In this Friday edition of Bears Bites, we highlight what a slew of Chicago writers are saying about the Chicago Bears’ upcoming matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and we also take a look at the jersey retirement ceremony for Mike Ditka that will take place at halftime of the game.
-We start out first with one of the more obvious statements that can be made about a team with players like Brandon Marshall: the Bears aren’t counting themselves out of the NFC playoff race despite having an almost insurmountable hill to climb to get there. [CSN Chicago]
-Mike Spellman raises a fantastic point about Monday’s jersey retirement ceremony for Mike Ditka. When Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers had their jerseys retired on Halloween 1994, it was done in a driving rainstorm at halftime of a game against the Green Bay Packers. For Ditka, the ceremony will take place with single degree temperatures forecasted, and winds that will make it feel like it’s below zero. What’s wrong with having the ceremony on a sunny day in December? [Daily Herald]
-In addition to the news that both Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs will not be returning against the Cowboys this week, the Bears are also having to deal with a quadriceps injury to Brandon Marshall that kept him out of practice on Thursday. Ruh roh. [ESPN Chicago]
-Jeremiah Ratliff had a great time making his return to the NFL gridiron last week against the St. Louis Rams, and he is positively salivating at the chance to play against his former team on Monday night, as Adam Hoge explains. [CBS Chicago]
-Speaking of guys facing their former employers, Bears special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis will be going up against the team that he left to come to the Bears when the Cowboys come to town. [Chicago Sun-Times]
-We don’t normally double-dip from the same site, but we’re always willing to make an exception for Dan Durkin, who busts out his X’s-and-O’s brilliance as he breaks down what the Bears can expect from the Cowboys on Sunday. [CBS Chicago]
Chicago Bears
-If you like your previews “brutally honest”, then look no further than Paul Banks’ look into the Cowboys-Bears game. [The Sports Bank]
-Finally, Matt Bowen also busts out his magic pen and the All-22 machine as he takes a look at how Cowboys QB Tony Romo will likely go after the Bears (and Jon Bostic specifically) on Monday night. [Chicago Tribune]
