Hoge's Bears Things: Training camp report day isn't what it once was, but it's still exciting

And…. we’re back!

Our football-less summer weeks are officially over. The Chicago Bears report to training camp in Lake Forest today and our CHGO Bears team has big plans to bring you the best coverage in the city over the next six weeks. 

Part of that coverage includes this Diehards-only newsletter, which I’m happy to report will now be dropping in your inbox daily (Monday-Friday) during training camp. If you don’t already know, you can reply directly to me on this email if you ever have any questions or ideas for the newsletter.

Report day isn’t what it once was when the team practiced in Bourbonnais. And from the stories I’ve heard, it was even more eventful during the Platteville days. Remember Jay Cutler showing up to Olivet Nazarene University in a conversion van in 2014? Or Brandon Marshall riding a Segway in 2013? Believe it or not, it’s already been four years since the Bears’ last training camp in Bourbonnais. That was when Tarik Cohen rolled up in a Slingshot, did some donuts, and got scolded by Matt Nagy. 

Perhaps it’s for the best, as none of those seasons ended well for the Bears. Now that they train back in Lake Forest, report day is much less of an event and more about football. We’ll hear from general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus today as they set proper expectations for the preseason. Hopefully there will be some clarification on Chase Claypool ending up on the PUP list. Players will go through physicals and a conditioning test. Assuming all goes well, everyone will take the field on Wednesday for the first practice. 

Every day the Bears are on the practice field, CHGO will be there too. We’ll have practice recap shows every weekday, so make sure you are subscribed to the CHGO YouTube channel and hit the notifications button so you know when we go live. The times may vary over the next few weeks depending on the practice schedule.

I hope you’re ready for football season. I know I am. This is Year 13 for me on the Bears beat and I feel as energized as ever. Here’s to hoping it’s a fun, entertaining season!

Adam Hoge

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See You At The CHGO Kickoff Classic!