http://www.jacksonvillejaguarsteamonline.com | general | Forum

LAKE FOREST http://www.jacksonvillejaguars…..-ii-jersey , Ill. (AP) — Chuck Pagano is ready to embrace the “opportunity of a lifetime” as the Chicago Bears‘ defensive coordinator.He inherits a group that ranked among the best in the NFL and helped Chicago win the NFC North after four straight last-place finishes. The Bears made the playoffs for the first time in eight years in their first season under coach Matt Nagy.“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” Pagano said Thursday. “Sitting out — 33 years in coaching and then sitting out last year — I can’t tell you how excited I am to be back on the grass, and at such a special, special place.”He takes over a defense that Vic Fangio helped mold into one of the league’s best the past four years. The question is how much better it can be.“Our vision for this defense is to be the best,” Pagano said. “Can we be the best in the history of the game? The pieces are there and they will continue to add pieces. Can we continue to be better than we were last year? Absolutely. It’s going to be very, very difficult and a huge challenge, but one we will be up for.”Pagano vowed not to jam “square pegs into round holes.” He will continue to run the 3-4 and combine his philosophy with the system in place.“For us to just throw everything out and start anew, that would not be very smart on my part,” he said.Edge rusher Khalil Mack, cornerback Kyle Fuller and safety Eddie Jackson were All-Pros. Defensive end Akiem Hicks made the Pro Bowl. Linebacker Roquan Smith performed like a potential star, and linebacker Leonard Floyd and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman had solid seasons.The Bears led the NFL with 36 takeaways and 27 interceptions. They gave up a league-low 17.7 points per game and 1,280 yards rushing — the fewest they’ve allowed in a 16-game season. And they tied for third in the NFL with 50 sacks even though they didn’t blitz much.“Be smart about it and calculated about it,” Pagano said. “I think any defensive coordinator and any defensive coach for that matter will tell you if you can get there with four and play seven in coverage, that’s a benefit. That’s a bonus. You don’t find that at every place. We have that here. You got game wreckers.”Pagano coached Indianapolis to a 53-43 record and two AFC South championships from 2012 to 2017. The Colts won 11 games and made the playoffs in each of his first three seasons before injuries to quarterback Andrew Luck derailed them.Indianapolis never had a top 10 defense when Pagano was there. The Colts ranked near the bottom his final three seasons. But Pagano was on John Harbaugh’s staff in Baltimore — as secondary coach from 2008 to2010 and defensive coordinator in 2011 — when the Ravens had one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL.He spent last year as a consultant for the league, working with the officials. The Bears hired him Jan. 11 after Fangio left to become the Denver Broncos‘ head coach.“I’m motivated to just help Coach Nagy be successful,” he said. “Help this organization to be successful. Help these kids grow and develop. That’s my motivation, is to be the best that I can be for this organization. For the McCaskey family. For Coach Nagy. And for these players and coaches. To help develop these guys. That’s the only thing I want to do.”Pagano insisted he is not looking for another head coaching position http://www.losangelesramsteamo…..son-jersey , though he did interview for the Denver job. Either way, he’s looking forward to coaching again.He got to “reset, recharge and reflect” this season. He spent more time with family. He has nephews playing at Boise State and Michigan and got to watch them.He went to The Masters. He rode his Peloton bike three or four times a day. And now, he’s trying to build on what Fangio helped create.“Guys will grow, guys will become better pros, we will get better off the field, we will get better on the field, it will be a beginner’s mindset,” Pagano said.“We think of what Phil Jackson said to the Bulls every year. Championship after championship after championship. Having Michael, having Scottie and all of those players. He always talked about in one of his books coming in with a beginner’s mentality and coming into the (season) like it’s your rookie year.” With a career batting average under .100, Jon Lester might seem to be a pitcher who doesn’t care what he does at the plate.
Not true.

”It’s important to have good at-bats. I feel like I have done that regardless of the outcome,” he said.

Lester hit a three-run homer that highlighted an eight-run burst in the second inning and wound up with his NL-leading 11th win as the Chicago Cubs held off the Minnesota Twins 11-10 on Sunday.

”I’ve had good at-bats and I haven’t been just a one-pitch out guy. So I have worked some counts and I’ve been able to at least make the pitcher work,” he said. ”That’s all I’m trying to do.”

”If I get hits, I get hits,” he said. ”The home run is awesome, it’s cool, especially at home. It’s always fun to play here with the crowd and to be able to hit the ball into the bleachers. But at the end of the day I know I’m a pitcher and I’m not a hitter.”

Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs http://www.minnesotavikingstea…..jr.-jersey , who have scored at least 10 runs in four straight games for the first time since 1930. Chicago swept the three-game series and has won four in a row overall.

Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer and Jake Cave also homered for the Twins.

Minnesota concluded a 1-5 Chicago road trip that began with two losses in three tries to the White Sox, and fell 10 games below .500 for the first time this season.

Lester hit his second career home run, prompting a curtain call from the cheering fans.

Lester went 10 seasons, mostly in Boston with sporadic at-bats, before getting his first major league hit. Now, in his fourth season with the Cubs, Lester has put more of an emphasis into hitting.

”I really didn’t care about hitting there” in Boston, he said. ”I’m worried about David (Ortiz) and (Dustin) Pedroia and all of the other guys driving in runs as opposed to me.”

”Coming over here, it can change the outcome of a game, so it becomes a little more important and you work on it all year. In spring training you’re doing it from part of the second week on,” he said.

Lester (11-2) allowed four runs, two of them earned, and nine hits in five-plus innings.

Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer off Dillon Maples as the Twins scored five times in the eighth. Maples, called up from Triple-A before the game when pitcher Brian Duensing went on the disabled list with a sore left shoulder, also allowed an RBI single to Logan Morrison and a two-run triple to Willians Astudillo.

”Their offense, we just had trouble with it. Lot of big innings, lot of crooked numbers. I think our guys stayed with it. We got some opportunities there and got some big hits to get back in the game. When you get as close as we did late http://www.newyorkgiantsteamon…..nce-jersey , it makes you think about some of the runs we gave up along the way, so that’s frustrating,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

Javier Baez, who doubled twice, Happ and Willson Contreras each had three hits for the Cubs.

Cubs closer Brandon Morrow got one out in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances.

”They got out on us pretty early, but I love the fight of the guys in the dugout. I kind of had glimpses of last year’s team and our fight,” Dozier said.

In the third consecutive sweltering day at Wrigley Field with a gametime temperature at 93 degrees and a heat index at 101, the Cubs jumped all over Lance Lynn (5-7) in the second inning.

Baez doubled home two runs and Anthony Rizzo had an RBI double. Kyle Schwarber met reliever Matt Magill with the Cubs’ third straight double.

Cubs shortstop Addison Russell added an RBI single in the fourth inning and made a highlight grab in the sixth inning before leaving the game with an apparent injury resulting in the catch.

Russell bumped into Baez while making the running catch on Eduardo Escobar’s ball down the left-field line in foul territory. He walked off the field and into the dugout after talking to a team trainer and manager Joe Maddon. Maddon said Russell injured his left middle finger and he doesn’t believe it to be serious.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: LF Eddie Rosario, one of three Twins to leave Saturday’s game due to heat was in the lineup on Sunday. Teammates Bobby Wilson and Max Kepler were available, as was infielder Ehire Adrianza, who received intravenous fluids after finishing the game.

”We just encouraged everyone last night to rest and hydrate the best they could again this morning to get themselves in positions to get through the game,” Molitor said. ”You just try to be aware of it. There’s not much you can do: You’ve got to play people and you’ve got to get through the game.” … SS Jorge Polanco’s 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension ends Monday and Molitor said he expects him to rejoin the club in Milwaukee after a stint with Triple-A Rochester.

Cubs: OF Albert Almora didn’t start, but he came in the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement after leaving Saturday’s game due to dehydration. Almora suffered cramps in his legs and was removed in the fifth inning. Almora had a nice sliding catch in center to rob Kepler in the ninth.

UP NEXT

Twins: Visit Milwaukee on Monday as they continue their interleague schedule. Kyle Gibson (2-6) is the scheduled starter. He had another rough outing against the White Sox in his last start on June 27. He allowed five runs on a season-high 11 hits.

Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-8) will try to bounce back from his shortest outing of season on Tuesday against the Tigers. Hendricks allowed six runs