Don't read too much into preseason opener

In 1970, when one-hit wonder Edwin Starr famously asked the question, "War, what is it good for?" his emphatic response was, "Absolutely nothing!"

If we asked Bears coach Marc Trestman a similar question — such as, "First exhibition games, what are they good for?" — would he have the same response?

Trestman was asked the question and he responded: "Practice is really important, but we'll go out Friday night and give them a chance to see what they do against an opponent at a different level because it's under the lights with an audience."

In other words, Friday night's opening preseason game against the Carolina Panthers will be a glorified practice with contact, at full speed, in which most of the guys who will make the final 53-man roster will see little or no playing time. It's a chance to start to identify who might be the 40th to 53rd players on the roster, and the next group that makes the practice squad.