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THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL
BEARRRSSSS
Chalk Talk: Who has been selected with the 20th pick in the NFL Draft? - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses the players who have been drafted with the No. 20 pick the Bears own this year, quarterbacks the Bears have acquired in trades and the last time the Bears had the same record in back-to-back seasons.
Chicago Bears hire Bill McGovern as inside linebackers coach, promote Bill Shuey to outside linebackers coach - Chicago Bears - The Bears on Friday hired Bill McGovern as their inside linebackers coach and promoted Bill Shuey from defensive pass analyst/assistant linebackers coach to outside linebackers coach.
Mayer’s 9 players to watch in 2021: CB Jaylon Johnson - A Day 1 starter who made an immediate impact as a rookie in 2020, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson will look to take even more strides in his second NFL season in 2021.
Numbers Prove It: Losing Robinson Not An Option - Da Bears Blog - After yesterday’s piece highlighting the Bears’ need to prioritize keeping Allen Robinson around this offseason, today will build on that with a closer look at Robinson’s value to the Bears.
Just talked to #UNC RB Michael Carter at the #SeniorBowl. He told me he's met with some teams, including the #Bears.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) January 28, 2021
Chamberlain: Ten Players for Chicago Bears to Watch in Senior Bowl - Sports Illustrated - The six quarterbacks aside, there are plenty of other players at need positions for the Chicago Bears to keep their eyes on in Saturday’s Senior Bowl on ESPN and here are 10 of them.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera’s family reveals he’s cancer free - NBC Sports Chicago - Congrats coach Rivera!
Thank you everyone for your prayers, letters, texts & notes of encouragement & support. It truly made a difference in my treatment & recovery!#RiveraStrong @WashingtonNFL pic.twitter.com/0s5byndWyF
— Ron Rivera (@RiverboatRonHC) January 29, 2021
Bears promoting Bill Shuey to OLB coach - Chicago Sun-Times - He’ll replace Ted Monachino, who accepted the same job with the Falcons earlier this week.
Wiederer: Chicago Bears offense needs more than Deshaun Watson - Chicago Tribune - In a Super Bowl that sets up to become a fireworks show, the Chicago Bears will get another look at what high-level QB play looks like and how top-tier offenses function. It should serve as a reminder of just how deficient they are on that side of the ball.
Biggs: What will it take for Bears to get the QB - Chicago Tribune - One option the Houston Texans have now that quarterback Deshaun Watson has officially requested a trade: Shop for the best offer. That’s where the Chicago Bears come in: GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy have a final shot to solve the organization’s seven-decade issue.
POLISH SAUSAGE
McClain: Beyond Deshaun Watson, Texans’ GM Nick Caserio has full plate - Houston Chronicle - Not surprisingly, general manager Nick Caserio said Friday that quarterback Deshaun Watson is vital to what the Texans want to accomplish under new coach David Culley and will not be traded.
Chiefs Injury Report - Chiefs.com - Bell DNP. Watkins DNP.
Buccaneers Injury Report – Buccaneers.com - Brown DNP. Winfield DNP.
Turning Up The Heat - FOX Sports - Patrick Mahomes is chasing history in Super Bowl LV. Would a loss to Tom Brady end his quest to be the greatest QB of all time?
Brooks: Houston Texans CANNOT trade Deshaun Watson; three fits for Matthew Stafford - NFL.com - In this edition of the Scout’s Notebook, Bucky Brooks explains why the Houston Texans simply CANNOT trade Deshaun Watson. Plus, three potential fits for Matthew Stafford and a look at Detroit’s unique rebuilding approach.
Will Jaguars’ buy into Urban Meyer? His college players weigh in - ESPN - The new Jags coach acknowledged he’ll need to be a different leader than he was in college. His former players talk about changes he’ll need to make.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Vita Vea, back from ankle fracture, had faith in return - ESPN - Vita Vea, who played 32 snaps last week, never gave up hope of returning this season despite fracturing his ankle back in Week 5.
The #Texans have agreed to terms on a deal with Lovie Smith to make him David Culley’s defensive defensive coordinator, source says. Smith is back in the NFL and will be calling the plays for Houston.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 29, 2021
Scwartz: Breaking Down The Quarterback Market - FOX Sports - Deshaun Watson wants out. Houston says he’s staying put. Geoff Schwartz takes a look at the wild QB market across the NFL.
KNOW THINE ENEMY
Detroit Lions hire Dom Capers as senior defensive assistant - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions suddenly have one of the most tenured NFL coaches in league history on their staff.
Detroit Lions make 3 coaching hires official, will be hiring former LB Kelvin Sheppard - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions’ coaching staff is nearly complete.
Packers offensive assistant Butch Barry leaves for 49ers - Acme Packing Company - Overshadowed by other coaching news, the Packers are also losing analyst Butch Barry.
Packers will part ways with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, per report - Acme Packing Company - Matt LaFleur has decided to move on from the Packers’ DC of the last three years after Green Bay’s latest playoff disappointment.
WINDY CITY GRIDIRON FAN POSTS
IOftenPanic: Positional Tiers v7.0 and Team Visits - Windy City Gridiron FanPosts - Below are my work-in-progress positional tiers for the upcoming 2021 draft.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON
Berckes: Culture, Collaboration, and Conviction - Windy City Gridiron - A lyrical interpretation of how Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy convinced George McCaskey to keep their jobs. Jack’s note: If you haven’t checked this out already, I hope you do. JB did a great job.
Schmitz: Talking through Senior Bowl Day 3 (with Jacob Infante!) - Windy City Gridiron - In this episode of Bear With Me, Robert S. catches up with Jacob Infante’s observations from the final day of Senior Bowl practice.
Roundtable: Organized Chaos - Windy City Gridiron - Chicago’s head honcho seemingly believes his team is on the right path. Our staff has some sagely advice for the Lake Forest heir.
Wiltfong Jr.: Chicago Bears All-Time RAS Defense - Windy City Gridiron - We take a look at the best athletes to ever get their shot with the Chicago Bears over the last 34 years.
Wiltfong Jr.: Bears promote Bill Shuey to outside linebackers coach - Windy City Gridiron - On Friday the Chicago Bears announced that they were promoting Bill Shuey to fill the role of outside linebackers coach.
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.
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; Jack R Salo; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Schmitz; Robert Zeglinski; Bill Zimmerman; Like us on Facebook.