Bears morning report: It's game week

The Bears woke up Monday morning with a feeling that will only become more common as the weeks go on: it's game week.

The team will play its first exhibition game Sunday at Soldier Field against the Miami Dolphins. Two days earlier, they'll host the same team in a joint practice at Halas Hall. Bears starters are expected to play far more on the backfields against the Dolphins than they are on the Lakefront.

The joint practice will be the first of two in as many weeks. The Bills come to town the following week to practice on a Friday and play on a Sunday.

To help prepare, the Bears stayed at a downtown hotel Saturday night before Sunday's "Family Fest."

"We go into next week, our first preseason game," coach Ben Johnson said. Particularly the young guys, they get amped up a little bit. So, hopefully a little familiarity with the process will calm the nerves a little bit, and then they can go out and play."

The Bears will hold a walk-through Monday at Halas Hall.