No excuses for Bears' offense

BOURBONNAIS — Bears coach Marc Trestman says the excuse that the offense is in its first year in a new scheme won't be a valid one.

“We've got to go out and we've got to be ready on Sept. 8 (at home vs. the Cincinnati Bengals) with our players feeling like we can go out and beat anybody with expectations that we can,” Trestman said. “And I believe we will.

“As coaches, we've got to put our guys in a position to succeed starting on Sept. 8, and we're going to work every day to make sure we get that done.

“We've got to be flexible enough to put together a team on all three sides of the ball that is going to put our football team in the best position to win.”

Numbers game:Wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is expected to participate in the first practice Friday despite off-season hip surgery, said it's OK with him if he doesn't duplicate last year's total of 118 receptions, a franchise record.#8220;That's fine,#8221; he said. #8220;As long as we're winning #8230; that's probably the reason I got hurt last year, I had so many receptions.#8220;So I'm actually looking forward to passing some along to (tight end) Martellus (Bennett) and (wide receiver) Alshon (Jeffery). I had 118 and the next guy had (44). That's a problem.#8221;Fun run:Depending on whom you ask, Thursday's series of three 300-yard shuttle runs for time is either a cause for worry or a team-building assessment of where everyone's fitness level is and where it needs to be.Each position has a target time that must be met, although coach Marc Trestman said he doesn't plan any punitive measures for those who fail to finish under the deadline.#8220;I don't even look at it as a test,#8221; he said. #8220;I look at it as an accountability exercise. The times are very minimal. We're not trying to run anybody off or wear anybody down. It's a minimalized test where everybody can see everybody out there for the day and see everybody running and see what kind of condition they're in.#8220;No. 1, it's an accountability test, and No. 2, it's an opportunity to see that if somebody is not ready to go it's a safety issue because those are going to be the guys on the ground.#8220;So it's very clear after seeing this done in the NFL and doing it five years in Montreal, that guys, because they are competitive, are going to come into it a little bit nervous.#8220;Based on what I saw in the spring, there isn't anybody who should have trouble finishing it.#8221;