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LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman said on Monday that he is unsure if rookie linebacker Jon Bostic will be disciplined by the NFL for the hit he delivered to Detroit Lions wide receiver Kris Durham as he lay on the ground following an onside kick with 43 seconds left to play in the Bears’ 40-32 defeat at Ford Field on Sunday.

“I did not see it, I really didn’t see it,” Trestman said. “I haven’t heard about it and I haven’t heard from the league about it. We’ll see what happens the next couple of days.”

Bostic was not penalized by the officials, but the hit upset Lions coach Jim Schwartz who referenced the incident during his postgame news conference on Sunday.

“Kris Durham made a couple big plays at the end, probably no bigger than recovering the last onside kick,” Schwartz said. “He took a big shot for it, too. We talk a lot about player safety and he’s lying prone on the ground and is getting himself up and takes a helmet right to the back and we don’t get any call there. It’s a little hypocritical to talk about player safety when we allow that to not get called. Kris toughed it out, and he had to hold onto that ball and he did. He did a nice job today”

The NFL fined Bostic $21,000 in August for lowering his head and making forcible contact with a defenseless San Diego Chargers wide receiver, Mike Willie, during a preseason game at Soldier Field. Bostic appealed the fine.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- New Chicago Bears defensive signal caller Lance Briggs tried to remove any lingering confusion Thursday, saying that D.J. Williams will be the team's starting middle linebacker in Sunday's season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Moments later, though, coach Marc Trestman said a decision still had not been made.

Williams, who has been dealing with a serious calf injury for most of training camp, did not play in any of the four preseason games. Jon Bostic started in his place and was impressive, leading to speculation that the rookie could start the opener while Williams worked his way back into shape.

"Well, let's clarify this," Briggs said. "When we opened camp, D.J. Williams was our starting middle linebacker. James Anderson was our starting (strongside linebacker) and Lance Briggs was our starting (weakside linebacker). D.J. Williams got injured which in turn gave an opportunity for Jon Bostic to not only showcase his skills, but to learn. He got a chance to run with the ones and now D.J. Williams is back from injury and D.J. Williams is our starting (middle linebacker)."

The more conservative coach wasn't ready to be so decisive.

"We have not (made a middle linebacker decision)," Trestman said. "We'll continue to look at that. It's very evident we will be starting a young offensive line, so we don't have to go too far into that. We will wait another day on (receiver) Earl (Bennett), we're going to see who practiced well today, and we're going to wait another day on D.J., who practiced well today. Then we'll sit down as a staff and make a collective decision where we'll be with the (roster of) 46 on Sunday."

If some of Trestman's hesitation is in regard to Williams' conditioning, Briggs says that playing in the opener without seeing time in the preseason is far from unprecedented.

"I did it, Brian (Urlacher) has done it," Briggs said. "Two years ago I hurt my knee and I think in the fourth or fifth practice, and missed the whole preseason. My first game was against Atlanta, we came out and played well and beat Atlanta pretty bad. I had a few extra loafs that game, more than I usually did, but technique-wise I was fine."

Williams has also done it in each of the past two seasons with the Broncos, so he knows what it will take to play Sunday. For Bostic, a second-round draft pick, he figures to get plenty of playing time when the veteran Williams is winded.

"(Bostic) made a good name for himself in preseason," Briggs said. "He did what you're supposed to do. It's not my call, I'm just a football player. But when I was a rookie, as much as I thought I should have been a starter, I respected the fact that our coaches told me Game 1, I wasn't going to be a starter.

"For me, it just meant that I needed to keep doing things to make the coach want to put me in, whether that be on special teams or whatever it is. However I can get an opportunity that's what I need to do."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman left the door open for both veteran D.J. Williams and rookie Jon Bostic receiving snaps at middle linebacker in the regular season opener Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“It certainly could (be the way we go),” Trestman said. “We’re going to leave it wide open in terms of where we are at the end of the week. They’re both going to be ready to play middle linebacker and there certainly wouldn’t be any reason why we wouldn’t want to move them around and in-and-out of the game.”

The question facing Williams is his conditioning. The 10-year veteran missed the bulk of the preseason after suffering a serous calf injury at the beginning of training camp. That setback allowed Bostic to start all four preseason games at middle linebacker where the rookie made a series of memorable plays, including an interception return for a touchdown in Carolina and a vicious hit on San Diego Chargers wide receiver Mike Willie that later drew a $21,000 fine from the NFL. Bostic is appealing the fine.

But Williams had full participation in practice on Wednesday according to the team’s official injury report and spent the workout splitting first-team reps with Bostic, per a source.

“We’re going to let Williams work the week,” Trestman said. “He’s looked good. He looked good today at practice. He moved well. He looks like he’s in decent condition. I don’t know if he’s in game condition to play in 60 or 70 plays or 50 or 60 plays, but we’re just going to let the week take its course. Both him and Jonathan are getting plenty of work.”

Trestman said that Bosic’s workload on special teams could increase versus the Bengals in the event the team decides to start Williams on Sunday. Williams is not believed to be a special teams contributor.

“There’s no reason why they both can’t be up and if Jonathan isn’t taking as many snaps at middle linebacker position it will give him more opportunities on special teams," Trestman said. “If it continues this way, we’ll see how it goes, we’ll make a final decision on how we are going to play them. It looks like both will be able to play. How much and who will start … we’ve got a couple of more days … we’ll see how D.J. feels at the end of the week.”

The Bears originally tabbed Williams to replace Brian Urlacher after talks broke down with the future Hall of Famer in free agency. Williams signed a one-year deal with the Bears on March 22 following a nine-year stint in Denver where he started 115 games and recorded 100-plus tackles five times. Although the Bears used a second round pick on Bostic in April’s NFL draft, Williams entered training camp as the unquestioned starter before the injury.

“It was weird,” Williams said. “My last two seasons I missed the preseason so I don't want to say I'm used to it but I've been through this before. And, you know, being a veteran guy you kind of know what you need to do to get yourself prepared for the game.

You know, it's never easy. But since I've been through it before. I’m prepared. I know coming into the first game there's going to be a little gas, a little winded. But the first game of the season everybody is going to be kind of like that.”

Good morning, folks. It's time to get to the Bears Essentials. But before we get into the thick of the matchup Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, let’s take a quick look at Jerrod Johnson, the quarterback the Chicago Bears recently signed to develop behind Jay Cutler and Josh McCown as the No. 3 signal-caller.

The No. 1 overall pick of 2011 draft in the defunct UFL, Johnson became Texas A&M’s career leader in total offense (8,888 yards) and passing yards (8,011), but entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, and hasn’t been able to stick.

Johnson has spent time with the Eagles, Steelers and Seahawks, but a serious shoulder injury suffered at A&M has impeded his development as he’s basically had to relearn to throw the ball, according to Bears general manager Phil Emery.

In fact, the injury was so severe Johnson had trouble making it through practices at A&M, and eventually lost his starting job to current Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

“He struggled as a senior at A&M,” Emery said. “There were a lot of rumors that he was injured. Talking to him, he was. He’s undergone surgery. He basically relearned to throw the ball. He was impressive out there in terms of his accuracy and the velocity that he had. He has foot movement, and he’s 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. He’s a very engaging your man with a lot of intelligence. I told him when he left here, basically, unless we added a third quarterback in the game, unless we decided to make a roster move that we were going to have three, that the job was his, that he had earned it between seeing what we saw in the workout and talking to him.”

-- Rick Telander considers the 2013 Bears to be a great unknown.

-- Linebacker Lance Briggs told the “Carmen & Jurko Show” on ESPN 1000 that he’s scouted the Bengals by watching HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

-- Mark Potash examines the D.J. Williams vs. Jon Bostic debate at middle linebacker

-- Speaking of that debate, former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher told “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000 that he’d go with the veteran over Bostic. Then, if Williams falters “put the young guy in,” Urlacher said.

 

If Brian Urlacher could pick his replacement as Chicago Bears middle linebacker this season, he would go with the veteran over a promising rookie.

D.J. Williams didn't play during the preseason because of a calf strain suffered early in training camp, creating an opportunity for rookie Jon Bostic. And the second-round pick out of Florida did just that, as he started all four preseason games.

Williams returned to practice on Monday and the Bears' official depth chart released Tuesday on the team website lists him as the starter and Bostic the backup. That doesn't mean Bostic won't start in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, but Urlacher agrees with the thinking of going with the veteran player.

"I like the decision with D.J. I know the young kid had a good preseason but it is the preseason," Urlacher said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "He did well for what they asked him to do, but I like putting D.J. in there. He's a vet, he's been there and if he doesn't do well -- which I think he will, but if he doesn't -- then you put the young guy in.

"I didn't start my rookie year. My first two games I didn't start. I came in and played middle (linebacker) the third game of the year and that's where I stayed obviously."

But will Williams be able to get up to speed in time to take over as the starter after missing so much time during the preseason?

"If he can't you put the other kid in," said Urlacher, who is now an analyst for Fox Sports 1. "If you don't think he is doing his job on Sunday or if you think he can't do it in practice then you put the other guy in. They have that luxury now with Bostic having the type of preseason that he had and hopefully gaining some trust from his teammates and coaches that if they put him in there he can get the job done.

"And it takes a lot of pressure off him with Lance calling the defense and Lance making most of the checks it's a little bit easier for him to not have as much of the workload on him."

Briggs is impressed with Bostic but says he needs to prove himself in regular season play.

"I think he's a hell of a player and I think he's going to continue to be one of those carry-the-torch linebackers," Briggs said Tuesday on "Carmen & Jurko" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "Has he proven himself? He hasn't played a game yet. I'm excited to see him play but you've got to get it on tape. You've got to get it on tape with real live games so we're going to see."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- D.J. Williams practiced Monday for the first time since July 31, leading to questions about whether he’ll be starting at middle linebacker over rookie Jon Bostic, who has manned the post throughout the entire preseason.

The team isn’t ready to make an announcement.

“We’ll see where the rest of the week goes and make a decision, accordingly, based on Wednesday and Thursday’s practices to see where [Williams is] and the type of condition he’s in, and the velocity of his reps,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said.

Bostic started each of the first three preseason games in Williams’ absence and performed well enough to garner mention as the potential long-term starter. But it’s difficult to discount Williams’ pedigree and production. After all, Williams has posted five 100-tackle seasons to go with 20.5 sacks, two interceptions and seven fumble recoveries throughout his career.

Bostic said the team has been mum on how the competition at middle linebacker has progressed.

“This is my first time preparing for a real game. They’ve told me all along the preseason is one speed, but the regular season is another speed,” Bostic said. “So I’m really just figuring out how to prepare for [a real game]. Really, I have no idea [when the team will announce the starter]. I’m just looking at it as doing whatever they ask me. If they ask me to play in every snap, play two snaps, [or] special teams, really [I’ll just do] whatever they ask me.”

Bears general manager Phil Emery said he doesn’t have a preference between Bostic and Williams, because for him, it’s all about “the player that is making the plays; the player that is doing the best.”

“Whoever is playing better whatever the given opportunity is, they’ll have earned their way to the [starter’s job]. If that’s Bostic, great. If that’s Williams, great. We have no preferences in this building. It’s about putting the best players on the field, and the most productive.”

I cringed and started worrying after the third or fourth time I saw Jon Bostic's highlight-reel hit last week. Would the collision between Bostic, the Chicago Bears' rookie middle linebacker, and San Diego Chargers receiver Mike Willie surface as the first example in 2013 of the NFL's continued emphasis against head-to-head contact?

The answer appears to be yes, based on a tweet from teammate Lance Briggs that reported the NFL fined Bostic $21,000 for the play. (The fine has since been confirmed by ESPN and other outlets.)

When you watch the replay in the video above, you see Willie reaching for a short slant pass and begin the process of catching it when Bostic launched a perfectly-timed hit to dislodge the ball. If you slow it down frame by frame, you see that the top of Bostic's helmet made contact with the bottom left side of Willie's helmet. No penalty was called.

In sum, it's a play we've all seen countless times in NFL games. Many of them have been celebrated by NFL Films. But in 2013, and forever more, it is the type of contact the NFL wants to at least appear to be discouraged.

The NFL instituted new rules this year barring contact with the crown of the helmet, but in this case, it used one of its previously established rules to hand out the fine. Rule 12, Section 2, Article 7 (b2) renders this action to be illegal: "Lowering the head and making forcible contact with the top/crown or forehead/'hairline' parts of the helmet against any part of the defenseless player's body."

We can argue until we're blue in the face about whether Bostic lowered his head or if his head was simply tilted downward in a form tackle position when contact occurred. You can also question whether "defenseless position" was originally contemplated for a receiver reaching for a pass when both feet are on the ground. In this case, Willie took two steps before Bostic hit him. It wouldn't have been outrageous to call the play a catch and fumble.

But as we've discussed before, that ship has sailed. The conversation is over. At last count, more than 4,000 former NFL players are suing the league for concussion-related issues. Head safety is the league's top priority, legally and otherwise, and you can expect more aggressive interpretations of its rules moving forward.

Briggs later tweeted his disgust that the NFL fined Bostic but that the low hit on Miami Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller, which ruptured multiple knee ligaments, has gone unpunished. So goes the world we live in, like it or not. It's cheaper, for both the league and its players, to take out a player's knees than to hit him in the head. There is no going back now.

CHICAGO – Bears rookie linebacker Jon Bostic was fined $21,000 Wednesday for his hit on San Diego Chargers wide receiver Mike Willie.

Read the entire story.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears returned to Halas Hall on Monday to resume practice with eight players sitting out the workout, including defensive tackle Henry Melton and receiver Earl Bennett, who are still advancing through steps of the concussion protocol.

"Henry and Earl are getting better," Bears coach Marc Trestman said. "It's still day-to-day there, and we're keeping our fingers crossed there that it will continue to improve as it has."

Melton suffered a concussion in the first quarter of the team's preseason opener at Carolina, while Bennett's head injury came due to a hit from teammate Chris Conte during an Aug. 3 night practice at Soldier Field. It's unlikely the Bears will make either player available for Friday's preseason matchup at Oakland. Neither attended the workout on Monday, as both are recovering at home.

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CHICAGO -- There has been no shortage of memorable plays in Chicago Bears middle linebacker Jon Bostic's young NFL career.

One week after returning an interception for a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, Bostic was at it again Thursday night in his Solider Field debut, delivering a vicious hit to San Diego Chargers wide receiver Mike Willie on a short pass on the third play of the second half. The force of the impact caused Willie to drop the ball, resulting in an incompletion.

"Obviously, it was a big hit," Bostic said. "We were trying to take the ball away, that's the main thing. I kind of read it kind of quick because of something we had on up front. It was a big hit. But we were trying to take the ball out, but we didn’t get it."

Bostic said he wasn't sure if it was the biggest hit of his career.

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CHICAGO -- Here are five things we learned in the Chicago Bears' 33-28 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Thursday:

1. Matt Forte pumped life into the offense: After an inauspicious opening drive that lost 18 yards in three plays (two sacks, one negative rush) Forte ignited the offense with a 58-yard run around left end that showcased the tailback's speed, power and elusiveness in the open field. Forte then scored from 3 yards out on the Bears’ final drive of the first quarter, a rare feat for the former Pro Bowler, whom the Bears routinely took out of the game in the red zone in recent years. The bottom line is that for all the talk about the Bears' work-in-progress passing attack, Forte's contributions on the ground are vital to the success of the team. Forte looks to be in the best football shape of his life and there is no reason for the Bears not to use him accordingly.

2. Brandon Marshall remains the focal point: Jay Cutler attempted five passes Thursday, all five of which went to Marshall. Now, the results were OK, with Marshall catching four of those balls for 38 yards and one touchdown. If Marshall is the only guy open on those plays, then by all means, Cutler needs to fire the ball to his No. 1 wideout. But when the regular season rolls around, it would be nice for the quarterback to spread the ball around, a feat he was not able to accomplish last year for whatever reason. Marshall is a perennial Pro Bowl player. He needs the ball. But even Marshall said in the offseason he felt his hip injury that required offseason surgery was a result of being used too much in 2012. The Bears invested heavily to surround Cutler with better skill position players, and it would likely be in the best interest of the team if he also distributes the ball to them when the real games begin.

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With just one preseason game in the books, how much do we know about the state of the Bears offense or the offensive line's makeup?

Our panel weighs in on that and more:

Fact or Fiction: Through two and a half weeks of camp and one preseason game, the Bears should be concerned about their offensive execution.

Jeff Dickerson: Fact: Whenever a new offense is installed there are naturally going to be concerns, especially coming off a disastrous 2012 season on offense. There is ample skill-position talent on the roster for Jay Cutler to spread the ball around to, but for whatever reason, the offense hasn’t looked all that sharp in practice since camp opened up in late July. Far too often Cutler has been intercepted, either due to his error or a miscue by the intended receiver. The Bears can’t turn the ball over if they expect to win. There is also the uncertainty on the offensive line, which will continue to be a cause for concern until the final starting five is set sometime around the third preseason game. And even when the No. 1 line is penciled in, are the Bears comfortable starting two rookies on the right side in the event Jordan Mills hangs onto the job? To be fair, the Bears haven’t really been able to run the ball in the preseason. If the ground game can get cooking with Matt Forte and Michael Bush, then no matter what happens with the other stuff, the Bears will have a chance to be decent on offense. But simply based on what we’ve seen so far, the offense has a long way to go before it will be ready to handle whatever the Cincinnati Bengals offense throws at them in Week 1.

Michael C. Wright: Fiction. Not any more concerned than anyone else around the league is at this point of the year. It's important to remember that the Bears are executing a brand new offense, and the truth is the first-teamers executed fairly well against the Carolina Panthers. In 10 snaps, Cutler completed 6 of 8 for 56 yards with a passer rating of 54.2, which was knocked down quite a few points due to the interception he threw on the first play of the game. Of those 10 plays, nine of them turned out to be passes, although Bears coach Marc Trestman later revealed that he called more runs than what was actually executed. This could be viewed as a positive. Cutler checked out of some of the runs to put the Bears in more advantageous situations to throw the ball, based on several factors. Judging from his completion percentage (75), Cutler was making the correct checks. So signs indicate Cutler is figuring out things, and that's exactly what the Bears want from their quarterback at this point in the preseason.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Only film study will reveal whether Jon Bostic truly outperformed his peers from the Chicago's 2013 draft class, but he certainly provided the most entertainment in the first quarter of a 24-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers in the exhibition opener.

With the Panthers leading 7-0 in the first quarter, Bostic intercepted a Cam Newton pass intended for former Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen, and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. The play highlighted what amounted to a 7-7 draw between the starters of both teams, which had more or less pulled all the first teamers by the conclusion of the first quarter.

"I was spying the quarterback," Bostic said of his interception. "I was reading Cam's front shoulder, but really it was the blocking that kind of got me (in the end zone for the TD). Everybody was pitching in, getting down the sideline for me to get in there."

Filling in for injured starting middle linebacker D.J. Williams (calf), Bostic put together one of the more memorable showings of all the club’s younger players. Bears coach Marc Trestman made it a point to mention the club is "not ready to anoint him," as a starter.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Here are five things to keep an eye on Friday night when the Chicago Bears face the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

1. OL blocking: It's likely the Bears go into this game with a starting five up front that you won't see once the club opens the regular season Sept. 8 against Cincinnati, mainly because of the calf strain suffered by starting left tackle Jermon Bushrod, who isn't expected to play. The plan is to play the starters just a few snaps. So in that limited amount of time it's important to see how well the group protects and opens the lanes in the ground game given all the changes made schematically. Count on a starting five of Roberto Garza, James Brown, Eben Britton, J'Marcus Webb and Matt Slauson. Rookie Kyle Long should see plenty of snaps, too, and is also a player to keep close tabs on. The only way skill-position players such as quarterback Jay Cutler, receiver Brandon Marshall and running back Matt Forte excel is for the offensive line to sufficiently do its job. If in limited duty, the starting offensive line performs similarly to the way the group played in 2012, it will be clear the group still needs extensive work.

2. Cutler's command of the offense: Cutler is in the midst of learning his fourth offense in five seasons with the Bears, and it would be unrealistic to expect him to operate flawlessly against the Panthers. But he does need to show some degree of command of the new system. So far during training camp practices, for whatever reason, the timing between Cutler and the receiving corps appears to be off. Some of that is a function of Chicago's defensive line bearing down hard on Cutler every play during training camp, and tipping many of his passes at the line of scrimmage. But in this game, the offensive line will have every tactic at its disposal to combat Carolina's pass rush. That should open up some passing lanes for Cutler to be able to find some type of rhythm. It's also worth it to watch how quickly the Bears get in and out of the huddle. The club unnecessarily burned timeouts too often last season, and Marc Trestman's system contains much more verbiage than some of the schemes Cutler has operated in the past.

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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears released their unofficial depth chart heading into Friday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, and aside from the club designating co-starters at two positions, there weren't any surprises.

At right guard, the team listed James Brown and rookie first-round pick Kyle Long as co-starters. At left end, the club did the same with Corey Wootton and second-year man Shea McClellin, a first-round pick in 2012. It appears Brown and Wootton are set to start in the exhibition opener, provided the latter is healthy, considering the defensive end recently suffered a hip injury.

"I think everybody is (excited) in terms of getting the chance to compete against somebody else besides ourselves," Bears coach Marc Trestman said. "And we'll get a chance to take a look at certainly some of the young guys and some of the new guys, and get involved in the competitive process at another level. They'll get a chance to play under the lights against a different team, in a different environment, and that will all be a part of the evaluation."

The Bears listed three players from the 2013 draft class on the second team on defense, including linebackers Jon Bostic and Khaseem Green and defensive end Cornelius Washington, who is listed behind co-starters Wootton and McClellin.

Two more from the draft class -- receiver Marquess Wilson and right tackle Jordan Mills -- are listed on the third team.

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