Long wait finally over for Bears' Dvoracek

Because of a foot injury that required surgery, Dusty Dvoracek has had to wait more than 16 months to make his regular-season debut in the NFL after the Bears drafted him in the third round last year.

But the starting nose tackle couldn't ask for a bigger stage or a tougher challenge in his first game Sunday against running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the league's reigning MVP, and the San Diego Chargers, whose 14-2 record was the league's best in 2006.

"I guess good things come to those who wait," Dvoracek said. "It was a long year last year, but that's behind me. This year is here. We've had four good preseason games, and now it's time for the ones that count."

From the start of the off-season Dvoracek was being counted on as part of the Bears' rotation at tackle. But then they signed unrestricted free agent Anthony Adams, a former starter with San Francisco, and traded for veteran Darwin Walker during training camp and signed him to a five-year, $25 million contract. So Dvoracek wasn't expected to be the opening-day starter.

However, Bears coach Lovie Smith says he and his staff expected more out of the former Oklahoma Sooner.

"We had high hopes for him when we drafted him," Smith said. "He's been everything we wanted him to be. He's a tough guy, he's disciplined, he has talent, he's played at a high level. Everything you're looking for in a nose guard he has -- except for playing time."

Walker's ability to sack the quarterback makes him a logical situational substitution in passing situations. But he also is listed as the backup to 3-technique defensive tackle Tommie Harris on the Bears' depth chart, with Adams behind Dvoracek at nose.

With Harris' hamstring still a question mark, the Bears will mix and match their tackles depending on situations.

Dvoracek gets the nod as the No. 1 nose tackle because of his proficiency playing the run. At 6-feet-3 and 303 pounds, he has the strength and stoutness to hold the point of attack, even when he's double-teamed, as most nose tackles are on running plays.

"Our starter has to be that way," Smith said. "By us starting him, it's saying he plays that position better than everyone else right now. It's a different mentality. No other position can say that the odds are they're going to get double-teamed each play."

Dvoracek considers having to fight off two blockers more an opportunity than a chore, and he has been waiting a long time for it.

"I feel like it's almost an honor to play on this defense," the 24-year-old said. "We have so many great players and future Hall of Famers, and just to get to be a big contributor, it's awesome.

"This is pretty much like my rookie year, and getting an opportunity to start is what dreams are made of, and I'm going to make the most of it."

With no chance to play in a 2006 game, Dvoracek's year of exile could have been a waste, and he could have languished throughout the inactivity.

Instead, he did everything he could to make himself a better player. Not just by lifting weights and conditioning like a man on a mission, but by doing all the little things that are easy to disregard when players know they are months away from competing in a game.

"He faced reality right away," Smith said. "He was out, and there was nothing he could do about that except start preparing himself right away for this coming season, and that's what he did. He was here for every meeting.

"Everything that all the other players who were able to play did, he did. He's had a long time to get ready for this game, and I'm just excited for a guy who works that hard."

According to Dvoracek, frequent words of encouragement from the Bears' boss sharpened his focus.

"Every week Coach Smith would tell me, 'A week closer, you're a week closer,' " Dvoracek said. "That helped me, and it actually went by pretty fast.

"It is what it is. I couldn't help that I was hurt, that I had to have surgery. So you just have to make the most out of a situation and try to turn a negative into a positive."