Bears Pick Up Final Preseason Victory

By ESPN

After a sub par first drive, Brian Hoyer, Kevin White and the Offense started to gel as they dominated the first half of the game versus the Cleveland Browns. The Chicago Bears lead at the half, 12 to seven, and resorted to a ground and pound offense for most of the second half.

The defense also came up strong with key stops and yet another turnover in the preseason. They continued their dominance by delivering a scoreless second half and helping the Bears to victory. All-in-all this was a positive for the Bears because the 2nd and 3rd team showed they could match up with a 1st and 2nd string National Football League team.

The Bears win their first game this year, in preseason, 21-7 and head into the regular season with decisions to make on maintaining a 53 man roster.

Kapernick, Reid Take Knee at  National Anthem

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem Thursday night and in his new position, he wasn't alone.

On Sunday, Kaepernick vowed to continue sitting during the national anthem until he was satisfied with the changes made toward racial oppression in the United States.

But after a roughly 90-minute discussion with Nate Boyer, the former Army Green Beret and long snapper, and safety Eric Reid at the team hotel on Thursday afternoon, Kaepernick shifted gears in an effort to be more respectful to those offended by his protest.

"We were talking to him about how can we get the message back on track and not take away from the military, not take away from pride in our country but keep the focus on what the issues really are," Kaepernick said. "As we talked about it, we came up with taking a knee because there are issues that still need to be addressed and there was also a way to show more respect for the men and women that fight for this country."

So when the national anthem began playing Thursday night at Qualcomm Stadium, Kaepernick and Reid took a knee while Boyer stood next to them.

For the rest of the night, the San Diego Chargers celebrated their "Salute to the Military" night for the 28th year with various tributes to the troops throughout. Kaepernick knelt during the anthem, applauded veterans and active military during a first-half break with Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" playing and stood for a rendition of "God Bless America," clapping at the end of that as well.

"Once again, I'm not anti-American," Kaepernick said. "I love America. I love people. That's why I'm doing this. I want to help make America better. I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from.

"Those conversations are important to have because the better we understand each other, the better we know each other, the better we can deal and communicate with each other which ultimately makes everyone, puts everybody in a better position."

After the game, Kaepernick spent time signing autographs for a large contingent of 49ers fans who stuck around until the end of the Niners' 31-21 win in the preseason finale. He then spoke to the media for more than 16 minutes, announcing that he plans to donate the first $1 million he makes this year to help communities in need as part of his plan to take a more active role in combating racial inequality.