The Bear’s Den, January 14, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

This one’s for all the Debbie Downer’s out there in Bearsland...

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

BEARRRSSSS

Bears Season in Review: Leonard Floyd - NBC Sports Chicago - Despite another solid season in 2019, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd continues to fall short of his first-round expectations.

Under Center Podcast: Trubisky, Watson and Mahomes forever connected - NBC Sports Chicago - Laurence Holmes and Ben Heisler discuss Sunday's Chiefs-Texans shootout and the draft that will forever connect three quarterbacks.

Bears Hire Bill Lazor as Offensive Coordinator - SI.com - In a surprise hire, former Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has agreed to become offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.

One Salary Cap Dump Bears Can Least Afford - SI.com - The number sticks out like a sore thumb, there is no denying it.

Wood: Don’t Blame Defense for Offensive Regression - Da Bears Blog - Chicago scored only 17.5 points per game in 2018, the 4th worst mark in the NFL. This was a significant drop from 2018, when they were 9th best in the NFL at 26.3 points per game. I’ve seen some people argue that this is mainly due to Chicago’s defense, which scored 5 fewer touchdowns and forced 17 fewer turnovers in 2019.

Bears to hire Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator as Matt Nagy retains play-calling duties - Dickerson - Veteran assistant Bill Lazor, 47, who was offensive coordinator for both the Dolphins and Bengals, will take on the same role with the Bears in 2020, league sources confirmed to ESPN.

Report: Bears To Hire Bill Lazor As Offensive Coordinator - 670 The Score - The Bears will hire Bill Lazor as their new offensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Monday evening.

Patterson adds another first-team All-Pro honor - ChicagoBears.com - Cordarrelle Patterson’s productive offseason continued Monday when he was named first-team All-NFL as a kick returner by the Pro Football Writers of America.

Bears' 2019 position review: Defensive line - ChicagoBears.com - Veteran defensive lineman Nick Williams embodied the Bears’ next-man-up mentality in 2019 when he replaced an injured Akiem Hicks and recorded the first six sacks of his NFL career.

Chicago Bears offer Beach getaway - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears are conducting a 2020 Da’ Bears Da’ Beach Sweepstakes brought to you by Apple Vacations.

Chicago Bears to name Bill Lazor offensive coordinator - Chicago Sun-Times - Two weeks to the day after firing offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, the Bears found his replacement Monday, per sources: Bill Lazor, whose last stop, a year ago, placed him in the same role with the Bengals.

Are Chicago Bears closer to Super Bowl or starting over? - Chicago Tribune - To which outcome are the Bears closer: A Super Bowl title or starting over at quarterback, coach and general manager?

Chicago Bears reportedly hiring Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator - Chicago Tribune - The Bears reportedly are hiring former Bengals play caller Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator. Questions about how attractive the opening was were beginning to bubble up two weeks after the team fired four assistants.

Chicago Bears: Contract status and 2019 roster breakdown - Chicago Tribune
by-position look at the roster.

10 Players to Watch in National Championship Game - Chicago Audible Blog - With plenty of talented NFL prospects in tonight's National Championship game, here are 10 players that the Chicago Bears should keep an eye on.

Report: Bears to hire former Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears are officially moving forward from Mark Helfrich. The Bears have hired Bill Lazor as their new offensive coordinator, sources say.

Facts and oddities from ‘Pace Bowl’ between Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson - NBC Sports Chicago - Sunday’s matchup between the Chiefs and Texans confirmed the obvious: Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson are two talented individuals.

Get to Know Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor - Bengals.com - Hear from Head Coach Marvin Lewis and Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor as they discuss the Bengals O.C.’s coaching style and what he brings to the offense. Ken’s Note: From his last job.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Jadeveon Clowney eyeing Super Bowl contender in FA - NFL.com - Now that the Seahawks’ season is over, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Why he’s trying to get to the Super Bowl by any means necessary.

2020 East-West Shrine Bowl: Standouts from Day 1 of practice - NFL.com - Navy QB-turned-WR Malcolm Perry was taking tips from a Buccaneers WR coach who made the same transition during his NFL career on Day 1 of East-West Shrine Bowl practice. Which 2020 NFL Draft prospects made a good impression on scouts?

Fritz Pollard Alliance slams NFL hiring practices – ProFootballTalk - There was a time when some thought the Fritz Pollard Alliance failed to show sufficient zeal regarding the league’s hiring practices. Those days definitely have ended. Now led by former NFL G.M.

Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry playing receiver in East-West Shrine Game – ProFootballTalk - Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry ran for 2,017 yards in 2019. Only Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard ran for more in the FBS. Perry isn’t likely to play quarterback in the NFL, having passed for only 1,084 yards last season. So Perry is playing receiver in the East-West Shrine Game.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Anthony Davis, a Chicago native, supports Green Bay Packers - Chicago Tribune - At Lambeau Field for a playoff game, Chicago native Anthony Davis shared his love for the Packers — and drew the ire of Bears fans.

Packers-Seahawks score: In playoff win, Aaron Rodgers shows the world he can still dominate - Chicago Sun-Times - Unlike counterpart Russell Wilson, Rodgers didn’t have to make every single play. He merely had to make every important one.

Podcast: Predicting the fate of the Detroit Lions upcoming free agents - Pride Of Detroit - We take our best guesses at who is coming back and who isn’t.

Grading the Detroit Lions hire of new defensive coordinator Cory Undlin - Pride Of Detroit - What grade do you give the Cory Undlin hiring?

What national experts are saying about new Lions DC Cory Undlin - Pride Of Detroit - Here’s what some national pundits are saying about the Lions’ newest defensive coordinator.

Report: Detroit Lions hiring Eagles DBs coach Cory Undlin as defensive coordinator - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions have their new defensive coordinator.

Vikings Off Season Plan v1.0 - Daily Norseman - Well, the season ends with another massive disappointment. It was particularly cruel because they were totally over matched especially the offensive linemen. They really should be embarrassed after...

Brian Gutekunst’s in-season additions prove vital in Packers’ Divisional Playoff victory - Acme Packing Company - Three post-Draft or in-season acquisitions should have Gutekunst in the running for top executive in the NFL this year.

IN CASE YOU YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante: Bill Lazor hired as new Bears offensive coordinator - Windy City Gridiron - Lazor will replace Mark Helfrich, who was fired two games after the end of the 2019 season, in the role.

Wiltfong: Bears Offensive Coordinator search - Bill Lazor in the mix, Mike Kafka is not - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs is reporting that the Chicago Bears have interest in Bill Lazor for their vacant offensive coordinator position. Lazor has been out of football since being fired by...

Wiltfong: Cordarrelle Patterson named to the PFWA All-NFL Team - Windy City Gridiron - Another postseason accolade for the Bears’ electric kick returner. Should Cordarrelle Patterson play more on offense in 2020?

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.