Lou Canellis' Bears Bourbonnais Diary - August 7 - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Tuesday was a scorcher in Bourbonnais and that's one of the reasons why the players didn't wear pads - going with shells and shorts instead.

Alright, lets hit the Urlacher subject first. He missed his sixth consecutive practice, second straight he wasn't even on the sidelines watching in the floppy hat. I'm told his knee is sore. He really does have a personal issue that he's dealing with, but Brian says he's "all good." Whether he practices now, plays Thursday, or dresses for any of the four preseason games doesn't matter. What matters most is that he's ready for the Colts on September 9. Brian has told me he'll be there, Nick Roach made it clear to me "the media" is getting way ahead of itself with the story, and Lovie has said "Urlacher will be our Mike linebacker again this season."

I sat down with Nick Roach Tuesday and we discussed his new role filling in for Urlacher in the middle. Roach says he's totally comfortable and much more in control of the position today than he was in 2009 when Urlacher missed the season with his broken wrist. Interesting to hear Roach admit, he deserved the criticism back then of not being able to take command in the huddle.

I also huddled up with Matt Forte for the FOX pregame show at 7 p.m. Thursday night before the Broncos game. Forte was terrific and while I won't give away the interview, I peppered him with questions that needed to be answered. Questions such as: "Now that you got your money, what will motivate you?" "Respond to critics who say that with you averaging 326 touches the last five seasons including your senior year at Tulane, is there too much wear and tear on those knees?" and, "the day you signed your new contract that turned you into a millionaire, how did you celebrate?"

Finally, it was one of the more boring practices of camp. No pads, no action!

See you at 7 p.m. Thursday, live from Soldier Field on FOX Chicago. We'll have Forte, Alex Brown, and a feature on the Cutler/Marshall/Bates trio in our pregame show. I'll work the sidelines during the game bringing the audience interviews with the players. At halftime, a terrific interview with Brandon Marshall and Cutler.

Go Bears!