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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Thursday's practice brought with it a mixture of good and bad news.

Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer had full participation, an encouraging development which seems to indicate the veteran is on track to return Sunday in Cincinnati. Hillenmeyer could slide back over to the strong side, leaving Nick Roach in the middle when the Bears face the Bengals.

On the downside, defensive tackle Tommie Harris skipped practice for the second consecutive day. Harris has been listed on the injury report with a "knee" the entire season, but usually practices on Thursdays.

"It's precautionary, but whenever a player misses a couple of days there's a little bit of concern," head coach Lovie Smith said. "Hopefully he'll be ready to go tomorrow."

Defensive tackle Israel Idonije also practiced while Adrian Peterson sat out. Josh Bullocks, Corey Graham and Kevin Payne were limited.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Third-down efficiency is a hot-button topic this week at Halas Hall.

Offensively, the Bears are converting only 39 percent of their third-down chances, a number that must improve. Just as important, the defense is allowing opposing teams to convert on third down 40 percent of the time. That number seems low, but the Bears are looking for far better results in this category.

"We went over a bunch of third downs from the Atlanta game today, because of how important third down is," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "Lovie [Smith] just pointed out on each of those third downs how we could have gotten out of them. It was really simple stuff. To me, our great game is coming, and it should start this week. Where we can start distinguishing ourselves and say this is the way we need to be each week. Why not [start in] Cincinnati?"

The Bengals have a 38.1 percent success rate on third down, but Cedric Benson has been effective moving the chains in short-yardage situations.

LAKE FOREST, Ill -- Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said new defensive end Gaines Adams will be active Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Read the story here.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears middle linebacker Nick Roach's ability to make checks at the line has come under scrutiny after the Atlanta loss.

Turns out most of the criticism is unwarranted.

The confusion on the field -- especially on the Roddy White touchdown -- was because of a delay in receiving the call from the sidelines, not an error by the middle linebacker. If the situation arises again in the future, Roach may opt simply to make a call on his own. But he is still learning the position, and people shouldn't expect Roach to turn into Brian Urlacher overnight. Urlacher had carte blanche to change on the fly, but Roach has played only two-plus games in the middle.

However, Roach does have a unique way he makes the calls, which admittedly leaves teammates a bit confused.

"He recognizes all the formations, he can get us in all the checks," weakside linebacker Lance Briggs said. "He's got the Lovie [Smith] voice box, though, so he doesn't enunciate like Urlacher or Hunter Hillenmeyer. When Nick talks, we got to make sure we got our ears on, so everyone can hear. It's just like being in the back seat of a car, you got the volume but it only goes so high. You got parental control in the front."

Roach was informed of Briggs' comments before Thursday's practice.

"I don't know what he means by that," Roach yelled to the media.

After some laughter, Roach got serious about his on-field communication.

"I know it's something that I'm conscious about, and try to work on it every day," Roach said. "They remind me of it from time to time. I don't know what it is. I feel like I'm yelling, but when guys are like 'Huh?' it's a bad sign."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Frank Omiyale will not lose his starting left guard job for the Chicago Bears.

Bears head coach Lovie Smith said he will keep things status quo on the offensive line heading into Cincinnati this weekend.

"We like the group we are putting on the field," Smith said.

Earlier in the day, Omiyale touched on his transition from tackle to guard, which hasn't exactly been seamless.

"I'm still adjusting, but my goal every week is to get better," Omiyale said. "[Playing] tackle, you got the speed guys on the outside, a lot more room to move around and do different things. Guard, everything is right now, you got to make quick decisions. It's just a different world."

Once again, we need to point out Omiyale is not the only issue in regards to the offensive line. The whole group needs to improve. That was essentially the message delivered Wednesday by center Olin Kreutz -- the unquestioned leader of the unit.

"We're more critical on ourselves than anybody can be on us," Kreutz said. "We do have to improve in a lot of areas. After a loss, you take your criticism and go back to work, but the great thing about the NFL is that there is a game coming up Sunday."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears general manager Jerry Angelo often uses the phrase "common ground" when discussing contract negotiations.

Angelo feels the organization and Jay Cutler's camp achieved that "common ground" in regard to the quarterback's two-year extension, which will pay Cutler $30 million in new money, with $20 million in guarantees.

Angelo told Cutler's agent, Bus Cook, that the Bears did not intend to finalize a deal during the season, but the organization would listen if ideas were presented by Cutler's representatives.

"In lieu of the recent signings of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, they had some concepts that they wanted to share with us," Angelo said. "Through the good works on their part, and on our part ... we were able to find that common ground. We felt given the uncertainty of the collective bargaining agreement, given the fact we had the cap room, this was a good time for us."

"What it really does, it helps our planning going forward. This will not impede us to do anything we need to do in free agency moving forward. In fact, it's going to help us now because there is real clarity. Jay was always in the plans, it was just, when were we going to do it, and how much it was going to cost us. All that got resolved in a timely manner, and we're very happy with that.

"Jay is happy with that. He made it very clear he wants to be a Bear, money was never an issue when we made the trade with him. It was just about him coming here and proving his worth.

"We felt like we've seen enough, and this was the time."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Jay Cutler's desire to remain in Chicago long-term proved to be a major reason the quarterback agreed to a two-year extension that keeps him under contract with the Bears through the 2013 season.

"I think it was mutual," Cutler said. "I wanted to be here for a while. I think the Bears wanted me to be here awhile, so it worked out for both of us. Both sides knew it was going to happen at some point. We just didn't know when the best timing was, but it happened pretty quick."

Cutler also acknowledged that the looming labor uncertainty in 2011 persuaded him to expedite the process of accepting a deal.

"Absolutely, I think every player in the league is concerned with that because we don't know what's going to happen, whether there is going to be a lockout or not," Cutler said. "The NFLPA is advising everyone to save money, so any money you can get before that point is going to be good for any player.

"I think it was fair for me, fair for the Bears. I'm happy with it."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Many NFL observers felt Tank Johnson simply didn't fit into the Dallas Cowboys' 3-4 defense, and a change of scenery to Cincinnati's more conventional 4-3 scheme would lead to a higher level of play from the former Bears defensive tackle.

Johnson has yet to make an impact in Cincinnati (12 tackles, no sacks), partly because he has missed two of the past three games thanks to injury.

"I think he's going to be a good player for us," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Wednesday. "He was slowed a little bit the last few weeks by this foot injury, but he's getting better and better each day with time. I'm anxious for him to get 100 percent and going again.

"He's a very tough man, a strong man, explosive. He's smart and understands how to play. He's been well-coached throughout his career, both in college and during his time in Chicago. He has a great fundamental understanding of how to play defensive line."

CHICAGO -- It was only a matter of time before the Chicago Bears awarded a contract extension to quarterback Jay Cutler. The team announced Tuesday night that Cutler has agreed to a two-year extension, which locks up the franchise player through the 2013 season.

ESPN.com senior football writer John Clayton reports the deal is worth $30 million in new money, with Cutler receiving $20 million in guarantees. That new figure, combined with Cutler's existing contract, means the quarterback will collect roughly $50 million over the next five years.

This move makes sense for both parties involved. Cutler receives financial security despite the looming threat of a lockout in 2011. The Bears lock up their best player for an extended period of time at a reasonable price, when you consider the NFL may move away from a salary cap system unless a new collective bargaining agreement is drawn up before the 2010 season. Plus, the knowledge that Cutler is going to be around for the long haul should prove to be an effective recruiting tool in free agency.

The Bears had plenty of resources to hammer out this extension, especially because they didn't have to pay a first-round pick in 2009, and won't have to pony up cash for a first- or second-round selection in 2010.

There's also the fact Cutler is one of the top quarterbacks in the league. That doesn't hurt either.