LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears weakside linebacker Lance Briggs sat out Monday's practice because of an ankle injury suffered in the third preseason game against Arizona.

Briggs skipped the preseason finale last Thursday, but the team expects him to play against Detroit in the regular-season opener Sunday.

Fellow linebacker Nick Roach returned to the practice field Monday for the first time since having his left knee scoped on August 24. Roach is expected to open up the season as the second-team strong side linebacker behind starter Pisa Tinoisamoa.

"I'm feeling good," Roach said. "I'm feeling better than before the surgery, which was pretty much the goal of it. Now it's just a matter of getting back in shape to play in a game. This was the first day of running around a lot and doing full speed drills and stuff, so it's just kind of a relief [to be back].

"It's always tough to miss time, but at least it was the preseason, so it wasn't like valuable [regular] season time. I'm just excited to get back out there."

Backup middle linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer also participated Monday after failing to make the trip to Cleveland for undisclosed reasons.

Meanwhile, Craig Steltz is making progress in his attempt to recover from a high ankle sprain. The safety wore a helmet while running on a side field, while rookie safety Major Wright was not wearing any special non-contact jersey during individual drills in the open portion of practice.

Wide receiver Earl Bennett was also on the practice field Monday after missing all four preseason games with a hamstring injury.

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The Stache wrote:The whole season? Nah, I don't like that. You are the Bears mod, so you can decide, but i think they should be weekly threads like last year.

Just my opinion.

Detroit Lions receiver Nate Burleson tried his best Tuesday to be as diplomatic as possible about facing the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but Burleson had to be masking some optimism after posting his best game of the season last year against the Bears.

While playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Burleson had season-highs with nine catches for 109 yards, but the Bears pulled out a 25-19 victory after two Olindo Mare missed field goals.

Burleson said he's "100 percent sure" that the Lions will improve on their 2-14 record from last season, and he believes a 3-1 preseason record shouldn't be discounted.

"Everybody talks about how preseason is not that big of a deal, but for us to win three games is a huge deal for us," Burleson told "The Afternoon Saloon" on ESPN 1000. "There's definitely a buzz, not just in the organization. The city is buzzing.

"I can honestly say we're going to be better than we were, that's 100 percent sure."

It may not exactly be going out on a limb to predict more than two wins, but considering the Bears went 0-4 in the preseason and have major question marks, especially on the offensive line, Burleson's optimism may not go in vain.

The Bears have maintained they didn't show anything with their defensive sets during the preseason, but Burleson -- a former Minnesota Vikings receiver -- said the Lions will be prepared.

"From what I saw on film, they've shown the familiar Bears defense," he said. "We know they didn't show us everything. And we're pretty sure they may have seen a few things in the preseason that could have worked on us a few plays, and implemented that into their defensive strategy, but we're going to be prepared for that.

"We know consistently what the Bears like to do on the defensive side of the football, and we're going to game plan for that. And everything else they do is going to be coach vs. coach, and us being able to adjust at halftime."

Burleson went on to praise the Bears' defense as one of the better units when healthy.

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If Ted Phillips has a checklist of accomplishments for Lovie Smith to meet to keep his job past this season, the Chicago Bears president isn't saying.

But making the playoffs sure wouldn't hurt Smith's chances.

After a third straight season missing out on the postseason in the wake of their Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2006 season, the Bears retained Smith and instead shook up their assistant coaching staff, adding Mike Martz to run the offense and shifting Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator.

"At the end of last year -- it was a disappointing year -- I think I made the comment that status quo is not acceptable," Phillips said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "Everyone believes in that. What does that mean? I can't put a number of wins on it. Obviously, the goal every year is to get to the playoffs to give us a chance to get to the Super Bowl. That remains the goal.

"At the end of the year we'll take a look at everything. What I want to see is that we're headed in the right direction. There's obviously a lot of factors that go into that."

The play of quarterback Jay Cutler will play a major role in the Bears' fortunes this season. After being acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos in April 2009, Cutler struggled in his first season in Chicago, tossing an NFL-high 26 interceptions.

"He came in last season in a tough situation; expectations were through the roof," Phillips said. "It was a tough year for Jay, but everything you hear now with Mike Martz and Jay Cutler, that's real. They're on the same page. I think Mike Martz's system will only be a positive for Jay, and I look for him to come out of the gates strong and have a much better year than he had last year."

Aside from changes on the coaching staff, the Bears also spent big money in free agency, landing defensive end Julius Peppers and running back Chester Taylor. But after an 0-4 preseason, the Bears have plenty of questions heading into their regular season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

"From my standpoint you'd like to win a couple [preseason] games because it's just the mindset of winning for the players I think is important," Phillips said. "But overall I'm glad it's over, and we're 0-0. The offseason isn't just the four preseason games, it's the offseason workouts, it's the minicamps, it's the practices at training camp that were important. There were a lot of positives there. They tried some new things in new systems that we have and we're going to all find out on Sunday whether they are on the right track or not."

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Detroit Lions rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh may be the real deal.

At least, that was the vibe given off in the Bears locker room Wednesday, from players who either personally know Suh, or those faced with the task of blocking the No. 2 overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft.

"He's a good player," Suh's former college teammate and Bears cornerbackZack Bowman said. "He was a good player in college, and we came in together. He was strong, fast and basically hasn't changed. The tape speaks for itself. Suh is a great player. Plus they've got Kyle Vanden Bosch who is also a Nebraska guy. They got a good line."

"He tries to be explosive and uses his hands well," Bears right tackle Frank Omiyale said of Suh.

But maybe Suh's most glowing endorsement came in a six-second sound bite from Olin Kreutz.

"His hype is well deserved," Bears center Olin Kreutz said. "He's a good player. Anybody who goes No. 2 [in the draft] has earned it. We'll go out there, play against him, and find out what he's about."

The Bears center rarely heaps praise on an undeserving opponent, so Kreutz's positive comment proves the rookie defensive tackle has looked decent on tape.

The Lions are doing their best not to over-hype Suh before he plays an NFL game, but according to Detroit coach Jim Schwartz, Suh has so far lived up the billing of being a top-five pick.

"That's a hard advertisement to live up to, because he certainly came with a lot of accolades and a big resume," Schwartz said. "We drafted him for a reason. We drafted him because we like everything about him. You don't draft players that high in the draft unless you're totally confident in not only their abilities as a player, but what they bring off the field in their work ethic and maturity and things like that.

"We haven't seen him play in an NFL game that counts yet, so we'll leave those evaluations until we start seeing him in games that count. But he certainly hasn't been disappointing when it comes to work ethic, practice habits and what he does on the practice field."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears rookie safety Major Wright resumed practicing at full speed after being limited to non-contact drills because of a fractured left index finger.

Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, meanwhile, was dressed in full pads and was observed participating in individual drills during the open portion of practice Wednesday. Briggs had been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury in the Bears third preseason game against Arizona on Aug. 28. The Bears listed Briggs as having limited participation on the official injury report.

"I'm out there doing everything," Wright said before Wednesday's practice.

Wright, expected to be active for Sunday's matchup against the Detroit Lions, has drawn considerable praise from coaches and teammates, leading many to believe the rookie will challenge for a starting job at safety.

"I have no clue," Wright said about his role in Week 1. "Right now my role on the team is to go out and play special teams and do whatever I can. [Special teams] are another phase of the game. If I can help with that, I'm willing to do it."

Asking any first-year player to step in and start a season opener is risky, but Bears coach Lovie Smith has a history of turning to first-year safeties. In 2009, Al Afalava, a sixth-round pick who failed to make this year's 53-man roster, opened up at strong safety in Green Bay last September, while Danieal Manning and Chris Harris also played right away in their respective rookie seasons.

The difference in this case, however, is that Wright missed three preseason games due to injury.

"The learning process has never stopped, and I feel the coaches have been good to me and my teammates have been bringing me along and [helping] me," Wright said. "It's just grasping the whole defense, getting all your concepts, your reads and keys.

"I don't feel like I'm behind, I'm just going out and preparing myself well."

The only player who skipped practice was safety Craig Steltz (high ankle sprain), who continues to work on the side with a member of the team's medical staff. Wide receiver Earl Bennett, safety Major Wright and linebacker Nick Roach all had full participation Wednesday.

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After quarterback Jay Cutler struggled during his first season with the Chicago Bears, the team's beleaguered leadership brought in renowned coordinator Mike Martz to help turn things around.

With the offense still trying to work out the kinks ahead of Sunday's opener, Cutler is stressing patience -- but the Bears can't afford to get off to a bad start as they try to snap a three-year string of missing the playoffs.

Chicago kicks off the 2010 season by hosting the NFC North rival Detroit Lions, who are hoping to see progress from young quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Not known for having successful quarterbacks, the Bears acquired Cutler from Denver for Kyle Orton and three draft picks last April. In his third year as a full-time starter in 2009, Cutler had the second-most passing yards in franchise history with 3,666 and finished two shy of Erik Kramer's club record of 29 touchdowns set in 1995.

However, Cutler also had a league-high 26 interceptions, the most for Chicago since Sid Luckman's team-record 31 in 1947, and his 76.8 passer rating was 21st in the NFL.

To correct those problems, the Bears (7-9) turned to Martz, the coordinator for the high-powered St. Louis Rams when they won the 2000 Super Bowl.

Martz spent the last three years refurbishing offenses in San Francisco and Detroit, but the Bears have struggled to get a handle on his system. They ranked near the bottom of the league in yards per game and points during the preseason, scoring on three of 16 possessions with Cutler at the helm and giving up a league-worst 19 sacks.

"Is there a reason for concern? Maybe, maybe not," Cutler said. "I'm not concerned. I don't think anybody in that locker room is really concerned of where we're at. I think we're happy where we're at. There's room to improve, absolutely, but I think we'll be ready."

The Bears need their running game to take some of the pressure off Cutler. Matt Forte finished third in the league in total yards as a rookie with 1,238 on the ground and 477 through the air, but he wasn't as good last year. He ran for 929 yards as the Bears finished 29th in rushing and 23rd in total offense.

To spur some competition, Chicago signed veteran Chester Taylor in March. After rushing for 1,216 yards with Minnesota in 2006, Taylor served as a second option behind Adrian Peterson with the Vikings the past three seasons.

The Bears looked to bolster their defense by signing end Julius Peppers to a six-year deal worth as much as $91.5 million. Peppers has the third-most sacks in the NFL with 81 over his eight seasons and recorded 10½ in 2009 with Carolina.

In his Bears debut, he'll look to get Stafford's second season off to a rocky start.

The No. 1 overall draft pick last year completed just 53.3 percent of his attempts and had 20 interceptions to 13 touchdowns during 10 starts.

The Lions signed wide receiver Nate Burleson to complement top target Calvin Johnson, and added first-round running back Jahvid Best, tight end Tony Scheffler and guard Rob Sims.

"We're much improved on offense," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We have a lot more weapons, and our quarterback has taken a big jump."

Before taking Best with the 30th overall selection, Detroit drafted a potential franchise cornerstone in defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska with the No. 2 pick.

The Lions are looking for Suh to provide an immediate boost to a team that ranked last in total defense at 392.1 yards per game, 25th against the run (126.6 ypg) and 29th in sacks (26) during a 2-14 season.

Detroit has lost a league-worst 111 games since the start of the 2001 season and 20 in a row on the road since a 16-7 win at Soldier Field on Oct. 28, 2007. The Lions set the NFL record with 24 consecutive road losses from 2001-03.

Chicago has won four straight matchups and eight of 10, and seven of the last nine home meetings.

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Muhsin Muhammad would have liked to have one more season to mentor Chicago Bears receiver Devin Hester, and he called the team's decision to limit Hester's return duties "a tragedy."

"I think there were some things there that they took away from our arsenal by taking him out of the return game," Muhammad said Wednesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "What he did was very special. Some of the returns Devin had [in 2006] were things that will always be in the history books. I think it's a tragedy to see those abilities taken away from him and limiting him to the responsibility of just being a wide receiver."

Hester scored 11 touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns spanning the 2006 and 2007 regular seasons, and returned a kick for a score in the Bears' Super Bowl loss to the Colts in 2007. In an effort to get his playmaking ability on the field more, Bears coaches turned Hester into a receiver before the 2008 season, and the experiment has had mixed results.

Hester has averaged 54 catches for 711 yards in his two full seasons as a receiver, but his return game has suffered. He hasn't scored a touchdown on a return since Dec. 30, 2007 against the New Orleans Saints. After returning 31 kicks without a score in 2008, Hester returned just seven in 2009 as Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox got the bulk of the work.

Muhammad, who played with the Bears from 2005-07, spent his final two seasons with the Carolina Panthers before retiring after the 2009 season.

"[The Bears] probably should have kept me for another year," he said. "I would have said that, but who am I to criticize some of the decisions that go on in the back office. Obviously they've got all the answers. In my opinion I think I still had another year of grooming [Hester] and he really needed my tutelage to help him excel to another level. Is Devin Hester going to be a great player? Absolutely, no matter where he plays. As long as he has the ball in his hands you know he has the possibility of going the distance."

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs expects to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions after being sidelined with a right ankle injury.

The linebacker was on the practice field for the second straight day Thursday, while safety Craig Steltz resumed working with the defensive backs during individual drills. Steltz had been relegated to running on a side field while trying to recover from a high ankle sprain.

Briggs hurt the ankle in the Bears' third preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 28.

"The time off has been good," Briggs said Thursday. "Everything has been according to doctors' orders. I gradually worked myself into practice with the hopes that this week I'll be on the field. That's what I plan on doing."

The Bears officially listed Briggs as having limited participation in practice Wednesday and Thursday. Steltz and fullback Desmond Clark were also limited Thursday.

Indianplaya17 wrote:Desmond Clark is our FB? Now, i've seen everything.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Bears plan to bring in free-agent receiver Keenan Burton for a workout on Tuesday, according to an NFL source.

Reported originally by NFL.com, the club's plans to bring in Burton don't come as a surprise, considering the receiver's upside. A fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2008, Burton was somewhat of a surprise release by the Rams after he started six of nine games last season, catching 25 passes for 253 yards.

The 6-foot, 206-pound Burton struggled to stay healthy in the preseason due to knee problems, which have also plagued him the previous two seasons. The Rams released Burton to make room on the roster for Mark Clayton, who was acquired through a trade.

Burton missed three games as a rookie due to knee surgery to repair torn cartilage from an injury sustained in his NFL debut. Burton returned in the ninth game against New Orleans, and suffered a season-ending right-knee injury that required surgery to repair a patellar tendon.

Burton played in 22 games for St. Louis with seven starts, and was widely considered to be one of the favorites of Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo because of his work ethic.

Considered to be a possession receiver, Burton caught eight passes for 57 yards in the preseason prior to his release.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/n ... id=5551973

The Stache wrote:

Indianplaya17 wrote:Desmond Clark is our FB? Now, i've seen everything.

Technically, he is. In Martz's system hes the H-Back. H-Backs in general go out on pass plays more often than they stay in and block as a lead blocker on a run play.

A little different from a fullback, but its the same concept.

Indianplaya17 wrote:Bears to look at Keenan Burton

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Bears plan to bring in free-agent receiver Keenan Burton for a workout on Tuesday, according to an NFL source.

Reported originally by NFL.com, the club's plans to bring in Burton don't come as a surprise, considering the receiver's upside. A fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2008, Burton was somewhat of a surprise release by the Rams after he started six of nine games last season, catching 25 passes for 253 yards.

The 6-foot, 206-pound Burton struggled to stay healthy in the preseason due to knee problems, which have also plagued him the previous two seasons. The Rams released Burton to make room on the roster for Mark Clayton, who was acquired through a trade.

Burton missed three games as a rookie due to knee surgery to repair torn cartilage from an injury sustained in his NFL debut. Burton returned in the ninth game against New Orleans, and suffered a season-ending right-knee injury that required surgery to repair a patellar tendon.

Burton played in 22 games for St. Louis with seven starts, and was widely considered to be one of the favorites of Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo because of his work ethic.

Considered to be a possession receiver, Burton caught eight passes for 57 yards in the preseason prior to his release.

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