Idonije chosen Bears winner of Ed Block Courage Award

Defensive lineman Israel Idonije has been selected as the Bears’ recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, a prestigious honor that’s given to one player on each NFL team who best exhibits professionalism, strength and dedication. The winners, who are chosen by their teammates, are considered role models in their communities.

“It’s an honor,” Idonije said. “I’ve been fortunate to receive it, but there are a lot of people that come together to make all the good stuff happen within the community. There are a ton of volunteers, and it’s all because of them.”

Idonije created The Israel Idonije Foundation in 2007 with the focus on a program called “IZZYz KIDz,” which is designed to encourage and sustain students’ regular school attendance, high achievement and good citizenship.

Idonije traveled to Africa in the spring for the second straight year with teammate Adewale Ogunleye, where they handed out 20 college scholarships and conducted two youth football camps. They also brought supplies to restock medical centers as well as doctors and nurses to conduct free clinics in rural areas.

Of all the causes that Idonije is affiliated with, he’s most proud of the trip to Africa.

“That’s one of the most exciting things we’ve done to date,” he said. “It wasn’t just about going down and helping people in the village or building water wells or doing a football camp. Everybody who went with us came back a different person, so it was good to be a part of that.”

Ed Block was a long-time head trainer with the Baltimore Colts who was a pioneer in his field. The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation promotes the prevention of child abuse by raising awareness of the epidemic and assisting agencies that provide for the care and treatment of abused children in communities throughout the NFL.

Bears coaches ignoring speculation about job security

With the Bears struggling, the job security of coach Lovie Smith and his assistants has become a popular topic of conversation among fans and media. But Smith won’t allow any of the rumors to become a distraction.

“Minnesota is enough to keep you occupied,” he said. “You have to stay focused on the task at hand. 

"We’re 4-6. Any team that is 4-6 right now, they’re answering questions about things related to what’s going on the football field [as well as] things that really don’t affect what’s going on. Our day is the same. We’re trying to get better each day. We have a big game coming up. The focus is just on that.”

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner is dealing with the rampant speculation the same way.

“I just look at the Minnesota film,” Turner said. “I put that film on. I’m not going to think about anything else but Minnesota, and that’s where all of my energy and all of my focus has to go. How can we get our team better, get our guys to perform at a high level consistently and do what they’re supposed to do consistently?”

Asked if he’s concerned about job security, Turner said: “I’m concerned about Minnesota. I’m concerned about playing well and doing what we have to do to win this game. We still have a lot of games left. If we win this game, hopefully that can get some momentum going. Really, honestly, that’s all I am concerned about right now.”

According to quarterback Jay Cutler, Bears players aren’t paying any attention to the whispers.

“You can’t get involved with that,” Cutler said. “You can’t get distracted by those sorts of things. We’ve got to work with what we have in this building and keep our focus on the goal at hand, which is beating Minnesota. The guys have done a really good job of avoiding a lot of that stuff and not getting caught up in that."

Garza held out of practice with ankle injury

Right guard Roberto Garza (ankle) sat out practice Wednesday, but the Bears are hopeful that he’ll return Thursday and start Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome. Tight ends Desmond Clark (neck) and Kellen Davis (ankle), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee) and safety Kevin Payne (back) were limited.

Vikings guard Anthony Herrera (concussion) did not practice; receiver Bernard Berrian (hamstring), running back Adrian Peterson (ankle), cornerback Antoine Winfield (foot) and fullback Naufahu Tahi (ankle) were limited; and linebacker E.J. Henderson (knee) and cornerback Benny Sapp (groin) practiced without restrictions.

Bears defense focusing on Vikings star running back

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre is playing at the highest level of his Hall of Fame career, leading the NFL with a 112.1 passer rating. But that doesn’t mean that he’ll be the Bears’ primary concern Sunday in Minnesota.

As always, the defense will focus first on stopping the run, which means dealing with the ultra-talented Adrian Peterson, who ranks third in the NFL in rushing with 999 yards and 11 touchdowns on 205 carries.

“You can’t give them both [the run and the pass],” said defensive end Alex Brown. “You’ve got to take one away and then let’s take our chances with the other one. You can’t let Adrian Peterson run the ball. We’ve got to stop him, and then let’s see if Favre can beat us. That’s how it is going into every game with every team. You’ve got to stop the run, so that’s what we’ll try to do and see if we can make some plays on Favre when he throws it.”

Peterson entered the season having rushed for more yards (554) and touchdowns (8) against the Bears than any other team. In four meetings with Chicago, he has averaged 138.5 yards and two TDs per game.

“Adrian Peterson’s as good as it gets,” said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. “He’s a great running back. I think he’s really the key to that offense. If you don’t stop him, you don’t have a chance on Sunday, so we’ve got to do a great job of trying to get him down. Not one guy’s going to do it. He makes guys miss. He runs over guys. He runs away from guys. He’s just one of those complete backs.

“He’s definitely one of the toughest guys to tackle. I do not want to see him and one of our safeties one-on-one. I don’t want to see it. I almost don’t want to see him and one of our defensive linemen one-on-one with him. He’s just that good. We’ve got to rally around him and collectively get after him.”

Cutler failing to live up to his own expectations

Quarterback Jay Cutler isn’t happy with the way he has performed in his first season with the Bears. The fourth-year pro has thrown an NFL-high 18 interceptions and ranks 24th in the league with a 74.5 passer rating.

Cutler has especially struggled in clutch situations, having thrown the most interceptions of any NFL quarterback in the red zone (5), in the fourth quarter (6) and on third-down plays (8).

“I haven’t played up to my expectations,” Cutler said. “I think that’s the most important part. I can play better. I know that. It’s a process, though. I think everyone in the offense knows what we’re trying to get done. We’re dressing young guys. We’ve got some new guys and we’re still trying to gel a little bit. It’s going to come though.”

With 15 of Cutler’s 18 interceptions coming on the road this season, he knows that he must do a better job of protecting the ball Sunday when the Bears visit the first-place Vikings in Minnesota.

As the losses and turnovers have mounted, criticism of Cutler from fans and media has intensified. It’s a far cry from the euphoria that swept the city when the Bears acquired the quarterback April 2 in a blockbuster trade.

“That’s how it goes,” Cutler said. “When they made the trade, we knew it was going to happen. They gave away a lot to get me here. Expectations were high, so it’s something that comes with the territory, especially in a big market like Chicago with the fan base and how excited everyone was. 

"It’s nothing that I wasn’t prepared for or didn’t see coming.”