Top Bears pick Long has school to wrap up

LAKE FOREST | The Bears' draft picks have plenty of obstacles to overcome in the next few months while trying to fit onto the roster.

Bears face uncertain times even if they beat Lions

LAKE FOREST | Bears linebacker Lance Briggs insisted all he's thinking about is Chicago beating the Detroit Lions and reaching the playoffs.

Slumping Bears now struggling for their postseason lives

CHICAGO | Talking trash is OK if you work for the park district or streets and sanitation.

Briggs joins Marshall in unloading on Packers

LAKE FOREST | The NFL's oldest rivals are spicing up their Sunday showdown with some serious trash talk.

Bears must stop Lynch, contain rookie QB Wilson

CHICAGO | Marshawn Lynch isn't the most talkative guy in the NFL, for whatever reason.

AL HAMNIK: Soup's on with Campbell now stirring the pot

CHICAGO | Locker rooms hate losing.

AL HAMNIK: Bears find it's better to be lucky than good

CHICAGO | It's one thing to be soundly outplayed by a superior team.

Cowboys heading into bye and brutal stretch

IRVING, Texas | The Dallas Cowboys certainly picked a bad time for an awful game, one that will stick with them for an extended period.

Bears' Brian Urlacher: 'There's a sense of urgency every year'

BOURBONNAIS | Brian Urlacher's outlook is as healthy as his left knee.

AL HAMNIK: Tebow would rather win games than popularity contests

Tim Tebow is strange and new as an NFL quarterback/fullback and you can't prevent change.

AL HAMNIK: Bears admit talk is cheap, winning is only cure-all

CHICAGO | Brian Urlacher is the face of the Bears and that face has worn a puzzled look seldom seen from its franchise stars.

Briggs wants to be dealt if he can't get raise

LAKE FOREST, Ill. | Lance Briggs made it clear again he wants to be traded if the Bears won't restructure his contract at some point.

AL HAMNIK: Bears' Briggs way out of line in $$$ demands

There is greed and then there is Lance Briggs, who makes Scrooge look like a Peace Corps volunteer.

Injured Bear Briggs replaced in Pro Bowl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason is headed to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Chicago's Lance Briggs.

Bears' 'D' not ready to be helped across the street

LAKE FOREST | They should've brought Aretha Franklin to Halas Hall on Wednesday to sing about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Seahawks want to prove they belong in Chicago

CHICAGO | Matt Hasselbeck hears the whispers, the snickers. They said his Seahawks didn't belong in the postseason, not at 7-9, and certainly not in Chicago for today's divisional matchup with the Bears.

Defensive resurgence leads Bears to playoffs

LAKE FOREST, Ill. | Brian Urlacher looked at the talent on the roster and saw no reason why the Bears would miss the postseason for a fourth-straight year.