The Bear’s Den, August 9, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

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 NFL tight ends eclipse it 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.

Zeglinski: New position, no problem for Rashaad Coward as he becomes a patient force at tackle – The Rock River Times - Ask any offensive lineman about the difficulty of switching positions and you’ll elicit a groan, sigh, and eye roll. Not necessarily in that order. Moving from center to guard, or tackle to guard, and or sometimes moving to the other side means relearning muscle memory from scratch. It means taking everything you know and often starting over. Now imagine switching from defense to offense, having to embody controlled aggression and balance instead of pure instinct. Having to realign how you think and shifting your entire football mentality ingrained in your mind for years.

Eurich: Mitch Trubisky credits Dave Ragone for his improvement - 247Sports - Dave Ragone has been the Chicago Bears quarterbacks coach since 2016.

Eurich: Dion Sims, three other Bears not traveling to Cincinnati - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears will be without at least four players on Thursday night.

Kane: Mitch Trubisky's turn - What to watch for in the Bears-Bengals game - Chicago Tribune - Four things we'll watch in the Bears-Bengals game Thursday, including Mitch Trubisky's preseason debut.

Haugh: Mike Ditka on pal Stan Mikita - 'I was lucky to be his friend' - Chicago Tribune - Mike Ditka and Stan Mikita, two of the Chicago’s toughest pro athletes ever, developed a soft spot for each other sharing stories and drinking beer. They were only seven months apart, meeting in 1961 when Ditka arrived as a Bears rookie and Mikita basked in the glory of a Stanley Cup title.

Biggs' Bears Q&A: Will Anthony Miller break rookie records? What's going on with Roquan Smith? - Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly. What's going on with the Roquan Smith situation? Is Khalil Mack a possibility for the Bears? How will Anthony Miller perform as a rookie wide receiver?

Rosenbloom: We need to see Jordan Howard catch passes to see if the Bears offense works - Chicago Tribune - Jordan Howard's playing status for Thursday night's practice game is in doubt because of injury, but the demand he catches passes better than we’ve seen is critical to making Matt Nagy’s and multiple and unpredictable as it can be. Otherwise, it'll be too easy for defenses to play run or pass.

Kenney: Oswego product Michael Joseph took path less traveled to Bears - Chicago Sun-Times - What fans might not realize is the improbable journey Joseph took to the NFL — one that consisted of a bunch of obstacles and a dream.

Finley: Ex-college teammate: 'I'm going to stick' with Roquan Smith - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears receiver Javon Wims knows Roquan Smith better than anyone at Bears camp, having spent the last two years playing alongside him at Georgia.

Finley: Mitch Trubisky to make preseason debut Thursday against the Bengals - Chicago Sun-Times - What does Bears coach Matt Nagy want to see from quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Thursday night? Two words: positive plays.

Eurich: Kyle Long thinks Jay Cutler is 'perfect for reality TV' - 247Sports - Kyle Long approves of Jay Cutler on reality television.

Dannehy: Javon Wims & the Annual Romance With Camp Receivers - Da Bears Blog - “He’s special.” - Some guy on Twitter, re: Javon Wims. I could hardly believe it when someone on Twitter sent those words to @DaBearsBlog about any player during the fourth quarter of the Hall of Fame game. But there it was. And Javon Wims, in that moment, became a camp darling. Some proclaimed Wims a seventh-round steal. Others actually said they’d rather have him than Kevin White, now and for the foreseeable future.

Eurich: Matt Nagy is strongly paralleling Andy Reid - 247Sports - Matt Nagy is a carbon copy of Andy Reid during Chicago Bears training camp.

Medina: Yuck! Mitch Trubisky Enters 2018 Among PFF's 7 Lowest-Rated Starting QBs - Bleacher Nation - Mitch Trubisky's grade entering the 2018 season is a bit different than the one that was given to him after his rookie season ended. What gives?

Medina: Will the Bears Come to Regret the Trey Burton Deal? Nah … Bleacher Nation - The Bears have some big (literally and figuratively) things in store for the offense when it comes to splitting time among the tight ends.

Mayer: 4 things to watch in Bears-Bengals game - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer identifies four storylines to monitor in Thursday night’s preseason game between the Bears and Bengals in Cincinnati. (Hint: One of them is quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.)

Mayer: Where to watch, listen to Bears-Bengals game - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears will play their second of five preseason games at 6 p.m. (CT) Thursday night in Cincinnati. Here's how you can watch and listen to the contest.

Stankevitz: What Thursday night’s game means for Jonathan Bullard and the Bears’ DE position battle - NBC Sports Chicago - Jonathan Bullard is locked in an important position battle with a few others at defensive end, and will have another opportunity to showcase himself Thursday night in Cincinnati.

IN MEMORIUM

Verdi: Stan Mikita - the soul of the Chicago Blackhawks - Daily Herald - Chicago Blackhawks Team Historian Bob Verdi writes a touching tribute on Stan Mikita, the hockey legend he calls the least pretentious superstar you could imagine.

POLISH SAUSAGE

The truth about the lowering the helmet rule may be hiding in plain sight – ProFootballTalk - As the effort to understand the most prominent new helmet rule continues, here’s a thought: Why not simply give the rule the plain and obvious meaning of the words used to articulate it? The new rule is simple: “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his ...

Case Keenum looking forward to “great test” against Vikings – ProFootballTalk - When a player gets set to face his former team during a regular season game, there’s always a media session that features a lot of questions about the reunion. The answers usually include something about team goals superseding any individual feelings that might exist.

Devonta Freeman expects to draw helmet hit penalties - NFL.com - Falcons running back Devonta Freeman accepts the league’s new helmet hit rule, but he also doesn’t plan on altering his physical running style with an understanding he could draw the yellow flag.

Ex-NFL QB Erik Kramer Charged With Battery In Domestic Violence Case - TMZ.com - Ex-NFL QB Erik Kramer is facing a battery charge after a domestic violence incident in June.

Bernstein: Scary News In NFL Settlement Payouts - 670 The Score - There are new developments in the effects of head injuries in movement disorders.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Packers sign undrafted rookie linebacker James Crawford - Acme Packing Company - Crawford played many positions at Illinois, but he probably will be an inside linebacker for the Packers.

Detroit Lions Podcast: 2018 Week 1 preseason preview: Raiders joint practices, new depth chart - Pride Of Detroit - A new PODcast with a new voice.

Alvin Kamara is still very, very angry - Daily Norseman - And it’s making him say very, very dumb things

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Sunderbruch: Where I am as a Bears fan - Windy City Gridiron - The season has already taken a hit before it’s even begun. Fans of the franchise can only hope it gets better while fearing it might be more of the same. This is one’s take on the state of the organization.

NFL preseason Week 1 Bengals vs Bears: Behind enemy lines - Cincy Jungle - This week we spoke with Jeff Berckes of Windy City Gridiron to get an inside look at the Bengals’ first preseason opponent, the Chicago Bears.

Zeglinski's Bears mailbag: Eddie Goldman’s extension and the biggest potential free agent flops - Windy City Gridiron - Matt Nagy’s first training camp is winding down. That means the deserved paydays of anchors like Goldman comes into focus soon. That and more in this week’s mailbag.

Bears vs. Bengals: Game time, TV schedule, streaming, predictions, odds and more - Windy City Gridiron - NFL preseason week one kicks off tomorrow and the Chicago Bears travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals. We have everything you need to know to watch the game right here.

Infante: Which Bears records could be broken in 2018? - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears have a rich history, but they could theoretically see some of their records broken this season.

Lemming: Chicago Bears - What to watch for in game two of the preseason - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears are back on the road for the second preseason game against the Bengals and there’s plenty to keep an eye on.

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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