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Chicago Bears prioritize defense, selecting Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker with their first 2 NFL draft picks

When the time finally came for new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles to enter the 2022 NFL draft — after 38 players had been selected and a dozen trades were made league-wide — the team’s draft board at Halas Hall pointed Poles to a defensive prospect.In the second round Friday, Poles made Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon his first pick as a GM and the headliner of the Bears’ 2022 draft class. A little more than 45 minutes later, Poles stayed on that side of the ball with the No. 48 pick, adding Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker to the new defense being installed by coach Matt Eberflus.AdvertisementSo much for any urgency to get young quarterback Justin Fields help early in the draft with a playmaking receiver or needed offensive line support. Instead, Poles used his two second-round picks to add two potential Week 1 starters to the defensive backfield.Gordon played three seasons in the Pac-12 but only started as a junior at Washington in 2021. The expectation is he will quickly emerge as a starter in Eberflus’ defense and plug an obvious hole in the secondary.AdvertisementGordon has drawn praise from talent evaluators for his toughness and vision and, perhaps most of all, his versatility to be play both outside and in the slot.Francis St. Paul, the Bears’ area scout in the West, labeled Gordon an “elite mover.”“His change of direction. His feet. (His) ball skills,” St. Paul said. “That stuck out.”Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon puts on a hat after being selected by the Chicago Bears during the second round of the NFL draft, April 29, 2022, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)Gordon was also a special teams standout in college and has proven to be a willing and physical tackler. He grew up participating in martial arts and all sorts of traveling competitive dance — from ballet to jazz to lyrical.Ballet, Gordon said, may have been the most demanding, requiring him to improve his flexibility, his core strength and his attention to detail, all things that have helped him as a football player.“(I remember) how strict, honestly, a lot of teachers were in how they want you to perfect your craft and whatever choreography that may be,” Gordon said. “It’s tough. They just demand perfection.“I’ve got a little bit of that in me, too. Just trying to do what I do and perfect my craft.”St. Paul sees the dance influence in Gordon’s football skill set.Advertisement“You see it in his balance,” he said. “You see it in his change of direction.”Still, Gordon’s two interceptions last season were the only two of his career. And some evaluators wonder if he can overcome a lack of top-tier speed at the next level.Gordon’s 40-yard dash time of 4.52 seconds at the scouting combine in March may have been a significant moment on his pre-draft runway. If that ordinary time gave other teams pause, for the Bears it generated a few fist pumps and a small celebration.“We were like, ‘Uh oh, we may have a chance (to draft him) now,’” St. Paul said. “He plays way faster than that time. And you see it all the time. There are a lot of players that don’t run as fast as we’re all expecting but they play faster. And he has great play speed.”Brisker, meanwhile, spent extensive time with the Bears in recent months, first during an interview at the combine and later on a top-30 visit to Halas Hall. His purpose left an impression.Penn State defensive back Jaquan Brisker prepares to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, March 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Charlie Neibergall / AP)“He’s very direct,” Bears scout Chris Prescott said. “You feel a presence about him. When you meet him, it’s just a good feeling. You feel a tough, hard-nosed kid. … Football is his life. This is this kid’s life. So there’s a lot to like when you see a guy who is so passionate about football.”AdvertisementPrescott appreciates Brisker’s toughness and sees his value to the defense as a player who can be impactful inside the box but still be dependable in coverage.“He’s kind of a good chess piece,” Prescott said. “A lot of moving parts. You can play him close to the line of scrimmage and he can come up and play the run and fit in there. But he can also revert and you flip him back where he has enough speed and range and good enough eyes where he can go locate the ball and play the ball well.”The Bears entered the draft with six selections and a boatload of roster needs. So just about anything they did Friday night would have qualified as need-based. Still, the early emphasis on defense won’t sit well with pockets of the fan base given the need to catalyze Fields’ development as soon as possible.The Bears waited until the third round to add an offensive player, using the 71st pick on speedy Tennessee receiver Velus Jones, who will also arrive with the potential to become the team’s new kickoff returner. The Bears will have additional opportunities to add talent and depth on Saturday, currently owning a fifth-round pick plus two more in the sixth.

Sports

Philipp Kurashev hopes to unlock his potential with the Chicago Blackhawks next season

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev is about as subdued a personality as they come, but he broke out in a big smile when he thought back to the first time he met Pavel Datsyuk, one of his idols.To the best of his recollection, Kurashev’s uncle knew Datsyuk and introduced his teenage nephew to the “The Magic Man” after the Detroit Red Wings lost a home playoff game to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015.Advertisement“It was really awesome,” Kurashev told the Tribune before the Hawks’ season finale Friday against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. “I was way too shy. I don’t think I could really talk to him. I was too excited.”For Kurashev, Datsyuk and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin have been his “main guys,” the players he holds up as model pros: “Everyone knows how good they are and why I would like them.”AdvertisementFriday’s curtain-closer marked the completion of Kurashev’s second season, though this time he was around the team for a full 82-game season and feeling more like a veteran.“It’s a really big summer for me,” he said. “Now I experienced a full NHL season. The one before was kind of short and now I know exactly what it takes.“I’m trying to work in areas in my game that can help me become the player I want to become.”Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev (23) brings the puck from behind the net as Edmonton Oilers defenseman William Lagesson (84) looks on at the United Center, March 3, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)Kurashev had six goals and 15 assists in 66 games entering Friday, but the ups and downs he faced would make any 22-year-old’s head spin.“We had a tough start to the year, and the losing streak and all those moments that were kind of hard for us,” he said of the Hawks’ 1-9-2 start — beginning with a nine-game winless streak — that led to coach Jeremy Colliton’s firing in early November.Kurashev has gone from the fourth to the top line (including coach Derek King trusting him with the Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane reunion line) and everything in between.Kurashev also had a three-game stint in Rockford in December and a series of healthy scratches in March and April.For example, his play against the San Jose Sharks on April 14 prompted King to bench him for the next game against the Nashville Predators.Advertisement“Wasn’t drastic,” King said at the time. “But, you know, don’t give a coach an excuse to pull a guy, right?”Kurashev said he never let it affect him mentally.“Control what you can,” he said.There also have been glimpses of a player rounding out his game: two assists against the Los Angeles Kings on April 12, and a career high four-blocks against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 25.And Kurashev is versatile. He can play center or wing, though he spent 57% of his ice time at left wing, according to leftwinglock.com.As quick as King has been to give Kurashev the hook, he still has high expectations for the forward.Advertisement“Ideal world, he’s got to be a top-six player,” King said earlier this month.Said Kurashev on Friday: “It’s a great compliment (that) the coach thinks like this. I have a lot of work to do this offseason and hopefully come back a better player and fill out this role.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.That’s one area where coach and player agree.The other part of King’s assessment was this: “The work part of it — the consistency on the work ethic — was his struggle. He’d give you a couple good games and then he’d fade away.”Kurashev said he wants to use the summer to improve his play away from the puck.“Be in better position, always, (and) try to be a player they could lean on,” he said. “And then offensively, too, get to areas where I can get the puck to shoot more and use my shot and my skill more.” AdvertisementToo bad he never got any shooting tips from Datsyuk when he had the chance.“I haven’t talked to him since then,” Kurashev laughed. “Hopefully I wouldn’t be as shy as when I was 14 and I would actually ask him some questions. There’s a lot of things, how he plays the game, how he was a complete player. There was nothing he couldn’t do, just ask him some of those things.”Then after some thought, Kurashev said, “Maybe he can show me a Magic trick.”

Sports

NFL draft: Chicago Bears select Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon with the No. 39 pick

After sitting out the first round of the NFL draft, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made his first selections Friday night from Halas Hall.The Bears started the night with three picks on Day 2 — at Nos. 39 and 48 in the second round and 71 in the third round.AdvertisementThe Bears also have three picks on Day 3 — Nos. 148 and 150 in the fifth round and 186 in the sixth round.Here’s a quick look at each of the Bears new players.AdvertisementWashington cornerback Kyler Gordon stands on the stage after being selected by the Chicago Bears during the second round of the NFL draft, April 29, 2022, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)No. 39, second roundHeight, weight: 5-11, 194Why the Bears picked himThe Bears had a major need for a starter at cornerback opposite Jaylon Johnson, and now they have an option. Gordon had two interceptions and nine passes defended in 12 games in 2021, being named a first-team All-Pac 12 player. He finished his career with 14 passes defended, 98 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles. Gordon’s teammate, cornerback Trent McDuffie, was picked 21st in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Sports

Column: Is the Chicago Cubs offense for real or is it too small of a sample size to judge?

It’s hard to remember the Chicago Cubs were 11 games over .500 in mid-June 2021, looking like a team on a mission to avoid a fire sale.But that’s exactly what happened, of course, and after team President Jed Hoyer’s summer sell-off led to a 91-loss season, the new-look Cubs started this season with several fresh faces and lowered expectations.AdvertisementWhether it was a rebuild, a re-do or a retro version of a mid-1990s Cubs team, there was no pressure to get off to a great start. And without any expectations, there was no angst Friday over a mediocre 8-11 record heading into a three-game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee.The preferred focus was on the team’s improved hitting. The Cubs entered Friday leading the majors with a .260 average and a .344 on-base percentage, while ranking second to the Los Angeles Angels with a .746 OPS in spite of a lineup without anyone named Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani or Anthony Rendon.AdvertisementThat begs the question of whether it’s just a small sample size — the equivalent of a Yermín Mercedes-like April — or a sign of better things to come.The Cubs set out to produce a lineup that made more contact after the swing-and-miss-and-miss-and-miss era that followed their 2016 World Series title. And so far, so good.Last April the Cubs hit .216 and averaged 4.4 runs per game. Now they’re not only leading the majors in hitting but averaging 4.8 runs per game, albeit with a 21-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates skewing the numbers.Small sample sizes are fine by me. They helped get me through college.But even after three-plus decades of covering baseball, I’m still not sure when a “small sample size” morphs into a big enough sample size to make realistic judgments. I asked the Tribune’s Cubs beat writer, Meghan Montemurro, to ask manager David Ross when a sample size was considered legit.One month? Two months? If we thought the Cubs were legit at 11 games over .500 in mid-June last year, we were sadly mistaken.“Yeah, I’ll send one of our R&D guys out here to talk to you about that,” Ross said in Atlanta.I wasn’t interested enough to force Meghan to listen to an R&D guy, which is cruel and unusual punishment. But fortunately Ross was just kidding.Advertisement“To be honest with you, there’s probably five to 10 different stats where there’s some of them that normalized quicker than others,” he said. “Whether it’s strikeouts, exit velocity, contact rate, the on-base (percentage). … Some of those things take a little while till you get to (about) 100-150 at-bats. And some of them normalize a lot quicker, like 50 at-bats.“That’s what they would tell you. And so that’s what I’m sticking with.”Fair enough. But Ross quickly changed course and went on to say that a sample size to assess one player may be completely different for another. He’s just getting to know Seiya Suzuki, but already can tell he’s a major-league hitter.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“I think you’ve got to watch with your eye, too, right?” he said. “I mean, you’ve got to trust in the season and the long process and the guys that you believe in, and some of the guys you know.“Let’s take Ian Happ, for example. Last year he had a really tough first half but he’s a guy we believe in, tried to keep (in the lineup). Give them days off here and there, but still have moments where you’ve got to just get out there and figure it out. He figures it out and has a great second half, so he’s rolled that right into this season with a lot of confidence.“So you’ve got to trust in your players. We’ve got guys in here that are going to be here all year, and we need them to be successful. … You try to just rely on that.”AdvertisementHapp entered Friday’s game with 102 at-bats since September 18, hitting .315 with five home runs, 22 RBIs, a .424 OBP and a .924 OPS over that span. That seems like enough of a sample size to believe he’s becoming the hitter the Cubs envisioned when they made him the ninth pick of the 2015 draft. After a .226 average last season, there was some question if he would be non-tendered.Hoyer stuck with Happ after his hot finish, and though it’s early, his faith appears to be paying off.“Everybody’s going to have ups and downs,” Ross said. “It’s a really hard season to just be great all the way or just stink all the way through. We’ve got good players that have got some track records. We’re going to trust in them to continue to work and get better at their weaknesses, and to hone in on their strengths, and be the best version we can.“Be better at the end than we are now.”

Sports

MLB suspends Trevor Bauer for 2 full seasons without pay for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy

NEW YORK — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was suspended Friday for two full seasons without pay by Major League Baseball for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, which he denies.Bauer’s lengthy suspension comes after a San Diego woman, whom the pitcher had met through social media, alleged that Bauer beat and sexually abused her last year. Los Angeles prosecutors said in February there was insufficient evidence to prove the woman’s accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.Advertisement“In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy,” Bauer said Friday in a statement. “I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives and I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.”If the suspension is upheld, Bauer will lose about $60 million in salary.AdvertisementBauer earlier this week sued his accuser in federal court, a move that came less than three months after prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against the pitcher.Bauer named the woman and one of her attorneys, Niranjan Fred Thiagarajah, as defendants in the lawsuit. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault.The pitcher was placed on administrative leave last July 2 under the joint domestic violence and sexual assault policy of MLB and the players’ association. The leave has been repeatedly extended.Bauer has continued to be paid his $32 million salary while on leave.After winning his first Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to a $102 million, three-year contract to join his hometown Dodgers. He did not pitch after June 29 and finished with an 8-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances. He was paid his $28 million salary last year.“The Dodgers organization takes all allegations of this nature very seriously and does not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence or sexual assault,” the team’s statement said. “We’ve cooperated fully with MLB’s investigation since it began, and we fully support MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, and the Commissioner’s enforcement of the Policy. We understand that Trevor has the right to appeal the Commissioner’s decision. Therefore, we will not comment further until the process is complete.”