PLAYER
--C Olin Kreutz, after taking the first six days of camp off after a recent Achilles procedure is back with the first team.

--WR Mark Bradley, who has missed a couple practices with knee soreness, is in danger of getting lost in the shuffle among a deep but not terribly talented group of receivers.

--WR Rashied Davis might not be a threat to crack the starting lineup, but he will be more of a factor than he has been in the past. He impressed coaches with his consistent production, and he had an impressive off-season.

--OL John St. Clair could move inside to left guard if rookie Chris Williams is able to step in as the starting left tackle, but he Williams has already missed nine days of practice.

--QB Caleb Hanie, an undrafted rookie, is the clear-cut No. 3 since Nick Hill was released, but the Bears haven't ruled out bringing in a veteran to back up Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton.

BATTLE OF THE WEEK: There was no doubt which quarterback was the people's choice at the Bears' Friday night practice at Soldier Field on Aug. 1.

During player introductions, Rex Grossman seemed to receive almost as many boos and cheers, while Kyle Orton got a rousing welcome from the 24,977 in attendance. Orton performed better for most of the evening, although neither quarterback looked sharp early, as Orton completed 3 of 6 in the first seven-on-seven session, all of them for short gains. Grossman was 2-for-4.

Orton was on fire in the second seven-on-seven, completing all six of his passes, including deep routes to tight end Desmond Clark and wide receiver Rashied Davis, who made a nice over-the-shoulder grab. Orton also connected on intermediate routes to Marty Booker and Devin Hester.

"Kyle tonight hit quite a few passes," coach Lovie Smith said. "I thought Rex did some good things, too."

Orton was 3-for-5 in the first 11-on-11 set, all short passes. Grossman also went 3-for-5, a drop by Brandon Rideau, and one of his completions was for 23 yards to tight end Fontel Mines. Both quarterbacks went 3-for-4 in the next 11-on-11 segment, but Orton picked up 20 yards on a pass to Brandon Lloyd and scored on a short slant to Rideau.

In the two-minute drill, starting from its own 35, Grossman's squad failed to reach midfield, while Orton's group got into position for a 28-yard Robbie Gould field goal. Orton started out working with the first team, but Grossman also got some reps with the ones.

OTHER BATTLE FRONTS: It's not a winner-take-all battle, but it will be interesting to see if 2007 first-round pick Greg Olsen, who has Pro Bowl potential as a pass catcher, takes playing time from 10-year veteran Desmond Clark, who seems to get better with age.

In Olsen and Clark, the Bears have two solid weapons in the pass game, and both will see lots of playing time, and they will continue to frequently be on the field at the same, as they were last season. In 2007 they combined for 83 catches, 936 yards and 6 touchdowns last season, as Clark finished third on the team with 44 catches and 545 yards.

"They both had excellent years last year," coach Lovie Smith said. "Dez Clark is a very good football player, a good blocker and a good pass catcher. Greg Olsen, we know what he can do, especially in the passing game."

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Though he's a long shot to make the final roster, 6-foot-3, 198-pound wide receiver Brandon Rideau has taken advantage of recent opportunities to showcase his skills.

With Mark Bradley and Brandon Lloyd getting some time off for minor injuries, Rideau has gotten more reps and made more catches.

"I got a chance to come out and make some plays, so I just did that," the Kansas product said after starring in a recent practice. "We've got some guys that are taking a little time to get back to 100 percent, so I had a chance to come out and get in the first lineup and have a chance to shine."

Rideau caught five passes for 87 yards with the Bears in the 2007 preseason but suffered an ankle injury and was waived, but then re-signed late in the season. Minus the injury, he might have made the opening-day roster.

"It's not for me to say," Rideau said. "I don't know. I hope I would have made the team, but that was ultimately for the coaches to decide."

"Last year at this time we were talking about he and Mike Hass," coach Lovie Smith said. "He got hurt at the end, but he was really making progress. Now we've had him all off-season, and he seems like he's one of our guys. He has ability and he got an opportunity. You need to step up when you get that chance."

Rideau was on the Bears' practice squad for most of 2006 and split time between the Cleveland Browns' practice squad and their active roster after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005.

ROOKIE REPORT: OT Chris Williams continued to sit out through at least Aug. 2 after injuring his back in his second practice, way back on July 24. He was being counted on to start at left tackle, but if he isn't back soon, that plan might have to be scrapped. ... RB Matt Forte on back-to-back plays during 11-on-11 goal-line session of a recent full-pads practice, gave a textbook demonstration of why he will be the opening day starter. On the first play, the 6-foot-2, 216-pounder from Tulane pounded the ball up the middle from three yards out for a score. On the very next play, after taking a pitch from Rex Grossman, Forte scooted around the right end and into the end zone again. "We would like to have a back who can do both," coach Lovie Smith said. "He's got good size. Each day we see something else he can do, but for the most part he's what we thought he would be. He's what we hoped he would be -- a guy who can run it inside and out and can catch the ball." ... WR Earl Bennett is still getting all his reps with the second- and third-team offenses, but he continues to show excellent hands. ... S Craig Steltz has made several noticeable plays, breaking up several passes and intercepting one. ... DT Marcus Harrison is getting mostly second-team reps, but he took a few with the ones last week when Anthony Adams and Israel Idonije missed practice. ... For a fifth-round draft pick who is the No. 3 tight end, rookie Kellen Davis has made quite an impression through the first half of training camp. "He's really stepped up," coach Lovie Smith said. "You notice him." At 6-feet-7 and 262 pounds, it's difficult not to notice Davis, who towers over most of the offensive linemen yet runs well enough to have already made several impressive receptions down the field. Combine that with the soft hands of a wide receiver, and Davis seems like a potential weapon in the passing game. The problem is, the Bears already have two of those in Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. The current job opening is for a blocking tight end to replace John Gilmore. "It would be great for me to get out there and catch some balls if I can, and if that happens I welcome it," Davis said. "But the team needs me to block, so that's what I'm going to do."

Most tight ends are asked to block and catch, although there probably aren't any who don't consider catching the ball more enjoyable than blocking defensive ends and linebackers.

"Pancaking guys is a little fun, too," Davis said. "Hopefully I can get a little bit of both in there."

INJURY REPORT:

--OT Chris Williams (back) is expected back this week. He has missed the past nine days.

--RB Garrett Wolfe and FB Jason McKie missed time last week with hamstring injuries.

--OG Terrence Metcalf was out Saturday with a bruised knee.

--NT Dusty Dvoracek (calf) remains on the non-football-injury list but could be back this week.

--RB Kevin Jones is on the PUP list but has been running on his own for a week.

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