He’s an intelligent guy, and he’s accepted his faults, and he’s working toward improving them,” Emery said. “I thought about it a lot. Isn’t that what we’d want out of our children? They might stumble, but when they do, they seriously try to improve their lives. We felt if there was a place Brandon would fit, it was here.

I think [Bears president] Ted Phillips said when they had the owners meeting they’re gonna wait until the season is over, Urlacher said Friday on WMVP-AM 1000, via the Sports Xchange. “See what happens, how I play. It’s kind of exciting. I’ve never been a free agent. So if I can get to free agency we’ll see what happens. I no doubt want to finish my career here. There’s no doubt about that. But you bring in free agency and all that you just never know what’s gonna happen.

To be honest, I thought about this, and I think in 2008 we finished No. 2 in offense, and everyone said we were really successful, and even we walk around sometimes saying it,” he said. “But when I look at film now, I think we were terrible, and I say that humbly. We were just young and immature out there on the field, not understanding the big picture of the offense and the game itself. To see where we’re at now, where our football mind is now, it’s going to be really dangerous. I’m excited to really fall into this offense with a new mind.

It’s hard to show what you can do when you have a flat tire,” said Paea, who has been running at full speed for five weeks. “You’re not going to function. Now I feel great. I can bend the knee all the way now, which is easier for running and change of direction and all that. Last year I couldn’t do that.