L-R: Danieal Manning, Chris Harris and Peanut Tillman take a breather on Day 1 of practice. (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune)

One of my biggest concerns heading into training camp has been the secondary.  The questions surrounding their depth at cornerback are compounded by the cast of characters at the safety position.   Things seemed like they might settle down a little bit when the Bears traded to bring back Chris Harris and invested their top draft pick in Major Wright.  In the early going, it looks like the Bears have to investigate Plans B and C with Chris Harris and Major Wright going down with injuries.

The good news is that neither injury appears to be too serious, but they only go to strengthen my point about concerns at the position. Company man Larry Mayer will put a silver lining on the dark cloud by telling everyone how the down time for potential starters Harris and Wright mean added snaps for guys like Steltz, Bullocks and Afalava, but with such a desperate need for solidifying the position, the Bears can ill-afford starters missing valuable reps.

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So, how do the Bears rate???  In a word…SHITTY!!!  I guess the Bears will have some work to do to improve their ratings when updated rosters and ratings are released during the season.  Here are some highlights after the jump:

Jay Cutler contols the huddle in this screenshot from Madden '11.

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Oh, you said Minicamp. I thought you said Mini Me.

The Bears wrapped up their minicamp, completing five practices in three days,  on Sunday.  What have we learned?  Let’s see if I can boil it all down for you.

• TE Brandon Manumaleuna and WR Earl Bennett both had offseason knee surgeries.  Both seem minor, but a couple of points.  First off all, can’t we be informed about these minor procedures without finding out when players are in sweatpants on the sidelines?  And second, didn’t Manu have to pass a physical before signing for big money?  Just sayin’.
• Tommie Harris is only practicing once on double session days.  I thought he was healthy?  If he is, get your ass out there and practice; if you’re not , stop telling everyone you are.
• Marcus Harrison missed a few practices with an undisclosed illness.   Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but when the guy in question showed up to training camp last year out of shape and overweight, you have to worry that’s he’s passed out under a pile of KFC Double Down wrappers somewhere. (more…)

See  how he breaks down the responsibilities of each player after the jump:

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There was a brief window when we were left to dream about adding former Pro Bowler Alan Faneca, but that has come and gone, so naturally we have to ask who is left to turn our attention to fill the void at left guard in particular.  Some interesting names have bubbled to the surface:

According to league sources, the Bears have had discussions with former Saints guard Jamar Nesbit, in addition to contacting representatives for former Eagles guard Shawn Andrews to get a timetable on his status. Andrews underwent back surgeries in 2008 (microdiscectomy to repair the L4-5 disc) and 2009 (to repair the L5-S1) and is just beginning to incorporate running into workouts.

Shawn Andrews is an interesting prospect.  He comes pre-injured with a back injuty, which is always a great selling point for an offensive lineman who engages in violent collisions on just about every play.

In addition to those comments, we get these beauties from the same post:  (more…)

Payne was part of a bevy of safeties and have been piling out of Jerry Angelo’s clown car in recent years.  He had a strong 2008 season, but took a step backwards last season.  He should have a better chance of playing meaningful snaps for the Rams.  Meanwhile, see what Michael Wright has to say about the current state of the Bears safety position:

The Bears’ jettisoning of Payne doesn’t exactly alleviate what appears to be a logjam at safety. The club has six players — Wright, Harris, Danieal Manning, Al Afalava, Josh Bullocks and Craig Steltz – fighting for two starting spots.

I think Wright, Harris, Afalava and Steltz make the roster.  Where’s Danieal Manning you ask?  Last I checked, he hadn’t signed his tender offer.  At best, he could be moving again; this time, back to the nickel spot.

Early word out of Halas Hall has veteran linebacker Jamar Williams headed to Carolina in exchange for Harris.

This from Brad Biggs’ conversation with Harris:

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Luckily the Bears still have some depth at the position.  In training camp the starting nickel back was Danieal Manning but by the end of camp he had been beaten out by McGowan for the position.  Manning will have an opportunity to step up and prove that the job should have rightfully belonged to him.

Manning already knows the position well and should not have too difficult of a learning curve to get back into action.  However, the Bears are debating the options of using Manning or leaving linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer on the field to concentrate on shutting down the run.  The problem is leaving too many linebackers could leave the secondary exposed to big passing plays.

The other element comes from opponent Tampa Bay starting former Bears quarterback Brian Griese on Sunday.  Whether the Bears go with a nickel back or an extra linebacker could dictate how difficult they want to make life for Griese on Sunday.  Griese had some mild success in Chicago but lacked consistency.  The Bears defense may contest his ability to make throws on the run.  Griese’s biggest drawback is his lack of mobility and the ability of Manning or Hillenmeyer to reach the quarterback may make the difference of which gets more playing time.

The injury to Devin Hester still remains a mystery.  He simply ran out of bounds and held his side with extreme discomfort and has been held out of practice.  Hester made an appearance at practice today but did not participate.  He told reporters he plans to play on Sunday but his availability remains unknown.

The other rumor on the block is the Bears and Lovie Smith may be interested in pursuing free agent safety John Lynch.  Smith has experience with Lynch when they both were in Tampa Bay and he might have interest in bringing him in.  In that case, Lynch would give another talented and able body to help shore up the secondary in McGowan’s absense.  The Bears took a gamble last year on Adam Archuletta and it blew up in their face.  Regardless, the Bears may take another gamble with another aging safety and see if he has any gas left in the tank.