Bears find ways to cope with lengthy flight

Bears quarterback Chase Daniel is in his comfort zone, and not even a trip to London to play the Raiders could take him out of it.

It seems that way with all the Bears, but Sunday will tell the full tale.

Starting against the Raiders with Mitchell Trubisky injured, Daniel is in his third London trip and has a routine to help keep from feeling discombobulate after intercontinental excursions. Apparently it's one a lot of Bears were using when they got off the plane after an overnight flight and practiced Friday afternoon.

"Right when I get on the plane, I drink a couple cherry juices, eat some dinner and pass out," Daniel said to reporters in London. "Try to just sleep as long as I can. I woke up an hour before landing, had breakfast."

Cherry juice is apparently the drink of champions when it comes to international travel and getting enough rest.

"Puts you to sleep! Yeah, c'mon guys (reporters). It's awesome," Daniel said. "(team nutritionist) Jen (Gibson) gives it to all the guys here on the team and it's amazing. That's our dietician. It's great. I love it."

Of course, it helps to have a place to actually be able to sleep, too. Daniel acquired one of the sleeping pods on the plane for this.

"You could put us in Australia, China, the Chicago Bears are going to be ready to play ball on Sunday."

-Khalil Mack

"Because I’m the oldest person on the team, probably?" the 33-year-old quarterback said. "But that was definitely talked about by myself."

It probably didn't hurt that he was going to start this week.

"I don't know if because I'm the backup I get one or not," he said. "Because I'm almost 33, I probably would have."

Although coach Matt Nagy said the Bears showed plenty of energy at practice Friday, not many were well rested. Friday night no doubt will be a good sleeping night.

"It could easily go the other way where you feel sorry for yourself," Nagy said. "It's a long trip. It's overnight. We didn't really get to sleep in our beds. We crammed in a plane. And then you wait all day."

Sounds just wonderful.

The Bears have taken the attitude they'll persevere.

"You could put us in Australia, China, the Chicago Bears are going to be ready to play ball on Sunday," Khalil Mack said.

Now that would be a lot of cherry juice.

And don't give the NFL any ideas.

Twitter@BearsOnMaven