BEARS IN BRIEF: Toub touts Browns' Cribbs as special talent
Joshua Cribbs was asked if he is the best returner in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns star deferred to the critics and fans to make that decision.
If Bears special-teams coordinator Dave Toub has a vote, he might choose Cribbs even with the bevy of talented return men he has to work with.
(AP)
''He's one of the best, if not the best,'' Toub said. ''He's so strong. You just watch the tape. Guys are unblocked sometimes, and he will run them over or stiff-arm them. He might only be listed as a 4.6 [40-yard dash time], but he plays a lot faster than that. He's got vision. He'll make the correct cut, and if you have one guy out of position, he'll hit you.''
The Bears have their work cut out for them Sunday. If they can corral Cribbs, the Browns might not generate much of a threat. Their offense has scored just four touchdowns during a 1-6 start. Cribbs has two on special teams.
Despite all of their struggles, the Browns come in with the league's top-ranked special-teams unit. It is coached by Brad Seeley, who joined the Browns after 10 seasons with the New England Patriots.
Seeley is credited with discovering Robbie Gould in 2005, when he was a camp leg for the Patriots. Gould later joined the Bears after winning a tryout to replace Doug Brien.
The Bears did a solid job stopping Cribbs when they last faced him, but that was in his rookie season in 2005. He now has eight return touchdowns, leaving him three back of Devin Hester. Cribbs is getting work on offense in the wildcat and as a receiver.
''Any opportunity for me to get the ball directly in my hands,'' Cribbs said. ''I'm amazed at the things I do, the things I am capable of. I amaze myself, 'Wow, how did I do that?' Or, 'Wow, how did I get out of that?' That means a lot to the team to get me the football.''
At least someone benefitted from the Cincinnati massacre.
Tommie Harris said the time off with his benching did him well, and the defensive tackle is in the right frame of mind heading into the game after his first full week of practice this season. Harris said after the Bengals thrashed the Bears 45-10 that his chronic left knee wasn't the reason he was held out.
''I don't have to show [coach Lovie Smith] anything,'' Harris said. ''He knows what I can do, and everybody knows what I can do. I don't have to prove anything to anybody. I prove it to myself. I owe it to my teammates. I owe it to this organization to get back to tip-top shape, so that's what I'm doing.''
As far as the expectations placed on the three-time Pro Bowl performer, he understands the business.
''That's what I got paid for,'' Harris said. ''If you give a guy a whole bunch of money to perform or you ran a Fortune 500 company and the guys didn't produce like he did, what are you supposed to do?''
The Bears will honor Walter Payton at halftime Sunday on the 10-year anniversary of his death. Tight end Desmond Clark grew up a Payton fan in Florida emulating Sweetness.
''The coach would tell you to carry the ball [high and tight] and I wanted to carry the ball like Walter Payton, hold it in one hand,'' Clark said. ''Seriously, I wanted to carry the ball in one hand and have it all out here and stiff-arm people and do the high steps and all of that kind of stuff. You always see him diving over the pile for the touchdown, and that's something that I've never quite come to do. So you want to do all the stuff that you've seen him doing. And you always heard about what kind of person he was off the field, so I think that means more now than it did back when I was a kid to know what kind of person he was.
''If you were a running back you had to want to be Walter Payton.''
Running back Adrian Peterson participated fully in practice. He is probable, and will return for the first time since spraining his right knee against Detroit on Oct.4. Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (ankle) also is probable. Cornerback Zack Bowman (knee) was limited. He was added to the injury report as probable. Strong safety Al Afalava also was added as probable with a shoulder injury.
• Gould and wide receiver Rashied Davis were selected as alternate representatives to the NFLPA. Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer serves as the Bears' player representative.