There’s an unusual footnote to the unveiling of the alternate uniforms that the Chicago Bears will wear twice during their 100th season, which also is the league’s 100th season: The Bears won’t be wearing them when the season opens with a Thursday night grudge match against the Green Bay Packers.
The unveiling of the Bronco Nagurksi jerseys came with an announcement that the uniforms will be worn on September 29 against the Vikings, and on December 5 against the Cowboys.
It’s possible that the Bears are opting for a Mean Machine-style surprise on opening night, with their normal uniforms being worn during pregame warmups before a pre-kick okey-doke where they make a quick change before officially taking the field. It’s also possible that the Bears realize that the opener already has enough excitement without the old-school uniforms, prompting them to save the two times for wearing the alternate uniforms until later in the season.
And that’s the rule -- twice per year for alternate uniforms. During the league’s 75th season, however, the 49ers eventually obtained a dispensation to wear their throwbacks with shadows on the numbers through the postseason. Maybe the NFL will let the Bears go back in time to 1936 on at least three occasions, starting with the first game of the year.