I remember years ago filling my head with some useless facts. The state of North Dakota having the least amount of tourists out any of the 50 states in America. It’s South Dakota that has the town of Deadwood and Mount Rushmore. What is the hell do you do up North? Only thing that jumps out to me, I have to admit it’s not a state I have been to, is North Dakota State University. The Bison which the fans up there call it the Thunderous Herd because they have a great football program. Maybe North Dakota can brag and say they have better football than the state of South Dakota. When you think of what players would come to the NFL from either North or South Dakota, I would say farm boys that can pull a tractor and work the farms growing up make awesome offensive linemen. The Bison have produced two quarterbacks in the last several years who were picked very high in the draft. The expectations were very high on Carson Wentz and Trey Lance, but neither of them have shown what they did at the college level as if the NFL game for the small school is too much to handle.

Lets talk about Carson Wentz first as he was drafted number two overall all in the 2016 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz has a Superbowl ring from probably his best season as a pro. Wentz in his second year in 2017 was 11-2 as a starter as the Eagles were in cruise control that season. Wentz had 33 touchdown passes to only 7 interceptions and it looked like the Eagles picked a “winner winner chicken dinner” and have a franchise quarterback for years to come. Wentz went down with an injury and did not return for the rest of regular season or the post-season. This at the same time that Nick Foles, a veteran quarterback, hot at the right time. The rest was history as the Eagles won their first ever Superbowl title. knocking out Tom Brady and the Evil Empire Patriots. Wentz would still be the Eagles’ future for a few more seasons as Foles would get the big money in Jacksonville. Wentz was never the same after that great 2017 season. The Eagles would eventually draft Wentz’s replacement Jalen Hurts as Wentz moved on to Indianapolis. Wentz was having a good season with the Colts until the last game of the season where he was horrific in a game the team needed to win in order to get in the playoffs. In 2021, the Colts were one of the hottest teams in the league at the time and would have been a team nobody wanted to face. Wentz’s bad game killed that pipe dream and his days wearing a Colts uniform. Colts traded Wentz to Washington. Last season for the Commanders, Wentz only played in 8 games & had a 2-5 record while throwing 11 touchdown passes with 9 interceptions. Wentz missed time with injury. When he came back, the Commanders went in another direction with their quarterback position. In seven seasons, Wentz’s record as a starter in the NFL is 46-45 while throwing 151 touchdown passes and he has tallied up 66 interceptions while completing 62% of his passes. This season Wentz remains a free agent as no team has been interested in his talents, not even as a back up option.

In 2021, another North Dakota State quarterback went high in the draft. The San Francisco 49ers selected Trey Lance in the first round third overall. The 49ers already had Jimmy Garoppolo when they took Lance very high which puts additional pressure on a rookie quarterback coming in to camp. This move did not pan out like the Eagles handed the keys over to Jalen Hurts to be the driver of their offense. Lance is only 23 years old and has had a pair of starts in each season he has played in the NFL which has been two seasons so far. In 8 games total, Lance is 2-2 as a starter and has tallied up 797 passing yards with 5 touchdown passes and three interceptions while completing only 54% of his passes. Like Wentz, injuries have taken Lance off the field as he missed the rest of the season last year after making his first two starts of the season. This is when the 49ers discovered Brock Purdy after Jimmy G came in to rescue the 49ers season. Jimmy G was then derailed and Purdy finished the march to post-season. In the off-season, Jimmy G left as a-free agent signed with the Raiders. Purdy going into the season is the 49ers QB 1. The 49ers added veteran quarterback Sam Darnold in the off-season. Lance obviously was not impressive during training camp this season so the 49ers traded the former number one pick to the Cowboys for a simple 4th round pick. Not very Thunderous for a 23 year old first round pick in 2021.

The Bison from North Dakota State have had three quarterbacks drafted in the NFL all-time. All three guys over the last ten year,s as we forgot about Easton Stick. Stick has one game in the NFL for the Chargers as he’s perfect 1-1 passing for 4 yards. Stick was drafted in 2019 by the Chargers in the 5th round. One guy from North Dakota state who not a quarterback had a pretty good rookie season with Aaron Rodgers throwing to him last year. Christian Watson caught 41 balls for the Packers for 611 yards while hauling in 7 touchdown passes. My favorite all-time Bison played for the Buffalo Bills in the 1990’s, Phil Hansen. Hansen was part of those 4 Superbowl teams as he played defensive end. Hansen played 11 seasons in the NFL all with the Bills as he tallied up 61 sacks.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, may have thoughts on how he can get the best out of Trey Lance. The kid obviously has talent to be picked in the first round of the draft and is still only 23 years old. The Cowboys starter is definitely Dak Prescott, we all know that. Last year, Cooper Rush did very well filling the shoes of the injured Prescott. Imagine Rush is QB number two. Lance has to be third on the depth chart. Maybe having Lance hold a clip board and watching on the sidelines for a year could do wonders for the former number one draft pick. You know Lance will get another chance. I think Carson Wentz will get another shot with another team. I don’t see Wentz becoming the guy he was in 2017 as too much time has lapsed. Once upon a time ago, I thought he had a chance at being one of the top tier quarterbacks in the league. I never thought that of Trey Lance. If I was any team and if North Dakota State ever gets another top quarterback from that school, I may be leery about taking in the very first round just because of the Bison recent history. It took North Dakota State a very long time just to produce their first quarterback in the NFL it may take them a long time to circle the wagons to get the another guy to that level because again this is North Dakota we talking about. I think a safer bet is to go with a farm boy from the Thunderous Herd for the offensive line rather than a guy behind center. I wish Lance well. Playing for the Cowboys you may have to root against him now. No one wants to see Jerry Jones being the smart executive on football-related decisions. If Lance ever materializes as a good quarterback, Jones’ fat head will grow an even bigger ego. We just can’t let that happen.

The Washington Redskins in 2020 caved in to all the pressure the organization was getting to change their name. When you think of 2020… you think of the widespread Covid pandemic that spread across the world. You think of the Summer in the states… the racial uneasiness that brought cities to their knees that looked like the soon-to-be apocalypse. The owner at the time for the Washington organization, Dan Synder, fought these people that wanted the Redskins scalped from the team’s helmet for years. The name & the logo of the Redskins was a symbol of racism against the Native Americans. Some people compared the Redskins logo to the confederate flag in the south. Suddenly American history needed to be changed as Christopher Columbus statues across the states took the brunt of people’s hostility in one of our most difficult years as a country. Syder would cave because the entire ordeal became a distraction for the football team. Did we get all the information and the facts that Native Americans were offended by the Redskins? Did weak politicians give in to these groups as a way to try to smooth what the white people did to the original people of North America? Suddenly a Native American group claims the Redskins did not mean anything hateful to other people or their own and they want their name back. They have over 100,00 signatures wanting the Washington Football team to go back to the Redskins and scrap the Commanders’ name.

The Native American Guardians Association are behind the online petition that is suddenly making some noise and growing legs. Billy Dieckman is a member of the NAGA group and advisor to the Kiowa Tribe. Dieckman calls the Redskins a “myth of bloody scalps” and the name and logo being a symbol for hate is not true. The logo & the name Redskins means a symbol of elite warriors. The imagery is a real person named Chief Two Guns White Calf. This name and logo were given to the Washington organization by the Blackfoot tribe as a forever gift and to play the game on the gridiron like the greatest warriors of all time. NAGA claims the name and logo were taken away without even consulting them. NAGA has written a letter to the new owner of the team saying they need to reinstate the old name Redskins or the organization could face a backlash at the ticket office.

Could this new group be on to something, the Native American Guardians Association? What generation of Native Americans are insulted by having some of their rich history being displayed on field, court or Ice? Who would not want to see their own heritage being celebrated? I think people from other races play a factor in this. They try to use other groups of people for their own agenda. How do we make it up to the Native Americans as the white people did screw them? By taking away all their names that have been playing sports and representing school, universities, and professional sports. Not to degrade them but to appreciate the history of what they bring to the table. The Chicago Blackhawks were named after a Chief named Blackhawk who was an Native American in the state of Illinois and his name originally was the name used for the U.S. 86th Infantry Division. Then schools like Florida State give money back to the local tribes as you notice the Sentinels never have problems with any groups trying to change their names. The Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs have a Tomahawk Chop which some could say is insulting. If you were Scottish playing the bag pipes, would that be normal? Every nationality has their own thing and I imagine some group used a tomahawk chop at some point. The Cleveland Indians looks more like former NBA player Scottie Pippin than an actual Chief. I guess Native Americans would be insulted by No Pippin Tipping. The Washington football team was named the Redskins since 1933. That name has many decades and many generations of football history. How many of these fans are politicians or groups using the Native American to help their own agenda? Do you think we got all the facts? How many actual Native Americans watched football and actually root for the Redskins? I think of these Native Americans as a peaceful group that put their pants on the same way everyone else does, one leg at a time. Everyone wants to have a great family and group of friends in life. Most of the world want to live life and have fun together. It’s the small majority that are pains as everything is wrong but forget things have gotten better and will continue to progress, we all are hopeful unless that majority ruins it for others. Everyone has a different spin on these sports logos that Native American history is either being erased for good or keep it going in the sports world. I have no skin in this game until some group replaces the name of a team I like. Every kid growing up playing sports that put on a cap or wear a jersey, likes the logo or the name of that team or they would not wear it. Sports are so innocent. People’s nationality and their ways, food they eat and what they drink are incredible. And leave you wanting to know more history. I’m not buying the idea that teams use the logo of Indian as hatred. Maybe the opponent you play that day you can hate only during the game. I think the Washington Football Team is better than the Washington Commanders. Bringing back history of the Redskins, I would love to see it. I would love to see the NAGA group get their way and return the name of the Redskins to gridiron. Did everyone get a say in the Redskins name change? Probably not. Once again the small majority are trying to take away everything everyone cares for. Instead of getting all the facts.

I’m not sure if Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus sang that Janis Joplin song to his General Manager Ryan Poles about wanting a Mercedes Benz. The GM of the Bears delivered a Marcedes Lewis to the Bears’ offensive garage. The Bears’ new Marcedes is not new right out of the German factory, instead Eberflus is getting a classic 39 year old model. Does it make a difference if it’s a Lewis and not a Benz? For the Bears offense, a Lewis may be able to create bigger holes than a Benz. The biggest question is: Why do the Bears need a Mercedes when they already have a Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan in the garage?

Marcedes Lewis is 39 years old and will be playing his 18th season in the NFL which would break a tie with some of the greatest tight ends that ever played the game. Lewis this season will set a record for the most years playing the tight end position which was 17 as he was tied with Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez. Lewis had played in 251 games in the NFL which ranks 5th with active players in the league right now. Those 251 games he suited up is good for right now at 52nd all-time. The first thought that comes to mind is that is lot of mileage playing 251 games. The second question is that Lewis is no spring chicken. Does he have enough in the tank to get him through another grind of an NFL season? Last season. Lewis caught 6 balls for only 66 yards but had two touchdowns. Lewis is not being signed for his pass catching abilities but makes a nice red zone option. Lewis is different from Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan because he is one of the best blocking tight ends in the game and is used to help the team’s running game. At 39 years old he can still do his job better than most spring chickens or jive turkeys that take on those responsibilities in the game.

Marcedes Lewis was drafted 28th overall back in 2006 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lewis has only suited up for two teams his entire career so that tells you how important he can be for your team. Lewis played 12 seasons in Jacksonville and 5 years in Green Bay. Lewis has 432 catches during his 17 year career so far with 5,084 receiving yards while catching 39 touchdown passes. Aaron Rogers, Lewis’ quarterback for the 5 seasons in Green Bay, even said he would love to retire with Lewis. He’s that important as he tried to have the Jets pick him up. Lewis chose the Bears instead as Chicago seems like Green Bay 2.0 with all the cheeseheads relocating. Lewis is familiar with the Bears offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, who was the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. Lewis has several teammates he has played with that are currently on the Bears roster such as tight end Robert Tonyan, guard Lucas Patrick, and wide receiver Equanimeous Brown.

This is a great move by the Bears and GM Ryan Poles. The Bears have a young team and they added multiple players this off-season to both sides of the ball. Poles and the coaching staff are still asking those important questions regarding what does this team still need. What are the weaknesses? The Bears recently added defensive end Yannick Ngakoue because they did not have a guy that can sack the quarterback on regular basis. Ngakoue was the best available and could be a sleeper type of signing as this recent move with Marcedes Lewis. On offense, the Bears want to have a well balanced attack with their running and passing game. Lewis will be an important cog in the running game. Lewis could be a nice target in the red zone for quarterback Justin Fields because he’s a big target. Then a guy who’s 39 years old and a 17 year veteran on young team can show these guys in the locker room how he prepares himself for the grind which is a season in the NFL. How he keeps his body intact & in shape to stand the wear and tear of an 18 game season and hopefully playoffs. This move is a gift that keeps on giving for the Bears. Let’s also not forget Lewis has been a team captain for many years with both the Jaguars and Packers which is a guy that will get the respect from all his teammates even coaching staff. Sometimes bringing in your former enemies, your rival guys, is a nice tactic to turn around your franchise and get back at a team that has owned you for decades.

In the movie The Program, the coach asks his line backer what his assignment is on the next play as the team is studying game film. Alvin Mack, the line backer, regarding the first play response is, “Kill the Quarterback.” Then the next play response is, “Hit the tight end so hard his girl friend dies.” The final play response is, “KILL EVERYONE.”

The Chicago Bears last season let the quarterback live as they torched their defensive unit with an insane amount of points per game. The Bears as a group only had 20 sacks which is the lower levels in the deep waters of the NFL. The Bears had done a nice job improving their defense over the course of the season, adding big names to improve that terrible defense of 2022. Overall, the team has improved on both sides of the ball through free agency and the NFL draft. The defense was still missing one ingredient – a guy that actually can kill the quarterback on any given Sunday. The Bears finally addressed that missing ingredient by signing the best still available in defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

Yannick Ngakoue last season played for the Indianapolis Colts and had a pretty good year wearing the blue horse shoe on his helmet. Ngakoue played in 15 games and tallied up 9.5 sacks with 16 hits on the quarterback and forced one fumble. Ngakoue is 28 years old and has played in the NFL for seven seasons as he started his career in Jacksonville. The Jaguars drafted Ngakoue in the 3rd round in the 2016 draft. In 2017, Ngakoue was part of that 2017 Jaguars defense that took that team all the way to the AFC Championship game. Ngakoue was all-pro that year as he led the league in forced fumbles with 6 and racked up 12 sacks. The Bears will be Ngakoue’s 6th team as he also suited up for the Vikings, Raiders, and Ravens. In 110 games, of which 102 of them have been starts, Ngakoue has 65 career sacks and 21 forced fumbles.

Last season, Jaquan Brisker led the Bears with 4 sacks as Matt Eberflus’ defense had to go through turnover as the GM Ryan Poles traded away many of the veterans he inherited from the last regime. The Bears added some talented line backers to the defense in free agency, as they gave former Bills defensive leader, Tremaine Edmunds, a big deal to come play in Chicago. The Bears did address their defensive line adding DeMarcus Walker, who had a career year playing his only season with the Titans. Walker had 7 sacks – by far his most ever he had in one season. You have to go back to 2020 when Walker wore a Bronco uniform & he tallied 4.5 sacks his last season he played in Denver. The Bears have been hoping Trevis Gipson has a rebound year. Then the Bears have a few other guys like Dominique Robinson and Rasheem Green in their rotation that are not guys known to get to the quarterback. Obviously, the Bears defense improved, but they still had kinks in the armor and bringing in Yannick Ngakoue gives this unit a threat that opposing offenses have to watch out for.

Why is Yannick Ngakoue still available when training camps are already in session? The first thought that comes to mind is that Ngakoue can be a cancer in the locker room. Maybe he wants way too much money? The Bears signed Ngakoue to one year deal for only 10.5 million which 10 was guaranteed. Ngakore has left money on the table in the past with the Jaguars. Everyone wanted to leave Jacksonville back then because the team quickly regressed the year after making it to the AFC championship and the team did not have a quarterback. Ngakoue tried the Ravens, Vikings, and the Raiders thinking they had a chance to win. Ngakoue waited for the team that he thought has a chance to win and could utilize his talents and that is the Bears, which might be the perfect marriage. This is a one year deal and an easy risk with high ceiling if it works out. I like the fact that Ngakoue has never missed more than two games in a season since he started in 2016 with the Jaguars. I think Ngakoue will work well with Matt Eberflus’ defense. The Bears have a wrecking crew at their linebacker positions. They have some nice things in their secondary. Ngakoue can do his thing and will not feel like he has to take the entire team on his back like Khalil Mack did a few seasons ago. Most importantly, Ngakoue has a track record in his career. You know this guy will get close to ten sacks and has the knack for forcing fumbles which my memory serves me well on. The Peanut Punch by Charles Tillman had some epic turnovers with those teams from the early 2000’s. Ngakoue’s presence will get the respect by opposing teams. If he does not actually get the sack, he can cause havoc with his pressure to force the opposing quarterbacks into mistakes. I can see a hit early in the game can cause the quarterback to think in his head, where is the guy. Ngakoue’s pressure can make others better like DeMarcus Walker on the other side of the line. The Bears have not used all their money for their salary cap as they are not looking to spend it like a drunken sailor, as in past years paying for stupid players you don’t need. A one year deal for Ngakoue’s talents is bravo and finally I’m glad the new regime realizes you need guys that can kill the other team’s quarterback.