Chicago Bears News: Culture Changes and Much More

Good morning Bears fans! Welcome to Bear Dawn, the latest Chicago Bears news and notes from across the web for Tuesday July 21, 2015.

One of the biggest obstacles head coach John Fox faces is reshaping a losing culture.

"More at issue now is whether the seeds of the Pace/Fox culture take root. Because if they do not, if players are not fully with the program, as was the case with the previous coaching change…It was evident that the content and style of the Marc Trestman/Phil Emery message did not resonate with their team. Fox and his staff arrive with exponentially more credibility than Trestman and his did, but content and style are still relatively new to players."

John Fox’s coaching tree is growing.  It’s still just a little sapling, but it’s growing…

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Checking in at #5 on Chicago Football’s Bear Necessities countdown is free agent Pernell McPhee.

"It’s McPhee’s size, strength and obviously potential that attracted the Bears at the start of free agency. He will certainly be the Day One starter at one of the outside linebacker positions, and he is already getting acclimated to dropping into coverage in the new role as a player that should be on the field at least 80 percent of the snaps. McPhee’s versatility will allow Fangio to move him inside, or even down to the defensive line in sub packages. Rushing the passer with the effectiveness that McPhee showed last season combined with the stoutness against the run makes the new Bear a perfect chess piece for the 3-4 defense."

The Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer previews the Chicago Bears running backs:

"…while his desire for a contract extension has gone ungranted, Forte has handled that personal disappointment with perspective, not letting it diminish his focus or dedication. His professionalism and work ethic should remain terrific examples for the younger backs on the roster."

Dan Durkin continues his preview series with the Chicago Bears offensive line.

Jay Cutler enters the 2015 season with the ninth highest contract in the league with $18.1M coming his way.

Meanwhile, Da Bears Beat takes a more detailed look at the guard and center positions in their interior line preview.

Arthur Arkush looks at the other side of the line, focusing on the Bears defensive line in his latest preview.

"Vic Fangio views down linemen as the “heart and soul” of any defense, and in base packages, they’re responsible namely for stuffing the run. Chicago finished 17th in run defense in 2014, after being dead last in ’13, but it still permitted 4.3 yards per carry. What’s more, clubs weren’t apt to run when they routinely met little resistance through the air against the Bears’ abysmal pass defense."

Get to know Chicago Bears linebackers coach Glenn Pires.

Can you believe that FanDuel is already posting some salaries for their Week 1 fantasy players?

Schedule