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.
I remember the Bears losing to the Packers in a horrible rainstorm on Halloween in the mid-1990s on the night they retired the jersey numbers of Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers. Have the Bears played on Halloween since that loss?
Stanley B.
Oceanside, California
Monday night's game against the Vikings will mark the third time the Bears have played on Halloween since the game you referred to—a 33-6 loss to Brett Favre and the Packers in horribly wet and windy conditions on Halloween 1994. The Bears lost to the Redskins 48-22 in Washington on Oct. 31, 1999 and beat the 49ers 23-13 at Soldier Field on Oct. 31, 2004. The San Francisco game was tied 13-13 entering the fourth quarter before Paul Edinger kicked a 27-yard field goal and Nathan Vasher intercepted a Ken Dorsey pass and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown.
Who do you think is currently the Bears rookie of the year? I've got Leonard Floyd first, Cody Whitehair second and Jordan Howard third.
Neil
Portland, Oregon
A lot can change between now and the end of the season, but at this point I'd go with Whitehair first, followed by Howard and then Floyd. Whitehair has been a steady and consistent presence at center from Day 1 while starting at a position he never played in college. He has continued to make strides with each passing week and has a lot on his plate in terms of calling out protections. Howard had two tremendous games before leveling off and Floyd had a breakout performance in Green Bay but has been hampered by multiple injuries. I'd like to see Howard and Floyd string together several strong outings over the second half of the season and prove that they can be core pieces in the Bears' rebuilding effort moving forward.
I know they don't wear them often but it seems that whenever the Bears wear their blue jerseys with blue pants, they lose. In addition, it always seems like they are playing their arch rivals, the Packers, when they wear that uniform combination. What is their record wearing blue and blue?
Mark J.
Atlanta, Georgia
You are exactly right. The Bears are 0-3 when wearing navy jerseys and navy pants and all three losses have been lopsided defeats to the Packers—34-21 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign in 2002, 26-7 in the 2006 season finale at Soldier Field and 26-10 last Thursday night in Green Bay. I think it's time to retire the blue/blue combination. I much prefer all white or even white jerseys with blue pants.
