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 serious is the injury recently sustained by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix?
Joe P.
Flemington, New Jersey
Based on general manager Ryan Pace's comments Sunday at his pre-draft press conference in Decatur, the sprained knee that safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix sustained late in the offseason program is not very serious. Pace told reporters that Clinton-Dix and the two other players who will start training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list would only be sidelined for a short period of time. Said Pace: "We'll be smart with those guys and how we ramp them in, like we always are." As Pace mentioned, the Bears have always been very cautious with injured players. There's no need to rush anyone back onto the practice field before they are fully recovered from an injury, especially a veteran like Clinton-Dix early in training camp.
I'm planning to head down to Bourbonnais this weekend and was wondering when the Bears will hold their first padded practice.
Jon H.
Bolingbrook, Illinois
The Bears are scheduled to practice in pads for the first time at 8:15 a.m. Sunday. It will be their third workout of training camp. In their first two practices, they'll wear helmets and shells just like during the offseason. Their first workout kicks off at 3 p.m. Friday and is closed to the public. The first practice that's open to fans will begin at 8:15 a.m. Saturday.
Will Matt Nagy make any changes to how he operates training camp in his second season as Bears head coach?
Fred A.
Oxnard, California
The reigning NFL coach of the year will make some subtle changes to the training camp schedule in his second season with the Bears. Here's what Nagy had to say Sunday in Decatur about how this year's training camp will be different: "We have a slight change to our installation times. You're always trying to adapt and take feedback from players and coaches on how we do things. First year, last year, I stuck to a schedule that I knew for a lot of years. So we'll have some slight changes to how we're installing a little bit earlier and flipping our walk-through, which will be a little bit later. And then the other thing, too, we'll shut down about an hour earlier, which I think will be crucial to the guys to be together and get more sleep."
