The Bear's Den: December 28, 2016

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

BEARRRSSSS

Gabriel: Early Assessment Of Bears’ Needs, Options In 1st Round Of NFL Draft - CBS Chicago - The Bears could really use a quarterback, a cornerback, a safety and an offensive tackle.

Emma: Cameron Meredith A Bright Spot For The Bears - CBS Chicago - Amid uncertainty at receiver, the Bears may have something in Meredith.

Bernstein: At Least ‘Barkleymania’ Is Over - CBS Chicago - Add Matt Barkley to the list of passers who have caused misplaced ripples of belief amid a fan base that by now should be expected to know better.

Wiederer & Campbell: Bear Download podcast - Chicago Tribune - Welcome to the weekly Bear Download podcast with Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer.

Campbell: Bears closing in on third overall draft pick, but could fall as low as sixth - Chicago Tribune - We have a pretty good idea about where the Bears will pick in the 2017 draft order now that we’ve reached the final week of the regular season.

Rosenbloom: Here's what the Bears ought to do with Matt Barkley - Chicago Tribune - Matt Barkley cannot seem to play a first quarter or even a first half that looks dangerous, except to his own team.

Wiederer & Campbell: 'Closer than people think'? Have John Fox's Bears made any marked progress? - Chicago Tribune - What are the meaningful gains the Bears have made, and how do they measure up to the problems that are reflected in the standings?

Lunch with Larry: 12.27.16 - ChicagoBears.com - Bears Senior Writer Larry Mayer discussed the Bears injuries, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, expectations for this offseason and more in this week's Lunch with Larry.

Perez: John Fox continues to survive as other struggling coaches lose their jobs - Bears Wire - Bears coach John Fox continues to keep his job despite his awful second season with the team

Jahns' Bears Twitter Q&A: Looking long-term at left tackle, quarterback - Chicago Sun-Times - The Sun-Times’ experts can answer your Bears questions all week on Twitter.

Pompei: Observations From Bears-Redskins - CBS Chicago - Matt Barkley became unglued, and the Bears' secondary was exposed.

Perez: John Fox continues to survive as other struggling coaches lose their jobs - Bears Wire - Bears coach John Fox continues to keep his job despite his awful second season with the team

Potash: Bears (3-12) trying to avoid ignominy of worst 16-game season - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears’ season finale against the Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium was destined to be meaningless since they

LeGere: Bears hitting a lot of lows this season - Daily Herald - As a team, the Bears have forced 10 fumbles this year, the same number Bears cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman forced all by himself in 2012.No NFL team has fewer recovered fumbles than the Bears' 3, and only the Jacksonville Jaguars have fewer interceptions than the Bears' 7. The Bears' 10 takeaways are the fewest in the NFL.

Wiederer: Bears search for meaning, motivation in final week of lost season - Chicago Tribune - This is where the Bears are right now, so battered and beaten down that even the stumbling, staggering Vikings remain four games ahead.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Alper: Bills will sit Tyrod Taylor this weekend, not performance related - ProFootballTalk - The Bills won't have Rex Ryan on the sideline against the Jets this weekend and they will reportedly be without quarterback Tyrod Taylor as well. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Bills, who will be coached by offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn on an interim basis, will bench Taylor in favor...

Murphy: Examining Rex Ryan’s Reputation - Buffalo Rumblings - Spoiler Alert: The bombastic head coach thinks he’s much more successful than reality suggests.

Warren: Buffalo Bills needed to fire Rex Ryan - Buffalo Rumblings - It’s over. The Bills needed to move on.

Warren: Buffalo Bills fire Rex Ryan - Buffalo Rumblings - They pulled the trigger.

Orr: Brandon Marshall questions starting Hackenberg - NFL.com - Brandon Marshall has been the voice of reason for the woebegone Jets all season long, and Tuesday might have been his finest moment, when he was asked about rookie QB Christian Hackenberg.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Boden: Somehow, Sam Bradford Survived 2016 - CSN Chicago - The Bears defense looked great against the Vikings in a win earlier this season. How does Minnesota's offense look now compared to Halloween?

Gates: Rhodes Deferred To Newman In Coverage Fiasco - Daily Norseman - It looks like we’ve found the culprit for Saturday’s coverage disaster against Jordy Nelson.

Boden: Vikes 'D' goes from stout to squabbling - CSN Chicago - The Vikings defense went from one of the best to struggling mightily the last few weeks. Which group will show up in Week 17?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong's Ten Thoughts on the NFL - Windy City Gridiron - Check out my latest slew of Thoughts on the National Football League and be sure to chime in with a few thoughts of your own in our comment section. Consider this your WCG catch-all for everything...

Householder: Bears could make history in futility Sunday - Windy City Gridiron - The winningest team in NFL history faces a season record never seen before

Wiltfong: How good can Cameron Meredith be? - Windy City Gridiron - In Lester’s latest podcast, he discusses 2nd year wide out Cameron Meredith and how he fits in with the Bears’ 2017 receiving corps.

FANPOSTS

BeardownsoHard: Unlucky Front Seven - Windy City Gridiron - Week 16 was a particularly rough game for the Bears both on the ground and in the air. While my title may suggest mercy, overall this unit made far too many mistakes. When your defense gives up 108...

GreyRainbows: These Bears Need Some Yoga - Do we have any Yogis on here who could teach them? - Windy City Gridiron - I practiced yoga while playing Lacrosse in college, and could always tell the difference in those seasons to others because I felt much more balanced...

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.

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments, FanPosts, usernames or anywhere else in an SB Nation community: Comments, FanPosts or usernames that are intolerant or prejudiced; Personal attacks or threats on community members; Gendered insults of any kind; Trolling; Click link for full information.

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