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.

View the original article here

Brady returns to limited practice after report of shoulder injury

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady participated in practice Thursday on a limited basis because of a left shoulder injury.

The New England Patriots quarterback had missed Wednesday's session, but the team said his absence was not injury-related.

Comcast SportsNet reported that same day that Brady had X-rays to check for a separated left shoulder and was told he was "all set." Patriots spokesman Stacey James said Thursday: "If there was an injury then it would be on the injury report."

Brady was listed on Thursday's report as having participated on a limited basis with the shoulder injury. He was one of 17 Patriots listed as participating on a limited basis, meaning a player took part in fewer than 100 percent of his normal repetitions.

He loosened up and ran with his teammates at the start of the practice while reporters were allowed to watch.

Brady landed hard on his left shoulder with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter Saturday when he was tackled by Kevin Burnett on a scramble in a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in which he also scored on two 1-yard sneaks.

The Patriots have one more practice on Friday before a walkthrough on Saturday for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills (6-9).

The Patriots (12-3) have clinched a first-round bye and can lock up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win or tie. If they lose, they could still get home-field advantage with a loss or tie by both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brady has a chance for the fourth 5,000-yard passing season, needing just 103. Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints set the NFL record of 5,087 Monday night, 3 more than the mark set by Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins in 1984.

The Saints, tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the second-best record in the NFC at 12-3 and with a chance to earn a bye, face the Carolina Panthers.

View the original article here

Johnson (ankle) limited at practice, expects to face Jags

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Chris Johnson is back practicing, though limited for the Tennessee Titans. Barring any soreness in his ankle, the running back should play Saturday against Jacksonville.

Johnson hurt his right ankle in last week's loss at Indianapolis and did not practice Tuesday or Wednesday.

Coach Mike Munchak said Johnson was limited Thursday but looked pretty good running. Munchak says that Johnson should be in good shape unless he has soreness in the ankle from the work he did Friday.

Linebacker Gerald McRath did not practice with his sprained left knee and ankle. Linebacker Patrick Bailey (hamstring) and defensive end William Hayes (groin) both practiced on Thursday, as did receiver Nate Washington (ankle).

Defensive end Dave Ball practiced after missing Wednesday while his wife gave birth to a son.

View the original article here

Peterson has limited practice for Vikings; QB Ponder still out

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis, a big step toward healing from a sprained left ankle.

Quarterback Christian Ponder, however, didn't practice as he nurses a right hip pointer that is jeopardizes his chance to play Sunday at Detroit.

Peterson has missed the last two games with his injury, but he made significant strides in cutting and planting on his foot without pain.

"It was really encouraging to see some of the things he was able to do," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. "He's headed in the right direction, far more improved than he was a week ago."

Peterson was unavailable for comment Thursday, preferring to push his weekly media address to Friday. But the team has sensed his eagerness to be back on the field, despite the 2-10 record.

"He's the ultimate competitor. He definitely wants to be in there. But when the time's right he'll be back," right tackle Phil Loadholt said.

The Vikings gained a season-high 489 yards in last week's loss to Denver without their best player, giving them some confidence that the offense can finish the season strong. Wide receiver Percy Harvin, however, downplayed the Peterson effect and put the onus on the entire team for these final four games.

"I don't think having him or not having him has anything to do with what we've got going on right now," Harvin said. "We've just got to execute better, be able to finish games, play all four quarters. We can't have one game when we play good on offense and not so good on defense or play good on defense and not so good on offense. We've just got to find a balance so we can do both."

Tight end Kyle Rudolph played sparingly against Denver, but he caught a touchdown pass, making another highlight-reel reception by plucking the ball out of the air over a defender's helmet and hanging on long enough to establish possession before another opponent swatted it out. Harvin beamed when asked about another young skill-position player the offense ought to be able to rely on as a foundation, even if there are upgrades that must be made on the line and the other wide receiver spots for the Vikings to improve.

"I love him. He's a freak athlete. He's probably got one of the best hands as far as catching the ball that I've ever seen," Harvin said. "He makes tremendous catches. He's big, strong, all the things you want in a skillful tight end. We've just got to find a way to get him on the field a little bit more, get him into the mix."

That's offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's job. The Vikings blamed Rudolph's lack of use on the quadriceps injury that limited his practice work last week, but Musgrave said Thursday they "want to try and throw it to him as often as humanly possible."

Rudolph said he feels "great" about the improvements the offense has made.

"We have a ton of talent, and this month is very important for us to go out there and generate some momentum going into this offseason."

The question is whether he'll have his good friend Ponder to throw to him this weekend. Frazier said the Vikings will try to "put him through some paces" in practice Friday to determine if he'll be an option for Sunday's game. The coach said he'd lean against playing Ponder if he couldn't practice all week.

"He didn't look too good walking yesterday, so we'll just have to see if he continues to heal up as the week progresses," Musgrave said.

Notes

RG Anthony Herrera was the Vikings' winner of the league-wide Ed Block Courage Award for returning from offseason elbow and knee surgery. An undrafted free agent in 2004, Herrera has started 66 of 76 career games. ... Harvin tore a ligament in his finger while trying to brace himself during a fall in Wednesday's practice, but Frazier said he's fine. ... DE Brian Robison passed his required post-concussion tests and returned to practice Thursday.

View the original article here