Running success suits Smith just fine

The Bears are the only team in the NFL that has run the ball more than it has passed over the last eight weeks.

Despite his reputation as a passing-game wizard, offensive coordinator Mike Martz has run the ball 238 times since the bye week with 231 pass plays.

Very few expected that kind of balance when Martz was hired Feb. 1, but head coach Lovie Smith says he isn't surprised.

“I've been with Mike before, and I knew we could run the football,” said Smith, who was Martz's defensive coordinator with the St. Louis Rams from 2001-03.

“In Chicago you have to be able to run the football. Late in the year, you go through the elements. All those things were said back then by us.

“When you have a player like Matt Forte, why wouldn't you want to run the football? And the job that our line did this past week, (that's the) best they've done all year.”

Job sharing works:

Veteran free safety Chris Harris wasn't wild about the idea of rotating rookie Major Wright in for himself and starting strong safety Danieal Manning several weeks ago when coaches decided the youngster deserved some playing time.

But Harris has warmed to the idea.

“When it first was brought to me, I definitely wasn't happy about it,” Harris said. “But, as the season went on, I think we all find it helpful. Me and Danieal talked about it as well.

“It keeps you fresh out there on the field, so when those two-minute drives come up, when those critical parts of the game come up, you're not dog tired. You've got fresh legs and you can go out and make plays.

“So I'm actually fine with the rotation the way it is right now.”

Harris made his team-high fifth interception in the game's final minute last week to seal the victory over the New York Jets.

To play or not:

Because of next week's bye, players who sit out this week — there aren't expected to be many — would go three weeks between game action. Players say isn't the best preparation for the intensity of playoff football.

“We don't want to sit out three weeks,” wide receiver Devin Hester said. “That's a long time for a player to sit out and not really get in a game atmosphere and the conditions.

“So even if all the starters play this week, we know we have a bye the following week to heal bumps and bruises. I would love to play the whole game.”

Quarterback Jay Cutler doesn't want to risk having the offense lose the edge it has developed while scoring 78 points over the last two games.

“We're playing really good football right now, and we want to continue that,” Cutler said. “So we want to go out there and hopefully we can keep playing at the level we're playing.”

Injury update:

Only three players were listed on the Bears' injury report.

Wide receiver Earl Bennett (ankle), center Olin Kreutz (rest) and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) did not participate in Wednesday's outdoor practice. Kreutz and Tinoisamoa should be back Thursday, and Bennett should be back by Friday.

Coming and going:

Wide receiver Rashaun Greer was signed to the practice squad, while the practice squad contract of linebacker Simoni Lawrence was terminated.

Greer was signed by the Cowboys this year as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State, where he had 1,848 receiving yards on 112 receptions (16.5-yard average) and 3 touchdowns.