Bears player Gaines Adams, 26, is dead, according to a report by the Greenville News of South Carolina.

Adams, a former Clemson University football star, died Sunday morning after he was taken to the Emergency Room at Self Regional in Greenwood, County Coroner James T. Coursey told the Greensville News.

Adams, a defensive end, was the fourth player chosen in the 2007 National Football League draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago Bears in October. An autopsy will be performed today by a forensic pathologist.

http://www.suntimes.com

According to the Chicago-Sun Times, Gaines passed away due to a heart attack:

Chicago-Sun Times Report

Gaines Adams, the defensive end the Bears acquired for a second-round draft pick from Tampa Bay this season, died this morning at 26.

Adams, according to reports in The Greenville News, was pronounced dead at the emergency room of Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, S.C. according to County Coroner James T. Coursey.

Adams, 26, was a standout player at Clemson at defensive end, and was the fourth player chosen in the 2007 National Football League draft by the Buccaneers. He was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago Bears in October, though didn’t find much playing time with the struggling defensive unit.

An autopsy is planned by Anderson County officials following reports of a heart attack, though no cause of death has been declared yet.

In four years in the league, Adams, a native of South Carolina, recorded 13.5 sacks in 29 games.

The tragic news comes less than 24 hours after fellow Bears defensive lineman Dusty Dvoracek was arrested in relation to a bar brawl in Oklahoma.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/

After Green Bay’s 21-15 victory over Chicago, here are three (mostly) indisputable facts I feel relatively sure about:

1. Before I could start banging the drum again, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Allen Barbre will retain his job as the starting right tackle. Barbre had the kind of night offensive linemen dread: When it’s apparent early in a game that they can’t stop the player across from him. Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye embarrassed Barbre twice in the first quarter alone, and things improved minimally as the game went on. (You wonder if it had more to do with Ogunleye losing steam than it did Barbre improving.) Packers coaches should share some blame for not adjusting quicker to get Barbre some help. If you can’t replace him, you can call plays that allows a tight end or running back to throw a shoulder at the defensive end to slow him down a bit. Read the full story

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated right wrist — a major blow for a team with high expectations. Read the full story

GREEN BAY – Aaron Rodgers brought the Packers back late in the fourth quarter, heaving a 50-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings with 1:11 remaining to give Green Bay a 21-15 victory over the Chicago Bears in the season opener Sunday night.

Facing third-and-1 at the 50-yard line, Rodgers faked play action and heaved a rainbow of a throw deep to Jennings, who ran in for the go-ahead score. Rodgers found Jennings again for a 2-point conversion.

Rodgers’ big throw ruined the debut of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw a career-worst four interceptions.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Cullen Jenkins can recall the date off the top of his head: Sept. 28, the day his breakout 2008 season came to a screeching halt.

Well on his way to establishing an identity separate from his big brother, Pro Bowl pass rusher Kris, Jenkins tore a pectoral muscle in Week 4. He missed the remainder of the season, and the Green Bay Packers missed him dearly. Read the full story