This is *easily* my least favorite picture of all time. By a mile. My dad was nervous but still so eager and confident to fight cancer. He was never given a fair shot and was gone 16 days later. Today is the anniversary of that brutal farewell.

Ben Johnson with some praise for DE Montez Sweat ... "I loved him during the season — but when you watch the self-scout after the year, I think this was a guy who played at a very high level. I talked to him yesterday about, hey, I would argue it was the best year of his career. "Whether that showed up statistically or not, that's debatable. But his ability to play the run, play the pass, I thought he did a really nice job. Hopefully it's something we can piggyback on."

A few weeks ago, Bears QBs coach J.T. Barrett used the phrase "Do less" as a guide for Caleb Williams to understand the efficiency he is being asked to play with. Ben Johnson elaborated and enlightened today. "We’re asking Caleb to continue to grow within the offense. There are times when the primary receiver is open. We want to deliver him an accurate football within the timing of the play -- and then progress if the protection allows us. "So it’s just taking that up to the next level. It’s also understanding what the premier coverages are for some of our concepts. And if we’re not getting those coverages, how can we accelerate to No. 2 and No. 3 or do I need to make them pay with my legs? So, it’s just another level of understanding."

🗣️🎙️🏈👂 Sure, it’s June. But tons of ground to cover at Halas Hall. Mini-camp. Stadium commotion. The brilliance of Ben Johnson and the continuing breakthrough of Colston Loveland. @markgrotesports and I have you covered. ttn youtu.be/NlHTrF6QAEI?si=rTY_…

📈 Arrow up for Bears TE Colston Loveland. 🗣️ New praise for Darnell Wright 🎯 Ball location. Ball location. Ball location. A constant priority for Caleb Williams. 🏈 A focus on fundamentals is driving the D-line. MINI-CAMP ROUNDUP nytimes.com/athletic/7346171…

Cool conversation here between two folks easy to converse with. Worth your time.

Will Illinois politicians be willing to fight to avoid losing the Bears to Indiana? If so, how hard? And how quickly and decisively can they act as the team pivots toward a realistic Plan B in Hammond? nytimes.com/athletic/7342845…

Are Illinois lawmakers more serious about not wanting to provide the Bears with financial assistance that could impact taxpayers? Or are they more serious about not wanting to lose the team’s games to a stadium in Indiana? And how will they show their intent? Questions of the summer.

Do Illinois lawmakers have serious intent in trying to help the Bears find a viable and taxpayer-friendly solution to build in Arlington Heights? Or will there mostly be posturing to find “We tried!” cover if the team ultimately darts across state lines to Indiana?

Still developing ... The Bears board has voted to advance its stadium development project in Indiana with frustrations that efforts in Illinois continue to stall. But this should not be mistaken as a "no turning back" moment in the saga. nytimes.com/athletic/7335935…

Think of this stadium situation as a Dunkin’ race, folks. Another attention-grabbing lead change. For sure. But the finish line isn’t even on the scoreboard yet.

Two HUGE questions in the Bears drawn out stadium saga, even with today’s Indiana-favored vote by the team’s board of directors … — Where are the shovels? — Where is the ground?

Another serious step toward Indiana in the Bears stadium project. Also: a signal to Illinois lawmakers … if you are truly serious about a counter, the time is now.

A pep talk … youtu.be/oKG-8yYKzQw?si=mryC…

The Bears now have their top two players from the draft class -- Dillon Thieneman and Logan Jones -- under contract. Box checked. Done and done. (reporter's note: this won't be the most significant team news of the day.)

At the Madden 27 cover shoot in L.A., there was a push to recreate Caleb Williams’ magical fourth down throw to Rome Odunze from the Bears’ playoff win. Caleb added a Jordan-esque twist. To be like Mike. Fun. Bold. And perhaps a self-given push for QB1. nytimes.com/athletic/7334683…

Caleb Williams at the EA Sports Madden ‘27 Opening Drive Event.

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Bears reactions today to the Caleb Williams Madden cover ... Tyrique Stevenson: "That's tough. It's tough. I told him he has to sign mine. Definitely proud of him for that. I'm honored to be on a team with someone who is on the Madden cover." Jonah Jackson: "The caliber of player he is, the plays he made last year, the games he was able to help us win, it was a no-brainer who should have been on it.” Ben Johnson: "No reaction."

Most alarming Halas Hall comment of today came from WR Rome Odunze when asked when his injured foot from last season felt normal again. "This is my new normal. And it’s not from a standpoint that I’m always in pain but the way my foot broke there’s callouses in there that create a different type of foot structure with those bones — different types of things that kind of shift things around. So my new normal is kind of what I am going into." Just something to file away.

Low key loved this endorsement of Bears OL Joe Thuney today from fellow guard Jonah Jackson: "He's the same guy every single day. Probably the most consistent person outside of Ben that I have seen in the league. He handles his business. He's a grown up."