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.
With the release of his first single, I could just imagine Zach Miller singing the Super Bowl Shuffle. Which current Bears player do you think has the right personality to have joined the'85 Bears in that music video?
Kevin T.
Dyer, Indiana
This is not a knock on anyone I exclude because of their lack of singing or dancing skills (of course, that didn't stop some members of the 1985 Bears ha ha). But the players on the current team with the personalities to participate in a Super Bowl Shuffle that first come to my mind are Tarik Cohen, Akiem Hicks and Eddie Jackson. I imagine that Tarik somehow would include a backflip as well.
When was the last time a quarterback the Bears drafted started the season opener as a rookie?
Stephen A.
New City, New York
The last time that happened was in 2005 when fourth round draft pick Kyle Orton not only started the season opener but the first 15 games. Orton was expected to be the third-stringer. But starter Rex Grossman broke his ankle in a preseason game and presumed second-stringer Chad Hutchinson performed so poorly in the preseason—he had a Blutarski-like 0.0 passer rating in one game—that he was released before the season opener. The Bears signed veteran Jeff Blake to serve as Orton's backup. Relying primarily on their running game and defense, the Bears won the NFC North title with a 11-5 record but lost their first playoff game to the Panthers.
I know the Bears played the Cleveland Browns in their final preseason game for several years. So is that the game being cancelled this year and in the future with the NFL reducing the preseason from four games to three?
Brian A.
Watseka, Illinois
No, the agreement between the Bears and Browns ended after the 2017 season. (The teams faced each other in the preseason finale for 14 straight years from 2004-17.) The Bears closed the 2018 preseason against the Bills and then began a home-and-away agreement with the Titans in 2019. So the Bears and Titans will close the preseason against each other, alternating cities each year, for the foreseeable future.
