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Witten next in line in TE blitz
By NICK HUT - nhut@nwnewsgroup.com
LAKE FOREST - Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten can put up big numbers, but the Bears arguably have seen better at that position this season.
No tight end is a more dangerous receiver than San Diego's Antonio Gates, and Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez was the gold standard before Gates came along.
The Bears faced Gates and Gonzalez in the first two games and now prepare to go against Witten, who has eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown this season.
"Gates is the best in the league, I think," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "He had a big day against us. He got on the outside quite a bit. Not a lot of [teams] do that with their tight ends.
"Dallas doesn't do that with [Witten]. They don't put him out there. Gates was just different. He's the best pass-catching tight end in the league."
Health check: Of the five players who missed Wednesday's practice, only guard Ruben Brown (shoulder) participated fully Thursday.
Defensive end Alex Brown (ankle), defensive tackle Tommie Harris, center Olin Kreutz (ankle) and cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. (back) returned, although on a limited basis.
Punter Brad Maynard (groin) took part on a limited basis for the second straight day. None of the players is expected to miss the game.
For Dallas, wide receiver Terry Glenn (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday night. Linebacker Greg Ellis (Achilles) missed practice Thursday and cornerback Terence Newman (foot) participated on a limited basis.
Standing out: Although Devin Hester understandably won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award for Week 2, the Bears thought Israel Idonije was every bit as valuable.
The team has a system for evaluating special-teams players, awarding various amounts of points for such feats as blocks and knockdowns on returns and tackles on coverage. Idonije's 28 points Sunday against Kansas City were the highest in Lovie Smith's four seasons.
"It's unheard of to get 28 points in a game," Smith said.
Ethnic pride: The NFL's ongoing celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is important to Bears guard Roberto Garza, who was born in Texas but is of Hispanic descent.
The celebration will be spotlighted during Sunday night's game, among other instances.
"[Latinos have] always followed football and I think now they're starting to understand it more," Garza said. "For a while there they didn't know quite what was going on.
"I know when I wanted to start playing, my mom had no idea. She said it was too violent and she didn't want me playing. Luckily she changed her mind."
Fan advisory: The Bears say anyone planning to attend the Dallas game should take note of the following night-game policies:
� All alcohol sales in the seating bowl of Soldier Field will end at halftime.
� Parking lots surrounding Soldier Field will not open until 3:15 p.m., four hours before kickoff. The entrance gates open at 5:15 p.m.
http://www.nwherald.com/bears/story.php?storyid=141
By NICK HUT - nhut@nwnewsgroup.com
LAKE FOREST - Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten can put up big numbers, but the Bears arguably have seen better at that position this season.
No tight end is a more dangerous receiver than San Diego's Antonio Gates, and Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez was the gold standard before Gates came along.
The Bears faced Gates and Gonzalez in the first two games and now prepare to go against Witten, who has eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown this season.
"Gates is the best in the league, I think," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "He had a big day against us. He got on the outside quite a bit. Not a lot of [teams] do that with their tight ends.
"Dallas doesn't do that with [Witten]. They don't put him out there. Gates was just different. He's the best pass-catching tight end in the league."
Health check: Of the five players who missed Wednesday's practice, only guard Ruben Brown (shoulder) participated fully Thursday.
Defensive end Alex Brown (ankle), defensive tackle Tommie Harris, center Olin Kreutz (ankle) and cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. (back) returned, although on a limited basis.
Punter Brad Maynard (groin) took part on a limited basis for the second straight day. None of the players is expected to miss the game.
For Dallas, wide receiver Terry Glenn (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday night. Linebacker Greg Ellis (Achilles) missed practice Thursday and cornerback Terence Newman (foot) participated on a limited basis.
Standing out: Although Devin Hester understandably won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award for Week 2, the Bears thought Israel Idonije was every bit as valuable.
The team has a system for evaluating special-teams players, awarding various amounts of points for such feats as blocks and knockdowns on returns and tackles on coverage. Idonije's 28 points Sunday against Kansas City were the highest in Lovie Smith's four seasons.
"It's unheard of to get 28 points in a game," Smith said.
Ethnic pride: The NFL's ongoing celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is important to Bears guard Roberto Garza, who was born in Texas but is of Hispanic descent.
The celebration will be spotlighted during Sunday night's game, among other instances.
"[Latinos have] always followed football and I think now they're starting to understand it more," Garza said. "For a while there they didn't know quite what was going on.
"I know when I wanted to start playing, my mom had no idea. She said it was too violent and she didn't want me playing. Luckily she changed her mind."
Fan advisory: The Bears say anyone planning to attend the Dallas game should take note of the following night-game policies:
� All alcohol sales in the seating bowl of Soldier Field will end at halftime.
� Parking lots surrounding Soldier Field will not open until 3:15 p.m., four hours before kickoff. The entrance gates open at 5:15 p.m.
http://www.nwherald.com/bears/story.php?storyid=141
