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Chalk Talk

Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of email questions from fans every day on ChicagoBears.com.

With Brian Urlacher lost for the season and Pisa Tinoisamoa also hurt, is there a possibility of the Bears moving Lance Briggs over to middle linebacker while putting Hunter Hillenmeyer back outside?

Jon R.
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

No, the Bears aren’t going to move Lance Briggs to middle linebacker. Doing so would mean they’d be playing without arguably their two best defensive players in their natural positions. Briggs is going to stay put at weakside linebacker. He’s made the Pro Bowl at that spot the past four seasons and there’s no reason to move him anywhere. Hunter Hillenmeyer has played mostly strongside linebacker with the Bears, but he did fill in for Brian Urlacher in the middle in 2004. He’s got a lot more experience five years later, and I think it’ll help that he played the middle position throughout training camp. Hillenmeyer also said on Monday that he feels more comfortable in the middle than at strongside linebacker, and that’s the position he played the one year at Vanderbilt that he felt was his best season. No one’s going to fill Urlacher’s shoes, but I think Hillenmeyer is the best option.

With Brian Urlacher out for the season, is there a chance the Bears may sign Derrick Brooks?

Andrew C.
Gaithersburg, Maryland

With Derrick Brooks’ knowledge of the defense and history with Lovie Smith, I’m receiving a ton of emails asking about the Bears’ interest in him. Here’s what Lovie had to say Monday about the possibility of signing Brooks: “Derrick’s been a great player for a long time in the league. He’s a linebacker who’s available. We’re looking at all available players right now. Derrick would be a part of that. There’s no more than that right now. We’re looking at everyone that’s out there available.”

Do you think that the Bears will bring back Marcus Freeman now that Brian Urlacher is out for the season? He obviously knows the system. Do you think he showed enough?

Stan M.
Honolulu, Hawaii

I don’t think the Bears will bring back any of the three rookie linebackers they waived during final cuts—Marcus Freeman, Mike Rivera or Kevin Malast. With Hunter Hillenmeyer moving into the starting lineup in place of Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach expected to do the same while Pisa Tinoisamoa recovers from a sprained knee suffered against the Packers, the Bears are losing two of their top special-teams performers. They need to replace Hillenmeyer and Roach on special teams, and that’s the main reason that they signed linebacker Tim Shaw on Monday. Shaw registered 17 special-teams tackles in 17 games with the Panthers and Jaguars in 2007-08.

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