Chicago Tribune

The regular season is in the books. The NFL playoffs are here — and for the first time in five years, the Chicago Bears are part of the postseason field. Before Saturday night’s wild-card game kicks off at Soldier Field against the rival Green Bay Packers, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs reaches into his weekly Bears mailbag. How do you view this season and how much is it influenced … [Read more...] about Chicago Bears Q&A: Does Saturday’s result influence view of the season? Why aren’t they playing on Sunday?

The NFL head coach and general manager hiring cycles went into full force this week. As of Tuesday evening there were two GM openings (Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins) and seven head coach openings (Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans). Candidates will interview over the the next month. With … [Read more...] about NFL coaching and GM tracker: Atlanta Falcons to interview Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Brent Vigen had just won his first FCS national championship with Montana State in their third trip to the game together. Amid the Bobcats’ celebration of their 35-34 overtime win over Illinois State on the field at FirstBank Stadium, the Montana State coach found ISU senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse for a quick word. Rittenhouse threw for 311 yards and … [Read more...] about FCS championship notes: Illinois State QB Tommy Rittenhouse praised as ‘a competitor’

Sometimes, going big is better. That’s been a new trick for the Chicago Bulls this season. Small ball wasn’t cutting it. So when the season got tough, the Bulls got tougher by playing two centers at the same time, rolling out a more extensive look at a type of rotation that coach Billy Donovan has tinkered with for years. The trend hit a snag when both Zach Collins (toe sprain) … [Read more...] about Chicago Bulls are being forced to play small again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder for double-big lineups.