Bears’ Paea looks to build on his strong debut

With Matt Toeaina out today with a sprained knee, rookie Stephen Paea will get another opportunity to build on last week’s successful debut.

“Players always expand their role by taking advantage of the limited reps you get early on,” coach Lovie Smith said of Paea. “He did that. We like what he did out there rushing the passer and, of course, playing the run, too.

“We liked him coming out (of Oregon State). He’s doing it by playing good football. Practice wise, he’s the same guy. He’s eager to learn, and he will start getting more reps.”

The Bears’ second-round pick sacked Donovan McNabb for a safety last week on his second NFL snap.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said Paea will play a bigger role in the tackle rotation.

“He has a lot of quickness, which we knew,” Marinelli said. “He’s got a great motor, and he’s just been very productive.

“We’re very excited about him, and we need to keep him going. He’s been coming along each week. You get an opportunity, and then you have to cash in on it, and he did. That’s everything in this league.”

Safety shuffle:If strong safety Major Wright#146;s hip injury prevents him from playing today, Chris Harris could be back in the starting lineup a week after being benched in favor of the second-year player.#147;He (Wright) is injured,#148; coach Lovie Smith told reporters in London. #147;It could affect his status for Sunday, yes.#148;After being inactive last week, Harris requested a trade, which didn#146;t happen. But Smith said he had no doubts about the seven-year veteran#146;s mindset.#147;Each week your role changes,#148; Smith said. #147;Chris Harris and the rest of our players realize that. Last week, after I told him his role would be different, he was on the sideline coaching the guys up.#147;All of our players are ready for me and us to tell them what they will be doing this week, and they#146;re going to do the best of their ability to get that done.#148;Friendly confines: It won#146;t be like a home game for the Bears today, but quarterback Jay Cutler doesn#146;t think it will be like playing in a hostile environment either, when the game kicks off at 6 p.m. London time (noon in Chicago).#147;We travel well,#148; Cutler said. #147;There are many instances when we go into stadiums and we have just as many fans as they do. I wouldn#146;t be surprised if we have a very strong following.#148;That was the situation when the Bears defeated the Buffalo Bills 22-19 in Toronto last season.#147;We#146;ve seen a lot of our fans coming over,#148; coach Lovie Smith said. #147;We#146;re expecting a warm reception.#148;ŸFollow Bob#146;s Bears reports via Twitter @Bob LeGere and check out our Bear Essentials blog at dailyherald.com.