4 takeaways from Day 2 of Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp
The Chicago Bears have now completed their second of three mandatory minicamp practices. We touched on six key takeaways from the first day and we are back for more today. Remember, this is the last time the team will be together for team-organized practices before training camp starts in late July. There was not as much to come from today’s practice and press conferences, however, there are three takeaways I felt should be touched on.
Before we get into those, it should be noted that practice was cut short both yesterday and today. This had to do with the extreme heat that the Chicagoland area is facing right now. After the team was disciplined by the league, no one can call the team soft for doing this. You can’t have player safety put at risk for no reason at this point in the season. As someone who ran about half a mile from my downtown office to Union Station both today and yesterday, this heat is brutal. I’m not in bad shape but I would not want to be practicing football at full speed over the last two days. Yuck!
Another nugget but not something I’d consider a takeaway as it was notated in Matt Eberflus’ press conference yesterday — former Bears defensive line coach/defensive coordinator/assistant head coach, Rod Marinelli spoke to the team before practice today. Matt Eberflus and Marinelli have a history together and having him at practice sounds like it would be a great experience and learning resource— especially for the younger defensive linemen.
Alright, now on to the main takeaways from today’s minicamp practice.
Chicago Bears takeaway No. 1: Byron Pringle isn’t here to answer personal questions
If you all remember, Byron Pringle had a run-in with the law earlier this offseason that had many fans speculating about his future with the Chicago Bears. Pringle followed Ryan Poles from Kansas City and signed a one-year deal with the Bears. In April, Pringle was arrested for reckless driving with a minor in the back seat. Reports are that Pringle was doing donuts in his car on a public road.
Well, the beat reporters did their job, but Pringle wanted nothing to do with it. He was pleasant in his responses but very evasive of any questions that did not pertain to football. Honestly, who can blame him? I’m not thrilled he had a minor in the car, but I’ve done my fair share of donuts in a car and I’m sure most of you have too.
What Pringle did touch on was how excited he is about this new offense. He said he is lining up all over the place and he’s even learning new things from offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy. Like most other players, he lauded Justin Fields for his work ethic and physical abilities. This offense could be fun to watch, but all the pieces need to come together. Everything we are hearing is that the chemistry seems to be there, now it’s a question of do they have enough talent?