The Bears have lost rookie safety Major Wright for the rest of the pre-season.  He will have surgery today to repair a fractured left index finger.  Wright had 7 tackles in the pre-season opener over the weekend.  This will set back Wright a bit as the Bears had big plans for him.  Hopefully, he’ll be ready for the start of the 2010 regular season as the Bears planned on giving him quite a bit of P.T.

The Bears have selected FB/RB Harvey Unga out of BYU in the 7th round of the supplemental draft.  Unga carried the ball 208 times last season for BYU and he carried the ball 208 times for 1,087 yards (5.2 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He has also caught 16 passes for 121 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  Unga played four years for the Cougars in which he carried the ball 696 times for 3,455 yards (5.0 ypc) with 36 TD runs.  He also caught 102 passes for 1,085 yards (10.6 avg) with 9 TD grabs in his career at BYU.  Unga could be the starting FB for the Bears as early as Week #1 of the 2010 season.

UPDATE:  (8/12/2010) – The Bears have placed Harvey Unga on the Injured Reserve List with a hamstring injury ending his rookie season before it even began.

26-year old DE Gaines Adams has died today of a heart attack at the age of 26.  He played in 10 games for the Bears this season after coming over from the Bucs in a trade earlier this season and he made 7 tackles, forced 2 fumbles and he defensed a pass for them.  He played in 15 games overall this season for the Bucs and Bears in which he had 17 tackles, 1 sack, defensed 3 passes and he forced 2 fumbles.  In his three years in the NFL, Adams played in 47 games in which he made 93 tackles, defensed 11 passes, had 13.5 sacks, forced 4 fumbles and he had 1 interception (he returned it for a TD).  What a shame for the Adams’ family who should be in everyones prayers.

The Bears will likely be playing without S/KR Danieal Manning this Sunday due to a calf injury.  He has played in 15 games this season for the Bears and he has made 92 tackles, 1 sack, forced 2 fumbles, defensed 2 passes and he has 1 interception.  Manning has also returned 28 kickoffs for 744 yards (26.6 avg) this season.  The Bears could really miss him if he can’t play this weekend.

The Chicago Bears have placed CB Charles Tillman and DT Israel Idonije on the Injured Reserve List ending their seasons.  Tillman has fractured ribs and a bruised lung while Idonije has a foot injury.  Tillman played in 15 games for the Bears this season and he made 77 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, forced 6 fumbles, defensed 7 passes and he has 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  Idonije played in 15 games for the Bears this season and he made 18 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, forced 1 fumble and he had 2.5 sacks.  The Bears might really miss Tillman this weekend against Calvin Johnson of the Lions.

35-year old punter Brad Maynard may miss this week’s game for the Bears.  He has played in 15 games for the Bears this season and he has punted the ball 72 times for 3,017 yards (41.9 avg).  Maynard has only 2 touchbacks (2.8%) this season and he has pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 25 times (34.7%) this year.  The Bears have signed 26-year old Richmond McGee who could make his NFL debut against the Lions this week as the punter.  If the Bears were playing any other team but the Lions this might be a huge issue but the Bears might not need the punter much in this game due to the Lions’ horrific defense.

The Bears have lost Adewale Ogunleye for the rest of the year due to a small fracture in his left fibula.  He played in 14 games for the Bears this season and he made 38 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, forced 1 fumble and he had 6.5 sacks.  This is a big loss for the Bears as Ogunleye was one of the best pass rushers on the team.

The Bears will likely be without running back Garrett Wolfe for another week or two due to a lacerated kidney.  He has played in 8 games this season for the Bears and he has carried the ball 22 times for 120 yards (5.5 ypc) and he has caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg).  Wolfe is also a good special teams player as he has racked up 10 tackles already this season.  Wolfe’s injury will hurt the Bears more on special teams than offense as Matt Forte and Adrian Peterson are ahead of him on the depth chart.

UPDATE:  Garrett Wolfe has been placed on the Injured Reserve List for the Bears ending his season.

28-year old linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is out for the season due to right knee surgery.  He finishes his season having played in 2 games in which he made 4 tackles, had 1 tackle for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.  This hurts the depth at linebacker for the Bears but it’s not like Tinoisamoa played that much for the Bears this season anyway.

Backup running back Adrian Peterson will miss the next 2-3 weeks due to a strained MCL in his right knee.  Peterson has carried the ball 5 times for 28 yards (5.6 ypc) so far this season and he has also caught 2 passes for 11 yards (5.5 avg).  The Bears were planning on getting Peterson more involved in the offense until he got injured.  Smallish Garrett Wolfe will move up the depth chart and get a boost in playing time.  Look for him to give Matt Forte a breather on some third downs to keep him fresh.  Wolfe has carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc) with a TD run and he has also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) so far this year.  As long as Matt Forte stays healthy, Peterson’s injury won’t hurt the Bears.