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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Patrick Andres

REVEALED: Ben johnson flips bears offense defense for fun practice wrinkle | Rare Historical Photos

Caleb Williams worked with an unusual cast of characters Thursday. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Years and years ago, in football's infancy, every player played both ways. The pace of the game was slower, and teams ran fewer plays, so 11 men were left to make sense of the era's extreme violence.

On Thursday, the Chicago Bears ever so briefly and with considerably less violence returned to their single-platoon roots.

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