The Bear’s Den, July 24, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Zeglinski: Redemption off his mind, Cody Parkey eager to make his own Bears legacy – The Rock River Times - In 2014, Cody Parkey was on top of the world. As a rookie kicker for the Eagles he broke the NFL all-time rookie scoring record with 150 points and looked like he was on his way towards morphing into one of the league’s best kickers. He had the confidence. He had the leg. And he had an organization that believed in him.

Wiederer: Inside Matt Nagy's 'Beautiful Mind' - Creativity. Collaboration. Details - Chicago Tribune - The wall inside Matt Nagy's Halas Hall office is a 16-foot by 10-foot canvas of ideas. The Bears coach's "Beautiful Mind" board represents all that he is about. Creativity. Collaboration. Details. Now, he and Mitch Trubisky need to bring those offensive ideas to life.

Wiederer: 'How many ways can you use speed?' Bears WR Taylor Gabriel eager for big role in new offense - Chicago Tribune - Bears veteran receiver Taylor Gabriel has shown big-play flashes in the early stages of training camp. New coach Matt Nagy is eager to turn Gabriel's speed loose in the offense.

Kane: With more experience and a clearer mind, safety Deon Bush hopes to make bigger impact on the Bears - Chicago Tribune - Deon Bush said two years in the system have helped him to play faster and rely on his instincts, and he believes his mind is a lot clearer after a personally tough year.

Potash: Bears unaffected by rookie Roquan Smith’s holdout - but Not For Long - Chicago Sun-Times - It’s not ugly yet, but general manager Ryan Pace only can play so much hardball with only 14 victories in his three seasons.

Finley’s Bears training-camp report: Observations, analysis from Day 4 of practice - Chicago Sun-Times - The Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley breaks down the Bears’ fourth training-camp practice.

Finley: Bears give veteran days off to WR Allen Robinson, G Kyle Long - Chicago Sun-Times - Wide receiver Allen Robinson joined guard Kyle Long on the sideline Monday.

Hoge & Jahns Podcast: Some early thoughts, observations from Bears camp - Chicago Sun-Times - Where the heck is rookie linebacker Roquan Smith? How well has quarterback Mitch Trubisky played? What about receiver Kevin White?

Pro Football Focus? Madden 18? Bears safety Adrian Amos not focused on the hype - Chicago Sun-Times - Amos has some hype and criticism to avoid. But interestingly enough, it’s the hype itself that’s prompted the criticism.

Another NFL analyst predicts losing record for Detroit Lions - Pride Of Detroit - Despite back-to-back winning seasons, the Lions aren’t getting much faith from NFL media.

Emma: Bears, Roquan Smith Remain All Business Amid Impasse - 670 The Score - Behind the absence of Smith and the messy deal of rookie contracts.

Gabriel: Bears Position Battles To Watch In Training Camp - 670 The Score - Guard, tight end and defensive end feature some uncertainty.

Perez: Bears waive OL Jeremi Hall - NBC Sports Chicago - The Chicago Bears waived undrafted free agent offensive lineman Jeremi Hall on Monday.

Eurich: Mitch Trubisky catches pass in trick play - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears already have some trickerations up their sleeves.

Pearson: Eddie Jackson hopes the Chicago Bears defense creates own identity - 247Sports - Safety Eddie Jackson is hoping the Bears go back to that old defensive mindset while creating their own identity in 2018.

Eurich: Mitch Trubisky leads training camp highlights for July 23 - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears were off and running at training camp practice Monday.

Eurich: Taylor Gabriel: 'I'm everywhere in this offense' - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears are embracing Taylor Gabriel's versatility.

Kaplan: Chicago Bears WR Kevin White spends offseason training with quarterback Mitch Trubisky - ESPN - Bears wide receiver Kevin White, entering the last year of his rookie deal, hopes a new offseason regime that includes training with Mitch Trubisky will get his career back on track.

Medina: Matt Nagy Continues to Praise Jordan Howard, Whom He Believes is a Three-Down Back - The Ten Yard Line - Matt Nagy believes that Jordan Howard can get it done on any down.

Mayer: Vertical passing game a key aspect of offense - ChicagoBears.com - First-year head coach Matt Nagy told reporters Monday at training camp that the Bears won’t hesitate to throw the ball deep down the field this season.

2018 NFL season: Mitchell Trubisky among QBs set to break out - NFL.com - Can Patrick Mahomes elevate the Chiefs’ offense? Will Josh Rosen be Arizona’s starter? David Carr lists four young quarterbacks who are most likely to break out in 2018.

Mayer: Speedy Gabriel providing a boost on offense - ChicagoBears.com - Receiver Taylor Gabriel, a key free-agent acquisition during the offseason, is bringing speed, versatility and play-making ability to the new Bears offense.

Mayer's Chalk Talk: How has Kevin White performed? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses how receiver Kevin White has fared early in training camp, the defense’s main focus and if the Bears did any live tackling in their first practice in pads.

Cox: 3 early stars of Chicago Bears training camp - Bears Wire - Two Chicago Bears draft picks and an undrafted rookie free agent have been stealing the headlines early on during training camp.

Cox: Bears sign UDFA linebacker Ro’Derrick Hoskins, waive offensive lineman Jeremi Hall - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears released one undrafted rookie free agent and replaced him with another at a bigger position of need.

Cox: Tarik Cohen won’t be the only one lining up all over Bears new offense - Bears Wire - Tarik Cohen isn't the only Chicago Bears weapon that Matt Nagy is using all over the offense. A few receivers are playing everywhere too.

Mullin: 'Trust' growing in critical areas of Bears' developing offense - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears wide receivers are gaining trust in their quarterbacks and visa versa early in training camp.

Training Camp Daily: Trubisky and the trust factor - NBC Sports Chicago - Bears Insider John ‘Moon’ Mullin and producer Paul Aspan discuss how Trubisky is learning to trust his receivers and more.

Mullin: Defense predictably ahead of offense but “D” already being challenged by changing “O" - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears Sunday practice was run using NFL officials, making their annual camp visits to review and explain new rules, and Chicago committed too many penalties to leave coaches satisfied.

Da Bears Brothers Chicago Bears Podcast and Postgame Show - Da Bears Brothers Podcast - Da Bears Brothers is the place where Bears fans across the globe hang out after every Chicago Bears game, and where Bears fans go to get their fix of Chicago Bears talk in the offseason.

Campbell: 5 observations from Monday's Bears practice - Mitch Trubisky's deep ball, pass protection drills and more - Chicago Tribune - It wasn’t even Mitch Trubisky’s best throw of the day, but his deep completion to Taylor Gabriel was a thing of beauty.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Jimmy Garoppolo convinced himself that he was better than Tom Brady – ProFootballTalk - NFL players must have a high degree of self-confidence. Sometimes, that confidence crosses the blurred line into delusion. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is no exception, as evidenced by his mindset during his time as the backup to Tom Brady in New England.

Mike Sherman: We didn’t trade for Johnny Manziel to have him sit the bench – ProFootballTalk - All Johnny Manziel did in Hamilton was sit. He won’t do much of that in Montreal. The Alouettes introduced Manziel on Monday, a day after they traded with the Tiger-Cats for him.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Paul Allen: Don’t expect Stefon Diggs or Anthony Barr to sign extensions before the season - Daily Norseman - He also details why he thinks that is

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers does Shark Week - Acme Packing Company - Aaron Rodgers joined shark experts for an episode of Monster Tag on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. Don’t worry - he survived. Ken’s Note: Of course he survived, sharks wouldn’t attack the guy out of professional courtesy.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong's Chicago Bears 2018 Position Battles: The defensive line seems set - Windy City Gridiron - Next up in our 11-part position by position look at the Chicago Bears’ training camp battles is the defensive line.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears sign Ro’Derrick Hoskins - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears signed an inside linebacker today, only it wasn’t t he one we were all expecting. It has been reported by numerous Bears’ beat writers that the team has signed undrafted rookie...

Wiltfong & Silverstein: Should the Bears un-retire Walter Payton’s #34? - Windy City Gridiron - Must see: Jack asks Jarrett Payton, son of Sweetness, if the Chicago Bears should un-retire his father’s #34.

Wiltfong: Bears camp recap day 4 - Trick plays and rest days - Windy City Gridiron - We recap the fourth training camp practice from the Chicago Bears right here...

Infante: With training camp underway, Bears’ lack of overhaul at edge rusher a concern - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears made a lot of smart moves over the offseason, but their rather stagnant approach to fixing the outside linebacker position is still a puzzling one heading into training camp.

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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