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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears safety Chris Harris returned to the practice field Wednesday, determined to get past his benching and deactivation last week, followed by a subsequent request to seek permission for a trade.

Asked whether the objective was to earn back his starting job, Harris didn't hesitate.

"Absolutely," he said. "I'm a competitor. So I'm gonna do everything right, everything in my power to get back out on the field."

The NFL's trade deadline on Tuesday passed without the team consummating a deal to move Harris, who was benched last week and deactivated for Sunday's win over the Vikings before requesting and receiving permission to seek a trade. Harris' agent Albert Elias said his client's availability sparked interest and discussion with other teams.

Elias added that Harris decided "to finish with the Bears." General manager Jerry Angelo said he spoke with Harris and his representatives on Tuesday, and the group seemed to resolve some of their differences. Interestingly, though, Bears coach Lovie Smith hasn't spoken to Harris about any of the latest developments.

Asked whether they've conducted any discussions, Harris flatly said, "No."

"I can't really get into that," he added. "It was a decision that the coaching staff made. It's a decision that I can't control. So I won't worry myself with it."

Harris cracked a smile when asked how Smith's fickle nature regarding safeties could lead to him regaining his spot in the starting lineup. Through the first six games, the Bears have utilized five combinations of starters at safety.

"That's a great question," Harris said smiling. "Possibly [I could become a starter again]. As you can tell, nothing here is really set in stone at the safety position. Hopefully, I'm back out there at some point in time this season."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo expressed regret Thursday about the team being unable to reach a deal to extend the contract of running back Matt Forte.

Despite the belief there was a mutual agreement between the sides to end discussions because of Sunday's start of the regular season, it's too early to close the door on a potential deal, given the up-in-the-air nature of difficult contract negotiations.

NFL sources and Forte have indicated as much.

Angelo, meanwhile, maintained the focus remains on "taking care of business" on the field.

"The big picture right now is the business of taking care of team business; winning football games," Angelo said. "That's the big picture. They did their best. We did our best; that's all I can say.

"Our intent was to get a deal done. We've had a good track record of doing it. Unfortunately, we were unable to accomplish that. It doesn't mean Matt's not going to be a Bear, and that it's over for Matt. We're not saying that. We think the world of Matt as a person and as a player, [and] we're excited to see what he does this year."

Forte maintained he plans to continue handling the situation professionally, and harbors no ill will toward Angelo. Forte is scheduled to receive $600,000 in base salary for the upcoming season, and apparently wasn't satisfied with the team's last contract offer, which according to ESPNChicago.com sources, was worth between $13-$14 million guaranteed.

Angelo declined to discuss a timetable for discussions between the sides restarting in earnest, and wouldn't confirm or deny whether the team and Forte's representatives have even stopped talking completely.

"What I don't want is [a situation where] every day [there's a] what's going on with the Matt Forte negotiation [update]. I don't want it. He doesn't want it," Angelo said. "My job is to keep all the core players that we can."

By all indications, Angelo appears to still be attempting just that.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Chester Taylor benefitted from the NFL's business side in 2010, pulling in $7 million, but on Saturday the running back received what he considers a sobering dose of it.

"That's how the business is, I guess," Taylor said. "I don't know what's going on."

Just minutes after the club returned to the locker room after its pregame warmup for Saturday's matchup with the Titans, Bears running backs coach Tim Spencer informed Taylor he'd be standing on the sidelines for the club's 14-13 loss at LP Field, instead of playing.

Bears coach Lovie Smith explained after the game that Taylor's lack of repetitions came as a result of the team's desire to take a more extensive look at third-year running back Kahlil Bell.

"We wanted to take a look at someone else tonight, in particular, Kahlil Bell," Smith said. "Kahlil hadn't gotten an opportunity to play much. We wanted to take a good look at him, [and] we were able to. I think he did a good job of taking advantage of the carries he got."

Truthfully, Bell has received plenty of opportunities to run the ball throughout the preseason; 28 to be exact. New acquisition Marion Barber, who strained his left calf after running once for 2 yards against the Titans, has run the ball 21 times this preseason.

Taylor, meanwhile, has carried the ball just six times.

"Coach came to me before the game and just said I wasn't playing," Taylor said. "He didn't give me any reason or nothing. So I don't know if it's because of my play or not. It can't be from the competition because it's hard to get three carries in a game while somebody else is getting 14, and you're trying to compare that [to evaluate the running back competition]. So I don't know what it's from."

Taylor signed a four-year, $12 million contract last offseason that included $7 million guaranteed to serve as a complementary back to starter Matt Forte. Although Taylor averaged 2.4 yards per attempt in 2010, the team spoke highly in the offseason of the running back's contributions that didn't necessarily show up on the stat sheets.

Taylor played just six snaps against the New York Giants on Monday night, but offensive coordinator Mike Martz said recently that "Chester is having a heck of a camp."

It's worth pondering whether the team plans to pay Taylor $1.25 million in base salary as a backup with players such as Barber and Bell waiting in the wings. Bell represents a younger and cheaper option, considering he's set to make $525,000 in base salary in 2011. After receiving a $500,000 signing bonus to join the team on Aug. 1, Barber will receive an additional $2 million in base salary for 2011.

"I'm disappointed that I didn't play. I expected to play today," Taylor said. "I practice all week, and they didn't give me a heads up or anything. If it comes to them [making a decision to cut me], so be it. I know this is a business. It is what it is."

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Chicago Bears rewarded coach Lovie Smith with a two-year contract extension on Friday following an 11-5 regular season record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.

Read the entire story.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo revealed Monday that a contract extension is in the works for coach Lovie Smith.

Perhaps now it's time to ponder some factors that could go into getting something done for Smith, who has one year remaining on a four-year, $22 million contract he signed shortly after taking the Bears to the Super Bowl after the 2006 regular season.

"We're fine, we'll get into that," Angelo said Monday, a day after the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game. "Right now, the first thing I did when I got up this morning -- it was hard to sleep last night -- that was not on my mind. We have a number of things on the agenda, and we'll talk about that. When there's something to announce we'll announce it. It's that simple."

But is it really?

With Smith earning more than $5 million annually, other than the obvious question of whether Smith deserves an extension is the issue of what would be the next step up for the coach in terms of a salary increase. Former Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who left Stanford to become coach of the San Francisco 49ers, received a five-year, $25 million deal, which puts him on a salary level close to Smith, despite him not ever coaching a down in the NFL.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan sat out of football a year before returning to the league to the tune of $35 million over five years (Redskins owner Dan Snyder has a reputation for being a big spender), and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll left USC prior to the 2010 season for a reported NFL salary of $33 million over five years.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher, the NFL's longest-tenured head coach, has taken six teams to the playoffs since 1994, with no Super Bowl rings and just one appearance in the league's championship game. But he's making a reported $5.75 million annually, while Eagles coach Andy Reid signed a three-year extension in 2009 that pays him $5.5 million per year.

So the Bears have to determine where Smith fits. In seven seasons with the Bears, he's won three division titles, and has taken the team to the postseason three times, where it has a 3-3 record. By comparison, Reid has taken the Eagles to the playoffs eight times in 11 seasons with five NFC title game appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl. Fisher, meanwhile, has led the Titans on six playoff trips over the past 12 seasons, three division titles, two AFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance.

It appears Smith would be in line to receive an increase commensurate with the $5.75 million Fisher receives. The question then would be whether Smith would agree to those financial terms. The length of the contract (Reid signed a three-year extension) would also be somewhat of an issue, although Smith has stated the desire "to be there for many years to come."

Does Smith deserve an extension? That's debatable. But the truth is that although he's no Bill Belichick -- reportedly earning more than $7 million annually -- Smith compares favorably to Fisher, having achieved the same milestones (three division titles, two conference title games and one Super Bowl appearance) despite a shorter tenure.

The support Smith receives from his players and staff is also telling, not to mention how he held the team together through widespread criticism of his defensive system, quarterback Jay Cutler, the offensive line, and the receiving corps, in addition to myriad other issues.

"The one thing he's done is he's stayed consistent the entire year through the ups and downs," defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. "This is a good football team. We were able to carry his message to the players, and [now] the players know they're good, too."

Several players, most notably linebacker Brian Urlacher and center Olin Kreutz, have campaigned publicly not only for Smith to receive an extension, but to be given strong consideration for coach of the year.

Urlacher credited Smith with "all of" the team's 2010 success.

"Coming into this season, he believed in us. This summer, he told us we were going to be good, and we've been just that," Urlacher said. "He never doubted us, and we appreciate that."

CHICAGO -- “If the Bears win, does Caleb Hanie start in Dallas?”

That’s what an ex-teammate of Jay Cutler’s texted me after Hanie led the Bears’ first scoring drive of the game at the start of the fourth quarter.

Crazy, right? But what does it say about Cutler that an ex-NFL player, one who doesn’t like Cutler but respects his talent, could think Hanie, perhaps the most anonymous backup quarterback in the league, is a better option for the Super Bowl than Cutler and his million-dollar arm?

Exactly what you think it does.

Of course Cutler starts in that fictional reality, if healthy, but you can’t tell me his performance before leaving the game with a vague knee injury augured any hope for his future, or heck, his present.

Read the entire column.

CHICAGO -- Caleb Hanie was diplomatic following the Bears’ 21-14 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday at Soldier Field.

After serving as the Bears No. 2 quarterback the entire 2009 season, Hanie was demoted to third string by Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz in all but three games. Just like he did against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5, Hanie gave the Bears offense a lift upon replacing veteran backup Todd Collins -- who replaced injured starter Jay Cutler -- late in the third quarter.

Although Hanie had a few rough moments Sunday, he clearly outperformed Collins, which raises questions about the Bears depth chart at quarterback.

“They just liked the way Todd was doing things at that time and felt comfortable with him," Hanie said. "He’s been in the league 16 years and he’s done a great job when he’s been elsewhere and so that’s why they go [that way].”

“I’d like to think that I don’t need that type of motivation, but when you get demoted you always have a little extra fire in you to come back and show that they made the wrong decision. But that’s just the coach’s decision at that time and you can’t argue with a guy with 16 years of experience like Todd has.”

Hanie finished the game 13 of 20 for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The numbers, however, don't paint the entire picture.

“He went out there and laid it all out on the line," Bears cornerback Tim Jennings said. "He came in, stepped up and played great. You have to take your hat off to the Green Bay defense. That’s a great team, but you have to tip your cap to Caleb and the whole offensive team effort. Caleb came in and gave us a good spark. We just fell a little short.”

“I thought his play was awesome," fellow cornerback Charles Tillman added. "He came in there and I thought he showed tremendous poise on such short notice. For what they asked him to do, I thought he did a good job.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo made two things clear Thursday when he addressed the media at Halas Hall: He won't address the future of coach Lovie Smith until the conclusion of the team's playoff run; and Angelo is not going anywhere, despite rumors of him possibly stepping aside at the end of the season.

Read the entire story.

CHICAGO -- Debating whether Lovie Smith should be given a contract extension feels a little like launching a discussion on whether Sarah Palin is a viable candidate for president.

Read the entire column.

MINNEAPOLIS -- So maybe Brett Favre isn't quite done yet.

The Minnesota Vikings said Favre has been upgraded to questionable for Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears.

Read the entire story.

DETROIT -- An uncharacteristically poor defensive first half performance led to an uncharacteristically animated halftime talk by Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith.

Despite Detroit being forced to start third-string quarterback Drew Stanton, the Lions rolled up 253 yards in the first half, and took a 17-14 lead into halftime after Calvin Johnson scored on a 46-yard touchdown reception with under a minute remaining in the first half. On the previous play, the Bears let running back Jahvid Best bust a 45-yard run on first and 10 from the Lions' 9-yard line.

"He was angry, but we were angry too," Bears nickel back D.J. Moore said. "I don't even remember what he said but he had steam coming out of his head. He was pretty upset. I mean, it got to us, and we came out in the second half and did our job."

Even though Smith rarely, if ever, uses profanities when addressing or admonishing his players, he still manages to get his point across, according to Moore.

"Everybody doesn't have to cuss and do that other stuff," Moore said. "You can see on somebody's face how mad they are. You can feel the words for yourself."

"Upset, you could say that [I was]," Smith said. "We weren't happy about what was happening outside. The message though, was just to play the way we're capable of playing. I know they were doing some good things. It's hard to stomach missed tackles on critical plays. Letting a team go over 90 yards in two plays ... we should have had them stopped."

The second half was a different story for the Bears' defense, as the Lions only managed three points -- the result of a Jay Cutler fumble deep in his own territory. Detroit managed to move the ball only 49 yards on 24 plays after halftime.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Some may look at the Chicago Bears' 5-3 record at the midway point of their season and see a squad that has lost three of it last five and is entrenched in mediocrity, but coach Lovie Smith has framed the first half in a more positive context.

Read the entire story.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Although the offensive line fared much better in the second half of Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Washington Redskins, the Bears may be forced to alter the starting five once again when veteran guard Roberto Garza returns from a knee injury.

Garza underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee October 15, and he is expected to be available when the Bears face the Buffalo Bills in Toronto following the bye, according to head coach Lovie Smith.

"Having another veteran guy in the mix, of course, will help our football team," Smith said. "When Roberto gets back healthy, we'll put him into the mix. Against Buffalo, the group we feel gives us the best chance to win will be out there."

Garza, who can play both left and right guard, gives the Bears several options on the offensive line. The 10-year veteran could easily slide back to his old spot at right guard, which would force Edwin Williams or Lance Louis out of the lineup, or perhaps the Bears opt to return Garza to left guard, and move Chris Williams back to his natural left tackle position. That decision would be the most complicated, since it would require Frank Omiyale to likely slide back over to right tackle, but it's hard to envision Williams being a long-term solution at guard, especially after he was manhandled by Albert Haynesworth Sunday.

Granted, Haynesworth is an elite defensive tackle, but Williams is built like an offensive tackle, not a guard, and it showed versus the Redskins.

Or maybe Williams finds himself on the bench.

All possibilities are expected to be discussed when the Bears perform their self-evaluation during the bye week.

"We are going to put the [offensive line] group together when everyone gets there, and when we show up for the Buffalo game, you guys will see then," Smith said. "I don't think it will help the Bears to go over exactly what we are going to do then, as you guys can understand."

Jay Cutler met the media at Halas Hall on Wednesday. Here's a transcription of what he said.


On improving
We have to figure things out. Whether it's us as players not paying attention and doing exactly what we're supposed to do, or if it's something they're doing differently. We have to figure it out. Everyone has to get better.

We're 4-2, and we have one more game before the bye. We're still in a good position in the [NFC North] and the NFC, so I don't think there's a need to hit the panic button, by any means. But we have to get better, there's no doubt about it.

We have to complete some balls, have to hit some hots, I have to get a little more accurate and we have to protect better. Everyone, it takes 11 guys. This offense is so detailed if one guy is off it's going to have a traumatic effect on the outcome of the play.

We have to get more consistent.

Is there an ability to audible in this system?
No, not in this offense. Didn't really have the ability to do that in Denver either. There are answers out there.

Every play, there are a 1,000 different scenarios that could go down, 1,000 different variables. Receivers are cutting routes, they're doing different stuff on the line and I'm doing different things. We've got backs checking different guys, coast to coast. It's very complex, everything is built into it. It's just a matter of us doing it correctly.

What was it like going to Denver to play for Mike Shanahan
Anytime you can go to an organization like that with a coach and offensive leader like Mike Shanahan with the way he's been successful in the past in developing quarterbacks, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun my first year there, and then the next two.

On the Redskins
They're a talented team, really talented team, good secondary. They're going to come after us. In the past couple of games, if they go back and watch, they'll see where we had difficulties. We should expect blitz, and they have a secondary back there to cover some people up.

On the challenge for the offensive line
If we're going to get blitzed as much as we get blitzed, it's going to be hard for them to pick up guys on the move and find gaps. It's difficult. It's really difficult for an offensive line. Those guys on the right side are still learning, and Olin [Kreutz] is doing his best to get them in the right position.

On the NFL cracking down on excessive hits
It's hard to tell defensive guys going as fast as they are, that they have to aim for a certain spot, that's going to be tough duty.

On ensuring he doesn't get hit as much
Everyone takes part in that. It starts up front, and it's my job to get rid of the ball on time, it's the receivers job to get open and convert their routes when they're supposed to convert them. Everyone takes part in the passing game and our ability to execute them.

Do you believe the quarterback gets more hits in this system?
I don't. I do not.

On his relationship with Shanahan
Close. He was hands on with me when I first got there. He was in our meetings room, checking in. He did his utmost to make sure I was going in the right direction and they weren't trying to overwhelm me.

On Greg Olsen's lack of involvement
It's game by game. If they're going to take away guys, other guys have to step up. So we're doing everything possible to get Greg involved, and some he'll be more involved than others.

On being optimistic about improving
As players and a staff and as a whole organization, we've identified the problem and we're going to attack it and fix it. If we were in a different situation, if our record was reversed, we'd probably a little more adamant about it than we are now. We're still in a good spot, still have a good team and we have to fix the problems and move on.

Jeff Dickerson and Jurko enter the chat room at 11 CT today.

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