Players like Tommie Harris and Mike Brown were held out of the Bears last exhibition game to keep them healthy, but Harris hasn't practiced since the third game.  His status is unknown.

A source said the Bears' medical staff has expressed concern Harris' knee injury might be more serious than the team first thought, but team officials rejected that idea Tuesday night. It was pointed out that similar concerns were raised last season about Harris' health after he sprained his left knee against Dallas, but he was in action for the next game Sept. 30 at Detroit.

Bears still trying to figure out their safety depth chart.

"We haven't necessarily locked it in," said Bears coach Lovie Smith.

"Around Wednesday or so we'll kind of come out with our starting lineup. Both guys will play a lot for us, I'll say that. Both will be on the field at some point."

Don't look know, but it is the 4-year anniversary of the Marty Booker/Adewale Ogunleye trade.

'I don't really think about it, but I did this year because Marty is here on the team now,'' Ogunleye said. ''It was a bad situation for him, and I was coming into a much better situation. Miami was a catastrophe. It was just a bad, bad place at the time. I am so happy to be here. Every time I see Jerry [Angelo] and Lovie [Smith], I thank them. Miami is a great place to live, but it hasn't been a good place to play football.''

Let's face it for the Bears to knock off the Indianapolis Colts on the opening game of the season in their brand new stadium they have to get pressue on Peyton Manning.  But that isn't all.  They have to get that pressure with their front four.  With the arsenal of WRs and TEs, Manning has at his disposal the Bears can't afford to be coming hard too often or they will be giving up some big plays.

Colts center Jeff Saturday has a strained MCL:

...if Jeff Saturday opts to not have surgery on his strained MCL, he's back in 6 weeks, maybe. If he does opt for surgery, he's back in 11 weeks.

We know now that Peyton Manning is going to play, but there will be some effect.  Don't know how rusty or gentle he will be, but having a backup center with Tommie Harris pushing up the middle could cause some issues for the Colts.

Based on how Chicago at times handles signing free agents there is a popular theory that floats around every off season that the Bears are cheap.  This shows that they aren't so much cheap as they choose to take care of their own first and that they will not overpay a player.  Here is what they have spent on resigning players this off season:

Devin Hester: Signed 4-year extension worth as much as $40 million.

Brian Urlacher: Signed 1-year extension worth $18 million.

Tommie Harris: Signed 4-year extension worth as much as $40 million.

Robbie Gould: Signed 5-year extension worth $15.5 million.

Lance Briggs: Signed new 6-year, $36 million contract.

Rashied Davis: Signed new 3-year, $5.86 million contract.

Kyle Orton: Signed 1-year contract extension worth as much as $5 million.

Rex Grossman: Signed 1-year contract worth as much as $4.5 million.

Alex Brown: Signed 2-year extension worth $15.5 million.

Desmond Clark: Signed 2-year extension worth $6.5 million.

TOTAL: $186.9 million

The one topic that looked to eclipse our QB situation heading into training camp was that of MLB Brian Urlacher.  Urlacher wants more money, even more than the healthy sum the Bears offered him in a one year extension offered earlier.  Having heard no news most assumed this issue would spill over into camp, but the Bears and Urlacher have agreed to terms.

The deal will extend Urlacher through the 2012 season assuming he is still playing and the Bears have to released him.

Terms of the deal state that Urlacher will receive a 6 million signing bonus and his base pay will be raises 1 million in each season.  The 2012 season will be worth 7.5 million plus the possibility of a 750,000 workout bonus.

When healthy Urlacher is as dominant a figure at the linebacker spot as there is, but with issues concerning possible injuries with his neck and back and his untimely asking of a new contract have made some sour on Urlacher as the face of the franchise and have instead shifted it to Tommie Harris.  Urlacher is still the most recognizable face on this team and despite being oft called overrated, most overlook his presence dropping back into coverage instead focusing on his sack and int numbers, but facts are facts when he is healthy and in the game the Bears are a significantly better team than without him.

Sportsline is running a now annual top 50 players list.  As expected the list starts off with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  The top ten is rounded out by LaDanian Tomlinson, Randy Moss, Champ Bailey, Mario Williams, Bob Sanders, Carson Palmer, DeMarcus Ware and Kevin Williams.

Obviously, this list is already suspect.  Mario Williams is top ten???

The Bears score three on the list, though in the second half.

32. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears: A few years back he was overrated. He's not anymore. Urlacher excels in the middle of the Chicago defense.

36. Tommie Harris, DT, Chicago Bears: Harris is strong and quick. He had eight sacks last season, showing off his quickness. He can still hold the point against the run.

50. Devin Hester, KR, Chicago Bears: I don't normally put return men on these lists, but this guy has earned it. It will be interesting to see how long he can maintain it.

Take a look at the list and let me know what you think.

On the heels of his record 4 year deal, Tommie Harris praised the Bears and the contract situation as being classy, moreover after signing it he had this to say:

''I don't believe any NFL player deserves the amount of money that we do get,'' he said. ''But in the business that we're in, they give us all tags and say, 'Well, this guy is worth this, this guy is worth that.' We play a game, a kid's game, and get paid a king's ransom.''

With the league filled wiht TOs and Chad Johnsons this type of behavior and outlook is nice to see.

Tommie Harris has signed the largest contract given to a defensive tackle in NFL history.

The Bears and Tommie Harris agree to a 4 year extension worth approximately 40 million dollars through 2012.  The deal includes 18 million in guaranteed money and 27 million over the next three years.

The contract is also the richest in Bears history.

This is the biggest off season move the Bears could have made.  It was the #1 priority of the Bears as well as fans.

Harris, when healthy, is a dominant tackle who can control the line of scrimmage.  The Bears can now shift their attention to signing Devin Hester to a new deal and then figure out what has to be done to make Brian Urlacher happy.

Gale Sayers would have dropped Cedric Benson before the Bears did.

" George Halas wouldn't have given Benson that many chances and our [former Bears] players wouldn't have given him that many chances," Sayers said of his former coach and NFL founder. "When a player did something wrong, we would get on them.

"I don't feel sorry for [Benson]. He has a lot of money, which a lot of players today think is the only thing that counts. He thinks money can buy himself out of anything he gets into. It is very, very sad."

Adrian Peterson underwent an appendectomy .  Matt Forte has been getting all the reps with the first team.

Cedric Benson went unclaimed .

Tommie Harris' agent was in Chicago yesterday possibly discussing a new contract for Harris.

Typically it is not my style to go at a journalist for the sole reason that they dare say something negative about my team, I'll let other blogs handle that.  I did however want to this one out to you though, and ask what the hell  Pete Prisco was thinking.  Maybe it is just his way of getting people to point to this work like I am.

Every year he does an overrated/underrated player for each team.  Here is what he had to say about the Bears:

Overrated: C Olin Kreutz. He struggled in 2007 and looks to be in a major decline. The Bears need better play inside from him this season to get that running game going.

Underrated: DE Adewale Ogunleye. On a defense that features Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris, Ogunleye had an outstanding season with nine sacks in 2007.

I think somebody better start by defining overrated and underrated to Mr. Prisco.

Kruetz has been to the last 6 Pro Bowls.  Last year he had a bit of a down year, but when half your line sucks as does the play of QB and RB, can anybody on the team really have an up year?  That said, that one year makes him overrated?  I am sorry that not every player is Bruce Matthews and can play 17 seasons.  Everybody has to take a step back some time, and trust me I am not saying Kruetz is about to, in fact I think he will have a fantastic year this year, but the point is one non-outstanding year does not make someone overrated.

Adewale Ogunleye, underrated?  I guess you can say that, but I don't think that applies.  He probably used Hunter Hillenmeyer last year and just had to find a different name.  We got Ogunleye off a 15 sack performance with the Miami Dolphins.  He hasn't returned to those numbers, so while yes it is easy to get overshadowed with Urlacher, Briggs and Harris, he just wasn't consistent.  It was really only half way through last year that he started playing dominant football.  We all hope he can keep that up.  I suppose that half a season was enough to make the list.

The Bears and Tommie Harris have still not yet agreed to terms on a new contract.  For Harris this is more about years than it is money. Not to say he isn't interested in money, quite the contrary, he is trying to add one more big payday.

The Bears had offered him a deal close or above the seven-year, $50.5 million dollar deal that the Oakland Raiders gave Tommy Kelley.  Harris, unlike Kelley, is actually worth that much, but Harris wants a deal more like the one Richard Seymour got, which was a four-year, $30 million deal.  The deal having  $26 million guaranteed.

With this type of a deal Harris would again be a free agent once more before he hits 30 y ears of age, allowing him to once again cash in. 

I think this strategy is a good one for both teams.  It keeps the Bears off the hook from seven years of big money and they won't be stuck with the decision over whether they have to cut him or not.  It also lets them work a new deal based on where he is age wise and health wise.

The flip side of course is what if Harris stays relatively healthy for the rest of his career and becomes a Hall of Fame caliber defensive end.  If he is still going strong at 30 he will still warrant a big contract at that age.