The Bear’s Den, October 8, 2019

A SPONGIE MOMENT

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

BEARRRSSSS

Bears offensive grades: Serious coaching, personnel questions loom after loss to Raiders - NBC Sports Chicago - Outside of the recievers' performance, things aren't looking good for the offense.

Run-game problems far from biggest worry facing backsliding Bears offense - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears’ problems on offense aren’t difficult to find.

The Bears' problems extend above players as offense, defense and special teams backslide - NBC Sports Chicago - Whether the Bears are “good” or “not good” isn’t the broader point. More important is whether they are better than the folks around them.

Bears defensive grades: Porous front seven, lack of pass rush and tackling issues contribute to subpar performance - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears' defense allowed its first 100-yard rusher in regulation since Week 17 of the 2017 season in an overall uninspiring performance.

Did the Bears screw up by flying to London so close to Sunday's game against the Raiders? | NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears flew to London Thursday night, while the Oakland Raiders spent the entire week in England. Did that put the Bears at a disadvantage? Ken's Note: I think this is EXACTLY what happened, the Bears should have gone over Monday. Defensively, I think that explains it. Offensively there are issues that must be addressed.

Olin Kreutz doesn't hold back with comments on Kyle Long: 'I wonder where he is in his career' - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears legend had some harsh words for Long.

The Bears' rushing offense is broken and running out of options - NBC Sports Chicago - Maybe Jordan Howard wasn't the problem after all with the Bears' run game.

Painful Bears loss ranks high among worst under Matt Nagy - SI - Nagy could decide it's time to get tougher on the Bears after suffering physical defeat in London to Oakland

Numbers add up to ugly grade for Bears against Raiders - SI - The Bears' Week 5 report card is anything but surprising considering how they started, and then how they finished.

Hoge: Forget The Quarterback Situation, Bears’ Season Hinges On Fixing Non-Existent Running Game - WGN Radio - The biggest reason why the Bears lost the game is because they got consistently got beat by the Raiders up front in the first half.

Bears film study: Best, worst of loss to Raiders in London - Chicago Sun-Times - A look back at what can be learned from the Bears’ brutal 24-21 loss to the Raiders, when they surged in the third quarter before withering later.

Snap Judgment: Is it time to shake up the Bears’ offense? - Chicago Sun-Times - A look at the playing time distribution from the Bears’ loss to the Raiders and what it indicates going forward.

Bears vs. Raiders: Breaking down Week 5 - Chicago Sun-Times - A disastrous first half gave way to a thrilling second half, but the Bears fall short in London.

Brad Biggs' 10 thoughts on Chicago Bears' loss to Oakland Raiders - Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs' 10 thoughts after the Bears were defeated by the Raiders 24-21 on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Cody Parkey returning to the NFL? Titans reportedly set to sign the ex-Bears kicker. - Chicago Tribune - Former Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey reportedly is set to sign with the Tennessee Titans, who cut kicker Cairo Santos on Monday.

Matt Nagy’s ‘dark side’ comes out as he searches for answers to the struggling Bears offense: ‘When is the offense going to step up and take over?’ - Chicago Tribune - The Bears are keeping company with the lowly Dolphins and Jets in a couple offensive categories, something Matt Nagy said he's going to address during the off week.

A long trip home for the Bears. The Bear Download podcast breaks down what went wrong against the Raiders. - Chicago Tribune - Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer break down the Bears' rough performance that led to their 24-21 loss to the Raiders in London, from a run defense that was gashed to an offense that could not find any rhythm.

3 things that stood out in Week 5 loss - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer identifies three things that stood out Sunday in the Bears’ 24-21 loss to the Raiders, including an uncharacteristic performance by the defense.

Inside Slant: Bears to self-scout during bye week - ChicagoBears.com - After returning from London Monday following a deflating 24-21 loss to the Raiders that dropped their record to 3-2, the Bears will spend their bye week self-evaluating and seeking solutions.

Postgame perspective: Bears come up short in London - ChicagoBears.com - A slow start and a bad ending ruined an impressive second-half comeback as the Bears lost to the Raiders 24-21 Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Matt Nagy Hopes Mitch Trubisky Can Return After the Bye (Against the Saints) - Bleacher Nation - If watching Chase Daniel made you pine for Mitch Trubisky’s return, you might get your wish after the bye. I say might, because Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy did

Jon Gruden Did Everything He Could To Stop Khalil Mack (And It Worked) - Bleacher Nation - I wore my “Khalil Mack Will Sack Your Quarterback” tee from Obvious Shirts at a Bears brunch party this Sunday, but Mack did not sack the Raiders quarterback,

Da Bears Blog | Rapid Fire Reaction to a Disheartening Loss in London - Da Bears Blog - It’s very hard to analyze a game from inside the building. You really have no idea what’s going on. But here are a few points:

5@5: Was Matt Nagy Outcoached By Jon Gruden? - 670 The Score - The Mully & Haugh crew debates a five-pack of questions every weekday.

Eddie Jackson: Bears ‘Confident’ Akiem Hicks Can Return - 670 The Score - Akiem Hicks suffered a gruesome elbow injury in a loss in London on Sunday.

Matt Nagy: Bears Set To Self-Scout During Bye Week - 670 The Score - The Bears fell to 3-2 with their 24-21 loss to the Raiders on Sunday.

‘Halas Intrigue’ Episode 28: Matt Nagy vows changes - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears coach says he will take a look at every player.

Up-and-down Bears bring out worst in all of us - Chicago Sun-Times - There’s no such thing as temperance when it comes to the 2019 model, no such thing as in-between. The team is great, wonderful and marvelous right up until it isn’t. Current status: Look out below!

With Akiem Hicks hurt, defensive-line help could be on the way for Bears - Chicago Sun-Times -Defensive end Bilal Nichols, who broke his right hand in Week 2, is “very close to returning” to game action, coach Matt Nagy said.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Greenfield: Washington Redskins fire Jay Gruden - Our Turf Football - It was a rough 5 year tenure, but after an 0-5 start, it was time to go. OTFB’s Sonja Greenfield looks at the firing.

Today Is National Fluffernutter Day - National Fluffernutter Day on October 8th brings about a yummy and extraordinary combination. Some food holidays are stickier than others. And National Fluffernutter Day is a stick-to-your-ribs-chin-fingers-nose kind of day! Celebrate zealously, then take a bath.

Jay Gruden: I’m not bitter, I didn’t get it done – ProFootballTalk - Jay Gruden doesn’t really blame Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen for firing him as Washington’s head coach, noting that coaches are judged on his record and his wasn’t good enough. “I’m not bitter,” Gruden told the Washington Post.

Bruce Allen on firing Jay Gruden: “It was necessary” – ProFootballTalk - Hours after firing head coach Jay Gruden, Washington team President Bruce Allen said the reason was simple: They haven’t won enough. “It was necessary. Our 0-5 start is not just disappointing. We had much different expectations for the beginning of the season,” Allen said.

Redskins fire head coach Jay Gruden after 0-5 start - NFL.com The Washington Redskins - have fired head coach Jay Gruden, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. The Redskins are 0-5 after losing to the Patriots 33-7 on Sunday.

Titans expected to sign Cody Parkey: report - Chicago Sun-Times - Cody Parkey infamously double-doinked the potential playoff game-winner against the Eagles, appeared on the “Today” show the next week and was later cut by the Bears.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Here’s what happened in the NFC North while the Lions slept - Pride Of Detroit - The PODcast ventures to London and Dallas to talk about Week 5 implications for the Lions, plus a game show of Lions trivia.

Stock Market Report: New Jersey Giants - Daily Norseman - The Vikings needed a bounce back game in the worst way. They got one.

Packers Week 5 Snap Counts: Lucas Patrick steps up, defense goes dime heavily - Acme Packing Company - With a big lead in the second half, the Packers put six DBs on the field frequently against the Cowboys.

How the Detroit Lions’ future opponents fared in Week 5 - Pride Of Detroit - We take a look at how the Lions’ schedule outlook changed in Week 5.

Notes: Detroit Lions among teams that ‘desperately need to strike a trade’ - Pride Of Detroit - I think you can probably guess the suggested target of a trade.

IN CASE YOU YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong’s Poll of the Day: What’s wrong with the Bears offense? - Windy City Gridiron - The easy answer to this poll question would be all of the above, because there’s nothing going right on offense for the Chicago Bears. I detailed just how awful things have been earlier today in my...

Wiltfong’s Bears vs. Raiders snap counts, stats, and more - Windy City Gridiron - Lester gives his thoughts on the game, plus he shares the complete playing time breakdown, and spotlights a few individual and team statistics from the Chicago Bears in their 21 to 24 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

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. No personal attacks, politics, gender based insults of any kind, racial insults, etc.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, Bears Banter hosted by Bill Zimmerman, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

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