Urlacher short, testy with media

Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is focused on beating the Eagles this week, so there are a lot of topics he's not interested in discussing, including the lack of effort that coach Lovie Smith mentioned earlier in the week.

"I don't grade effort," Urlacher said. "The coaches grade the effort. Coaches sometimes point guys out who are running hard. But I'm not worried about anybody else. I need to worry about myself. I don't really watch anybody run."

What about the lack of hunger that Tommie Harris mentioned?

"No," Urlacher said, "I don't worry about it."

Could you imagine a defense without Lance Briggs, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the season?

"I'm not worried about that right now," Urlacher said. "Can't imagine it."

Is Urlacher surprised that Briggs has more tackles than he does (55-54, even though Briggs has missed 1½ games).

"No," Urlacher said. "Not worried about it."

When it comes to his health, Urlacher is even touchier, but he was asked if, in light of his 5-tackle performance, it was fair for people to wonder if he had a back injury or some other malady.

"I don't care what people think," Urlacher said. "I'm fine. Was I on the injury report? Did you see the injury report? Go check it out."

Urlacher was not on the injury report.

Bracing for attack: In nine years as the Eagles' defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson has earned a reputation for bringing a wide variety of blitzes from every direction and in every situation.

"They overload," said Bears center Olin Kreutz, who has the responsibility of calling out protections on pass plays. "They bring one more guy than you can pick up. They take a few more chances that other teams won't take. It maybe will leave someone open, but they're counting on getting to the quarterback."

The Eagles are No. 1 in the NFL at getting to the quarterback, and their 19 sacks have come from eight different players, led by right end Trent Cole's 6.

"They'll bring two, three guys to a side and maybe leave a D-end on a receiver and count on that pressure getting to you before you get rid of the ball," Kreutz said. "It's hard to recognize. Jim Johnson does a good job recognizing what protections you're calling and attacking those protections."

Safety net: After shuttling between safety and corner the past few weeks because of injuries in the secondary, Danieal Manning is back as a full-time safety, where he'll start Sunday along with strong safety Adam Archuleta, who was benched last week.

Manning is capable of playing both corner and safety but struggled trying to do both. He's more comfortable at safety and when he can focus on one spot.

"You can hone all your skills when you're just playing that one position," Manning said. "You don't have to worry about anything else, and you feel like you can cut loose again."

Feeling better: The Bears are healthier than they've been in several weeks, as only cornerback Nate Vasher (groin) missed all of Thursday's practice.

Defensive tackles Tommie Harris (hamstring) and Darwin Walker (knee) both were limited in practice, while guard Ruben Brown (shoulder) had a full workout. All except Vasher are expected to play Sunday.