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Stadium:
Soldier Field Stadium
In order for a new stadium to be built, the Bears had to play the 2002 NFL season at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL. At the conclusion of the 2001 season, demolition and construction on the new stadium began. The Bears new stadium continues to carry the name Soldier Field. The stadium has 66,000 blue seats in several tiers, improved seating, better sightlines, an enlarged concourse, two 96-foot-by-23-foot video-boards, 8,000 club seats, and 133 luxury suites. To preserve Soldier Field, the classic colonnades remain intact as a lasting monument to Soldier Field's glorious past, and a 250-foot granite-wall sculpture still serves as a memorial to the men and women who served in the armed forces. Fans also are able to walk among the colonnades and the horseshoe promenade. The Chicago Bears played their first game at Soldier Field II on September 29, 2003.

Seating Chart:
Soldier Field Stadium Seating Chart

2011 Schedule:
Sep 11 Atlanta
Sep 18 @New Orleans 1:00 pm
Sep 25 Green Bay 4:15 pm
Oct 2 Carolina 1:00 pm
Oct 10 @Detroit 8:30 pm
Oct 16 Minnesota 8:20 pm
Oct 23 @Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Week 8 BYE
Nov 7 @Philadelphia 8:30 pm
Nov 13 Detroit 1:00 pm
Nov 20 San Diego 4:15 pm
Nov 27 @Oakland 4:05 pm
Dec 4 Kansas City 1:00 pm
Dec 11 @Denver 4:05 pm
Dec 18 Seattle 1:00 pm
Dec 25 @Green Bay 8:20 pm
Jan 1 @Minnesota 1:00 pm


Approximate Length of Game:
Three Hours

Video Preview:
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Season Preview:
So who needs Lance Briggs anyway? The two-time Pro Bowl linebacker was a no-show at minicamp in May and has yet to attend any of the Bears' 14 Organized Team Activities, which conclude this week, and he isn't expected to do so. Briggs also hasn't participated in any off-season weightlifting workouts, and he isn't expected to be at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais when the Bears report for training camp on July 26. The smart money says Briggs won't be around for any portion of training camp or any preseason games. Briggs and his agent Drew Rosenhaus are demonstrating to the Bears their unhappiness that the fifth-year veteran was designated as the team's franchise player, which discouraged any other team from pursuing him with a long-term offer with an expected $15 million to $20 million signing bonus for the unrestricted free agent. Instead, if Briggs remains with the Bears, he has to settle for $7.2 million this season, approximately a 1,000 percent raise over his 2006 salary. So Briggs may not be back in uniform until the regular-season opener. So what? The Bears are still the favorite in Las Vegas to make it back to the Super Bowl, they're still just about everyone's pick to dominate the NFC North again and a virtual lock to make it back to the playoffs. Their status won't change with or without Briggs. He's clearly talented but just as clearly a replaceable player on a team with more talent than almost every one of its opponents. Briggs is not a difference maker like middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, defensive tackle Tommie Harris or return specialist Devin Hester. He's not as integral to the Bears' success as featured ball carrier Cedric Benson is expected to be this season, or even quarterback Rex Grossman, if he makes the presumed strides in his second season as the full-time starter. Briggs finished second to Urlacher in tackles last season 185-176, and in 2005, 171-170, and he led the Bears with 168 tackles in 2004, when Urlacher missed seven games with injuries. But the Bears' defense is designed for the weak-side linebacker to make a lot of tackles. In Briggs' absence, Jamar Williams has been running with the first team at weak-side linebacker. The 2006 fourth-round pick played just three games before a chest injury ended his rookie season, so no one expects him to play as well as Briggs has since he cracked the starting lineup as a third-round rookie in 2003. But the difference between Briggs and Williams isn't drastic enough to make a discernible difference in the defense. Even Urlacher, who has been staunchly behind Briggs from the beginning, admits the team will survive without him if necessary. "We have guys that have been in the system for a couple of years now," Urlacher said. "We have guys that can step in. They're not going to replace Lance, we know that, but we have some guys that can fill in for him and do a good job right away." Sportsline.com

Official Site:
www.chicagobears.com