Patrick Finley

4 days ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Patrick Finley

Bears guard Luke Newman was taking off his cleats at the end of the Bears’ rookie minicamp Sunday when he introduced himself to running back Kyle Monangai. “Kyle,” he said, “you terrorized us.”In the regular season finale Nov. 30, Monangai ran a whopping 31 times for 129 yards and one touchdown in a 41-14 Rutgers win against Newman’s Michigan State team. “They know my name up there in East Lansing,” Monangai said. They know his name in a lot of Big Ten cities.

5 days ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Patrick Finley

One noticeable change from last season is the loud voice coming from the Bears’ running backs drills. Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, the former Chiefs and Commanders offensive coordinator, isn’t shy about shouting instructions to his players — and using choice language if they make mistakes. “He’s very experienced — he has been to the mountain top and knows what that looks like,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said.

5 days ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Patrick Finley

Ask Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle about Caleb Williams, and he rewinds exactly one week. On May 3, the Bears’ second-year quarterback came to Halas Hall on his own. He walked through the Bears’ new playbook by himself, making sure to get the details right. That’s a good sign. “I would say that he is very eager to do work,” Doyle said Saturday after the second day of rookie minicamp. “He’s here after hours. He’s really trying to get it right.

5 days ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Patrick Finley

Luther Burden came back from his draft party undrafted. Sitting in his apartment around 11 p.m. after Round 1 of the NFL draft last month, Burden didn’t quite know what to do. He was too amped — furious, really — to sleep. He’d never felt so motivated. “I was like, ‘I need to get out of here,’” he said. The wide receiver turned to his girlfriend and told her that he wanted to go to Missouri’s indoor football complex. He caught passes.

6 days ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Patrick Finley

Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner was offered a ride to the team’s backfields from the player exit at Halas Hall before practice Friday. He declined. He wanted to walk and give himself time to think. “Just tried to soak it in,” the second-round pick said. “Dream come true, finally getting to do what I’ve been wanting to do for my whole life.