Should the Bears Modify their Game Prep Schedule?

We're back from the ledge, temporarily, after sending McNabb to the bench (permanently, it seems) and dismantling the Vikings on Sunday night. After celebrating that victory, the Bears will prepare for a trip to jolly ole England to play against the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Bears are taking a different approach to the oversea battle than the Bucs, and I wanted to break it down a bit and see what the WCG community thinks. Jump it like its hot.

The Bucs are leaving today to head out to England, spending the week out there preparing for the Bears' game and getting acclimated to the time change. The Bears, meanwhile, are treating the game like any other road game, departing on Thursday for the game after spending a week of regular practice and meeting schedules. The Bucs' travel plans are similar to what the Saints did before beating the Chargers at Wembley Stadium, and different from their 2009 trip when they followed the traditional long distance travel plan schedule.

So, will the Bears' plans to stick to a regular schedule impact their performance on Sunday, and if so, will it be positive or negative. There are alot of reasons for and against making an early trip, especially considering the difficulty in getting accustomed to a new time zone so different from Central Standard. On the one hand, its good to stick to what you know, a normal schedule can help minimize the impact of playing in an environment with so many differences, while getting over there early can help the players by giving them more time to adjust their bodies and minds to a new time schedule.

A case for making the early trip could be the Saints' victory in that London game, but a more recent case could be the 49ers success this year on the East Coast. San Francisco played three of their first six games out east against the Bengals, Eagles, and Lions (woo!), and Jim "backslapping" Harbaugh decided to spend additional time out east for each of those games, deciding that adjusting his players to an Eastern Time Zone was more important than the familiarity of routine. Make sure you hit the poll, and include your thoughts below.