Cornerback Charles Tillman made a mini-statement about his emerging status in the league by enjoying a solid first day against elite Rams receiver Isaac Bruce. On the first play lined up against Bruce, Tillman aggressively stepped in front of an out route thrown by Marc Bulger, intercepted the ball, and sped down the sideline into the end zone. . . . The hit of the day came on a block by St. Louis fullback Joey Goodspeed of Bears outside linebacker Marcus Reese. The force of the collision with the Oswego High School graduate knocked Reese’s helmet off. . . . Quarterback Rex Grossman dazzled observers who had not seen him throw before, but Grossman’s most impressive pass of the day might have been an incompletion. It sailed 75 yards in the air, with the wind. . . .
Coach Lovie Smith spent most of his time with the offense, watching many of the players he used to coach try to stop the Bears the way Smith taught them. “I’m here because of a lot of what those players did,” Smith said. . . . Wide receiver Marty Booker returned to the practice field for the first time since the first day of training camp, and wore pads for the first time since Dec. 28. After a rusty Booker stumbled trying to make a move, he said out loud, “It’s been awhile.” Smith wasn’t looking for style points. “It’s good to get Marty Booker back out here,” he said. . . .
Jonathan Quinn floated a pass intended for Ahmad Merritt that Rams cornerback Dwight Anderson picked off and returned all the way. . . . Cornerback Josh Minkins suffered a serious knee injury during a passing drill and had to be carted off the field. Rams players gave Minkins a polite ovation as he was leaving. . . . Running back Adrian Peterson left practice early with a re-aggravated hamstring injury, and wide receiver Jamin Elliott and safety Bobby Gray again missed practice with hamstring injuries. Guard Bryan Anderson remained out with a bad back, and linebacker Jeremy Cain and cornerback Alfonso Marshall were held out but expected back in full pads Friday. Offensive tackle John Tait took the afternoon off and defensive end Cliff Washburn missed his first practice of the season. . . . Right tackle Aaron Gibson returned to practice with the No. 1 offense.
