ESPN

The destruction and devastation left behind by the tornado that struck the state of Oklahoma on Monday hit especially close to home for Chicago Bears rookie punter Tress Way.

A native of Tulsa, Okla. and a four-year letter winner at the University of Oklahoma, Way praised community members for their willingness to assist those hit hardest by Monday's disaster.

"They're missing kids, there are families (missing)," Way said Tuesday following the Bears' organized team activity. "My fiancé, who is a softball player at the University of Oklahoma, the softball team started a charity where they're taking in shoes, and clothes and everything," Way said. "They're already donating. What's amazing is that in just a horrible natural disaster like that, God just can bless people by people helping out each other. You look outside and there would be a lot of times when people are running away from something that horrible, but in Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, I've heard news reports that they actually had to keep people away from the accident and away from the disaster because people were wanting to help that much. So that makes my heart feel a little bit better.

"Obviously I'll be going home for Memorial Day weekend. Anything I can do whenever I get home, I'll be helping; just a heartbreaking thing. It's a natural disaster, not a whole lot you can do. But I'm really, really encouraged to see everybody that's willing to help."

Way said he received constant updates from family and friends on Monday.

"Well, you know a tornado struck in Moore, and Moore is about five minutes from my school in Norman, the University of Oklahoma," Way said. "The movie theater that was hit, that's where we all go see our movies. The biggest thing, I was in our rookie meeting yesterday and my phone just kept buzzing and obviously I wasn't checking it or anything but I was really eager to see what happened, because we had no idea. We had been here all day. I just started getting pictures, text-message pictures from people. I mean, my goodness, it's heartbreaking because it's five minutes down the road from us. ... I was just so heartbroken because, man, I just want to go home.

"There's not a whole lot that you can do. It's a natural disaster. It's a horrible thing. I texted all the guys from my team back home and I just said, ‘Fellas, get down there. Start pulling debris off.'"

Way is one of four ex-Oklahoma players on the Bears' offseason roster, along with wide receiver Demontre Hurst, offensive tackle Cory Brandon and tight end Brody Eldridge. Former Sooners standout and Bears' third round pick Dusty Dvoracek moved back to the Norman area following his playing career and now hosts a successful sports-talk radio show with fellow ex-Oklahoma star Teddy Lehman. Dvoracek reported on Monday that his family was safe after the tornado missed them by three miles, but that his brother's home was in the path of the storm.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs spoke Tuesday for the first time in a public setting all offseason, and admitted the defense is "very different" without former teammate Brian Urlacher in the fold.

"I didn't call plays before, and now I'm calling the plays," Briggs said. "I just have a lot of respect (for the job Urlacher did). I've been spoiled for the last 10 years."

A free agent, Urlacher and the Bears couldn't come to an agreement on a contract, causing the club to basically cut ties with a franchise hallmark. Urlacher played alongside Briggs since the latter's rookie season (2003), but hasn't yet found a new team.

Briggs abruptly ended the interview session when asked if was surprised that Urlacher remains unsigned.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte missed Tuesday's session of organized team activities along with cornerback Tim Jennings, as both had a prior commitment with USO Illinois in Germany, where they visited troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

Forte and Jennings visited Germany as part of the USO Illinois Pro Tour along with former Bears receiver Johnny Knox.

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A Jacksonville man who fatally stabbed a Chicago fan before a Bears-Jaguars game in October pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and could get life in prison, according to a report.

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CHICAGO -- If all goes according to plan, Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould is expected to receive medical clearance to officially resume kicking duties by Thursday, marking the first time the veteran has been full-go since he was placed on injured reserve Dec. 11.

Gould missed the final three weeks of the season after he suffered a ruptured semitendinosus tendon in his left leg, an injury that required surgery.

In the months following the surgery, Gould has been limited to rehab work through the Bears’ offseason program. However, that is expected to change this week.

The former All-Pro will miss Tuesday’s organized team activity in order to travel to Dallas to meet with his surgeon, Dr. Daniel Cooper, and then will return to Chicago to be examined by the Bears’ team doctors on Wednesday, according to league sources.

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The Chicago Bears terminated the contract of veteran defensive tackle Andre Fluellen on Monday.

A five-year vested vet, Fluellen played in 56 games with six starts over his career with Detroit (2008-12), and Miami (2012) and contributed 52 tackles, and 2.5 sacks in addition to forcing a fumble.

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Reggie Bush's appearance Friday morning on the NFL Network reinforced what should be a fun 2013 trend in at least two sectors of the NFC North: Running backs catching passes. Lots of them.

How many? Well, we can say this: We have two connections to this chart of the most catches in a season by a running back in the NFL's post-merger era.

First, you might recall that Bush caught 88 passes for the New Orleans Saints in 2006, the start of a four-year stretch in which he made 260 receptions. Bush said Friday morning that the Detroit Lions' offense appears set to use him in a way similar to the Saints'.

"It's a lot like what we did in New Orleans," Bush said "It's a lot of spread ... passing. Obviously we can attack downfield, and with the running game. A lot of screens, draws. Just basically everything I did in New Orleans."

Meanwhile, Chicago Bears tailback Matt Forte will be playing in a scheme that got Charlie Garner 91 receptions for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. Bears coach Marc Trestman, of course, was the Raiders' offensive coordinator at the time.

Forte had at least 50 receptions in his first four seasons before dipping to 44 last season. He has proved to be an adept route runner in addition to excelling on screen plays and short passes into the flat.

"I would expect [to be used more in the new offense]," Forte told reporters last month. "Coach Trestman, I think he said he watched a lot of film on me and has seen me run different routes. So we'll get back to catching the ball out of the backfield like we did the prior years."

So we have two offenses that have supported 88-plus receptions by a running back in previous incarnations. Could Bush or Forte approach that number? Why not?

Related: Bush also appeared Friday morning on ESPN Radio. Here is a link.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at key players for each NFC North team who are coming back from injuries:

Chicago Bears: Place-kicker Robbie Gould needed offseason surgery after rupturing a semitendinosus tendon in Week 15 and still hadn't been cleared to kick 13 weeks later. All indications are that Gould will be ready for training camp and should once again be the Bears' place-kicker in 2013. Since he entered the NFL in 2005, Gould has the seventh-best percentage of conversions (85.6) among place-kickers with at least 100 attempts, an especially notable standing considering the typically tough kicking conditions at Soldier Field. With all the other changes in the organization this offseason, the Bears need the reliability that Gould provides.

Detroit Lions: Safety Louis Delmas managed to play only 41.97 percent of the Lions' defensive snaps last season because of a knee injury that required surgery in training camp. Delmas' knees have been a bothersome issue for most of his career, and there has never been any doubt about the difference in the Lions' defense when he is in or out of the lineup. The team took a cautious approach to re-signing him in free agency, offering a modest deal that would pay him six-figure incentives for every game he plays if he manages to exceed his playing time from last season. The Lions signed free agent Glover Quin as well, but they need Delmas on the field.

Green Bay Packers: Two players who missed the 2012 season because of 2011 injuries could be in position to help the Packers in 2013. Offensive lineman Derek Sherrod had a second surgery this winter to finish repairing a leg he fractured in multiple places, and the Packers have hopes that he can compete for their open right tackle job. Tight end Andrew Quarless, meanwhile, is trying to get back on the field after blowing out his knee in December 2011. When healthy, Quarless might be the Packers' most balanced tight end in terms of receiving and blocking. Jermichael Finley is the team's top tight end, but Quarless could provide important versatility at the position.

Minnesota Vikings: Receiver Jerome Simpson's disappointing season in 2012 -- he caught 26 passes and no touchdowns in 12 games -- has been attributed in part to a mysterious back injury that decreased the explosiveness in his legs. The Vikings are hoping Simpson can regain the running and leaping abilities that helped him catch 50 passes for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011. Although the Vikings signed Greg Jennings, they still need a veteran receiver who can get downfield -- especially while rookie Cordarrelle Patterson is given time to develop. Simpson is the team's best option there.

Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery took the diplomatic route Wednesday when asked about Gabe Carimi's absence from the team's organized team activities.

Carimi missed OTA sessions on Monday and Tuesday, the first two workouts of 10 league-mandated OTAs, and was the only player on the team eligible to attend who did not.

"This is a voluntary situation, and every player has to make his own decisions," Emery told Sirius XM NFL Radio. "Gabe has made a decision. He wants to stay in Arizona and train. We respect that, and we'll welcome (him) with open arms when he comes back."

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One of the persistent themes of Tuesday's SportsNation chat was a Chicago Sun-Times report suggesting that free-agent linebacker Brian Urlacher was leaning toward signing with the Minnesota Vikings.

My sense at the time: The Vikings are in no rush to sign Urlacher at this point in the offseason. (Coach Leslie Frazier indicated as much during an interview Wednesday morning on NFL Network.) Here are the relevant exchanges from our chat:

Håvard (Norway)

Hi. What do you think about the rumours of Urlacher leaning towards Minnesota? Do you believe he has enough left in the tank to be a good one-year solution for Minnesota? What is in your opinion the best alternative for middle linebacker? Thanks for a interesting and entertaining blog, also for us Scandinavians!!

Kevin Seifert (2:10 PM)

Hey, do I know you? Anyway, my take is there shouldn't be a rush for the Vikings to sign Urlacher. If they didn't do it right after the draft, the guess is they want to see how their young players and/or Erin Henderson look at the position before signing a veteran.

Tom (Brooklyn)

Does the more time that passes without Urlacher signing with anyone make it more likely that he retires? After what the Bears did in the draft, the doors seems closed on a return to Chicago.

Kevin Seifert (2:23 PM)

Seems to be the best scenario for him is a team, possibly the Vikings, to decide it doesn't like its current options and wants a veteran presence. That could happen over the summer or just before training camp.

Beau (London . . (CANADA!))

If the Vikings do bring in Urlacher, do you really see any downside? They don't have a solid Mike at the moment and if they want to transition someone into the spot (Audie Cole, Henderson or [Michael] Mauti) wouldn't that be the perfect player to ease them into it for the season after?

Kevin Seifert (2:31 PM)

What if they don't think Urlacher can play anymore? That would be a downside. The Bears were clearly ambivalent at best about the possibility.

Wednesday morning, Frazier said: "At this point we want to look at the guys on our roster, give them a chance to compete for the middle linebacker position then we'll see where it takes us."

That seems a perfectly logical approach, assuming Urlacher doesn't have a mystery suitor ready to snatch him up at any moment.

The Vikings plan to take a spring look at outside linebacker Erin Henderson in the middle. That is exactly what OTAs are for. If they like what they see from Henderson, they'll move forward with him in training camp. If not, chances are Urlacher will still be available late next month or even in July. As we've discussed, Urlacher's most likely landing spot (if any) is with a team that decides after OTAs that it doesn't like its internal options at his position.

Like the vast majority of his teammates, Chicago Bears receiver Earl Bennett expressed optimism about the club's new staff, and the possibilities of the offense under head coach Marc Trestman and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer.

Bennett called the entire new coaching staff "player-friendly," and the offensive system a scheme in which "you never know who's going to have 10 to 15 catches (in) a game," adding that "it could be multiple receivers in one game have 10 to 15 catches."

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Herm Edwards says the offense is the biggest concern for the Bears and discusses how QB Jay Cutler can have a successful season.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte never gave an explanation of the team's new offense under Marc Trestman, but it's clear he expects to return to form as the multi-dimensional threat he's been in the past.

Forte called the team's new scheme "more challenging to me personally" because in addition to learning his own responsibilities, he has to know the jobs of others, not to mention the "why" behind what he's doing.

"It's easy to learn what you do, but to actually have to learn the concepts of what the receivers are doing and why I have to run this route to get that guy open ... it makes it more difficult, but also more intriguing as a player," Forte said Tuesday after the club's second workout of organized team activities. "I have to learn more than what the 'H' does. I've got to learn what the 'F' does, (and) where he lines up because I may have a situation where I line up as a receiver. I have to learn the receivers' routes as well."

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears guard Gabe Carimi missed his second consecutive organized team activity on Tuesday, raising questions about his long-term future with the team that made him the 29th overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft.

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Welcome to the 2013 version of Insider's offseason staple series: Red Flags. This is the sixth of an eight-part examination in which Football Outsiders identifies the biggest remaining issue for every NFL team, division by division, after the NFL draft.

Here is the Outsiders' look at the NFC North:

Chicago Bears: Wide receiver

Bears general manager Phil Emery and new head coach Marc Trestman deserve credit for attacking their weaknesses aggressively in both the draft and in free agency. While big signing Jermon Bushrod is far from an elite tackle, and his Pro Bowls probably should be viewed as a second slot the NFC used on Drew Brees, he's a definite upgrade over the dreck the Bears have been using at left tackle for years. The cascade effect of his signing is that J'Marcus Webb, part of the aforementioned dreck, will get a chance to play on the right side against pass-rushers that are generally weaker than those who gave him major problems as a starter for the past couple of seasons.

Read the entire story here.