by Dom Danucci
CHICAGO, IL – To say a 15-2 record with a division record of 6-0 is an outstanding season by most fans standards, would be accurate. However, the McCaskey family knows that the bar in Chicago is set very high. The last coach was ousted due to personnel and clashes with ownership/management. Whenever you have a coach that goes 15-2, sometimes there is an ego issue. No one but the former coach, and management knows exactly what happened to cause this surprising blowup that caused the two sides to part ways, but what is known is who is leading the ship going forward.
Enter D*** Butkus Jr. Yes, that D*** Butkus. Well, his son. He has been a hot name in the collegiate level, but the McCaskey family knew he was looking to move up to the pros, this could have been fate, or partly why the job was open. Either way, DBJ knows what is expected in Chicago. He knows what it takes to win, and what it takes to build a winning team and a winning culture. Bill Parcells once coined a very famous phrase, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries“. DBJ made sure in his contract he would have a very high interest how this team is constructed moving forward.
The Chicago Bears were $-24 Million over the cap, but with a ton of draft picks for DBJ “groceries.” They made some tough choices by releasing fan favorites, DJ Moore, and Montez Sweat. These weren’t easy decisions. But when your star QB and star WR are on contracts years and will be making over $100 million dollars between them this season, some tough choices will have to be made. The fans weren’t happy about the departure of Moore and Sweat, but they had to get under the cap. DBJ knows that tonight’s draft is crucial in bringing in talent that will excel this team to a Super Bowl. He knows with 3 first round picks (2 of which are in the top 10), he has a lot of ammunition to reload this team. There aren’t a lot of glaring needs. They didn’t make much of a splash in Free Agency with little to no money. They filled some holes and are able to draft Best Player Available according to Butkus. Scouts and the front office has spent a ton of time with this class to determine their fit, their attitude, and talent to help bolster this already loaded roster.
Its yet to be seen how this draft plays out tonight. One thing is for sure, the bar is set extra high for D*** Butkus Jr. Not only for himself, but the legacy of his father.
