Bear Essentials

The Bears inactives today are: linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa (sprained knee) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (ribs), wide receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Devin Aromashodu, cornerback D.J. Moore, guard Lance Louis, defensive tackle Matt Toeaina and tight end Michael Gaines.

Strong-side linebacker Nick Roach will move to middle linebacker in place of Hillenmeyer, and Jamar Williams will take Roach’s place on the strong side.

Inactive for the Lions are quarterback Drew Stanton, wide receiver Derrick Williams, safety Kalvin Pearson (quadriceps), offensive linemen Jon Jansen and Daniel Loper defensive end DeWayne White (hamstring) and defensive tackle Sammie Hill (ankle).

Eleven-year veteran tight end Desmond Clark wouldn't blame the Bears' young wide receivers if they had an attitude.

"They should," Clark said. "I would. If I was routinely getting talked about as not being as good as I really am, I would have a chip on my shoulder. I don't think they've gotten the kind of respect that they deserve."

Wide receiver was considered the weakest area on the team in the preseason. But Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox have 514 of the team's 760 receiving yards and 35 of the 65 receptions.

Although Desmond Clark appeared doubtful early in the week because of a fractured rib suffered in the season opener against the Packers, the veteran tight end is now expected back on Sunday after going through his second straight full practice on Friday.

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is out with a sprained knee, and linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer is also expected to miss the Lions game with a rib injury suffered last week.

Everyone else is expected to be available Sunday, including linebacker Lance Briggs, who went through a full practice Friday but left Halas Hall wearing a walking boot on his injured left foot as a precautionary measure.

With Hillenmeyer out, Nick Roach would start at middle linebacker, and Jamar Williams would get his second NFL start at strong-side linebacker.

As the head coach of the 2008 Lions, the NFL’s first team to go winless in a 16-game season, Bears assistant head coach/defensive line coach Rod Marinelli said he tried to find positives from the adversity.

"That's a part that you have a chance to really grow from,” Marinelli said after Thursday’s practice. “When you're hitting bumps, you become more creative. I became more determined, and you embrace the moment. Adversity is something special; it really is, if you embrace it correctly. If you run from it, it'll wear you out. But if you embrace it and find a way to get better … that's what I tried to do."

Marinelli and the Bears host the Lions Sunday at Soldier Field, but he said he wouldn’t get emotional over it.

Linebacker Lance Briggs (toe), defensive linemen Alex Brown (ankle), Anthony Adams (knee) and Israel Idonije (knee) and long-snapper Patrick Mannelly (forearm) were limited at Thursday's practice but all are expected to play Sunday. Brown and Briggs did not practice Wednesday.

Running back Matt Forte (knee) and tight end Desmond Clark (fractured rib) were scheduled to participate fully today after being limited on Wednesday. Forte will play Sunday, but Clark may be held out to allow his injury more time to heal with the bye week following the Lions on the schedule.

Linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa (sprained knee) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (ribs) did not practice. Tinoisamoa is not expected to play, but Hillenmeyer is 50-50.

Linebackers Lance Briggs (toe), Pisa Tinoisamoa (sprained knee) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (ribs) all sat out Wednesday’s practice, along with defensive end Alex Brown (sprained ankle).

Running back Matt Forte (knee), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee), Defensive lineman Israel Idonije (knee) tight end Desmond Clark (fractured rib), long-snapper Patrick Mannelly (arm), and defensive tackle Anthony Adams (knee) were all limited at practice.

Of those who did not practice, Briggs and Brown are expected to start on Sunday against the Lions, and Hillenmeyer has at least a 50-50 chance of suiting up. Tinoisamoa is expected to sit for the third straight week, since that will give him an extra week of healing with the bye following the Lions game.

Robbie Gould has become so incredibly accurate that it’s almost a shock when he misses a field goal.

Gould’s missed 53-yarder Sunday at Seattle snapped a streak of 14 straight successful kicks, dating back to Nov. 9, 2008, when he had a 48-yard attempt blocked. Gould converted 26 of 29 FG attempts last season, but 2 of his 3 “misses” were blocked. Before Sunday, the last time Gould actually got a kick past the line of scrimmage that didn’t go through the uprights was more than a year ago, on Sept. 21, 2008.

Since last season, Gould is 19-for-19 on FG attempts under 40 yards and 77-for-81 from inside the 40 in his five-year NFL career.

Despite Sunday’s miss, Gould is still the third-most-accurate kicker in NFL history at 85.7 percent (114 of 133).

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck (rib) is inactive today and Seneca Wallace will start in his place.

Starting linebackers Lofa Tatupu (hamstring) and Leroy Hill (groin) are also inactive, as are starting offensive tackles Sean Locklear (ankle) and Walter Jones (knee).

The Seahawks other inactives are starting fullback Justin Griffith (knee), starting cornerback Josh Wilson (ankle) and defensive tackle Michael Bennett.

Today’s inactives are wide receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Devin Aromashodu, cornerbacks DeAngelo Smith and D.J. Moore, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, guard Lance Louis, defensive tackle Matt Toeaina and tight end Desmond Clark (fractured rib).

Nick Roach will start in place of Tinoisamoa for the second straight week, and defensive right end Alex Brown, who was limited all week with a sprained ankle, will play in his 114th straight game.

The off-season trade that brought Jay Cutler cost the Bears Kyle Orton, two first-round picks and a third-rounder, but the Broncos also threw in a fifth-round pick (140th overall) in the 2009 draft.

Even before Cutler opened the season with 4 interceptions against the Packers, critics complained that the Bears gave up too much. But there hasn’t been much talk about that since last Sunday, when Cutler redeemed himself. And that’s not the only reason the trade is looking like a steal in the Bears’ favor. That fifth-round pick they got is starting to look like much more than a throw-in.