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Bears will open '08 season at Colts' new stadium --
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www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080331-chicago-bears-indianapolis-colts-nfl,1,4116503.story
chicagotribune.com Bears will open '08 season at Colts' new stadium NFL
delivers prime time opener at Colts' new home

By Dan Pompei

Tribune reporter

10:14 PM CDT, March 31, 2008

PALM BEACH, Fla.
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runtime:topic id=" ORSPT000036"> The Bears will begin the 2008 season the
way they ended the 2006 season—on a national stage against the
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/indianapolis-colts-ORSPT000044.topic>Indianapolis
Colts<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/indianapolis-colts-ORSPT000044.topic>
.

Except this time, they won't be playing in the
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/super-bowl-EVSPR000004.topic>Super
Bowl<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/super-bowl-EVSPR000004.topic>
.

The <http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/national-football-league-ORSPT000007.topic>
NFL<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/national-football-league-ORSPT000007.topic>announced
Monday that the Bears and Colts will be playing in a nationally
televised Sunday night game that will be the first regular-season game to be
played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

"The Super Bowl was a long time ago," Bears coach
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/lovie-smith-PESPT008481.topic>Lovie
Smith<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/lovie-smith-PESPT008481.topic>said
at the NFL meetings at the Breakers Hotel. "It's the Chicago
Bears <http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/>versus
the Indianapolis Colts. We assume they're going to be a really good
football team and I hope we can get back to where we belong."

Defeating the Colts in a crazed atmosphere on Sept. 7 will be a tall order
for the Bears if they play like the Bears of last season. Smith sees it this
way: "We'll get a chance to see exactly what type of football team we have
right away."

>From that standpoint, Smith says he is excited to be presented with this
opportunity.

"Any time you have a chance to play in front of a national audience, you're
excited," he said. "We have a history with the Colts, I have a history with
the Colts. And it's the opening of their new stadium. But the opening game
of a new season in itself is enough to get excited about. You can prepare
all off-season knowing you're going against them ... [that] adds a little
more to it."

The personal history Smith referred to is with Colts coach Tony Dungy. Smith
was an assistant for the Bucs when Dungy was their head coach.

Smith also is serving with Dungy on the coaches subcommittee of the NFL's
competition committee this year. Being invited to serve on the subcommittee
is a prestigious assignment. Eagles coach Andy Reid and Jaguars coach
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/jack-del-rio-PESPT008440.topic>Jack
Del Rio<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/jack-del-rio-PESPT008440.topic>are
the others on the subcommittee.

"As coaches, we all have ideas," Smith said. "It's good to see how the inner
workings go."

Smith is advocating that the NFL adopt a proposal to allow headset
communication between the sideline and a defensive player. Indications are
the rule will be adopted.

"To me, it's an easy decision," Smith said. "You have one side of the
football that can communicate between a coach and player—why not do it on
both sides?"

Smith also is in favor of a proposal that would rewrite the force-out rule
so that the only time a catch out of bounds would be allowed is when a
player is actually held and carried out of bounds.

The league also announced it awarded 32 compensatory picks for the April
draft, including three seventh-round picks to the Bears. The Bears now have
11 draft picks.

Compensatory picks are given to teams that lose more unrestricted free
agents or better free agents than it signed the previous year. Last year the
Bears lost <http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/alfonso-boone-PESPT000699.topic>Alfonso
Boone<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/alfonso-boone-PESPT000699.topic>,
Ian Scott, Todd Johnson and Justin Gage, while signing only
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/anthony-adams-PESPT08285.topic>Anthony
Adams<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/anthony-adams-PESPT08285.topic>
.

In other news, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the sale of 50 percent
of <http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/miami-dolphins-ORSPT000189.topic>the
Dolphins<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/football/miami-dolphins-ORSPT000189.topic>to
New York real estate tycoon Steve Ross has been approved unanimously.
Ross will pay approximately $550 million for half of the team.


<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/h.-wayne-huizenga-PEBSL000167.topic>Wayne
Huizenga<http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/h.-wayne-huizenga-PEBSL000167.topic>will
remain the managing partner of the team until he wants to cede control
to Ross. When that will occur is up to Huizenga, but Ross has options to
eventually purchase up to 95 percent of the Dolphins.

dpompei at tribune.com

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