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.
I read that receiver Kevin White traveled with the Bears to their game in Philadelphia. Does that mean there's a chance he will return sometime this season?
Nathan G.
Aurora, Colorado
Unfortunately, Kevin White will not return this season. That became official Thursday when safety Quintin Demps became the Bears' second player to resume practicing after being placed on injured reserve earlier in the season. (Cornerback Deiondre' Hall returned to practice last week.) NFL teams are permitted to designate two players to return from injured reserve, so with Hall and Demps back, White will have to wait until next season to get back on the field. The Bears have 21 days from the time that Hall and Demps each started practicing to decide whether to activate them. They presently do not count as part of the 53-man roster.
I've seen news reports that the Bears cut receiver Tre McBride because he was involved in a verbal altercation with receiver Joshua Bellamy. Can you shed any light on those reports?
Phil H.
Hanover Park, Illinois
Coach John Fox explained the release of receiver Tre McBride as "just kind of churning the roster." Said Fox: "It's a changeup. We'll play some other guys. We get Josh Bellamy back who missed last week [with a concussion]. I think that's a big factor as well." When asked whether McBride was involved in the altercation heard by reporters in a hallway just outside the media room at Halas Hall, Fox said: "I don't get into that. That's stuff we do behind those walls. That's why those walls are there."
I feel like this upcoming game against the 49ers is eerily reminiscent of when Colin Kaepernick made his first career start against the Bears and destroyed them. Do you think there's any reason to worry that Jimmy Garoppolo will have similar success? Are the Bears going to treat him like a rookie quarterback and throw extra pressure at him?
Dalton B.
Matagalpa, Nicaragua
Jimmy Garoppolo is certainly a talented young quarterback, but I don't expect the 49ers offense to be dramatically different with him under center versus C.J. Beathard, especially given that Garoppolo has only been with the team for about a month. Colin Kaepernick had been with the 49ers for a year and a half when he made his first start against the Bears in 2012 and he possessed a different skillset than the player he replaced, Alex Smith. Here's what coach John Fox said about what to expect from a San Francisco offense quarterbacked by Garoppolo: "I don't think they're going to reinvent the wheel in a week. I'm sure they've just been trying to get him up to speed in their offense, their terminology. We kind of expect what they've been doing and nothing too far off of that radar."
