Bears LB Tinoisamoa will miss Sunday's game
Bears linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) did not practice Friday and will not play Sunday against the Lions.
Nick Roach, who started against the Dolphins when Tinoisamoa's knee kept him out, will start in his place for the second time this season.
“Nick has started a lot of games for us,” coach Lovie Smith said. “So that lightens the load a little bit with Pisa missing. Hopefully we won't miss a beat.”
Roach started 15 games last year, when knee injuries limited Tinoisamoa to just two games, and he was fourth on the team with 82 tackles and tied for first with 10 tackles for loss.
No big deal: Bears coach Lovie Smith stopped just short of rolling his eyes when asked if everything was OK following the skirmish in practice Thursday between running backs Chester Taylor and Kahlil Bell, which did not occur during the few minutes that the media is allowed to watch.
“Uh yeah, everything is OK,” Smith said. “There's not a whole lot going on around here if you guys are talking about a little (skirmish). ... You know, one of these days we're going to let you stay here for an entire practice. In football, there's a lot of contact that happens from time to time. There has to be something more to talk about besides something as minor as that.”
Home sweet home: While trying not to look too far ahead, the Bears have goals beyond just qualifying for the playoffs that are within their reach.
“We want to take care of a playoff spot, No. 1, but homefield advantage is pretty good at Soldier Field,” Brian Urlacher said. “No one wants to come here in January, especially the dome teams. They don't want to be here.”
Ÿ Follow Bob LeGere's Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere. Check out his blog, Bear Essentials at DailyHerald.com