The Bear's Den: December 12, 2016

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

The Hamp & O’B Show with Koz (12/11/16) Quick Hit: "We had an excellent chance to steal a win" - WGN Radio - Dan Hampton, Ed O’Bradovich and Glen Kozlowski along with Mark Carman give their opening thoughts on the Bears’ tough 20-17 loss to the Lions in Detroit.  The Bears fall to 3-10 on the year, they come back home for another NFC North matchup with the Packers next week. [audio http://serve.

Week 14 Postgame Show: Bears Fall Short (But There's Plenty to be Proud Of) - Da Bears Brothers - Even though the Bears were unable to come away with the win, they played tough against the division-leading Lions, which is something to be proud of.

Lambert: Chicago Bears 2017 Mock Draft, Attacking The Secondary - FOX Sports - Hats off to the Chicago Bears. They continue to fight. Unfortunately the injuries are just robbing them of the ability to finish games at this point.Even so there are plenty encouraging signs with this team. The defense is playing really well and the offense looks like it might be healthy receiver...

Fishbain: Crucial penalties doom Chicago Bears in their 10th loss of the season - Pro Football Weekly - Bears drop to 0-7 on the road as Lions stay atop NFC North.

Biggs: Bears end takeaway drought with cornerbacks who are worth watching - Chicago Tribune - The ball that was seized to break the longest takeaway drought in Bears history was under the watchful eye of equipment manager Tony Medlin. No, it's not headed to a display case at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Demontre Hurst did not have the ball to show off at his locker after the game because it is going to be painted to commemorate one of the biggest plays of his career and what looked like a pivotal stop in the Bears' 20-17 loss to the Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.

Fishbain: Opportunities were there late, but Chicago Bears lose another close game - Pro Football Weekly - Bears have lost three of their last four by less than a touchdown

Mayer: Pace discusses Barkley, Floyd - ChicagoBears.com - Bears general manager Ryan Pace spoke about Matt Barkley, Leonard Floyd and other key issues during a radio interview prior to Sunday's game against the Lions.

Kaberon: Barkley nearly a second-half star - ChicagoBears.com - Facing a tough Lions defense, Matt Barkley saved his best for last, almost leading the Bears back in the second half.

Mayer: Bears fall short to Lions 20-17 - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears rallied from a 13-3 deficit Sunday in Detroit to take a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter. But Matthew Stafford's 7-yard touchdown run with 3:17 remaining lifted the Lions to a 20-17 win at Ford Field.

Cox: Studs and duds from the Bears’ 20-17 loss to the Lions - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears' rookies really stepped up and played well in a losing effort to the Detroit Lions, an encouraging sign for the future.

Finley: Bears WRs Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson inactive vs Lions - Chicago Sun-Times - Already limited at receiver in their last game without Alshon Jeffery, the Bears will play Sunday without Eddie Royal an Marquess Wilson.

Jahns: Bears WR Josh Bellamy can't make late big catch - Chicago Sun-Times - Thoughts and observations from the Bears' 20-17 loss in Detroit.

Morrissey: A bad last drive and amnesia about Jordan Howard doom Bears - Chicago Sun-Times - Oh, and the Lions are headed to the playoffs?

Finley: Bears D on Lions' TD winner 'Just a matter of us closing it out' - Chicago Sun-Times - During a meeting last week, John Fox presented the stats to his players: in yards allowed per game, the Bears were a top-10 defense.

Jahns: It's official, Matt Barkley has a fan in Bears coach John Fox - Chicago Sun-Times - Barkley has shown that he’s more than what everyone thought he was.

Potash: Bittersweet day for Cre'Von LeBlanc and Bears' secondary - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc celebrated his first NFL interception and first NFL touchdown before he...

Haugh: Matt Barkley, defense didn't deserve to have game slip through Josh Bellamy's hands - Chicago Tribune - This time, with the game on the line, the ball bounced off Josh Bellamy's chest, the kind of catch we routinely see polished NFL wide receivers make. Unfortunately for the Bears, Bellamy again proved he is nothing of the kind. Bellamy let Matt Barkley's pass on fourth-and-11 with 19 seconds left fall incomplete and his scrappy teammates returned home unfulfilled.

Potash: Tracy Porter gives it all he's got, but illness wins out. - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears cornerback Tracy Porter isn’t infallible, but his misplay and 38-yard pass interference penalty against Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones late in the second quarter — desperately grabbing Jones as Jones came back for an underthrown ball — was so egregious, it looked like something was wrong.

Emma: Opportune, The Bears Are Not - CBS Chicago - The Bears were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 20-17 loss to the Lions.

Wiederer: Bears QB Matt Barkley eager for Alshon Jeffery's return - Chicago Tribune - Sunday marked the final day of Alshon Jeffery's four-game suspension, a punishment that went into effect Nov. 14 after Jeffery was busted for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Jeffery is expected to be reinstated Monday and is expected to rejoin the team for meetings at Halas Hall. Quarterback Matt Barkley acknowledged after Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Lions at Ford Field that he's eager for Jeffery's return.

Emma: At The Very Least, Matt Barkley Deserves Bears’ Consideration - CBS Chicago - Barkley put the Bears in position to win, but he was let down in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Lions.

Bears PGL: Panel gives out game balls - CSN Chicago - Lance Briggs, Alex Brown and Jim Miller give out their game balls after the Bears' 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions.

LeBlanc on pick-six: 'It was a great feeling' - CSN Chicago - Cre'Von LeBlanc discusses his big pick-six that gave the Bears the lead in the fourth quarter.

Mullin: Defense finally gets takeaways, but not enough key stops in loss - CSN Chicago - The Bears defense forced turnovers, but couldn't get enough key stops in the 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Rosenbloom: Bill Polian rumor shows the Bears might be wising up after all - Chicago Tribune - The best news for the Bears on Sunday happened somewhere other than their game in Detroit and it might not turn out to be much more than a rumor.

Mullin: Offense has chances, self-destructs in loss to Lions - CSN Chicago - The Bears had plenty of chances against the Lions defense on Sunday, but couldn't put up enough points to score a win.

Wiederer: Penalties prevent Bears from pulling upset against Lions - Chicago Tribune - Matt Barkley saw what he wanted. Cameron Meredith worked himself open. The pass was right on time and right on target. In the final minute of Sunday's game against the Lions at Ford Field, the Bears were marching for a tying or go-ahead drive. So when Barkley hit Meredith in a soft spot in the Lions' coverage with the second-year receiver then breaking free for a big play, the Bears were well within range for a tying field-goal attempt. But...

Mullin: Bears fall short (again) in "learning process" loss to Lions - CSN Chicago - The Bears were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, as they dropped a close game to the Detroit Lions.

Rozner: Where, when will the Bears find playmakers? - The 3-10 Bears try hard. We know that because the Bears tell us every week.

LeGere: Bears can't seal the deal, lose to Lions - The Chicago Bears staged a late rally Sunday to go ahead of the Lions, but then Detroit's MVP candidate, quarterback Matt Stafford, did what he does best: He rallied his team to a 20-17 victory with a 7-yard TD run with 3:17 left.

Mullin: Bears establishing smash-mouth core with Jordan Howard - CSN Chicago - The Bears’only three wins have come this season in the games in which rookie running back Jordan Howard has been given 20-plus carries.

Campbell: Bears hold themselves back on final drive in 20-17 loss to Lions - Chicago Tribune - John Fox gritted his teeth on the Bears' sideline as the anger welled in him. His blood had spiked to the boiling point. Then he pointed and yelled as line judge Sarah Thomas walked past.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Florio: Jeff Fisher matches Dan Reeves with most career losses - ProFootballTalk - Say what you will about Jeff Fisher, but he's a survivor. He has now survived long enough to tie Dan Reeves for the most losses in NFL history. Both have 165, following a 42-14 loss by the Rams to the Falcons, one of the teams Reeves coached. Career Loss No.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Florio: Aaron Rodgers injures calf - ProFootballTalk - The Packers emerged from Sunday's showdown against the Seahawks with a win. However, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers emerged from the game with an injured calf.

Ingrassia: Matthew Stafford reportedly dislocates finger on throwing hand in Lions' win - FOX Sports - Stafford played with a glove after the injury.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Noble: Twitter folks love Bears rookie Leonard Floyd - Windy City Gridiron - On Sunday, NFL fans took to Twitter to share their love for Leonard Floyd.

Noble: La Canfora - Bill Polian could return to NFL with Chicago Bears - Windy City Gridiron - According to one report, the Bears could be a landing spot for HOF football exec Bill Polian.

Noble: Chicago gives away win to Detroit, loses 17-20 - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears were penalized into oblivion on Sunday versus the Lions

WCG Staff picks, Week 14: Bears vs Lions - Windy City Gridiron - Our WCG staffers duke it out over who will win today’s gave versus the Detroit Lions.

FANPOSTS

Nomad: Looking Ahead - Windy City Gridiron - Ok, so watching that avalanche of yellow laundry calling itself the second Bears-Lions game was about as much fun as being skinned alive by a palsy victim with a belt sander. So where are we? W...

FanPosts - Recent - Windy City Gridiron - Here's a link to our FanPost section, where YOU have the opportunity to contribute to Windy City Gridiron. Take a few minutes and write a post about what you are thinking about regarding the Chicago Bears, and there'a chance it will be linked right here in the Den.

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