The Bear’s Den, January 12, 2021

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

‘Everything is on table’ as Allen Robinson hits free agency - 670 The Score - Top receiver Allen Robinson has reached the end of his three-year contract with the Bears and is heading into an offseason in which he could become an unrestricted free agent. For his part, Robinson is ready to explore his options on the open market.

Emma: Observations from Bears-Saints - 670 The Score - The Bears were eliminated from the playoffs with a 21-9 loss to the Saints on Sunday in a wild-card round game in New Orleans, where what we knew all season long was reinforce... Chicago was just an average football team.

Bears to select No. 20 in 2021 NFL Draft - 670 The Score - While the future of Bears general manager Ryan Pace remained unclear as of mid-morning Monday, Chicago’s season-ending 21-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday did bring clarity on the franchise’s slot in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Haugh: Bears are a franchise in need of change - 670 The Score - Conventional NFL wisdom says the most important roles in any organization are the general manager, coach and quarterback. In a season-ending loss, the Bears gave chairman George McCaskey ample reason to consider making changes at all three positions.

Where Will Mitchell Trubisky Play in 2021? - On Tap Sports Net - It's only a matter of time before the Chicago Bears move on from the young quarterback. So where will Mitchell Trubisky play in 2021?

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears Still Mystified by Flag - Sports Illustrated - A day later, Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet couldn't figure out what the officials saw in the way he gave them the football after an exchange with Janoris Jenkins to draw a very costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Allen Robinson to Study His Free Agency Options - Sports Illustrated - The Chicago Bears have had their chance to come up with a new deal for 365 days, says Allen Robinson, and he'd still like to stay with the team but opportunity beckons.

Mitchell Trubisky Wants to Return to Chicago Bears in 2021 - Sports Illustrated - Without a contract for 2021, Mitchell Trubisky's status going forward is uncertain but he made it clear after Sunday's loss he wants to be back in Chicago with the Bears.

Anthony Miller Compounds Chicago Bears Offensive Problems - Sports Illustrated - Anthony Miller took a swing at Chauncey Gardner-Johnson after warning everyone not to do it, and set back the Bears on offense in the process when they couldn't afford to lose another receiver.

Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson II, TE Cole Kmet, OL Sam Mustipher discuss playoff loss, set sights on 2021 season - ChicagoBears.com - One day after Sunday’s disappointing 21-9 Wild Card loss to the Saints, Bears players reflected on their roller-coaster 2020 season and the importance of learning from their playoff defeat.

Chalk Talk: Why did Chicago Bears TE Cole Kmet get flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in Wild Card game vs. New Orleans Saints? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses why Cole Kmet was penalized against the Saints, why the Bears ran the ball late in the first half and why the Bears didn’t attempt an extra point after scoring a touchdown as time expired.

Roster Moves: Chicago Bears sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears on Monday signed 10 players to reserve/future contracts.

Short: Get a New Quarterback - Da Bears Blog - The Bears were not good enough yesterday in New Orleans.

Bears sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts - 670 The Score - The Bears signed 10 players to reserve/future contracts Monday afternoon, keeping them on the 90-man roster heading into the 2021 offseason.

George McCaskey, Bears face tough call on Ryan Pace, Matt Nagy - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears are spinning their wheels after another 8-8 season. But McCaskey and Ted Phillips might not see this as the disaster that many fans do. They feel your pain, but not necessarily your anger.

Bears sign 10 to reserve/futures deals - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears signed 10 of their players to reserve/futures contracts on Sunday, including Khalil Mack’s little brother.

Bears WR Allen Robinson weighs leaving team: ‘Everything’s on the table’ - Chicago Sun-Times - He once said he hoped to stick around long enough to be one of the franchise’s all-time greats. Now, after a year of fruitless contract negotiations, Robinson is fully prepared to leave in free agency.

Cole Kmet: first-ever unsportsmanlike conduct flag came at ‘critical moment’ - Chicago Sun-Times - Cole Kmet saw the flag Sunday, and thought the Bears were going to set up for first-and-goal. The penalty, he assumed, was against the Saints.

Bears players meet with Matt Nagy, position coaches - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears went through business as usual Monday morning.

Bears' Allen Robinson decision looms this offseason – The Athletic - Allen Robinson, Cole Kmet, Bilal Nichols and Sam Mustipher talked about the end of the Bears' season on Monday.

Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky break-up inevitable after Bears' loss to Saints - RSN - Ultimately, Nagy did not trust Trubisky against anything better than a bottom-tier defense. It showed with a gameplan against the Saints that ranged from conservative to timid, but was completely ineffective against one of the NFL's best defenses.

NFL Playoffs: Cody Parkey outscores Bears offense in Wild Card games | RSN - Cody Parkey’s final 37-yard field goal may have seemed like an innocuous kick to put the game out of reach. But for masochistic Bears fans that kick ended up meaning a bit more, because that chip shot gave Parkey 12 points scored on the day— a full three points more than the entire Bears offense mustered that afternoon.

After Bears loss to Saints, Kaplan rips 'garbage operation, top to freaking bottom' - RSN - Tell us how you really feel, Kap.

Chicago Bears Wild Card Takeaways: It's Finally Over - On Tap Sports Net - The Chicago Bears season is officially over after a disappointing loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Wild Card Round.

NFL Super Wild Card Weekend: Browns, Bills head winners; Bears, Frank Reich, Mike Vrabel among losers - The Bears need a new general manager, head coach and quarterback. Don’t let a playoff berth as the NFC’s first ever No. 7 seed fool you. Chicago was simply outclassed in a 21-9 loss at New Orleans.

From 12-4 to 8-8 twice, Bears’ Super Bowl dream getting farther away - Chicago Sun-Times - Matt was named 2018 NFL Coach of the Year. General manager Ryan Pace won one of the industry’s Executive of the Year awards. The Bears were in business. And then they weren’t.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Cowboys hire Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator - ProFootballTalk - Dan Quinn has been hired as Dallas’s most important assistant coach, according to multiple reports.

Eagles fire Doug Pederson - ProFootballTalk - Sunday brought a report that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson’s job was in jeopardy and the other shoe fell for the Super Bowl LII winner on Monday.

Bills will have 6,700 fans for Saturday's game - ProFootballTalk - The Bills will have fans on hand again this weekend.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante: 2021 CFP National Championship: Draft prospects the Bears should target - Windy City Gridiron - Tonight’s national championship showcases plenty of elite talents the Bears would be smart to target in the 2021 draft.

Wiltfong: Bears sign 10 to reserve/future contracts - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears have started to add players for their 2021 offseason roster.

Wiltfong: Bears vs Saints II: Snap counts, stats and more - Windy City Gridiron - We share the complete playing time breakdown, and spotlight a few individual and team statistics from the Chicago Bears in their 21 to 9 wild card loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Infante's 2021 Bears mock draft: Predicting all 7 rounds after end of season - Windy City Gridiron - With the Bears’ season in the books, we head to the future and focus on the 2021 NFL Draft with a 7-round mock draft.

Leming: 10 Chicago Bears Takes after an embarrassing playoff loss to the Saints - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears season came to a predictable yet disappointing end on Sunday night with a 21-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints. With their season now over, what’s next?

Infante's Notes: Bears’ season ends after lifeless Wild Card loss to Saints - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears’ season has come to an end after an abysmal showing in the Wild Card round.

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