Jim O’Donnell: Five games, some waiting — but is the preferred nooner Bears-NE or WAS-PIT?
IN CHICAGO, SUNDAY BREAKS DOWN to a tale of two trails for NFL fans.
The rich and the resolute will be at Soldier Field watching the Bears scrimmage the New England Patriots (noon, Fox; Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston).
The microwaving and the lounging will be embracing the comfort of their own DVRs with a 14-hour TV card that starts off slow but will later touch the higher skies of pro football.
THE FIVE EASY PIECES:
Giants-Panthers from Munich (8:30 a.m., NFL Network) — Granted, probably the worst thing sent to Germany since Anheuser-Busch “Bud” beer. … But the marathon has to start somewhere.
Bears-Patriots — Impossible not to note that Matt Eberflus and his floating craps gamers have won their last eight at home. … But on the road (3-18 for Coach E's full run), they're as dicey as open boaters underneath a Dave Matthews tour bus.
Steelers at Commanders (noon, CBS) — Hopefully, the Bears will be up 17-3 early so viewers can turn to the happy footin' of Jayden Daniels. … The rookie QB is fun to watch, real time “Madden NFL 25.” … But he takes far too many chances throwing his beanpole chassis around.
Eagles at Cowboys (3:25 p.m., CBS) — PHL is -6 but Cooper Rush is 5-1 as a DAL starter in place of Dak Prescott. … That should guarantee some kind of theater. … Although, fourth-quarter closeups of a sullen Jerry Jones can make even a self-checkout blue-vest at Walmart smile.
Lions at Texans (7:20 p.m., NBC) — Dan Campbell's juggernaut is the most entertaining thing to hit NFL Detroit since Alex Karras was bartending at the Lindell AC. … Why did Aidan Hutchinson have to break a leg? … DET-KC in Super Bowl 59 will shake down echoes from Bobby Layne to Hank Stram's “matriculating.”
STREET-BEATIN':
Cloddish Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron hopefully took note of Baltimore's utilization of TE Mark Andrews during a 35-34 win over the Bengals Thursday night. Andrews — and Ravens OC Todd Monken — were brilliant during a 28-point second half. Waldron's failure to consistently integrate Cole Kmet into the CHI attack is positively Luke Getsy. …
Also brilliant during the Thursday nighter were speculators who jumped on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens — at +280 — midway through the third quarter when they trailed 21-7. (That means a $100 bet grossed a return of $380.) Joe Burrow and the Bengals (+6) were winners on the game-line. …
Hints that the Reinsdorf family and Danny Wirtz of the Blackhawks are not in perfect harmony over the ongoing TV freeze-out with Comcast/Xfinity. Also, the cable carnivore has announced a monthly “credit” of $8.85 to subscribers while Bulls and Connor Bedard games remain blowin' in the antenna wind. (That's largesse worthy of the free cups of water in the economy sections of United Airlines.) …
A sophisticated pro soccer expectation is that it may take a couple of seasons, but incoming Gregg Berhalter will turn Joe Mansueto's Fire around. Berhalter, 51, has begun to clean house as the team's new head coach and director of football. Dandy back fact: He's a second cousin — and godson — of baseball great Carl Yastrzemski. (The Fire preseason begins in January.) …
Young pioneer Sarah Kustok — once Chicago's very own — has entered her eighth season as TV analyst for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. Play-by-play mates include Ian Eagle and Ryan Ruocco. …
Rick Kaempfer's 2024 edition of “EveryCubEver” was pulled from sales at Wrigley Field because of concerns there was negative content. That's laughable. Tom Ricketts is far too big a man to allow that to happen again when updated #7 is released next spring. The book is a must-have for any serious fan of the Wigglies (Eckhartz Press, $30). …
Speaking of Chairman Ricketts, a great candidate to elevate staff after Julian Green as Cubs Sr. VP/comm is Brandon Faber. The facile free agent is the only person on the planet who can claim extraordinarily successful runs with the Bulls (2002-08), all three Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks (2008-2016) and the Bears (2016-24). Green — once press secretary to U.S. Senator Barack Obama — voluntarily left the vine lines to work for California-based Platinum Equity. …
And thoroughbred trainer Wayne Catalano, at the visitation for Frank Calabrese, the late championship horse owner: “I was surprised he didn't hop up to yell at me one last time.”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Thursday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.