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  • “Mexico is Raw” by guest reg Hippy

    “Mexico is Raw” by guest reg Hippy

    Mexico is raw. 

    Dusk urgency had us loading the van. 

    Not a good plan to drive at night type urgency

    I was to blame. I wouldn’t come in. 

    The jungle, when lush, is amazing; it’s like a green canopy creating a tunnel as high as the highest truck that prunes it over the two lane highway.. 

    We pulled through La Union and hit a checkpoint at the Troncones turn off. 

    “Dude, we are next to a Pemex”

    “Saw it, Fuck”

    You can’t turn around and have them follow you. If they control the national petrol station… That’s not the Military. 

    The Cartel monitors the highway because of business competition, not surf tourism, but that is not reassuring with automatic rifles and hard stares focused on your arrival to their open court. 

    “CHEEEEECagO” was all he said. I was wearing a Bear hat. 

    I took off my sunglasses and placed them of the brim of my hat, blocking the iconic “C” on my “lucky” Bear hat

    We were searched and my new name was Cheeeeeecago. 

    “¿Donde esta tu mota ?” 

    “No fumar”

    He didn’t believe me. We handed over our identification. Photocopies. We’ve been through this before, and there’s always money hidden inside the photo copies. 

    The feeling of being shaken down never becomes normal because there is no normal on a jungle highway. 

    Quick glance. Our “military” checkpoint did not issue military boots; they were all wearing tennis shoes. Not good. 

    What would it take to acquire Military issue uniforms?  

    The soldier in front of me with the assault rifle lingering much too close motioned to move over beyond the open door of our van. 

    As I moved, the reflections of an approaching semi truck illuminated the highway canopy and headed southbound towards our location. 

    That is when I noticed a sniper pad above us on the lush jungle headland and heard their whistles… They wanted us to move along.

    Their target was arriving.   

    The gun now faced me and his wide smile reminded me that he held the cards. 

    “Vamanos CHEEEECAGO”

    As he motioned for us to leave, he reached for my head and removed my sunglasses. He placed them on his face and smiled even wider…”Cheeeeeeeecgao”

    We drove past the highway fire pits and guns and suddenly resumed our hunger

    “You’re lucky he didn’t take your lucky Bears’ hat” was all Danny said. 

    I thought he was reaching for my hat. 

  • Zen 3

    Zen 3

    “Before one studies Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters; after a first glimpse into the truth of Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and waters are no longer waters; after enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and waters once again waters.”
    ― Dōgen

    “Some Native Americans used 3 categories for humans. Red-blooded, Pale-blooded and Golden-blooded:

    The red-blooded asks, “What’s for dinner?”
    The pale-blooded asks, “What is Truth?”
    The golden-blooded asks, ‘What’s for dinner?”

    – From a lecture I heard long ago

  • “Takeaways from the Bears’ offensive line extensions” by guest reg Rob

    “Takeaways from the Bears’ offensive line extensions” by guest reg Rob

    What should we make of the Bears’ decision to offer contract extensions to guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson?

    Ben Johnson wants continuity on his offensive line.

    Well, the Bears mostly have it now. Outside of left tackle, the Bears’ line, barring a major injury this year, is pretty much set for 2026. This may fall into the “give Caleb everything he needs” category, but it may also be an indicator that Johnson is looking beyond 2025 in terms of when the Bears may peak (assuming Caleb Williams is a legitimate QB).

    The team has some cover for left tackle

    If we can pencil in two solid seasons from Joe Thuney (Pro Bowl seasons would be a welcome surprise at his age), the Bears have some flexibility to try their hand at left tackle. Perhaps Braxton Jones benefits from some stability. If Kiran Amegadjie or Ozzy Trapilo is the starter on day one, the Bears have a veteran presence on the left side for multiple years to allow their new left tackle to learn and develop. The same applies if the Bears choose a left tackle in the ’26 draft.

    The Bears are narrowing down their needs in the ’26 draft…for now at least

    Setting aside the foolishness of talking about the ’26 draft before the ’25 season has commenced, the Bears may be able to focus on LT in the draft knowing that the rest of the line is set, with center/guard addressed in the ’27 draft.

    Ben Johnson might really like Jackson and Thuney

    We basically must hope this is the case. The contract extension for Jackson borders on lunacy – Jackson’s ’26 cap hit has been reported as the highest of any guard, having never come remotely closely to playing at such a stature. With that said, Jackson’s age makes him ripe for a contract extension that could reduce his cap hit in ’26.

  • Zen 2

    Zen 2

    In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind, there are few

    – Shunryū Suzuki

  • Duuuuvall DE?

    Duuuuvall DE?

    Still slow, but below’s a vid of best available FAs

    EDGE Za’Darius Smith, 6’4 270, 32

    Last year the Lions traded for him when Aidan Hutchinson went down

    Za’Darius isn’t the greatest vs run, but he is outstanding rushing QBs

    “He had more pressures in ’24 than guys like TJ Watt, Maxx Crosby, Bryon Burns and Will Anderson”

    Za’Darius would essentially play the Yannick Ngakoue/Darrell Taylor role as a pass rush specialist and little else, but as we saw with Taylor at least, that can be useful [esp if the price is right]

    I suspect Poles is eyeing “Dark Horse” DEs to trade for as well

    Your guess is as good as mine

    JAY makes a case for Kayvon Thibodeaux, but honestly, I don’t believe he’s big enough at 6’5, 258, he’s about 20 pounds too light. Thibodeaux also played in a two point stance at ROLB not with his hand in the dirt.
    Besides, 7 sacks per season? ehhhh


    Lambert over at Sportsmockery pitches for D.J. Wonnum. I give the author props for creativity, but Wonnum mirrors Thibodeaux at 6’5, 258, ROLB and Poles would have to take an INJ risk/upside gamble; that being said, Wonnum would be cheaper than more popular options

    My target would be former #1 overall pick Jags DE Travon Walker [6’5, 272, 24]; some trade rumors flew around Walker pre-draft. Could’ve been something or nothing, but perhaps he’s attainable. He started slowly with only 3.5 sacks his rook campaign, but has racked up 10 sacks in each of the past two seasons and has played in both a two and three-point stance. The Jags have plenty of cap to extend him, but will they? The Jags excercised the 5th year option on Walker, and maybe he’s not going to be overly thrilled about that if he notches another 10+ sacks. Plus, Jags hired a new GM in James Gladstone alongside a new HC in Liam “Duuuvall” Coen. Maybe they want THEIR guys in a ‘soft remake.’ They seem determined in salvaging underwhelming Trevor Lawrence‘s career and may want picks to do so

    In Walker, Poles could nab an ascending DE with an $11M cap hit this year which is more than manageable with some strategic cap magic

    The rest of the FAs are the usual suspects, so friendly reminder, HB JK Dobbins and Nick Chubb still available though both come with major INJ history. I don’t believe there’s a knee ligament they haven’t torn between the two of them, and then some

    Some interesting IOL can also be taken off the bargain-bin, but honestly, I kinda like where Bears are at there

    Bill Murray intrigued me last season before he went down. I am a bit curious if Ryan Bates still has anything in the tank, while Luke Newman is getting groomed for C/OG. At OT, Ozzy Trapilo is the swing, so Bears appear relatively sound at oline all around

    Never thought I’d say that

  • Zen

    Zen

    Preface

    Tradition of haikus shall continue! However, as opposed to subjecting y’all to my terrible haikus, I will relay actual zen-esque literature since I was personally irrevocably influenced by that Eastern philosophy

    Most of the quotes will be from essentially two books

    The first which I can’t recommend enough is entitled

    Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

    Edited by Paul Reps

    This book has likely influenced my life more than Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Spinoza, Kant, Hume, Paine, Mills, Nietzsche…

    It doesn’t take a PhD in comparative religion, theology or philosophy to “get” it. Like the greatest works, it isn’t a manual or some detailed metaphysical castle built on clouds. It’s more akin to that anecdote about five blind people feeling different parts of an elephant. The one by the trunk is going to describe the elephant one way, while the one feeling the leg, another, or the one feeling the underbelly, or riding on top. It’s the same elephant, but their imaginings of what the ‘real’ elephant is will subjectively differ. As such, the best works, teachers, neighbors or strangers will provide perspective to take it all in. To step back from your ‘self.’ “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” is mainly a collection of stories, anecdotes, plus some additional ancient material:

    ” 101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries

    The Gateless Gate, the famous thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans

    Ten Bulls, a twelfth century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment

    Centering, a 4,000 year-old teaching from India that some consider to be the roots of Zen.”

    The second book is entitled

    “The Little Book of Zen“

    by David Schiller

    I will be quoting from this book more simply because the material is concise – essentially a collection of sayings, parables, meditations, haikus and poetry

    I’ve actually come to this more recently, and while perhaps not as ‘transformative’, I do find myself reading between living

    Honestly, it’s a fantastic ‘bathroom book’ as you won’t be reading Hegel in there unless you take painful 2 hours scheißes!

    Besides, who knows? Maybe you’re doing your biz, read a line, reach for the last square of toilet paper, and attain enlightenment

    There’s nothing more zen than ascending to Buddhahood while taking a dump

    “A Cup of Tea“

    Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
    Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

    The professor watched the [cup] overflow until he no longer could restrain himself.

    “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

    “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

    —

    “Study of Two Pears“

    The pears are not viols
    Nudes or bottles.
    They resemble nothing else.

    – Wallace Stevens

  • Embrace the Darkness

    Embrace the Darkness

    Here’s a poll:

    If you were Poles, would you sign Aaron Rodgers for a $1?

    Now, I know what you’re saying [or cursing]

    ‘Never happen, Butch’

    But think about it. BOTH the Vikings and Packers spurned him, and as the saying goes

    “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”

    Rodgers would get the chance to stick it to both teams in at least 4 games [+ playoffs]

    Can you imagine anyone more motivated? Imagine Rodgers doing the WWF Belt Celebration as a Bear at Lambeau with Favre in attendance…

    If thou protest, “This will totally piss off Caleb!” think again. Caleb said his idol was Rodgers and modeled his game after him. Who passes up a chance to play with his idol?

    You wanted a vet QB to ‘mentor’ Caleb, there ya go!

    Plus, stop me if you heard this before…this will allow Caleb to learn Ben Johnson’s O from the bench for however long Rodgers lasts

    If Rodgers reverts to MVP form, great! Bears would be pulling a Packers in grooming QBs behind HOFers

    If Rodgers keeps playing like an old woman, then who’s more popular than the backup QB? A prepped Caleb Skywalker to the rescue, flipping through mid-air whilst catching a light-saber

    If ANY player would take a $1 out of petty vengeance, it’s Aaron “Darkness” Rodgers


    Spark up the ayahuasca!



  • Thuney Tunes

    Thuney Tunes


    Now that Joe Thuney has been extended until 2027 [a very reasonable contract if he remains healthy], does that mean the Bears cleared enough cap to trade for Trey Hendrickson? Well, yes, but mostly no unless Hendrickson is willing to play for that $16M/yr he’s currently on, then get paid next year

    If Poles cuts Tremaine Edmunds and D’Andre Swift in ’26 that could clear about $18.7M. Restructure some contracts, convert a bunch to signing bonus, and voila, technically Hendrickson could squeeze into cap

    The Bears would also have to count on the cap increasing by a good amount

    However, given that Hendrickson will likely demand upwards to $35M/yr, it’s easy to see how the cap would be tighter than a nun’s…budget

    Here’s a good breakdown on the situation

    IMO, I absolutely wouldn’t turn over a 1st. In fact, I wouldn’t offer anything higher than a 3rd. In some ways a team would be doing the Bengals a favor for taking the headache out of their locker room. The more this Hendrickson fiasco drags out, the more this becomes a bigger distraction as the days turn to weeks, even months, the less the Bengals are going to demand. At some point, gotta figure they just cut their losses. Then again, this is the cheap-ass Bengals that make the McCaskeys look like Sinatra

    Here’s another take on possibly trading for Hendrickson.

  • Film Master

    Film Master

    It’ll be slow for a while now, and I’m not about to write about practice ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ nor go in depth about camp bodies we’ll likely never hear about again

    [shot out to the Joe Anderson fan club]

    But here are some interesting vids discussing Caleb’s film watching


    Kurt Warner perhaps more than anyone stresses ‘process’ the most. I remember last year during the whole QB draft debates Warner discussing “full field cover reads” [dissecting if the D is in Cover 2, Cover 3, blitzes, man, zone, going from left to right…] vs “pure progression” [what most colleges run presently]

    “The more we have this pure progression stuff, the less these guys are really having to dive in and figure out the nuisances of tape” – Warner

    Warner admits that every QB has his own tape-watching process. For Warner watching tape was not “coach-driven” it was “player-driven”


    Dan Orlovsky argues that most colleges run a high tempo-no-huddle shotgun O where the QB doesn’t change formation or audible much while facing basic Ds

    So some NFL coaches may simply assume QBs coming into the league know more than they actually do

    Regardless, we can all agree the whole situation was a debacle last season

    With that in mind, I am curious if Ben Johnson will make Caleb go old school full-read or play to his comfort with pure-progression?

    Either way, Let’s just hope Ben Johnson rights the ship and quick





  • Cruel World

    Cruel World

    “Out to lunch”

    Gonna be celebrating all weekend, so here’s a few songs from some of the bands

    Club Doom