LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Defensive tackle Tommie Harris can’t think of a better way to show how much he appreciates coach Lovie Smith than helping the slumping Bears salvage their season.

Tommie Harris was the first player the Bears drafted after Lovie Smith became head coach in 2004.

“We owe it to him,” Harris said. “That guy’s been great to us, from training camps to what he’s done with the facilities. Different things that you see other coaches really don’t care about. But this guy has come in, helped us out tremendously, and we owe it back to him.”

Harris is confident that the Bears will rebound after losing four of their last five games. But the sixth-year pro knows that actions speak much louder than words.

“I feel like we’re strong, but we have to go out there and show it,” Harris said. “We could talk all day, say all what we want to do and all this other stuff. [But] it just comes down to doing it.”

Smith never envisioned his team struggling like it has this season. But the veteran coach knows that the Bears can do something about it beginning Sunday night when they host the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m disappointed with where we are right now at 4-5,” Smith said. “I didn’t picture us being here right now, but that’s how it goes. You’re truly disappointed or you’re feeling good after the year, but during [the season] you have to let it play out. Just like a game, we’re in a tough battle right now. [But] we have a lot of fight left in us.”

Changing of the guard: After the first five plays of their 16-play game-ending drive in last Thursday’s loss in San Francisco, the Bears replaced left guard Josh Beekman with Frank Omiyale at the two-minute warning.

“We just liked Frank’s ability to pass block,” Smith said. “We were in a different mindset at the end of the game when we had to pass the football. We like Frank a little bit more in that situation then.”

On the first play of the Bears’ last possession, Beekman got beat by 6-4, 285-pound defensive end Justin Smith, who pressured Jay Cutler into throwing an incomplete pass intended for Johnny Knox.

“I watched the tape and just have to do a little better battling big guys,” Beekman said. “[Center] Olin [Kreutz] showed me some techniques [Monday] of [how to deal with] bull-rushing and things like that.”

Staying positive: Even though Cutler leads the NFL with 17 interceptions after throwing a career-high five picks against the 49ers, tight end Greg Olsen isn’t worried about his good friend’s psyche.

“He’s doing great,” Olsen said. “He’s a professional. He’s a tough guy. He has a lot of confidence in himself and this team. No matter what happens, nothing’s going to keep him down.

“There are a lot of things that we all need to do to take some of the pressure off him, and that’s kind of what we’ve addressed, and we’re going to go forward from here.”

Catching on: Wide receiver Devin Aromashodu’s 10-yard catch late on the Bears’ final drive against the 49ers was his first NFL reception since Jan. 13, 2008 when he played for the Colts and caught a 13-yarder from Peyton Manning in a playoff loss to the Chargers.

“It felt good to get out there and catch my first pass as a Bear,” said Aromashodu, who has played sparingly in three games this season. “I want to be able to help out any way possible. I hope to get more opportunities, but you never know. I just want to make sure that I’m ready if I do.”