In Thursday’s edition of Bears Bites, we take a look at the reaction of the Chicago Bears to being called "thugs" on Tuesday, as well as New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton’s reaction to seeing Jermon Bushrod on the other side of the field for the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Bears.
- Most Bears fans either took offense to the insinuation by Detroit Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. that the Bears were "a bunch of thugs," or chuckled at the irony of the statement, but it didn't seem to faze the team, as evidenced by Tim Jennings’ reaction to the quote. [CSN Chicago]
- The usage of Saints QB Drew Brees’ last name as a substitute for "breeze" may be completely overdone, but we won’t hold that against Mark Potash’s article on the challenge that the Saints’ offense will pose to the Bears this week. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Jermon Bushrod came to the Bears over the offseason in free agency, and his former coach Sean Payton is eager to face off against him this week. [Chicago Tribune]
- Bears punter Adam Podlesh could have taken the team’s decision to audition various potential replacements for him this week personally, but he understands its part of the business, and is going to try to earn his keep. [Daily Herald]
- With four games in the books, various websites are starting to put together their quarterly report cards, and Blake Van Poucke checks in with his edition. [Bears Huddle]
- The Bears are going to have a tough enough time with the Saints this week, but having to go up against the best tight end in the league in Jimmy Graham is going to be a special kind of tough. [670 The Score]
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- Jay Cutler is a free agent at the end of the season, and Michael C. Wright helps answer some of the questions surrounding how much the Bears (or another team) should pay him when his contract expires. [ESPN Chicago]
- Finally, we check in on the upcoming Saints-Bears game from a Saints perspective, as Katherine Terrell examines just how bad Soldier Field has been to the Saints over the years, including in the 2007 NFC Championship game, which the Bears won to advance to Super Bowl XLI. [Times-Picayune]
