Tillman's a hit with Hester
BOURBONNAIS -- Charles Tillman is a physical cornerback, even in training-camp practices, which can sometimes rub a teammate the wrong way.
But if the 6-foot-1, 196-pound Tillman occasionally roughs up 5-foot-11, 186-pound wide receiver Devin Hester, it's only helping him transition to his new position.
"When I feel my opponent wants to get physical, I'm the type of player that (says), 'Let's play physical,'æ" Hester said. "If you want to play this type of game, I can play right along with you. That's the type of player I am.
"I'm out here trying to get better, and I know Charles Tillman is one of the great players on our defense and he's an aggressive corner. You know when you go against him you're going to have to fasten up your chinstrap and get ready to play football."
Hester knows he's going to face similar strong-arm tactics during the season as opponents try to jam him at the line of scrimmage and neutralize his ability to stretch the field.
"I'm hoping I can continue to get more reps with (Tillman)," he said, "because I know I'm going to face a lot of cornerbacks that will want to threaten me on the press situation. When that occurs in a game situation, I want to be ready for it."
Getting it done: After waiting almost a year between games, nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek was eager to re-establish himself on the Bears' defense after suffering a season-ending foot injury in the 2006 preseason. Coach Lovie Smith was pleased with his initial effort.
"I thought he played well," Smith said. "He's anxious to go. He's been that way in training-camp practices also. He made a couple good plays, and he was solid at the nose.
"Dusty is a tough guy. We brought him here to be our nose guard and take on the double teams and like doing it, and that's exactly what he's doing."
Dvoracek was in on 3 tackles, including the one that dropped Texans fullback Ron Dayne for a 1-yard loss on a third-and-goal from the Bears' 1 early in the second quarter.
House of Payne: Safety Kevin Payne was one of three rookies -- along with tight end Greg Olsen and cornerback Trumaine McBride -- who drew praise from coach Lovie Smith in the wake of Saturday's preseason opener.
With a glut of talent at safety, Payne's participation as a rookie might be limited to special teams. That's fine, as long as he gets to hit someone, which he did Saturday night.
"I think I've got a lot of talent that I can go out there and show the coaches," Payne said. "I'm just ready to go out there and get to hit somebody else."
Payne, from Junction City, Ark., was a standout special-teams player at Louisiana-Monroe, returning kicks and even punting for his entire senior season, in addition to playing safety and running back.
"There's no problem with me playing special teams," he said. "I get to go out there and make a statement doing that."
Practice highlights: Rookie Greg Olsen appeared to get mugged by linebacker Brian Urlacher on a pass at the back of the end zone that the Miami tight end couldn't hang on to. As Olsen got up, he imitated an official throwing a flag.
A minor scuffle between defensive tackle Antonio Garay and guard Terrence Metcalf escalated into a choreographed professional wrestling routine when tight end Desmond Clark playfully took cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. to the ground and defensive tackle Tommie Harris left the sideline to pull Clark off.
Tight end Fontel Mines, a converted wide receiver who caught a 3-yard TD pass in the first preseason game, had the 2 best catches of the day, including a one-handed grab over the middle from Brian Griese.
Injury update: Wide receiver Mark Bradley left practice briefly after injuring his left knee but said it was OK afterward, although he later had it wrapped in ice at dinner.
Linebacker Jamar Williams left a short while later with a migraine. Quarterback Kyle Orton (knee) safety Tyler Everett (bruised foot) both missed a second straight day of practice, but Everett said he'd be back today. Fullback Jon Goldsberry (hamstring) returned to practice for the first time in two weeks.