Bears pre-season finale not meaningless to all
Having been there, backup quarterback Todd Collins can empathize with the players who will be on the field in the second half of tonight's mostly meaningless preseason finale vs. the Browns in Cleveland.
"The guys (playing) in the second half, those guys are fighting for their jobs," Collins said. "You've got to respect those guys and cheer them on and support them, too. It's the most important game of their lives."
It will be the last chance for players on the bubble to earn a spot on the 53-man roster or the eight-man practice squad.
"We can still find out a lot about a few guys," coach Lovie Smith said. "For the most part, we know what our 53-man roster looks like. But we want to get one more look in a game situation for some of the players."
Final cuts are due by 5 p.m. Saturday.
Collins is expected to get a good chunk of playing time, with the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Jay Cutler still undecided. Caleb Hanie was entrenched there until suffering a sprained shoulder in the preseason opener. He hopes to be fully recovered in time for the season opener. But Collins might have to be rushed into the backup job, even though he wasn't signed until Aug. 23.
Further confusing the depth chart at quarterback was last week's impressive performance by rookie Dan LeFevour, who posted a passer rating of 129.2 after struggling in the first two preseason games. Both he and Collins should get long looks tonight, since the starters will make only cameo appearances.
The following is a position-by-position look at roster decisions, with the number of players on last year's opening-day roster in parentheses.
Defensive backs (11): A plethora of injuries at safety makes this a crapshoot. Cornerbacks Zack Bowman and Charles Tillman are backed up by Corey Graham, D.J. Moore, Tim Jennings and rookie Joshua Moore, but there isn't room for all four.
Danieal Manning and Chris Harris are starting at safety, but rookie Major Wright could replace one of them once he's 100 percent recovered from finger surgery, which will be soon. Craig Steltz impressed early but has been out since suffering a sprained ankle in the preseason opener. Veteran Josh Bullocks (quadriceps) did not play in any of the first three preseason games and may need to impress tonight to make the cut. Last year's rookie sensation Al Afalava has fallen out of favor, but he's been the healthiest of all the contenders.
Linebackers (6): All six started at least one game. Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer are in. If six is the limit, the decision is between Brian Iwuh and special-teams standout Tim Shaw. They fought that battle last year in Jacksonville, where Shaw lost but was picked up by the Bears in Week 2 and set a franchise record with 30 special-teams tackles. Iwuh is also excellent on teams, and with the emphasis the Bears put on the third phase, it's likely they'll keep both.
Offensive linemen (8): Starters Chris Williams, Roberto Garza, Olin Kreutz, Lance Louis and Frank Omiyale, plus Josh Beekman are locks. That could leave only two spots for Kevin Shaffer, James Marten, Johan Asiata and rookie J'Marcus Webb. All but Shaffer are eligible for the practice squad.
Defensive linemen (9): Israel Idonije and Mark Anderson will play at the end opposite Julius Peppers. Tommie Harris and Anthony Adams are backed up inside by Marcus Harrison and Matt Toeaina. Rookie Corey Wootton is safe, and it would be a surprise if 2009 draft picks Jarron Gilbert or Henry Melton were cut. But that's 10, so there might be a surprise.
Running backs (4 with 1 fullback): Matt Forte and Chester Taylor will get virtually all the carries. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz doesn't use a fullback much, preferring an H-back. The Bears could keep Eddie Williams for that role, meaning Kahlil Bell or Garrett Wolfe might lose the numbers game.
Wide receivers (6): Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu are the main men. The next three are Rashied Davis, Earl Bennett and Juaquin Iglesias, although not necessarily in that order. Bennett's hamstring injury has made him a non-participant for most of training camp and the preseason. Any change here would be shocking.
Tight ends (4): Desmond Clark joins starters Greg Olsen and Brandon Manumaleuna. Kellen Davis has done enough to stick around, too, so Richard Angulo looks like the odd man out.