The Bear's Den: September 22, 2016

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

BEARRRSSSS

Potash: Pace's grand plan hitting one bump after another - Chicago Sun-Times - Maybe some day general manager Ryan Pace will look back on this week and appreciate just how far the Bears have come — like Jed Hoyer

(Podcast): What's next for Bears QBs after Jay Cutler injury? - Chicago Sun-Times - In an emergency edition of Halas Intrigue, the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley examines what happened to Jay Cutler and where the Bears go from here

Finley: Jay Cutler (thumb) misses Bears practice, Alshon Jeffery limited - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears quarterback Jay Cutler did not practice Wednesday, two days after spraining the thumb on his right, throwing hand.

Emma: Bears’ Present, Cutler’s Future Come Into Question With Injury - CBS Chicago - Jay Cutler detractors will soon get a look at life without the Bears’ starting quarterback. It’s not going to be pretty. After Cutler suffered a right thumb injury Monday that will keep him out indefinitely, the Bears will have to tweak many elements of the playbook and find a way to get their offense moving; something new coordinator Dowell Loggains hasn’t been able to do with Cutler.

Wiltfong (Podcast): Who's Going to Step in for the Bears? - Bears Sports Radio - Lester Wiltfong of Windy City Gridiron goes down the list of injuries the Bears have sustained thus far. He also points out a few players that will see increased playing time because of all the injuries.

Mullen: Bears need to avoid internal strife as on-field problems mount - CSN Chicago - Jay Cutler may have been publicly dressed down by an injured teammate on the other side of the ball, but that doesn't mean the Bears locker room is divided.

Imrem: Could be beginning of the end for Chicago Bears and Cutler - Daily Herald - This sure is starting to look like the beginning of the end for Jay Cutler as the Chicago Bears quarterback.

LeGere: No surgery for Cutler, but injuries hit Bears defense hard - Daily Herald - The good news out of Halas Hall was that Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler doesn't need surgery for his sprained thumb, at least right now, and he hasn't been ruled out for Sunday's game. The news, however, was much worse on the defensive side of the ball.

Biggs: Veteran Bobby Massie needs to pick up his game - Chicago Tribune - Bears right tackle Bobby Massie is making rookie mistakes instead of shoring up the right side of the offensive line.

Wiederer: Bears injury tracker: Jay Cutler misses Wednesday practice - Chicago Tribune - Details on the latest Bears' injury report with insight and analysis from Halas Hall.

Bear Download podcast - Chicago Tribune - The Tribune's Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer on Jay Cutler and the 'Groundhog Day' feeling about the QB situation (2:27 mark), what's next for a banged up defense (20:13), pregame predictions and an ESPN personality (25:08), is there any hope in the 14 remaining games (31:57) and saluting the Eagles (43:44).

Biggs' Bears Q&A: Changes at the top, changes at QB, changes at RB and more - Chicago Tribune - If the Bears keep swapping out general managers and coaches in quick order, as they have done under Chairman George McCaskey, they’ll start being compared with the Raiders and Browns – teams with constant turnover leading to frequent turmoil. The disappointment in the wake of an 0-2 start is understandable; it will be a challenge for the Bears to make the playoffs or even finish above .500, as some forecast for the team. A slew of injuries makes matters more difficult.

Wiederer: Mounting troubles obvious after Bears start 0-2 - Chicago Tribune - It wasn’t just that the Bears fell to 0-2 and are now one of only three teams in the NFL yet to score 30 points for the season.

Weaver: John Fox buries his head in the sand on bad start - Cover32 - John Fox wants us to think that the Chicago Bears are perfectly fine and there's nothing to worry about. Nothing could be further from the truth...

Fishbain; All-22 Slideshow shows breakdowns on both sides of the ball cost Chicago Bears in loss to Eagles | Pro Football Weekly - We analyze the the key plays in Monday night's game, both good and bad for the Bears.

Mayer: Bears begin prepping to face Cowboys - ChicagoBears.com - Two days after losing their home opener to the Eagles 29-14, the Bears return to the practice field Wednesday to begin preparing for Sunday night's road game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Mayer: Mostert elevated from practice squad - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears on Wednesday promoted running back Raheem Mostert from the practice squad to the active roster and signed linebacker Ronald Powell to the practice squad.

Perez: Chicago Bears select cornerback in first 2017 NFL mock draft - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears select a cornerback in Draft Wire's first 2017 Mock Draft of the year

THE VOICE OF DOOM

Rosendoom: Quick, someone tell John Fox and Ryan Pace the idea is to add talent to the roster - Chicago Tribune - Brian Hoyer, the man who inspired no one when he replaced the injured Jay Cutler, was trying to inspire somebody in the post game locker room.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah out 8-plus weeks with foot injury - Chicago Tribune - The Lions put running back Ameer Abdullah on the reserve-injured list with a foot injury, keeping him out of the lineup for at least eight weeks.

Vikings' Adrian Peterson to have knee surgery, 2016 season in flux - Chicago Tribune - Adrian Peterson will undergo surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus and Vikings coach Mike Zimmer says the running back could return this season.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Hatz: Cowboys Linebackers Struggle Throughout Washington Game, But Come Up Big Late - Blogging The Boys - The Cowboys linebackers had a tough time defending both the run and the pass on Sunday but came up with huge plays at the end to seal the game.

VAFan: Why Dak Prescott Has The Cowboys Offense Humming On "The Money Down" - Blogging The Boys - Latest Cowboys headlines: Cowboys rookie Dak Prescott handles third downs like a veteran; the Cowboys running game will eventually get it in gear; the Cowboys can win without Romo.

Ryle: Is Ezekiel Elliott Turning Into A Bust? - Blogging The Boys - That is really a thing for many fans. The words "overreaction" and "unrealistic expectations" come to mind. Ken's Note: It's nice to see just about EVERY team has this issue. Elliot is a total stud, yet fans are throwing around the "B" word after only two games. Crazy talk.

NFL Analyst: "Dak Prescott Is Going To Be A Star." - Blogging The Boys - For Steven Ruiz of USA Today, one play was all it took to realize the Cowboys have found their new franchise QB.

Scott: Cowboys Run Game, See Where The Problems Are & How To Fix Them - Blogging The Boys - We take a look at some of the mistakes that cost Dallas major yardage and perhaps a couple of TDs in their running game in last Sunday's win over Washington.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Zeglinski: Bearish and Bullish Week 2, Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles - Windy City Gridiron - Playing the stocks successfully can be tough, especially when NFL players are involved. Here’s your weekly Bears stock watch of advice.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears Sackwatch 2016, Week 2 vs Philadelphia Eagles - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears allowed three sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles so I break down the tape and check out Chicago’s technique to figure out who was at fault.

Mitchell: WCG’s Power Rankings: Week 3 - Windy City Gridiron - Who's hot? We, of course are not. Find out inside where we stand.

Zeglinski: NFC North Review: Week 2 - Windy City Gridiron - A weekly perspective take around the NFC North.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears make more roster moves - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears elevated a practice squad running back and signed a linebacker to the practice squad.

Noble: Chicago Bears Approval Rating for John Fox, Week 2 - Windy City Gridiron - Cast your vote in our Poll, and take a look back at how Fox is trending since the end of the 2015 season.

Wiltfong: NFL Power Rankings, the Bears are not who we thought they were - Windy City Gridiron - We take our weekly trip around the interwebs to see where various NFL "experts" rank the Chicago Bears in their NFL Power Rankings.

Noble: Jeremy Langford, Connor Barth rated worst at their positions in Week 2 by PFF - Windy City Gridiron - PFF listed their "worst player at each position" list for Week 2, and two Chicago Bears made the list.

FANPOSTS

FanPosts - Recent - Windy City Gridiron - Here's a link to our FanPost section, where YOU have the opportunity to contribute to Windy City Gridiron. Take a few minutes and write a post about what you are thinking about regarding the Chicago Bears, and there'a chance it will be linked right here in the Den.

THE RULES

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