BEARS IN BRIEF: D-line hopes to exploit an ex-Bear in St. Clair
The Bears are seeking ways to break through on the defensive line, and one of the ways to Browns quarterback Derek Anderson on Sunday will be through ex-Bear John St. Clair, the Browns' right tackle.
When St. Clair signed in free agency with Cleveland and the Browns cut Kevin Shaffer, who has more experience, the Bears snapped up Shaffer.
St. Clair was a well-liked veteran in the locker room for four seasons. He played a backup role before Chris Williams' back surgery last season forced him into a starting role at left tackle.
Before that, St. Clair had often gone against defensive end Adewale Ogunleye in practice.
''It's going to be fun going against him,'' Ogunleye said. ''I'm just going to say that he tries hard. He's the kind of guy that goes in every game and busts his tail. He's the kind of guy that you want on your team, so he's a good guy.''
Pretty faint praise from Ogunleye, who's in a contract drive. He had two sacks against Green Bay's Allen Barbre and 2½ against Detroit's Gosder Cherilus, not exactly elite competition.
The Bears haven't had a sack in the last two games after getting 14 through the first four -- half of their production in 2008. That was only one of the problems for the secondary, which was asked to cover forever, in the 45-10 loss at Cincinnati. It's not just about sacks, it's about pressure, and Carson Palmer could've eaten lunch in the pocket.
Right end Alex Brown, who will face elite left tackle Joe Thomas, called the Browns' line one of the best in the league. The Browns have a rookie center in Alex Mack, and the Bears are hoping to have a rejuvenated Tommie Harris back to cause some havoc in the backfield.
Ogunleye was asked if the defense and the pass rush can work if the under tackle isn't flourishing.
''That's a great question,'' said Ogunleye, who was limited with an ankle injury. ''I think what's going to happen is everybody else is really going to have to step their level up. The biggest part of that question is just having a three technique that's going to do what he needs to do and do what the defense needs to do, and I think Tommie understands that.''
Coach Lovie Smith, the mastermind behind Harris' time off last week, is expecting his plan to be a hit.
''At Tommie's peak, he was as good as there was,'' Smith said. ''I just feel like he'll get back to that. This is probably as healthy as he's been in a while. Anxious to see him play this week. Hopefully, we can see that Tommie again.''
Running back Adrian Peterson participated fully in practice for the second consecutive day, making him a good bet to play Sunday for the first time since spraining his right knee Oct. 4 against Detroit. Peterson would be a key addition to special teams against the Browns' top-ranked unit, and he could get some time in the backfield.
Defensive tackle Matt Toeaina is out with a calf injury, and Smith said he could miss some time.
Cutler is tied for second with Jets rookie Mark Sanchez with 10 interceptions, and they trail only Carolina's Jake Delhomme, who has 13. In Jeff George's first season (1994) with Atlanta after the blockbuster trade from Indianapolis, the fellow Hoosier threw six interceptions through his first six games.