Quarterback is not the only position being shuffled this week.
The Bears will give 285-pound defensive end Bryan Robinson his first NFL start Sunday, moving him ahead of John Thierry and Mark Thomas in an effort to shore up the front four against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rushing game.
Robinson, signed Aug. 31 after his release by the St. Louis Rams, had two tackles against the Atlanta Falcons in limited action. He was credited with a season-high five stops against Arizona and is expected to provide more muscle to the NFL’s 25th-ranked run defense.
“We haven’t been as physical as we need to be there,” coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We’ve been trying to flip Shawn Lee back and forth. (The Buccaneers) do a lot of different formations, so we really want to give him an opportunity.”
Down, not out: Quarterback Moses Moreno replaced Steve Stenstrom as the starter after coaches decided the offense needed something to break a string of six straight games with fewer than 300 yards. But Stenstrom is not out of the 1998 plans.
“I told Steve that I felt like we needed to make a change to see if we can get a little spark and get something started,” Wannstedt said. “Steve played well enough to win the first couple of weeks; we just didn’t make enough plays around him.
“Before the year is over, I’m sure Steve will be in there some more. He may play Sunday. We’ll see.”
Sick bay: They are all expected to play Sunday, but five Bears are listed as questionable and a sixth, wide receiver Chris Penn (back), is doubtful. Safety Ray Austin (infected finger), defensive tackle Jim Flanigan (groin), quarterback Erik Kramer (shoulder), tight end Ryan Wetnight (calf) and tackle James Williams (knee) are considered 50-50 for the Buccaneers game.
Special at last: Bears special teams outperformed the Falcons Sunday, with a 61-yard kickoff return by Glyn Milburn, minus-1 yard and three fair catches on four punts and four kickoff-coverage stops inside the Atlanta 25-yard line. James Allen, who had his first two NFL carries at running back, also made his first three special-teams tackles of the year.
“(Special teams) played as well Sunday as they have all year,” Wannstedt said.
