There’s a man who’s not afraid of danger

To Getsy’s awful system he’s no stranger

With every snap he takes

Another record breaks

Odds are he’ll be starting by tomorrow

SECRET BAAAGENT MAN!!!

If you remove the 5(!) turnovers I think we actually played better than the Saints. Just inventing new ways to lose at this point.

Make that 2 great TD catches!

What would some late round flier give you that Bagent hasn’t already? Making the roster and beating out Walker and Peterman is already a great success story for an UDFA. If you want to pin your hopes on an unlikely underdog story Bagent is a better bet than most.

To start with, my buddy and I have a holiday tradition of sharing the Whisky Exchange’s holiday blend. I get the feeling we will find excuses for plenty of other bottles as well though - nothing beats a dram to warm you up on a cool fall night. Let us know how the advent calendar works out for you.

Bonus question - what would it take for Fields to remain the Plan A starter for the Bears next year?

My take: good QBs have bad games and bad QBs have good games. In order to be considered a long term option, the bare minimum you want to see is twice as much good as bad. This year Fields has been the other way, with 2 good games and 4 awful ones. By this admittedly simple logic, he would need 6 consecutive good games with zero stinkers before I would consider him to have turned the quarter and re-entered the franchise QB discussion. (By this same logic, two more awful games would mathematically eliminate him from achieving the magic 2:1 ratio this year.) So yes, I think it is still possible that Fields turns it around and becomes the guy. As a Bears fan that’s what we should all be rooting for. But the odds of that happening look very slim indeed right now.

More relevant than ever.

After that press conference I’m excited to see how Justin comes out slinging. Might as well have some fun and who knows, maybe wet a lucky break and steal one.

Great review! Personally I found Scorch to be a disaster - a bland, uninteresting dram with less depth and complexity than Uigeadail at two or three times the price. Honestly it put me off special edition Ardbeg for the time being. It doesn’t sound like Harpy’s Tale would be the one to change my mind either. Perhaps it’s just as well I haven’t seen it available where I live.

Distiller: Art of the Spirits

Product: Easy Elegance

Bottle: -

Category: Rye

Aged: 6 years American oak

Nose: Holiday fruitcake with plums, cherries, and figs baked in honey and spices. Surprising from a straight rye.

Body: Cinnamon, white peppercorn, pears, and figs over a base of spearmint fluoride mouthwash.

Finish: Pine needles and more spearmint give a crisp clean finish. I still think of the dentist’s chair, but it’s not an unpleasant combination.

Activation: Feels a bit buttery and creamier. Nothing too dramatic.

Notes: The fifth and final entry of this series, Easy Elegance is also the only spirit that comes to us fresh from the oak with no particular finishing run. I’d forgive you for thinking that there was a port or sherry involved here however as there is a fruit character not commonly seen in rye whiskey. I’m also a sucker for mint flavors in my whiskey, so the strong spearmint tones are right down my alley. Taken together, this might be my favorite of the lot.

Distiller: Art of the Spirits

Product: The Originals

Bottle: 4 Square Rum Finish

Category: Whiskey

Aged: 6 years American oak finished in rum

Nose: Anise, creamy butterscotch, allspice.

Body: Licorice, but the fake sugary kind from a Twizzler’s candy. Cinnamon, brown sugar, cloves, and other spices.

Finish: Apple cider, nutmeg, and with a bit of a harsh tobacco at the very end.

Activation: A bit sweeter, some raw cane sugar with your spice blend. Not overly noticeable.

Notes: Our next Art of the Spirits offering is the Originals, named in honor of the 10th Special Forces group from the OSS in WW2 and featuring an oil painting that wouldn’t be out of place on a Call of Duty game. It’s at the same time familiar (rum barrels often leave behind blends of cinnamon and spice) and quite unique - the licorice flavors are something I’m not used to. If you told me the rum was mixed with a hit of absinthe I would believe you. To be honest I don’t love it, certainly not at this price point.

Distiller: Art of the Spirits

Product: Final Run

Bottle: Tawny Port Finish

Category: Whiskey

Aged: 6 years American oak finished in tawny port

Nose: Very mild. Roasted walnuts and fresh pine needles.

Body: Drier and more oak-forward than the previous expressions. Lots of nutty flavors: walnuts, pecans, pistachios. The sweetness this time comes from sort of an eggy creme brulee with caramelized sugar topping.

Finish: Finally some traditional port characteristics - cherries, cranberries, and spiced apple cider.

Activation: Ah now here it gets interesting. A splash of water cools it down, tames some of the resins and brings out a ton of autumnal flavors: cranberries, pumpkin spice, nutmeg. The first of the Final Runs that I would recommend this on.

Notes: Being a whiskey nerd and not a wine nerd, I was dubious that there would be much of a difference between a ruby port and a tawny port finish. At the end of the day it’s all the same grape right? Apparently the difference comes from the aging process, with tawny ports aging in smaller casks that extract more oak flavor and turn the wine brown (hence the name). When applied to a spirit the difference is dramatic. This is a much more savory whiskey, with all kinds of nuts and spices that can’t help but conjure images of Thanksgiving dinner, mulled wine, and spiced desserts on a cool night. If I had to choose I would probably give the edge to the ruby, but as with anything it’s a matter of preference and circumstance.

Distiller: Art of the Spirits

Product: Final Run

Bottle: Madeira Cask Finish

Category: Whiskey

Aged: 6 years American oak finished in madeira sherry

Nose: That distinctive tangerine body, this time laden with a rich floral honey mixed with dulce de leche.

Body: The rich caramel continues over a sweet cookie base. I’m reminded quite strongly of traditional alfajores. There’s something else as well, a barnyard hay or alfalfa quality with just enough of a sour grape note to remind you of the wine finishing.

Finish: Faint honey drizzled pastries fade altogether too quickly.

Activation: Becomes a bit more traditional, bringing out the green grape and apple flavors I would have initially expected. It’s not bad, but I prefer the uniqueness of the original.

Notes: Near as I can tell, this is the exact same base spirit as the port finished Final Run, just finished in madeira sherry instead. Generally on such things I prefer the richer, deeper flavors from a port cask but don’t count this one out yet. The sweet dulce de leche is so evocative and so unique that I struggle to think of anything else while I taste this. From originality alone, this one wins a place of honor on my shelf. For those counting, that is 2 for 2 for the upstart little distillery from Colorado Springs.

Distiller: Art of the Spirits

Product: Final Run

Bottle: Ruby Port Finish

Category: Whiskey

Aged: 6 years American oak finished in ruby port

Nose: Vanilla and tangerines with a hint of fresh spearmint.

Body: A sweet corn base is layered with rich wine tannins. Ripe plums and virgin olive oil over a chewy leather foundation.

Finish: Fresh oak, a dry Mexican style vanilla and a faint mint leaf conclusion leave you wanting more.

Activation: Accentuates some of the fruit flavors: more plums, cherries, and even some dark grapes. Personally this makes things a bit too sweet for my taste and I prefer the neat expression.

Notes: And so the Art of the Spirits rundown begins with a bang, Bonnie and Clyde style. The ruby port variant of the Final Run is rich, decadent, and expressive. At a shade over 107 proof, this whiskey is bold and unapologetic but not coarse or harsh. Sweet fruits lend a dessert-like quality while adroitly avoiding the syrupy or medicinal connotations all too common in wine-finished whiskey. The price point is aggressive, but remember that this is a limited edition cask strength bottling and therefore was never in the running to be the next daily sipper. All in all, a strong opening salvo from Art of the Spirits and I’m excited to try the rest of the range.

Two failed sneaks in a row the opening drive gave me a sinking feeling… coaches had no confidence in the team to execute from the first drive and it showed. One of the worst games I’ve had the displeasure of watching.

Meanwhile Watson is out and Doubs is questionable for the Packers.

Bagent outplayed Walker handily in everything I saw in the preseason and heard from training camp. I’m glad this regime is willing to pivot instead of getting caught in sunk-cost fallacy, definitely feels like the Pace/Nagy era would try far too long to hold onto their plan with “their guys”.

Seriously, what a ridiculous tagline to mask actually useful information.

No surprise there - the main questions I have are “how long” and how many guys are held out for injury reasons. I think I counted 21 players on the injured list a couple of days ago.

If you don’t regularly listen to the Hoge and Jahns show, I can’t recommend it enough. Routinely some of the highest quality Chicago Bears content from guys who have been present in the press room for a long time.

Some key insights from Josh Lucas from the Ryan Pace regime:

• The Bears shouldn’t let Bagent walk because a QB is with potential is worth so much more than your 5th safety or 7th wide reciever. That said,
• Most teams probably have not seen enough from Bagent to put in a waiver claim. Still, all it takes is one.
• Praised Eberflus for being willing to change his system, said not all coaches are willing to do that (shots fired at Nagy)
• Praised Fields for having mental toughness to handle Chicago media circus, says he’s seen it break some people (shots fired at Trubisky)
• If he were still running the show, Mooney would already be extended but he is concerned about Jaylon Johnson’s durability (not a take I’ve heard before but maybe there’s a reason we haven’t heard extension rumors yet?)