Beekman must avoid mental errors
Left guard Josh Beekman got his first NFL start Sunday night, but he isn't entrenched.
Beekman stepped into the starting gig after Terrence Metcalf had arthroscopic knee surgery during training camp and missed all four preseason games. But Metcalf returned to practice last week and could reclaim the job.
"Sure, he (Metcalf) can get back in," coach Lovie Smith said. "It's a long year. We don't give out any starting positions for the entire season. We like what Josh Beekman has done. Josh has showed up every day, he's done a good job, made progress from week to week, so we feel real comfortable with what he's doing. But there's always competition. If someone feels like they're ready to take a step up, we're ready for them to do it."
According to former Bears guard Tom Thayer, the color analyst for WBBM's radio broadcasts of Bears games, the mental aspect will be critical for Beekman to keep the job.
"He's got to be committed to the playbook because he can't afford a mental error," Thayer said. "He's a good athlete, and he should be starting at left guard, but he's got to make sure that he doesn't have mental errors."
Lineup changes: Kevin Payne started Sunday night at strong safety, replacing Brandon McGowan, although McGowan was the starter in the preseason.
McGowan, in turn, replaced Danieal Manning at nickel back in passing situations.
"(There's) a lot of disappointment, but you can't do anything about it," McGowan said. "You just have to stay focused, and when it's your time to go out there, you have to do what you've got to do."
Dusty Dvoracek, who missed three preseason games with a calf injury started at nose tackle in place of Anthony Adams, who was inactive.
New look: Four of Sunday night's offensive starters were making their first start for the Bears: wide receivers Brandon Lloyd and Devin Hester, guard Josh Beekman and rookie running back Matt Forte.
"We know that there are some new guys at different positions, but that's why you go through practice and preseason and all that," coach Lovie Smith said. "It's all geared toward just playing a good game that first game of the season. That's what we expect from everyone that's on the field."
Those four were among seven positions that featured different offensive starters compared to Opening Day 2007. The others were quarterback Kyle Orton, left tackle John St. Clair and right tackle John Tait (who started at left tackle last season).
Expert marksman: Robbie Gould became the fourth-most-accurate kicker in NFL history among players with 100 attempts, when he converted on his first try Sunday night, a 41-yarder that put the Bears up 10-6.
That kick made Gould 85-for-100, an 85 percent success rate. The Chargers' Nate Kaeding is No. 1 at 86.8 percent (92-for-106) after hitting his only attempt Sunday, former Colt Mike Vanderjagt is next at 86.5 percent (230 of 266), and the Bengals' Shayne Graham is third at 85.5 percent after going 1-for-1 Sunday.
Sitting it out: The inactives Sunday were wide receivers Mark Bradley and Earl Bennett, safety Craig Steltz, guard Dan Buenning, offensive tackle Chris Williams, defensive tackles Matt Toeaina and Anthony Adams, and quarterback Caleb Hanie.