The Bears Den: August 14, 2014 - Chicago Bears preseason news and notes

Miller picking up where he left off - Larry Mayer: Zach Miller is proving that his impressive performance in last Friday night’s preseason opener against the Eagles wasn’t a fluke.

Kromer: Cutler quicker with reads during Year 2 in system - Dan Wiederer: Jay Cutler left camp with Aaron Kromer noticing his increased comfort in knowing where to go with the football on certain plays against specific coverages.

X&Os - Matt Bowen takes a look at Cutler's TD pass to Zach Miller from the Eagles game.

Follow WCG on Twitter; like us on Facebook (& click on 'Subscribed to'). Check out David "OSS" Taylor's CheekyMonkeyArt prints and t-shirts. Den pic in hi-res.

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Chicago Bears vs Jacksonville Jaguars previews

Jared Allen hopes to suit up as Bears take on Jaguars - Andrew Seligman: With Allen now anchoring the line, Chicago believes it is poised for a run at the playoffs after missing out for the sixth time in seven years.

Game preview - Dan Wiederer's four things to watch: Jared Allen's debut, the tight ends, Chris Conte's status, and how the running game fares.

Game preview - Adam L. Jahns: 10 Bears to watch vs. Jaguars.

[Video] ESPN - Michael C. Wright and his hyperactive left hand on the return of Martellus Bennett and Chris Conte, two key players for the Bears.

[Video] ESPN - Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden discuss the positional battles heading into the Jaguars-Bears game Thursday night at 8pm ET on ESPN.

Game preview - Not-Hub Fishbain: 5 Bears to watch on offense on Thursday night. Can Josh Morgan step up into the no.3 wideout role to open the season?

Game preview - Actually-Hub Arkush: 5 Bears players to watch on 'D' vs. Jaguars. as unit needs answers at linebacker and safety.

Bears-Jaguars tipping point in No. 2 QB battle - Moon Mullin: Competition between Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer is truly open, but there will come a tipping point and the duo are approaching it.

Bears hope to fix 'disappointing' special teams vs Jaguars - Rich Campbell: Joe DeCamillis glad to have some evidence on which to start basing personnel decisions, a process that will continue on Thursday.

Game preview - Greg Gabriel: How did Jacksonville’s latest franchise QB [...that'll be Blake Bortles, then - Den] perform in his debut?

Updates 3pm CT / 9pm GMT:

Defense looks to take another step - Larry Mayer: Tonight’s preseason game against the Jaguars at Soldier Field will give a revamped Bears defense an opportunity to continue to gel and build off last Friday night’s outing versus the Eagles.

Defense continues to be main focus for Bears - Bob LeGere: A defense that is under construction gets an opportunity to demonstrate how well the rebuilding job is coming along against the Jaguars, in which some starters are expected to play into the second quarter.

Player spotlight: Shea McClellin - Dan Durkin breaks down the tape of McClellin's game against the Eagles to identify areas in which he struggled.

Game preview - Michael C. Wright: Three things to watch for in Bears-Jaguars.

Know thy enemy - Dan Wiederer: Bortles and Gerhart worth watching, while the Jaguars defense could offer a tough test for the Bears’ high-powered offense.

Team report - Chris Emma: The Jaguars are desperately hoping four wins in 2013 was progress and their position battles are of dire necessity, not a luxury of depth. It’s a different feel in Chicago, where the Bears are considered a contender.

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Bearsss

Michael Ola making most of opportunity with Bears - Rich Campbell: Undrafted O-lineman, who reconnected with Marc Trestman after playing for him with the Montreal Alouettes, almost gave up football. Now he's expected to start Thursday's exhibition.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Highlights of all the top plays from Bears training camp.  NormalFan's account of his trip to Bourbonnais for the last day of practice is here (with link to many, many photos).

Top five storylines from training camp - James Neveau: From Bennett's suspension to injuries and position battles, the Bears made plenty of waves with their workouts during the preseason.

[Video] View from the Moon - Moon Mullin with three takeaways from Bears camp.

[Video] CSNChicago discussion - The level of expectations after training camp, and whither McClellin? [KAPCON: 4]

Conte moves on from inconsistent 2013 - (CBS) Chris Conte joined the Mully and Hanley Show, says he feels good and is happy to have the chance to put 2013 behind him.  With [Audio].

Young: Motor everyone plays with is crazy - (CBS) Willie Young joined Spiegel and Abbatacola to talk about his high hopes for the Bears' defense, and whether the Lions’ defense was dirty in past years.  With [Audio].

Secondary eager to see if tight calls carry into regular season - Patrick Finley: There have been nine more illegal-contact penalties and 17 more defensive-holding penalties called already after one week than in all of the 2013 preseason.

Bears mailbag - Brad Biggs' readers' Q&As on Shea McClellin, Marquess Wilson, Chris Conte, Zach Miller, and more.

Bears No. 2 QB situation mighty unsettling - Tim Baffoe: Any starting QB is an instance of bad luck away from missing time.  (CBS): 5 backup QBs still on the market.  [Hey you guys, David Garrard's available. - Den]

DJ Williams there at ground zero 'When the Game Stands Tall' - Moon Mullin: D.J. Williams played his part in a movie about a piece of high school history that may never be equaled or perhaps even approached.

[Video] Bears doing good things - Eric Weems accepts Falcons WR Roddy White's Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for ALS, and challenges Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.  [Video] George McCaskey, Ted Phillips also accept Ice Bucket Challenge ... [Video] Trestman, Ventura, Thibodeau challenged by Pat Fitzgerald.

Sun-Times Bears section here.

Check WCGer Sackman's selection of Bears-themed tops here, or some t-shirt designs here.

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Polish sausage

The progression of the NFL preseason - Matt Bowen takes a look at how NFL clubs approach the exhibition schedule from Week 1 to Week 4, as the evaluation process continues until final cuts are made.

The rise of nickel defenses in the NFL - Doug Farrar: The specialized passing defenses of yesterday's NFL are the base defenses of today -- and tomorrow.

Know thy enemy: Packers - Rob Demovsky: Jerel Worthy's trade reflects poorly on Packers' 2012 draft; 2011 draft also falls short. (AP): Julius Peppers not worried after slow start.

Know thy enemy: Lions - Kyle Meinke: Is Nick Fairley in the doghouse because of his weight? Eric Edholm:  Motivational tactics this late in the process a last-ditch effort.

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