The Bear’s Den, February 7, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Biggs: Notre Dame players invited to NFL combine - Chicago Tribune - Notre Dame had five players invited to the NFL's Scouting Combine, including offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, while two Northwestern players and one from Illinois State were also invited from local schools. Illinois was shut out.

Biggs' Roster Rundown: Jordan Howard's skills could be perfect fit in Bears new offense - Chicago Tribune - Jordan Howard became the first back in Bears history to begin his career with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Howard was very good for the Bears in 2017 and rookie Tarik Cohen was an electric option but the offense was inconsistent on the ground. A new playbook in 2018 could really fit Howard.

Talarico: Why Bears Fans Should Keep Expectations in Check (For Now) - Da Bears Blog Even - though the Chicago Bears are making all the right moves this offseason, fans should remember that 2018 is still merely a building year.

Stankevitz: How will Senior Bowl, Kirk Cousins' availability affect the Bears' draft plans? - NBC Sports Chicago - With Kirk Cousins available this spring and potentially four quarterbacks worthy of being top-10 picks, the Bears will be presented with some intriguing scenarios in April.

Emma: Rams’ Sean McVay Has High Praise For Bears’ Matt Nagy - CBS Chicago - "You learn that you don't know everything," the Rams' Sean McVay says of being a young coach in the NFL.

Hoge: 2018 Bears Mock Draft 1.0 - WGN Radio - Chicago Bears insider Adam Hoge makes all seven draft selections for the team in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Perez: Pro Football Focus says Allen Robinson is ‘dream splash signing’ for Bears - Bears Wire - Analytics giant PFF says Allen Robinson is dream signing for Chicago Bears

Perez: Potential Bears FA target Malcolm Butler says goodbye to Patriots - Bears Wire - Potential Bears free agency target, CB Malcolm Butler, said his official goodbye to the Patriots Tuesday

Perez: Free agent CB David Amerson to meet with Chicago Bears - Bears Wire - Free agent CB David Amerson is scheduled to meet with the Chicago Bears Wednesday

Lunch with Larry: 2.06.18 - ChicagoBears.com - Bears Senior Writer Larry Mayer takes a look at the team's free agent opportunities, the new coaching staff and Brian Urlacher's Hall of Fame experience.

Mayer: Urlacher’s ex-teammates react to Hall of Fame election - ChicagoBears.com - Describing the honor as “well-deserved” and “a no-brainer,” Brian Urlacher’s former Bears teammates were thrilled about his election to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Wood: Self-Scouting Chicago’s 2017 – Defense - Da Bears Blog - Chicago’s defense was generally good in 2017. We all know this. They finished 10th in total yards allowed and 9th in points allowed. Let’s take the same approach we took with the offense.

DIckerson: Bears still linked to draft's best receiver - Alabama's Calvin Ridley - Chicago Bears Blog- ESPN - With a glaring shortage of receivers and the No. 8 overall pick, Chicago is a popular destination for the Crimson Tide's No. 1 wideout in mock drafts.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Marlot: Josh McDaniels backs out of deal to become Colts head coach - Chicago Tribune - Josh McDaniels has backed out of a deal to become the Indianapolis' Colts new coach, a decision that shocked the franchise hours after it announced his hiring.

Posted in honor of Indianapolis radio “personality” Kent Sterling

Mock: Recently Announced Colts Assistants will Remain in Indianapolis - Stampede Blue - Adding to the incredible turn of events is that the assistant coaches who have been previously announced are under contract and will be remaining in Indianapolis. Included on that list are...

Mock: In bizarre twist, Josh McDaniels backs out of agreement with Colts - Stampede Blue - Things have turned south very quickly for the Indianapolis Colts. After two interviews and numerous reports from around the league that Josh McDaniels would take over as the team’s new head coach...

KNOW THY ENEMY

Packers 2017 roster grades: Clay Matthews led a disappointing group - Acme Packing Company - Clay Matthews bounced back somewhat from a down 2016 season, but that didn’t offset the other issues with the Packers’ outside linebackers.

Gates: Mike Tice to retire from coaching because “players don’t want to be coached” - Daily Norseman - Another former Vikings’ head coach could hang it up. Ken's Note: "Well, Mike, apparently they don't want to be coached by you, anyway..."

Gates: Schefter - Vikings can’t interview John DeFilippo until Valentine’s Day - Daily Norseman - But that’s not a big deal to the Vikings, apparently

Reisman: The Lions have already stocked Matt Patricia’s desk with pencils - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions Twitter account is killing it this week.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong's Chicago Bears 2018 Roster Turnover: Wide receiver is the biggest need on the team - Windy City Gridiron - In this 13 part series we’ll take an in depth look at each position group for the Chicago Bears with an eye towards the 2018 season. We’ll speculate on who stays, who goes, and some potential additions we’d like to see general manager Ryan Pace make.

Wiltfong's Mocking the Mocks: A look at who they have the Chicago Bears drafting - Windy City Gridiron - From time to time, we’ll check in with some of the NFL Draft experts around the interwebs to see how they believe the Chicago Bears will pick in the upcoming draft. Today we check in on Todd McShay’s latest and a handful of others.

IOftenPanic's 2018 NFL Draft - Positional Big Boards v7.0 (Pre-Combine) - Windy City Gridiron - Here's where I sit right now with a top 10 for each position. These grades do not account for team need or any kind of scheme fit for the Bears.

Eli.m23: In Most Important Off Season Yet, (The) Pace Has to Step Up - Windy City Gridiron - The Super Bowl is now in the books, and while Philadelphia may still be on a championship-hangover, the other 30 GM's of the league have their sights on how they can punch their ticket to...

Swears4bears: Trade Down Options for 2018 Draft - Windy City Gridiron - The 2018 NFL draft has the Bears sitting in an excellent position of #8 overall. I believe the Bears should use this pick to draft one of the elite non quarterbacks that could fall to #8. However,...

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

2 Minute Drill - Website - iTunes - Andrew Link; Steven’s Streaming – Twitch – Steven Schweickert; T-Formation Conversation - Website - iTunes - Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; WCG Radio - Website - Robert Zeglinski

THE RULES

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