The Bears Den: November 14, 2014

Brandon Marshall challenges Twitter jerk to a fight | The SBN Mothership: Sam's spin: Don't call athletes' mothers names. Also, would you get your butt-kicked by a 6'4" 230lb NFL player for $25,000 and 100 hours of volunteer work? I'd think about it at least...

Marquess Wilson gives Bears a different look | Rich Campbell: "Cutler noted that Wilson (6-foot-4, 184 pounds) is a different type of route runner than Brandon Marshall or Alshon Jeffery."

Injury round up | Michael C. Wright: Marshall, Bennett return to practice, Jordan Mills did not.

Trestman hot seat:

Is Marc Trestman on borrowed time? | Brad Biggs: "There are those at Halas Hall who wonder quietly if George McCaskey will operate differently in a different era with greater cash flow from television deals and all the other revenue streams that spill into NFL clubs."

Why Marc Trestman is still here: A conspiracy | Rosenblogbloomdoom: Rosenbloom forgot to take his anti-crazy pills...

Trestman working through Twitter threats to family | Melissa Isaacson: "And whether a person is truly dangerous and capable of the sort of actions they threaten, or someone believes promising physical harm is somehow less serious when it is done anonymously via social media, there are laws in place that do not distinguish between the two."

Cutler is at fault:

Jay Cutler: Bears must rebuild confidence | Dan Wiederer: "Cutler understand it's his responsibility to help generate the positive energy -- through his communication, through his play, through his own confidence."

Jay Cutler's future with Bears suddenly uncertain | David Haugh: "Old habits die hard. Come to think of it, that's the story of Cutler's season."

Jaworski: Cutler leads league in dropped interceptions | David Just: "I chart all these other things, too," Jaworski said. "Dropped interceptions. Who has the most dropped interceptions? Jay Cutler. He has eight interceptions, but has also has that and more that have been dropped." (Sam's spin: If we're playing this game, how many dropped or almost touchdowns does he have?)

Jay Cutler cares more than you think | Michael C. Wright: "Despite how Cutler may come off during news conferences, that's truly not the case, according to one NFL assistant who keeps in contact with the quarterback and described him as being "down" lately due to what's transpired with the 3-6 Chicago Bears."

Vikings:

Vikings pass rush a huge concern | Wiederer: "Through nine games, the Vikings have 30 sacks, third best in the NFL. And that total is spread around among nine players, across all three levels of the defense."

Predicting the final score of Bears-Vikings | Rant Sports: "Tucker's blitz packages are ineffective, he uses his base 4-3 defense far too often, even in passing situations, and he continues to refuse to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, giving them a free release down the field. Tucker's system doesn't work, and after Trestman and GM Phil Emery gave him a vote of confidence rather than showing him the door, he needs to try something different to shake up the defense's performance."

Even Vikings rookie Bridgewater a threat to Bears | Wiederer: "What Bridgewater couldn't say publicly is what the football world has witnessed over the last month - that these Bears are exactly the kind of opponent any young quarterback would want to face in a bid to build confidence."

Home, sweet groan: Bears know its time for win at Soldier Field | Patrick Finley: "Every NFL team has won a home game since Jay Cutler last did, on Oct. 10, 2013. Shoot, the Cubs have hired two managers since then."

Bears notebook | Adam L. Jahns: Wilson close to returning, new punt returner, injury report and more.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Preview | Wright and Ben Goessling: "When you've got a bye week to self-scout, study the opponent, and fix internal issues and you still come out and play like they did Sunday, I'd say things are out of control."

Signs point to Wilson being activated | Jeff Dickerson: "Cutler sounded enthused about Wilson's return, despite the fact that two proven, Pro Bowl wide receivers have been at the quarterback's disposal the entire season."

Bear down for what? | Eric J. Thompson: Our sister site Daily Norseman breaks down the Bears-Vikes match up.

Listicles:

5 Bold Predictions for Bears vs. Vikings | Rant Sports: I'd say there are only two bold predictions but decide for yourself.

4 Downs | Jeff Dickerson and Jon Greenberg: Bigger disappointment: Jon Bostic or Shea McClellin? Should Cutler be benched?

Multimedia:

Video: Can struggling offense get into gear? | Campbell and Wiederer: Vikings have a solid defense and the offense is playing at pre-2013 levels...

Video: Keys to the game | Jeff Joniak: The Bears' play-by-play man gives you the keys the game.

Video: Bears video mailbag | Sun-Times: Mark Potash and Adam Jahns answer reader questions.

Video: What changes can the Bears make? | Wright: The beat reporter discusses the difficulty of making huge changes midseason.

Draft talk:

2015 NFL Draft: Bears needs | Wright: Never too early to start speculating: "Perhaps quarterback should rank higher among this team's draft priorities given that Jay Cutler will be 32 at the start of 2015, and he hasn't provided enough evidence (league-high 15 turnovers in nine games, leading to a total of 65 points by opponents) to convince the Bears he's worth the investment."

Battle for No. 1 pick | ESPN.com: That's right, our Chicago Bears are mentioned among teams like the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

One of my all-time favorite songs, today I'll throw it in in honor of @AnthonyGKalla who thinks he can take on Brandon Marshall: