Bears tight end Greg Olsen said that a night out spent with teammate Jay Cutler and free-agent wide receiver Terrell Owens wasn't a recruiting pitch. Owens caused a stir on Sunday night when he tweeted that he was hanging out with Olsen and Cutler. "We bumped into him on Sunday night," Olsen said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "We just happened to run into him when he was in town, and we hung out for a little bit. I know a lot of people read into things, but it really was just that we happened to bump into him earlier in the night and then met up again later on. That's the extent of it. "There wasn't much football talk. We just kind of hung out and tried to get out a little bit after minicamp wrapped up and just kind of relax."

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher is healthy more than eight months after having a wrist dislocation that ended his 2009 season prematurely. "It was fun, even this offseason when we started our workouts, it was just nice to be back around the guys again," Urlacher said. "Joking around, lifting, working out, I missed it. I don't know if they missed me last year, but it's fun to be back especially on the football field." The six-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker fully participated in all five minicamp workouts. "I feel good," Urlacher said. "I have no limitations of what I can do on the football field. I feel good. I had a year off, so I feel pretty good. I'm just excited I get to practice again."

Mike Ditka is backing Gale Sayers in his back-and-forth with Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. The war of words started May 4, when Sayers criticized Jay Cutler's performance in 2009, questioned the future of coach Lovie Smith and wondered how well Urlacher will come back from season-ending wrist surgery. Urlacher responded in a Chicago Tribune article Thursday by ripping Sayers for criticizing the Bears and questioning Sayers' credentials because the Hall of Fame running back never won a championship, or even a playoff game. "I like Brian Urlacher a lot, I think he's one heck of a football player," Ditka said Friday on "Mike & Mike In The Morning " on ESPN Radio. "It's unfortunate to have this in the Bears family. I don't like it. "I don't think Gale was being that critical, honestly. I think somebody asked him a question. They asked him about the state of the Chicago Bears. He answered very honestly what he thought about Cutler. He answered very honestly what he thought about the coach. Brian's coming off an injury. Brian's a great football player, he has to stay healthy, there's no question about that. Nobody can play when they're hurt. "So I don't know where it was so inflammatory. I didn't see that. And I understand, your feathers get ruffled here and there. When somebody sees something they think is wrong, I don't think it's wrong to say it. Sometimes criticism pointed in the right direction can help you."

Hall of Famer Stan Jones, a star for the Bears in the 1950s and '60s has died at age 78. Jones died of complications of heart disease, and his daughter said he was also battling skin cancer. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 and also spent more than two decades coaching in the NFL, including 18 seasons with the Broncos.

Bears linebacker Nick Roach missed Saturday's practice with a sore hamstring and he'll likely miss the remaining two workouts of minicamp. Roach was considered the early favorite to start on the strong side, but his injury could throw a wrench into those plans. "We'll take our time with Nick," coach Lovie Smith said. "He has a hamstring that's a little sore ... he's gone through all the offseason work, so we know what Nick is about."

The Bears announced on Thursday that they have signed rookie quarterback Dan LeFevour to a four-year contract. LeFevour, who starred at Central Michigan, was Chicago's sixth-round selection last month.

Bears tight end Greg Olsen says he never asked to be traded, but he was worried about his role when the team hired Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator in February. "The question that immediately arose was, 'Where do tight ends fit in?' I was right there; I wasn't naive," Olsen told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I know he's one of the best coordinators [in the NFL]. For me, the track record wasn't there. But I feel positive and optimistic, after conversations with him and what we've done on the field, that I'll continue to have a big role in our offense like I have had the last couple of years." He says that he didn't ever want to be traded, although Olsen had not previously rejected rumors. "In this process, never once did I say publicly or privately that I didn't want to be in Chicago," he said. "If it were up to me, I'd play my entire career with the Bears. Obviously, there's a lot more that goes into it than that. But I've enjoyed my first three years here, and I've gotten better each year, and I want to be a staple in this offense for years to come."

The Bears announced Wednesday that restricted free-agent safety Danieal Manning has signed his tender of $1.176 million. "He's just glad it's done," Manning's agent Russel Hicks told ESPNChicago.com. "This was never a big distraction because Danieal chose to go in awhile ago and be part of the team. All he wants to do now is move forward and be part of a Super Bowl contender. That's all he's worried about." A former second-round pick, Manning has started 40 of 61 games for the Bears at free safety, cornerback, nickel, and strong safety.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler says he's already on the same page as new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Cutler says he and Martz "are on the same page with everything," and he expects to rebound from the "rough year" he experienced in 2009. He threw 29 interceptions in his first season in Chicago. "It's been fun, it's been different," Cutler said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "We can see the potential of what we could possibly be in the future once we start getting games going."

The Bears have signed rookie offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb to a four-year contract. Webb, a seventh-round pick, is the first Chicago rookie to sign and just the second league-wide. He will be at the team's minicamp, which begins Friday at Halas Hall, and then will participate in OTA's next month.