The Bear’s Den, August 8, 2018

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

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Zeglinski: Bears’ offensive line picture might not be settled for long – The Rock River Times - When they selected James Daniels in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Ryan Pace and company insisted Daniels, a college center for Iowa, would be playing left guard for the Bears. No questions asked. This, of course, had to be taken with a grain of salt back then, because the Bears hadn’t yet seen Daniels even put on one of their helmets.

Zeglinski: Earth, Wind, & Fire: How the Bears tight ends became the focal point of a diverse offense - The Rock River Times - In 2017, the Bears targeted their tight ends a total of 78 times. That mark was good enough to have 11 individual other NFL eclipse by themselves. In 2017, the Bears forgot and or egregiously elected not to see their tight ends as downfield weapons. The most versatile and uniquely physically built talents? Glorified decoys, nothing more. In 2018, with the highest investment of resources into the position in the league, tight end is the Alpha and Omega of the Bears offense.

LeGere: Bears head coach Nagy has had enough Roquan Smith questions - Daily Herald - Coach Matt Nagy is understandably tired of answering questions about the continued absence of first-round draft pick Roquan Smith, maybe because both sides have carried the disagreement to a ridiculous level -- especially Smith's side.They're stalemated over hypothetical situations that have little chance of occurring, specifically, suspensions for on-field actions such as a fight.

Haugh: Raised by his grandparents, rookie Bilal Nichols is the type of high-character player Bears need - Chicago Tribune - Raised by his grandparents after his mom decided that was the best thing for her son, Bears defensive tackle Bilal Nichols is a high-character, low-maintenance player with the ability to make an immediate impact and the maturity to last awhile in the league.

Kane: 11 things we heard from Bears defensive assistant coaches Tuesday - Chicago Tribune - Bears defensive assistant coaches talked about Leonard Floyd's recovery, what Roquan Smith is missing during his contract holdout and Prince Amukamara's 10-interception goal.

Rosenthal: NFL dying? Hardly. Meaningless Bears-Ravens scrub show outdraws NHL's decisive Stanley Cup game - Chicago Tribune - NFL popularity is resilient. The Bears-Ravens scrub show on NBC averaged 6.77 million viewers nationally last week. That's a drop from last year's Hall of Fame Game, but more viewers than nearly all broadcast TV episodes this summer as well as the decisive Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup game.

Jahns: Five signs that Leonard Floyd is developing - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears feel great about the progress of third-year outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, the team's first-round pick in 2016.

Potash: Sam Acho linebacker wants to dominate, create havoc - Chicago Sun-Times - Acho was deceptively productive in 2017, when he had three sacks. As a rookie with the Cardinals in 2011 he had seven sacks in his last 11 games.

Kenney: Mitch Trubisky ahead of Eli Manning, Joe Flacco - Chicago Sun-Times - Pro Football Focus released their preseason quarterback rankings on Monday and Trubisky checked in at No. 26.

Eurich: James Daniels earns more reps at center - 247Sports - James Daniels may be getting closer to earning a starting job with the Chicago Bears.

Bears land at No. 24 in NFL.com Power Rankings - 247Sports - Mitch Trubisky and the Chicago Bears are hoping to climb up the rankings this season.

Eurich: Jordan Howard misses training camp practice - 247Sports - Jordan Howard's status for the Chicago Bears preseason game on August 9 is up in the air.

Hughes: Miller & Hicks Shining This Summer, HoF Commentary, Kitties & More! - Da Bears Blog - This entire training camp is becoming about Anthony Miller

Medina: James Daniels Will Practice at Center This Week, Even Though He Was Drafted to Play Guard - Bleacher Nation - James Daniels is re-visiting a familiar role along the offensive line.

Mayer: London raves about dynamic duo in backfield - ChicagoBears.com - Speaking to reporters at training camp, running backs coach Charles London discussed Jordan Howard’s determination, Tarik Cohen’s energy and what it was like for Bears assistants to learn the team’s new offense.

Mayer: Healthy Long 'on a great path right now' - ChicagoBears.com - Aided by the occasional day off to rest, Bears guard Kyle Long is making steady progress in training camp as he rebounds from multiple offseason surgeries.

Chamberlain: Bears Linebacker Danny Trevathan Keeping It Under Control - NBC Chicago - When NFL officials visited Bears camp to show a film on rule changes aimed at player safety, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan realized he'd have to alter his style.

Stankevitz: What will the Bears have in Roquan Smith when the stalemate ends? - NBC Sports Chicago - If Roquan Smith truly is a great player, he'll be able to overcome missing 23 days -- and counting -- of training camp once he starts practicing with the Bears.

Stankevitz: Setting expectations for Mitch Trubisky, Bears' offense in Cincinnati - NBC Sports Chicago - Mitchell Trubisky will operate Matt Nagy's offense for the first time in a game on Thursday, even if it's only for a drive or two.

Joniak's Journal: Learning Continues For Bears' Leonard Floyd - 670 The Score - "He’s one of the few guys that can just go around you," Brandon Staley says.

Gabriel: What To Watch For In Bears-Bengals - 670 The Score - The Bears' high-profile starters are expected to receiver their first preseason action.

Johnathan Hankins named a good fit for the Bears - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears were quick to add pieces to the offensive side of the football this year at the start of free agency. On the other side of the ball, the defense has many

Pearson: Chicago Bears starters are ready to get into 'game mode' vs. Cincinnati Bengals - 247Sports - Chicago Bears starters are ready to get some live game reps when they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals Thursday night.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Vikings release first depth chart of 2018 - Daily Norseman - And, honestly, there aren’t a lot of surprises on it

Packers release first depth chart and it doesn’t matter - Acme Packing Company - Too much can change between now and early September to worry about who is slotted where before the preseason even starts.

Aaron Rodgers sees “piss poor” effort from young receivers – ProFootballTalk - Maybe Aaron Rodgers should R-E-L-A-X. The Packers quarterback went off on Tuesday regarding the effort of his team’s younger receivers during one specific period during the team’s practice. “I think it was one of the worst carded sessions we’ve had,” Rodgers said.

Lions-Raiders joint practices round-up: Detroit was the better team - Pride Of Detroit - According to at least one writer, the Lions looked like the superior team on Tuesday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Zeglinski: From the NFL to college, the Bears’ Roquan Smith has always been about setting precedents - Windy City Gridiron - Many have wondered about the young linebacker’s issue in ongoing negotiations with the Bears. Look no further than Smith’s player rights fighting past for his motivation.

Roquan Smith vs the Chicago Bears: Here’s everything we know so far - Windy City Gridiron - Here’s everything we’ve written about the Roquan Smith situation so far.

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears under-25 talent ranked 10th in the NFL - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears are trending the right way in this annual list from ESPN, but now we’d like to see that translate to some wins.

Berkes: Fantasy Files - NFC South Divisional Preview - Windy City Gridiron - We saved the best for last - check out the southern hospitality this division offers

WCG Talks The Roquan Smith Holdout: Part 3 - What will this do to the Bears’ season? - Windy City Gridiron - With no sign of resolution in sight, the contributors at Windy City Gridiron talked about their views on the Roquan Smith holdout in a three part round-table discussion.

WCG Talks The Roquan Smith Holdout: Part 2 - Who has more to lose? - Windy City Gridiron - With no sign of resolution in sight, the contributors at Windy City Gridiron talked about their views on the Roquan Smith holdout; Here’s part two in our round-table discussion.

WCG Talks The Roquan Smith Holdout: Part 1 - Who do you blame? - Windy City Gridiron - With no sign of resolution in sight, the contributors at Windy City Gridiron talked about their views on the Roquan Smith holdout.

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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WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Andrew Link; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.