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Chicago Bears Trade Justin Fields To Pittsburgh
RYAN POLES DOING RIGHT BY JUSTIN FIELDS DOES RIGHT FOR THE BEARS' FUTURE
By Joshua M Hicks
Sports Editor
(@joshmhicksmedia)
The saga is over: Justin Fields is no longer a Bear. That is the story that took over the sports world in the middle of St Patrick's Day weekend. It’s not surprising that it happened, it is a situation that needed to happen in order for both Fields and the Bears to move forward with new starts. But the biggest message from the trade is not what either party didn’t get, but what they both got. Credibility, and solid foundation for better futures.
Fields going to Pittsburgh was the best situation that he could be in. The Steelers have been a proven franchise of stability. They only had three head coaches in the last 55 years, with head
coach Mike Tomlin being the head coach for now his upcoming 17th season. Tomlin is not only known for being one of the few African-American head coaches to win a Super Bowl and never experience a losing season, but also is known as a players’ coach who adapts his coaching to the skills sets of the players to get the most production from his collective talent.
Under Tomlin, Arthur Smith, the new Steelers offensive coordinator, can adjust his offense to match Fields’ skills as a mobile quarterback, especially with the dynamic running game the Steelers have behind running back Najee Harris.
Smith will also be teaching the offense to their new starting quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, whom they acquired in free agency after he was released by the Denver Broncos.
For Fields to leave an unorganized franchise who couldn’t give Fields a consistent coaching staff where he can actually grow and learn to now enter a new chapter of stability, learning from hall of fame coaching, quarterback play with an opportunity to be the franchise quarterback of the future is a recipe for success, and a chance to redeem his name in the league.
Prior to the Fields trade, general manager Ryan Poles made it clear that he respects Fields and wants to do right by him. Recent reports confirmed that, stating that roughly five teams inquired about Fields, but through communication with his agent Fields emphasized desires for Pittsburgh as his destination and Poles granted Fields’ wishes.
However, this trade is significant due to the fact that even though all parties understood the business, the certification of their relationship was put on display by how they handled the business.
In the modern-day league, the relationship of players and their front offices are critical to not only the current success of a team, but the future of a team that wants to be viewed as a credible, desired place that will look out for its players and compete for championships.
As a former player, Poles understood this, and is the reason why you hear so many players rave the respect that they have for him.
Chicago Bears' Quarter Back Justin FIelds celebrates a victory. Photo by John L. Alexander/ ON AIR Daily News (file photo).
Poles is building a culture that benefits all parties, and when you treat athletes as humans and not products, you get the respect that the franchise has been needing since their last Super Bowl appearance nearly 20 years ago.
Yes, the Bears didn’t get the best haul they possibly could’ve gotten for the Fields’ deal, especially since they didn’t choose to wait until draft day to see if a better deal could be on the table.
What they did get, however, is something bigger and better that will benefit them in the long run. A necessary component that will ultimately move the franchise that much closer in the right direction to bring the Bears back to championship glory.
This was a good trade. Both parties not only began the process of gaining more credibility, but they officially began the building process of a solid foundation for better futures.
Chicago Bears' Quarter Back Justin FIelds outruns a tackle to gain yards. Photo by John L. Alexander/ ON AIR Daily News (file photo).
Chicago Bears' Quarter Back Justin FIelds greets fans at Soldier Field. Photo by John L. Alexander/ ON AIR Daily News (file photo).
WINDY CITY BULLS DEFEAT GRAND RAPIDS GOLD Thursday 116-95
The Windy City Bulls Steal Gold Not Once, But Twice in Back-to-Back Games
By Joshua M Hicks
Sports Editor
(@joshmhicksmedia)
HOFFMAN ESTATES - The Windy City Bulls struck gold with a two-game winning streak after defeating the Grand Rapids Gold in back-to-back games in the Windy City, winning Thursday March 14 with a score of 116-95 after winning Tuesday March 12 with a score of 95-93. Thursday’s win gives the team a 13-15 record.
The Bulls started the game strong on Thursday. Guard Jalen Harris (2) put his emphasis on the offense early with a quick 8 points. Guard Ben Coupet Jr. (11) followed up with 5 points of his own and center Adama Sanogo (21) established his presence on both ends of the floor, starting with 4 points to give the Bulls a 28-21 lead. The team shot 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line.
The momentum carried into the second quarter thanks to Sanogo's offensive efforts. But the Gold made a 10-0 run to tie the game up at 41 midway through the quarter. But the Bulls stopped the bleeding behind the play of guard Ryan Arcidiacono (51), Harris and Sanogo to give the team a 54-47 lead at halftime.
At halftime, Sanogo was leading the way with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Harris had 10 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.
The team was holding the Gold to shooting 31 percent from the 3-point line, while shooting 51 percent from the field and 47 percent from the 3-point line.
The Bulls didn’t let up, pushing their halftime lead to double digits behind the aggressive offensive play of Sanogo, Harris and Coupet Jr. Guard Jacob Young (42) joined the party by adding in 13 points (most coming in the third quarter) to give the team an extra boost to extend their double digit lead, heading into the fourth quarter with a 21-point, 90-69 lead.
The annihilation continued through the fourth quarter as Young and others such as guards Chase Audige (17) and Evan Gilyard’s (1) contributing efforts helped secure the 116-95 victory for the Bulls.
Sanogo finished the game with a double-double, putting up 23 points and 13 rebounds. Coupet Jr scored 18 points, while Young and Harris finished with 15 points.
The Bulls bench outscored the Gold’s bench 44-26 with the Bulls shooting 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line, compared to the shooting of 39 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line from the Gold.
The next game will be Friday, March 15, 2024 against the College Park Skyhawks. The game starts at 7:00 pm at NOW Arena.
Windy City Bulls Center Adama Sanogo's 23 points and 13 rebounds contributed greatly to Thursday's 116-95 victory against the Grand Rapids Gold. On Tuesday's game against the Grand Rapids Gold, he finished with a double-double of 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Photo by Brandon Collier/ON AIR Daily News (File Photo).
Windy City Bulls Turn Up the Heat in Second Half, Complete Comeback with 106-97 Victory
By Joshua M Hicks
Sports Editor
(@joshmhicksmedia)
Bulls guard Quenton Jackson (29) plans an offensive strategy as he takes the ball down court. Photo by Brandon Collier
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL - After suffering a devastating loss in their last game against the Indiana Mad Ants, the Windy City Bulls bounce back with vengeance Saturday, February 24, 2024, to take a 106-97 victory with 5,137 fans in attendance.
The Bulls started the game behind the offensive leadership of guard Quenton Jackson and
center Adama Sanogo, who scored the team’s first points of the game. Guard Jacob Young
joined the party, chipping in six points to add to Jacksons’ five points and leading the team in
scoring heading into the end of the first quarter down by four with a 26-22 deficit.
The second quarter was all the same. Keifer Sykes was a spark off the bench, bringing
defensive intensity and timely scoring to keep the game within reach.
But the turnovers and lack of shooting, especially from the 3-point line, wounded the Bulls,
shooting 39 percent from the field and only 13 percent from behind the arc.
The Mad Ants didn’t make things easy on the Bulls either, going on a 15-3 scoring run over a 3-
minute stretch to expand their lead to double digits, forcing the Bulls to head into halftime with a
54-43 deficit.
Despite aggressive defense by Mad Ants center Oscar Tshiebwe (44) Windy CIty Bulls guard Quenton Jackson (29) maneuvers the ball to WCB center Adama Sanogo (21). Photo by Brandon Collier
In comparison to the first half, a different Windy City Bulls team emerged for the second half.After a quiet first half, Sanogo re-established his presence on both ends of the floor. Through his aggressive play, Jackson’s leadership and a spark from guard Jalen Harris off the bench, the Bulls made a comeback, recovering from a double-digit deficit to tie the game at 77 to end the third quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, the game was tight. But Jackson took over the quarter, giving the team the necessary boost for the team to seal the victory.
“I feed from [Jackson], he keeps me going,” Sanogo said. “As a team we feed off his energy. Things were going bad for us but he came in and hit a tough three. That got us going. I’m not surprised by it, he can do this any day he wants.”
Windy City Bulls center Adama Sanogo (21) aggressively defends the basket against a Mad Ants shot attempt, while WCB guard Quenton Jackson waits for the rebound, securing the 106-97 victory for the Windy City Bulls Saturday February 24th. Photo by Brandon Collier.
Windy City Bulls Bench Scores 27 Points
Sanogo finished the game with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Forward Henri Drell had 14 points. The bench scored 27 points compared to the Mad Ants’ 18 points, a key component Sanogo emphasized as part of the reason the team was able to come back.
“That’s what makes a team great,” Sanogo said. “We won today because of our bench. They came in with more energy. That’s what makes our team great, to be able to have 8 or 9 guys play and it was good to see them play today."
Adama Sanogo (21) and Quenton Jackson (29) congratulate each other on a game well played. Photo by Brandon Collier
Windy City Bulls' Prayers Answered With a 113-99 Victory
Windy City Bulls' Top Scorer Forward Henri Drell (0) Hits 38 Points
Windy City Bulls' forward Henri Drell sees his prayers answered, scoring a game high 38 points against Raptors 905 on Sunday, February 11, 2024 at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, helping to brake a two game losing streak. Photo by John L. Alexander
Bulls Take 12 Point Lead in First Quarter and Dominate Game
Windy City Bulls' center Quenton Jackson (29) makes a leap for the basket over the head of Raptors 905 guard Javon Freeman-Liberty (0), helping the Bulls maintain the lead. Photo by John L. Alexander
By Naimah Latif
Reporter
@NaimahL
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL - The Windy City Bulls emerged victorious Sunday, February 11th, winning at home against the Raptors 905 with a score of 113-99. After grabbing a 12 point lead in the first quarter, the Bulls managed to stay ahead by simply outscoring the Raptors 905.
Although the Raptors held previous high scorer guard Quenton Jackson to just 6 points, forward Henri Drell (0) exploded on the court with 38 points, followed by Bulls' center Adama Sanogo (21) with 24 points. Top scorer for the Raptors 905 was forward Kobi Sommons (2) with 26 points, followed by Raptors' guard Javon Freeman-Liberty (0) with 24 points. The Windy City Bulls' early lead in the first quarter at one point gave them a 20 point lead, scoring 26 points, while the Raptors 905 trailed far behind with just 6 points. The Raptors managed to narrow the gap during the third quarter.
Windy City Bulls' Marvin Smith (5) stretches to avoid a blocked shot by Raptors 905's Omari Moore (4). Photo by John L. Alexander.
Windy City Bulls' top scorer forward Henri Drell is congratulated after a victory on Sunday, February 11th at the NOW Arena as the team prepares to hit the road for the next game against the Maine Celtics on Wednesday February 14, 2024. Photo by John L. Alexander
The Raptors fought hard to regain their footing after a slow start and came back from behind to tie the game twice, despite a 20 point first quarter lead by the Bulls. The Raptors even briefly took the lead over the Windy City Bulls, but were unable to turn the advantage into a win, as the Bulls pulled ahead in the final moments to claim victory after a two-game losing streak to the Osceola Magic. The Windy City Bulls will hit the road for the next two games, playing against the Maine Celtics on Wednesday, February 14 at the Portland Exposition Building in Portland, ME, and against the Westchester Knicks in Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY. The Windy City Bulls return for the next home game on Saturday February 24, 7:00pm.
Windy City Bulls Lose to Osceola Magic 102-97
Windy City Bulls Suffer Back to Back Losses To Osceola Magic in a 36-Hour Span
Windy City Bulls' guard Evan Gilyard (#1) brought hope for a win with a 7-point spark that gave the Bulls an 82-81 lead at the end of the third quarter, but Osceola bounced back in the fourth quarter and claimed victory. Photo by John L. Alexander
By Joshua M. Hicks
Sports Editor
On Hispanic Heritage Night, the Windy City Bulls failed to redeem themselves, losing back to
back games in a span of 36 hours against the Osceola Magic. Tonight’s defeat puts them at 5-
11 on the season.
The Bulls took the first punch, starting the game sloppy with a few turnovers in the first couple
minutes of the first quarter. Combine that with a slow offense, the team struggled to keep the
game close, opening the game shooting 25 percent from the field while the Magic went on a 13-
4 run prior to the first break of the game.
But the Bulls bounced back behind the quick aggressive play of center Adama Sanogo (#21) who scored 11 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block as the Bulls cut the deficit to 7 at the end of the first
quarter, 32-25.
Through Sanogo’s continued offensive play, the Bulls overcame the deficit. With some
assistance from guards Ben Coupet Jr (#11) and Scottie Lindsey, (#20)timely 3-point shots helped the Bulls maintain the lead heading into halftime, 54-53.
The second half became a back and forth battle. While the Magic made their valiant efforts, the
Bulls maintained hope thanks to a quick 7-point spark from guard Evan Gilyard (#1) to end the third quarter that ultimately gave the Bulls an 82-81 lead.
But the Magic took over the fourth quarter behind the leadership of 2023 NBA slam dunk
champion guard Mac McClung, spoiling the Bulls chances of redemption by handing them a
102-97 loss.
McLung led the way for the Magic with 27 points and 9 assists. Sanogo led the way for the Bulls
with a 23-point, 14 rebound triple-double.
Unlike the previous game, Bulls guard Quenton Jackson struggled offensively, only scoring 6
points.
The Bulls finished the game with 21 turnovers and allowed the Magic to score 28 points off of
those turnovers, while shooting 40 percent from the field.
The Bulls will be playing their next home game against the Raptors 905 on Sunday, February 11
at 2 pm.
Windy City Bulls Top Scorer Center Quenton Jackson, 26 Points
Quenton Jackson (29) Drives Down Court to Narrow Oceola’s Lead
Quenton Jackson (29) Drives Down Court to Narrow Oceola’s Lead
HOFFMANN ESTATES, IL - Despite valiant efforts by Windy City Bulls top scorer Quenton Jackson (29), the Windy City Bulls were defeated by the Osceola Magic 129-113 on Thursday February 8, 2024. Osceola dominated the first quarter, grabbing an early lead of 20-0 before the Windy City Bulls put points on the score board. The first quarter ended with Magic 36, Bulls 29. The second quarter saw both teams scoring point for point, 37 Magic, 35 Bulls. Photo by John L. Alexander
Quenton Jackson (29) Drives Down Court to Narrow Oceola’s Lead
Quenton Jackson (29) Drives Down Court to Narrow Oceola’s Lead
Quenton Jackson (29) Drives Down Court to Narrow Oceola’s Lead
Bulls‘ Quenton Jackson makes another drive for the basket, in an attempt to narrow the 20 point lead taken by the Osceola Magic in the first quarter of the game. While the Bulls went nearly toe to toe in the third quarter, scoring 25 points to Magic’s 29 points and in the fourth quarter scoring 24 points to Magic’s 27 points, it wasn’t enough to put the Windy City Bulls in striking distance of a win. The game ended Osceola Magic 129, Windy City Bulls 113. Photo by John L. Alexander.
CHicago Bears Battle Green Bay and Atlanta in Frigid Weather
Green Bay Defeats Chicago 17-9 at Lambeau Field
Bears Trample Falcons 37-17 for New Years Eve Victory
Bears Trample Falcons 37-17 for New Years Eve Victory
GREEN BAY, WI - Running Back Aaron Jones (33) eludes a tackle and gains yard for the Green Bay Packers, who emerged victorious on their home turf by holding the Bears' offense to just three field goals.The Packers scored two touchdowns and a field goal, beating the Chicago Bears 17-9 Sunday, January 7, 2024. Photo by John L. Alexander
Bears Trample Falcons 37-17 for New Years Eve Victory
Bears Trample Falcons 37-17 for New Years Eve Victory
Bears Trample Falcons 37-17 for New Years Eve Victory
CHICAGO, IL - Chicago Bears' Quarter Back Justin Fields outruns the Atlanta Falcons' defense, rushing for 45 yards and scoring one touchdown. He completed 20 of 32 passes and one touchdown pass, leading Chicago to a 37-17 New Year's Eve victory against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday December 31, 2023. Photo by John L. Alexander
Chicago Bulls Strive for Fourth Quarter Comebacks
Chicago Bulls Surge Ahead of L.A. Lakers For a 124-108 Victory
Denver Nuggets Dominate at the United Center, Beating Chicago Bulls 114-106
Denver Nuggets Dominate at the United Center, Beating Chicago Bulls 114-106
CHICAGO - L.A. Lakers' star player LeBron James warms up at United Center in preparation for the December 20, 2023 matchup with the Chicago Bulls, which, despite his 25 points, ended in a 124-108 win for Chicago. Photo by John L Alexander
Denver Nuggets Dominate at the United Center, Beating Chicago Bulls 114-106
Denver Nuggets Dominate at the United Center, Beating Chicago Bulls 114-106
Denver Nuggets Dominate at the United Center, Beating Chicago Bulls 114-106
CHICAGO - Chicago Bulls' Ayo Dosunmu (12) is airborne as he seeks to block a Denver Nuggets' shot in the December 12, 2023 game. The Nuggets grabbed an early lead and held on til the end for a 114-106 victory, Photo by John L. Alexander
Chicago Bulls Beat Milwaukee Bucks In Overtime 120-113
Denver Nuggets Dominate at the United Center, Beating Chicago Bulls 114-106
Chicago Bulls Beat Milwaukee Bucks In Overtime 120-113
CHICAGO -Milwaukee Bucks' Point Guard Damian Lillard (0) stays focused during the battle between the Bulls and the Bucks that ended in a 120-113 win in overtime for Chicago on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 at the United Center. Photo by John L. Alexander