Bears can't let Webb weave through their defense

Vikings third-string, rookie quarterback Joe Webb, who is expected to start his first game tonight against the Bears, rushed for 2,448 yards in his final two seasons at Alabama-Birmingham while throwing for 5,345 yards.

At UAB's pro day he worked out as a wide receiver, which was his position in 2007 and, originally, his projected NFL position. He had a vertical jump of 42½ inches and a long jump of 11 feet, 5½ inches, both of which would have put him among the elite in any position at the Scouting Combine. He also bench-pressed 225 pounds 21 times and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds.

“He's fast. He sees a crease and he'll take off,” Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. “So we've got to make sure we're disciplined in our rush lanes, that we overlap, all the things that we have to accomplish.

“So really it comes back to what we do. We know what he is. He's a big, athletic guy and he's got a strong arm. We've got great respect for him. Now we've got to go out and execute our plan.”

Forcing the issue:

The Bears' defense failed to force a turnover in back-to-back games after losing 36-7 to New England.

“Disappointed and upset,” coach Lovie Smith said when asked for a reaction. “All of the above. We have to take the ball away. That's how we play football. For whatever reason, we haven't been able to do it.

“Last week we had opportunities. We dropped interceptions, but I saw guys attempting to strip the football. They'll eventually come. Hopefully it will be (tonight).”

The Bears had 14 interceptions in their first nine games but had just 2 in the past four. They have not forced a fumble in four straight games.

Making change:

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz said tonight's game plan for the game at TCF Bank Stadium can be adjusted to accommodate almost any kind of field conditions.

“We carry a pretty good list (of plays) so there's enough flexibility in the game plan any week to really adapt,” he said. “We don't talk at all about (the conditions). Whatever it is, it is.”

Depending on how stable the footing is in pregame warm-ups, changes can be made on the fly.

“You have to look and see how your players are adapting to it and change shoes if there's an issue,” Martz said. “If there's still an issue, then you have to look at what you're doing (as far as play-calling) and adapt to it.”

Healthy and happy:

It was almost a year ago to the day that Brian Urlacher had the cast removed from the dislocated right wrist that caused him to miss 15 games last season.

“After 12 weeks, it was nice to get it off, but I was still a little distraught, especially when my wrist was this big around,” he said, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger about half the current circumference of his wrist. “It was a little frustrating, but I'm having a good time this year. We've played well for the most part and it's a lot of fun.”

Urlacher leads the team with 119 total tackles, 71 solo tackles, 47 assisted tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups and 3 fumble recoveries.