[CBFF] Ailing Jones may miss seven to 10 more days

Thu Aug 3 05:28:34 MDT 2006

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Ailing Jones may miss seven to 10 more days 

August 3, 2006

BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter 

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The Bears wrapped up their first week of practice with
running back Thomas Jones still on the sideline because of a pulled right
hamstring.

Jones was injured while running in a physical before the first practice of
camp last Thursday, and he probably will be out another seven to 10 days.
That will give Cedric Benson more time to show what he can do. Jones might
miss the first two exhibition games, and you can bet you will know all about
fourth-stringer P.J. Pope by then.

''It sure does seem it's my job to lose right now,'' Benson said Wednesday,
when he returned to the field after missing practice Tuesday with a tweaked
right knee. ''Nothing has been said right now, but I am getting a lot of
work with the [starters], and I'm taking advantage of it.''

That is the key: Nothing has been said, the job hasn't officially been
handed to Benson and he has put the ball on the ground a few times in camp,
although not Wednesday.

''What did I fumble, like twice so far we've been here?'' Benson said. ''The
play is dead. It's usually like I'm coming to a complete stop and turning
around, and here comes a defensive back knocking it out. It would be a
different thing if it was happening when I'm coming through the hole or
before the whistle blows.''

Coach Lovie Smith won't tolerate fumbling during a game. Jones protects the
ball well, and there isn't a rush to get him back on the field because
everyone knows what he can do.

''When you're green, like [Benson], there is a lot you have to learn, and
you can only get that from being out here on the field,'' Smith said. ''You
can only do so much in the classroom. And if there is a blessing in disguise
as far as our numbers being down, it's that he's able to get reps.''

COMEBACK TRAIL: When the coaching staff talks about having two draft classes
to work with this season because of the limited work some of the 2005
selections did last season, one guy who frequently gets left out is
linebacker Rod Wilson.

Wilson, a seventh-round pick last year out of South Carolina, fits Smith's
mold as an undersized guy who can move, but how good he is remains
unanswered because a deep bone bruise in a knee last year landed him on
injured reserve before the season started.

Wilson is working with the third string on the weak side and is hoping to
impress when the preseason arrives.

''Game time is really going to be a chance for me to shine and show them
what I can do,'' he said.

Wilson had won a roster spot before the injury last year, but he faces a
stiffer test this time around, with competition coming from Joe Odom, Leon
Joe, Jamar Williams and Jeremy Cain. Brendon Ayanbadejo is a lock at
linebacker because of his special-teams play.

MORE BACKER TALK: Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher had a quick quip when he
was asked if strong-side linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer was jealous because
Urlacher and weak-side linebacker Lance Briggs garner much more attention.

''Why would Hunter be jealous?'' Urlacher said. ''He makes more than Lance.

''Hunter makes plays. Everyone always thinks he's the third guy out, but he
normally makes a lot of plays for us, does a good job. He probably doesn't
get the hype that the other two of us do, but, hey, that's just the way it
goes sometimes. At least the guys know [his value].''

bbiggs at suntimes.com

All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance.
            -- Edward Gibbon