What’s Soldier Field going to be like on Halloween night?
“I hope it be bloody,” Bears outside linebacker Pernell McPhee said Friday. “S@!#.”
While we wonder if anyone’s ever given a better answer, here are 10 more questions for the Bears as they prepare for Monday’s night’s home contest against the Vikings:
1. So how’s Jay Cutler look?
“He’s had two really good days of practice, to be real honest with you,” coach John Fox said of the quarterback’s return from a strained right thumb ligament. “If it was up to Jay, he’d have finished the Philadelphia game. I mean, he would have played the next week.”
While endorsing Cutler’s toughness, Fox seemed to reference his old assertion, after Brian Hoyer beat the Lions, that his quarterback choice would be “performance-based.”
“The reality is, in fairness to (Cutler), we’re all kind of performance-based,” Fox said.
2. How do his teammates feel about having him back?
“We’re so excited right now,” McPhee said. “I think Brian did a great job when he was playing but there’s something about No. 6.”
3. Who’s going to block for him?
Maybe Josh Sitton. The Pro Bowl guard practiced, albeit on a limited basis, for the first time since injuring his ankle against the Jaguars.
Fellow guard Kyle Long (triceps), cornerback Bryce Callahan (hamstring), receiver Eddie Royal (toe), linebacker Danny Trevathan (illness), cornerback Deiondre Hall (ankle) and nose tackle Eddie Goldman (ankle) did not practice Friday.
Running back Jeremy Langford (ankle), receiver Cam Meredith (shoulder) and cornerback Tracy Porter (knee) were limited.
4. Which coach named their son after Ryne Sandberg?
Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains was a Cubs fan before moving here because games were on WGN when he was a kid. Sandberg is his wife’s brother’s favorite player.
And get this: Six-month-old Ryne Loggains was born on the 23rd of the month — the same as Ryno’s jersey number.
“We felt like it was a fitting name,” Loggains said. “We’re in Chicago, and it worked out. And then the birthday just happened to happen the way it did.”
5. Trick or treat?
The Bears are 9-4-1 on Halloween. Before stores even sold mass-produced costumes, the Bears won on Oct. 31, beating Rockford AAC, 29-0, in 1920. The Bears last played on Halloween in 2004, beating the 49ers, 23-13.
On “Monday Night Football,” the Bears are 29-37 all-time and 15-13 at home.
6. What’s with Laquon Treadwell?
The Vikings drafted him No. 23 overall, but the former Crete-Monee High School receiver has yet to record a catch this season.
“Some guys, it takes a little bit longer than others,” coach Mike Zimmer said.
He called Treadwell dedicated — “Maybe he works too hard,” the coach said — and said he expects Treadwell to start playing more. It won’t be hard: Treadwell, who will wear Cubs-themed custom cleats Monday, has been inactive twice and has played only 12 offensive snaps all season.
“I don’t think it’ll be long — much, much longer — before he starts getting some more playing time,” Zimmer said.
7. Who can Treadwell mimic?
Zimmer points to teammate Stefon Diggs, who was inactive the first three games last year but has caught 79 balls for 1,110 yards since.
“The more times you point out when guys get an opportunity to go in and do some things and take advantage of their opportunities,” Zimmer said, “I think that helps him stay motivated.”
8. Wanna bet?
The Vikings are 10-1 against the spread in their last 11 games and 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 road games. Against the spread, the Bears are 1-7 in their last eight games and 1-5 in their last six home games.
9. Wanna count to seven?
The Vikings have seven first round picks on their defense: cornerback Terence Newman (fifth overall), linebacker Anthony Barr (ninth), cornerback Trae Waynes (11th), linebacker Chad Greenway (17th), defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (23rd), cornerback Xavier Rhodes (25th) and safety Harrison Smith (29th).
They drafted six of the seven — all but Newman.
How do the Bears compare? They’ve drafted six defenders in the first round, total, since 1997.
10. Ring a bell?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will honor four former Bears — Dick Butkus, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Gale Sayers — at halftime Monday night by presenting the Hall of Famers with rings. The hall is in the process of giving all its living members with rings, which were designed in 2013.
