The Bear’s Den, May 22, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Hoge & Jahns Podcast: Breaking down Bears OTAs, including their new-look offense - Chicago Sun-Times - What is new coach Matt Nagy building on offense? Where do the rookies fit in? Who deserves a contract extension? Tune in.

Perez: Will Mitch Trubisky be this season's Jared Goff? - NBC Sports Chicago - One analyst suggests Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky will be this season's Jared Goff

Perez: Charles Leno, Jr. on Harry Hiestand: 'He's getting us better' - NBC Sports Chicago - Charles Leno, Jr. said new Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand is already improving the team's offensive line.

Perez: Bears counting on a healthy Leonard Floyd in 2018 - NBC Sports Chicago - The Chicago Bears are counting on a healthy Leonard Floyd to lead their pass rush in 2018.

Stankevitz: The Bears' defense is ahead of its offense, but Matt Nagy doesn't see that as a problem - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears' defense has established continuity, while the offense is learning a new playbook. So of course Vic Fangio's group is ahead of Matt Nagy's right now.

Cox: Mitchell Trubisky ranked in bottom tier of QBs by CBS Sports - Bears Wire - (Well known Bears expert) Jason La Canfora from CBS Sports ranked Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the bottom tier of NFL quarterbacks. Ken’s Note: Thankfully, La Canfora has been wrong about everything Chicago, ever, so... yeah, not losing sleep over this one.

McGuinness: Bears one of five teams who could surprise with an NFL Wild Card appearance in 2018 - Pro Football Focus - Senior Analyst Gordon McGuinness outlines five NFL team who could surprise with a postseason appearance in 2018 after missing out on the playoffs a year ago.

Hughes: Enthusiasm, Pass Rush & Much More on the Gambling Front! - Da Bears Blog - The first year of Trestman came with a lot of enthusiasm around the offense but nobody foresaw the defense plummeting to the bottom of the league. (There was also a segment of the fan base that refused to be excited about anything involving Jay Cutler.) This year there is just as much enthusiasm around the offense with an expected top-ten unit on the other side of the ball. There is real excitement around this club right now. They better win games.

Eurich: Way-too-early 53-man projection for 2018 Chicago Bears - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears 2018 roster is starting to take shape.

Eurich: Bears could be forced to find pass-rush with creative blitzes - 247Sports - Vic Fangio will have to get creative in 2018 with his Chicago Bears pass-rush.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Goodell details NFL's stance on gambling, wants right 'to protect our content' - Chicago Sun-Times - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says Congress should enact uniform standards for any states that plan to legislate sports betting.

KNOW THY ENEMY

No punishment for Lions or Matt Patricia – ProFootballTalk - As far as the NFL is concerned, the matter of Matt Patricia's past is closed. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the league will not discipline either the Lions or Patricia, after a 1996 incident in which the head coach was accused of sexual assault.

Five Packers under the most pressure as Green Bay kicks off OTAs - Acme Packing Company - There’s no hitting or even pads during these practices, but they’re still crucial for these players to showcase their abilities.

Getting the Most from Kirk Cousins and the Vikings Offense - Daily Norseman - Some things John DeFilippo may do to improve the Vikings O

Would you rather have Tom Brady or Matthew Stafford at quarterback? - SBNation.com - Breaking down some football hypotheticals, starting with the GOAT and a Lion.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Bears well represented on the All-Time NFL Special Teams Unit - Windy City Gridiron - We’ve highlighted Rick Gosselin’s yearly special team ratings the last several years at Windy City Gridiron, and now Gosselin has put together an All-Time NFL Special Teams Unit with the very best...

Zeglinski: Smart money - Bears’ cap casualties to monitor after 2018 - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears have locked in their core for a good while. They could create salary cap flexibility with players that should be on notice.

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

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.

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WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; 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.