andre Drummond (17p/26r) dominated the glass

• Snapped an 11-0 overtime game winning streak for the Cavs

• Onuralp Bitim scored 10 points in 28 minutes of playing time!!

L - Bucks 113, Bulls 97

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks showed the Bulls what a true contender looks like in a scrappy, physical game at the UC.

• Giannis had 46 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists

• DeMar DeRozan committed a flagrant foul, and Nikola Vucevic was ejected after a flagrant foul - the Bulls could not control their emotions all night

Week Record: 1-2

Season Record: 28-32

Star(s) of the Week: Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond

The men in the middle share the ⭐ this week!

The Bulls have been in a shooting slump, the team is shorthanded, and they’re playing .500 ball.

Vooch and Drummond have been carrying - with effort, with rebounding, and with points in the paint. Vooch averaged 22p/10.7r per game this week, and Drummond averaged 15.3p/15.7r. Insane numbers for two centers on one roster.

Play of the Week: DeMar DeRozan 360

News & Notes:

1. The Bulls went 5-5 in February and remain firmly entrenched in the #9 seed in the East.

2. Big-time free agent acquisition Jevon Carter only managed to get 29 minutes total in this week’s three games. His play has been disappointing, and he has honestly looked lost out there lately. Younger guys have surpassed him in the rotation, so we’ll see if he can turn his season around.

🏈 Chicago Bears

TROPHY TRACKER

1-2-3-❌-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

News & Notes:

1. Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus met the media at the Scouting Combine. Here are some highlights:

   💰 Poles believes he will get a long-term contract done with Jaylon Johnson. He was more transparent about negotiations than I’ve ever heard from an executive and stated that the Bears’ proposed cash flows and guarantees are very strong.

   ⌚ Poles would like to know his plan at QB as soon as possible, but he admitted that you can’t rush the information-gathering process. He reiterated that he “wants to do right by Justin [Fields]” if they decided to trade him and would like to complete that trade sooner rather than later.

   📞 Poles said his phone is constantly ringing, but there have not been any big trade conversations yet.

   🏈 Eberflus described what he looks for in a quarterback: success on 3rd down and end of game situations, toughness, standing in the pocket and making throws, escaping the pocket as needed, handling criticism, a winner

2. The currently reported consensus - at the end of Combine week - makes it sound like Caleb Williams will be a Bear.

3. Bears rumors at the Scouting Combine started as early as MONDAY MORNING. Peter King, in his retirement edition of Football Morning in America, wrote that he “guessed” the Bears would trade the #1 pick. TWICE. What a way to start a whirlwind of a week. Read it here.

4. Combine week also included Dan Orlovsky saying the Bears should take Jayden Daniels at #1 and many Twitter professionals claiming a Fields to Atlanta trade had been completed

5. NFL Player’s Association released their “report cards” that quantify player feedback on each organization and its workplace conditions. The Bears ranked 10th overall out of 32 teams. Here are the ratings:

Oh, and if we want to look to the NFL’s gold standard to see how the Bears can improve…the Chiefs ranked 31st out of 32 teams. Explain that one to me. Does an elite quarterback and head coach override everything else within an organization???

⚾ Chicago Cubs

TROPHY TRACKER

1-2-3-4-5-❌-7-8-9-🏆

News & Notes:

1. Cody Bellinger, Jed Hoyer, and Scott Boras met the media to re-introduce Bellinger to the Cubs. Here are some highlights:

   😕 It was interesting to have an agent share the podium for an introductory press conference. It flowed pretty well overall, but it seemed out of place to have Boras answering questions about the slow free agent market when the spotlight should have been on Belli.

   😊 Bellinger seemed very happy to be back. He mentioned loving Chicago, enjoying his teammates again, and wanting to take care of unfinished business from last season.

   😎 Bellinger and Pete Crow-Armstrong have a great relationship and respect for one another

2. Traded LHP Bailey Horn to the White Sox for RHP Matt Thompson in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Cody Bellinger

3. Sam Blum wrote a piece on Kris Bryant for The Athletic that covered his free agency process, the pressure he felt in Chicago, and his perspective on producing on the field in the future. Check it out here. KB essentially said he rushed his decision to sign with the Rockies and expected their farm system to be better…man do I feel bad for the guy being stuck out in Colorado. He’s a Cubs legend forever.

4. Craig Counsell told OF Mike Tauchman that he WILL be on the Opening Day roster.

5. I have lineup predictions after the Bellinger signing!

📣 SAY WHAT?

😎 GOOD ONE(S) ALERT

Nick Foligno and Kyle Davidson

Foligno and Davidson have both been exposed to the hardships involved with heart conditions.

Foligno’s daughter Milana was born with two heart conditions and has had multiple open heart surgeries. Davidson himself was born with a heart condition and has also had multiple open heart surgeries.

Nick Foligno and his wife, Janelle, started The Hearts Playbook foundation to give back to others dealing with these conditions.

Since they joined forces on the Blackhawks in the 2023 offseason, Foligno and Davidson have bonded over the shared challenges related to heart disease and decided to consistently serve those in need in the Chicago area.

Here’s a quick look at the help they are providing:

🔥 MILD TAKE ❄

NFL Draft philosophies are NOT “Best Player Available” vs. “Need”.

I’m convinced this is a fan-made argument. NFL front offices have an incomprehensible amount of data, spend ridiculous hours studying players, and utilize systems I’m sure we’ve never even heard about to analyze college prospects leading up to a draft.

But all of us armchair GMs always debate if our favorite team should “stick to their board” or draft someone in a position of need.

1) This is too much of a simplification.

2) GMs choose whoever they want. Sometimes they go rogue or do something unquantifiable.

3) Needs always impact decisions.

If you have an elite LT under contract for multiple years, you are NOT choosing a LT even if they’re the highest rated on your board.

If you have Patrick Mahomes, you are NOT choosing a QB even if they’re the highest rated on your board.

In recent Bears history, fans were outraged when Ryan Poles chose Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft when WR George Pickens was available. I believe Gordon and Brisker were higher on his board, and I’d argue every single position on the team was a position of need. Looking back, building the secondary with young DBs seemed very smart.

How do Mel Kiper, Field Yates, etc. all formulate multiple mock drafts each year? If “best players” AND “needs” weren’t important, then we’d simply see everyone’s prospect rankings. They can predict who chooses players because the team needs that position.

This year, the Bears have clear needs at center, wide receiver, defensive end, safety, tight end, and quarterback (unless you love Fields and think he’ll continue to improve). Yes, depth at other positions is important and will be accumulated, but these spots will be weighted.

I wish I could sit in on the Combine interviews to hear what the Bears brass is saying.

We’ll see what Ryan Poles does in his third draft as Bears GM. I’m a big fan of his track record already, so I’m excited to see who he selects this year.