The Bear's Den: July 7, 2016

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

BEARRRSSSS

Payton: NFC North Football Fights Podcast Round One featuring Lester Wiltfong - Pride Of Detroit - Which NFC North combatant is the new Football Fights Champ? Last Thursday night, four men representing each of SB Nation's NFC North teams entered the coliseum for an all out war. Mike Payton of Pride Of Detroit, Tex Western of Acme Packing Company, Arif Hasan of The Daily Norseman and Lester Wilftfong Jr. of Windy City Gridiron brought their best game. But only one man stood above the rest in the end.

Silverstein: Jay Cutler and The Plunkett Principle - Windy City Gridiron - At age 33, with no recent Pro Bowl appearances, can Jay Cutler finally lead the Bears to the Super Bowl? History says no. History also said no to two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim Plunkett. Heed the lessons, Bears fans.

Ottochain: Bears Wire Film Room looks at Deiondre’ Hall in coverage - Bears Wire - Watch as Bears Wire breaks down Deiondre Hall's film at Northern Iowa to show you how he operates in both man and zone coverage.

Mills: Will Kevin White break out this season? - Numberfire.com - Kevin White came into last season with as much (or more) hype than fellow 2015 NFL draft pick, Amari Cooper. White, an All-American wide receiver at West Virginia, showed amazing potential at the NFL combine. At 6'2" and 215 pounds, he wowed scouts with a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and was drawing comparison's to the aforementioned Hopkins.

Perez: Predicting which offensive tackles will make the Bears’ final roster - Bears Wire - A look at which offensive tackles will make the Chicago Bears' final roster

McTigue: Packers-Bears, the NFL's greatest rivalry - ESPN - These NFC rivals have met 192 times, including playoff games. Check out the most notable stats in this rivalry.

Perez: Remember when the Bears could’ve hired Bruce Arians as head coach? - Bears Wire - Once upon a time, the Chicago Bears could've hired Bruce Arians as the team's head coach.

Ottochain: Bears Wire Film Room looking at Deiondre' Hall in run defense - BearsWire - Watch as Bears Wire breaks down the film to show you how Deiondre Hall was able to stop the run at Northern Iowa.

Prisbell: Bears offseason report: Can Cutler excel without Gase and Forte? - USA Today - Inconsistent quarterback Jay Cutler must maintain level of play without Adam Gase, Matt Forte.

Ottochain: Bears Wire Film Room looks at Deiondre’ Hall in coverage - Bears Wire - Watch as Bears Wire breaks down Deiondre Hall's film at Northern Iowa to show you how he operates in both man and zone coverage.

LIVING LARGE IN THE SEASON OF THE LISTS

Jahnke: Freeman tops PFF's five-best NFL LB Contracts list - Pro Football Focus - Nathan Jahnke identifies the five most team-friendly linebacker contracts heading into the 2016 NFL season.

Wiltfong: 10 Most Important Bears of 2016: #9 Will Kevin White live up to his potential? - 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 #9 is a 2nd year pro making his NFL debut, wide out Kevin White.

Brandt: Ditka among best 14 offensive players Gil has seen - NFL.com - I have seen a lot of football over the years. In fact, I can say that I've probably seen every top player in the NFL since about 1959 or so, whether at the combine, during workouts or in training camp. And seeing a player in person can really leave an impression on you.

Stevens: Three key Bears role players for 2016 - Cover32 - The Bears have reconstructed their offensive line and it will hopefully make things easier for Leno. While he more than likely...

Thompson: No Bears players crack NFL players' 'Top 100' list - Chicago Tribune - There's something undeniable about the NFL Network's top 100 list: None of the Bears' peers felt anyone on the current roster is worthy of that lofty status.

Arthur Arkush: 2016 Bear Necessities No. 14, TE Zach Miller - Pro Football Weekly - The need for Miller to stay healthy, sustain 2015 production magnified by Bears' fragile TE depth

POLISH SAUSAGE

Hornsby: The rise of the NFL slot reciever - Pro Football Focus - Neil Hornsby looks at the increased usage of slot receivers and some of the position's top performers the last several years.

Weinfuss: Arizona Cardinals cut Olympian in 2015 for parking in wrong spot - ESPN - The Cardinals made an example out of practice-squad player Lawrence Okoye, who was cut last October.

Mayer: Fisher credits coaching career to Ryan - ChicagoBears.com - Former Bears defensive back Jeff Fisher is entering his 21st season as an NFL head coach, a second career he credits mainly to Buddy Ryan's influence.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Western: Packers’ Randall Cobb ranked among NFL’s best slot players for 2016 - Acme Packing Company - Though he had a down year last season, the Packers’ inside receiver is still one of the best at his job in the entire league.

Gates: Linval Joseph’s Contract One Of NFL’s Best - Daily Norseman - Linval Joseph had a monster season in 2015. Thanks to the Vikings’ front office, his price tag won’t be nearly as scary.

Platte: Does pure athleticism lead to Pro Bowls for defensive players? - Pride Of Detroit - Can athletic metrics like Relative Athletic Scores be used to predict Pro Bowl success for NFL players? We've looked at offense and it was a mixed bag, but there is a much clearer picture for the defense.

Katzenstein: Megatron says Lions' struggles made retiring easier - The Detroit News - Calvin Johnson recently sat down with ESPN to discuss his decision to retire. "If we would’ve been a contender, it would’ve been harder to let go," he said in the video.

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