Roach working on his 'outside voice'
By TOM MUSICK -- Shaw Suburban Media
LAKE FOREST – Soft talkers tend to excel in careers as librarians or light-rock disc jockeys.
But can a soft talker excel as a middle linebacker in the NFL? Not so much.
Bears linebacker Nick Roach has worked on strengthening his “outside voice” this season. He could start Sunday at middle linebacker, where he would be responsible for shouting the play calls to his teammates.
“He’s got the Lovie voicebox,” teammate Lance Briggs joked. “He doesn’t enunciate like, say, an Urlacher or a Hunter Hillenmeyer. When Nick talks, we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got our ears on.”
Briggs declined to do an impression of Roach calling a play, but he offered a description.
“It’s just like being in the back seat of a car,” Briggs said. “You’ve got the volume, but it only goes so high. You’ve got that parental control in the front.”
Roach laughed when he heard what Briggs had said.
“I don’t know what he means by that, wherever he might be,” Roach shouted across the locker room. “Yeah, I know. It’s something I’m conscious about. I try to work on it every day.”
Strictly business: The Bears' decision to acquire defensive end Gaines Adams prompted speculation that the team was bracing for the defection of Adewale Ogunleye after this season.
Ogunleye said Thursday that he tried not to think too much about his pending free-agent status.
“I think if I continue to play well, I control my own destiny,” Ogunleye said. “I love Chicago. I would love to be here, but at the same time, I’ve got to continue to play well.”
Adams is expected to play Sunday, although coaches have not said how much.
“I like him,” Ogunleye said. “He’s got a lot of talent. He’s a little raw. I think definitely him [being] here with coach [Rod] Marinelli is going to help him out a lot. Him [being] here with me and Alex [Brown] is going to help him out a lot.”
Sitting out: Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris was held out for a second straight day with a bum knee. Right knee soreness has limited him in practice for most of the season.
“It’s precautionary, but whenever a player misses a couple of days, there’s a little bit of concern,” Smith said. “Hopefully he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
Bears bits: Running back Adrian Peterson (knee) missed practice Thursday and is unlikely to play Sunday. … Former Bears player and current Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Tank Johnson missed practice because of a foot injury. His status is uncertain for Sunday.
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