Bear Digest

How do you like these former Bears now that they're Super?

Here are former Bears with the Chiefs and Eagles who will be playing in Super Bowl LIX, and who has the advantage based on the "ex-Bears factor."
Gene Chamberlain|
Chiefs DT Mike Pennel easily had the biggest impact of any former Bears player on the Super Bowl teams but others also did.
Chiefs DT Mike Pennel easily had the biggest impact of any former Bears player on the Super Bowl teams but others also did. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

At one time a major factor in predicting success or failure in the World Series was the ex-Cub factor.

A creation of either columnist Mike Royko, long-suffering Cubs fans or Cardinals fans who wanted to mock the Cubs—it was never entirely clear—this statistical theory suggested the World Series team with the most former Cubs on its roster would lose.

Vegas bettors sometimes would adjust accordingly.

This all ended with the curses when the Cubs finally won a World Series, but it's the Bears who seem cursed these days.

Extrapolated from MLB to the NFL, it becomes the ex-Bears factor.

If you apply this to Sunday's Super Bowl LIX, it should be a close game because there is no clear advantage.

The numbers are the same with two former Bears on each team.

Keep in mind, this does not refer to former coaches. That was never part of the ex-Cub factor and it isn't part of the ex-Bears factor.

Both teams have coordinators who were with the Bears, Kansas City's Matt Nagy and Philadelphia's Vic Fangio. But the Chiefs also have former Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub. Fangio has his own factor working in this game. He has lost eight times without a win to Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs also have former Bears tackle Andy Heck as their offensive line coach but none of this matters.

Both Toub and Heck are excellent at what they do and the theory applies only to players, anyway.

Here are former Bears who could play in Sunday's big game and have played roles for the combatants.

Chiefs

DT Mike Pennel

Pennel's career figured to be just about over after the Bears decided they could do better and went out to sign Andrew Billings after the 2022 season. However, there is a great need  for and great shortage of 6-foot-4, 330-pound hunker-down types for the middle of the defensive line. Pennel played the most snaps of his 11-year career with the Bears in 2022 when he started two games but played in all 17. He went back to Kansas City, where he had played in 2019 and 2020, and this season matched his career high for starts with seven. He played in every game for only the second time since 2018 and made 25 tackles. At the age of 33 this season for Kansas City and a year after he played in only three games, Pennel achieved a career high for sacks with three. He seems to be getting older but also getting better.

S Deon Bush

Bush followed fired coach Matt Nagy to Kansas City as a free agent in 2022 after his contract expired and over the last three seasons has played in 24 games. His role dwindled to only six games played in 2023 and this season he was off the roster entirely and then brought back as a practice squad player who got into only two games and 41 plays. When the playoffs came, Bush was elevated from the practice squad for Kansas City's first postseason game but he was left inactive and returned to the practice squad for the AFC Championship Game.

Eagles

FB Khari Blasingame

Here it is: The answer to whatever happened to the Bears' fullback after Shane Waldron decided he didn't need this position in his offense. Blasingame  signed with the Eagles. The Bears waived Blasingame Oct. 25 and then he signed Dec. 3 with the Eagles' practice squad. Blasingame had a very limited role in the regular season. He got into three games for the Eagles after just two this year for the Bears, and returned to the practice squad. But in postseason Philadelphia promoted him to the 53-man roster and he was in for two offensive snaps and 10 special teams plays in the win over Green Bay and 15 plays on special teams in the divisional playoff game win over the Rams. In the NFC Championship Game against the Commanders, Blasingame played one offensive play and nine special teams plays.

LB Nick Morrow

The starting Bears linebacker in 2022 as a free agent acquisition was quickly discarded after that season when Ryan Poles signed T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds.  Morrow was a starter in 2023 for the Eagles in 12 games and played in 15, with 95 tackles, including a career-high 12 for loss. It didn't start out that way. He was waived after training camp by the Eagles that season, then brought back after Week 1 and played a key role all year. When Fangio came in as Eagles defensive coordinator with his own 3-4 style scheme, then Morrow was cut. He wound up in Buffalo and played in only three games but was waived Jan. 2, just before the regular season ended. The Eagles scooped Morrow back up for their practice squad during the postseason run. He made two tackles in 18 special teams plays against the Rams and had a tackle with 23 total plays against the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.