The Bear’s Den, January 7, 2022

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

Bears add Justin Fields to COVID-19 list - RSN - Matt Nagy said the team was hoping the rookie quarterback could end the season with a start and a win against the Vikings.

Why Bears coach wants Justin Fields to have confident offseason - RSN - Matt Nagy’s rookie quarterback has had ups and downs in 2021, but Bill Lazor wants him to focus on the highlights.

Final Game Preview of the 2021 Chicago Bears Season - Da Bears Blog - This season was not without promising developments, and some of those developments came at key positions. Let’s take a moment to accentuate the positives.

Adam Schefter hurt knee doing griddy dance at Soldier Field - RSN - The Bears’ home field been the site of several high-profile knee injuries over its history

Emma: Bears failed Justin Fields in his rookie season - 670 The Score - Back in 2017, then-Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was part of one of the most seamless and successful quarterback transitions ever. He helped oversee the development of first-round pick Patrick Mahomes as a rookie while veteran Alex Smith started and guided Kansas City to the playoffs.

Bears place QB Justin Fields on reserve/COVID-19 list - 670 The Score - The Bears have placed rookie quarterback Justin Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Thursday.

Larry Borom: I ‘feel’ for Justin Fields after his COVID list trip - Chicago Sun-Times - “I feel like I’m starting to really now feel a lot better,” he said Thursday.

Bears-Vikings podcast: Justin Fields likely out, as is Matt Nagy - Chicago Sun-Times - What was already a meaningless Bears-Vikings game has become practically pointless.

Bears’ coaching uncertainty hard on families, even if it’s part of the job - Chicago Sun-Times -Bears coaches don’t seek sympathy for themselves at this time of year, but they do acknowledge what toll the uncertainty has on their families

Frustratingly fitting: Justin Fields’ choppy rookie season ends prematurely - Chicago Sun-Times - As if enough hadn’t gone wrong and worked against him as a rookie, Fields’ latest misfortune is that he’ll likely miss the season finale.

Opportunity knocks, and Trevis Gipson answers - Chicago Sun-Times - The 2020 fifth-round pick’s apprenticeship behind Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn is paying dividends in his second season, with 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Is there more to come?

Justin Fields: Chicago Bears QB on reserve/COVID-19 list - Chicago Tribune - If Justin Fields doesn’t return from COVID-19 for the Chicago Bears finale, he will have missed five of the Bears’ final seven games of the season.

Chicago Bears: Futures for Matt Nagy, Ryan Pace and others? - Chicago Tribune - Has Matt Nagy been told he’ll be dismissed after season finale? Will Ryan Pace remain with the Bears into 2022? Is Ted Phillips open to revising his responsibilities? The Chicago Bears face huge questions as the season ends.

What went wrong? How Matt Nagy went from Coach of the Year to his expected departure from the Bears – The Athletic - The timeline of Matt Nagy’s downfall as Bears head coach, which began with the playoff loss and continued with an offense that never worked.

POLISH SAUSAGE

AP won't be taking away Hub Arkush's vote - ProFootballTalk - If Aaron Rodgers thinks Hub is a bum, Rodgers necessarily feels the same way about the Associated Press.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Bears put Jakeem Grant on injured reserve - Windy City Gridiron - Catching up on the latest Bears roster moves here…

Zeglinski: Windy City Gridiron picks Chicago Bears-Minnesota Vikings - Windy City Gridiron - The 2021 season ends with a familiar whimper. Hopefully, there are brighter days ahead.

Zeglinski: Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields placed on reserve/COVID-19 list - Windy City Gridiron - One last gut punch in a frustrating season.

Householder: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings week 17 game preview - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears travel to frigid Minneapolis to play the string out on a lost season against another team on the brink of change

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.