Nov. 25--With a short turnaround between Sunday's 21-13 victory over the Buccaneers and Thursday's NFC North game against the Lions at Ford Field, Bears coach Marc Trestman and his staff have had to modify their typical game-week preparation routine. Players had Monday off, will gather at Halas Hall on Tuesday for meetings and walk-throughs, then fly to Detroit on Wednesday with no practices mixed in.
Trestman said he's sticking to the same preparation blueprint the Bears used before their Thursday night game last season -- a 27-21 defeat of the Giants in Week 6.
The greatest challenge, the Bears coach acknowledged, is providing players as much information as possible without overloading them.
"We've all had experience in putting game plans together and knowing how much information the guys can handle going into a game without practice time," Trestman said. "So we put that into play and we communicate with our players as well. ... We want to be able to go out there and play fast and not have to think."
Christian studies: After linebacker Lance Briggs left Sunday's game, rookie linebacker Christian Jones took on an expanded role on defense, joining Jon Bostic in nickel packages. Jones logged 37 defensive snaps, recording five tackles and recovering a fumble to set up the Bears' second touchdown.
Jones continues to impress coaches with his athleticism and eagerness to learn. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring has called the rookie "a work in progress" but remains bullish on Jones' potential.
"Christian has an excellent toolbox," Herring said. "He has great character, great work habits. He has God-given athletic ability, good size and he has a great attitude. Those are all the intangibles that give him the makeup to become a very effective and consistent linebacker in the NFL."
What happened there? Trestman explained Monday his decision to decline a Buccaneers personal foul penalty on a Tampa Bay kickoff that ended Sunday's first half. Bears returner Marc Mariani was taken down at his 11-yard line with an illegal low block called against Russell Shepard.
The Bears didn't have an option to force the Bucs to re-kick and rejected the opportunity to have one untimed snap from their 26.
Said Trestman: "I thought it was in the best interest of our team to get off the field, get into the locker room and move forward with the day."
Extra points: The Bears recorded a season-best five sacks in Sunday's win, their highest single-game total since a five-sack effort against the Vikings in Week 13 last season. The Bears have 27 sacks this season, which put them 10th in the league heading into Monday night's games. ... After missing consecutive games with an injury to his ribs, right tackle Jordan Mills is eyeing a return to action this week.
dwiederer@tribpub.com
Twitter @danwiederer
