The Bear’s Den: January 27, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

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

BEARRRSSSS

5 standouts from the 2020 Senior Bowl that should be on Bears’ radar - BearsWire - There were several prospects that flashed throughout Senior Bowl week, and some that should be of interest to the Bears. Ken’s Note: Warning, it’s one of those damned annoying slideshows that BW loves so much.

Special teams stars see Devin Hester as Hall of Famer - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears’ Cordarrelle Patterson and the Patriots’ Matthew Slater, the two players who were voted to the Pro Bowl for their prowess on special teams this season, both believe that Devin Hester is a slam-dunk Hall of Famer.

Wood: What Changed in the Passing Game: Volume III - Da Bears Blog - Today I want to look back at two areas of concern I noted for Trubisky last off-season: deep passes and performance against good defenses.

Bears’ offseason offensive fixes could start with Hunter Henry or Austin Hooper - ESPN - Chicago needs help to upgrade its offense. Pass-catchers and interior offensive linemen would help.

Chicago Bears’ Twitter account hacked: False tweet announced new ownership - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears are not, in fact, being sold to a Saudi Arabia government official.

Eddy Pineiro Has Kicking Job but Bears Keep Looking - SI.com - General manager Ryan Pace seemed to put the infamous Chicago Bears kicking controversy to bed after the season, and after Eddy Pineiro got hot at season’s end.

Would Eric Berry be an upgrade at safety for Bears? Allen Robinson thinks so - NBC Sports Chicago - Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson suggested Eric Berry would be an upgrade over Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on Twitter.

John DeFilippo Wins Praise from Kirk Cousins at Pro Bowl - SI.com - You didn’t need to see Kirk Cousins’ impressive display at the passing skills competition for the Pro Bowl this week to know the impact new Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo had on his career.

Struggles of Charles Leno Jr. Make Tackle a Bears Need - SI.com - Not many Bears rile up fans on social media or sports talk radio like left tackle Charles Leno Jr.

Bears Twitter account was hacked, tried to trade away Khalil Mack - BearsWire.com - The Chicago Bears’ Twitter account was temporarily hacked Sunday morning, and they tried to trade away one of their All-Pro defenders.

RIP KOBE BRYANT

Ken’s Note: Normally we stick to football here in the Den, but the loss of a sports icon like Kobe Bryant in a tragic accident transcends all sports talk. Please keep any talk about this terrible crash respectful. Thank you.

What I’ll remember most about Kobe Bryant - Silver Screen and Roll - A goodbye to Kobe Bryant, Lakers legend, Los Angeles icon, and openly imperfect person.

What Kobe Bryant meant to me - Silver Screen and Roll - This isn’t something I ever wanted to write.

NBA community mourns death of Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna - Silver Screen and Roll - Kobe Bryant died at the age of 41 today in a helicopter crash with his daughter and several others, and the NBA community was collectively heartbroken.

Bears players react to death of Kobe Bryant - BearsWire - Bears players mourning the loss of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in Los Angeles.

Love from former teammates, players pours in as LeBron James passes Kobe - ProBasketballTalk - NBC Sports - After LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant on the all-time scoring list, love poured in for The King from all corners of the NBA world.

Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna die in helicopter crash - Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna have died in a helicopter crash in California, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The NBA world mourns the death of Kobe Bryant - ESPN - The NBA and sports worlds shared their condolences after the death of the Lakers legend at age 41.

Calabasas helicopter crash: Nine killed including Kobe Bryant & his dauther - CNN - Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 41, died Sunday morning in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, sources confirm to CNN.

Kobe Bryant, Lakers legend and NBA great, dies at 41 in helicopter crash - CBSSports.com - One of the greatest players in NBA history, Bryant was one of five aboard the helicopter

Kobe Bryant death: Tom Brady, Mark Cuban, more from the sports world react to Lakers legend's passing - CBSSports.com - Bryant, 41, retired from basketball after the 2016 season, his 20th in the NBA -- all spent with the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash in Calabasas - NBC Sports - Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in California, killing him and four others on Sunday morning. He was 41 years old.

PRO BOWL & SENIOR BOWL

The Chicago Audible’s Report From the Senior Bowl - ChicagoAudible.com - Listen as The Chicago Audible’s Nicholas Moreano shares his report from the Senior Bowl.

Trial run of possible onside kick replacement ends in Kirk Cousins interception – ProFootballTalk - With the success rates of onside kicks plummeting, the NFL debuted a trial run of a possible alternative in the Pro Bowl on Sunday afternoon. Instead of an onside kick, an offense would have the chance to convert a fourth-and-15 from their own 25-yard line in an attempt to keep possession.

What we learned from the 2020 Pro Bowl - NFL.com - The AFC defeated the NFC, 38-33, in the 2020 Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Here's what we learned from the annual all-star showcase.

AFC beats NFC in Pro Bowl, 38-33 - Chicago Tribune - The AFC ended up beating the NFC 38-33 for a fourth consecutive victory in Orlando. And as news broke of Kobe Bryant's death, players and fans paid tribute to the NBA star.

Russell Wilson asks Drew Brees to start in his place in the Pro Bowl – ProFootballTalk - Russell Wilson was chosen as the NFC’s Pro Bowl starting quarterback, but he’s stepping aside today. Wilson has asked Drew Brees to start in his place in today’s Pro Bowl. It was a classy move from the 31-year-old Wilson toward the 41-year-old Brees.

Drew Brees will “give it a month or so” before making his decision – ProFootballTalk - For Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the decision is simple: Play for the Saints in 2020, or retire. On Saturday, the timetable for making the decision became a bit more clear. “I’m really waiting until football is totally done,” Brees said Saturday from the Pro Bowl, via Amie Just of NOLA.com.

Anthony Gordon Stole the Show at the Senior Bowl – Should Bears Be Interested? - Bleacher Nation - I found myself obsessed with the quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. And based on Twitter reactions, I wasn’t the only one. So while I realize the Bears have other

KNOW THINE ENEMY

2020 Detroit Lions positional breakdown: What the hell are they doing at guard? - Pride Of Detroit - What exactly is the plan here? Is there one?

Former Lions GM Martin Mayhew regrets not drafting Aaron Donald - Pride Of Detroit - The former Lions GM reflected on his time in Detroit in a recent interview with the Free Press.

Vikings Off Season Plan v2.0 - Daily Norseman - Now that the Super Bowl match-up and the top 30 draft positions are set we can really dive into the possibilities for 2020. Obviously, there has been some coaching changes which I am not qualified...

Packers should find plenty of good WR values late in first round of 2020 NFL Draft - Acme Packing Company - Green Bay should have a variety of “explosive offensive players” that could fall to pick 30.

IN CASE YOU YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Who you got, Reid and the Chiefs or Shanahan and the 49ers? - Windy City Gridiron - Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the offseason, we send 32 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Bears fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.

Snyder & Berckes' Bears Over Beers: 2020 Senior Bowl Recap - Windy City Gridiron - Season 2 of Bears Over Beers launches with a round-up of EJ’s trip to his first Senior Bowl week in Mobile, AL.

Infante: 2020 Senior Bowl winners and losers from this year’s game - Windy City Gridiron - The premier collegiate all-star game is in the books.

Wiltfong: Which Senior Bowl player do you want on the Bears? - Windy City Gridiron - Open thread plus opinions.

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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