Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of email questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
Did Micheal Spurlock win the kick return job and will Senorise Perry contribute in the return game since he made the 53-man roster as well?
Steven B.
Camas, Washington
Bears coach Marc Trestman said Monday that Micheal Spurlock is "the guy we're going to start with" on kickoff returns in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Of course that doesn't mean that Senorise Perry won't get an opportunity as well, but we'll first have to see if the rookie running back is active on Sunday. Teams are only permitted to dress 46 of their 53 players for games. Trestman also said that Santonio Holmes will open the season as the Bears' primary punt returner. Holmes had a 30-yard punt return that set up a field goal in the Bears' preseason finale against the Browns in Cleveland. He returned punts early in his career with the Steelers.
Will Chris Conte start Sunday's opener at safety?
Phil G.
Syracuse, New York
That will be determined later in the week. While Chris Conte participated in Monday's practice on a limited basis, he's still going through concussion protocol and has not yet been cleared to play. With Conte's situation unresolved, coach Marc Trestman said that the Bears are "going to wait and see" before naming their starting safeties. More will be known Wednesday when the first official injury report is released, so stay tuned. In terms of whether Conte's conditioning will be a factor after he played only part of one preseason game, Trestman said: "He hasn't had the preparation time certainly that other guys have had, there's no doubt about it. But at the end of the day, we go by what the trainers and the doctors have to say. If he's not in condition to play, if he's not physically ready to play, he won't. If they feel like he is, he's going to have to work into that because he didn't get the preseason time that certainly the other guys did."
Will Marquess Wilson be placed on injured reserve with a designation to return this season?
Ryan L.
Iowa
Updating this answer from earlier in the day, the Bears on Tuesday placed Marquess Wilson on injured reserve with the designation to return. That means that the second-year pro will be eligible to begin practicing after Week 6 and permitted to play in a game following Week 8. As a result, the first contest he can play in is Nov. 9 against the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday Night Football.
