[CBFF] CT: Bears look good to their bosses

[Victor Waldron]

Bears look good to their bosses
Jones gets RB nod; Hester will return punts, Davis kickoffs
By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

September 3, 2006, 10:42 PM CDT

Thomas Jones will be the starting tailback, Bernard Berrian probably 
will be the No. 2 receiver and general manager Jerry Angelo and coach 
Lovie Smith really like their Bears team heading into Packer week.

That the Bears open the season against their biggest rival seemed to 
give the brain trust's words added impact Sunday, one day after the NFL 
required rosters to be pared to 53 players.

"We feel good about our security at each position," Angelo said. "And 
that's a big thing because these are the players we're counting on to 
play on Sundays."

Given that the league's stingiest defense returns intact, the most 
scrutinized positions remain running back, receiver and, knowing 
franchise history, quarterback. Angelo and Smith gushed about their 
options at each.

"We like all our receivers," Angelo said. "The biggest concern or 
disappointment has been we haven't been able to keep them on the field 
at the same time, week in and week out.

"Just because they're unknown doesn't mean we're unhappy with them. We 
like each and every one, and they all have a certain something that they 
bring to our offense. It's just a matter of getting them up and going."

Angelo all but ruled out pursuing Detroit castoff Charles Rogers, a 
former No. 2 overall pick. While acknowledging Rogers' talent, he cited 
unfamiliarity with the Bears' system and "some things that are a concern 
or else he wouldn't be out there."

So for now, the Bears will go with what they have.

At receiver, Berrian skipped the exhibition finale with a bruised knee. 
Mark Bradley hasn't fully recovered from off-season knee surgery. 
Rashied Davis was impressive opposite Muhsin Muhammad, but second-year 
speedster Airese Currie remains on a first-name basis with the injury 
report.

"If in fact we have injuries, we'll have to act," Angelo said. 
"Naturally you want to do it internally. Why we kept six receivers was 
to protect ourselves in the event that maybe somebody isn't ready to go 
on any given Sunday.

"We'll have the practice roster address some of it. And then we'll look 
at some players like we do at all positions. Maybe we'll bring some 
people in to work them out. We'll do everything we need to do."

Smith mentioned Jones starting almost as casually as he did Davis 
returning kickoffs and rookie Devin Hester returning punts. But running 
back has the potential to be the most flammable situation once Jones and 
Cedric Benson are completely healthy.

Benson had been the starter in training camp before injuring his left 
shoulder and missing all four exhibition games.

"We would rather have had it the other way," Smith said. "But those are 
the cards that are dealt. It's not like he missed all of training camp. 
We got a chance to see him with his pads on. Hopefully, he's ready to go.

"We have three good running backs (including Adrian Peterson). We'll let 
that all sort out as far as who plays what."

The same philosophy might be applied to quarterback, though Rex Grossman 
would have to pull a Chad Hutchinson to lose the starting job. The day 
after he signed free agent Brian Griese, Angelo claimed the position was 
stronger than ever in his tenure.

Griese's impressive exhibition showing hasn't changed that view.

"Brian really has done a great job for us, not only on the field but off 
the field," Angelo said. "His leadership and experience really bode well 
with our coaches and players. We're very, very happy with him.

"We feel real good about that position. Let's just hope we only have to 
see one this year."

Smith said injured players like safety Mike Brown, cornerback Nathan 
Vasher and Benson are expected to return to the practice field beginning 
Monday. The status of defensive end Alex Brown, who vowed to play 
against Green Bay despite dislocating his right shoulder Aug. 25, is 
unknown.

What is clear is that Smith and Angelo are confident the Bears can 
repeat as NFC North champions. Then again, this is the time of year for 
optimism.

"We're looking for guys who are athletic and can run," Smith said. "I 
think we have that. I think we can be a physical football team, 
offensively and defensively. We're going to run the football. We can 
stop the run. We know the group. We've seen them in tough times and 
we've had great things happen to them too. I really feel good about the 
product we're going to put on the football field."

Angelo even went as far as defending the much-maligned first-team 
offense, which took until the fourth exhibition game and 17th possession 
to score a touchdown.

"We'll see some good things from our offense," Angelo said. "And I know 
that's been the big question mark. If we stay healthy on defense, 
there's no reason to believe we won't be a very good team there.

"The two things you can't predict in our business are weather and 
injuries. They impact Sundays. We all have to play in the same weather 
conditions. Hopefully, the injuries will be minimal. If that's the case, 
we should have a good football team."