Much of the Bears’ focus Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings will be on receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss. But the defense will not be the only ones watching.
Wide receiver Marcus Robinson, who returns to the starting lineup for the first time since injuring his back late last season, admits to watching the Minnesota twin terrors almost the way a fan does at times. He appreciates what he sees.
“Definitely,” Robinson said. “You look at what they’re doing, what they’re getting as far as defenses, and you look at our guys to see how they’re playing against them.”
One of the guys Robinson will see playing against Carter and Moss will be cornerback Walt Harris, who is about to see Carter for a sixth year. Like Robinson he appreciates what he is up against.
“When their time is done, they’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” Harris said.
But when pressed on whether they were the best Harris will play against, Harris backpedaled from providing bulletin-board material either for the Vikings or for any other upcoming opponent.
“I pretty much look at the schedule, look at the wideouts you’ll be going up against and circle all of them,” Harris said. “You can’t take any receiver for granted or they will hurt you.”
The Bears traded up in 1996 to beat the Denver Broncos to Harris in the first round of the draft. The reason: They wanted not only a cornerback, but a big corner in a division infested with big receivers. That need remains the same as when Harris was drafted, even more so since the arrival of Moss in Minnesota and Keyshawn Johnson at Tampa Bay.
“In our division there are big receivers. We have good-sized receivers and you need to match up against them,” coach Dick Jauron said. “I would say that that still holds true. Walt is a big, strong corner and we’re going to go against some big strong receivers this week, so we need to count on Walt to hold up and make some plays for us.”
Settling in: Running back Anthony Thomas injured his knee against Cincinnati Aug. 4 and missed the last three exhibition games. He was healthy in time for the Bears to cut Skip Hicks before the regular-season opener at Baltimore and he carried the ball three times against the Ravens.
It is not exactly a lot of experience, but Thomas, whose work and study ethic have drawn praise from coaches and teammates, has undergone a subtle but significant change in how he looks at himself.
“I don’t feel like a rookie now because I know when I go in that [teammates] are not going to treat me like a rookie,” the former Michigan tailback said. “They’ll treat me like I’ve been here 10 to 12 years, so I’m going to have to play like I have.”
Departed: Members of the Bears’ organization attended the funeral Thursday of Max Swiatek, who died Tuesday after 67 years with the Bears.
“It was another sad moment for the Bears along with everything that’s happened,” Jauron said. “He’ll be sorely missed. He was a bright spot in almost every day for a lot of people.”
