Chris Conte to start at safety for Bears
Chris Conte wasn't expecting to get his first NFL start so early in his rookie season, but the third-round pick from Cal believes if he follows some basic guidelines he'll be fine.
“Just take care of my assignment and guard against big plays,” he said, well aware that Chris Harris and Brandon Meriweather lost their starting jobs after failing to prevent big plays by the Lions last Monday night. “As long as we make them grind it out and make them beat us, then that's the best thing we can do. As long as we keep the ball in front of us, I think we'll be all right.”
Conte, at free safety, will be paired with strong safety Major Wright, a third-round pick out of Florida in 2010 as the fifth different safety tandem the Bears have used in six weeks. The Bears have already made seven changes at the safety position this season and 50 since Lovie Smith was named head coach in 2004.
Wright started the season opener at free safety, but when Harris suffered a hamstring injury, Wright moved to strong safety in Week 2. A head injury caused him to miss the third game, he was back at strong safety in Week 4 but then back on the bench in Week 5 when Harris returned from his injury.
Conte has played in all five games, mostly on special teams. In Week 2 against the Saints, he and Wright were the culprits on Devery Henderson's 79-yard TD catch.
“This is a big opportunity, and of course (I'm) going to be nervous, but you go out there and execute,” the 6-foot-2, 203-pound Conte said. “They obviously drafted me for a reason. I didn't know when it would happen, but this is what I was preparing for and that's why I was brought in.”
Conte said he learned a valuable lesson in the Saints game.
“Never stop (moving) your feet in your backpedal,” he said. “When you're at this level, you always have to guard against the deep route, and the worst thing you can ever do is stop your feet. Just keep on backpedaling.”
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