Bears LBs coach Dave Borgonzi named defensive coordinator for East-West Shrine Bowl

Dave Borgonzi joins Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower’s staff at this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

Another Chicago Bears coach is joining the staff for the East-West Shrine Bowl. Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi will be the defensive coordinator for the East team. Borgonzi joins Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower’s staff for the game, who will serve as the East’s head coach. Arizona Cardinals passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Drew Terrell will serve as Hightower’s offensive coordinator.

Borgonzi joined the Bears in 2022, coming over from the Indianapolis Colts with head coach Matt Eberflus, where he held the same role. Borgonzi has played a role in developing young linebackers such as Shaq Leonard and Bobby Okereke with the Colts and Jack Sanborn with the Bears. Under his tutelage this past season, linebackers TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds excelled in their first season with the Bears.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is one of college football’s postseason all-star games that dates back to 1925. Since 2017, the game has pulled assistant coaches from the NFL to serve as coaches for each side. This year’s game takes place Thursday, February 4th, at 7 p.m. CT at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX.

Former Wisconsin defenders were all over the NFL front pages this weekend

Former Wisconsin defenders were all over the NFL front pages this weekend

Former Wisconsin defenders had yet another memorable day in the NFL yesterday.

The weekend started with former Badger defensive lineman Beau Allen leading the Badgers on the field on Saturday night. It then continued with several Wisconsin products making game-changing plays on Sunday.

Two of those players had the Bears in position to pull an upset in Detroit, and one future Hall Of Famer continued his absolute dominance of a division foe.

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First, an interception by Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards:

Edwards finished with nine tackles and the one interception. He’s up to 121 tackles on the season.

Next, a sack by Bears LB Jack Sanborn in the same contest:

That was Sanborn’s first career NFL sack.

And finally, future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt with another sack against the Browns:

8 takeaways from the Bears’ familiar loss to the Vikings

The Bears are who we thought they were after the 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Here were our takeaways from the game.

It’s back to reality for the 2023 Chicago Bears. After an exciting victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 5, the Bears followed it up with a stinker on the lakefront, losing 19-13 to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 1-5.

Chicago had 10 days to prepare for their divisional opponent, but apparently that wasn’t enough time to recognize Minnesota’s numerous blitz packages that thwarted the offense on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Justin Fields had a rough outing, completing just 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards and an interception before exiting the game with a dislocated thumb.

Backup undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent entered in relief and didn’t fare much better, committing two turnovers that thwarted any sort of comeback. The offense totaled just 275 yards and failed to capitalize when they had excellent field position, which they had often thanks to a strong defensive performance.

The Bears defense contained the Vikings offense for much of the day. Minnesota scored 12 offensive points, totaled 220 yards, and converted just 2-of-13 third-down conversions. With a (mostly) healthy secondary back and improved play from the linebackers, the defense played well enough for the team to win. That wasn’t the case, though, and now the Bears have to navigate an uncertain immediate future with key injuries sidelining players such as Fields.

Here were our takeaways from Sunday’s all-too-familiar loss.

Good, bad and ugly from the Bears’ Week 3 loss to the Chiefs

The Bears were humiliated by the Chiefs in a 41-10 loss. We break down the good, bad and ugly from the game.

It’s times like these that Chicago Bears fans need to stick together.

The Bears were embarrassed 41-10 by the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated. Chicago has now lost 13 consecutive games dating back to last season, head coach Matt Eberflus has utterly failed to rally his team following a tumultuous week, and many fans are close to coming to the bleak reality that Fields is not the team’s quarterback of the future.

Even though we’re only just approaching Week 4, the Bears have reached one of their lowest points as a football franchise, as have their loyal fans.

Let’s do it. Let’s take the plunge into the… good (?), bad and ugly from the Bears’ Week 3 loss to the Chiefs.

WATCH: Jack Sanborn comes up with his first career interception

The former Badger comes up with his first career pick

While there were few bright spots for the Chicago Bears this week or over the past three weeks, former Wisconsin Badger Jack Sanborn came up with his first career interception.

Blaine Gabbert came in after the Chiefs built up a massive lead, and threw a pair of interceptions in relief. Sanborn was one of the only positives for the Bears on a tough day for Chicago in Kansas City.

The former Badger returned the pick 42 yards to help set up the Bears with a chance to get on the board. On the year, Sanborn has 11 total tackles and the lone interception.

3 key matchups to watch as Bears battle the Packers in Week 1

The Bears will look to get the upper hand in three key matchups against the Packers in Week 1.

The Chicago Bears kick off the 2023 NFL season by hosting their long-time rival Green Bay Packers Sunday at Soldier Field, and both teams are looking drastically different than they have in year’s past.

Chicago now boasts a star wide receiver in DJ Moore, a scary running back group and tenacious linebacker unit. The Packers, on the other hand, have turned over the offense to former first-round pick Jordan Love, who now carries the fanbase’s expectation of being the next great Green Bay quarterback.

The two teams both have strengths and weaknesses that the opposing squad can exploit, so let’s discuss those matchups that will inevitably come into play on Sunday. Here are three key matchups to watch for in Week 1.

Bears stars to attend autograph and photo event in Schaumburg

Bears players, including Justin Fields and DJ Moore, will appear at the Elite Icons Autograph and Sports Card Show in October.

The Chicago Bears will be making their grand return to historic Soldier Field in just over a week, kicking off a 2023 season that is sure to be a rollercoaster of highs and lows. And while Chicago fans enjoy the festivities week in and week out, they’ll have the chance to meet the team’s biggest stars.

Several players will reportedly participate in the Elite Icons Autograph and Sports Card Show, an event that will take place in the Chicago suburb of Schamburg from Friday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 8.

According to the show’s official Facebook event page, fans will have the opportunity to receive autographs and take photos with some big-name Bears players: Justin Fields, Tremaine Edmunds, DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn. They will be joined by all-time great NFL players such as Zach Thomas, Ladainian Tomlinson and Bo Jackson.

The event provides diehard football fans a rare opportunity to meet the super humans they root for every season. The dates of the event coincide perfectly with a pseudo-bye week the team will be enjoying. They’ll battle Washington Commanders in a Week 5 game on Oct. 5, and they have a mini-bye week before they play a Sunday divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 15.

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7 biggest storylines to watch for in Bears vs. Colts

The Bears are gearing up to take on the Colts in Indianapolis for preseason Week 2. Here are 7 big storylines to keep an eye on.

The Chicago Bears will play their second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday after collaborating on a couple of joint practices this week. The team only has a few weeks to prepare for their opening game against the Green Bay Packers, which means several concerns and questions will need to be sorted out before then. Several position groups will be looking to build off their solid game from last week, the offense will need to adjust after several starters were confirmed to be sitting out, and there’s even a position battle that still has no clear front runner.

Prepare for the game by taking a look at the seven biggest storylines to watch for in Week 2 of the preseason.

Bears training camp: DeMarcus Walker, Jack Sanborn exit practice with apparent injuries

DeMarcus Walker and Jack Sanborn left Tuesday’s practice early with apparent injuries, while other Bears players were also sidelined.

The Chicago Bears conducted their first padded practice of training camp on Tuesday, where the energy and intensity was evident from those in attendance.

While the Bears have been relatively healthy since camp started last week, there were apparent injuries to a couple of notable starters: defensive end DeMarcus Walker and linebacker Jack Sanborn.

Chicago was also without right guard Nate Davis, rookie running back Roschon Johnson and fullback Khari Blasingame, who sat out of Tuesday’s practice. Tight end Chase Allen also remained sidelined.

Eberflus explained they won’t share information about the status of injured players. But he did say those missing players are dealing with things and working with the medical staff to get back on the practice field. Eberflus noted he’ll provide an update if there’s a “long term” concern with thsoe injuries.

Eberflus declined to speak on the injuries that Davis and Johnson are dealing with.

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Bears 2023 training camp: Press conferences after second practice

The Bears returned to the practice field on Thursday, where Luke Getsy, Khalil Herbert and more met with the media.

The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field Thursday for their second training camp workout, which was the first open to the public this summer.

There were no shortage of storylines from Day 2, which included rookie Tyler Scott’s blazing speed and Justin Fields and DJ Moore putting on another show.

Here’s a look at the press conferences following the Bears’ second practice, which included offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn and running back Khalil Herbert. General manager Ryan Poles also discussed tight end Cole Kmet’s recent extension.