The Bear's Den: May 12, 2016

BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

Wiltfong: Five Questions With Bring On The Cats about Cody Whitehair - Windy City Gridiron - We're visiting the SB Nation college sites of the Bears' rookie class to gain some insight on the newest Bears. Today we'll talk to Jon Morse, Managing Editor of Bring On The Cats, about 2nd round draft pick, OL Cody Whitehair of Kansas State.

Wiltfong: Pernell McPhee #66 on the PFF Top 101 was tops in pass rushing productivity among all edge rushers - Windy City Gridiron - Chicago Bears' outside linebacker Pernell McPhee is named number 66 on the Pro Football Focus Top 101 players of 2015.

Hub's Podcast (audio): Getting to know the Chicago Bears rookies - Part II - Pro Football Weekly - On Part II of our "Getting to know the rookie Bears" Podcast, we interview experts on the four remaining Bears picks. Former Georgia QB and current color commentator Eric Zeier (2:20) talks first-round pick Leonard Floyd, FloridaGators.com senior wri

Perez: Should Chicago be ranked higher by ESPN and NFL.com? - Bears Wire - The Bears continue to be ranked among the NFL's worst teams by media outlets. After a successful offseason, should they be ranked higher?

Rosenthal: NFC North projected starters: Bears on the rise? - NFL.com - Plenty of players will be battling for starting positions, but who will rise to the top? Gregg Rosenthal breaks down his lists of projected starters for each team in the NFC North.

Campbell: Bears Q&A with Jordan Howard's position coach at Indiana - Chicago Tribune - The running back showed the traits — power, intelligence, production — that enticed the Chicago Bears to select him in the fifth round of last month's NFL draft.

Mayer: Bears scout's daughter fighting disease - ChicagoBears.com - Paige Shiver, the daughter of long-time Bears scout Jeff Shiver (standing side-by-side in the middle of this family picture), will help raise awareness and funds to fight a muscle disease that she's battling.

Dickenson: How much will the Bears miss Adam Gase? - ESPN - The latest installment of the Bears Twitter mailbag touches on the effect of Adam Gase's departure and more.

Rosenbloom: I can't imagine Bears coach John Fox doing what Adam Gase just did - Chicago Tribune - Adam Gase's plan would be a radical change for John Fox and all the other football coaches who love having their guys play football and love saying "football."

Perez: Bears win NFL.com’s Roster Reconstruction Award for happiest defensive coaches - Bears Wire - NFL.com recently awarded the Chicago Bears with the Happiest Defensive Coaches award for the team's defensive upgrades in the 2016 offseason

Perez:Chicago Bears convert defensive lineman to tight end | Bears Wire - The Bears added another tight end to the roster without having to sign or trade for anyone.

Ottochain: Small-school undrafted linebacker could be a surprise find for Bears - Bears Wire - Villanova inside linebacker Don Cherry has an uphill battle to make the Bears, but there is a lot to like about this small-school product.

Bears announce personnel department moves - CSN Chicago - The Bears announced changes to their personnel department Wednesday, including promoting Mark Sadowski to director of college scouting.

TRIBUNE'S MAILBAG (broken out for your viewing convenience)

Biggs: With Antrel Rolle's release, should Bears worry about Deon Bush's mind-set? - Chicago Tribune - Shouldn't the Bears be worried about Deon Bush's mind-set right now?

Biggs: Are there any veteran tight ends that Bears could use? - Chicago Tribune - Are there any veteran tight ends on the market or any you can foresee being released for the Bears to snag?

Biggs: Will Ryan Pace will go after a veteran running back? - Chicago Tribune - Do you think Ryan Pace will go after a veteran running back?

Biggs: Will Charles Leno Jr. be the Day 1 starter at left tackle? - Chicago Tribune - Do you trust Charles Leno Jr. as the Day 1 starter at left tackle or do you think they sign a veteran from another team as competition after cuts?

Biggs: Will Bears eventually move Kyle Long to left tackle at some point? - Chicago Tribune - Do you think the Bears will eventually move Kyle Long to left tackle at some point over the next couple seasons?

Biggs: Do the Bears have enough depth at wide receiver? - Chicago Tribune - With Alshon Jeffery sidelinded a few games last year and the uncertainty of Kevin White do the Bears have enough depth at the position?

Biggs: How will rotation work with Leonard Floyd, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston and Pernell McPhee? - Chicago Tribune - How will the rotation work with Leonard Floyd, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston and Pernell McPhee?

Biggs: Will upgrades to front seven lead to Kyle Fuller performing better? - Chicago Tribune - Do you think the upgrades to the front seven will lead to Kyle Fuller performing better this season?

Biggs: Has defensive lineman Greg Scruggs moved to tight end? - Chicago Tribune - Have you heard anything about the Bears moving defensive lineman Greg Scruggs to tight end?

Biggs: Why wouldn't Ryan Pace block Joe Douglas from going to the Eagles? - Chicago Tribune - Why wouldn't Ryan Pace block Joe Douglas from going to the Eagles? I understand not wanting to get in the way of someone advancing their career but...

POLISH SAUSAGE

Should undrafted underclassmen be allowed to return to college? | ProFootballTalk - Every year, some of the underclassmen who roll the dice on entering the draft end up going undrafted and, pending an opportunity to grab a spot at the bottom of the roster and climb from 90 to 53, out of luck. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema wants to give undrafted underclassmen another alternative.

Greenstein: Which sports are best viewed in person? And which on TV? - Chicago Tribune - The NFL is absolutely the king of the tube, especially with an HD set.

DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Snyder: Draft Bytes, UDFA Roundup - Windy City Gridiron - Talent can come from anywhere, and the NFL doesn't care where it comes from as long as it's effective. Drafted, undrafted, the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia or a local park: if you can play the NFL will make a spot for you. Most of the players in the league arrived through the draft process but a significant crop of talent emerges from the undrafted ranks every year.

Zierlein: Best and worst 2016 NFL Draft picks: NFC North - NFL.com - As the Vikings scored a top WR in Round 1, seven selections earlier the Lions selected a lineman with pass-protection concerns. Lance Zierlein reveals the best and worst picks for each team in the NFC North.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Railbird Central Podcast (audio): Rookie Stats Projection - Cheesehead TV - Paul Bessire of PredictionMachine.com offers statistical projections for the Packers rookie class.

Demovsky: Eddie Lacy among the winners after Green Bay Packers' offseason moves - ESPN - Taking stock of who's in good position and who should worry some after Green Bay's activity in free agency and the draft.

Bischoff: 2016 Detroit Lions, An Offense Driven by Theo Riddick - SideLionReport.com - 2016 Detroit Lions: An Offense Driven by Theo Riddick - How playing Riddick out of the slot maximizes the offense as a whole.

Meinke: A'Shawn Robinson loves Detroit Lions' defensive scheme - MLive.com - A'Shawn Robinson was the rarest kind of freshman at Alabama. He played. A lot. It's notoriously difficult to get on the field that first year in Tuscaloosa, but Robinson played defensive tackle in all 13 games, starting twice. He made 38 tackles. He racked up 5.5 sacks, which led the team. He was named a first-team freshman All-American, according to Sporting News, and the league's coaches named him to the freshman All-SEC team.

Graf: Prince reportedly was in talks to hold first concert at Vikings' new Chicago Ave. stadium - FOX Sports - The performance would have taken place two weeks before the team's first exhibition game at the stadium Minnesota built bordering Chicago Ave.

GREATEST BEARS BY THE NUMBER

In 2011, WCG's Sam Householder did an outstanding "Bears By The Number" series that a lot of folks with us today haven't read. With Sam's permission, I am sharing some of the info with you folks over the couple of weeks as it appeared in 2011, plus the link to the original post that contains more information.

For the most part, little has changed, but there are some numbers that may well be transforming from one "greatest Bear" to a new one.

Current Bears in these numbers are: Marquess Wilson (10), Josh Bellamy (11), David Fales (12), Kevin White (13) and Deonte Thompson (14)

Sam Wrote:

The Greatest Bears by Number (10-14)

Personally, I've found this series to be a bit challenging so far. It's tough because generally numbers under 20 are reserved for kickers, QBs, punters and the occasional WR. The Bears have had noticeable deficits at most of these positions over the years, mainly at QB and WR.

However, one of my favorite things about the Bears is that their history is so vast and the great players they have had goes all the way back to 1919! The advantage to this is that since we can go back to the pre-1960s era when players could generally wear whatever number they wanted, I still can find great linemen, LBs, DBs, etc. who donned numbers less than 20. Brilliant!! I find nothing more fun than players wearing odd numbers like  DE Ed Sprinkle wearing number 7 or Sid Luckman wearing 42.

I know many of you have played football, any of you wear a strange number for your position? Tell us about it in the comments!

On to this post now!

10 - Rudy Bukich, QB (1958-59, '62-68) - He was only the full-time starter for two of his 9 season in Chicago but in '65 he led the team to a 9-3 record in the games he started. For his career he was 17-11-2 for the Bears. "Honorable" Mention - Bobby Douglass, QB, (1969-75) - I put honorable in quotes because Douglass was awful as a passer (career 42% completion percentage for the Bears) but he held the record for single-season rushing yards by a QB until Vick broke it.

11 - Jack Concannon, QB (1967-71) - All I can say is I pity any old-timers out there who remember the Bears of the late '60s, especially because it followed the era of dominant Bears of the early '60s but Concannon's stats are awful; 51% completion rate, 31 TDs, 52 INTS and HE STARTED! His first year with the Bears he started 12 games threw 6 TDs and 14 INTs!! Somehow though he managed a 7-4-1 record that year as the starter. Honorable Mention: Joe Maniaci, FB (1938-41)

12 - Erik Kramer, QB (1994-98) It has to be Kramer, right? Kramer put together what is still the best statistical season in franchise history in '95 by throwing for a single-season record of 3,838 yards with 29 TDs, 11 INTs and a 93.5 rating (the highest in team history since the merger)

13 - George Trafton, C (1920-32) - This one is tough because the Bears have two HOF number 13s from the long-ago eras where stats are harder to come by. I put Trafton first because there was a second number given for the other one, Joe Stydahar. Honorable Mention - Joe Stydahar, LT (1936-46)

14 - Chuck Drulis, G/LB (1942, '45-49) - Um, well, 14 hasn't had an embarrassment of riches exactly so this guy it is. Haven really heard of him but he was a Pro-Bowler in '42 and 2nd Team All-Pro in '48.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE LINK:

Householder: The Greatest Bears by Number (10-14) - Windy City Gridiron - The latest installment in our series looking at the best Bears by number.

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