The Bears Weekend Den & Open Thread, July 16-17, 2016

This is an Open Thread, so please remember to thread responsibly.

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

ALSHON JEFFERY

Wiltfong: Alshon Jeffery does not sign a long term deal with the Chicago Bears - Windy City Gridiron - The franchise tag deadline has passed and no deal has been reached between the Chicago Bears and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery meaning that Jeffery will play the 2016 season for a guaranteed $14,599,000.

Weaver: Alshon Jeffery deal could break the Bears - Cover32 - What they decide to do with star wide receiver Alshon Jeffery over the next calendar year has the potential to make or break their tenure with the team.

Mullen: Barring surprise contract, Alshon Jeffery faces another prove-it year with Bears - CSN Chicago - It appears Alshon Jeffery will need to prove himself for a second season, this time playing under a $14.6 million franchise tag.

Lambert: NFL Execs Are Giving Alshon Jeffery Tons Of Incentive To Crush 2016 - Sports Mockery - There is no doubt in the mind of Alshon Jeffery that he is at #1, franchise-caliber wide receiver and that the Chicago Bears would be smart to pay him money in line with that status. At the same time the team doesn’t seem to agree. While they do see a player with lots of big play potential, they also see somebody who is injury-prone and tends to go from hot to cold too often when it comes to working hard.

Emma: Alshon Jeffery, Bears Fail To Reach Long-Term Deal As Deadline Passes - CBS Chicago - Jeffery will play the 2016 season on the franchise tag, which will pay him $14.6 million.

Dickerson: Alshon Jeffery's long-term Bears future uncertain after deadline expires - ESPN - Alshon Jeffery wants to be paid like a top-five receiver, but the Bears apparently don't think he's at that level.

Mayer: Jeffery to play under terms of tender - ChicagoBears.com - Having signed his franchise tender, Alshon Jeffery will participate in training camp and earn $14.599 million from the Bears this season despite not agreeing to a long-term contract by Friday’s deadline.

Perez: Bears fans send advice to Alshon Jeffery’s agent on Twitter - Bears Wire - Chicago Bears fans sent Alshon Jeffery's agent some words of advice on Twitter in advance of the franchise player deadline

No deadline deal: Alshon Jeffery, Bears fail to reach long-term extension - CSN Chicago - The Bears and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension before Friday's deadline.

Wiederer: Deadline passes, Bears' Alshon Jeffery will play under franchise tag - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery will play the 2016 season under the franchise tag, as expected.

BEARRRSSSS

Mayer: Receiving corps led by Jeffery, White - ChicagoBears.com - After injuries prevented them from playing together last season, receivers Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White are back healthy and expected to play integral roles on the Bears offense.

Yahoo Shutdown Corner 2016 NFL Preview: After good coaching hire, Bears keep building - Yahoo - Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2016 power rankings. The 2015 Chicago Bears didn’t produce the kind of results that would lead to John Fox getting NFL coach of the year votes, but Fox did

Hub's Crew's Podcast: Bears Mailbag Edition Part II - Pro Football Weekly - The guys are back from a summer break to bring you another Bears Mailbag, as Kevin answers questions about the Bears' defense, including Leonard Floyd's expectations as a rookie and recent Pro Football Focus rankings of the secondary. Kevin and John

Fishbain: Zach Miller leads the Bears' tight ends with lots of questions about depth - Pro Football Weekly - Following three years of entering training camp with Martellus Bennett, a Pro Bowler and one of the best tight ends in the game, the Bears head to Bourbonnais with Zach Miller leading the group. The similar trend from the Bennett years will follow the Bears to Olivet Nazarene — there will be a competition for the No. 2 tight end spot. Ken's Note: No word yet which TE is tasked with randomly body slamming our first round draft pick Leonard Floyd.

Perez: What are the fantasy football average draft positions for the Chicago Bears? - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears have several intriguing fantasy football options for the 2016 season. Here's a look at their average draft positions

Mullen: OL fits are critical after offseason makeover - CSN Chicago - The Bears have done a total makeover on the offensive line, and they'll need it to pan out if they hope to have success in 2016.

Noble: Chicago Bears Approval Rating: Ryan Pace (2016 Offseason Edition) - Windy City Gridiron - Let us know below what you think of Ryan Pace as GM of the Chicago Bears.

Lambert: Matt Forte Finally Comments On Leaving Chicago Bears - Sports Mockery - There was no more dependable player on the Chicago Bears roster for the past eight seasons than running back Matt Forte. For many years he was the offense. Everything the team was able to do on that side of the ball was because of him. Fans haven’t forgotten what he did for the team and believe he belongs in the same conversation as other great backs in franchise history.

Salem: Slow your Roll on Jeremy Langford - NFL Spin Zone - The NFL is ready to anoint Chicago Bears' running back Jeremy Langford the next big thing, but slow your roll. His numbers were never there. Give him time.

LIVING IN THE SEASON OF THE LISTS

Arthur Arkush: 2016 Bear Necessities, No. 8 CB Tracy Porter - Pro Football Weekly - Bears best corner returns on a three-year deal as leader of a young secondary

Fishbain's 2016 Bear Necessities No. 7: NT Eddie Goldman - Pro Football Weekly - Bears hoping for a Year Two jump from Goldman, the plugger of the D-line

Perez: Top 25 most important Bears of 2016: No. 17 Jonathan Bullard - Bears Wire - Chicago Bears' rookie Jonathan Bullard is entering his first season as a pro with the potential to start and produce right away in 2016

Wiederer: Top 10 headlines from Bears' offseason - Chicago Tribune - Of the 90 players under contract, 39 were not with the organization last season, clear evidence that the Bears are still molding the roster to their liking.

Wiltfong's 10 Most Important Bears of 2016: #2 Will the running back by committee be able to replace Matt Forte? - Windy City Gridiron - For the 8th straight year, I'm bringing you who I believe will be the ten most important Chicago Bears for the upcoming season. Coming in at number 2 are the running backs by committee.

POLISH SAUSAGE

NFC North Q&A: Who's the division winner and how many teams will make the playoffs? - ESPN - The Vikings and the Packers made the playoffs last season. According to our reporters, they will once again represent the NFC North in the postseason. Ken's Note: WRONG! The Bears will win the NFC North.

Patra: Jared Allen recalls telling Brett Favre to 'stay retired' - NFL.com - Jared Allen was one of the Vikings dispatched in August 2010 to convince Brett Favre to return for one more season. But the pass rusher recalls telling the quarterback he should just stay retired.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Smiley: The Vikings' new $1.1 billion stadium might have a huge bird problem - FOX Sports - The new home of the Minnesota Vikings will open in one week but a big concern remains about the risk of collisions outside the stadium involving migratory birds. Environmentalists have noted that U.S. Bank Stadium's glassy exterior might attract and confuse birds, causing them to crash against the building and die.

Smith: A Trio of Specialists Return to Vikings for 2016 Season - Vikings.com - The Vikings will bring the same trio of core specialists to 2016 Verizon Vikings Training Camp. The unit likely will benefit from moving indoors to U.S. Bank Stadium’s controlled environment after spending the past two seasons in the windy and often harshly cold conditions at the University of Minnesota.

Boston: What if Green Bay's Jordy Nelson doesn't fix offense? - LobardiAve.com - A 31-year-old wide receiver coming off the back of a serious knee injury is a dangerous combination, and it's one the Green Bay Packers will encounter.

Reisman: Lions' receiver Marvin Jones calls out analyst after criticism over drops - Pride Of Detroit - The new Detroit Lions' receiver couldn’t believe some of the criticism he drew from NFL Network.

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