Barkley's time to shine with Bears
Jay Cutler missed another day of practice Thursday with a right shoulder injury, making it almost certain that backup quarterback Matt Barkley will get his first pro start Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
The four-year veteran has thrown just 75 passes in the NFL, but he often played on big stages at USC, where he was 27-9 as a three-year starter.
"I've been in big games before," Barkley said. "I've played football at a high level. This is the NFL, and I'm excited about that, but in my mind it's nothing new to me, it's another game. Even in high school, we were on nationally televised games and big crowds through my whole life.
"I'm going to respect Tennessee's defense. They've done a great job thus far. But I've been here before, so I'll just keep playing football."
The Titans are sound across the board on defense. They're No. 3 in rushing yards and average gain per rush allowed, No. 7 in total yards allowed, No. 7 in sack percentage, No. 5 in third-down efficiency and No. 8 in point allowed.
The Tennessee defense presents a major challenge for a first-time starter, but Barkley doesn't seem as if he'll be fazed.
"I don't like to see the big picture when it comes to living in that moment," he said. "I like to focus on the task at hand. That's kind of carried with me up until this point, and I've learned a lot from other quarterbacks in this league that I've been with who kind of had that same mentality."
Getting a chance:
Undrafted rookie tight end Ben Braunecker should see his most extended playing time on Sunday with Zach Miller on injured reserve with a fractured right foot.
The Harvard product has just 1 catch for 8 yards but has played in seven games and contributed mainly on special teams.
"Coming away from Sunday there were a lot of things to be negative about," Braunecker said of the 22-16 loss to the Giants. "I feel bad for Zach. He worked his butt off, and he's been extremely productive while he was here. It's just an unfortunate turn of events. But that leads to an open door for me, so I'm just going to do everything I can to be the best version of myself that I can be."
Braunecker says he will continue to lean on the seven-year veteran Miller for advice.
"Zach's the man," Braunecker said. "He's been paramount. He's our fearless leader in the tight end room, who we respect, and we listen to everything he has to say."
Injury update:
Quarterback Jay Cutler (right shoulder), wide receiver Eddie Royal (toe), guard Josh Sitton (ankle) and linebacker Leonard Floyd (concussion) did not practice.
Those limited were: cornerbacks Deiondre' Hall (ankle), Cre'Von LeBlanc (concussion), Sherrick McManis (neck), Demontre Hurst (knee) and Tracy Porter (knee), wide receiver Marquess Wilson (foot), offensive tackles Mike Adams (biceps) and Bobby Massie (concussion), defensive linemen Eddie Goldman (ankle) and Mitch Unrein (back) and linebackers Pernell McPhee (knee), and Christian Jones (ankle, back) and Willie Young (ankle).
Running back Jeremy Langford (ill) was a full participant.
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