Packers hold off sliding Bears to clinch NFC North crown

CHICAGO -- With one championship under their belt, the Green Bay Packers are already eyeing a few others.

Aaron Rodgers connected with James Jones on all three touchdowns, Clay Matthews continued his dominance of Jay Cutler with two more sacks and Green Bay clinched its second straight NFC North title with a 21-13 victory over the archrival Chicago Bears on Sunday.

After starting the season 2-3, the Packers are showing signs they might have a run in them like the one that carried them to a Super Bowl title two years ago. They have assured themselves of a home playoff game and, at 10-4, are still in the running for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

"We're just getting started," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We feel that way as a football team. We feel there's a lot better football in front of us."

Chicago, meanwhile, continues to slide. This was the Bears' fifth loss in six games, and they're in danger of missing the playoffs after beginning the season 7-1. Chicago (8-6) lost ground in the race for the last wild-card spot, and fans at Soldier Field showered the team with boos for much of the game.

Cutler had another dismal day against the Packers, throwing an interception that led to the game-winning touchdown. He has been picked off 17 times by the Packers, including 10 in his past five games. Alshon Jeffery was whistled for three offensive pass interference calls, all late in the second half when the Bears were scratching to get something going.

Brandon Marshall had Chicago's only touchdown, but had just 56 yards receiving. The Bears were held to 67 yards of offense in the second half and finished with 190, their third-lowest of the season. The Packers have now won six straight against their rivals to the south.

"Everybody involved in this offense should be held accountable, even if that means jobs," said Marshall, who struggled to compose himself as he spoke before cutting short his postgame interview. "It's been this way all year. There's no excuse. We still have two games left. There's still hope, but at the same time, we need to be held accountable."

It was Marshall who turned the heat up on what is already the NFL's oldest -- and fiercest -- rivalry earlier in the week, saying he had never disliked a team as much as he did the Packers. Green Bay had held him to 24 yards on two catches in their first meeting back in September, and the NFL's receptions leader called the rematch "personal," adding, "But the talk, you have to back it up. We'll go out there and we'll do everything we need to do to get a win."

Marshall did his part early, firing up the Chicago sideline when he sidestepped one tackle and stiff-armed Casey Hayward on his way to the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown that gave Chicago a 7-0 lead. He screamed as he tossed the ball into the stands, and his teammates and the crowd roared in approval. Joe Anderson fueled the frenzy when he body-slammed Randall Cobb on the ensuing kickoff, and the Bears appeared to be firmly in control.

But overcoming adversity has become second nature to the Packers with the season they've had, and this game was no different.

"We don't try to trash talk," cornerback Sam Shields said. "When we get on the field we trash talk, but not in the paper. We let our actions show on the field."

Over the final 4:19 of the second quarter, the Packers went from a 7-0 deficit to a 14-7 lead thanks to a pair of Rodgers-to-Jones TDs sandwiched around a Hayward pick.

"That was important. That was really important," Rodgers said of the 14-point swing. "We couldn't them get up a couple scores and get into what they wanted to do, which it looked like they wanted to run [Matt] Forte a lot. Getting ahead of them kind of took them out of some of that stuff."

Having already been sacked twice, Rodgers was on the run again on third-and-6 when he spotted Cobb down the right sideline. He threw a dart to Cobb, who hauled it in for a 31-yard gain that put the Packers at the Chicago 35. Three plays later, Rodgers connected with Jones for a 29-yard score that tied the game at 7.

After exchanging punts, Cutler looked for Devin Hester only to find Hayward instead. It was the sixth interception of the season for the rookie, who grabbed the ball at midfield and returned it 24 yards. Five plays later, Rodgers hooked up with Jones again, this time for an 8-yard TD.

The Packers made it 21 unanswered points on the first drive of the second half. In another third-and-long situation, Rodgers threw incomplete to Jermichael Finley. But Green Bay got a second chance when Chris Conte was called for pass interference and, after a delay of game penalty, Rodgers found Jones for a 6-yard score.

It was Jones' first three-touchdown game and the fourth multiple-TD game of his career.

"You don't want to lose to your rival year in and year out. It's not a rival. It's a domination," Cutler said. "We've got to find a way, but that's in the past. Arizona's up next, we've just got to focus on that."

The Bears had chances to get back into it. Green Bay's Mason Crosby missed two more field goals, and Charles Tillman forced a fumble by Ryan Grant that Nick Roach recovered. Chicago got a big break on the next play when Green Bay safety Morgan Burnett hauled Jeffery down right in front of the end zone -- and right in front of an official. The pass interference penalty gave Chicago the ball at the Green Bay 1.

But the Bears could only get a 34-yard field goal by Olindo Mare out of it after Jeffery was called for pass interference, his first of three.

Notes

Matthews has eight sacks of Cutler in as many games. The Bears sacked Rodgers three times, with Julius Peppers and Corey Wooton each being credited with 1 1/2. Despite two more misses by Crosby, his 11th and 12th this year, McCarthy said the Packers will not be looking for a new kicker. "We're not changing kickers. Write that down right now," McCarthy said. "He's our guy." Cobb had 150 all-purpose yards, leaving him 10 shy of Ahman Green's single-season Packers record (2,250 in 2003).

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Bears' Urlacher fined $21,000 for horse-collar tackle

NEW YORK -- Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was fined $21,000 by the NFL for a horse-collar tackle on Seattle's Leon Washington, his second fine in two weeks.

Urlacher, penalized for the tackle in the Bears' 23-17 loss last Sunday, also was fined last week for a horse-collar tackle of Minnesota's Adrian Peterson.

Green Bay's Tramon Williams was fined $21,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Minnesota's Toby Gerhart last Sunday.

Detroit defensive tackle Nick Fairley was fined $15,750 for his horse-collar tackle of Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck late in the Lions' 35-33 loss.

Washington center Will Montgomery was fined $10,000 for kicking New York Giants defensive lineman Linval Joseph, who was docked $7,875 for unnecessary roughness. He raised his right foot to kick at Montgomery, but stopped himself before doing so.

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Defense lifts Cutler, Bears to victory over Rams

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 23, 2012

CHICAGO -- Major Wright saw Sam Bradford zeroing in on Danny Amendola and knew where the ball was headed.

It ultimately wound up in the end zone, and that was just fine with the Chicago Bears. They got back to winning thanks to their defense, with Wright coming up with the biggest play.

He returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown, and Chicago beat the St. Louis Rams 23-6 on Sunday.

The defense came to the rescue against the Rams (1-2), holding them to 160 yards and sacking Bradford six times. That was enough on a day when Jay Cutler struggled, and the Bears (2-1) bounced back after an ugly loss to Green Bay the previous week.

The Bears had just kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 13-6 in the fourth quarter before Wright made his key play. Bradford had been hit hard by Israel Idonije and Stephen Paea on the previous play when Tim Jennings deflected a slant intended for Amendola.

Wright caught the ball at the 45 and ran untouched to the end zone, making it a 14-point game and finally giving the Bears some breathing room.

"Sam Bradford was looking his way the whole time," Wright said. "As we were watching film, he is not the type of quarterback that is going to look one way and go back the other way. He was honing in on that side and I was like, 'You know what, let me take a shot over here,' and I ended up taking a shot over there. ... [Jennings] tipped it up and me being in the right spot at the right time [I] took it in."

It wasn't exactly the sort of showing the Bears were looking for after that brutal 23-10 loss to the Packers, but they got by because the defense did its part. For the offense, well, that's two bad outings in a row.

"Some games, we are going to need to score 41," coach Lovie Smith said. "Other games, we're not going to need to. We're going to have to play good, sound football and make the plays when it's required, and it was that type of day."

One positive note for the offense was Cutler appearing to keep his composure in this game. Considering he got sacked seven times, threw four interceptions and berated and bumped left tackle J'Marcus Webb on the sideline, that was an improvement.

Otherwise, there weren't many positives for him.

"Not every game is going to be 41-21," Cutler said, referring to the season-opening win over Indianapolis. "We're not going to come out every game and blow the doors off offensively and defensively. This is what is going to be more likely week in and week out."

Cutler completed 17 of 31 passes for 183 yards. He was sacked twice and threw an interception to Cortland Finnegan, who also delivered a shot after the game.

Asked what he saw from the Bears' quarterback, he said, "Not much. Not much. I think he had 190 yards passing, something like that. And no touchdowns. Typical him."

Brandon Marshall had trouble hanging onto the ball at times and wound up with five receptions for 71 yards after catching just two passes the previous week. Michael Bush ran for 55 yards and a touchdown with Matt Forte sidelined by a sprained right ankle.

"It's not how we wanted to perform, but got a W," Bush said.

Credit for that goes to the defense.

Idonije had 2? sacks, and the Bears simply made it a miserable Bradford, who was 18 of 35 for 152 yards with two interceptions.

Steven Jackson managed just 29 yards rushing after missing most of the previous game with a groin injury and sitting out practice during the week, and Amendola had five catches for 55 yards after tying a club record with 15 catches for 160 yards.

"We definitely didn't play well today," Bradford said. "Give them credit, they played us tough. But I think there are a lot of things when we look at the film that are going to fall on us. Things that we were in control of and just didn't handle. It was a tough game, a lot for us to learn from and move on as a group."

Protection might be at the top of the list. Then again, the Bears had something to do with it, too.

For all the questions surrounding their defensive line, the results so far are good. They came in tied for second in the league with eight sacks and added to their total with another balanced effort.

It's not just Julius Peppers being disruptive; he's getting help, too.

"We're fighting for the sacks," said Paea, who had one. "It's not just one person on the quarterback. It's two or three."

The effort on defense was enough to overcome a subpar performance by the offense.

When the Bears had chances, they simply didn't take advantage. With Chicago leading by four early in the final quarter, a 21-yard scramble by Cutler put the ball on the 6. But the Bears settled for a field goal to make it 13-6 after he overthrew an open Devin Hester in the end zone, the ball going through the receiver's hands as he tried to make a leaping catch.

That drew more groans from an already weary crowd, but the Bears came out on top.

"Most games are like this," Cutler said. "Most games are slug-outs. It's a four-quarter game."

Notes

Jackson said afterward that he wasn't risking further injury by playing and that he "came out of this clean." He added: "I just wish I could have been more productive and help my team win." Finnegan has an interception in each of the three games. Bears FB Evan Rodriguez left with a knee injury early in the game.

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Bears' Forte to miss Rams game with sprained ankle

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte will sit out the Chicago Bears' game against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday because of a sprained right ankle.

Coach Lovie Smith said Friday that Forte "is making a lot of progress," but isn't ready to play. Forte went to the locker room midway through the third quarter of last week's loss at Green Bay after he appeared to twist his right ankle while being tackled by Charles Woodson. That leaves Chicago without one of its top offensive players.

He also missed the final four games last season because of a sprained collateral ligament in his right knee.

With Forte out, Michael Bush figures to be the primary ball carrier on Sunday. And, he gets a chance to show he's more than a power, short-yardage back, and that he can produce between the 20-yard lines.

"Hopefully I can get people to get that knock off me about not being an every-down back," said Bush, who signed a four-year deal with the Bears after running for 977 yards with Oakland last season. "I can't please everybody. It's a business. It is what it is. You don't like me, so what? I'm going to keep playing hard."

Bush also believes he has something to prove to the coaches.

"The more I get to play, the more I get to show them," he said. "The more they trust in me, believe in me and give me more opportunities. For the most part I know they're behind my back regardless. That's a good thing."

Besides ruling out Forte, the Bears also list defensive end Julius Peppers as probable. He sat out Wednesday's practice because of a foot problem, but was listed as a full participant on Thursday and Friday.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Packers' D dominates Bears in win

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 13, 2012

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- On a night when defenses dominated the NFL's most storied rivalry, the Packers got creative -- and it worked.

Punter Tim Masthay and backup tight end Tom Crabtree combined for a touchdown on a fake field goal in the second quarter, and the Green Bay Packers rattled and robbed Jay Cutler in a 23-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Thursday.

Cutler threw four interceptions, including a pair to Tramon Williams. Facing a fierce Packers pass rush all night, Cutler was sacked seven times, including 3 ? for Clay Matthews. New Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall was held to two catches for 24 yards.

"Clay was incredible," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "Defense causing turnovers, if they play like that we're going to be tough to beat."

The Bears also lost running back Matt Forte to an ankle injury.

The Packers rebounded from a season-opening loss to San Francisco.

"We got kicked in the [rear end] four days ago," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "And we were motivated."

After Williams collected his second interception, Rodgers finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter, hitting Donald Driver for a 26-yard touchdown and a 23-3 lead.

Driver, who barely played in the loss to San Francisco, did a celebratory dance in the end zone, recalling his stint on the "Dancing With the Stars" reality television show.

But Rodgers threw an interception to Tim Jennings and the Bears finally cashed in. Facing fourth-and-7 at the Green Bay 21, Cutler threw a touchdown to Kellen Davis, cutting the lead to 23-10 with 6:49 remaining. But the Bears couldn't mount a comeback as Matthews and the Packers kept turning up the heat.

Rodgers finished the game 22 of 32 for 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

He got roughed up, too, getting sacked five times. Green Bay got a scare when the NFL MVP appeared to hurt his right arm early in the game, but he stayed in.

Cutler was 11 for 27 for 126 yards, and visibly expressed his frustration throughout the game.

"If they want a quarterback that doesn't care, they can find somebody else," Cutler said.

Earlier in the week, a confident Cutler wished the Packers' defensive backs "good luck" in trying to match up physically with a new-look wide receiver corps led by Marshall. Stalked by Williams for much of the night, Marshall didn't see much of the ball. And he couldn't convert his one big opportunity, dropping a potential touchdown in the third quarter.

"Well, we got to get better," Rodgers said. "But our defense took a lot of trash in the media this week. They played incredible."

Forte provided much of what little offense the Bears could muster before leaving the game in the third. He appeared to twist his right ankle while being tackled by Charles Woodson.

Mason Crosby hit three field goals for Green Bay, including a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter.

The biggest play of the night, though, came from the unlikely tandem of Masthay and Crabtree.

With the Packers facing fourth-and-26 on the Chicago 27 late in the second quarter, Masthay, the punter who also functions as the holder on field goals, and Crosby appeared to line up for a field goal attempt.

But Masthay took the snap and flipped the ball to Crabtree, who ran through a huge hole and streaked all the way to the end zone.

McCarthy said he was trying to send his team a message by calling the fake.

"That's a gutsy call," Rodgers said. "Worked out."

Cutler then threw an interception to Williams near midfield with just over a minute left and the play was upheld on a replay review, giving the Packers one last chance to score. Rodgers marched the Packers into scoring range, and Crosby hit a 35-yard field goal.

Cutler threw his second interception of the night late in the third, this time to Woodson, and the Packers appeared poised to score when Charles Tillman punched the ball away from Jermichael Finley and recovered the ball for the Bears.

Marshall missed a huge opportunity earlier in the third, when Cutler found him streaking wide open in the end zone -- but the wide receiver couldn't haul it in, and the Bears had to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould that cut the lead to 13-3.

The Packers were coming off a 30-22 home loss to the 49ers. Green Bay struggled to stop San Francisco's balanced offense and came into a short week of preparation still looking for answers in the secondary.

On offense, the 49ers' dominant defense held the Packers to seven points in the first three quarters before a late rally attempt came up short.

Chicago came into the season with high expectations for a beefed-up passing attack, and the arrival of Marshall was a hit right away. Renewing his partnership with Cutler from their days in Denver, Marshall caught nine passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and the Bears put up 41 points in their season-opening victory over Indianapolis.

Notes

Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings was inactive with a groin injury. Tillman played despite a shin injury, and Brian Urlacher played his second straight game after having knee surgery during training camp. Thursday's attendance was 70,543.

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Cutler, Bears make Luck loser in debut with Colts

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 9, 2012

CHICAGO -- Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall weren't about to let Andrew Luck upstage them. Instead, they played like they'd never been apart.

Cutler threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, Marshall added 119 yards receiving with a TD, and the Chicago Bears spoiled Luck's debut, beating the Indianapolis Colts 41-21 Sunday in the season opener.

"We got the guys," Marshall said. "We have the pieces. We have the coaches."

Matt Forte ran for 80 yards and a touchdown to go with 40 yards receiving. Newcomer Michael Bush added two TD runs, and the defense did its part, holding Luck in check.

He was 23 of 45 for 309 yards with a 4-yard TD pass to Donnie Avery early in the fourth. But Luck also lost a fumble, got sacked three times and threw three interceptions -- two to Tim Jennings -- in an up-and-down start for a rookie with huge shoes to fill. All he has to do is prove the Colts were right to take him with the No. 1 pick in the draft and part with Peyton Manning after he missed last season with a neck injury.

"There will be a lot of positives, a lot of negatives, we'll try to learn from it," Luck said. "I'm still disappointed fresh off what happened but we'll get over it."

Reggie Wayne, one of Manning's old targets, caught nine passes for 135 yards. But it was a familiar result for a team with new management and a new coach in Chuck Pagano after winning just two games.

Then again, it was hardly a surprise.

The Bears are eyeing big things, and they wound up with their highest point total since they scored 48 in a win over Detroit on Oct. 4, 2009.

With their Pro Bowl running back and strong-armed quarterback leading the way, they racked up 428 yards -- 287 while building a 10-point halftime lead - in their first game with Mike Tice as coordinator.

Forte's 6-yard run early in the third quarter and Robbie Gould's field goal after LaVon Brazill fumbled away the ensuing kickoff made it 34-14.

Cutler shook off a rough start and completed 21 of 35 passes. He got sacked by Robert Mathis for a 12-yard loss on the game's first play from scrimmage, a familiar site for the Bears, and had an interception returned 3 yards for a touchdown by Jerrell Freeman on the second possession. But Chicago caught a big break when the Colts' Dwight Freeney left with a sprained an ankle in the first quarter.

The Bears believe they are poised for a playoff run after injuries wrecked a promising season a year ago, sending them to an 8-8 finish. New general manager Phil Emery revamped the roster and brought in a go-to receiver, reuniting Cutler with his old friend from Denver in Marshall in that blockbuster trade with Miami.

"The chemistry he has with 15 (Marshall) dating back to their time together showed up today," Pagano said.

Cutler said the opportunities for Marshall to make plays were there.

"I thought Indy, they weren't really scared of him," Cutler said. "They were going to let him make plays if he was capable of making plays. They wanted to stop the run, and they were going to play man against us and try to beat us outside."

One big concern is Brian Urlacher's left knee after he initially injured it in the finale last season and had it scoped last month. The eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker practiced this week for the first time since July 31, and there was some thought that he should sit this one out, with a trip to Green Bay on Thursday. Instead, he started and coach Lovie Smith pulled him from the game after things got out of hand even though he wanted to stay in it.

"I don't like to leave the game, but he's the head coach, so I do what he says," Urlacher said.

Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman limped off the field with what Smith said was a lower leg injury. He appeared to be favoring his right leg after Indianapolis punted on its first possession and came back for the next defensive series before sitting out the rest of the way.

The Colts were missing receiver Austin Collie, who was held out because of a concussion, and their defense took a hit when Freeney rolled his ankle on a low block early in the game.

That happened on the Bears' first scoring drive, which wiped out a 7-0 deficit and quieted the groans that were rumbling through Soldier Field.

That sack on Cutler was an all-too-familiar sight, and Freeman's touchdown return on a short swing pass intended for Forte to start the second possession wasn't what the Bears had in mind.

"When you come out and give up a sack, that's not playing well," Forte said. "That's just a lack of effort right there, and then, we throw a pick-6. It's just we're not focusing. We had to get that out of the way, and as you could see, it looked like everybody was focused on all the drives after that."

They quickly erased that deficit, with a 32-yard run around the left end by Forte and a 15-yard spin through the middle leading to Bush's 1-yard scoring run. And they grabbed a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter on Cutler's 3-yard pass to Marshall. That came after a neat one-handed grab by Forte, who leapfrogged a defender while turning a short pass into a 31-yard gain.

A deep pass by Luck intended for Avery got picked off by a leaping Jennings. That led to a field goal by Gould, making it a 17-7, and the Bears led 24-14 at the half.

"Bad start to the game, great start to the season," Marshall said.

Notes

Freeney was scheduled for an MRI. Colts RT Winston Justice left the game with a concussion. There was a moment of silence in the press box before the game in honor Associated Press sports writer Joe Mooshil, a fixture in Chicago who died Friday night at age 85.

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Colts' Collie, coming off third concussion, says he's day to day for Bears game

Collie suffered his third diagnosed concussion in the preseason. (AP)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Everyone on the Colts is eager to get the season started, from owner Jim Irsay to rookie quarterback Andrew Luck to every last fan who watched the team suffer through a miserable 2-14 season a year ago.

Indianapolis wide receiver Austin Collie wants to get going, too. But he is being cautious after his third diagnosed concussion since the start of the 2010 season. It came in the second preseason game, and he did not return to practice until Monday as the Colts get ready for Sunday's opener against Chicago.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano said Collie is "full go." Collie, however, would not say Thursday if he's been fully cleared, saying "there is no definite timetable."

"We're just going to continue to see how I feel," Collie said. "I don't want to make a definite statement of `yes' I am playing on Sunday, `no' I'm not playing on Sunday because we still have time. I want to see how things go today, want to see how things go tomorrow and I'll go from there."

There has been a growing awareness of the long-term health risks associated with concussions, and thousands of former players have filed lawsuits against the NFL, blaming the league for failing to protect them from brain damage due to football-related concussions. The league has levied new guidelines to dictate a team's actions when a player is suspected of having a concussion and what tests must be passed to return.

Collie sustained two concussions in 2010, including one in which he was on the Philadelphia turf for 10 minutes before being taken off on a stretcher. Steelers linebacker Larry Foote buckled Collie with a hit during the Colts 26-24 preseason loss Aug. 19.

"I'm grateful that I have fans ... that want what's best for me," Collie said. "But I think me and my family are the only ones who know what's best for me. It's our decision. This is our life, my career. That's really the only opinion outside of my family that I care about, is what the doctors say."

Collie views the concussion like any other injury. Rehab, listen to doctors and return when allowed. Last week, he switched helmets at the recommendation of former teammate Dallas Clark, who dealt with his own concussion issues.

Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said he's not concerned for Collie's safety even though the receiver does much of his work in the middle of the field. Arians won't adjust the game plan or what routes Collie runs. Once doctors clear him, it's business as usual.

Collie said he has thought about the long-term ramifications, but said it's no different than other players with other injuries.

"That's the sacrifice we all knew we were going to make coming in the NFL," Collie said. "When we do get older, there are going to be some aches and pains. Everyone can sit there and say, yeah, but it's your head. But if the doctors say I'm OK and everything checks out, then I'm going to go."

A study this week in the journal Neurology found that former NFL players were unusually prone to dying from degenerative brain disease, the latest indication that repeated blows to the head may cause serious trouble later on. The death rate from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease combined was about three times what one would predict from the general population, researchers reported.

Collie is not deterred.

"You don't hear about the players that have the exact same number of concussions that are doing perfectly fine," he said. "Not to mention the things we do know about concussions now and the preventative measures that can be taken that they didn't have previously. I think everyone gets so uptight and excited about really what the old players are saying, well, today's a new age of medicine. We have new studies, new things that are going to continue to help players with their problems. That's also something that I've kind of taken into consideration."

Collie and Reggie Wayne are the only two returning wide receivers on the Colts' roster. Fifth-year wideout Donnie Avery was signed during the offseason. The other six receivers and tight ends have a combined one year of NFL experience.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Limited practice following knee surgery won't keep Urlacher out of Bears opener

Urlacher says his surgically repaired left knee will never be the same. (AP)

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' defense has five starters 31 or older, and 34-year-old linebacker Brian Urlacher is coming off knee surgery a month ago.

They believe they have lost very little due to age, and say anyone who doubts it should test them.

"They can try," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "But they will fail."

Urlacher was held out of Thursday's practice, but the plan is to practice Friday and play Sunday in the opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

"He's had trouble with his knee so we're not going to push the knee through the week," coach Lovie Smith said.

Although Urlacher realizes his surgically repaired left knee will never be the same, he anticipates no diminished returns. The same goes for the "seasoned" Bears defense in general as preparations continued Thursday for Sunday's game at Soldier Field.

"I'm not up to speed," Urlacher said. "I know the defense well, but I've got to get my technique down and work on some things. I'm practicing, so that's all that really matters to me."

The Bears defense will face No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck and the Colts. However, it may be the Colts testing Urlacher. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Colts -- and other teams later in the season -- go at the middle of the Bears cover-2 zone to see if their 34-year-old defensive leader has lost a step.

Another 30-something, defensive end Israel Idonije, doubts Urlacher will be slowed against the pass or rush.

"If anyone is thinking that Brian is going to be a weak part of the defense, absolutely, run at him," Idonije said. "The guy, he's a physical specimen. He's worked hard to put himself into a position so he can be on the field, and just he is one of those guys who is relentless. If that's something they think they can exploit, by all means they're going to try. Then at the end of the day we'll see."

Urlacher said he and the other older players -- Briggs, Idonije, cornerback Charles Tillman, and defensive end Julius Peppers -- are better in the defense now even if age has taken away some of their speed.

"Whatever we have lost in athletic ability or speed or whatever, I think we make up for it with our mental game just like most players do when they get older," Urlacher said. "They get smarter as they play longer and hopefully get better as they get older."

Urlacher practiced only the first four days of training camp before experiencing left knee pain that required an Aug. 14 arthroscopic surgery. As a result, he missed all of the rest of training camp and the preseason, then practiced Monday and Wednesday this week.

"I knew I would get back before the first game," Urlacher said. "It was a matter of getting to this point. It really wasn't that frustrating. A little annoying when it happened, but once we did the scope it was fine."

Urlacher expects no limitations against the Colts.

"Every other game I have ever played I've planned on playing the whole game," he said. "That's what I plan on doing right now."

Urlacher's preparation might change somewhat prior to the Week 2 game against the Green Bay Packers. It's a Thursday night game so his recovery time from the first game would be short.

"I'll do the same thing I always do," he said. "Get in the cold tub a lot, ice, everything the trainers tell me to do. Try to keep my legs strong. Nothing more than normal. Probably a lot of rest next week with the short week. I have to get on the practice field eventually, but I think we only have one day of practice next week so I'll just be out there for that if I can."

Urlacher originally injured his knee in the 2011 regular-season finale. Several reports have said he went to Europe and underwent a non-invasive procedure on the knee, then relied on rehab to recover from two sprained ligaments. However, he ran into problems at training camp at Bourbonnais.

"I hadn't done that much in the offseason," Urlacher said. "I ran the whole month of June and July before I got to training camp. But nothing like we did in training camp and I think I kind of just aggravated it a little bit and got some things loose in there so we cleaned it out and now it's good."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Bears agree to terms with first-round pick, LB Shea McClellin

Posted: 01:55 PM ET May 11, 2012

By Josh Katzowitz | NFL Blogger

McClellin was projected to make about $8.3 million on his four-year contract. (US Presswire)
The Bears have announced they've signed first-round pick (No. 19 overall) Shea McClellin to a four-year contract, and as Mac's Football Blog points out, the former Boise State linebacker's deal is projected to be worth about $8.3 million.

NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang declared McClellin one of the safer picks in the draft, and now that he's in Chicago, he'll get the chance to vie for a starting position on the opposite side of Julius Peppers.

In order to do that, McClellin would have to beat out Israel Idonije -- who, with 13 combined sacks, has had the best two seasons of his career in 2010 and 2011.

"(McClellin) is an all-downs football player, including special teams," Bears general manager Phil Emery said after the draft. "Our special teams coaches gave him a blue level (highest) grade as a special teams player. We are excited about him for several reasons: He's got really quick feet and hands as a pass rusher, he has natural hips as a pass rusher. In his role, his normal starting role at Boise, was as a (middle) linebacker and he would come down and rush on third down or in sub-package situations so there's a lot of versatility to this player."

Said McClellin recently, "To all the doubters, I'm going to have to go out there and prove myself. I'm used to that. I came from Boise State. We had to prove ourselves every week."

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Josh Katzowitz on Twitter here: @joshkatzowitz.

Tags: Israel Idonije, Julius Peppers, Shea McClellin, Chicago Bears, NFL

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Packers beat Bears, clinch top seed in NFC

CBSSports.com wire reports
Dec. 25, 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With the first five-touchdown game of his NFL career, Aaron Rodgers ensured that the Green Bay Packers' playoff road will go through Lambeau Field.

He also made sure the rival Chicago Bears will be spending the playoffs at home.

Rodgers broke a close game wide open by leading three quick scoring drives in the second half, and the Packers beat the Bears 35-21 on Sunday night.

Rodgers noted that he once threw six touchdowns in junior college -- also in a rivalry game -- but acknowledged this one was a little bit bigger.

"Yeah, this one's pretty special," Rodgers said.

With the win, the Packers (14-1) nailed down the No. 1 seed in the NFC and claimed another round of bragging rights in the NFL's most storied rivalry by knocking the Bears out of the playoff chase.

"We wanted the path to go through Lambeau," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jordy Nelson, another two to James Jones, and found tight end Jermichael Finley for a score. Rodgers was 21 of 29 for 283 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions when backup Matt Flynn took over for Rodgers with 7:54 left in the game.

Rodgers surpassed Lynn Dickey's single-season franchise record of 4,458 yards passing with one game left, although it's unclear how much Rodgers will play in the Packers' finale against Detroit.

The loss eliminated the Bears (7-8) from playoff contention and put the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs.

Third-string running back Kahlil Bell rushed for 121 yards for the Bears, who trailed by only four early in the third quarter. But Rodgers drove the Packers for touchdowns on their next three possessions to put the game out of reach.

"When you play the Super Bowl champions, you have to be on top of your game," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Offensively, we did enough things to keep us in the game and have a chance to win the game at the end. But defensively we just didn't have it."

McCarthy said the team's run defense will be examined after the big performance by Bell, but added that the final score told the story.

"We won big," McCarthy said. "That's the bottom line."

Chicago came into Sunday on a four-game losing streak and beset by injuries. But the Bears were able to stay in the game with solid defense and tough running by Bell, who started because of injuries to Matt Forte and Marion Barber.

Rodgers' second-half fireworks proved to be too much for Chicago.

"Thirty-five points on that defense, that's a good night," McCarthy said.

The victory was the Packers' fourth over the Bears in 2011. Green Bay also beat Chicago in the 2010 regular-season finale, the NFC Championship game, and at Soldier Field on Sept. 25.

With the Bears trailing 14-3 at halftime, quarterback Josh McCown found Earl Bennett wide open for a 49-yard gain to set up first-and-goal on the 1. Bell fumbled just short of the goal line on the next play but offensive lineman Edwin Williams recovered the ball for a touchdown.

With the Packers nursing a four-point lead, and the Lambeau Field crowd nervously quiet early in the third quarter, Rodgers answered by dropping deep and throwing a rainbow pass to Nelson, who blew through the Chicago secondary and hauled in the ball for a 55-yard touchdown.

Rodgers then showed his running ability on the Packers' next possession, juking his way between Bears linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on a scramble. Rodgers finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown toss to Jones, giving the Packers a commanding 28-10 lead.

Packers safety Charlie Peprah came up with an interception, and Rodgers found Nelson for another score to give Green Bay a 35-10 lead.

"It just hasn't gone the way we wanted to," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "If we play like this, that's what's going to happen. The last five weeks, we haven't played well enough to win, and we've lost all five games. We're not real happy where we're at. Our coaches aren't happy, but that's what we get."

McCown finally answered with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis -- then drew the ire of the Lambeau crowd by scrambling for a two-point conversion and spiking the ball over the goalpost with his team trailing 35-18.

Rodgers' offensive feats came behind a patchwork offensive line, as the Packers were without three of their top four tackles.

Chad Clifton returned to practice this week after sitting out since October because of hamstring and back injuries, but isn't ready to play. Bryan Bulaga was inactive Sunday because of a left knee sprain, and backup Derek Sherrod is out for the season with a broken right leg.

Green Bay also was missing wide receiver Greg Jennings, because of a sprained left knee, and defensive lineman Ryan Pickett because of a concussion.

The Bears have lost five straight games since losing quarterback Jay Cutler to a broken right thumb in a Nov. 20 victory over San Diego. Chicago was 7-3 after that win, but came into Sunday's game barely alive in the playoff chase.

The Bears started McCown on Sunday after backup Caleb Hanie struggled to fill in for Cutler. McCown's most recent start came with the Oakland Raiders in 2007, and he was out of the NFL last season.

"It's a tough assignment, but you've got to find a way to pull it off," McCown said.

To make matters worse for the Bears' offense, Barber was inactive because of a calf injury. Chicago already was without Forte, who missed his third straight game because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Notes

Sunday's attendance was 70,574, the team's 300th consecutive sellout, including the playoffs. Bears offensive lineman Lance Louis left the game in the first half because of an illness. Packers RB James Starks bruised an ankle.

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Hurd cut by Bears, posts $100K bond; NFL knows of no players tied to case

An illustration shows Thursday's initial court appearance for Sam Hurd, who posted $100,000 bond. (AP)

CHICAGO -- The attorney for Sam Hurd said Friday that his client had never sold drugs to other NFL players, hoping to put any rumors to rest as the wide receiver without a team prepares to fight federal drug charges.

Less than an hour after Hurd was cut by the Chicago Bears, defense attorney Brett Greenfield told reporters that his client planned to fight the charges and wanted one thing made clear.

"Sam has asked me to address one point, with respect to the rumors that Sam has been supplying drugs to other members of the NFL, out of respect to the NFL, out of respect to teammates and out of respect to other players, he 100 percent denies that allegation," Greenfield said. "It is patently and totally false. It just didn't happen."

League spokesman Brian McCarthy said the NFL was closely monitoring the situation. Asked about a report that authorities have a list of NFL players with ties to the drug case, McCarthy said: "We are not aware of such a list."

U.S. Magistrate Young Kim set bond at $100,000 for Hurd, which he paid later Friday, and ordered him to surrender his passport and any firearms. He is expected to be tried in Texas, where the criminal complaint was filed this week by the U.S. attorney.

Hurd, who appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit with his feet shackled, waived his right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the next step is for prosecutors to take their case before a grand jury. Several members of Hurd's family, including his wife, mother and brother, attended the hearing but he didn't appear to look at them, even as he was led out of the room.

Hurd was arrested Wednesday night outside a Chicago steakhouse, according to the complaint. He allegedly told an undercover agent he was interested in buying five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute in the Chicago area.

Hurd told the agent a "co-conspirator is in charge of doing the majority of the deals" while he focused on "higher-end deals," the complaint said. He agreed to pay $25,000 for each kilogram of cocaine and $450 a pound for the marijuana, according to the charges, and then said he could pay for a kilo of cocaine -- about 2.2 pounds -- after "he gets out of practice." He walked out of the restaurant with the package and was arrested.

Authorities say Hurd faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine if convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, or half a kilogram.

Teammates said they were stunned by the allegations and Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said he was, too, as he announced the team was cutting Hurd.

"There were no facts, there were no flags, that anybody could present tangibly to say we should have known otherwise, and I want to make that perfectly clear to the public, to our fans," Angelo said Friday. "We do our homework. We do our due diligence. We did everything you could possibly do given the information that we can allocate."

The 26-year-old Hurd was in his first year with the Bears and sixth year overall in the NFL after five years with the Cowboys. Angelo said the Bears performed an extensive background check on Hurd, a San Antonio native who played at Northern Illinois, before signing him in July to a three-year deal reportedly worth up to $5.15 million, including a $1.35 million signing bonus and base pay this season of $685,000.

"We go back, we ask questions," Angelo said. "Is there something we could have done, something we should have done, in the process? Sometimes, there are glitches, but in this case, there are none. I could sit here and tell you with total transparency that we did everything we know to do in terms of our research, and there was nothing that we found that would create a flag or an alert or a real concern in Sam Hurd's case."

Asked how certain he was that other players on the Bears or around the league were not involved, Angelo said, "I can't talk about that."

"I'm certainly not going on any witch hunts about players," he added. "The one thing that we've done when there's been a wrong, we've acted. We don't justify wrongs. We've acted. We have a track record of doing that. Unfortunately, a situation arose that caught us off guard, but not to the point where we aren't going to do the right thing."

The Bears announced their contract agreement with Hurd on July 29, one day after federal authorities say he had agreed to a "consensual interview" with Homeland Security investigators over $88,000 in cash that had been seized in a car he owned in the Dallas area. The money was inside a canvas bag that authorities said was covered in a plant-like material that tested positive for "properties of marijuana."

Hurd said the money was his and that he had given the car to his acquaintance, a car shop employee, for maintenance and detail work, the complaint said.

"From my understanding, he wasn't the one that was pulled over," Angelo said. "His vehicle was pulled over. He was not the driver. That was never made public. So he was never charged with anything. There was never any record to our knowledge. And it was, from my understanding, a citation, but other than that, there was no other information that was presented to us."

Angelo would not say if the Bears would try to recoup some of the signing bonus. He also gave a terse answer when asked whether the case might affect his own future with the Bears, telling a reporter to "whistle Dixie." Angelo is under contract through 2013.

As for Hurd, receiver Earl Bennett described him as a "guy with high character who just loves to play the game of football, loves to have fun." Bennett also said he doesn't think other players are involved.

"I wouldn't think so," he said. "A lot of guys in this locker room are very high-character guys."

Coach Lovie Smith echoed that sentiment.

"We have a great group of guys," he said. "But sometimes when you're dealing with this many, it's hard to have all the players be a certain way. But you can't let that scar what else we're getting done here. It's always about the team. Every once in a while a guy will go outside what's best for the football team and there are consequences that you deal with. That's how life goes. There are life lessons that are being learned here by our football team."

Greenfield said he wasn't sure whether Hurd would try to get picked up by another team as he fights the drug case.

"Sam's a football player and he wants to play," he said. "Hopefully he'll be playing in the near future with another team."

If not, the attorney said, there are other options.

"Sam's a college grad, Sam's a scholar, Sam's a very, very smart individual," Greenfield said.

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NFL Greatest Rivalries: Packers Defeat Bears

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