Bears don't expect to bring in more running backs
With five weeks to chill until the start of training camp, Bears coach Lovie Smith expressed confidence in a running game that features unsigned second-round pick Matt Forte backed up by Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe, who averaged a combined 3.3 yards per carry last season.
Although the position appears thin numbers-wise since the release of Cedric Benson, who was the Bears' leading rusher last season with 674 yards, Smith discouraged any talk of bringing in veteran help.
"We don't have any plans to do that," Smith said after Wednesday's final OTA practice at Halas Hall. "We like the running backs that we have right now, and those are the ones we're going with."
The running back depth chart also includes second-year man P.J. Pope, who spent last season on the practice squad injured list, and Matt Lawrence, an undrafted rookie from Massachusetts.
Forte, who rushed for 2,127 yards last season at Tulane, is expected to be the focal point of the ground game, a role Bears coaches may have envisioned even before Benson's two alcohol-related arrests in a five-week span.
"We liked (Forte) coming in," Smith said. "He hasn't disappointed us at all. We feel real good about where he is. I feel like he'll meet the challenge."
Forte will have to live up to those expectations for the Bears to bounce back from last season's 7-9 Super Bowl hangover to become a playoff team.
They're coming off a last-place finish in the NFC North, just as they were after Smith's 5-11 rookie season of 2004. The following year the Bears reversed their record to 11-5 and made the playoffs.
"We've been in this situation before, so it's not new to us," Smith said. "We've been in last place and we've climbed that mountain. So that's the message. It's always good to be the underdog. Right now most people are counting us out. We like that position."
The Bears also are not in an ideal situation at quarterback. Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are jousting for the starting job.
If that battle continues throughout the preseason, it could negatively impact continuity within the offense, which will have different starters at both wide receiver positions and is expected to have different starters at three of the five offensive-line spots.
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said the quarterback competition remains even and hopes the competition elevates the performance of both players.
"Right now it's highly competitive," Turner said. "I think both guys are stepping up to the challenge and stepping up to the opportunity. I see a great focus in both of them.
"They've both been in the system for a while, so they should have much better knowledge and a much better feel for it, and that's showing on the field."
When training-camp practices begin July 23, the coaching staff will get a better idea of which quarterback will lead the offense.
"I'm anxious to get into camp when we have pads on and everything else picks up a little bit," Turner said. "Then you get into some preseason games to see how they are going to respond."
In the meantime, Smith has encouraged his players to avoid the pitfalls that claimed Benson this year and Tank Johnson a year ago.
"It's not a perfect world in any profession," Smith said. "That's definitely the case with us. They know what's at stake.
"Here is the time to go to the Bahamas, go to Hawaii, or just hang out and do nothing. Spend time with family. Let your mind get away from football a little bit because we plan on playing a long time. There won't be a lot of breaks then."