North: Bears have a lot on the line this week
Time for some more random thoughts …
• No NFL franchise wants to start out 0-2, so the Chicago Bears and coach John Fox better win their second home game after losing the season opener to the Green Bay Packers. If they don't, irrelevancy may set in before Game 5!
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sought the safety of Bears principal owner Virginia McCaskey and her luxury box last Sunday. We all know Goodell should have attended the Thursday opener at Foxboro to face the music in New England.
• I still think Peyton Manning burial is premature for the Denver Broncos quarterback. After four games last year, Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady was just 2-2 and on his way out. Patience ….
• I said on my Fox Sports Radio show that Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts would be one of the five head coaches fired at the end of the season. Some of my co-workers expressed surprise. Well, owner Jim Irsay has a short leash and if the Colts don't make the playoffs, look for Pagano to be gone!
• Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota had a great first game beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 42-14. I'm getting a kick out of people who think he can't be judged after just one game. Why not? What would they be saying if he had thrown 4 interceptions? So I'll say it: he was terrific in his professional debut and his arrow is pointing up.
• Will the Cubs really make it to the playoffs?
• The White Sox organization has to make some sweeping changes across the board - from the front office including marketing to the manager, because saying things are dismal on the South Side is an understatement. And they need to establish who's really in charge. Is it executive vice-president Kenny Williams or vice-president/general manager Rick Hahn calling the shots?
WLS 890-AM recently signed the Sox and Bulls for a six-year radio deal starting in April 2016. I hope that move starts with a change in the radio booth because the White Sox need help there, too.
It's time for Jerry Reinsdorf to do what the fans want or maybe it's time to think about selling the team.
• On the college football front, Paul Finebaum, host on the SEC Network, commented on ESPN the other day about the Big Ten. Hey Paul, stay in your lane. And while you're at it, tell your SEC apologists to quit crying about everything.
• Football coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Northwestern Wildcats aren't looking too shabby!
• The Leyden Eagles 12U baseball team is looking for four or five more players. Home games are played in Rosemont and the team will compete in a weeklong tournament in Cooperstown in June. For more info, contact Leydenbaseball12u@yahoo.com.
• Tune in this weekend as I host The Mike North Sunday Drive right after the Bears game on The Drive 97.1FM.
Program notes:
Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.
• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.