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NFCN Blog - Kevin Seifert reviews the Bears at their bye: In short, the Bears have the look of the championship-caliber team they envisioned this summer.
Emery depth chart changes already making differences - Moon Mullin: One of the problems that haunted the Bears in 2011 was the lack of depth and Phil Emery addressed that issue immediately in the offseason.
Tragedy evokes compassion from Bears players and community - Sean Jensen: The widow of the Bears fan murdered in Jacksonville has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, with Brandon Marshall and his wife pledging their direct support to her and Kellen Davis and his agent hosting a fundraiser for the family. Former Bears Tommie Harris and Jason McKie are among the ex-players scheduled to attend Saturday.
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Offense and overall evaluation
Bears can do more than just go to the playoffs - Moon Mullin joined the "McNeil and Spiegel Show" to discuss the Bears' OL and what they're capable of this season.
Phil Emery commends Bears’ OL - Adam L. Jahns: “They have made improvements, I would say, much like our whole team,” Emery said. “Four out of five weeks, they’ve played well enough to win games.”
Four Downs - Is Lance Briggs now the face of the defense? Should the Bears use Hester like Percy Harvin? Are the Bears merely beating up on weak opponents? Is the slow start by the offense a cause for concern?
[Video] Evaluating the Bears - Lomas Brown breaks down the Bears through the first five games.
[Video] Pat Boyle podcast - Jim Miller and David Haugh on the OL, adjusting Marshall's routes, the DL, Urlacher, contract extensions, and more.
Forte convinced running still has key role in NFL - Fred Mitchell: RB says those who think passing is everything are dead wrong.
Durkin’s Playbook - An explosive offense to match a dominant defense? This team could be scary if the offense continues to progress. Dan Durkin breaks down some key plays from the Jaguars game.
This is no time to extend Lovie Smith's contract - Dan McNeil: Let the Bears win a playoff game before they play let's make a new deal with the head coach.
What could Brandon Marshall do? - Maggie Hendricks: Brandon Marshall has officially been a Bear for just five games. It's way too early to start talking about his place in the Bears record books, but it's a bye week. Let's have some fun with statistics and think...
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Defense
[Video] Willie McGinest's top five defenses - The Bears' D has allowed 5 TDs and scored 5 TDs.
Brian Urlacher in awe of Bears’ depth on DL - Adam L. Jahns: To Urlacher, it’s the best group of defensive linemen he has played with in his 13-year career in the NFL.
Now healthy, Wootton emerging as a playmaker - Larry Mayer: It took a couple of years, but Corey Wootton is beginning to resemble the player the Bears were envisioning when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft.
Jon Hoke's coaching pays off for DBs - Brad Biggs: Bears' defensive backs are playing with great confidence and coaching is always part of that.
Urlacher enjoying 'most talented team' and swarming 'D' - Jim Miller: Brian Urlacher is all smiles after the Bears' 4-1 start and is excited about how far the team can go.
Urlacher vows to return to elite status - #54 maintained he could return to an All-Pro level despite a knee injury that he said will never heal. Includes [Audio] from Waddle & Silvy.
[Video] Brian Urlacher still battling PCL - Lomas Brown's thoughts on how the knee injury will affect #54's future.
[Video] ESPN Hot Button - Lomas Brown on if the 2012 Bears defense is better than the 2006 squad.
[Video] CTL discussion - Hub: "Tim Jennings is not a top-20 CB, and 4 of the 5 defensive TDs were absolute gifts." What, the opposing QBs just decided to crap the bed without pressure from the defensive scheme? Face, meet palm. Hub's face, my palm.
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Everything else
Early season results often indicate a reversal is at hand - Steve Silverman: Here’s a look at six teams that may not finish the season the way they started it.
Matt Bowen's matchups to watch - Week 6: Packers' WRs, Brady, Victor Cruz and more.
Matt Bowen's playbook - 'All-22' breakdown of Ponder's red zone 'bucket' TD pass to TE Kyle Rudolph.
Vince Young, mark II? - Don Banks asks if Cam Newton's regression echoes that of another former highly-drafted mobile QB who was going to revolutionis(z)e the position.
Know thy enemy: Packers - Packers face a turnaround moment in Houston on SNF.
Know thy enemy: Lions - Kevin Seifert: Already this week, we've heard several Lions players express optimism that the Eagles will ignore a season's worth of video evidence and use man-to-man coverage against their pass-catchers.
Know thy enemy: Lions - Lions safety Louis Delmas participated in his fourth consecutive practice, and it appears likely he will play against the Eagles on Sunday.
Know thy enemy: Lions - It was the Lions' bye week so naturally someone had to do something to get in trouble. That someone was, surprise surprise, Ndamukong Suh.
The NFL's Cream of the Crop and Bottom of the Barrel - Brought to you by Gilbert & Sullivan Wiltfong.
The Best of the week 5 cheerleaders - I've already highlighted this particular member of the Patriots cheerleading squad, so here's a hi-res version of another possible future Mrs Spongie!
Pete Dixon - Because sometimes five strings is all you need: