PROFILES » The Chicago Bears are rolling into their first playoff

LAKE FOREST Iman Marshall Jersey , Ill. (AP) — appearance in eight years, with nine wins in 10 games and their sights set on a bigger prize after capturing the NFC North.“This is where it gets real,” coach Matt Nagy said Monday.From four straight last-place finishes to hosting a wild-card matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, it’s been quite a transformation for the Bears over the past 12 months. A busy offseason that started with former coach John Fox getting fired and ended with the blockbuster trade for Khalil Mack has paid off in a big way.Now, it seems anything is possible. But as far as Nagy is concerned, it’s business as usual this week.“Don’t stay up later at night just because it’s the playoffs,” he said. “Why? Just do the normal stuff that you’ve been doing. It’s been working. Why do you need to change it now, because it’s the playoffs? No, just continue to do what you do.”What the Bears (12-4) are doing seems to be working quite well. They more than doubled their win total after going 5-11 a year ago while posting their best regular-season record since the 2006 team went 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl.The Bears refused to let up in a 24-10 victory at Minnesota that knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs. They went with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky the whole way and only held out previously injured starters.With Philadelphia also beating Washington, the Eagles claimed the final wild card over the Vikings. That sets up a playoff matchup with no shortage of story lines, starting with Nagy going against his friend Doug Pederson. The two worked together under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City.Trubisky will be making his first playoff appearance, and there will be brothers on opposite sides — Bears guard Kyle Long and Eagles defensive end Chris Long.“I’m happy for both of us and proud of him,” Kyle Long said Sunday, after returning from a right foot injury that caused him to miss eight games. “They’ve had a tough start and they’ve battled back and they have an incredibly talented team, so it’s going to be a tough game at home.”It’s been a tough road back to the playoffs for Chicago.The drought cost three coaches their jobs and led to shrinking crowds as fans’ frustration mounted. Chicago is making its first playoff appearance since the 2010 season, when it won the division and lost to Green Bay in the NFC title game.The Bears fired Lovie Smith after going 10-6 in 2012 and continued to unravel from there. Marc Trestman lasted two seasons. Fox was let go after three seasons with a 14-34 record, a .292 winning percentage that ranked as the second-lowest in franchise history.But look at the Bears now.A team that started the season by blowing a 20-point lead against an injured Aaron Rodgers in a loss at Green Bay has its sights set on a Super Bowl run.The Bears gave up a league-low 17.7 points per game during the regular season and ranked third in total defense. No team forced as many turnovers (36) or intercepted as many passes (27). And though the offense has been inconsistent in Nagy’s first year, there has been growth http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/trace-mcsorley-jersey-cheap , particularly from Trubisky. He has a 109.7 rating over the past three games, completing just under 76 percent of his passes for three touchdowns without an interception.“I am very proud of this team,” Trubisky said. “This was a big turnaround from last year, being in the same locker room with these guys but having a whole different feeling. … Looking back, we have got 12 wins and we are playing at home in the playoffs, and we are excited for this next opportunity. If we keep doing what we are doing, hopefully we can do something special and keep rolling.”NOTES: Nagy said he hopes Long can play the entire game after being in for 27 snaps on Sunday. … Nagy sounded optimistic WR Allen Robinson (ribs), S Eddie Jackson (ankle) and LB Aaron Lynch (elbow) will be available after missing the Minnesota game. “I’m hoping they’re all ready to go,” he said. … Nagy also downplayed the left shoulder injury WR Anthony Miller suffered against the Vikings, saying there’s “nothing significant there.” WR Taylor Gabriel also hurt his ribs, and DE Roy Robertson-Harris had “a little whiplash from enemy fire,” Nagy said. SWARTHMORE, Pa. (AP) — Cheryl Colleluori had delivered a meal at a Philadelphia children’s hospital to a family touched by cancer when she noticed the 6-foot-5 hulking man with a shaved head holding the hand of a little girl.Colleluori instantly recognized Devon Still, the former Penn State star whose daughter Leah was diagnosed with a rare cancer that affects primarily infants and young children. Out of respect, Colleluori kept her distance and allowed the Stills their family time, but if she could have stopped him and shared a message, it was this: “You’re a lucky, lucky man. I wish I was that lucky.”Colleluori’s son Nick was an undersized pitbull of an athlete who parlayed talent and grit into a lacrosse scholarship at Hofstra. But toward the end of his freshman season in 2005 David Montgomery Jersey , what Nick thought was an issue with his hearing instead was diagnosed as non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Nick Colleluori died at 21 years old on Nov 28, 2006, but not before he left a legacy carried out by his family: Nick’s House, a free home for cancer patients, and their families, undergoing treatment in the Philadelphia area.Colleluori finally got the chance to meet Still nearly 3 1/2 years later when the retired NFL lineman toured Nick’s House . Leah Still is nearing four years in remission and her father has become an author, motivational speaker, and an inspiration — especially to strangers suffering like his family did.“I just kind of admired how jovial you were, and trying to be as normal as possible in a very, very tough situation,” Colleluori told Still inside the house.Colleluori directed Still toward a portrait of her son above the fireplace in the home that fits up to seven families and comes furnished, with full bathrooms and other comforts of home. Nick Colleluori founded the HEADstrong Foundation from his hospital bed and more than 500 people are expected at the ninth fundraising gala for the nonprofit organization will be held Friday in Philadelphia.“It’s cool to find out how she recycled her pain to help other people,” Still said.Leah was diagnosed in 2014 with cancer and became an inspiration to millions as her football-playing father shared details of her brave fight. She was given a prognosis of just over 50 percent to survive stage 4 neuroblastoma. Leah is now a healthy 8-year-old girl in third grade who lives in Houston and is set to celebrate four years of her cancer being in remission on March 25, with a gala in Philadelphia for their “Still Strong Foundation.”“We’re just fighting to get to that five-year mark,” Still said. “She’ll be declared cancer free. There’s always a chance that Leah’s cancer may come back because she has an aggressive form of neuroblastoma. But once you get through that third year, your chances drop significantly.”Still played three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and a year with Houston before he retired in 2017. His career was dwarfed by his daughter’s fight with cancer — they were everywhere. Countless videos, poignant interviews and appearances that raised cancer awareness and funds. They authored a children’s book together, “I Am Leah Strong.” Leah even received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPY Awards in 2015.“Just fight for four quarters http://www.bearscheapstores.com/riley-ridley-jersey-cheap ,” Still said. “Regardless of what you’re hearing from the doctors, regardless of what your prognosis is, or you read on the Internet, as long as your child is alive, you still have a chance to really win this battle with cancer. Leah failed her first treatment. The cancer ended up spreading all over her body. But because we didn’t give up, we didn’t throw in the towel, my daughter is now going on four years in remission.”Still was moved by Colleluori and her mission at Nick’s House. Most families that arrive at the house are financially strapped and looking for a sense of community during the most devastating time of their lives. The HEADstrong Foundation has raised more than $9 million since 2007 and helped nearly 14,000 cancer patients and their families. Colleluori has walked the walk of cancer-stricken families and the house has become a support system for those in need, and it’s a full house — 15 total people for families currently from South Carolina, Alabama, New York and Pennsylvania all reside in the temporary housing. The youngest cancer patient now in the 120-year-old house is just a 21-month-old boy with a rare leukemia, and the home is open to all ages and anyone with a cancer diagnosis. Colleluori had applications on her desk that she had to reject because Nick’s House was at capacity — two patients who lived at the house this year have died — though expansion plans are on the horizon.More than 69 families have stayed at Nick’s House, which is managed with volunteers, over the past year and the average stay is six-to-eight weeks.The 29-year-old Still admires the program and how the families have persevered in the toughest times — a lesson he’s still learning with Leah.“If it comes back, it comes back and we’ll just deal with it then,” Still said. “But I’m not going to allow cancer to control us like it did for two years.”