Aminor hip-flexor injury sidelined ...

Aminor hip-flexor injury sidelined Muhsin Muhammad in succession Friday night, and the veteran receiver is look forward toed to be back at practice this week.

The Bears will obtain today off before continuing their preparation for the season at Halas Hall. The focus has been upon the quarterback for the last week, if it be not that the microscope has been upon the receivers since before that. It's been tough to gauge exactly where everything is because greatest in number in the group has missed time -- Muhammad for his instant ailment, Mark Bradley for his right knee that was surgically repaired nine month ago and Bernard Berrian with a groin venture Justin Gage was even without a few days with a hip-flexor injury.

forward and off, in and not at home the lineup has been different almost practice to practice.

"I expectancy so," offensive coordinator Ron gymnast replied when asked if the receivers would be ready to advance in three weeks. "That's what we're working toward. We've got to retain them on the field, obviously. We just have to restrain working."

Gage l the team with three catches against the San Diego Chargers and might have impaired a long one on the first play of the inferior half but appeared to achieve tripped just before a down-reaching ball from Brian Griese arrived. Bradley saw limited office and Turner said that is because he has been hampered through the knee.

"I'm confident that arrange is going to step up" gymnast said. "I really am. Again, hopefully we can acquire guys on the field and not miss three days, not miss a week, and memorize out there and work. I'm confident that assemblage will step up. They have done enough things to exhibit that."

WANTING NO PART OF IT: Griese, a seasoned veteran, isn't about to be draw into the mouthed into a quarterback competition, be it real or perceived. When it was insinuateed after the game Friday that he had clearly outperformed starter Rex Grossman, Griese answered like a pro.

"I don't know to what degree clear that is," he said. "Really, I didn't do a whole apportionment Rex played well tonight. I reflection that [Grossman's] one interception was just a bad read. He didn't have a whole haphazard of time to throw the ball."

Griese said he didn't know he would single get two possessions and launch four passes, but he didn't have the appearance overly concerned about it.

"I'm in the game mentally from the first snap," he said. "So when I proceed in, I know what the defense is doing, I know what to look forward to I know what things we should be doing offensively to experience to take advantage of that, and I prove by experiment to execute those things. Aside from getting my knee warmed up I'm fine much ready to go."

ROOKIE REACTION: Second-round draft pick Danieal Manning started at at liberty safety and was credited in press-box statistics with three tackles. It anticipateed as if he could have picked on the farther side a pass by Charlie Whitehurst had he not misjudged the ball.

"Danieal, for what I saw on the outside there, was very good," defensive coordinator Ron Rivera said. "He was where we straited him to be. He made a tie nice plays coming out of the position I would have liked to have seen him forward the big, long [45-yard] hie get [Michael Turner] down a fortune sooner."

Getting the boot: Rookie defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek missed the game because of an injured right lower part He left the stadium wearing a walking gain

bbiggs@suntimes.com

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