The Bear’s Den, January 3, 2018

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

John DeFilippo, a coach the Bears have asked to interview for our open Head Coaching position...

BEARRRSSSS

Haugh: So much for full accountability as Bears dump John Fox, reward Ryan Pace - Chicago Tribune - Locking up general manager Ryan Pace deprives Bears officials from ever invoking the high standards of the organization until the team makes the playoffs again.

Rosenbloom: Same lame Bears - Ryan Pace gets a contract extension, but nobody demands a playoff spot - Chicago Tribune - Ryan Pace said a whole lot of nothing. Same goes for Ted Phillips when he announced Pace’s contract extension. What both should’ve said was this: Playoffs or bust.

Kane: Mike Glennon signing a big miscalculation, but GM downplays it - 'We all felt confident in Mike' - Chicago Tribune - The Bears’ signing of quarterback Mike Glennon last March will go down as a massive miscalculation, but general manager Ryan Pace downplayed the debacle.

Campbell: Dowell Loggains discussing possible reunion with Adam Gase with Dolphins - Chicago Tribune - Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ next move could be a reunion with Adam Gase in South Florida on the Dolphins staff.

Biggs: Bears' deep conviction in Mitch Trubisky is driving force behind every move at Halas Hall - Chicago Tribune - If you think the Bears invested a lot in Mitch Trubisky when they traded to move up one spot in the draft, they’ve gone all-in now.

Biggs: John DeFilippo, Pat Shurmur, Josh McDaniels, Steve Wilks emerge in Bears’ search - Chicago Tribune - It’s easy to add up the clues and determine the Bears are looking for a dynamic coach with an offensive background to build the franchise around quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Biggs: Why Brian Urlacher should be first-ballot Hall of Famer - despite Ray Lewis factor - Chicago Tribune - Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher is among the Pro Football Hall of Fame's finalists. Brad Biggs make the case for Urlacher to be a first-ballot pick.

Potash: Bears give GM Ryan Pace the coaching hire he deserves - now it's up to him - Chicago Sun-Times - This is his chance - his first one and very likely his last one - to re-create the Sean Payton-Drew Brees model he seeks.

Finley: George McCaskey, Ted Phillips vow to let Ryan Pace make Bears' coaching choice - Chicago Sun-Times - Chairman George McCaskey and CEO/president Ted Phillips said general manager Ryan Pace will make the final decision on which coach the Bears hire.

Potash: Ryan Pace acknowledges Bears' injury woes - 'We have to get that fixed' - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears finished the season with 16 players on injured reserve ... after finishing the 2016 season with 19 players on injured reserve.

Jahns: Why the Bears' next coach will be different than John Fox - Chicago Sun-Times - General manager Ryan Pace shrugged off concerns that Mitch Trubisky’s development would be set back by a coaching change.

Cahill: Why John DeFilippo makes sense as Bears' next coach - Chicago Sun-Times - This year's dark-horse favorite on the NFL coaching carousel is Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.

Potash: After Mitch Trubisky, will Bears roster entice top candidates? - Chicago Sun-Times - Pace sees “a young core” with room for growth. Others see a roster that has not produced a player voted to the Pro Bowl in the last three seasons.

Finley: As Bears target offensive minds, here's why they must involve Mitch Trubisky - Chicago Sun-Times - One season after learning the NFL, Mitch Trubisky is in line for another change. This one will define his career - and that of GM Ryan Pace.

Finley: Bears great Brian Urlacher a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist - Chicago Sun-Times - Former Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher was named to the 15-player Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists list Tuesday night.

LeGere: Chicago Bears coaching search now on Pace - Daily Herald - The Chicago Bears lose 34 of 48 games over three years and the head coach, John Fox, gets whacked. Meanwhile the general manager who supplied the players, Ryan Pace, gets a two-year extension through 2021. Go figure.

Coaching rumor tracker: Bears focusing on offensive minds, but they're not alone - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears aren't the only team to request interviews with Josh McDaniels, Pat Shurmur and John DeFilippo.

SportsTalk Live Podcast: Should Bears fans worry that Ted Phillips may have a say in next coaching hire? - NBC Sports Chicago - The SportsTalk Live panel weighs in on whether Bears fans should be worried that Ted Phillips could have a big say in who the next head coach will be.

Under Center Podcast: Analyzing GM Ryan Pace's contract extension - NBC Sports Chicago - On the latest Bears Talk Podcast, JJ Stankevitz and Alex Brown debate if Ryan Pace deserved his contract extension and if it was a smart move by the Bears.

Bears coaching confidential: John DeFilippo - NBC Sports Chicago - With the Bears' beginning their head coaching search this week, NBC Sports Chicago Bears Insider JJ Stankevitz and producer Paul Aspan will examine 10 coaching candidates who could be considered by Ryan Pace and team ownership. Yesterday, we looked at New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Today: Another quarterback-driven offensive mind.

Mullin: What kind of effects will 'collaborative' process have on Bears' coaching search? - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears say their head-coaching search will be a "collaborative" process between Ryan Pace, Ted Phillips and George McCaskey. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Bernstein: Bears Muddle Message On Confusing Day - CBS Chicago - Ted Phillips and George McCaskey only added ambiguity for no good reason after extending Ryan Pace.

Emma: Kyle Fuller Open To Re-Signing With Bears - CBS Chicago - Fuller is set to hit the open market after a strong final season on his rookie contract.

Hoge: Same Story At Halas Hall As Bears Once Again Deliver Mixed Messages - WGN Radio - Bears ownership made one smart business decision Monday, but still failed to inspire confidence that the upcoming coaching search will be conducted the way it should be - without meddling.

Hub Arkush: Chicago Bears make right moves by firing John Fox, giving Ryan Pace extension - Pro Football Weekly - No room for error by general manager now

Grading Ryan Pace: 2015 NFL Draft littered with failed picks for Bears - Bears Wire - A look back at Ryan Pace's first draft with the Chicago Bears is not pretty for the recently extended general manager

Perez: Dowell Loggains could join Dolphins coaching staff - Bears Wire - Bears OC Dowell Loggains is meeting with Adam Gase about a possible opportunity with Miami Dolphins coaching staff

Dickerson: Chicago Bears seek interviews with Josh McDaniels, Pat Shurmur - ESPN - Another option would be Philadelphia quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, whom Chicago would hope could mold Mitchell Trubisky as he has Carson Wentz.

Hawley: Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher selected as a Hall of Fame finalist for 2018 - WGN-TV - One of the greatest players in the late generation of the Bears' franchise is one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Tuesday night, linebacker Brian Urlacher was named a finalist for the Class of 2018.

Dannehy: Call to McDaniels Had To Be Made - Da Bears Blog - I don’t know if Josh McDaniels has learned from his failures in Denver, but I’m glad Ryan Pace intends to find out. We can sit back and debate the qualifications of all the other candidates, but there’s no questioning what McDaniels has done.

Bear Report Podcast - Black Monday Recap - Bear Report Podcast - We discuss the firing of head coach John Fox, the contract extension of GM Ryan Pace and what it...

Eurich: Why Matt Nagy could be a head-coaching candidate for the Bears - 247 Sports - Matt Nagy could be someone the Chicago Bears show interest in this offseason.

NFL head-coaching carousel 2017-2018 - Everything to know about potential openings - ESPN - There are jobs available in Chicago, Arizona, Oakland, Indianapolis, Detroit and New York, with more expected to open across the league. Here's your guide to current and potential openings.

Dickerson: Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace: No regrets going hard after Mike Glennon - ESPN - Despite the massive failure of the Mike Glennon experiment, Ryan Pace said he has no regret over his aggressive approach to the QB position.

Telander: Bears perilously approaching Browns-like ineptitude - Chicago Sun-Times - Counting from Lovie Smith’s last season in 2012, the Bears soon will have had four head coaches in seven seasons. Ken's Note: It's pretty obvious that Rick Telander hasn't watched many Cleveland Browns games.

Campbell: Bears coaching search begins to take shape as candidates, schedule emerge - Chicago Tribune - The Bears’ coaching search continued to take shape Tuesday. Another candidate emerged, and more was publicized about the team’s interview schedule.

POLISH SAUSAGE

2018 NFL draft: Top prospects to watch in the National Championship - The Draft Wire - When Alabama meets Georgia in the National Championship Game, these will be the top 2018 NFL draft prospects to watch for each team

Acree: Bengals defy logic, re-sign Marvin Lewis to 2-year contract extension to remain head coach - Cincy Jungle - The embattled Bengals head coach will be back for his 16th season in Cincinnati and could be back in 2019, too...

Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation - A Prolanthropy-Managed Organizaition - Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation is A Prolanthropy-Managed Organizaition

Marino: Buffalo Bills fans showing gratitude by donating to Andy Dalton’s foundation - Buffalo Rumblings - Over $57,000 has been raised in less than 24 hours

Alper: Report - Dowell Loggains could join Dolphins staff - ProFootballTalk - The Bears fired head coach John Fox on Monday, which leaves members of Fox's staff looking for new homes for the 2018 season. Among those coaches is offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who came to the Bears in 2015 as the quarterbacks coach.

Rumor: Broncos ready to make a ‘big offer” for quarterback Kirk Cousins - Mile High Report - More rumors connecting Cousins to the Broncos.

Cockerham: The time is finally right for Jon Gruden to return to the Raiders - Silver And Black Pride - The journey of Jon Gruden coming back to coach the Oakland Raiders.

Thorman: Andy Reid says Chiefs will focus on Titans despite head coaching rumors - Arrowhead Pride - The Kansas City Chiefs will be right in the thick of the NFL coaching rumor mill this year. The Chiefs have two head coaching candidates on their staff that other teams could be interested in...

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Silverstein: Brian Urlacher is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 - Windy City Gridiron - The retired Bears linebacker is one of 15 finalists for the Hall.

Storystream: Chicago Bears Coaching Search 2018 - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears are on a mission to find the right head coach to lead the franchise back to the promised land.

Curl: 10 Thoughts on the NFL - Windy City Gridiron - Check out my Thoughts on the NFL this week and make sure you leave a few thoughts of your own in the comment section.

Wiltfong: The Chicago Bears 2018 opponents are set - Windy City Gridiron - With the 2017 NFL regular season completed, the 2018 opponents for each team are now set in stone. The following teams will be traveling to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears in 2018.

Wiltfong: The Chicago Bears have meetings set up with several head coaching candidates - Windy City Gridiro - A schedule of meetings for the Chicago Bears and prospective head coaches is starting to take shape per various reports. There still hasn’t been official word from the Bears or Pace on a...

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's 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; racial or other offensive epithets; Personal attacks or threats on community members; Gendered insults of any kind; Trolling; Click link for full information.

The Bear’s Den Specific Guidelines – The Bear’s Den is a place for Chicago Bears fans to discuss Chicago Bears football, related NFL stories, and general football talk. It is NOT a place to discuss religion or politics or post political pictures or memes, and any posts that do this will be deleted and the poster will be admonished. We do not allow comments posted where the apparent attempt is to cause confrontation in the community. We do not allow gender-directed humor or sexual assault jokes. The staff of WCG are the sole arbiters of what constitutes “apparent attempt to cause confrontation”. We do not allow the “calling out” of other members in any way, shape or form. Posts that do this will be deleted on sight. Bottom line, it’s fine to debate about football, but personal jabs and insults are strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you keep beating the same dead horse over and over and fail to heed a moderator’s warning to stop, you will be banned.

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter:

WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Andrew Link; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.