Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
How are the Bears handling their quick turnaround, playing Sunday night against the Vikings and then four days later versus the Lions on Thanksgiving in Detroit?
Kevin F.
Evanston, Illinois
About a week ago as the Bears headed into a stretch of three games in 12 days, coach Matt Nagy met with the players to let them know what to expect. He wanted them to focus on their upcoming game against the Lions but also be mentally prepared for the next two contests. This week coming up will be especially challenging with two games in such a short period of time, but the Bears appear to be focused and prepared for it. Said Nagy: "It is a crazy time playing a night game and then 80-something hours later you're traveling and you're on the road playing an early day game. That's hard. I don't know when the last time is that's been done. But that's where we're at. We've already been through our game plan as a staff as to how we're going to handle the post-game practices and meetings [after the Vikings game] and that sort of thing. So, I feel really prepared there, and I just want to make sure that our guys are really focusing in on this game Sunday night."
Do you think that Bryan Witzmann will play the entire game at right guard against the Vikings like he did last week versus the Lions, or do you think he'll split time with Eric Kush?
Vernon L.
Burr Ridge, Illinois
Listening to coach Matt Nagy speak to the media Friday, it sounded like the Bears would play Bryan Witzmann at right guard the whole game Sunday night against the Vikings for the second straight week. Said Nagy: "We feel comfortable where we're at. If we feel like that's something we need to do, then [offensive line coach] Harry [Hiestand] and I will discuss that, but right now we feel good with where we're at."
What are Bears players saying about having their games against the Vikings and Rams moved to Sunday night?
Lee T.
Iowa
All the players I spoke with looked at the moves as a sign of respect from the NFL and said they were excited to play in primetime games. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks pretty much summed up the feeling in the Bears locker room by saying: "Flex them all; why not? They want to see us in prime time and that's always blessing. That's the type of pressure that you want. You want people to want to see you in prime time. You want the league to give you that respect and say, 'Hey, these guys are playing good football, we want to see them as the only game on TV that night.'"
