Bears make most of off week
chicagotribune.com
Off week coming at good time for healing Bears
Wright and Garza should return against Bills
By DB54
The Bears have been the healthiest team in the NFC North and their off week comes at a good time for them as it should help them heal up some nagging injuries as well as more serious ones.
Rookie safety Major Wright, who returned to practice last week, is expected to play against the Bills Nov. 7 in Toronto. It will be a seven-week layoff for him since pulling a hamstring in Week 2 at Dallas. How he's worked into the mix remains to be seen.
Guard Roberto Garza also should be back for the Bills. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Oct. 15.
"I'm feeling good," Garza said. "We'll just have to see how it goes. I keep trying to get better."
Garza declined to talk about his role now that former first-round draft pick Chris Williams has been moved to left guard. It's unlikely the Bears would move Williams again so it's possible Garza could re-emerge as the right guard, the position where he started the previous four seasons. Edwin Williams has been the most recent starter there, but he left the Redskins game with a stiff back and Lance Louis replaced him.
Coach Lovie Smith said cornerback Zack Bowman also should return from a sprained foot to face the Bills.
Making moves: Punter Richmond McGee was signed to the practice squad Tuesday but he's not expected to be challenging for Brad Maynard's job. The Bears are running training camp-style practices Wednesday and Thursday and wanted a fresh leg. This also will give the team an opportunity to evaluate McGee, who spent the first part of training camp with the team.
Maynard did not perform well against the Redskins as his seven punts averaged only 36.3 yards. His numbers for the season are skewed somewhat because he has had a lot of punts from near midfield, though. He had landed 15 punts inside the 20-yard line with only three touchbacks.
Linebacker Chris Johnson, an undrafted rookie from South Dakota State, also was signed to the practice squad. He spent rookie minicamp with the Bears. Johnson spent training camp and preseason with the Cardinals and suffered a high ankle sprain in the final exhibition game. He was released from injured reserve last week. Linebacker Marcus Buggs and wide receiver Greg Mathews were waived from the practice squad to make room.
Extra points: DeAngelo Hall said on NFL Network Monday night that if he played against Jay Cutler every week he would be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For now, the jersey the Redskins cornerback wore Sunday will be in Canton, Ohio. The organization requested his jersey after he became the 19th player in league history to intercept four passes in one game. … The Bears are the only team in the league that has not scored in the third quarter this season. "Believe me, we're working to correct that and we're getting closer," Smith said. "Almost halfway through the season we've identified it, of course, we're seeing that also. I just think the odds say we're going to get that part taken care of."
