Chicago Bears Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange
"The touchdown passes I had, it wasn't like I was overly aggressive," Orton said. "I threw it to the right guy, and I made the play. On the turnovers, we've just got to make the right decision, so we've addressed it and are moving on."
Success on offense is as simple as sticking to the plan according to coordinator Ron Turner, but that plan requires Orton to make the right decisions based on what the defense shows.
"It's just continuing to run our offense the way we run it and have (Orton) continue to make good reads," Turner said. "Protect for him, run the football, just do all the things that we do and try to get in some rhythm."
--With starting cornerbacks Charles "Peanut" Tillman and Nate Vasher both missing practice Wednesday because of injuries, there is concern, especially considering the talents of Lions wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams, who have combined for 25 catches, 389 yards and three touchdowns in just three games.
Johnson, at 6-foot-5 and 239 pounds, has 17 receptions for 276 yards and two TDs. Johnson and Williams (6-3, 211) are two of the biggest wide receivers in the NFL, and Williams is one of the more talkative.
"Peanut is my guy, and he lucked out that he doesn't get to play against us, if he doesn't play," Williams said. "He's a heck of a player. He's one of my 'homies' in the NFL, a great competitor, a great guy that I love to go against twice a year. So I'm looking forward to that challenge, but if he can't go, we're going to have to exploit the next corner."
The Bears' "next corner" is Corey Graham, who, in his second season, has earned playing time in the starting lineup in place of Vasher.
"Wow. Is that what he said?" Graham said when told of Williams' comments. "That's big. That's the first time I heard that one. Well, we know Roy's going to be getting the ball if Tillman doesn't play, so you've just got to go out there and compete and hopefully it gives me more of an opportunity to get my hands on the ball. You want to do well no matter what, but it's good to hear things like that."
Knowing Williams' gift of gab, Graham wasn't surprised by his confident talk.
"He's a big-time receiver," Graham said. "He's got to think like that."
--Brandon Lloyd, the Bears' leading receiver, left last week's game in the second quarter with a sprained knee and did not return. Lloyd did not practice Wednesday, but didn't seem to consider the injury very serious.
"It's a long season, so it's not the end of the world," he said after Wednesday's practice. "(But) I don't want to miss any time. I want to be out there with the guys, and I feel like they need me out there, so I kind of feel like I'm letting them down by not being out there. I'm just trying to do everything I can to get back as soon as possible but still be smart about it."
--Part of what has helped QB Kyle Orton perform as well as he has so far is his ability to handle success and failure with the same level-headed demeanor that has impressed teammates and coaches.
"Once he was named the starter, he took the reins and has been riding ever since," tight end Desmond Clark said. "One thing that me and a couple of guys talked about is that when you look at him, you never see him get shaken. He's taken some big hits, he's taken some big sacks, he's had a couple of bad plays, but he's always the same guy coming back into the huddle.
"You never really see him questioning what he's doing or what we're doing as an offense. There's always a whole lot of confidence."
BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- Kyle Orton's TD passes in the past two weeks, which is second best in the NFL. Only the Jets' Brett Favre, with nine, has thrown more TD passes in the past two weeks.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We want to continue to get the ball to Matt. He's carried it 23, 23, 27 and 19 times and caught seven balls (in Week 3) and five the last game. We're getting him in the high 20s in touches each week and to me that's approximately what we want. We don't want that to change." -- Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner on rookie RB Matt Forte, who leads the NFL with 92 carries.
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