The Bear’s Den, August 23, 2019

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

BEARRRSSSS

Bears Roquan Smith and Khalil Mack proved preseason’s value - Bearmaven - Uproar over lack of preseason playing time for Bears is countered by Roquan Smith’s and Khalil Mack’s success.

Clifton Duck Was PFF’s Second-Highest Graded Cornerback Last Week - Some love for undrafted free agent rookie Clifton Duck. Ken’s Note: On the one hand, good for Duck! On the other hand, it’s PFF so...

Mitch Trubisky Could Blame Cody Parkey for Not Getting an “A” Grade - Bleacher Nation - Mitch Trubisky being punished for someone else’s shortcomings is weird.

Bears State of the Union on Des Moines Radio [AUDIO] - Da Bears Blog - DBB’s Jeff Hughes discusses all things Bears with Trent Condon and Ken Miller on the radio in Des Moines. Is tight end a liability? How did we get here with kicker? Is preseason dead? What about the rest of the NFC North?

Charles Leno Jr. Puts Bears’ Business Before His Own - 670 The Score - What Bears left tackle Charles Leno Jr. wants now more than anything is for more of what he and the Bears experienced last season -- wins.

Chalk Talk: What are best position battles? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses the Bears’ best position battles, the likelihood of rookie running back Kerrith Whyte making the 53-man roster and how the NFL waiver process works following final cuts.

Patient Trubisky honing game in practice - ChicagoBears.com - Buying into coach Matt Nagy’s plan not to play starters in preseason games, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is working hard in practice in preparation for the Sept. 5 season opener against the Packers.

Bears have a kicker! Or do they... Chicago Shuffle Podcast - Eddy Pineiro is the last kicker standing in Chicago, but will he be their starter in Week 1? That, plus a preview of Bears vs. Colts, a recap of the disappointing career of Kevin White and a look at the Detroit Lions. Ken's Note: Other than quoting PFF every 5 seconds, it's not a bad podcast. Seriously though, PFF grades are less accurate than coming up with 34 by dividing by zero to get your answer.

Bears coach Matt Nagy takes a knee ... from Aaron Rodgers - Bearmaven - Rodgers tripped Nagy up at golf tournament in Colorado.

Idle Trubisky has Packers in his sights - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears QB eager but not anxious for real football. ‘‘Thursday night will come around soon enough. We’re going to be ready for it."

Bears coach Matt Nagy excited to see what rookie WR Riley Ridley can do - Chicago Sun-Times - Ridley played 47 percent of the Bears’ offensive plays last week against the Giants, catching three passes for 19 yards.

Aaron Rodgers pranks Matt Nagy: Packers star trips Bears coach at golf tourney - Chicago Sun-Times - Nagy has a funny story about running into the Packers quarterback this summer.

With 30th birthday approaching, Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan slims down, speeds up for contract year - Chicago Sun-Times - He’ll turn 30 in March. That age is a scary number in the NFL, particularly when you play on a team that will give out contracts to its young, dynamic players in the next year.

Biggs: Matt Nagy is waiting until the season opener for the big reveal of the Bears’ revamped running game. And it should be worth the wait. - Chicago Tribune - The Bears running game was a work in progress all of last season. This year Matt Nagy has a more versatile, handpicked backfield, which has the potential to help the offense take off.

4 things we learned at Bears practice, including Mitch Trubisky’s preparation for the Packers - Chicago Tribune - With the preseason games off his plate, Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s focus already has shifted to the Packers.

Eddy Pineiro is the Bears kicker — for now. Where does that leave the team? Plus a discussion of Mitch Trubisky’s shaky summer on the Bear Download podcast. - Chicago Tribune - Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer are reunited in the Halas Hall coat closet to discuss — what else? — the Bears kicker search now that Eddy Pineiro is the only one on the roster. Plus a discussion of Mitch Trubisky's summer on the Bear Download podcast.

‘This is going to be fun.’ About the time Aaron Rodgers stuck out his knee and tripped Matt Nagy. - Chicago Tribune - Matt Nagy laughed Wednesday recalled how Aaron Rodgers playfully tripped him at a celebrity golf tournament in July.

POLISH SAUSAGE

49ers plan extensive preseason playing time for Jimmy Garoppolo – ProFootballTalk - Jimmy Garoppolo will get a long opportunity to shake off his ugly preseason debut. Garoppolo, the 49ers quarterback who had a terrible game on Monday night, will get a lot of playing time on Saturday in Kansas City, head coach Kyle Shanahan said today.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Detroit needs an improved pass defense - Pride Of Detroit - Detroit’s defensive backline must be better in 2019.

6 Detroit Lions that need a big game vs. Buffalo Bills - Pride Of Detroit - A look at the Lions players with most on the line on Friday.

What to look for Saturday - Daily Norseman - It’s the dress rehearsal game, so what should we be looking for from the Vikings?

Packers’ good pass protection is giving Matt LaFleur solid evaluations on his backup QBs - Acme Packing Company - Likewise, LaFleur’s scheme is helping the line keep its QBs clean by getting the football out quickly.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Leming’s Bears mailbag: Kicker talk, roster depth and a pending Cody Whitehair extension? - Windy City Gridiron - The preseason is half way over and we’re officially two weeks out from Week 1. It’s a packed mailbag full of questions that will be answered over the next week or two.

When will Trubisky reach his full potential? - Windy City Gridiron - In this four-part round-table discussion, several of us weigh in on the Chicago Bears quarterback while discussing where he is now, how his development is going, and where we think he’ll end up.

Berckes: Play Fantasy, Pick ‘em, and Survivor Football with WCG - Windy City Gridiron - Three ways to play against the Windy City Gridiron community in season-long games

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

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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; Like us on Facebook.