PACE OF THE FRANCHISE
GM SHOULDN’T GET CHANCE TO CHOOSE FOX’S REPLACEMENT
After practicing for the first time since Oct. 27, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan believes he’ll play Sunday against the 49ers.
Trevathan, who strained his calf against the Saints, was limited in practice Wednesday.
“I’m just gonna go day by day,” Trevathan said Wednesday. “It feels good. It feels good to be out there. I was just sitting around. I’m just grateful to be out there, and I’m going to stay out there as long as I can.” Calf injuries are notoriously tricky. “I think we went about it the right way,” Trevathan said. “I’m back now.”
The Bears need him. They’ve allowed 27 points per game in the last three without him after giving up 21.4 in their first eight games.
“We gotta get better as a team,” Trevathan said. “We show it in spurts. But we gotta [ do it] for four quarters.”
Coach John Fox said he looked good in practice.
“Anytime you have a starter out, it can be problematic,” Fox said. “But the rest of the players have to carry the load. It would be good to potentially have him back this week.”
Houston back
With their outside- linebacker position thin after the loss of Leonard Floyd to season- ending surgery, the Bears turned to a familiar face: Lamarr Houston. They claimed Houston off waivers from the Texans, filling a roster spot left vacant when they cut Tre McBride on Tuesday.
Houston, whom the Bears cut at the end of training camp, played five games for the Texans, forcing a fumble and recovering one for a touchdown.
Houston led the Bears with eight sacks in 2015. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in 2014 and 2016, the former while thrusting his crotch during a sack dance. The quarterback he sacked: Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s starting for the 49ers on Sunday.
No outside runs?
The Bears didn’t call many outside zone runs, typically their go- to plays, last Sunday because of the Eagles’ defensive scheme, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. The Eagles play a wide- 9 front, positioning their defensive ends outside the tight ends, where the Bears like to run.
Loggains said the Bears instead tried to succeed with “designer” runs — trap and wham plays — but “we didn’t do a good enough job of executing it.” They finished with six rushing yards, five more than their all- time low.
This and that
Guard Josh Sitton ( concussion), safety Adrian Amos ( hamstring) and defensive back DeAndre Houston- Carson ( ankle) did not practice. Offensive lineman Tom Compton ( ankle), defensive end Roy Robertson- Harris ( hamstring) and cornerback Bryce Callahan ( knee) were limited.
Wide receiver Josh Bellamy ( concussion) returned to practice after missing the game against the Eagles.
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