The Bear’s Den, February 7, 2017

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

BEARRRSSSS

Moreano: Making the Case for Jimmy Garoppolo to 'Come Home' - Da Bears Brothers - Acquiring Garoppolo is the best option for a fresh start at quarterback.

Emma: Price Better Be Right For Bears To Go For Garoppolo - CBS Chicago - Sure, the Bears will want Jimmy Garoppolo, but can they make the right offer?

Las Vegas not confident in the Bears' chances of winning Super Bowl LII - CSN Chicago - Only the 49ers and Browns have longer odds than the Bearsa to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy next season in Minnesota at Super Bowl LII.

Sfondeles & Finley: Bears battle players union over workers' comp - Chicago Sun-Times
The Bears and Chicago’s four other major pro sports teams are pushing Illinois lawmakers to change part of the state’s workers’ compensation system. Ken's Note: Helmet tip to WCG reader Higgins for the link.

Rosenbloom: Darn right the Bears compare to one of the Super Bowl teams - Chicago Tribune - Let’s play the game we always play the day after the Super Bowl: Comparing almost everything to the Bears.

Finley: Listen up, Bears fans: Super Bowl proof QBs are essential - Chicago Sun-Times - You can’t score without an answer at quarterback. And those don’t come cheaply.

Finley: Ex-Bears LB Shea McClellin says Super Bowl win 'unbelievable' - Chicago Sun-Times - Shea McClellin sprinted onto the field looking to slam teammate Dont’a Hightower.

First annual In The Loop quarterback challenge - CSN Chicago - Bears wideout Cameron Meredith, former Chicago Force quarterback Sami Grisafe and former Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice compete in the first annual In The Loop quarterback challenge.

Rosenbloom: Jay Cutler leaves Bears as hood ornament for shattered hope - Chicago Tribune - Jay Cutler will leave the team with a 51-51 record, as mediocre as it gets. Perfect: A .500 quarterback is all over the Bears record books.

Haugh: How did Bears go from Devin Hester's Super moment to 3-13 in 10 years? - Chicago Tribune - The Bears' decline can be traced to these moves: Firing defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, trading for Jay Cutler and hiring coach Marc Trestman.

Biggs: 10 biggest missteps in the Bears' decade of decline - Chicago Tribune - How did they get here? If there was a simple explanation, there would have been an easy fix by now. It's complicated, it's layered and it's the result of a series of poor decisions. Here are 10.

DRAFT / PROSPECTS / FREE AGENCY

2017 NFL Mock Draft - Kevin Hanson - EDSFootball.com - 2017 NFL Mock Draft from Kevin Hanson. As we approach the 2017 NFL Draft, this mock will project all seven rounds.

NFL Mock Draft 2.0 - Rotoworld.com - With the draft order (nearly) set, Josh Norris takes a stab at the top 32 picks in the 2017 NFL Draft.

NFL mock draft 2017 - Newsday - Where do Myles Garrett, Deshaun Watson, Jonathan Allen and others end up in Newsday's first-round mock draft 1.4?

Seahawks Draft Blog 2017 Mock Draft - Seahawks Draft Blog - By Rob Staton Give me your feedback: rob@seahawksdraftblog.com Updated 5th February #1 Cleveland — Myles Garrett (EDGE, Texas A&M) #2 San Francisco

2017 NFL Mock Draft - Charlie Campbell - Walter Football - Detailed NFL Mock Drafts, Player Prospect Rankings, One of the Largest Mock Draft Databases on the Web, Power Rankings and Much More for the NFL and Other Sports.

Consensus Mock Draft Report - Walter Football - Welcome to WalterFootball.com's Consensus Mock Draft Report. Not that crowds should be followed, but it never hurts to be aware of where they are headed.

Rosenthal: Hightower, Martellus Bennett head top 25 free agents of 2017 - NFL.com - Gregg Rosenthal takes an early look at the top 25 players who will hit free agency this offseason. What did Kirk Cousins prove he's worth? How much demand will there be for Alshon Jeffery?

Brooks: 5 prospects that will make biggest impact as rookies - NFL.com - After a year in which rookies like Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Joey Bosa took the league by storm, Bucky Brooks reveals his list of 5 prospects that will make the biggest impact next season.

10 players the Chicago Bears could consider in free agency - Pro Football Weekly - The Chicago Bears have plenty of money to spend in free agency, but who should they spend it on?

Mayer: Addressing QB position a top priority - ChicagoBears.com - In the first of a nine-part series, ChicagoBears.com takes an in-depth look at the Bears' quarterback position heading into the 2017 offseason.

Perez: 3 players in Super Bowl LI that could be intriguing free-agent options for the Bears - Bears Wire - A look at three players in the Super Bowl that could be intriguing free-agent options for the Chicago Bears

Cox: Chicago Bears 2017 free agent wish list: Cornerback - Bears Wire - The free agent class of cornerbacks isn't deep, but the Chicago Bears are desperate for an upgrade at one of their weakest positions.

Biggs: Former Bears TE Martellus Bennett foremost among Patriots' free agents - Chicago Tribune - Former Bears tight end Martellus Bennett, who will be a free agent, says his value goes far deeper than stats.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Finley: NFL honors - League names best of year; Hall picks seven - Chicago Sun-Times - The next Pro Football Hall of Fame class has seven inductees — but no Terrell Owens.

Alper: Browns kick off the offseason by claiming Tyvis Powell - ProFootballTalk - The end of the Super Bowl meant the end of the season for the Patriots and Falcons, but it also meant that the rest of the league could get back to business.

Florio: Boston Globe has Dewey-defeats-Truman moment - ProFootballTalk - Most people thought the Falcons had beaten the Patriots. Including the leading newspaper in Boston. Via Field Yates of ESPN.com, an early edition of the Boston Globe declared victory for the Falcons with a headline that proclaimed: A Bitter End.

Finley: How the Falcons helped the Patriots complete Super Bowl comeback - Chicago Sun-Times - They dropped back to throw on third-and-1.

Potash: Falcons choked because Patriots made them choke - Chicago Sun-Times - Did the Patriots take it or did the Falcons give it away?

Imrem: Oh, to be hated like the Patriots - Daily Herald - Fans here wouldn't mind if the Chicago Bears were as hated for being as good as the New England Patriots are.

Haugh: Tom Brady cements his status as the all-time greatest quarterback - Chicago Tribune - With amazing Super Bowl comeback against Falcons, Patriots' Tom Brady cements spot at NFL's all-time greatest quarterback

Biggs: No way to sugarcoat it, Falcons choked in Super Bowl LI - Chicago Tribune - It will also be recalled for the unbelievable meltdown by the Falcons, who disintegrated with a 28-3 lead in the third quarter to lose 34-28 in overtime.

Greenberg: Eight numbers that show just how crazy Patriots' Super Bowl comeback really was - Chicago Tribune - Here are the eight craziest stats from the Patriots' Super Bowl win, which show just how bonkers this game really was.

Greenstein: Commercials, cockiness and the commish: Super Bowl winners and losers - Chicago Tribune - The Patriots won, the Falcons lost and Monday morning productivity sank to a new low. Now let's dig a little deeper.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Hirshhorn: Packers mock draft - Green Bay lands needed defensive help - Acme Packing Company - The Packers land two defensive stalwarts and a workhorse running back in the first three rounds of SB Nation's latest mock draft.

Glover: An Open Letter To Falcons Fans - Daily Norseman - Not a lot of fanbases could mentally process what happened to the Falcons and come out sane on the other end. Vikings fans have been doing it since the 1960's. And we're here to help

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Snyder: Chicago Bears Draftwatch - Kickoff Edition - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears have needs. The Bears have draft picks. Tell us where you think they should spend them.

Householder: Time to take HOF voting out of journalists’ hands - Windy City Gridiron - The Hall of Fame voters continue to get things wrong

Wiltfong: Early Super Bowl LII Odds and Power Rankings - Windy City Gridiron - Now that the Tom Brady / Bill Belichick led New England Patriots have been crowned Super Bowl Champions for a 5th time, the odds-makers have turned their attention to the 2017 season. The Patriots,...

Zeglinski's Bears window shopping 2017: A.J. Bouye and the corner market - Windy City Gridiron - The next of this free agent series features a look at the top cornerbacks that could be available. A.J. Bouye is but a diamond in the rough.

FANPOSTS

Wannstash: How to Grap Garoppolo - Windy City Gridiron - I'm not a guy that believes anything Jason Lacanfora writes, but he claims to be sourced in his story that the Bears will make landing Jimmy Garoppolo their number one offseason priority. Whether...

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

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments, FanPosts, usernames or anywhere else in an SB Nation community: Comments, FanPosts or usernames that are intolerant or prejudiced; Personal attacks or threats on community members; Gendered insults of any kind; Trolling; Click link for full information.

Follow WCG on Twitter; follow Ken on Twitter; like us on Facebook (& click on 'Follow')