A Bear’s Game Day Den, August 8, 2019

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

BEARRRSSSS

Fox: Postcards from Bourbonnais: Bears Camp Observations – The Loop Sports - Kankakee County buzzes loudly every August when the NFL comes to town and Bears inhabit the streets. The energy and excitement level this year in Bourbonnais is more palpable than ever though. The reigning NFC North Champions are getting to the point in training camp where they’re champing at the bit to play another team…

Four key position battles to watch in the Bears’ preseason opener - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears play their first of four preseason games Thursday, with a number of critical position battles taking place against the Panthers.

Bears won’t face two top Panthers starters in Thursday preseason game - NBC Sports Chicago - The Carolina Panthers don’t plan on using their top players Thursday against the Bears.

Under Center Podcast: Ep. 231: Bears100: 1-on-1 with Virginia McCaskey - NBC Sports Chicago - JJ Stankevitz sits down with Bears matriarch Virginia McCaskey for a chat.

Expect usual Bears preseason crew to stand out against Panthers - Bearmaven - Tyler Bray, Ryan Nall, Tanner Gentry and all the usual suspects for preseason will show up.

Bears preseason opener is all about catching coaches' eyes - Bearmaven - Bears merely looking for a few good men at the bottom of their roster in preseason.

Hoge’s 10 Bears Things: ‘The Run’ That Shook Bourbonnais, Nagy’s Unique Coaching, And Who To Watch In The Bears’ Preseason Opener | WGN Radio - 720 AM - It took too long for the Bears to go live. At least, that’s my opinion. Never mind that Matt Nagy uses perfectly reasonable logic when it comes to easing his players into pads before unleashing live tackling periods into training camp practices.

Where to watch, listen to Bears-Panthers game - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears will play their first of four preseason games at 7 p.m. (CT) Thursday in Chicago. Here's how you can watch and listen to the contest.

Mobile-only tickets required to enter game - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears are reminding fans attending Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Panthers at Soldier Field that entry to all home games this season will require mobile-only tickets.

Defense primed for another impactful season - ChicagoBears.com - All-Pro outside linebacker Khalil Mack feels that the Bears defense has grown “tremendously” since last year and is making a smooth transition under new coordinator Chuck Pagano.

Bears to unveil statues of Payton, Halas - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears on Wednesday announced that they will unveil statues of legendary Hall of Famers Walter Payton and George S. Halas outside of Gate 0 at Soldier Field on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Hold the phone: Bears’ kicker battle will be as real as it gets in preseason - Chicago Sun-Times - While backups on offense and defense get most of the playing time, Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro have a starting job to win.

Coach Matt Nagy has big plans for Bears wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson - Chicago Sun-Times - Patterson wants his nickname to be ‘Damn!’ because that’s what people will say every time he touches the ball.

Bears legends Walter Payton and George Halas are getting Soldier Field statues - Chicago Sun-Times - The team said Wednesday that the statues will be unveiled outside Gate O on Sept. 3. Each will be 12 feet tall and weigh 3,000 pounds.

What to make of Mitch Trubisky and a preview of Bears vs. Panthers - Chicago Shuffle Podcast - Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky has been the target of criticism on social media during training camp, but is it fair? Bryan and Alyssa give Bears fans real talk about the QB, review the first unofficial depth chart and preview Week 1 of the preseason.

Bears to donate $100,000 to Habitat Chicago - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears will award $1 million as part of their Community All-Pros Initiative, with Habitat for Humanity receiving $100,000 at Thursday night’s preseason opener.

The Bears Have Already Informed Eddie Jackson They Want To Talk About an Extension - Bleacher Nation - The Bears have their eyes on the future ... and Eddie Jackson figures to be a part of it.

LOL: The Bears Are Looking So Good Right Now, They’re Actually Boring - Bleacher Nation - The Bears are so good, they’re boring!

Wood: On the Eve of the Preseason, Grading the 2019 Roster - Da Bears Blog - Like I did last year, here’s an objective look at this Bears roster, grading each unit on a 1-10 scale. I’m scaling it such that 1 means it’s the worst in the NFL, 10 is the best in the NFL, and 5 is an average NFL grouping. I am going to try to avoid projecting too much for young players who have not yet proven it in the NFL, so some of these rankings might be a bit lower than expected.

Bears-Panthers Primer: Storylines To Watch - 670 The Score - The Bears host the Panthers in their preseason opener Thursday evening.

Bears Encouraging Aggression In Mitchell Trubisky - 670 The Score - When it comes to the development of Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, mistakes in practice are of little concern to coach Matt Nagy and his staff.The Bears believe interceptions in practice can be a key learning experience.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Looking at the most bizarre NFL injuries of all time – ProFootballTalk - Raiders receiver Antonio Brown froze his feet in a cryotherapy machine, and as a result of it he has missed eight of nine practices with his new team. From Brown’s self-inflicted misfortune (he didn’t wear the proper foot protection) came inspiration for Wednesday’s PFT Live.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Aaron Rodgers’ criticism of joint practices amounts to criticism of Matt LaFleur – ProFootballTalk - First, the "audible thing." Then, the "joint practice thing." It's hard not to wonder what "thing" will come next between one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and his first-year head coach.

Notes: Lions ranked 25th in B/R’s first power rankings - Pride Of Detroit - Are the Lions really that bad? Ken's Note: This is where you expect to read me bashing the Lions saying something like "Of course you are that bad". Honestly, though... I don't think they are 25th worst bad. I slot them in ahead of Green Bay, for example. Top 10 for Green Bay is ridiculous.

Detroit Lions DT Mike Daniels says he’s healthy enough to play - Pride Of Detroit - It looks like we’ll see Mike Daniels mixing it up next week in Houston.

Pressure rises on Packers’ undrafted offensive tackles after Jason Spriggs’ release - Acme Packing Company - With minimal NFL game experience in the depth at tackle, the Packers will need a young, unheralded player to step up as a reliable backup this August.

Packers TE Jimmy Graham: 'Everybody thinks I'm old' - NFL.com - Jimmy Graham didn't produce as expected in his first season with the Packers. With people now counting him out, the veteran TE believes he'll have more opportunities to deliver in Matt LaFleur's offense. Ken's Note: Everybody thinks you are old and slow, Jimmy, even Green Bay fans think you are old and slow. That's because you are old and slow. Own it. Embrace your inner Testudo-ness. (There's a Google one for ya to try right there... Testudo)

Packers waive Jason Spriggs and add another running back in Keith Ford - Acme Packing Company - Green Bay’s GM cut loose an highly-criticized former second-round draft pick.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Sunderbruch's NFC North Roster Comparison: Special Teams - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears had some major special teams gaffs last season, but they also had an All-Pro returner on the team. How do things look to shake out in 2019?

Householder: ‘85 Chicago Bears USA Today’s best all-time NFL team - Windy City Gridiron - USA Today ranked the 100 best NFL teams ever and the ‘85 Bears topped it

Leming's Bears Mailbag: Roster surprises, Possible tight end solution and future decisions in the coming weeks - Windy City Gridiron - We’ve got another packed mailbag this week before the Bears take on the Panthers tomorrow in their first preseason bout of the season.

Snyder & Berckes: The Mitchell Trubisky Experience - Everything you ever wanted to know about the Bears QB - Windy City Gridiron - A deep dive into the complete arc of the current Bears signal caller

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

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