The Bear’s Den, September 14, 2023

WE WANT YOU!

Would you like to show your Chicago Bears spirit to the world? I’m starting a feature where Windy City Gridiron readers can share pictures of themselves and their families and friends in Bears attire. Simply email a picture to me at the following address: denmasterken at aol dot com. The pictures need to be clear, and full resolution (i.e. full size from your phone if that’s how you take them). Include any description information you like along with the photo!

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

Schmitz: Dissecting a Drive - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Chicago’s Offense - Da Bears Blog - Originally I was planning on dissecting one of the many defensive drives, but while prepping for last night’s stream I found a drive that perfectly encapsulated the Bears’ issues against Green Bay — with that in mind, I broke down all 8 plays from Chicago’s 2nd offensive series in the latest episode of Dissecting a Drive.

Bears CB Kyler Gordon could miss time with hand injury - 670 - Bears nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon wasn’t present for practice Wednesday and could miss time moving forward due to a hand injury, which he suffered in Chicago’s loss to Green Bay on Sunday.

Matt Eberflus: Chase Claypool could be a healthy scratch - 670 - On Wednesday, Bears coach Matt Eberflus didn’t rule out the possibility that struggling receiver Chase Claypool could be a healthy scratch when Chicago visits Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Bears’ Justin Fields intends to take more chances downfield - 670 - In an ugly 38-20 loss to the Packers on Sunday, Bears quarterback Justin Fields often threw checkdown passes rather than taking opportunities and chances downfield.

Cole Kmet heartened by Tarik Cohen’s comeback - Chicago Sun-Times - Cohen is expected to sign with the Panthers after being out since 2020 with a knee injury. “To see him making a comeback and that he stayed [with] it, it’s really awesome,” Kmet said. “He’s an electric player when he was healthy, so hopefully he can get back to that.”

Josh Blackwell in line to replace injured CB Kyler Gordon vs. Bucs - Chicago Sun-Times - Gordon missed practice Wednesday with a hand injury. Blackwell is ready, if needed. “I’ve been thrown in the fire before, so I know what to expect,” he said. “I’m confident in that.”

Benching WR Chase Claypool is Bears’ last option to spark better effort - Chicago Sun-Times - Coach Matt Eberflus left the door open on making Claypool inactive against the Buccaneers, and Equanimeous St. Brown might provide what the Bears missed in Week 1.

Bears go 7-10? That’s crazy talk - Chicago Sun-Times - A brutal loss to the Packers puts everything in perspective, and none of it is good.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus noncommittal about WR Chase Claypool playing vs. Buccaneers - Chicago Sun-Times - When asked directly if Claypool could be inactive after a low-effort performance, Eberflus left that possibility open.

Justin Fields needs to regain his identity as an aggressive passer against Buccaneers - CHGO - Justin Fields knows he played too conservative against the Packers in Week 1. The Bears must find ways against the Buccaneers to let him take play more aggressively.

Bears met with Chase Claypool after Packers loss to discuss blocking effort – NBC Sports Chicago - Chase Claypool's poor effort in the Bears' Week 1 loss to the Packers led to a postgame meeting with head coach Matt Eberflus.

Bears overreactions: Should Bears have traded Justin Fields? – NBC Sports Chicago - Is it already time for Jalen Carter regret? Should the Bears have traded Justin Fields? The Bears' dispiriting Week 1 faceplant against the Packers brought...

Schmitz: Dissecting a Drive - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Chicago’s Offense - Da Bears Blog - Originally I was planning on dissecting one of the many defensive drives, but while prepping for last night’s stream I found a drive that perfectly encapsulated the Bears’ issues against Green Bay — with that in mind, I broke down all 8 plays from Chicago’s 2nd offensive series in the latest episode of Dissecting a Drive.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Anthony Richardson vs. C.J. Stroud will be a rare pair of 21-year-old starting QBs - NBC Sports - For just the second time in NFL history, a pair of 21-year-old starting quarterbacks will meet on Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers: Night is darkest before the dawn, I shall rise yet again - NBC Sports
- Rodgers' social media post is his first public comment since tearing his Achilles.

Joe Burrow gets a haircut, turns the page to Week 2 - NBC Sports - Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said that no one around the team was panicking after their Week One loss to the Browns, but the defeat did lead him to make one change this week.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Bears Over Beers: Packers and Bucs Chat - Windy City Gridiron - Jeff Berckes and EJ Snyder take your questions on all things Chicago Bears

Gabriel: A Look Back at Week One Of The 2023 NFL Season - Windy City Gridiron - Greg Gabriel reflects on what transpired week one with the Bears and around the league.

Leming's Bears Mailbag: Roschon Johnson’s debut, Week 1 overreactions, and much more - Windy City Gridiron - After waiting nine months in between regular season games, most Chicago Bears would label Week 1’s 38-20 blowout loss as a disaster. The good news? We’ve still got 16 more games. The bad news? Week 2 can’t come soon enough. We’ll dive into all of your burning questions and try to ease the pain of Sunday’s loss!

Wiltfong's Sackwatch: Breaking down the Bears pass protection against the Packers - Windy City Gridiron - Four sacks allowed may seem like a lot, but with it equating to a 9.8 sack percentage, that’s actually an improvement over last year’s 14.8% that Justin Fields took. Yeah... silver linings...

Berckes: Eberflus Needs to Play the HITS or Hit the Bricks - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears showed little of the supposed philosophy in Week 1

Danny Parkins: What does Matt Eberflus even do for the Chicago Bears? - Windy City Gridiron - Danny Parkins joins the Bears Banter Podcast, and he didn’t like what he saw from the coaching staff.

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