The Bear’s Den, July 6, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

This week’s theme Western Movies/TV Show Theme Songs!

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

BEARRRSSSS

Three Bears with the most to gain during their 2020 walk year - Chicago Sun-Times - Here’s a look at three Bears entering the final year of their contracts in 2020 — and what’s at stake:

Could NFL cancel all preseason games? - Chicago Tribune - The NFL plans to consider the NFL Players Association’s recommendation to cancel the preseason though it prefers to cut the schedule in half.

Countdown to Camp 2020: Chicago Bears Defensive Line Preview - Chicago Audible Podcast - The Chicago Audible continues its annual countdown to Chicago Bears training camp with an in-depth look at (and preview of) the team's defensive line.

Soldier Field to host drive-in movie screenings through July - NBC Sports Chicago - A replay of the Double Doink will not be included, if you were wondering.

Cutting Back: Bears 75-Man Roster Option Means These Players Can Go - SI.com - Numerous reports cite extensive discussion around the NFL about teams bringing fewer than 90 players to training camp for work and the merits of this are doubtful.

PFF says Roquan Smith entering prove-it year with Bears in 2020 - Bears Wire - Pro Football Focus compiled a list of players that are entering prove-it years in 2020, which included Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith, whose sophomore campaign didn’t exactly go as planned.

Bears QB battle faces potential setback if preseason is eliminated - Bears Wire - Amid the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a lot of uncertainty still surrounding the start of the 2020 NFL season, particularly when it comes to the preseason. After the NFL had decided to cut the preseason in half to just two games, now there are reports that the NFLPA has voted to skip the preseason entirely.

Bill Lazor: Mitch Trubisky has ‘a lot of good football ahead of him’ - Bears Wire - What a difference a year has made for Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Last season, Trubisky was coming off an encouraging 2018 campaign, and many had him pegged for a breakout 2019 year.

Can Nick Foles can take Bears’ passing game from awful to average? - Bears Wire - Things weren’t just bad, they were ugly for the Chicago Bears offense in 2019. Despite being a middle-of-the-pack unit the previous season, Chicago’s offense ranked among the bottom five units last year.

POLISH SAUSAGE

NFLPA proposes 80-man rosters for training camp - ProFootballTalk - As the NFL prepares to take 32 teams of up to 90 players each to training camp in a pandemic, plenty of talk has surfaced about smaller rosters being used. The NFL Players Association, which in theory should want as many jobs as possible during camp, has expressed a desire to slash the rosters by 10 per team, from 90 to 80.

Players want no 11-on-11 activities during practice - ProFootballTalk - When it’s time to play games in 2020, 11-on-11 scenarios will be unavoidable. The league’s players hope that 11-on-11 football will otherwise be avoided, entirely.

NFL wants two stadium fan events during training camp - ProFootballTalk - It’s unknown whether and to what extent fans will attend games in 2020. Per a source with knowledge of the ongoing talks between the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the league wants to give teams the ability to hold up to two fan events at their stadiums, during training camp.

Dwayne Haskins likes Red Tails if Washington changes team name - ProFootballTalk - Dwayne Haskins wrote on Twitter that his vote would be for Red Tails, which has often been discussed as a potential new team name.

Coaches, General Managers wait for details about 2020 season - ProFootballTalk - If the NFL has a plan for effectively playing the 2020 season, the NFL is doing a very good job of keeping it quiet.

NFL sends COVID-19 protocols for camp to all teams - NFL.com - COVID-19 protocols for 2020 training camp and preseason, including the handling of individuals exposed to someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, were sent by the NFL to clubs on Friday night.

Players aren't ready to accept mandatory face shields - ProFootballTalk - One of the open issues as the NFL and NFL Players Association prepare for pandemic football relates to face shields.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

NFL to severely limit media access to training camp, preseason - Pride Of Detroit - Don’t expect a ton of coverage this year.

Packers CEO Mark Murphy on the pandemic: “Time is no longer on our side” - ProFootballTalk - The Packers don’t have a traditional owner. CEO Mark Murphy is the closest they have to one. And with not many owners talking publicly about the challenges confronting the NFL in a pandemic, anything any of them say (even one who isn’t really an owner but close enough) is significant.

WINDY CITY GRIDIRON MADDEN INVITATION

Do you want to do more officially sanctioned WCG Madden stuff? Or just enjoy the game?WCG now has an official Madden Discord server! Feel free to offer suggestions, updates, or anything to help the internet’s best Bears community have the best Madden community as well! Invite link is here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Other fans don’t care about the Bears... - Windy City Gridiron - Welcome to SB Nation Reacts — 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 SB Nation Reacts!

Wiltfong: Bears’ fans, which non-NFC North team do you despise the most? - Windy City Gridiron - It’s Rivalry Week here at SB Nation, and when it comes to most of us Chicago Bears’ fans, there’s only one team that receives our ire and disgust on a regular basis, the Green Bay Packers. The...

Infante: 2021 NFL Draft offseason top 50 big board - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears finally have a first-round pick in the 2021 draft. One of these summer top 50 collegiate prospects could end up wearing the navy blue and orange.

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.

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.

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