Forte wastes no time impressing Smith
Friday's first day of the Bears' three-day rookie mini-camp at Halas Hall was held inside the Walter Payton Center because of rainy weather, but that didn't prevent second-round running back Matt Forte from impressing coach Lovie Smith with his all-around game.
"I thought he caught the ball well, he showed some good quickness, (and) he has good size," Smith said of the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Forte. "All the things we thought coming in, we got a chance to see today."
Forte said he's aware of the popular opinions that he will soon supplant Cedric Benson as the Bears' featured runner, but he's not buying into the hype.
"Guys tell you they want you to start and they want you to do all this and create controversy and all that, but I'm really just here to create competition in the backfield," he said. "Competition is going to make each and every one of the running backs better. We're here for the team, to make the whole team better."
Shaky start: Third-round wide receiver Earl Bennett had an inconsistent first practice, showing soft hands on some catches but dropping at least a couple of easy ones.
"When I first came out, I was a little nervous, jittery," said the all-time leading receiver in the Southeastern Conference. "I'm playing at the biggest stage right now, my first practice. But overall I think I came out and did OK.
"Anytime a ball hits my hands, I consider it a drop, so I dropped a couple. But I'll just try to make it up and catch the next ball that comes to me."
Coach Lovie Smith said he expected some nervousness.
"Just looking in their eyes, I'm sure the guys will say they didn't get a lot of sleep (Thursday) night," Smith said. "They know that this is the most important job interview they've ever had, and they know what's at stake."
Dueling it out: Southern Illinois quarterback Nick Hill was one of 10 undrafted free agents under contract practicing Friday, in addition to the 12 draft picks and 28 other players invited for a tryout.
Colorado State's Caleb Hanie, the other undrafted free-agent quarterback, threw the ball more accurately than Hill, but the SIU lefty had his moments.
"He looked smooth," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "We sent him some stuff earlier in the week, and it was evident that he studied it, that he got into the playbook a little bit. He had a pretty good grasp of stuff. I think he'll be more relaxed (today)."
With only Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton returning at quarterback, the Bears are looking to add at least one more to the final roster.
Round and round: Defensive tackle Marcus Harrison was a third-round draft pick, just like center Olin Kreutz and linebacker Lance Briggs, who have nine Pro Bowl appearances between them.
"It doesn't matter where you're drafted," said Harrison, whose mother, Michelle, is from Chicago. "It just matters what you do when you get out there."