Childress ouster surprises Bears coach

The firing of Vikings head coach Brad Childress was expected by many, but Bears coach Lovie Smith was still surprised, given that the Vikings fell just short of the Super Bowl last season, losing 31-28 in overtime to the eventual champion Saints in the NFC championship game.

“It's a shame when you have your team a play away from being in the Super Bowl one year, and he's without a job the next year,” Smith said. “But that's our business. When we get in it, we realize that. Looking at it from a different point of view, it's always good to see a guy like Leslie Frazier get an opportunity.”

Frazier, the Vikings' defensive coordinator, was named interim head coach after Childress' firing. He was a starting cornerback on the Bears' Super Bowl XX championship team and played five seasons in Chicago.

Hard to explain:

Bears running back Chester Taylor spent the previous four seasons with the Vikings and enjoyed the best season of his career in Brad Childress' first season as head coach.

“I'm not that surprised because I'm pretty sure it was going to come to that by the end of the year,” Taylor said. “I want to thank him for bringing me in in '06 and giving me a chance, and I just wish him the best.”

Taylor, who rushed for 2,050 in his first two seasons with the Vikings, struggled to explain why last year's 12-4 NFC North champion has plummeted to 3-7 and seems on the verge of collapse.

“They have great players,” he said. “I thought they'd be a lot better. They've had some losses where it wasn't really close. That's not the Vikings I know.”

Taylor still talks to his former teammates, and he has sensed a disconnect on the team in recent weeks.

“It just seemed like there wasn't togetherness that's been there in the past,” Taylor said. “They had their ups and downs over there.”

Well, we're waiting:

Defensive tackle Tommie Harris has played well enough to be on the active roster for the past seven games since he was inactive in Week 3, but Matt Toeaina has started in that spot for eight straight games.

“I'm not going to use the word disappointed,” general manager Jerry Angelo said of Harris. “(But) I was hoping we were going to see more. You couldn't ask a guy to work any harder than he's worked in the off-season and during the season. It's just not clicking. I'm not giving up hope that it can't (improve) because we still see the quickness and the athleticism. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing it as much on Sunday. It's not a lack of toughness, and it has nothing to do with his work ethic. Hopefully he's going to turn the corner.”

Mr. Understatement:

No one can accuse linebacker Brian Ulacher, who became the franchise career leader in tackles Thursday, with tooting his own horn.

“Our linebackers are decent,” Urlacher said while assessing the defense. “We do a good job of getting to the football.”

Urlacher and weak-side linebacker Lance Briggs have been to 11 Pro Bowls between them and are among the NFL leaders this year in tackles for loss. Strong-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is also having an excellent season.

Decent?

“We do OK,” Urlacher said with a smile. “When they call our numbers, we do OK.”

Injury update:

Center Olin Kreutz (hamstring) and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) were the only Bears who did not practice Monday.

Kreutz will start his 129th straight game Sunday barring a natural disaster, and Tinoisamoa hopes to be back.