Thread: 'Birdman' ready to take flight for Bears

'Birdman' ready to take flight for Bears
Conte has recovered from foot injury, set for team's voluntary offseason workout program
By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter

6:22 p.m. CDT, April 15, 2012
The "Birdman" almost had his wings totally clipped.

Bears free safety Chris Conte, who earned the aforementioned nickname for the range he displayed as a rookie, was grounded 14 games into his professional career on what he called a "defenseless hit" on him.

Once the medical staff told Conte he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the Seattle game, he braced for the worst. The Lisfranc ligament connects the space between the bones of the forefoot and mid-foot. A rupture of this ligament could cause chronic disability if not surgically repaired.

"I had heard about the whole Lisfranc thing before and just heard it was a hard thing to deal with, especially for the guy who had surgery," Conte said. "Whenever they put a screw in something like your foot, it's something that could affect you the rest of your life."

Lucky for Conte, he avoided surgery. He sustained a moderate, second-degree Lisfranc ligament sprain after absorbing the weight of a Seahawks lineman. And the injury was much less severe than the ruptured Lisfranc former Bears safety Mike Brown endured in 2006. Brown needed five months to recover.

"Instead of tearing it, the space between the bones just widened at little bit," Conte explained. "They just casted it and it healed."

Conte is one of 10 Bears set to return after being placed on injured reserve last season — not counting Brian Urlacher, who sprained the MCL and PCL in his left knee during the season finale. Conte was cleared by orthopedic surgeon Armen Kelikian to fully participate in the team's voluntary offseason workout program starting Monday.

The former third-round draft pick would have missed at least a month, if not two, had the injury occurred earlier in the season. He was supposed to have his cast removed Jan. 3 but was required to wear it for two additional weeks.

"The biggest part about recovery was just getting the mobilization back from being in a cast for so long," Conte said. "It was just getting used to running and walking again. I took a basketball and was dunking the other day, so I think it's ready to go."

Conte certainly put in the work to restore his health. The Southern California native rehabbed at ProSport Physical Therapy in Newport Beach as set up by Bobby Slater, the Bears' director of rehabilitation. For three hours a day, four days a week, Conte performed simple exercises such as curling a towel with his foot or grabbing marbles with his toes and placing them in a cup.

Running on the beaches helped strengthen the foot. Conte eventually felt strong enough to return to one of his first loves: surfing.

"I only went in the water one time because I didn't want to push it too much," he said. "But I just had to see if I could still do it."

The Bears hope Conte stays above water during his second year and keep the back end of the defense afloat. The safety position continues to be an area of concern after the team went through eight different starting safety combinations last season.

But coach Lovie Smith continues to express faith in Conte and Major Wright, who started eight games at strong safety and three games at free. Conte and Wright had 125 tackles combined and four interceptions, three by Wright.

"I see myself as being able to do much more," Conte said. "I was a young kid who got thrown in there without an offseason due to the lockout. I think just having another year and being able to mature … I don't think I ever play tentative, but you're thinking a lot more than you should be when you're young. I try to fly around the field as much as I can and just play."

Chicago Bears: Chris Conte ready to take flight in Bears' voluntary offseason workout program - chicagotribune.com