Bear Down

On Saturday, the Cubs were no-hit for the first time in 49 years and 10 or so months, not that the Tribune seemed to notice.  No, the Sunday sports’ section was devoted to the Bears, and I do mean devoted, starting on page one.  New head coach John Fox got the full Andy Warhol treatment in a picture, with just enough room left for the first five paragraphs of a story on the Cubs.

The Trib devoted three—count ‘em, three—full pages to Fox’s career.  I learned that, as the stepson of a Navy SEAL, Fox values “discipline and mental toughness”; he believes “if players know you genuinely care about them and they know you can make them better, they’ll do anything for you”; his coaching mantra is “smart and tough”; as the Giants’ defensive coordinator “players came to detest and respect him for his want to always keep the pads on and the contact high”; and defensive end Michael Strahan thinks Fox’s “constant emphasis on being physical was crucial to his own development” into a Hall-of-Fame player.  You don’t say.

The above could be read as a level 5 hurricane warning, if hurricanes manifested themselves as questionable coaching philosophies leading to serious injury.  From everything I can see, John Fox wants his players to lead with their heads on a tackle and the leave the thinking to him, which makes sense given how often their heads will be ringing.  I wonder what the concussion count is for this guy.  Players beware, and reporters take a more critical look at what you write in praise.