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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Windy City Gridiron -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>A Chicago Bears community</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49985/windy-fav.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-19T11:00:00-05:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.windycitygridiron.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-19T11:00:00-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-19T11:00:00-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>What is the Bears' toughest stretch of games in 2024?</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5tccNN5efoEZb-0JncZ0yPWqWuw=/0x0:5578x3719/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73356925/1922530449.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;The WCG crew shares some thoughts on the Bears 2024 schedule in this Miltipart roundtable. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="EFYTKr"&gt;We’ve all had some time to digest the 2024 &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/a&gt; schedule. We’ve mentally gone through each game and considered the best-case and worst-case scenarios. In the next few days, our team here at WCG will share some of our analysis of the 18-week slate.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="H56aoJ"&gt;Here’s our first topic...&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="AjRFea"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the Bears' toughest stretch of games in 2024?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="ODwIos"&gt;And here’s what we had to say... &lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="OII5fp"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jacob Infante:&lt;/strong&gt; Week 11 onward is going to be a test for this Bears team. It’s no coincidence that that’s when all of their divisional games are played, and seeing as though both the Lions and &lt;a href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/"&gt;Packers&lt;/a&gt; were playoff teams in 2023, it’s not going to be easy to beat each of them twice in the span of less than two months. The Vikings could provide a challenge, the &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;49ers&lt;/a&gt; are the class of the NFC, and the &lt;a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/"&gt;Seahawks&lt;/a&gt; should still be in the playoff hunt when they square off with Chicago in Week 17, too.&lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="3KNB5B"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jack R Salo: &lt;/strong&gt;This, my friends, is another silver lining of losing games last year. The last-place schedule, gifting the Bears matchups against the Panthers, Commanders, and Patriots, gives Chicago a handful of chances to catch their breath should they happen to stumble. The best team on this schedule is the 49ers, so the stretch between Weeks 11-14 is the worst grind. Three playoff teams in four games, all three of whom made it out of the Wild Card round. It will be a great test because the Bears should be well above .500 by then. &lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="STUdTb"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aaron Leming:&lt;/strong&gt; A strong argument could be made for the Bears’ last eight games of the season, but if I had to narrow it down a bit more, I’d say the last six are their worst stretch. It features four games against 2023 playoff teams and only one team that finished under .500 last year. The Vikings appear to be the easiest game in that stretch, but having the bulk of your divisional games, with the San Francisco 49ers sandwiched in there, is a tough break. Especially when four of those six games are on the road.&lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="o1sYeO"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ryan Droste: &lt;/strong&gt;To me, this has to be the Vikings, Detroit, Seahawks stretch between December 16 and December 26. You have three games in 10 days (and two of those teams had winning records last year). Oh, and Christmas is during that stretch, too! A busy time of the year against what could be some stiff competition with very little prep time in between. The good news is that two of the three games are at home in Chicago.&lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="SsBjTa"&gt;&lt;em&gt;If you haven’t welcomed Ryan to our WCG team yet, give him a hey in the comment section! &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="yEQ65X"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sam Householder:&lt;/strong&gt; The stretch from weeks 13 to 17 is the toughest. They have three straight road games, the last one being a Monday Night Football game. Then there’s little reprieve as they play three games in 10 days. That is a tough, tough stretch for a young team with rookies that might be hitting the wall in a sport where everyone gets banged up the longer the season goes. &lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="ciCCHo"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Josh Sunderbruch:&lt;/strong&gt; From Thanksgiving on looks rough. All three away games against divisional rivals, the 49ers, and a Thursday game? Yeesh. That could be rough.&lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;p id="AqNFaJ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Erik Duerrwaechter:&lt;/strong&gt; The Bears’ toughest stretch will most certainly be from Week 11 until the end of the season. They will play all three of their divisional rivals in three consecutive weeks beginning at Week 11 against the Packers, and all six divisional of their games will be played in that same time frame. They can either control their destiny or lose it completely, depending on how those first three games go. &lt;/p&gt;
  32. &lt;p id="201euA"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Berckes:&lt;/strong&gt; “Stretch” means at least three and the cluster in September after the opener with two road games against the &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Texans&lt;/a&gt; and Colts followed by a home game against the feisty Rams. It’s a good early slate to test this young Bears team against some other exciting squads, but there’s nothing easy about it.&lt;/p&gt;
  33. &lt;p id="I7mXQt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.:&lt;/strong&gt; This wasn’t planned, but I agree with my Bear &amp;amp; Blanced co-host. The late-season NFC North stretch is tough for sure, but if the Bears can’t handle their business early, those games may not matter. The Titans will provide momentum. Prime time on the road in Houston (Caleb vs C.J.) will have a big-game feel. Another young QB in Indy brings another marquee matchup, and Sean McVay’s Rams always come to play.&lt;/p&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="SEsX4F"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Now it’s your turn. What stretch of games will be Chicago’s toughest?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  35.  
  36. </content>
  37.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/19/24158126/what-is-the-chicago-bears-toughest-stretch-of-games-in-2024-packers-texans-rams-lions-vikings"/>
  38.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/19/24158126/what-is-the-chicago-bears-toughest-stretch-of-games-in-2024-packers-texans-rams-lions-vikings</id>
  39.    <author>
  40.      <name>Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.</name>
  41.      <name>Jacob Infante</name>
  42.      <name>Ryan Droste</name>
  43.      <name>Sam Householder</name>
  44.      <name>Jeff Berckes</name>
  45.      <name>Aaron Leming</name>
  46.      <name>Jack Salo</name>
  47.      <name>Josh Sunderbruch</name>
  48.      <name>Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter</name>
  49.    </author>
  50.  </entry>
  51.  <entry>
  52.    <published>2024-05-19T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  53.    <updated>2024-05-19T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  54.    <title>21st Century Chicago Bears Fantasy Draft and Tournament</title>
  55.    <content type="html">  
  56.  
  57.    &lt;figure&gt;
  58.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Bears v Indianapolis Colts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1oVqsClRk_eD5YV4hGB0CmAEGGA=/0x0:3354x2236/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73356768/613628850.0.jpg" /&gt;
  59.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  60.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  61.  
  62.  &lt;p id="ZmKVHc"&gt;After the 2024 &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, several of us at Windy City Gridiron participated in a 21st-century all-&lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; fantasy draft.&lt;/p&gt;
  63. &lt;p id="OKi8SL"&gt;What does that mean? Well, eight of our staffers got together in a randomized snake draft to build out a roster in all three phases consisting only of Bears players from the year 2000 to the present. Some people will argue the 21st century starts in 2001, but they can go to hell. It was a fun exercise, both in trying to build a complete roster and in going down memory lane.&lt;/p&gt;
  64. &lt;p id="HvqGxO"&gt;Back in 2018, we ran a similar exercise with &lt;a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_5yFF0RNPs0Fd79UqWjchuejze1xxk61OkjKDbMLEXE/edit#gid=0"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;every player to ever suit up for the Bears&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. This time, though, our time constraint allowed us to really get into the weeds and get creative — or in some cases, depressing — with our selections.&lt;/p&gt;
  65. &lt;p id="269rby"&gt;This process consisted of 26 rounds, with 12 people on offense, 12 people on defense, and two special teamers. This allowed us some flexibility for our 11th man on the field, and consolidating kicker and punter into one position prevented any of us from having to select players who only played a game or two for the Bears.&lt;/p&gt;
  66. &lt;p id="HqLKJd"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here are our Fantasy General Managers and their team names.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  67. &lt;ul&gt;
  68. &lt;li id="DOwZPF"&gt;Ryan Droste’s &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peanut Punch Gang&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;
  69. &lt;/li&gt;
  70. &lt;li id="yg2Exs"&gt;Eric Duerrwaechter’s &lt;/li&gt;
  71. &lt;li id="YpCsIX"&gt;Sam Householder’s &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;House of Bears&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;
  72. &lt;/li&gt;
  73. &lt;li id="eTYh5r"&gt;Jacob Infante’s &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Nefarious Jakesters&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;
  74. &lt;/li&gt;
  75. &lt;li id="A1l4q4"&gt;Jack Salo’s &lt;/li&gt;
  76. &lt;li id="b7tliv"&gt;TJ Starman’s &lt;/li&gt;
  77. &lt;li id="iZEswU"&gt;Mason West’s &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caleb’s Pretty Good to Really Really Really Great Brigade Who Didn’t Really Get Their Due (Read in the Zoolander Voice)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;- aka: Caleb and the Clawettes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;
  78. &lt;/li&gt;
  79. &lt;li id="atNjx5"&gt;Bill Zimmerman’s &lt;/li&gt;
  80. &lt;/ul&gt;
  81. &lt;p id="l5oVsg"&gt;&lt;a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W-HcvgV6Zyi_a6L_H7T5vzOdy88nJ2jp3l2G9GfyjJM/edit#gid=0"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Here’s a link to the full results of our draft.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  82. &lt;p id="mol9Rk"&gt;&lt;em&gt;After we reveal all eight teams in article form, we’ll have a tournament to determine the winning team by fan vote!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  83.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  84.        &lt;img alt="NFL: NOV 22 Bears at Lions" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BaSAvgRiaaD2XGhQudTQPvhgLmc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25454578/1065943688.jpg"&gt;
  85.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  86.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  87.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  88.        &lt;img alt="NFL: NOV 22 Bears at Lions" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mk98_yQJ8isSbzORdA30SUVpPlk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25454577/1065943688.jpg"&gt;
  89.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  90.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  91. &lt;p id="ZIwRj4"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  92. &lt;p id="RMvgrE"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  93.  
  94. </content>
  95.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/19/24157745/21st-century-chicago-bears-fantasy-draft-and-tournament-jay-cutler-devin-hester-caleb-williams-hicks"/>
  96.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/19/24157745/21st-century-chicago-bears-fantasy-draft-and-tournament-jay-cutler-devin-hester-caleb-williams-hicks</id>
  97.    <author>
  98.      <name>Sam Householder</name>
  99.      <name>Jacob Infante</name>
  100.    </author>
  101.  </entry>
  102.  <entry>
  103.    <published>2024-05-18T18:55:04-05:00</published>
  104.    <updated>2024-05-18T18:55:04-05:00</updated>
  105.    <title>66% of Chicago Bears fans are confident in Matt Eberflus</title>
  106.    <content type="html">  
  107.  
  108.    &lt;figure&gt;
  109.      &lt;img alt="NFL: Chicago Bears-Rookie Minicamp" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_iaGbWB98_KAdk77xfAduBY0rV0=/0x0:4421x2947/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73356156/usa_today_23236297.0.jpg" /&gt;
  110.        &lt;figcaption&gt;David Banks-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  111.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  112.  
  113.  &lt;p&gt;Your poll results are in! &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="Mf0YKZ"&gt;Earlier this week, we &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/14/24156781/chicago-bears-how-confident-are-you-in-matt-eberflus-heading-into-his-third-season-head-coach"&gt;asked&lt;/a&gt; our readers to answer this question: &lt;em&gt;How confident are you in Matt Eberflus heading into his third season?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  114. &lt;p id="6SUgH9"&gt;As the 2023 season wore on, my desire to see ‘Flus flushed grew. Even though he had the defense playing inspired football in the second half of the season, the three historic late-game collapses were too much. He just didn’t seem like the guy to lead this team into the future.  &lt;/p&gt;
  115. &lt;p id="2EHyYt"&gt;When the season ended, it became apparent that they intended to draft Caleb Williams first overall, so I wanted a total house cleaning. I wanted Eberflus fired, and an entirely new coaching staff brought in to work with the best quarterback prospect the franchise has ever landed. &lt;/p&gt;
  116. &lt;p id="vKP2Jx"&gt;But Eberflus stayed and hired a new defensive coordinator to help him lead the defense. He wiped out nearly all of his offensive coaches, and I was impressed with the staff they assembled to support Caleb Williams.&lt;/p&gt;
  117. &lt;p id="UO5EuG"&gt;I still have my doubts about Eberflus, but I like the way the offseason has gone thus far.&lt;/p&gt;
  118. &lt;p id="nx1fo5"&gt;Perhaps a more talented roster and an offensive playcaller he trusts will cede his conservative nature. &lt;/p&gt;
  119.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  120.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_FozNg5HaP-B-h1PmbvDk-o6vqI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25453695/Chicago_1_051624.png"&gt;
  121.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  122. &lt;p id="vFot4h"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Check out &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/featured?wpcid=163864&amp;amp;wpcn=SBNation&amp;amp;wpcrid=Reacts&amp;amp;wpscn=Social&amp;amp;wpsrc=Vox&amp;amp;category=live-in-game"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DraftKings Sportsbook&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, the official &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/featured"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;sportsbook&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; partner of SB Nation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="Gl1DA6"&gt;&lt;em&gt;In addition to the SB Nation Reacts survey questions we share here at WCG about the Bears, you can &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EFIUQ7/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;sign up here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; to participate in the weekly emailed surveys about the NFL.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  124.  
  125. </content>
  126.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159477/66-of-chicago-bears-fans-are-confident-in-matt-eberflus-poll-caleb-williams"/>
  127.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159477/66-of-chicago-bears-fans-are-confident-in-matt-eberflus-poll-caleb-williams</id>
  128.    <author>
  129.      <name>Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.</name>
  130.    </author>
  131.  </entry>
  132.  <entry>
  133.    <published>2024-05-18T15:00:00-05:00</published>
  134.    <updated>2024-05-18T15:00:00-05:00</updated>
  135.    <title>A Scout’s Take: Tennessee is the Perfect Opening Game for the Bears</title>
  136.    <content type="html">  
  137.  
  138.    &lt;figure&gt;
  139.      &lt;img alt="SPORTS-FBN-BEARS-EXPECTATIONS-2-TB" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hjte92ffr3qnY02UtWJbSG7Y20c=/475x0:2584x1406/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355964/1645811345.0.jpg" /&gt;
  140.        &lt;figcaption&gt;John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  141.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  142.  
  143.  &lt;p&gt;Earlier this week, Greg Gabriel &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/16/24158127/a-scouts-take-chicago-bears-schedule-is-set-up-perfectly-texans-panthers-colts-titans-caleb-williams"&gt;wrote that the schedule is set up perfectly&lt;/a&gt; for Caleb Williams and the Bears, and today, he zeroes in even more on week one in particular. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="DnHsgn"&gt;Ever since the NFL schedule was released on Wednesday night, I have seen several articles, comments, Podcasts, etc, asking why the League scheduled the &lt;a href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/"&gt;Tennessee Titans&lt;/a&gt; as the &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/a&gt; opener.&lt;/p&gt;
  144. &lt;p id="FyUz2C"&gt;One local writer/podcaster said the League showed no respect towards the Bears organization with all the hype they have gotten with the drafting of quarterback Caleb Williams. He said the League should have had the Bears open with a tough rivalry game and that the game should have been in one of the Prime-Time telecasts. &lt;/p&gt;
  145. &lt;p id="zA3TJo"&gt;I'm sorry, but that couldn't be more wrong.&lt;/p&gt;
  146. &lt;aside id="rkkGEM"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data="{&amp;quot;stories&amp;quot;:[{&amp;quot;title&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;A Scout's Take: The schedule is set up perfectly for Caleb Williams and the Bears&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;url&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/16/24158127/a-scouts-take-chicago-bears-schedule-is-set-up-perfectly-texans-panthers-colts-titans-caleb-williams&amp;quot;}]}"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;p id="uuNrlv"&gt;The League did the Bears a favor by having the opener versus Tennessee. Too often, over the last few years, the Bears have opened up against a very tough opponent and then lost the game. With the situation this 2024 version of the Chicago Bears are in, they needed to have an winnable opener.&lt;/p&gt;
  147. &lt;p id="qBJNiT"&gt;I am not disrespecting Tennessee, as they are like the Bears, a team on the rise. They have a second-year quarterback in Will Levis, who could really take off in year two of his career. They added wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who, paired with DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Boyd, gives the Titans a formidable wide receiver group.&lt;/p&gt;
  148. &lt;p id="aDiUSK"&gt;The Titans' defense is loaded with very good NFL players, such as Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry, but trust me, this game will not be easy for the Chicago Bears.&lt;/p&gt;
  149. &lt;p id="oUPduE"&gt;With a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams, this Bears team needs success early to give both Willimas and the overall team confidence. The last thing they need is to play against one of the tough teams on their schedule and start out with a loss. That could be disastrous!&lt;/p&gt;
  150. &lt;p id="MnIKm5"&gt;Success and confidence breeds more success and confidence. With a young team that still doesn't know how to win, getting that confidence early is of the utmost importance. After Tennessee, the Bears have to go on the road for two straight weeks and play two very tough teams in Houston and Indianapolis. The &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Texans&lt;/a&gt; were the darlings of the League last year when they went from a last-place AFC South team in 2022 to winning the AFC South in 2023 with a 10 - 7 record. If Chicago wants to do the same thing, they need to find success early. It's really that simple.&lt;/p&gt;
  151. &lt;p id="Kw6BHh"&gt;I have been saying for weeks on my Podcast that the key to the Chicago Bears having a good season and making a run for a Playoff berth was to have success early in the season. That means they need to win at least twice and perhaps three times in their first four games. When we look at who the Bears play in those four games it is a situation that can be achieved.&lt;/p&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="PafeIZ"&gt;The first four games are home versus Tennessee, at Houston, at Indianapolis, and home versus the Rams. It's my opinion that the Bears have to win the two home games and hope to split the two road games. If that happens, and the team stays injury-free, they will be on their way to earning a Playoff berth. &lt;/p&gt;
  153. &lt;p id="BbdrV2"&gt;No, the Bears weren't disrespected with an opening game versus Tennessee, the League actually did them a huge favor and fans should be thankful.&lt;/p&gt;
  154.  
  155. </content>
  156.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159793/nfl-scout-take-tennessee-titans-is-the-perfect-opening-game-chicago-bears-caleb-williams"/>
  157.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159793/nfl-scout-take-tennessee-titans-is-the-perfect-opening-game-chicago-bears-caleb-williams</id>
  158.    <author>
  159.      <name>Greg Gabriel</name>
  160.    </author>
  161.  </entry>
  162.  <entry>
  163.    <published>2024-05-18T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  164.    <updated>2024-05-18T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  165.    <title>Ranking the 14 Quarterbacks the Chicago Bears will face in 2024</title>
  166.    <content type="html">  
  167.  
  168.    &lt;figure&gt;
  169.      &lt;img alt="Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VM6_9L3QxefQJDzLlfTXEzwdu4w=/0x0:5891x3927/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355503/1699147027.0.jpg" /&gt;
  170.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  171.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  172.  
  173.  &lt;p&gt;We know how well Matt Eberflus dominates bad quarterbacks, but how many will he face this year?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="Tp2R9d"&gt;Last season, when Matt Eberflus’ defense played a mediocre quarterback, they dominated. But when they played one of the league’s better quarterbacks, they struggled in almost every game — look no further than the &lt;a href="https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/"&gt;Chargers&lt;/a&gt; game with Justin Herbert.&lt;/p&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="j8dmAD"&gt;This season, the &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/a&gt; offense looks much improved, but the defense is returning almost the exact same squad as they had in 2024. The Bears’ young secondary could improve and open the door for better performances against better quarterbacks but it’s worth examining what QBs are on the schedule and which ones set up the Bears’ defense well for a dominating performance.&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="RM6BzT"&gt;Here’s a look at what QBs are on the Bears’ schedule starting from worst to best.&lt;/p&gt;
  176. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="nKQWbH"&gt;
  177. &lt;h3 id="KQPtxx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;14. JJ McCarthy/Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="g4g1GT"&gt;I think the Vikings have the worst quarterback situation (for this season) of any team on the schedule. McCarthy is a QB that would appear to be a QB that isn’t going to step in and play well as a rookie. He will need time to develop and he may need some more seasoning on the bench before he starts playing regularly. &lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="5STmAv"&gt;As for Darnold, if the Vikings send him out as a bridge and let McCarthy learn on the bench, that’s not a name that’s going to strike fear into the hearts of, well, anyone.&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;h3 id="tB6xGI"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;13. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="p12PmM"&gt;I’ll be honest, Levis played better in limited action than I expected him to. That limited success is what catapulted him above the Vikings. Levis is now the clear starter in Nashville and he will have an opportunity this season to prove he’s a legitimate QB1 in the NFL. I still have my doubts, which is why he falls below several other inexperienced quarterbacks.&lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;h3 id="sCFbLD"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;12. Drake Maye, New England Patriots&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  183. &lt;p id="bcO68P"&gt;Our first rookie on the list is Maye who, while I like better than Daniels overall as a prospect, I think Daniels has a better chance to have success early, especially when you look at what Maye has around him on offense. I think the smart move for New England is to allow Maye to sit, not because he isn’t capable of playing, but because his surroundings could give him a brutal season like Bryce Young or even David Carr if you go back further.&lt;/p&gt;
  184. &lt;h3 id="G3WHPe"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  185. &lt;p id="s6he4c"&gt;While I have significant doubts that Young will ever develop into a top-15 quarterback in the NFL, I do think he’s probably going to be better than he showed last season. There was so much dysfunction within the organization, substandard talent on offense, and a lot of vanilla playcalling that just didn’t give Young much of a boost. If Young is going to be a success in Carolina, he needs to take several steps forward this year to give that franchise any hope.&lt;/p&gt;
  186. &lt;h3 id="p6KRWH"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  187. &lt;p id="SlcFbK"&gt;Daniels is the 3rd rookie on the list and checks in at number 10 here. I have my doubts that Daniels has what it takes to become an elite NFL QB (too long to discuss here), but I do think he steps into a decent position with some talent around him and can have some success as a rookie.&lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;h3 id="GKym4B"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  189. &lt;p id="petfoQ"&gt;It’s honestly pretty remarkable that Richardson is ahead of five quarterbacks. He flashed a little in his limited action last year, but his position on this list shows just how many inexperienced QBs are on this list (three rookies, four second-year starters). Richardson has a solid supporting cast and while he didn’t get many reps this year, he is poised to have a strong second season.&lt;/p&gt;
  190. &lt;h3 id="w6cL81"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  191. &lt;p id="10E13j"&gt;I think Smith is going to fade this year and I wouldn’t even be shocked if Sam Howell overtakes him as the starter before the Bears face Seattle in late December. Smith has been a nice story in Seattle, but his 2023 wasn’t as good as his 2022 and now he loses his offensive coordinator that he had so much success with. Smith being eighth on this list is more about the inexperience behind him than it is about his skill.&lt;/p&gt;
  192. &lt;h3 id="KbP2FZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  193. &lt;p id="ZBVp3v"&gt;We’ve reached the top half of the list and this is where the talent starts to improve. Kyler Murray may not be an elite QB, but he’s a solid quarterback who is a gifted athlete and is capable of putting up big numbers. With a stronger supporting staff around him this year, Murray could be set to have one of, if not the best season of his career.&lt;/p&gt;
  194. &lt;h3 id="dL68Gr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  195. &lt;p id="X2tbAS"&gt;Goff’s last two seasons have been the best statistically of his career. He’s excelled under Ben Johnson’s offense and he’s now $200 million richer because of it. The key to Goff: get him under pressure. The Bears have managed to do that pretty well, especially last season, and they’ve had Goff’s number because of it.&lt;/p&gt;
  196. &lt;h3 id="ACSZWO"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  197. &lt;p id="AVaj79"&gt;What’s remarkable about Purdy is that he has 21 career starts which makes him more experienced than eight quarterbacks on this list. Many fans and analysts around the league question Purdy’s overall abilities and think his success is largely only because of Kyle Shanahan, but Purdy’s ability to stand tall in the pocket, make the right reads, play on time, and execute the offense is outstanding and will keep him playing at a high level in this league for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;
  198. &lt;h3 id="0y3Rxf"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  199. &lt;p id="MrHs8m"&gt;I go back and forth on Purdy and Love and who should be ranked higher, but right now I think Love’s physical gifts keep him a little above Purdy even if Purdy has had a little more success at the NFL level. Love had a remarkable second half of the season and is poised to take another step forward this year and push to become a top-ten quarterback in the league. It will be interesting to see if a year of tape on him helps defensive coordinators defend him better this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  200. &lt;h3 id="a8KrPm"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  201. &lt;p id="A3OBVT"&gt;It’s nice that the Bears don’t face any top-five QBs this season (last year they faced two), but they do face three top-ten quarterbacks and Lawrence is the first on the list. Lawrence hasn’t quite been as successful as analysts expected him to be, but he’s still a strong quarterback and one that the Bears will be facing at “home” in London where the Jaguars are far more comfortable playing.&lt;/p&gt;
  202. &lt;h3 id="n0CvlJ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  203. &lt;p id="gWskx5"&gt;I still have nightmares of what Stafford (and Sean McVay) did to the Bears in week one of 2021. Stafford was unstoppable that night and showed just what a lethal combo he and McVay would be (and they have a Lombardi to prove it). Stafford has aged a good deal since 2021 but he’s still an excellent quarterback who manages to make plays seemingly when there’s nothing there. If Stafford’s age catches up with him, he could easily slip further down this list as the season progresses.&lt;/p&gt;
  204. &lt;h3 id="Qc0QxX"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  205. &lt;p id="CJOVWG"&gt;The top quarterback on this list is the man Caleb Williams will square off against in week two on Sunday Night Football. Stroud’s rookie season was the greatest the league has ever seen and there’s no telling what kind of ceiling he has at this point. Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik have tremendous chemistry and the &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Texans&lt;/a&gt; only added to the team around Stroud. If the Texans are &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl"&gt;Super Bowl&lt;/a&gt; contenders this year, Stroud will most likely be in the MVP conversation.&lt;/p&gt;
  206. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="riAnwb"&gt;
  207. &lt;p id="HTWCVO"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check out this sneak peek of Bill’s interview with Tyler Dunne that debuts on Monday morning on our 2nd City Gridiron video and podcast channels.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  208. &lt;div id="VzkHXt"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qo5osrwAA2Y?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  209.  
  210. </content>
  211.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159132/ranking-the-14-quarterbacks-the-chicago-bears-will-face-on-their-2024-nfl-schedule-cj-stroud"/>
  212.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159132/ranking-the-14-quarterbacks-the-chicago-bears-will-face-on-their-2024-nfl-schedule-cj-stroud</id>
  213.    <author>
  214.      <name>Bill Zimmerman</name>
  215.    </author>
  216.  </entry>
  217.  <entry>
  218.    <published>2024-05-18T07:30:00-05:00</published>
  219.    <updated>2024-05-18T07:30:00-05:00</updated>
  220.    <title>Making Monsters: ‘Caleb has a great way of inspiring others around him’ ~ Coach Trivers</title>
  221.    <content type="html">  
  222.  
  223.    &lt;figure&gt;
  224.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jCYHPAU_ugN004SmsZ_R3JiDAHs=/0x0:3572x2381/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355377/2152494824.0.jpg" /&gt;
  225.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  226.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  227.  
  228.  &lt;p&gt;Taylor Doll talks with Gonzaga College High School’s Head Coach, Randy Trivers, about his former quarterback, Caleb Williams. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="ys6x6T"&gt;On her latest Making Monsters, Taylor Doll sat down with Caleb Williams’ high school football coach, Randy Trivers from Gonzaga College High School, to get even more insight into the type of player and person the &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/a&gt; are getting in Williams.&lt;/p&gt;
  229. &lt;p id="iMULeW"&gt;Between the lines, Coach Trivers said that Williams has a complete game. &lt;/p&gt;
  230. &lt;p id="SL4oo3"&gt;“We could list a number of quarterbacks in the history of the league that were great pocket passers, guys that didn’t move often outside of the pocket and make these exceptional plays,” he said about Williams. “He can do that and do both of those things. Just like we could talk about guys that make improvised plays and get out. He’s just, yeah, he’s multifaceted.”&lt;/p&gt;
  231. &lt;p id="ENiD8F"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check out Taylor’s latest Making Monsters podcast for Coach Trivers’ thoughts on Chicago’s rookie quarterback. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  232. &lt;div id="R87wrh"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0HGUDu9Xyp7QMbff5l3QmV?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  233. &lt;p id="Th0Hpy"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-city-gridiron/id1740183213"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Apple&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3AfUwxvqBNmGKEcalJmYJY"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spotify&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-2nd-city-gridiron-165564430/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;iHeart&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.audacy.com/podcast/2nd-city-gridiron-4ac36"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Audacy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, and other popular podcast platforms, so hit subscribe wherever you get your audio. Our YouTube home is also called &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMXAZtZvYznksYB2z5cMDjA"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2nd City Gridiron&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, so subscribe there for our pods and other video content.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  234. &lt;p id="s4jhEj"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check out her YouTube version here:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  235. &lt;div id="BS8bwI"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/whKvAGkSbN0?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  236. &lt;div id="cIrewF"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="productcard:12290441"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  237.  
  238. </content>
  239.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159254/making-monsters-interview-chicago-bears-caleb-williams-high-school-coach-randy-trivers-gonzaga-usc"/>
  240.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/18/24159254/making-monsters-interview-chicago-bears-caleb-williams-high-school-coach-randy-trivers-gonzaga-usc</id>
  241.    <author>
  242.      <name>Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.</name>
  243.    </author>
  244.  </entry>
  245.  <entry>
  246.    <published>2024-05-17T13:30:00-05:00</published>
  247.    <updated>2024-05-17T13:30:00-05:00</updated>
  248.    <title>Five Most Compelling Games on the Chicago Bears Schedule</title>
  249.    <content type="html">  
  250.  
  251.    &lt;figure&gt;
  252.      &lt;img alt="2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CSqlQWjjrPOaleHl85KFMQjaZEQ=/0x0:5103x3402/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354317/1995543156.0.jpg" /&gt;
  253.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  254.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  255.  
  256.  &lt;p&gt;Here are the games that every Bears fan needs to circle.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="aVKTKc"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/a&gt; schedule was announced on Wednesday evening and it’s a unique one for sure. Neither of the &lt;a href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/"&gt;Green Bay Packers&lt;/a&gt; games are in primetime for the second year in a row, all of their divisional games are in the back half of the schedule and they kick off the season with three straight games against the AFC South.&lt;/p&gt;
  257. &lt;p id="NaAYBF"&gt;While Chicago’s 2024 slate has some quirks, it has some games for us to clear our schedule that day and make sure we leave plenty of time to sit down and watch these contests in full.&lt;/p&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="Ra7oib"&gt;Here are the five most intriguing games on the Bears’ 17-game schedule.&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="fT419y"&gt;
  260. &lt;h3 id="rwR4yw"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Week 1- September 8, Noon CT- Tennessee Titans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  261. &lt;p id="dFgi8Z"&gt;A game against an AFC opponent who will most likely be one of the bottom ten teams in the league isn’t usually a must-watch game, but this one will be for one simple reason- Caleb Williams’ debut. The Titans are a manageable game that will give Caleb Williams an excellent chance to get his career off on the right foot and earn a W in his first regular season start.&lt;/p&gt;
  262. &lt;h3 id="4kksVO"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Week 13- November 28, 11:30 am CT- At Detroit Lions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="Pe3izW"&gt;The Bears will face the Lions again on Thanksgiving, which seems to happen every other year over the last decade. Not only will this be a nationally televised game that will have 30 million pairs of eyeballs on the game, but it’ll be an excellent measuring stick for the Bears. The Lions are expected to be the best of the NFC North and one of the top three teams in the conference. This is Chicago’s first match-up of the season against Detroit, and we can see just how good Caleb Williams and the Bears can be.&lt;/p&gt;
  264. &lt;h3 id="K7oIHb"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Week 14- December 8, 3:25am CT- At San Francisco 49ers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  265. &lt;p id="ZHK1Fy"&gt;This should be the toughest game that the Bears have all season. Not only do they have to face possibly the best team in the NFL, but they’ll have to do it on the road. This game comes immediately after the Bears’ Thanksgiving tilt, so they’ll have two very difficult games in a row, and they’ll want to try to win one of them to avoid a late-season losing streak. The extra rest off the Thursday game should benefit the Bears, but this one will be a tall order.&lt;/p&gt;
  266. &lt;h3 id="WobRCW"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Week 2- September 15, 7:20 pm CT- At Houston Texans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  267. &lt;p id="24aqoU"&gt;This will be another tall order for the Bears, but it’ll be a compelling match-up for NBC on Sunday Night Football. Not only are these two up-and-coming teams, but it’s also the great QB the Bears passed on (CJ Stroud) for the quarterback they eventually selected one year later (Caleb Williams). This will be Williams’ first primetime opportunity, and as someone that we hear likes to rise to the occasion, this will be the perfect opportunity for him to shine.&lt;/p&gt;
  268. &lt;h3 id="CRqZFg"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Week 11- November 17, 12:00 pm CT- Green Bay Packers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  269. &lt;p id="pEMy1q"&gt;How can this not be the number one game on the list? Yes, it’s the Packers, but this will be broadcast on Fox, with the GOAT, Tom Brady, broadcasting this game, and this will be Caleb Williams’ first-ever game against the Bears’ heated rival. The Bears have lost every game against the Packers since Mitch Trubisky defeated them late in the 2018 season. Every time this rivalry doesn’t seem to be able to get more lopsided, the Bears figure out a way to get worse. If Williams is truly the quarterback fans hope he can be, perhaps he will break the losing streak and get Chicago back in the win column against Green Bay.&lt;/p&gt;
  270.  
  271. </content>
  272.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/17/24159106/five-most-compelling-games-on-chicago-bears-schedule-houston-texans-green-bay-packers-sf-49ers"/>
  273.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/17/24159106/five-most-compelling-games-on-chicago-bears-schedule-houston-texans-green-bay-packers-sf-49ers</id>
  274.    <author>
  275.      <name>Bill Zimmerman</name>
  276.    </author>
  277.  </entry>
  278.  <entry>
  279.    <published>2024-05-17T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  280.    <updated>2024-05-17T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  281.    <title>Householder’s 21st Century Bears team: House of Bears</title>
  282.    <content type="html">  
  283.  
  284.    &lt;figure&gt;
  285.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ewiEd8wcMaMesgVBbwCFrKAYUGE=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353581/83135931.0.jpg" /&gt;
  286.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Harry How/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  287.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  288.  
  289.  &lt;p&gt;Meet the next contender for the best 21st century Bears team&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="ZmKVHc"&gt;&lt;em&gt;After the 2024 &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, several of us at Windy City Gridiron participated in a 21st-century all-&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; fantasy draft.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  290. &lt;p id="OKi8SL"&gt;&lt;em&gt;What does that mean? Well, eight of our staffers got together in a randomized snake draft to build out a roster in all three phases consisting only of Bears players from the year 2000 to the present. Some people will argue the 21st century starts in 2001, but they can go to hell. It was a fun exercise, both in trying to build a complete roster and in going down memory lane.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  291. &lt;p id="HvqGxO"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Back in 2018, we ran a similar exercise with &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_5yFF0RNPs0Fd79UqWjchuejze1xxk61OkjKDbMLEXE/edit#gid=0"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;every player to ever suit up for the Bears&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;. This time, though, our time constraint allowed us to really get into the weeds and get creative — or in some cases, depressing — with our selections.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  292. &lt;p id="269rby"&gt;&lt;em&gt;This process consisted of 26 rounds, with 12 people on offense, 12 people on defense, and two special teamers. This allowed us some flexibility for our 11th man on the field, and consolidating kicker and punter into one position prevented any of us from having to select players who only played a game or two for the Bears.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  293. &lt;h3 id="DI3sLZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;House of Bears&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  294. &lt;p id="hjmbQY"&gt;My strategy was pretty straightforward...at first.&lt;/p&gt;
  295. &lt;p id="oHtCna"&gt;I tried to think about the positions with the least amount of depth and tried to prioritize those first. I then had to balance that against which players my fellow writers were taking.&lt;/p&gt;
  296. &lt;p id="SDlPyO"&gt;I also held the penultimate pick in the first round, so there was a long wait, followed by a quick turnaround for my picks.&lt;/p&gt;
  297. &lt;p id="kNzlYU"&gt;In round one I grabbed Matt Forte. For me, he’s the best running back the team has had in the 21st century. Based on who was off the board, I felt good about selecting one of the best all-around RBs the Bears have had in the past 30 years (even if we’re focusing only on the last 24 years.&lt;/p&gt;
  298. &lt;p id="dUtDrL"&gt;Then I went defense, grabbing Akiem Hicks for potential position flexibility (DE and DT). I followed that up with CB Kyle Fuller. Fuller didn’t end up with longevity, but he was the best CB the Bears had after Charles Tillman and is probably only behind Jaylon Johnson now over the last couple of decades.&lt;/p&gt;
  299. &lt;p id="LTPnsa"&gt;By this time I realized that my fellow drafters weren’t dumb either and that weaker position groups like OL and WR were starting to fly off the boards. So I grabbed WR Allen Robinson (round 4), James “Big Cat” Williams (round 5) and LT Jermon Bushrod (round 6) with my next three picks.&lt;/p&gt;
  300. &lt;p id="AYkOx1"&gt;After that, I wanted to grab some more starting-caliber defenders before that side of the ball started to dry up. I scooped up Walt Harris (round 7), Israel Idonije (round 9) and LB Danny Trevathan (round 10).&lt;/p&gt;
  301. &lt;p id="XedBvd"&gt;Between the Harris and Idonije picks, I grabbed TE Zach Miller in round 8. Tight end is another position that doesn’t have a lot of depth. &lt;/p&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="VQCnaz"&gt;After nabbing safety Tony Parrish in round 11, it was time to rip off the QB band aid.&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;p id="dUwETo"&gt;At this point only one QB had come off the board since round two. I was starting to get antsy. I had a couple guys in mind that I wanted and I decided to pull the trigger on Kyle Orton (round 12).&lt;/p&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="YWFqQV"&gt;I then grabbed Tremaine Edmunds (round 13), WR Marcus Robinson (round 14), DT Jim Flanigan (round 15) and C Eric Kush (round 16).&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;p id="o3Nt0W"&gt;Interior OL depth was going to go fast.&lt;/p&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="eEZWTF"&gt;When it came around to me again, I grabbed Rex Tucker (round 17), followed by SS Mike Green (round 18).&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="GuJWqk"&gt;By this point I started leaning on &lt;a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/about/approximate_value.htm"&gt;Pro-Football-Reference’s Approximate Value&lt;/a&gt; tool to both refresh my memory on certain players and to get an idea of how they stacked up against other players in the 21st century.&lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="BGIIqr"&gt;This led me to DTs Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone (rounds 19 and 21, respectively). To finish out my OL I went with a low-floor guy in Nate Davis (round 20) in the hopes that maybe this pick could look better in a couple of years, even if right now it’s more of a ‘meh’ pick.&lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;p id="qpsEEd"&gt;To round out my team, I looked at some special teams numbers, diving into career return yards for the franchise, as well as just pure overall special teams snaps. This landed me Glyn Milburn (round 23), who is fifth in both kick and punt return yards since 2000. Impressive because his only two 21st-century seasons in Chicago were 2000 and 2001.&lt;/p&gt;
  310. &lt;p id="L4WzLZ"&gt;DeAndre Houston-Carson (round 22) is second only to Sherrick McManis in special teams snaps played since 2012 (how far back PFR’s snap counts go). I’ll take that on my coverage units any day.&lt;/p&gt;
  311. &lt;p id="jD0Tsd"&gt;For my kicker I grabbed Michael Badgley (round 25). Small sample size but he hit 100 percent of the kicks he attempted as a Bear. With how barren that position was when I was picking, I’ll take it. &lt;/p&gt;
  312. &lt;p id="gVWz0z"&gt;Finally for depth and to fill out my roster I took Brandon McGowan (round 24) and RB Brock Forsey (round 26). McGowan was never a real full-time starter but had a couple of solid years as a depth piece and special teamer. Forsey was truly just a “there isn’t much left on the board and he was a &lt;a href="https://youtu.be/PPi1tgzzBfU?si=zuvMjAbZRW9FfC8G&amp;amp;t=398"&gt;fun one-hit wonder.&lt;/a&gt;”&lt;/p&gt;
  313. &lt;p id="3OFSW5"&gt;So that’s my team and my methodology of taking it. I think it’s solid. A grouping of Orton/Forte/Allen/Robinson on offense feels like it’s pretty strong in any era and with a defense with Fuller and Harris on the outside is going to give opposing receivers fits.&lt;/p&gt;
  314. &lt;p id="n67499"&gt;A versatile DL made up of guys with inside and outside flexibility like Hicks and Idonije will give my defense more options for disguises and exotic looks.&lt;/p&gt;
  315. &lt;p id="l5oVsg"&gt;&lt;a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W-HcvgV6Zyi_a6L_H7T5vzOdy88nJ2jp3l2G9GfyjJM/edit#gid=0"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here’s a link to the full results of our draft.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  316. &lt;p id="mol9Rk"&gt;&lt;em&gt;After we reveal all eight teams in article form, we’ll have a tournament to determine the winning team by fan vote!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  317.  
  318. </content>
  319.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/17/24158693/householders-21st-century-chicago-bears-team-house-of-bears-kyle-orton-matt-forte-akiem-hicks"/>
  320.    <id>https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/5/17/24158693/householders-21st-century-chicago-bears-team-house-of-bears-kyle-orton-matt-forte-akiem-hicks</id>
  321.    <author>
  322.      <name>Sam Householder</name>
  323.    </author>
  324.  </entry>
  325. </feed>
  326.  

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