Bears had game plan for customs
There are pregame customs, such as the 4th Phase theatrics at Soldier Field, and then there is pregame customs.
As in, prepare to spend a lot of extra time trying to get in and out of Canada.
Jay Cutler likely has never held the ball nearly as long as customs officials figured to hold up the Bears for the franchise's first NFL regular-season game outside the United States.
The Bears left for the airport two hours earlier than normal Saturday to accommodate the hassle.
“I can only imagine how that is if you haven't got all of your stuff together,” said safety Danieal Manning, one of several Bears who's earning his first passport stamp on this trip.
Aside from customs, though, the players shouldn't experience any changes to their normal road-game routine before they hit the Rogers Centre field to face Buffalo.
The Bears' front office has worked since the summer to make things smooth for everyone.
Tom Dillon, the team's director of Security and Safety Services, used his FBI background to make sure there aren't any last-minute issues.
To ensure every Bear got into Canada, the team brought the proper officials to Halas Hall months ago to sign up guys such as second-year nickel back D.J. Moore for passports.
“It's going to be my first time,” Moore said. “I wouldn't even have a passport if it wasn't for this game, so I'm excited.”
The Bears even turned the passport signup into a charitable event. For each new passport that the franchise needed, $25 went to the Shields Township Food Pantry. The Lake Bluff-based pantry received more than $1,000 in food and donations for Lake County residents.
As for the trip itself, Moore joked that he might bring an English-to-French dictionary to supplement his high school French, which hasn't quite stuck in his brain.
Of course, French isn't as prevalent in Toronto as it would be if the Bears visited, say, Montreal.
Manning said he has heard good things about Toronto's night life, but the Bears generally don't worry about that except when it comes to whether there are any good restaurants to visit the night before.
It might be fair to say Manning is more curious as to how the crowd breaks down between Bears and Bills fans. Could the Bears enjoy a better-than-normal road reception?
“Maybe,” Manning said. “No, I won't say maybe. There's going to be a lot of Bears fans. They travel well.”
They've certainly had opportunities to see the game. On Wednesday afternoon, two lower-bowl tickets in the 14th row at the goal line still were available via Ticketmaster for $225 per seat.
With the Bills in the midst of an five-year, eight-game agreement to play at Rogers Centre Buffalo lost its two regular-season games there but won both of its exhibition games you'd think the Bills would be making a little more headway in a city just 100 miles from their base.
“We're trying to make that another home situation,” head coach Chan Gailey told the Buffalo News last week. “It doesn't feel like that yet, but that's our job to try to win and make that exciting for those people.
“There's a lot of Buffalo fans in Canada. We're trying to make that happen. We're not doing our part right now. But it can be a very exciting proposition long term if we'll do our part.”