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Bears' Smith: Forte's ankle sprain not seriousCHICAGO, Sep 17, 2012 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- Matt Forte did not practice Monday, but he did jog off the field afterward and was moving just fine for a player with a sprained right ankle. Bears coach Lovie Smith said it's premature to speculate whether the running back will be available for Sunday's game with the Rams at Soldier Field, but it is not a serious injury. "Matt Forte does not have a high ankle sprain," Smith said. "He has an ankle sprain. As far as when he'll be back, I don't know. I was hoping he would look about the way he did today. He looked pretty good. We're not ruling him out of anything just yet, but he has a long ways to go. I don't want you to start thinking he'll be out there practicing tomorrow. He's not, but we're making progress." Forte's ankle twisted when Packers safety Charles Woodson fell on him from behind early in the third quarter Thursday. Michael Bush will start if Forte is sidelined. Working his way back: Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher participated in Monday's practice. The team is closely monitoring the work he does during the week, but with three days off after the game, he was able to practice without issue. Urlacher made a team-high 11 tackles, eight solo, against the Packers. He was making plays downhill in the running game but still doesn't look like his old self playing in space. "We didn't play well enough," Smith said. "Brian's a part of that. I see improvement. Just keep in mind where he's come. Just look at all the players that went through the preseason, so we didn't expect him to be in Hall of Fame form right away. But he did some good things in that game also. We all need to take another step this week." Extra points: The team will have its regular day off Tuesday and return to practice Wednesday. ... Tight end Gabe Miller was signed to the practice squad to take the place of Dedrick Epps, who was signed to the active roster of the Jets. Miller was a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs last year from Oregon State. He did not appear in a game last season and was among the Chiefs' final cuts last month. Miller spent the first week on the Seahawks' practice squad. ___ (c)2012 Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |