Packers and Bears renew rivalry

[Cheesehead]

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:


MATT LaFLEUR…In his second season as the Packers' 15th head coach.


MATT NAGY…In his third year as the Bears' 16th head coach.


Packers S Adrian Amos was drafted by Chicago in 2015 and played with the Bears for four seasons (2015-18)…Bears TE Jimmy Graham played for the Packers for two seasons (2018-19)…Bears OL Jason Spriggs was drafted by the Packers in 2016 and spent four seasons (2016-19) with the team…Green Bay players with connections to Illinois include: DL Dean Lowry (Rockford, Northwestern), DL Tyler Lancaster (Plainfield, Northwestern), TE Robert Tonyan (McHenry)…Bears assistant wide receivers/offensive quality control coach Chris Jackson appeared in two games for the Packers at wide receiver during the 2002-03 seasons…Bears Bill Walsh coaching fellow Henry Burris was a backup quarterback for the Packers during the 2001 season…Bears TE Demetrius Harris played basketball at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for two seasons (2011-13)…LB Za'Darius Smith (2015-18), T Rick Wagner (2013-16) and Bears DB Brent Urban (2014-18) played together for the Ravens…Wagner also played with Bears LS Patrick Scales for Baltimore in 2014…Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo held the same position in Baltimore from 2013-16 when Smith and Wagner were on the roster…Castillo was an offensive analyst at Michigan in 2019 while Packers G Jon Runyan played for the school…Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo served as the quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator at San Jose State in 2011 when Packers RB Tyler Ervin played for the team…Packers assistant offensive line coach Luke Butkus is from Bloom Township, Illinois, and attended the University of Illinois…Butkus was signed as a rookie free agent by the Bears in 2002 and is the nephew of Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus…Butkus was also the offensive line coach at his alma mater (2012, 2016-18) and served as the Bears' assistant offensive line coach from 2007-09…Packers S Will Redmond was coached by Bears secondary coach Deshea Townsend at Mississippi State from 2013-15…Packers special teams quality control coach Rayna Stewart served as a graduate assistant at Northwestern from 2007-08...Chicago assistant offensive line coach Donovan Raiola played for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2002-05...Packers defensive quality control coach Wendel Davis coached Bears LB Roquan Smith while serving as a defensive graduate assistant at Georgia during the 2016-17 seasons…Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga (2011-17), assistant defensive backs coach Ryan Downard (2014-15), LB Christian Kirksey (2014-19), DL Billy Winn (2012-15) and Bears DB Tashaun Gipson Sr. (2012-15), LB Barkevious Mingo (2013-15), DB Buster Skrine (2011-14), special teams coordinator Chris Tabor (2011-17) and DeFilippo (2015) all spent time with the Browns while Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine served as the team's head coach during the 2014-15 seasons…Kirksey and Harris both spent time on Cleveland's roster in 2019…Pettine also worked with Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano in Baltimore (2008)…Packers defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, Packers inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti and Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor coached together for the Washington Football Teams during the 2006-07 seasons…Lazor served as the Dolphins' offensive coordinator when Packers G/T Billy Turner was on the roster in 2014-15…Bears tight ends coach Clancy Barone served as the Broncos' offensive line coach when Turner and Winn played for the team in 2016…Green Bay TE Marcedes Lewis (2006-17), offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (2015-18) and Butkus (2013-15) spent time with Chicago WR Allen Robinson II (2014-17) in Jacksonville…Lewis and Hackett were also with the Jaguars when Gipson (2016-18) was on the team's roster...Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery held the same position at the University of Wyoming from 2009-10 when Gipson was on campus…Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith (2016-18), Redmond (2017), Bears head coach Matt Nagy (2013-17), QB Nick Foles (2016), Harris (2013-18) and K Cairo Santos (2014-17) all spent time together while with the Chiefs organization...Bears wide receivers coach Matt Furrey played for the Washington Football Team when Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Olivadotti were on the staff in 2010…Bears LB Robert Quinn (2011-17) crossed paths with LaFleur (2017) and Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans (2012-15) while playing for the Rams…During Bears general manager Ryan Pace and Packers executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball served together in the Saints' front office from 2002-07…Packers personnel executive Lee Gissendaner played wide receiver at Northwestern (1990-93)...Bears director of player engagement Lamar Campbell also played collegiately at Wisconsin (1994-97)...Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy was the athletic director at Northwestern from 2003-07…Former college teammates include: Packers P JK Scott and Bears DB Eddie Jackson (Alabama); Winn and Bears OL Charles Leno Jr. (Boise State); Packers WR Allen Lazard and Bears RB David Montgomery (Iowa State); Packers S Darnell Savage and Bears LB Josh Woods (Maryland); Packers WR Equanimeous St. Brown, Bears OL Alex Bars, TE Cole Kmet and OL Sam Mustipher (Notre Dame); Amos and Bears WR Allen Robinson II (Penn State); Packers DL Kingsley Keke and Bears OL Germain Ifedi (Texas A&M).