When it comes to A.P.'s, one is not like the other
The Bears and the Minnesota Vikings both have a running back named Adrian Peterson, but the two aren't very similar.
The Vikings' Adrian Peterson was the seventh overall pick in this year's draft and is third in the NFC with 383 rushing yards, which is first among rookies. The Bears' Adrian Peterson was a sixth-round pick in 2002 and has been rarely used as a runner (153 career attempts for 706 yards), despite an exceptional career average of 4.7 yards per carry.
The Bears' A.P., who also is an outstanding coverage man on special teams, says there are plenty of differences.
"People don't confuse us," he said. "I've got the dreads. He's got the fade."
And, as a high first-round pick, the Vikings' running back is making a lot more money.
"Yeah," the Bear said, "all that."
The Bears' running back was asked who the better Adrian Peterson was, and he replied: "I don't know. He's got probably about 100 more carries than I have. So I would imagine he is."
Silent type: Brian Griese was asked to compare Bears rookie tight end Greg Olsen with Shannon Sharpe, the leading pass catcher among tight ends in NFL history and a teammate of Griese's for three years in Denver.
"Thankfully, Greg is not as much of a talker as Shannon was," Griese said, smiling. "Shannon was never covered. He was always open. He always let you know that. But Greg has some unique abilities -- first and foremost, just his size. He's a big guy (6-feet-5, 254 pounds), and he can run and get down the field, (so that) presents some mismatches.
"With his speed, it's obviously a mismatch against a linebacker or a safety, and with a corner, just his physical size is an advantage for him."
High expectations: Cedric Benson had a career-high 27 carries at Green Bay, but his 64 yards and 2.4 yards per carry weren't as productive as the team had hoped.
"We're not pleased with our yards per carry (3.1 as a team for the season) right now," coach Lovie Smith said. "But I think in time all those things will go up with the commitment to the run, which we have. (The next step is to) take those 27 carries and for us to have about 200 yards."
Injury update: Wide receiver Bernard Berrian (toe), defensive tackles Tommie Harris (knee) and Darwin Walker (knee), offensive tackle John Tait (ankle) and cornerbacks Charles Tillman (ankle) and Nate Vasher (groin) all were held out of practice Wednesday, while guard Ruben Brown (shoulder) was limited.
Coach Lovie Smith characterized Tait's high ankle sprain and Vasher's injury as "more serious" than the others, and neither is expected to play Sunday. Harris and Tillman are expected to play.