Chicago Sports Exchange: Rodney Adams' Bears Comeback Story Intertwines With Love Story
Meanwhile, the Sky is literally falling on the WNBA team
If you don’t do anything else in life, make sure you find someone who supports you like Rodney Adams’ wife supports him.
Before he began building as strong a case as any Bears wide-out not named Allen, Darnell, Damiere or Marquise for the rights to a roster spot, Adams spent the off-season laying the groundwork with the help of a Jugs machine and its operator, his then-pregnant spouse Madison.
It’s probably safe to say that Adams never had to snatch any of Madison’s passes away from a defender or off an opposing player’s helmet on those practice fields near the couple’s home in Lake County. That the former fifth-round pick has done both this preseason simply adds more charm to his story, which includes welcoming his daughter, Brexleigh Michelle, into the world hours before catching the team’s only touchdown pass Saturday.
“Amazing isn’t even the word,” Adams, who has seven catches for 146 yards and a 73-yard touchdown this preseason, told reporters after he was asked about the birth of his daughter Saturday. Having her yesterday and then coming out and scoring a touchdown for her and my wife. It’s crazy.”
Who could argue?
His script—the soon-to-be 27-year-old, who retired for 18 months to take care of himself, has never appeared in a regular season game since being drafted four years ago—is made for the big screen.
All that’s missing is his leap from the practice squad to the actual 53-man roster.
SELL — In Ugly Loss, Hit On Fields Hardest To Stomach
Let’s never do that again, Justin Fields.
Not that the man who actually absorbed the hit that knocked him down in a heap, sent his helmet flying, jarred the ball loose, and forever made Andre Smith public enemy number one needs to be reminded about the dangers of missing a blitz.
But an extra nudge couldn’t hurt.
In a game in which each phase left a lot to be desired and former whipping boy Mitch Trubisky looked virtually unstoppable (actually, that was pretty comical), Fields getting decked was, without question, the hardest thing to watch.
Bills' Andre Smith apologizes for hit on Bears QB Justin Fields (BillsWire)
Luckily, the man who will someday (Week 4?) be asked to deliver the franchise from its history of quarterbacking evils sprang back to his feet before the hearts of Bears fans got too comfortable in their throats.
BUY — Anderson’s Breather Is Game Of Chess, Not Checkers
Even Superman took time off.
Granted, his hiatus involved a doomsday scenario to end all doomsday scenarios. But the point is, if the Man of Steel can take a break, so too can Tim Anderson, who coincidentally doubles as the White Sox’s leading man.
If Anderson’s .303/.330/.460 slash line wasn’t enough to warrant a few excused absences (including tonight’s series-opener against Toronto, his fourth healthy scratch in the last five games) his home run and game-winning RBI single in an 11-inning slugfest with fellow American League division leader Tampa Bay Friday certainly were.
That his team lost each of the three games he missed (dating back to the series finale against Oakland) is pure happenstance, especially considering Sox pitchers gave up 22 runs in those contests.
But if what Tony La Russa called a little preventative rest in the dog days of summer helps keep Anderson fresh down the stretch, it’ll be well worth the trouble and angst of some Sox fans.
HOLD — Parker’s Left Ankle Keeping Sky From Getting Right
Maybe it’s time to start preparing for the worst.
A season that was through the roof with expectation continues to find trouble simply staying off the ground.
Between Candace Parker tweaking the same ankle that cost her eight games before the Olympic break and a schedule that pits them against Western Conference leaders Las Vegas and Seattle in five of their remaining nine games, the walls appear to be closing in on the sixth-place Sky (11–12).
Of course, Parker could make her second return from injury any day now to give the Sky, who’ve dropped two games in a row despite Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot’s best efforts, a better chance of regaining their momentum before the playoffs rev up.
But in a season gone sideways, it’s become increasingly difficult to envision the Sky turning things completely around.