HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(On practice)
"We got our work in. We obviously had a little weather today but I was pleased with practice."
(On if Mack's suspension hurts the depth at cornerback)
"Yeah, any time you lose a player that's playing good, it could hurt us."
(On getting Jerramy Stevens back)
"He's a good player. He helped us out a lot last year late in the season. When Ike and Joey and Maurice were hurt, he was clearly a guy that helped us. He stayed in great shape; he did have a very good training camp. I'm just happy for Jerramy, though. Everything's behind him now and he's done exactly what we've asked him to do. Off the field, he's obviously been through some tough times. But all this is behind him now. He's got a chance to be a great man, a great Buccaneer and a real contributor for us, and we're excited to have him back."
(On if this game is like the old Black-and-Blue division)
"Well, it's black and blue any time you play the Bears. They're a very physical team and that's the best way I can describe them. They're well-coached and they're coming off a very difficult defeat. They had a 17-3 lead. I'm sure they're home opener is going to be a riled-up atmosphere much like it was our first game on the road. We've got a lot of things we've got to get straight here before we go down there."
(On similarities between the Bucs' and Bears' defenses)
"I don't see any similarities, none, zero. The Bears have taken their one-gap over-under scheme and it looks like an 11-up defense every snap. [Lance] Briggs and [Brian] Urlacher and all the linebackers and safeties are on the line of scrimmage. They have had tremendous success. It's the rave of the league right now; everybody's talking about them and they are great talents, too. But there are no similarities, none whatsoever, that I can see, really."
(On how you approach Devin Hester in the return game)
"I might just go for it on fourth down. He is so fun to watch. He is a guy that you have great respect for. He's on the cutting edge of being one of the all-time [greats]. What he's accomplished already classifies as possibly the best returner ever. If we do kick to him, we've got to be selective in how we do it and we've got to cover our brains out. That goes without saying. He's phenomenal."
(On if Brian Griese's familiarity with the Bears is an advantage)
"I don't know. They know him, too. They know him. Jeff Faine went through it against the Saints and last week Warrick went through it with Atlanta. It's just part of pro football. But the Bears have changed their defense. All you've got to do is look at the first three or four plays of any game film they've played in the last couple weeks. I don't know how much it helps; you'd have to ask them."
(On Matt Forte)
"He's a good back, number one. He's talented and he's been given the opportunity. A lot guys play well when they get a chance to play. The issues that they had there with Cedric allowed the door to open for a young runner. They brought in Kevin Jones, who still has a lot left in the tank. But Forte was a good back in college. He's been given the opportunity and sometimes when you're talented you get a shot to prove to a lot of people you're capable of doing the job. This guy's a great kid; I met him at the combine and I'm happy for his success. He's got a great future."
(On the Bears' offense)
"They're a team that they're going to try to hammer you running the ball and they've committed to doing that. They do have, I think, some really good athletic tight ends. The play action pass. Coach [Ron] Turner's still very creative, in my opinion. They have some good gadgets and trickery that they're not afraid to call. And they've got some creative ways to get the ball on the perimeter."