LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Senior writer Larry Mayer sits down with general manager Jerry Angelo to discuss the most pressing issues involving the Bears every Wednesday exclusively on ChicagoBears.com.

This feature will provide you with inside information directly from Jerry that you can’t get anywhere else. Jerry will candidly discuss relevant issues affecting the Bears that fans are most interested in.

With the playoffs no longer a realistic possibility, how will the Bears approach their last five games?

Bears GM Jerry Angelo only wants players who are passionate about football and winning on his team.

We want to win all five games because winning is always first and foremost. Next, we’ll continue to evaluate and develop players. Those are the things that you’re always focused on during the year and certainly at the tail end of the year. Given some of the recent injuries we have sustained and the development of young players who have gained the confidence of the coaches, there may be opportunities to see more of our personnel on Sundays.

Anyone can play with heart and effort early in the season. But when the playoffs are no longer a possibility, does that afford you an even better chance to see exactly what a player is made of?

That’s a good question. Yes, it probably does. I’d like to think that every man in that locker room is that guy, and there’s nothing that I have seen to make me think differently, so I’m assuming that. But that’s very important because we want players that are passionate about football and passionate about winning. If they’re not, they won’t be a Chicago Bear.

Will you be looking more at those types of intangibles in the final weeks of the season given the situation the Bears are in?

I’m always looking at that. That’s important from Day 1 until the last day of the season.

What are your expectations for the remainder of the season?

Every time you go out there, you go out there with the expectation of winning and of getting better individually as well as a defensive and offensive unit. That’s each and every week. Does that happen every week? No, it doesn’t. But you’re always striving to be the best you can be, and your full focus and attention to detail on the practice field and in the classroom is what makes a pro. That’s what makes a winning team and that’s what creates a championship.

Bears top pick Jarron Gilbert has played in only only one game this season. Has he not progressed as expected or is it just a matter of having too many veteran defensive linemen ahead of him?

When we drafted Jarron Gilbert, we drafted the value of his position. We did not draft a need. Because of that, he’s having to wait his turn. There are [players] ahead of him. You normally dress seven defensive linemen, but we’ve been dressing eight, so it’s hard to get him active. He’s ready to go. I’m anxious to see him. The coaches feel he’s ready to play and deserves to play. It’s just a matter of numbers on game day.

Another rookie defensive lineman, Henry Melton, has spent the entire season on injured reserve. Being on IR, has he been able to attend meetings and work out with his teammates in the weight room?

The only thing that Henry is not permitted to do is practice. Everything else he can do and is doing. He’s at every practice watching, staying with coach [Rod] Marinelli in position drills. He’s in the weight room getting bigger and stronger, and he’s in the classroom. So everything you could possibly do—except for the pads—he’s doing, and we feel good about his development.