The Bear’s Den, August 17, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Zeglinski: Experience and comfort paying off for Bears offensive linemen, young and old – The Rock River Times - “You’re always on the next step. You never just want to settle.”That’s how Charles Leno Jr. strongly encapsulated what he’s made out his promising NFL career.

Biggs: Bears add a new long snapper, so what does it mean for veteran Patrick Scales? - Chicago Tribune - The Bears added a second long snapper Thursday when they signed rookie Tanner Carew. What does his addition with three exhibition games remaining mean for veteran Patrick Scales?

Campbell: 'His hands have come alive:' Leonard Floyd continues growth from raw prospect to consistent rusher - Chicago Tribune - Bears outside linebacker Leonard Floyd is continuing to grow his game, a sign of maturity and indicator that he can be the edge-rush presence the Bears desperately need him to be.

Campbell's 5 observations from Bears-Broncos practice: Mitch Trubisky's timing, Tarik Cohen's usage and more - Chicago Tribune - The Bears’ second and final practice with the Broncos was in shells Thursday instead of full pads, but the energy and competitiveness remained high. Here are 5 observations (and one bonus) from practice.

Rosenbloom: What I’d like to see from the Bears this week is pretty simple - Chicago Tribune - After last week’s dazed and confused debut of Mitch Trubisky in the new, allegedly modern NFL offense of rookie coach Matt Nagy, all I want to see from the Bears in their practice game against the Broncos is that they look like they have a clue.

Finley: Is Bears LB Roquan Smith ready to play Saturday? - Chicago Sun-Times - Any time spent in game action would benefit Smith. Still, the Bears know the risks of playing someone who's had one padded practice since January.

Jahns: John Elway has good things to say about Mitch Trubisky - Chicago Sun-Times - Broncos general manager and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway is a big fan of Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Finley: Bears hiding Tarik Cohen this preseason? 'I would think they're saving me' - Chicago Sun-Times - Maybe the Bears are hiding Tarik Cohen — the running back played only one snap in their last exhibition game. He prefers to think of it as protection.

Jahns: Five takeaways, including more success for Mitch Trubisky - Chicago Sun-Times - From Mitch Trubisky's touchdown throws to the success of the tight ends, here are five takeaways from the Bears' second practice with the Broncos.

Finley: Broncos LT Garrett Boles on Bears QB Mitch Trubisky: 'I call him my brother' - Chicago Sun-Times - Mitch Trubisky and Garrett Boles watch film of each other, compare notes — and kept an eye on each other during the joint practice.

Bears vs. Broncos practice: Hoge & Jahns Podcast - Chicago Sun-Times - How well did quarterback Mitch Trubisky play? How did rookie linebacker Roquan Smith look? Tune into the Hoge & Jahns Podcast.

Hub Arkush: Just how good are Chicago Bears at linebacker now? - Pro Football Weekly - Some of those LBs expect to be special

Hoge’s 10 Bears Things: With Roquan Smith Back, Let’s Start Talking About The Regular Season | WGN Radio - 720 AM - But by Wednesday morning at the Broncos’ practice facility, it appeared that the lengthy distraction was finally behind both Roquan Smith and the Bears. He was on the field in pads and, finally, the discussion could move on to football.

Stankevitz: Things get chippy and the snaps get sloppy - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears and Broncos had a couple of mild skirmishes during Thursday's practice, while Cody Whitehair's struggles snapping the ball cropped up again.

Stankevitz: How aggressive will the Bears' offense be? 'That's our attitude' - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears' offense has practiced aggressively during training camp and these joint practices in Denver, and that's not going to change much once gameplanning starts next week.

Stankevitz: Why Leonard Floyd is the key to the Bears' defensive success - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears are betting on Leonard Floyd to make a significant leap in production in 2018, his third year in the league.

Chicago Bears Game Preview: Everything to Watch For Against Denver - Da Bears Brothers Podcast - Listen as Da Bears Brothers get you ready for the Chicago Bears preseason contest against the Broncos with an in-depth discussion on everything to pay attention to Saturday night.

Hub Arkush: Evolution of Chicago Bears defense into NFL's next 'Linebacker U' begins - 247Sports - The first day of joint workouts between the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos turned into a combination of the epilogue to the Roquan Smith contract saga and the beginning of the evolution of the Bears' defense into the NFL's next "Linebacker U."

Biggs: Because 'every snap matters,' it's time for Bears offense to start clicking against Broncos - Chicago Tribune - The Bears' starting offense was a collective disappointment last week in Cincinnati. After two joint practices with the Broncos, it's time for a crisper effort Saturday night in Denver in an effort to build some momentum toward the regular season.

Campbell: Matt Nagy 'happy with what I saw' from Roquan Smith in Bears-Broncos practices - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy was pleased by how newly-signed rookie inside linebacker performed in practices against the Denver Broncos.

Eurich: Bears assistants top jobs in 2018 - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears coaching staff has a lot of pressure this season.

Eurich: Mitch Trubisky downfield throws - 247Sports - Matt Nagy is willing to let Mitch Trubisky sling it this year for the Chicago Bears.

Danny Trevathan of Chicago Bears 'proud' of rookie Roquan Smith for holdout - ESPN - Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan said he believes teammate Roquan Smith's holdout will lead to more player holdouts in the future and he's "proud" of the rookie.

Hughes: Expect the Bears to Protect Their Biggest Offensive Asset - Mystery - in the Coming Weeks - Da Bears Blog - When the Bears kick off their 2018 campaign in Green Bay on September 9th, Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine won’t have a clue what Matt Nagy intends to do with Jordan Howard. He won’t have a clue what Nagy intends to do with Tarik Cohen.

Medina: Mitch Trubisky is Living Big – Hanging Out with Peyton Manning, Getting Praised By John Elway - Bleacher Nation - It doesn't get much better than being in the same place at the same time with Peyton Manning and John Elway. Mitch Trubisky is clearly living his best life.

Mayer: Trubisky, Bears offense take flight in Denver - ChicagoBears.com - Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is convinced that the Bears offense “took a step forward” while competing against a stout Denver Broncos defense in two joint practices.

Mayer's Chalk Talk: Will Roquan Smith start season opener? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses the likelihood of rookie Roquan Smith starting the season opener in Green Bay, who could lead the Bears in interceptions this season and whether there are any former Bears on the Broncos.

NFL Power Rankings - Bears 26th plus 32 surprise players to watch 2018 preseason - ESPN - As the regular season nears, our NFL experts stack up every team and choose some unexpected players you need to watch.

Hub Arkush: More winners than losers for Chicago Bears in Denver - Pro Football Weekly - But problems continue at center

Stankevitz: Things get chippy and the snaps get sloppy - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears and Broncos had a couple of mild skirmishes during Thursday's practice, while Cody Whitehair's struggles snapping the ball cropped up again.

Hawley: Roquan Smith on returning to Bears’ practice: ‘It was just back to normal.” - WGN-TV - It didn't take long for him to fit in with his teammates, but his pads were a much different story. Near the beginning of his first padded practice with the Bears after a nearly month-long layoff, Roquan Smith was seen on the sidelines taking them off with the help of Bears equipm...

Alper: Bears add a long snapper – ProFootballTalk - The Bears added a second long snapper to the roster on Thursday. The team announced that they have signed Tanner Carew. Patrick Scales, who snapped in every game last season and five games in 2016, was previously the only long snapper on the roster.

Alper: Leonard Floyd’s “hands have come alive” – ProFootballTalk - Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd has 11.5 sacks in his first two NFL seasons, but that number could have be higher if he had not missed 10 games due to injuries. It also could have been higher if Floyd had a more versatile bag of tricks to use to get past offensive linemen.

Eurich: Tanner Carew signed, Andrew Trumbetti released - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears have added a new long snapper to the mix in Tanner Carew.

Medina: Mitch Trubisky is Living Big – Hanging Out with Peyton Manning, Getting Praised By John Elway - Bleacher Nation - It doesn't get much better than being in the same place at the same time with Peyton Manning and John Elway. Mitch Trubisky is clearly living his best life.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Will the NFL’s new rules save the kickoff from extinction? The league sure hopes so. - Chicago Tribune - New rules take effect this season. If they don’t have the immediate effect of making the play safer, the next step for the NFL’s leaders could be to consider eliminating kickoffs entirely.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Bob Quinn’s focus on offensive line versatility is paying off for Lions - Pride Of Detroit - The Graham Glasgow injury scare showed just why the Lions have invested so much into players who can play many roles.

Packers 2018 preseason week 1 roster - sortable by number & position - Acme Packing Company - Confused by all the new names and faces on the Packers’ roster? We’ve got you covered.

Denver Broncos first-team to play 1-1.5 quarters against Chicago Bears - Mile High Report - We’ll get a much larger sample size to review form the Denver Broncos first-team offense and defense on Saturday when they play the Chicago Bears.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante: Bears sign long snapper Tanner Carew, waive linebacker Andrew Trumbetti - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears have brought in some competition for incumbent long snapper Patrick Scales.

Zeglinski: The Broncos think highly of the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky, perhaps out of envy - Windy City Gridiron - Von Miller and John Elway had high praise about the Bears’ young quarterback. No, it isn’t because they’re wanting what they can’t have. Maybe.

Berkes: Fantasy Files - Tight Ends and Defense Rankings - Windy City Gridiron - We dig into more rankings of team defenses and the big pass catchers.

Wiltfong's Bears vs. Broncos Practice recap: Anthony Miller catches six balls at once, throws a punch - Windy City Gridiron - Chicago Bears’ rookie wide out Anthony Miller has already reached a certain level of respect amongst Bears fans. The former walk-on at Memphis has endeared himself with his work ethic, attitude,...

Zeglinski: Chicago Bears listed as trade destination for Khalil Mack by former agent - Windy City Gridiron - Could "The Mack" really return to Chicago of all places?

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 - iTunes - Robert Zeglinski

THE RULES

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