The Bear’s Den, December 31, 2019

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

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

BEARRRSSSS

Bears Address All Sorts of Non-QB Needs in the First Post-Regular-Season Mocks - Bleacher Nation - For the second straight season, the Chicago Bears do not have a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. But fear not, that doesn’t mean our obsessive watch

*IF PERFECTLY HEALTHY* Alex Smith Is a Fantastic Short-Term Fit for the Bears - Bleacher Nation - Alex Smith suffered one of the most gruesome leg injuries I’ve ever seen in football back in 2018. It was so bad, that his future as a football player has been

5@5: How Will Bears Handle Trubisky’s 5th-Year Option? - 670 The Score - The Mully & Haugh crew debates a five-pack of questions every weekday.

Bears Set With Picks In 2020 NFL Draft - 670 The Score - The Bears own second-round picks at No. 43 and No. 50 overall.

Bears players head home after finishing 8-8 season - ChicagoBears.com - Bears players who entered 2019 with Super Bowl aspirations cleaned out their lockers Monday at Halas Hall after concluding a disappointing 8-8 season.

Bears DT Nick Williams proud of career season - ChicagoBears.com - Making the most of expanded playing time, Bears defensive tackle Nick Williams enjoyed the most productive season of his five-year NFL career this year.

3 things that stood out in Week 17 win - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer identifies three things that stood out in Sunday’s season-ending win over the Vikings, including the Bears defense ending its takeaway drought.

Inside Slant: Trubisky looks toward offseason after Week 17 win - ChicagoBears.com - Mitchell Trubisky spoke to reporters after Sunday’s victory over the Vikings about the late game-winning drive he directed and his plans for the offseason.

Morrissey: Chicago Bears’ biggest problem is McCaskey ownership, and it’s never going away - Chicago Sun-Times - The McCaskeys seem to value their familial connection to team founder George Halas much more than they value a Super Bowl.

Halas Intrigue Episode 75: Practicing to grill Bears GM Ryan Pace - Chicago Sun-Times - Pace will answer questions from reporters Tuesday for the first time in months. What can we expect?

Chicago Bears’ Mitch Trubisky’s fate is uncertain, but his teammates call him ‘resilient as hell’ - Chicago Sun-Times - One day before Mitch Trubisky’s boss is expected to defend him to the public, the quarterback’s teammates got a head start.

Chicago Bears offensive line fell short in 2019-2020 season. How can they fix it? - Chicago Sun-Times - Right tackle Bobby Massie vows that 2020 will be better, but the Bears are likely coming back with at least four starters from the unit that struggled this season.

Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Breaking down the Week 16 loss - Chicago Sun-Times - Disappointing season ends with sloppy Bears needing to rally against a Vikings team that essentially conceded this game from the start.

Halas Intrigue Episode 74: Plotting the Bears’ future - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears end the season looking a bit like a real football team. So what’s in store for the offseason and 2020?

2020 draft order set: Chicago Bears at No. 43 and No. 50 - Chicago Tribune - The Bears will pick 43rd and 50th overall in the 2020 draft.

Brad Biggs: 10 thoughts on the Chicago Bears' win in Week 17 - Chicago Tribune - 10 thoughts after the Chicago Bears’ ended their 2019 season with a 21-19 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium to finish 8-8.

These 3 issues will not only define the Bears' 2020 offseason, but Ryan Pace's tenure - NBC Sports Chicago - His sixth offseason at the helm may prove to be his most important.

Eddy Piñeiro secured his job status for 2020, even if he'll be the last one to admit it - NBC Sports Chicago - It wasn't a spectacular season for Eddy Piñeiro, but he finished strong and secured his job status for 2020.

Bears players head home after finishing 8-8 season - ChicagoBears.com - Bears players who entered 2019 with Super Bowl aspirations cleaned out their lockers Monday at Halas Hall after concluding a disappointing 8-8 season.

Bears DT Nick Williams proud of career season - ChicagoBears.com - Making the most of expanded playing time, Bears defensive tackle Nick Williams enjoyed the most productive season of his five-year NFL career this year.

3 things that stood out in Week 17 win - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer identifies three things that stood out in Sunday’s season-ending win over the Vikings, including the Bears defense ending its takeaway drought.

Inside Slant: Trubisky looks toward offseason after Week 17 win - ChicagoBears.com - Mitchell Trubisky spoke to reporters after Sunday’s victory over the Vikings about the late game-winning drive he directed and his plans for the offseason.

POLISH SAUSAGE

NFL teams that could make the playoffs in 2020 after missing the postseason in 2019 - NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF - PFF data scientist Eric Eager looks at four teams that did not make the playoffs in 2019 but are prime candidates to do so in 2020.

Bruce Arians has another zinger for Jameis Winston – ProFootballTalk - The Buccaneers may end up keeping quarterback Jameis Winston after his amazing 30-30 season. But they're at least going to make him sweat. Via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Bucs coach Bruce Arians sent another volley in the direction of the only quarterback in league history to throw 30 ...

Adam Gase doesn’t answer when asked if he wants Le’Veon Bell back – ProFootballTalk - Jets coach Adam Gase is declining to say whether he wants running back Le'Veon Bell back on the team in 2020. Gase was asked today whether he wants Bell on his team next year, and he said only that it's a question for General Manager Joe Douglas.

Report: Negotiations moving more slowly than expected between Ron Rivera, Washington – ProFootballTalk - The day began with Washington poised to hire Ron Rivera to be the team's next head coach. A deal hasn't happened yet. Les Carpenter of the Washington Post reports that "negotiations . . . are moving more slowly than expected" between Rivera and the team. It's an intriguing development.

Derek Carr on moving to Las Vegas: Exciting it’s time for some fresh air – ProFootballTalk - The Raiders will be wearing silver and black the next time they don their uniforms, but there will be a significant difference to the name of the team.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford not concerned about back injury, expects to be ready for full offseason - Pride Of Detroit - You can breathe easy now.

Matthew Stafford says he’ll be back for offseason work – ProFootballTalk - Matthew Stafford’s injury may have bought some people another year. But when next year starts, he’ll be there to try to help them stay. Via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions quarterback Monday said he planned to be ready for the team’s offseason work in April, after missing th...

Detroit Lions Week 17 snap counts: For first time all season, offensive line stays intact - Pride Of Detroit - It finally happened.

Is Mitch Trubisky still Ryan Pace’s guy? Stay tuned - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears’ general manager — the reigning Sporting News Executive of the Year — will face tough questions about his QB, his coach and a disappointing 2019 season Tuesday at Halas Hall.

IN CASE YOU YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Hip hip hooray, Bears rally to win in Minnesota behind Pineiro’s 13 points - 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 21-19 win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Infante’s Game Notes: Bears squeeze past Vikings’ backups, finish season at 8-8 - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears avoid falling short of .500 with a win in their last game of the season.

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.