The Bears Den: March 29, 2016

BEAR DOWN!!!!

DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Spawn of Hub: Pro Football Weekly Draft Prospect Preview, Carson Wentz - Chicago Football - Leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft in Chicago, Arthur Arkush, Kevin Fishbain and Nate Atkins will break down some of this year's top prospects. We begin with one of the top quarterbacks, if not the best signal-caller.

Mullen: Why are Bears losing out in bids for offensive free agents? - CSN Chicago - What is it about the Bears offense that people don’t want to come be part of it? Despite several offers to free agents on that side of the ball, those players are opting for other teams.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears Free Agency & Draft: Recap, rumors and news - Windy City Gridiron - Here are the latest news and rumors about free agency and the draft that are circulating around about the Chicago Bears. I'll also recap who's coming, who's staying and who's going for the Bears in our free agency tracker.

Perez: Chicago Bears 2016 NFL Draft countdown: 31 days - Bears Wire - The 2016 NFL draft is only 30 days away. We're counting down with the Chicago Bears' burning draft questions.

Weaver: Chicago Bears: Five local prospects - Cover32 - Here are five NFL Draft prospects that the Chicago Bears might consider picking who played their college ball in the area.

Householder: 2016 Bears first round pick, Offense or defense? - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears need help on both sides of the ball, would they be better served to spend their first pick on offense or defense?

Perez: Bears to meet with Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche - Bears Wire - The Bears will be continuing their 2016 NFL Draft preparation by meeting with Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche.

BEARRRSSSS.......

Mayer: Jeffery, Davis battle for Final Four Bragging Rights - The winner of the Bears Bragging Rights NCAA basketball challenge will be determined by what transpires in Saturday’s Final Four game between Oklahoma and Villanova.

Wiederer: How John Fox is taking an Ivy League approach to Bears - Chicago Tribune - Bears coach John Fox wants to make it clear that he is ultimately pushing to establish Ivy League standards in the admissions process to Halas Hall.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears re-sign outside linebacker Sam Acho - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears have re-signed outside linebacker and special teamer Sam Acho according to his agent.

BEARRRSSSS FOR LIFE......

Mayer: Bears struck gold throughout '83 draft - The Bears' remarkable 1983 draft produced seven eventual starters who would help lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship two years later.

Chicago Bears History By Decades- Highlights from the 1950s - The Bears began the decade with a title run, but lost to the Rams in the 1950 Western Division title game, 24-14. Paddy Driscoll replaced Halas as coach in 1956 and the Bears lost to the Giants in the NFL Championship game at Yankee Stadium. Halas returned for his final stint as head coach in 1958.

EX-BEARRRSSSS......

Brooks: Many Ex-Bears highlight top 5 pass catching duos - NFL.com - In 2016, the Patriots may have a new dynamic pass catching duo with TEs Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. Bucky Brooks pegs them as the third-best tandem, so which receiving pair is No. 1?

POLISH SAUSAGE

Patra: Trent Richardson says it's easy to become lazy in NFL - NFL.com - From the "WHY ON EARTH DO PEOPLE CONTINUE TO PAY THIS MAN TO PLAY FOOTBALL" department: Trent Richardson is one of many first-round draft busts. As he attempts another comeback, the running back admitted that it was easy to become lazy with a relaxed NFL schedule.

Warsaw Sports Marketing Center 2015 NFL Draft: Explaining NFL Rookie Contracts - Ken's Note: An older story but pertinent, mentioned in yesterday's den by Butkus'sBloodyknuckles. In the past, contract negotiations for NFL rookies spilled into training camp on a regular basis. Those days have been dead since 2011. Although there are still negotiating points, the new collective bargaining agreement installed something similar to the rookie wage scale in the NBA. Each of the up to 256 draft slots are allotted a specific portion of the league’s Total Rookie Compensation Pool. The contract for every drafted rookie is set at four years. All undrafted players will be signed to three-year terms

FAN POST OF MERIT

FPOM: Vernon Hargreaves III vs Ezekiel Elliott vs Ronnie Stanley - Windy City Gridiron - Fan Post Of Merit by TJGOBIG: Three players seem to be the popular choices for the Bears at #11 in the upcoming NFL draft. If the draft plays out like I think it will in a BPA situation, we SHOULD have our choice of one of these three.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Lemieus & Reno, 2016 NFL mock draft: What has free agency changed? - Pride Of Detroit - Lemieux and Reno go blow by blow down the first round once more.

Western: Jared Cook deal with Packers one year & $3.6 million, per report - Acme Packing Company - Green Bay gets its tight end, and does so at quite a discount while maintaining long-term flexibility.

Patra: Stafford knew NFL was 'wearing on' Calvin Johnson - NFL.com - Matthew Stafford was not surprised that Calvin Johnson walked away from the NFL with plenty still left it the tank. The Lions quarterback said he could tell the game was wearing on his teammate.

Schein: Browns, Rams, Cowboys face high first-round stakes - NFL.com - We're a month away from the 2016 NFL Draft. Who needs to get it right in Round 1? Adam Schein points to Hue Jackson's Browns, Jerry Jones' Cowboys, John Elway's Broncos and six other franchises.

DRAFT PROSPECTS OF INTEREST TO BEARS FANS

NFL Draft Profile: North Dakota St. OL Joe Haeg - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Florida DB Keanu Neal - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Indiana RB Jordan Howard - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Baylor DL Shawn Oakman - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: SE Louisiana DB Harlan Miller - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Colorado State WR Rashard Higgins - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Grand Valley St. DL/LB Matt Judon - CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Ohio State TE Nick Vannett - CSN Chicago

Housekeeping notes:

If you would like to suggest poll, please feel free to do so. It must be Chicago Bears or Chicago culture related (there will be Chicago food polls in the future, especially concerning pizza).

Thank you for remembering that Dens are not "open" threads, you folks have been doing a great job on self-moderation!

I am @WCGBearsDenDude on Twitter. Just an FYI.