The Bears are the fifth-worst rushing team in the league, but hope Sunday's game against Detroit will change their trend. "When we put our mind to it, we can run against any team," Matt Forte said. "It's difficult running in the NFL. We know that. But if we get bodies on people and stay strong, we can run the ball." The addition of future Hall of Famer Orlando Pace was supposed to give the Bears an added boost, but even Pace has had some difficulties. "You just have to keep building, keep trying to get better," Pace said. "Every week, we're just going to try to get this thing going. We just have to work harder this week."

The Chicago Bears have no plans to sign veteran free agent LB Derrick Brooks, according to a league source. The rib injury suffered by LB Hunter Hillenmeyer appears minor, and the team hopes he can play. The Bears expect to pick up another special teams linebacker this week but are comfortable with their depth and youth at the position for now, according to the source. Nick Roach, the starter at strong side linebacker, would likely start at middle linebacker if Hillenmeyer can?t play. The Bears have already lost Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher for the season.

$.01--I have to start with my Lions, who finally snapped the losing streak dating back to 2007. What made it even sweeter was that the Lions actually played like the better team all day long and that the victory clearly was not some fluke or stroke of luck. These Lions were composed, prepared, and just the right amount of confident, reflected in the play of rookie QB Matt Stafford. I have to give a lot of credit to Jeff Backus, a perennial fan whipping boy that has been with the Lions since the beginning of the Matt Millen catastrophe. Backus has played extremely well this season and played as strong a game as he?s had during the victory. I see some pundits taking cracks at the Lions coming out and making a victory lap, mingling with the fans and celebrating with the faithful. My message to you blowhards: Unless you live in Michigan, with our 3rd world economy, crumbling infrastructure, and culture of hopelessness, you cannot understand what impact this victory has for us. Good things so seldom occur, and when the Lions rise up from the primordial ooze and give us reason to smile and feel some sunshine, you?d better believe we?re going to savor it. This group of players is acutely aware of the suffering--they?ve been a major contributing factor after all--and their sincere gratitude to the crowd means a lot to the city and the state. $.02--For a team playing under a brand-new (to them) coach, the Cleveland Browns sure play like a group that is sick of their head man and trying to get him fired. It?s already abundantly clear that the players have little confidence in themselves or the coaching staff, an absolutely lethal combination. Even though they had little chance of upsetting the rival Ravens, the effort the Browns players brought on Sunday was simply not professional. To say they quit would imply that they ever actually started. That comes one week after another embarrassing effort in Denver where the team clearly wasn?t prepared to play. Three games in, three bad losses in, and already the buzzards are circling more than just Hinckley, OH. Another game in the same vein and I wouldn?t have a problem with ownership pulling the plug on Eric Mangini after just four games. It?s that obvious he just isn?t the right coach for this team. It doesn?t help that Brady Quinn apparently isn?t what they wanted and needed him to be, either, but as a Cleveland native and long-time Lions fan, I know the difference between not being good enough and not trying. That falls squarely on the coaches. I?ve seen this before with Randy Wittman?s Cavaliers and Bill Callahan?s Raiders, among others. The coaching staff simply does not have the attention or the trust of the players. That?s not something that changes as the losses keep mounting. $.03--We do a kind of interactive chat on the NFL general board here at RealGM during the games, and much of the focus in the early games was on the Minnesota/San Francisco contest. The Vikings fans greatly outnumbered the Niners fans, and when the 49ers defense held strong with a little over two minutes left the tone turned distraught. I even went so far as to post, ?Can?t believe SF won this game?. Ahem. For anyone who still doubts that Brett Favre isn?t worth the August headaches, let this game serve as notice that you are wrong. No way does Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels or Gus Frerotte or about all but a handful of QBs pull that game out for the Vikings. I?ve maintained all along that Favre is more likely to lead the Vikings to wins like this, perhaps at the expense of a couple of losses, and this game had a playoff atmosphere to it. This is the type of emotional win that will cement the team?s trust in Favre, one that they can draw upon come January. Here?s hoping ESPN stops the idol worship before about Thursday, but I kind of doubt that. $.04--It?s still too early to anoint any of the 3-0 teams as playoff locks (see Buffalo, Denver, and Dallas last year all starting 3-0 and missing out), but it?s pretty clear that four of the 0-3 teams have zero chance of winning more than about four games apiece. The aforementioned Browns have been pathetic, but they have not been alone. Tampa Bay, St. Louis, and Kansas City will be lucky to combine for 10 wins this season. For all the talk about parity and how quickly teams can turn around from despair, the gap between the good teams and the bad teams has widened. There is a chasm of talent between these four teams and the rest of the league, one that won?t be filled quickly or easily for any of the bottom dwellers. All four have new coaches and GMs this year, so some of the losing was expected. But to be as far behind as they are is staggering, especially when you consider that the Denver Broncos are 3-0. Denver fits the same bill of overhaul and was widely panned as perhaps the weakest of all these teams. I can?t really explain the Broncos? unexpected success other than an overzealous negative impression of their talent that focused too much on what they lost rather than what they imported. $.05--I live some 500 miles from Pittsburgh in the heart of NFC North country, yet I can find you hundreds of Steelers fans here in West Michigan, including several good friends. They all want to know what?s wrong with their beloved team, as the reigning champs are 1-2 and looking way up at the Ravens. The obvious answer, and it?s not the wrong one either, is that the defense badly misses Troy Polamalu, who would have broken up the Kellen Davis TD pass in the loss to Chicago. His absence takes away the wild card factor that keeps offenses off balance. But there?s more to it than that. The offensive line is subpar, and I get the inkling Big Ben is tired of running for his life every single attempt. That giant bull?s-eye on Pittsburgh isn?t helping either. Relax guys, it?s still early and the running game showed a little life. But unquestionably there does appear to be a bit of a Super Bowl hangover, one that they need to chase away soon or else they?ll be further back on the anatomy than just the hair of the dog. $.06--Highlight of the week goes to Bears rookie wideout Johnny Knox for his amazingly elusive end zone scamper at Seattle. The open-field moves were as awesome as the Seahawks jerseys were gaudy. It was his only catch and only went for seven yards, but I haven?t seen that kind of slalom move since Eric Metcalf embarrassed two Bengals on MNF all those years ago. Bears fans have been overbearingly waiting for a viable receiver to emerge for Jay Cutler, and they have latched onto young Knox--for good reason. Although he?s not built like an NFL player--he?s a skinny 6? with little muscle tone--Knox has great quickness and great speed, which don?t always come packaged together. He also has reliable hands and clearly has Cutler?s trust. The Bears escaped with a nice road win, aided greatly by Seattle?s injury woes and Olindo Mare getting the shanks, and stayed in the hunt in the increasingly tough-looking NFC North, which just might be the best overall division in football. $.07--College time. If ever there was a season that exposed the ridiculous nature of preseason rankings, it?s this one. The networks go overboard talking about all the top-five upsets, with at least one team going down every week this year, including two this past week. I have long advocated no rankings be done before every team has played at least one conference game, which means the first polls should come out this week. It is abundantly clear that the preseason polls reflect nothing except the bias of some narrow-minded voters with little real clue about any teams other than the most recognizable. My initial Top 10 1. Alabama, for winning at Virginia Tech and destroying Arkansas 2. Texas, starting to hit their stride at a good time 3. Florida, which still hasn?t played a team that will finish in anyone?s top 80 4. LSU, after the most exciting goal line stand I?ve ever seen preserved the win over Mississippi State 5. Virginia Tech, easily the best of the 1-loss teams 6. Cincinnati, which has the best chance of any of the top seven of running the table 7. Ohio State, back to back shutouts and the best defensive line in the country 8. Oklahoma, playing well despite missing a lot of stars 9. Boise State, which should be embarrassed if they don?t run the table by at least 20 points per game 10. USC, even the Trojans must have a rebuilding year every so often $.08: Non-football thought of the week--I?m leaving the sports world entirely here. There is an event this week that leaves me quite conflicted on how to react. On Tuesday, Alice In Chains releases their first new album without deceased lead singer Layne Staley. Their music holds a very important place in my life, helping me through difficult times and providing the soundtrack for most of my college years. It means so much that my four-year old son is named Layne for a reason. Staley?s overdose death closed the chapter on not just this great band, but on that entire period of my life. Now they are back with a new singer that sounds a great deal like Layne Staley, and Jerry Cantrell still has the magic in his guitar and lyrics. It sounds awesome and I really want to embrace it, but part of me feels like some things should be left to rest. Would Beatles fans really have wanted Julian Lennon to team up with Paul, George, and Ringo and tour around like nothing ever happened? I can?t help but think of Lynyrd Skynyrd, which has been embarrassing itself for well over a decade trying to carry on after their tragedies. I don?t want one of my favorite bands to dishonor something so special to me and so many others in that manner. Tread carefully, Jerry. $.09--Four random NFL opinions: 1. Anyone throwing dirt on the Titans at 0-3 is a damned fool, though there are some serious problems in Nashville. Two weeks in a row the safeties have been lousy, and the left side of their OL hasn?t been much better. Jeff Fisher has been in this position before and made the playoffs, but it?s not going to be easy. 2. It?s time for Oakland to pull the plug on Jamarcus Russell. 41% completions and just 375 yards in three games, with a QB rating that isn?t even half of any other passer--that?s killing the Raiders. No way could Bruce Gradkowski be any worse. 3. The Bengals are one fluke play away from being 3-0, with wins in Green Bay and over the Steelers. The O-line has looked very strong, Cedric Benson is running free, and the defense is aggressively effective. Find some wood, Cincy fans, but this team finally looks and plays like a real legit team. 4. New Orleans flashed the defense this week, which is bad news for the rest of the NFC South. The 27-7 final belied a game that was very much a defensive struggle, precisely the type of game these Saints are supposed to lose. Buffalo has a pretty good offense, too. $.10: Scouting Report--Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota. 6?3.5?, 215, 4.5ish 40. Positives: Strongly built with good height. Very high football IQ. Exceptional hands, catches everything near him and secures it quickly. Great footwork on his routes. Not afraid to go across the middle, very tough (see Northwestern game). Great all-around athlete, drafted twice in MLB draft. Uses his hands and size very well. Quick off the line for a bigger guy. Very well liked and respected by his teammates and coaches, a natural leader by example. Very good student. Negatives: Average speed with no higher gear, though he hits top speed quickly. Needs lots of work on his blocking; he?s willing but uses lousy technique. Not much of a runner after the catch. Development has been hindered by playing baseball. Has accumulated a laundry list of injuries, none of them severe. NFL Comparison: Kevin Walter or a smaller Joe Jurevicius Forecast: Late 1st-early 2nd round who could really blossom by committing to football full-time. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com Catch me every Monday at 5:05 ET, 2:05 PT with Papa Joe Chevalier at papajoetalk.com

Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh doesn't care if his remarks earlier in the week have fired up the Bears. "I didn't think it was a big deal, but hey, if they want to make it a big deal I'm fine with it," Houshmandzadeh said on the "Waddle & Silvy" show on ESPN 1000. The Bears will travel to Seattle on Saturday to face off against the Seahawks. Houshmandzadeh said earlier in the week that he would punish the Bears for not pursuing him this past offseason. "[General manager] Jerry Angelo probably didn't think I could play, so I'm going to show him Sunday," Houshmandzadeh said Wednesday. "I didn't hear from Chicago, I don't think my agent did, I know I didn't. "It is what it is, they got good receivers there. Devin Hester is going to develop into a pretty good receiver. He has great quickness, great lateral movement, great speed, great hand-eye coordination. So, he should be able to develop into a pretty good receiver, if he has the coaching and they open up the pass game for him." Bears linebacker Lance Briggs responded to Houshmandzaheh's comments on Thursday. "Sounds like a bitter guy," Briggs said. "If he's going to show what he's going to do on Sunday, tell you what, so are we, so am I. I've been playing against T.J. since college, so I know what type of competitor he is, the guy can play."

Derrick Brooks said last week he expected the Bears to re-evaluate their linebacker situation after the weekend and possibly get back to him about a contract. Lovie Smith was pleased with the performance of Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach, the fill-ins for injured starters Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa. "I like what we did at the linebacker position," Smith said. "Just like we did coming in (to the season). "All these players we're talking about, it's not like they're new guys. Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nick Roach ... Jamar Williams, we've seen all these guys. They've been around here for a long time. We had an idea of what they could do."

The Bears waived Trumaine McBride on Thursday in order to clear room for DeAngelo Smith, who they claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Browns. A league source said the Bears are seeking to make an injury settlement with McBride, who will be out four to six weeks.

Free agent wide receiver Matt Jones spoke with the Titans, Cowboys and Bears last week. Adam Schefter of ESPN writes that "Jones is better than some receivers on rosters now. But the fact that he remains unsigned is an indication that teams are being ultra-careful about the players they sign and the people they bring in."

Brian Urlacher appears to be out for the season after dislocating his right wrist, the linebacker said Monday. The team has not given the official word, but Lovie Smith is expected to address the issue during his afternoon press conference. Urlacher injured his wrist in the first quarter of Sunday's 21-15 loss to the Packers. He was ruled out after halftime. When asked about his status Monday, Urlacher said in a text message that his ``season is over.'' He was scheduled to undergo surgery Monday morning upon the team's arrival back in Chicago from Green Bay.

The Bears lost to the Packers on Sunday as Jay Cutler threw four interceptions in his debut. However, the supremely confident quarterback doesn't think it's time for Chicago to begin panicking. "There were a lot of failures," Cutler said after the 21-15 loss. "We've got to go back and look at it. I think we're still going to be a good football team, there's no need to panic." Bears coach Lovie Smith blamed turnovers for the loss. "It's pretty simple what happened tonight," Smith said. "Any time that you have four turnovers, you're normally not going to win the football game, especially against a good Packers team."

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher left the team's loss to the Packers on Sunday night with a wrist injury. Urlacher dislocated his wrist in the third quarter and there is no timetable for his return, according to coach Lovie Smith. The Chicago Tribune reported late Sunday night that Urlacher will have surgery on the wrist once the team returns to Chicago. "It's always tough to have your leader go down," linebacker Lance Briggs said, according to the newspaper. "He knows the defense better than anybody and he communicates everything to everyone else."