The Bear’s Den, February 15, 2022

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

Wood: Fields in Focus - Introduction and Where He Threw the Ball - Da Bears Blog - Justin Fields’ rookie season is over, which means it’s time to evaluate how he did, as well as what it could mean for his career going forward.

As Rams’ Sean McVay outfoxes NFL, Bears’ Matt Eberflus opens tenure chasing him - Chicago Sun-Times - The two Super Bowl teams hired inexperienced, offensive-minded coaches. The Bears went the opposite direction. But there are some early signals that Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles have the Bears on the right path.

Super Bowl podcast: What the Bears can learn - Chicago Sun-Times - Class was in session at SoFi Stadium. Did the Bears learn anything?

Super Bowl LVI: Aaron Donald gave Rams what Bears thought they’d get from Khalil Mack - Chicago Sun-Times - Other teams have tried to get their own version of him, but Donald has been a unique figure on the NFL landscape since the Rams drafted him 13th overall in 2014.

Leonard Floyd, former Bears first-round draft pick, wins Super Bowl - RSN - Floyd joins Shea McClellin as a former Bears first-round draft bust to win a Super Bowl with another team. Ken’s Note: It’s RSN calling Floyd a draft bust, no me. Floyd was just mis-drafted not a bust.

Dick Butkus: Halas 'rolling over in his grave' after last Bears season - RSN - The legendary Bears linebacker did not hold back when describing what he thought Papa Bear Halas would think of the 2021 season.

How Bears' Matt Eberflus eventually got Colts to buy into HITS - RSN - The new Bears head coach didn't have all his players on board with this philosophy at first.

Ellis: 3 lessons the Bears can take away from Super Bowl 56 - 670 The Score - So what Super Bowl lessons can they apply up at Halas Hall? How can we take the Rams beating the Bengals and make it about the Bears? It never hurts to start with a list

POLISH SAUSAGE

Cris Collinsworth covered up the NFL’s Super Bowl bag job - 670 The Scorer - It was maybe the worst call in Super Bowl history. When the officials flagged Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson for a phantom hold to give the Rams a new set of downs near Cincinnati’s goal line late in the game Sunday, they essentially gifted Los Angeles the game.

Storm clouds gather for Stephen Ross - ProFootballTalk - Washington owner Daniel Snyder isn’t the only American oligarch who has to be concerned about the possibility that he’ll be forced to sell one of his most cherished possessions. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross suddenly finds himself in a potential jackpot with his partners, too.

Still only 30, Aaron Donald would exit the NFL as an all-time great - ProFootballTalk - After rumors suddenly emerged on Sunday (thanks to Rodney Harrison, who lit the fuse on the retirement bomb), Donald didn’t say it was crazy talk or laugh it off or explain that he has plenty more work to do. Instead, he said he’s “in the moment.”

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Matthew Stafford forced a trade and won a Super Bowl — who will next? - Chicago Sun-Times - The first play of Sunday’s Super Bowl came 13 months earlier, when Matthew Stafford texted his wife, “Well, here we go,” and walked into a meeting with Lions president Rod Wood and, via speakerphone, owner Sheila Ford Hamp.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante's 2022 offseason outlook: Ranking each position for Bears by need - Windy City Gridiron
The Bears will have plenty of tough moves to make this offseason, so let’s see which positions will likely be prioritized this year.

Wiltfong's Chicago Bears 2022 Roster Turnover: What to do at guard? - Windy City Gridiron
In this 12-part series we’ll take an in depth look at each position group for the Chicago Bears with an eye towards the 2022 season. We’ll speculate on who stays, who goes, and some potential additions we’d like to see general manager Ryan Poles make.

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.

Check out out guy Jacob tonight talking about the Chicago Bears!!!