The Bear’s Den, May 25, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

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

BEARRRSSSS

2020 NFL season: proposed rule changes up for owners’ vote at virtual meetings - NBC Sports Chicago - From kickoffs to replays, what could change in the NFL this season.

2020 Bears schedule: Texans’ Deshaun Watson makes first trip to Chicago - NBC Sports Chicago - The new-look Texans and Deshaun Watson face the Bears for the first time since 2016.

Bears’ Lachavious Simmons Stands Alone as HBCU Pick - SI.com - Lachavious Simmons had already endeared himself to Chicago fans on draft day while describing himself for the uninitiated.

List Season Can Mean Only One Thing: Slighting Bears - SI.com - It’s the time of the dead time of the offseason when lists become most popular or unpopular depending on the list.

Mitchell Trubisky ranked among worst QBs with deep passes in 2019 - Bears Wire - There weren’t many things that Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky did well last season, which included his deep-ball accuracy.

Bears stand to lose $166M in stadium revenue without fans at games - Bears Wire - If the NFL plays games without fans, the Bears would lose $166M, which includes tickets, sponsors, parking, concessions and team stores.

Chalk Talk: How many Chicago Bears rookies will start in 2020? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses how many rookies will start the Bears’ season opener, dire predictions from national football analysts and who will be the Bears’ third running back this year.

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame DE Ed Sprinkle among top NFL players from service academies - ChicagoBears.com - Former Bears defensive end Ed Sprinkle, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later this year, is ranked among the top NFL players who entered the league from a service academy program.

On the Likelihood of NFL Football Being Played in Empty Stadiums - Da Bears Blog - There is a strong belief in the sports world that the NFL is full steam ahead.

Growth spurt: Bears coach Matt Nagy finally sees light about preseason - Chicago Sun-Times - He no longer will keep starters out of exhibition games, as he mostly did in his first two seasons.

Growth from within: Roquan Smith ready for take-off - Chicago Sun-Times - The third-year inside linebacker — the eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft — heads a group of young players whose development will be a big key toward a Bears rejuvenation in 2020.

Foles gold? Bears need quarterback to thrive, be bridge to 2022 season - Chicago Sun-Times - If the Bears are right about Foles, they’re in a much better place at quarterback than most people think. He could be a budget-friendly bridge to the next franchise QB, who likely would be ready to start by 2022.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Teams can use onside kick alternative whether trailing, leading or tied - ProFootballTalk - If the NFL’s owners vote this week to pass the proposed “fourth-and-15” alternative to the onside kick, teams will be able to use it whether they’re leading, trailing or tied.

Troy Vincent: NFL still planning for full stadiums - ProFootballTalk - Summer unofficially has begun. Days after summer unofficially ends, the NFL season officially begins. The league remains determined to play all 256 regular-season games. And, for now, to do so in full stadiums.

One ex-Patriot thinks Belichick will choose Brian Hoyer over Jarrett Stidham - ProFootballTalk - As most of the NFL world comes to the conclusion that Jarrett Stidham will get the first shot to replace Tom Brady as the Patriots’ starting quarterback, one former Patriot thinks otherwise.

Fourth-and-15 onside kick alternative will test tired defenses - ProFootballTalk - Ever since the Commissioner first floated the fourth-and-15 kickoff concept in his 2012 Time “Enforcer” profile, it has seemed inevitable that it would make its way to the NFL.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

The Scouting Academy breaks down Ezra Cleveland - Daily Norseman - Reason to be excited about the Vikings’ second round pick

Can Jordan Love succeed for where so many other non-top-10 QBs have failed? - Acme Packing Company - The list of quarterbacks picked in the range where Green Bay took Jordan Love is perilously small. But the "why" matters. Why did those players fail and is Love likely to fail where they did? We dug in to find out.

Matthew Stafford's renovated house made some teammates leery - ProFootballTalk - Not long after Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford met virtually with reporters to dispel offseason rumors that he could be moving on from Detroit, his $6.5 million Michigan home landed on the market.

Who will lead the Detroit Lions’ defense in interceptions this year? - Pride Of Detroit - Can anyone take over the "big play" persona with Darius Slay gone?

2019 Detroit Lions roster review: What will Kerryon Johnson’s role be now? - Pride Of Detroit - After a couple of disappointing seasons, will Kerryon Johnson now simply be a backup?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack set to be the most disruptive duo in the NFL - Windy City Gridiron - When it comes to charting quarterback hurries and pressures from defensive players, each analytics site has their own methodology. Pro Football Focus, Football Outsiders, Pro Football Reference,...

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.

Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic is a subject that requires sensitivity and care. Many families and people have already been impacted by this crisis as it unfolds. This is a reminder to please express yourself respectfully while also exercising common courtesy in interactions with one another in the comments. All WCG commentary guidelines remain in effect and apply especially. Stay safe and healthy, everyone.

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.; EJ also co-hosts The Bootleg Football Podcast with Brett Kollmann; R. Schmitz has a film breakdown show on YouTube titled Run Pass Opinion; and Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert.

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.