The Bear’s Den, January 15, 2022

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

‘It all starts with the McCaskeys’: How the Bears ended up in ‘an endless cycle of inheriting the previous regime’s trash’ – The Athletic - Since George McCaskey took over as chairman of the Bears in 2011, the three most important people in his franchise have seldom been aligned.

‘The 9-Yard Line’: Adam Jahns discusses the Bears general manager/head coach search - WGN TV - The Bears hasn’t won a playoff game in almost 11 years, and a few of the reasons why is something that he chronicled in The Athletic on Friday morning.

Report: Former Bears Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky never gelled - NBC Sports Chicago - After the Bears’ Week 2 win over the Giants, Nagy laid into Trubisky “for being uncoachable” in front of the whole team.

Matt Nagy Blew Off Mitch Trubisky: Apparently the Guru Doesn’t Do Meetings - On Tap Sports Net - According to a recent report, Matt Nagy blew off a meeting with quarterback Mitch Trubisky in the beginning of the 2020 NFL season.

PODCAST: Who Should the Chicago Bears Hire as General Manager and Head Coach? - The Chicago Audible - Now that the former regime is old news, it’s time to place our focus on who will become the next General Manager and Head Coach of the Chicago Bears. In this episode, the guys take a search committee approach as they sift through the current candidates for each position.

Bears to interview Bills’ Brian Daboll, Leslie Frazier on Sunday - USA Today Chicago Bears - Bills OC Brian Daboll and DC Leslie Frazier will interview with the Bears for their vacant head coach job on Sunday.

Bears All-Pro list: Roquan Smith, Robert Quinn, Jakeem Grant - NBC Sports Chicago - The next Bears head coach and GM will inherit three of the top players in the NFL.

Hoge: Why Rick Smith is most qualified candidate for the Bears’ GM search - NBC Sports Chicago - Former Texans general manager Rick Smith is not only the most qualified candidate for the Bears’ GM opening — he’s overqualified.

Dave Wannstedt paints Jim Harbaugh to Chicago as possible - Sports Illustrated Chicago Bears - The Chicago Bears have begun interviewing coaching and GM candidates but former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt saw a potential pathway for Jim Harbaugh to come to the team as coach without formal, announced interviews.

NFL Rumors: Jim Harbaugh Interview Hasn’t Been Requested by Any Team with HC Vacancy - Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights - University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh reportedly hasn’t officially interviewed for any of the NFL head coaching vacancies despite rumors about a potential return to the pro level.

NFL Head-Coach Openings Buzz: Rumors and What We’re Hearing on Candidates - ESPN+ - “Talked to a few league people who think Doug Pederson might bring Matt Nagy with him as his offensive coordinator, a Chiefs tandem drawing up plays. That would be quite awkward if Pederson pitches that in his interview with the Bears. But Nagy, freed from Chicago consternation, might be liberated as a playcaller if Pederson pitches him for other teams.”

Bears GM search: Champ Kelly gets support from Khalil Mack - NBC Sports Chicago
George McCaskey continues his interviews for Ryan Pace’s replacement as Bears general manager

Former Bears coach Matt Nagy shares final message to staff - NBC Sports Chicago - “The one question they never ask you is how are you going to handle it the day you get fired?” Nagy said on “Fescoe In the Morning,” a Kansas City sports radio show on 610 AM.

Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith, Jakeem Grant Sr. named second-team All-Pro - ChicagoBears.com - Bears edge rusher Robert Quinn, inside linebacker Roquan Smith and return specialist Jakeem Grant Sr. all have been named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the 2021 season.

Bears interview former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears on Friday interviewed Jeff Ireland for their general manager position and Brian Flores for their head-coaching job.

PODCAST: Discussing GM and Head Coaching Candidates in 2022 on ‘Picks for Pace’ - 247 Sports Chicago Bears - On the latest episode of the Picks For Pace Podcast, hosts Usayd Koshul and Andrew Freeman discuss the Bears head coach and general manager search.

Bears interview Brian Flores for coach, Jeff Ireland for GM - 670 The Score - The Bears completed a pair of interviews Friday as their searches for a new head coach and general manager continued.

George McCaskey’s press conference was ... - Chicago Sun-Times - The Sun-Times’ Mark Potash breaks down the Bears’ firings — and hiring search — toward the end of one of the most significant weeks in recent franchise history:

Finley: Breaking down the Bears’ big week - Chicago Sun-Times - The Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley breaks down the Bears’ firings — and hiring search — toward the end of one of the most significant weeks in recent franchise history:

Lieser: Ex-Dolphins coach Brian Flores could be what Bears need, but it’s complicated - Chicago Sun-Times - Flores’ firing was the stunner of Black Monday. But there’s a reason why such a promising coach is available.

2022 Bears roster breakdown: Who’s under contract and who’s a free agent - Daily Herald - The Bears have about $166 million committed, according to OverTheCap.com.

POLISH SAUSAGE

NFL’s chief medical officer “guardedly optimistic” about finishing postseason without major COVID-19 problems - ProFootballTalk - NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills says the league should be able to get through the playoffs and Super Bowl without COVID-19 causing significant problems.

2021 All-Pro Team: Jonathan Taylor, T.J. Watt, Cooper Kupp highlight roster - NFL.com - Five players, including dynamic pass catchers Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams, are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2021 NFL All-Pro Team.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

No Detroit Lions player received a single All-Pro vote - Pride Of Detroit - The Associated Press released their 2021 All-Pro Teams on Friday, but you will not find a single Detroit Lions player on the list.

Three Packers Named All-Pros, Including Pro Bowl Snub De’Vondre Campbell - Acme Packing Company - Aaron Rodgers’ MVP candidacy looks good, per the people who vote on the award.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Chicago Bears GM Search Extravaganza! Part 2 - More Names! - Windy City Gridiron - Our guy ECD didn’t expect this many names to drop for the Bears’ GM search. Not only do we have more names - we’ve got a few big names to cover here. Plus potential guys to consider.

Chicago Bears general manager roundtable: The ideal candidate - Windy City Gridiron - Let’s all wax poetic about our favorite potential football czar in Lake Forest, shall we?

Infante: Bears’ Smith, Quinn, Grant named second-team AP All-Pro - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears have three representatives on this year’s All-Pro roster.

Householder: Odds for the Chicago Bears next head coach - Windy City Gridiron - DraftKings has released the odds for who will replace Matt Nagy

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 (their BOB YouTube Channel can be found here), Bears Banter hosted by Bill Zimmerman, Rule of 3 with R. Schmitz, Danny Meehan, and Brandon Robinson, Bear & Balanced from Jeff and Lester A. Wiltfong Jr., and T Formation Conversation from Lester; EJ also co-hosts The Bootleg Football Podcast with Brett Kollmann; R. Schmitz has a film breakdown show on YouTube titled Run Pass Opinion; Will Robinson II has his WhiskeyRanger YouTube channel, 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.; Will Robinson II; Robert Schmitz; T.J. Starman; Robert Zeglinski; Bill Zimmerman; Like WCG on Facebook.