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Good morning, Bears fans!
So I failed to mention Ben Johnson’s 40th birthday in Monday’s issue.
Bad job by me.
I did a little bit of research, though, and found that May 11,1986 fell on a Sunday.
Yes, Ben Johnson was born on a Sunday, just 105 days after Super Bowl XX.
Nothing further, your honor.
— Kevin Kaduk
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01 Roster News
Squirrel White retires
The NFL career of the UDFA WR from Florida State ends as it begins. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports she saw White walking away from Saturday’s stretch session with a trainer and he wasn’t seen again. Obviously more to the story, but keep a good thought in your mind for White.
02 Rookie Minicamp
Bears sign Naperville native
LB Jon Rhattigan inked a deal on Monday after making a vet appearance at rookie minicamp. The 27-year-old played at Neuqua Valley and then with Army before spending the last five seasons with Seattle, Carolina and Las Vegas.
Also signing deals were Scotty Miller (reported on Sunday) and two actual rookies: Penn State WR Kyron Hudson and Michigan State LB Wayne Matthews III.
03 NFC North
Vikings planning ‘true’ QB competition
Kyler Murray vs. JJ McCarthy. KOC’s biggest test yet.
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What We Know About The Bears Schedule So Far
Schedule release week started with a small trickle on Monday.
Three games were officially announced by the league:
Week 1: Cowboys at Giants (SNF)
Week 2: Lions at Bills (TNF)
Week 12: Eagles at Cowboys (Thanksgiving)
Plus another game announced just moments before this email hit send:
Week 1: Chiefs vs. Broncos (MNF)
There are also two items of note for Bears fans:
The international slate will drop Wednesday morning.
Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee he thinks the Bears will be opening the season at Seattle on Wednesday, September 9.
The Takeaways
Might as well write the Bears heading to Seattle in Week 1 in ink. Another three possible Seahawks opponents have been eliminated with the Cowboys-Giants announcement and the Chiefs playing on Monday night. The Bears are by far the best of the four remaining options (Patriots, Chargers, Cardinals). No way does the league put Mike Vrabel and the Patriots in that spotlight after this offseason … right?
Another piece that seemingly solidified that matchup: The Lions will be the team helping the Bills open their new Highmark Stadium. A few people theorized it’d be the Bears, but their visit to Buffalo will come later in the season.
The Bears traveling to Madrid in November to play the Falcons seems like a 50/50 ball right now. We’ll find out on Wednesday morning.
Bears By 7 might not live up to its promise this week. With Schefter dropping news right before that time, I may wait to send the newsletter each of the next two mornings. (Lord knows how fresh this one will stay, though at least I got to the Monday Night news … )
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(Steve Denbo/Facebook)
• Luther Burden is dropping offseason content loaded with teammate cameos on thirsty Bears fans. The real MVP. (YouTube)
• “History on accident”: Burden talks about his run-in with Keisean Nixon. (Twitter)
• Gene Chamberlain on why Seattle is the perfect Week 1 test. (Sports Illustrated)
• The last time the Bears played the Seahawks in a season opener was 1990 at Soldier Field. Here’s Chris Berman leading the highlights, including two TDs from Neal Anderson. (Twitter)
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