Mark Potash

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Neil Steinberg |Rick Telander |Rick Morrissey |Mark Potash

As a rule, you’re not supposed to draw attention to what isn’t in the newspaper. The idea is, you’ve got everything right here, in your hands. All the news you need to know today, plus a horoscope, comics and tomorrow’s weather. Anything that isn’t here doesn’t matter. But the key rule about newspapers is: There is no rule that can’t be scrapped as circumstances dictate. Sometimes the stylebook gets set aside. Sometimes the loss is too big to ignore.

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mark Potash

When Bears general manager Ryan Poles acquires a player in a high-profile transaction, you often have to look at the other end of the deal: Why was Mike Tomlin giving up on Chase Claypool? Why was Mike Vrabel letting Nate Davis go in free agency? What did they know that the Bears did not? As it turned out, both players had baggage that short-circuited their Bears’ careers.

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mark Potash

Former Bears defensive tackle John Johnson, who died at 83 on Feb. 20, was a backup for most of his seven-year NFL career but retired in 1969 with an enviable resume. As a rookie he played on the Bears’ 1963 NFL championship team — starting one game and coming off the bench in the 14-10 victory over the Giants that won the title. He played for George Halas. He played with Hall of Famers Dick Butkus, Bill George, Doug Atkins, Stan Jones, Mike Ditka and Gale Sayers.

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mark Potash

Bears general manager Ryan Poles is swamped with the offseason responsibilities of free agency and the upcoming NFL draft. But sooner or later he’ll have to turn his attention to cornerback Kyler Gordon and the contract extension Gordon is expected to get after three impressive seasons with the Bears. Gordon, a second-round draft pick (39th overall) in 2022 — Poles’ first draft pick as the Bears’ general manager — was a shining light in a mostly dreadful 2024 season as a standout slot cornerback.

Mar 8, 2025 | chicago.suntimes.com | Mark Potash

The Bears are riding a wave of Ben Johnson-fueled momentum into the opening of free agency Monday, and it has no end in sight. General manager Ryan Poles set himself up to play from a position of strength in free agency with a pair of acquisitions on the offensive line that addressed the Bears’ most critical weakness and confirmed his acknowledgement of reality: Everything the Bears do revolves around Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.