Being bold comes naturally for R.W. McQuarters. But as badly as McQuarters wanted to Sunday, the Bears’ cornerback could not guarantee he will return in time to start the Sept. 12 season opener.
“I’m not going to say that, but I want to be back by opening day and I’m going to shoot for it,” McQuarters said.
McQuarters suffered a right hamstring injury Friday, but apparently it wasn’t as bad as feared. “I’m saying [Sept. 12]. But the main thing is [the trainers] want it to settle down the next couple of days and get a better evaluation of how it feels, what hurts and all that.”
With four minutes left in the second quarter Friday night against New Orleans, McQuarters felt a twinge in his leg while covering a Saints receiver. He left the game immediately and was thankful to have only strained the hamstring.
Internally, the Bears conservatively expect McQuarters to miss three weeks and be back for Green Bay on Sept. 19, but will allow–and hope–for the possibility that he can return sooner.
“I hope to have him by Detroit,” coach Lovie Smith said. “[But] I’m optimistic when I say that. I don’t really know.”
The replacements
Smith will give veteran Todd McMillon the first shot at replacing McQuarters, but his hold on the job is tenuous.
“I definitely say it’s open, and Todd is the next guy in the rotation,” Smith said. “Nathan Vasher will get a hard look this week. We’re looking at all of our options. Nathan has made continued progress and is getting a little better every time he gets reps. It’s a big game [Friday] for him–and Todd.”
One option includes playing strong safety Mike Green at cornerback because of his tight coverage skills.
“Mike has cornerback-type ability for a fourth corner [and] he could be a possibility there,” Smith said. “The way we play him, we don’t put our corners in a lot of man-to-man, no-help situations.”
McQuarters’ punt-return duties also remain up in the air. Smith mentioned Vasher and Bernard Berrian as possibilities, and a reporter had to bring up Bobby Wade’s name before Smith mentioned it. “I wouldn’t say Bobby’s out. . . . [but] it’s open season,” Smith said.
Extra points
The Bears waived kicker Remy Hamilton and long-snapper Brian Pare. . . . . Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye took some snaps with the No. 1 defense and is expected to play some Friday. . . . New names on the injury list included running back Rabih Abdullah (quadriceps), running back Jason McKie (leg muscle) and cornerback Eric Kelly. . . . Quarterback Jonathan Quinn missed another practice with a sore left shoulder. . . . Promising rookie free-agent tackle Rob Droege seriously injured a ligament in his left knee and likely will land on injured reserve so the Bears can retain his rights and develop him for the future. . . . The Bears must cut eight players by Tuesday afternoon to get down to 65. They have eight NFL Europe exemptions, as well as exemptions for injured tackle Marc Colombo, who’s on the physically unable to perform list, and Ogunleye, who held out.
