The Bear’s Den, March 13, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

This week we are doing something a bit different. Denmaster Ken is going to be sharing some of his favorite rather obscure (in America) songs, tunes there’s a great chance you have never even heard of. Give them a listen, who knows, you may hear something you like!

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

BEARRRSSSS

NFL free agency 2020: Bears re-sign LB Danny Trevathan, per report - Chicago Sun-Times - It was a strong possibility the veteran would be moving on this offseason, but the Bears are keeping him with a three-year extension.

Danny Trevathan returning to Chicago Bears on 3-year deal - Chicago Tribune - The Bears reportedly have re-signed inside linebacker Danny Trevathan to a three-year contract. One source said the deal can total $24 million.

The Bears have reportedly signed Danny Trevathan to a three-year extension - NBC Sports Chicago - The veteran linebacker is staying after all.

NFL coronavirus response: Bears suspend air travel, close offices - Chicago Sun-Times - As the rest of the sports world shuttered stadiums and postponed games over concern about the spread of coronavirus, the Bears announced their own precautions Thursday.

Bears release statement about COVID-19 Coronavirus - ChicagoBears.com - Due to concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Bears on Thursday announced that they have suspended business air travel for team personnel, postponed draft prospect visits and will close their offices at Halas Hall and Soldier Field on Friday, instru

Bears cancel draft party due to COVID-19 - ChicagoBears.com - Due to concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Bears on Thursday announced that they have cancelled their annual draft party, which was scheduled to be held Friday, April 24 at Soldier Field.

20 Bears players set to become free agents - ChicagoBears.com - Veteran defensive starters Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Danny Trevathan head a list of 20 Bears players who are due to become free agents when the new league year commences Wednesday afternoon.

Chicago Bears Are the Latest NFL Team to Take Preventative Measures to Fight COVID-19 - Bleacher Nation - A set of precautionary moves with the intent to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Bears Suspend Team Travel, Close Facilities - 670 The Score - The Bears are taking precautions against the outbreak of coronavirus.

Column: What will we do without sports? - Chicago Tribune - There is nothing left to talk about in the sports world — except for whether it ever will be the same again.

Coronavirus and sports: Chicago Bears, NFL watching outbreak - Chicago Tribune - As concerns about the coronavirus pandemic escalate and the impact on sports has become increasingly obvious, what steps are the Bears and the NFL taking to adjust?

NFL and the CBA: Here's what you need to know - Chicago Tribune - Here’s what to know about the NFL players' CBA vote as offseason activity gets ready to kick into high gear.

Bears close offices, suspend travel and cancel NFL Draft party amid COVID-19 pandemic - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears followed the lead of many NFL teams by closing their offices and suspending business travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday.

COVID-19 and the NFL: Bears' decision on football activities shouldn't be on them - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears shouldn't have to decide whether to close Halas Hall to non-essential personnel or pull traveling staff off the road. The NFL should make the decision for them.

Bears Cancel Scouts' Trips, Draft Party Due to COVID-19 - SI.com - Free agency will go on for the Chicago Bears and other NFL teams as regularly scheduled, although it will look much different because of COVID-19.

Bears All-Access Weighs in on the New CBA – On Tap Sports Net - Members of the Chicago Bears weigh in on the new CBA deal.

NFL could delay free agency on Sunday - ProFootballTalk - The NFL currently has “no plans” to delay the start of free agency. Those plans could be changing, soon.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Jalen Hurts Extends Impressive Predraft Run at Pro Day - SI.com - The Bears were one of the 30 teams in attendance Wednesday at Oklahoma’s pro day and there could be no doubt why they were interested.

IHSA cancels all winter sports tournaments – The Rock River Times - The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced on March 12, 2020, that it has canceled its remaining winter State Series postseason tournaments, which include Boys Basketball, Scholastic Bowl, Drama & Group Interpretation, Music, Debate and Journalism, over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NFL draft profile: Tight end Cole Kmet of Notre Dame - Chicago Tribune - Cole Kmet, a junior tight end from Notre Dame, caught 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns in 11 starts.

NFL draft profile: Tight end Hunter Bryant of Washington - Chicago Tribune - Hunter Bryant, a junior tight end from Washington, earned second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 honors with 52 catches, 825 yards and three touchdowns in 2019.

NFL cancels its annual meeting - ProFootballTalk - In a move that is surprising only in that it took so long for it to happen, the NFL has canceled its annual meeting.

Source: XFL informs players it is suspending play - ProFootballTalk - The XFL was one of the only professional leagues not to make a decision on its season. It now has.

Multiple NFL teams suspend travel due to coronavirus - NFL.com - Multiple NFL teams suspended their pro day travel Thursday due the growing concerns surrounding the new coronavirus known as COVID-19, but the new league year is still set to begin as scheduled this coming Wednesday.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Detroit Lions suspend travel, send home most employees in midst of coronavirus pandemic - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions are shutting down many of their operations.

Report: NFL teams cancelling draft prospect visits due to coronavirus - Pride Of Detroit - This may just be the beginning.

Packers WR Allen Lazard earns big bonus through performance-based-pay program - Acme Packing Company - Lazard earned about $500,000 in 2019, but he will be receiving a check for well over half that amount thanks to one of the league’s bonus programs.

Packers release tight end Jimmy Graham on Thursday, clearing $8M in salary cap space - Acme Packing Company - ESPN reports that the widely-expected transaction is finally happening.

As NFL starts to see effects of COVID-19, major decisions loom over health concerns - Acme Packing Company - Keeping fans and media away from sporting events protects them from spreading the coronavirus, but not the players. Even training and practice could pose a risk. How will teams and the league respond?

Packers close public operations at Lambeau; Texans will allow staff to work from home - ProFootballTalk - The Packers are closing their public operations at Lambeau Field and Titletown for two weeks, the team announced Thursday.

KNOW THINE REAL ENEMY - COVID-19

Ken’s Note: I’m going to do something here I’ve never done before, and talk about something entirely outside of the sports and entertainment toybox that we live in here at WCG. I want to share some information from a source I trust about the coronavirus situation, just to make sure that you, my online family, has access to it.

Who is the source I trust? My wife, myself and a couple of other people who have spent a lot of time & effort studying, preparing for and communicating about pandemics, social disruption and other disasters... but from a scientifically based, non-political point of view.

That’s right, your Denmaster is one of those “prepper people”, and not only that, he owns and runs the largest non-political, non-monetized prepper website on the net, Beans, Bullets, Bandages and You. I go by the internet nickname Salty, and my wife is Spice. My wife is also a pathophysiolgy professor/instructor/guru at a major, top quality Midwestern university, Truman State.

Our team includes a long-time-prepper who’s prepping career started when he was at work in the World Trade Center Tower Two and an airplane slammed into his building not far above his office, as well as a former Navy veteran firefighter EMT and mom, a PhD microbiologist (that’s right, we have two different high-level scientists available) researcher at one of the top universities in the world, an author and publisher of hundreds of prepping articles each year plus four preparedness / survival magazines (if you see a prepping magazine on the shelf at the C-Store or Wally World, more likely than not it was published and edited by Jim) and a medical doctor on call for advice (and hiking trips, motorcycle rides into the desert, etc.).

Our scientifically based articles are sourced and footnoted at the bottom. Oh yeah, there’s also a guy on staff who is no medical expert in any way, but who does know a whole lot about Chicago Bears football.

I’ve never mentioned any of this before (except to some friends) because that’s not what we are here for at WCG... we are here for Chicago Bears football and the NFL.

Unfortunately, my two blogging words have come together for a while, so I thought I would share just a few articles you may find of use. Please keep in mind the oldest of these articles date back a long time before people were taking coronvirus seriously here in the US.

One thing I want to stress about 3BY. We don’t make a dime off of it. There are no ads (except for our other projects like Jim’s magazines), no sponsorship, there’s no income of any kind. Except that we support the second amendment, we are politics free (sound familiar, Den people? You know your Denmaster isn’t going to allow politics at any website he does, right?). In other words, we don’t have an “angle”, we don’t “ have a dog in the hunt” so to speak.

And yes, in case you were putting it all together, this means not only do I have a full time day job, I also do the Den daily, shoot video sports for a TV station, run 3BY writing multiple articles a week (editing everything, dealing with comments and feedback, all the associated social media, etc.), serve as a contributing editor of NEMOnews, do two podcasts... and of course I also do the daily Den. Hence me putting this particular paragraph into the Den at 3:33 AM on a workday morning.

Ken (DBA Salty @ 3BY).

PS: If you don’t understand why all these events are being cancelled, read the first article linked.

Isolation, Quarantine, and Nodes Of Contagion - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - Is cancelling public events and promotion of social distancing really helpful once the opportunity to contain has been lost? Yes, isolation still matters.

Coronavirus: Let's Talk About Grandma - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - Coronavirus. It's not about you. It's about your grandma. It's about your cousin, who has a genetic disorder, and is sick more often than she isn't.

A Lack Of Preparedness On "Their Part" - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - There's an old saying out there... "A lack of preparedness on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Having said that, it can in fact be...

Air Travel And Coronavirus - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - Let's look at traveling via air in the age of coronavirus. What are airlines are doing to protect passengers & how does airplane air circulation work?.

Politicizing Coronavirus Is A Horrible Idea - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - Spice and I have been noticing how many preppers are politicizing Coronavirus news, and we both think it's a really horrible idea.

Coronavirus: Stopping A Pandemic - Lowering R0 - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - Wouldn't it be great to stop a dangerous germ *before* it became a major problem? Preppers can help do that by taking actions to lower the germ's R0.

Coronavirus: Act NOW - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - I am not a “Doomsday” person.There is no tin-foil hat on my head. I’m not worried about the Russians invading, Zombies in the street and there is no bunker under my house (there is an old basement that could use a good cleaning, but bunker? No.)

Coronavirus Preps Following Lessons Learned - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - Coronavirus preps following lessons learned. After planning based on Ebola, I was entirely dissatisfied but I learned a lot from the exercise.

Protecting Yourself From COVID-19 - Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You - At this writing (February 24, 2020), it seems likely COVID-19 coronavirus will continue to spread significantly. What do you need to do to get good protection?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante: Bears sign Danny Trevathan to three-year extension - Windy City Gridiron - The signing locks up the veteran linebacker and ensures Nick Kwiatkoski’s departure from the team.

Wiltfong: Coronavirus might push NFL free agency back, plus Bears make a statement - Windy City Gridiron - Here are all the key dates for the NFL this offseason.

Infante: 2020 NFL draft - 5 late-round quarterbacks who could be enticing to Bears - Windy City Gridiron - If the Bears look to draft a quarterback on Day 3, these are some players they could target.

Berckes & Snyder's Free Agency Preview: The Red Rifle in Navy and Orange? - Windy City Gridiron - Jeff and EJ look at some options on offense in the upcoming free agency period. Ken’s Note: Be sure to listen to this one, it’s about ME! :)

Wiltfong: Which Bears free agent should they let leave? - Windy City Gridiron - In part-4 of our NFL Free Agency round table we look at the one Bears player we think they should let walk.

IOftenPanic: 2020 NFL Draft - Positional Tiers (post-Combine) - Windy City Gridiron - This Fanpost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member, and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.

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

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter: 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.