The Bear's Den: May 17, 2016

BEAR DOWN!!!!

Discussion question of the day: Are Ka'Deem Carey, Jeremy Langford, Jordan Howard and/or the other men on the roster up to the challenge of equaling Matt Forte's 2015 production?

BEARRRSSSS

Coppens: Bears-Patriots schedule joint practices ahead of preseason matchup - TheComeback.com - According to an ESPN.com report, the two teams will hold a pair of joint practices on Aug. 15-16 leading up to their Aug. 18 preseason matchup.

Emma: Bears Defense Is Drastically Improving - CBS Chicago - The Bears have almost entirely revamped their defense since John Fox arrived.

Infante: Five potential training camp cuts - Cover32 - The Chicago Bears spent their offseason renovating their roster to make it younger and better. They plugged holes in free agency...

Emma: Cody Whitehair Could Make Instant Impact For Bears - CBS Chicago - Whitehair projects to be the Bears starter at left guard.

Dickerson: Chicago Bears want Leonard Floyd to eat more often to gain weight - ESPN - The Bears have designed a strength and nutrition program targeted to bulk up lanky rookie outside linebacker Leonard Floyd.

Mayer: Braunecker motivated by draft snub - ChicagoBears.com - Bears rookie tight end Ben Braunecker, who aspires to one day become a doctor researching infectious diseases, enters the NFL with a chip on his shoulder after not being drafted.

Leonard Floyd needs to put weight on - ESPN Video - Field Yates explains how the Bears hope that top draft pick Leonard Floyd can bulk up in order to go up against NFL offensive lineman, but also maintain his athleticism.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears announce training camp dates - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears announced their dates and times for training camp, which will be held at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois for the 15th consecutive year. They will report on Wednesday, July 27th and here's the full schedule;

Householder: Which positions are still concerning for the Chicago Bears? - Windy City Gridiron - General manager Ryan Pace has added many pieces to the roster this offseason, but which positions are still lacking?

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears waive 4, add another UDFA - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears announce a number of roster moves, read about therm all right here.

Sunderbunch: Lessons from the 2011 Draft - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears had a mediocre draft in 2011, but they still managed better results than some of the teams judged as winners by the experts.

Morrissey: Jay Cutler is Drew Brees? Who knew? Well, that one guy - Chicago Sun-Times - New Bears receivers coach compares QB to New Orleans star.

Jahns: Team Building, 5 things we gleaned from Bears assistant coaches - Chicago Sun-Times - Adam L. Jahns: Bears coaches have formed solid opinions about certain players.

Mullen; Concerns about Leonard Floyd maybe shouldn't be so concerning - CSN Chicago - Leonard Floyd has some question marks in his college sack production and his size, but are those really things worth getting worried about?

Biggs: Vegas sets Bears' win total at 7 1/2 - Chicago Tribune - Las Vegas is figuring the Bears will hover somewhere around .500 when the 2016 season ends.

Campbell: Bears design nutrition program for top pick Leonard Floyd - Chicago Tribune - Leonard Floyd faces repeated questions about his weight. At issue is his ability to win blocks as an edge defender against big and strong NFL linemen.

Wiederer: 'Old-school' Cody Whitehair brings farm work ethic to Bears offensive line - Chicago Tribune - When Bears coach John Fox kept asking general manager Ryan Pace for throwback players, he may as well have been describing Cody Whitehair specifically.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Biggs: Bears have confidence they can deliver with youth in secondary - Chicago Tribune - Fourth-round picks Deon Bush and Deiondre' Hall and sixth-round pick DeAndre Houston-Carson got a crash course during rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Bartelson: New York Jets WR Brandon Marshall says RB Matt Forte 'Best all-around back' over past 8-years - Pro Football Weekly - Marshall and Forte were teammates in Chicago from 2012-14

KNOW THY ENEMY

Reno: Is Brandon Pettigrew's spot on the roster safe? - Pride Of Detroit - Today's notes consist of Brandon Pettigrew's future, Jarryd Hayne's retirement and more.

Gates: Tailgating at new Vikings stadium on Chicgago Ave. may be in trouble - Daily Norseman - The space that was expected to be available for tailgating at the new U.S. Bank Stadium may wind up being limited.

Hirschhorn: Packers 2016 roster preview: Kenny Clark expected to play immediately - Acme Packing Company - With B.J. Raji's retirement leaving a massive void in the middle of the defense, the Packers need Kenny Clark to step up immediately.

DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

NFL - Best offseason acquisitions for all 32 teams - free agency, coaches, general managers, draft picks - ESPN
From free agents to coaches and draft picks to general managers, NFL Nation reporters pick the top offseason pickup for every team. No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff and Hue Jackson make the list.

Goodbread: Projecting top 100 NFL rookies of 2016 including Bears Floyd, 2 others - Players 1-20 - NFL.com
Chase Goodbread ranks 100 rookies based on anticipated impact in the 2016 season, a list anchored by the new franchise quarterback for the newly relocated Los Angeles Rams.

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.

Here's Sam:

Well let's see here, numbers 30-34...I wonder who will be mentioned in this post...hmm....I feel like there is a number in this group that is going to be awfully important to the history of our team but I can't put my finger on it. It must be 33. Right? Nah, I'm just kidding, let's see who else makes the list aside from the greatest player ever to play the game.

30 - Mike Brown, S (2000-08): We all know what Brown did for us. He's the franchise leader in defensive TDs with seven; four INTs and three fumble recoveries. There might not have been as clutch a player as him, either. His back-to-back overtime pick sixes will forever live in Bears and football legend and he also returned a fumble for a TD during the "Miracle in the Desert" Monday night come back. If injuries hadn't slowed him down, who knows what could have been. Anyway here is compilation video of some of his TDs including the above mentioned.

31 - Joe Fortunato, LB (1955-66): The guy was a 5-time Pro-Bowler and a 3-time First Team All-Pro. His tackling stats weren't listed on PFR but he had 16 career picks and 22 fumble recoveries. He played beside both Bill George and Dick Butkus.

32 - Johnny Lujack, QB/DB (1949-52): Number 32 hasn't been kind to us, especially in recent history, as I'm sure I don't need to remind you. However, back in the late '40s and early '50s we had a very good 32. Lujack took over for the legendary Sid Luckman. In fact in his rookie year he didn't even play QB but had eight INTs as a DB! He was twice a Pro-Bowler and once a first team All-Pro. In fact, in 1950 (when he was a Pro-Bowler and All-Pro) he threw 21 INTS against only four TDs. However, he had 11 rushing TDs. In '49 he threw for a league-leading 2,658 yards and 23 TDs. Unfortunately for the Bears, his career was cut short by knee injuries. Futility at the QB position became an annual occurrence.

33 - Charles Tillman, CB (2003-Present): He is probably one of the few guys who will end up making this list and NOT have an All-Pro or Pro-Bowl appearance on his resume. That's not to say he isn't deserving though. For all the things we give crap for, mainly slipping, the man has been a consistent playmaker for us for the last eight seasons. He has 27 INTs, 23 FFs (A testament to his ability to poke the ball out) and four TDs. Who could forget when he robbed Randy Moss of a TD as a rookie?

34 - Walter Payton, RB (1975-87): Did this even need to be said? He retired as the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards. He had six straight 1,000 yard seasons, he broke the record for consecutive 100 yard games in '85 and he was the franchise leader in scoring until Kevin Butler broke it. Considered by many as the greatest football player ever, he was a nine time Pro-Bowler and a five time first team All-Pro. And in case you were wondering, he is still second all-time on the franchise's career scoring list. Wow!

Here's the link to Sam's original article:

Householder: The Greatest Bears by Number (30-34) - Windy City Gridiron
The next in our series on the greatest Bears by jersey number includes the greatest Bear of all-time and one of the greatest football players of all-time!

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