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.
Will Jay Cutler have any of his top receivers (other than Kevin White) back for the season opener?
Greg M.
Romeoville, Illinois
The Bears haven't said much about the status of receivers Alshon Jeffery (calf), Eddie Royal (hip) and Marquess Wilson (hamstring) and I don't expect that to change. Coach John Fox doesn't want to let the Packers know which receivers they should prepare for in next Sunday's regular-season opener. When asked about Jeffery after Thursday night's preseason finale, Fox said: "From a competitive standpoint, we're going to say as little as we can, just because we really don't want to help our opponent. I think understanding that is important for everyone." We will get more of an idea of who might play in the opener beginning Wednesday when the Bears are required to provide an injury report that lists who practices without restrictions, on a limited basis and not at all. On Friday, teams must designate whether injured players are out, doubtful (25 percent chance they'll play), questionable (50 percent) or probable (75 percent) for the game.
Is there any correlation between how well the Bears do in the preseason and how they do in the regular season? For some reason I have it in my mind that the worse they do in the preseason the better they do in the regular season. Is that true?
Brian
Elburn, IL
There is some evidence to support your assertion. The Bears' last four division championships came after they compiled preseason records of 1-3 in 2001, 3-2 in 2005, 2-2 in 2006 and 0-4 in 2010, which remains their last winless preseason. The quintessential example came in 1985 when the Bears went 1-3 in the preseason before compiling a 15-1 record en route to their first Super Bowl championship. Of course, the correlation doesn't always exist. The last time the Bears went undefeated in the preseason (4-0) was in 1994 when they went on to make their only playoff appearance in Dave Wannstedt's six seasons as head coach.
Glad the preseason is finally over! When was the last time the Bears played through the preseason without facing a single NFC opponent?
Ben
Tampa, Florida
This year marked the first time the Bears played only AFC teams in the preseason since 1989 when they beat the Dolphins and Raiders and lost to the Chargers and Chiefs. Interestingly, the Bears were 0-2 at home and 2-0 on the road in those games.
