The Bear’s Den, October 13, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS

Bears vs. Dolphins: Tribune writers make their picks - Chicago Tribune - Bears vs. Dolphins: Chicago Tribune writers pick which team they think will win

Biggs: Scouting report on Dolphins nickel back Minkah Fitzpatrick: 'He’s a Swiss Army knife' - Chicago Tribune - One question regarding Minkah Fitzpatrick was where he would fit in the NFL — at safety or cornerback? The Dolphins are using him in the slot, and he’s thriving for a defense that leads the NFL with 10 interceptions.

7 things we heard from Bears coordinators: Tarik Cohen's strategic edge, Vic Fangio vs. Adam Gase and more - Chicago Tribune - Bears coordinators on Thursday discussed Tarik Cohen's usage, Mitch Trubisky's success, Vic Fangio's matchup with Adam Gase, Jakeem Grant's threat to Bears special teams and more.

Potash: Teammates didn't need six TDs to believe in Mitch Trubisky, but they help - Sun Times - Trubisky’s performance in a 48-10 rout of the Buccaneers gave him the credibility he needed to make the leadership thing work.

Bears notebook: Prince Amukamara, Anthony Miller to return vs. Dolphins - Sun Times - The Week 5 bye generally is too early for an NFL team. But it came at the right time for Prince Amukamara.

Jahns: Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks a 'freak of nature' in Bears defense - Sun Times - Adam L. Jahns' "Inside the Huddle" column runs in game-day editions of the Sun-Times.

Finley: With Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill questionable, will the Bears face a backup QB? - Sun Times - Four questions as the Bears prepare to play the Dolphins for the only the 13th time in franchise history:

Finley: Riding high at 3-1, Bears veterans warn against 'letting that thing slip away' - Sun Times - Being 3-1 doesn’t mean much in a long season — even if it did mark the franchise’s best start since 2013.

Zeglinski: Back in orange: the evolution and fortune behind the Bears' Vitamin C uniform - The Blitz Network - If there's one argument in sports people never reach a consensus on, it's the look of uniforms. The subjectivity and appeal behind how a jersey is seen will always mean and pop more to one individual, versus the next. In many ways, as ludicrous as it sounds, a jersey finds as much credence to some as the actual games themselves. You can be a great team, and if you look good while playing well, the brownie points are immeasurable.

Trubisky 5th in NFL's Top 10 Quarterbacks Under 25 List - Bleacher Report - Excluding 24-year-old San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard —who is filling in for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo—exactly 10 current NFL starting quarterbacks have yet to celebrate their 25th birthdays...

Bleacher Report suggests Bears trade Nick Kwiatkoski - 247Sports - Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton put together a list of players he believes should be traded away this year and picked linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski for the Bears.

The NFL Week 6 Weather Report - 247Sports - Here's what to expect on the weather front across the NFL this weekend.

Miami Dolphins NT Laremy Tunsil cleared from concussion protocol - ESPN - The Dolphins will have left tackle Laremy Tunsil back for Sunday's game against the Bears and Khalil Mack. Tunsil entered the concussion protocol after the Dolphins' loss to the Bengals but practiced this week and on Friday was cleared to play.

Hughes: Bears at Dolphins Game Preview - Da Bears Blog - This is a big moment for a franchise devoid of big moments lately. Last time the Bears played, the Cubs were still the top story in Chicago and in the aftermath of their Bucs dismantling it was hard for this surging team to even find air time on local sports radio. But now the attention of the entire city is on the Bears. And everybody has one question: are they the real thing?

Medina: Prince Amukamara and Eric Kush Were Full Participants at Practice Today and Are Expected to Play Sunday - Bleacher Nation - I've become so used to being the bearer of bad news on the injury front, I don't know what to say when I have good news.

Mayer: Amukamara expected to return from injury - ChicagoBears.com - Having recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for one game, Bears veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara practiced without restrictions Friday and is expected to start Sunday against the Dolphins in Miami.

Players to watch: Bears at Dolphins - ChicagoBears.com - Larry Mayer and Simon Kaufman of ChicagoBears.com discuss the Bears players they'll be watching on both sides of the ball in Sunday’s game against the Dolphins in Miami, including linebacker Danny Trevathan.

Kaufman: Nichols making a (unique) name for himself - ChicagoBears.com - Focused on improving one thing each day, defensive tackle Bilal Nichols is beginning to emerge as a playmaker on a resurgent Bears defense.

Stankevitz: How Ryan Pace's bet on Taylor Gabriel is paying off - NBC Sports Chicago - Taylor Gabriel was a sparingly-used gadget-type receiver during his time with the Browns and Falcons. But with the Bears, he might be Mitch Trubisky's favorite target.

Planos: The Bears Don’t Need Blitzes To Destroy Your Quarterback - FiveThirtyEight - Chicago has re-established its defensive reputation under coordinator Vic Fangio.

McKnight: Go Deep, Mitch - 670 The Score - The downfield passing game is a key for the Bears moving forward.

Joniak: Akiem Hicks Relieved To Avoid Suspension - 670 The Score - Hicks was ejected in the Bears' win on Sept. 30.

Eurich: Ryan Tannehill listed as questionable vs. Bears - 247Sports - The Miami Dolphins had a surprise injury designation listed for their game in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears on Friday afternoon. The team listed quarterback Ryan Tannehill as questionable to play on Sunday due to a shoulder injury. Tannehill was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday before he was listed as limited on Friday. He is backed up by Brock Osweiler and David Fales.

Emma: Bears WR Anthony Miller, CB Prince Amukamara Both Will Play At Dolphins - 670 The Score - Cornerback Marcus Cooper is the only Bears player ruled out Sunday.

Eurich: Bleacher Report thinks Bears are trade partner for Tyson Alualu - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears have been busy in the trade market the last few years. General manager Ryan Pace traded multiple picks to move up in the 2017 NFL Draft to select quarterback Mitch Trubisky. He then made a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers during the season to give Trubisky a weapon in wideout Dontrelle Inman. Pace also made a move back into the second round of this year's draft to select wide receiver Anthony Miller. Then the team's biggest move came just before the start of the year when Pace gave up multiple draft selections—including two first-round picks—for outside linebacker Khalil Mack.

Stankevitz: Returns of Anthony Miller, Prince Amukamara will give Bears a boost in Miami - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears will get two key players back for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Bears vs. Dolphins: Experts predict fourth-straight win for Chicago - NBC Sports Chicago - Coming off of their bye week, the Bears are looking to avoid any rust and pick up where they left off after a Week 4 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stankevitz: An apologetic Akiem Hicks is ready to 'destroy everything' against Miami - NBC Sports Chicago - Akiem Hicks was not suspended for making contact with an official in Week 4, and was contrite in discussing the incident with the media on Thursday.

Chicago Bears Fantasy Outlook: Week 6 - Da Bears Brothers Blog - Here are Fezler's fantasy projections for the Chicago Bears in Week 6.

Bears-Dolphins 5 Matchups to Watch - Da Bears Brothers Podcast - Here are the five pivotal matchups to pay attention to in Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins including the "Game Breaker."

Kane: Taylor Gabriel's confidence comes from a deep and painful place: His mother's sudden death when he was 15 - Chicago Tribune - Bears wide receiver Taylor Gabriel's confidence comes from a deep, painful place, where he learned to channel the support of his mother after she died suddenly of a brain aneurysm when he was 15.

Campbell: Anthony Miller eager to help the Bears resume their offensive bonanza Sunday against Dolphins - Chicago Tribune - Bears rookie receiver Anthony Miller will play against the Dolphins on Sunday with a harness on the left shoulder he dislocated Sept. 23 against the Cardinals.

Sunday's Bears storylines: The skinny on Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jordan Howard’s outlook and Danny Trevathan’s ‘rocket’ style - Chicago Tribune - As the Bears head to play the Dolphins, we take a deeper look at the rise of rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick, the uncertain role of Jordan Howard and the impressive September from Danny Trevathan.

Biggs: Kevin Toliver the latest example of Bears identifying and developing undrafted rookies - Chicago Tribune - As the Bears prepare for the next two drafts, missing high picks from the Khalil Mack trade, one way to add talent is through undrafted rookie free agents, an area the club has been much better in since the arrival of GM Ryan Pace.

Wiederer: 3 keys for the 1st-place Bears in their Week 6 matchup at the Dolphins - Chicago Tribune - The Chicago Bears will look to improve to 4-1 with Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins. In order to do so, quarterback Mitch Trubisky will have to stay aggressive, the defense will have to be opportunistic and the team as a whole must avoid self-inflicted wounds.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Jon Gruden: Raiders have “a ways to go” before turning corner – ProFootballTalk - Was it the 1-4 record that gave it away? How about the 30th ranking in total defense? Or the fact that opponents have outscored the Raiders by 42 points? Anyway you look at the Raiders, they are not a good football team and far from being a good one.

NFL admits officials should have penalized Sony Michel for lowering head – ProFootballTalk - NFL officials largely have forgotten about the “lowering the helmet” rule that raised such a ruckus in the preseason. But the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating has admitted for a second consecutive week that officials missed a textbook violation of the rule.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Vikings, without Andrew Sendejo, are likely to start George Iloka - Daily Norseman - It sounds like the free agent signee is in line to start on Sunday

Packers-49ers Friday Injury Report: OTs Spriggs & Bulaga drop out, listed as limited - Acme Packing Company - The Packers’ top two options at right tackle both left practice with injuries on Friday.

Video: Watch the top 10 offensive plays from the Lions’ first 5 games of the 2018 season - Pride Of Detroit - Watch the top 10 plays from Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense in the first month of the 2018 season.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Link's 2018 Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins Preview: Which Players to Watch For - Windy City Gridiron - Coming off the bye week, following a 3-game winning streak, is there enough magic in Mitch’s arm sleeve to beat Miami?

Zeglinski: The pain of losing outweighs winning for the Chicago Bears’ Vic Fangio - Windy City Gridiron - The surly Bears defensive coordinator isn’t batting an eye at Chicago’s early dominant defensive start. Not until the end goal is accomplished.

Berkes: Fantasy Football Forum - Week 6 - How to survive the bye week blues - Windy City Gridiron - Your place for all things fantasy football

Wiltfong's Bears vs. Dolphins Injury Report: Prince Amukamara is expected to play - Windy City Gridiron - This is the official injury report from both the Bears and the Dolphins in advance of their game this Sunday.

Householder's Chicago Bears vs. Miami Dolphins: NFL Week 6 Game Preview - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears are headed to South Beach to kick off their post-bye week run to the end of the season.

Wiltfong: Is there a Bears’ trade that makes sense? - Windy City Gridiron - Earlier this week there was a bit of smoke circulating about the Chicago Bears trading running back Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles. I personally don’t see it happening, but it was...

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

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