CAMP AT A GLANCE
	The Bears hope Kordell Stewart becomes a steady playmaker.
	Location: Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, Ill. Preseason schedule:  Aug. 9: Beat Indianapolis, 20-18  Aug. 16: Lost to Denver, 15-10  Aug. 22: at Arizona  Aug. 27: at New England

In Pro Football Weekly's third and final installment of training-camp reports, we look at the good (biggest positive), the bad (biggest disappointment) and the ugly (injury update) factors surrounding every team halfway through the 2003 preseason. We also set our sights on a rookie to watch on each team, for whatever the reason.

Aug. 19

Biggest positives: Surviving injuries was a challenge for the Bears' defense in 2002, but general manager Jerry Angelo reloaded with seven defensive draft picks in April, and the new-found depth was apparent throughout training camp. CB Charles Tillman, the Bears' second-round pick, could easily be plugged in as their nickel back in front of second-year corner Roosevelt Williams, who is coming on. Undrafted rookie CB Jason Goss has shown positive flashes of potential as well. Up front, Chicago's most consistent DT starter in 2002, Keith Traylor, is running with the second team, and first-round pick Michael Haynes is the Bears' third defensive end on the depth chart. The only position that may present a roadblock when injuries strike is linebacker, though rookie SLB Lance Briggs has opened some eyes.

Biggest disappointments: Ranking 29th in total offense, as the Bears did last season, tends to spur changes. From a cynic's vantage point, there are new faces, namely QB Kordell Stewart and TE Desmond Clark, but the offensive philosophy is the same. To boot, Stewart has been erratic, the ORT position isn't exactly roses and a RB controvesy is brewing between Anthony Thomas and Adrian Peterson.

Injury update: Second-year ORT Marc Colombo won't be ready until at least the second game of the regular season, as the rehab of his left knee is moving at a pace closer to the Pony Express than cyberspeed. SLB Bryan Knight, the projected replacement in the starting lineup for Rosevelt Colvin, missed the preseason game vs. Denver with a swollen knee. Third-string TE John Davis is out indefinitely following back surgery and is in jeopardy of being cut. ORT Aaron Gibson has had some knee trouble, and RB Anthony Thomas has been bothered by back spasms, but all systems are a go for now. SS Mike Green (groin) missed more than 10 practice sessions but is back competing with Bobby Gray for a starting job.

Rookies to watch: Briggs has been hitting with the kind of ferocity that forces coaches and players alike to take notice. Briggs, if only on special teams, will quickly become a fan favorite and has an outside chance to unseat Knight on the strong side. Tillman, who has safety size but the speed of a corner, is a near lock for the nickel job and may get work at both cornerback and safety in the base defense before 2003 expires. The 14th overall pick in the draft, Haynes doesn't have Julius Peppers' speed, but he has a nose for the ball and always seems to be in the backfield - a rarity for Bears' defensive linemen in recent years.

Part 2 -- Aug. 12

Veteran to watch: It's highly likely that well-traveled Aaron Gibson, the 380-pound first-round pick of the Lions who was cut twice last season, will start for the Bears at right offensive tackle this season. Projected starter Marc Colombo is down at least beyond the season opener recovering from knee surgery, leaving a gaping hole on the right side. Gibson missed two days of training camp with a sore knee and will go only once per day from here on out, but he is in better shape and is motivated.

Player on the verge: With questions at both OT spots going into camp, OLT Mike Gandy has impressed the coaching staff and doubts have dissipated. Less than a year into his conversion from offensive guard, Gandy has held his own in training camp and provided the Bears room to exhale during their breathless pursuit of a right-side replacement for Colombo.

Strongest position: The coaching staff has three defensive tackles and the same number of defensive ends capable of starting. The Bears have youth and experience at both positions, giving them depth that didn't exist a year ago. Chicago is also deep at wide receiver, but the bulk of the talent there is unproven.

Weakest position: Some believe the Bears are thin on the offensive line, but the picture at running back is equally clouded. Nobody has challenged RB Anthony Thomas, who sources say doesn't look much better than he did last season, when he finished shy of 1,000 yards and missed four games. Second-year RB Adrian Peterson will get a look, but he's not considered a gamebreaker either.

Part 1 -- July 18

Most significant changes: The grinding, ball-control, run-based offense is mostly the same, but the quarterback is different. The Bears signed Kordell Stewart, whose mobility is expected to add another dimension to offensive coordinator John Shoop's system. Stewart can be a solid "system guy" and was an MVP candidate two years ago with the Steelers, but he has also been horrible when his confidence sinks.

Reasons for optimism: Somewhere, general manager Jerry Angelo is knocking on wood, but there is no way the Bears' injury woes approach the "M*A*S*H"-unit status reached in 2002. The starters who were lost last season, including defensive tackle Ted Washington, linebacker Warrick Holdman, left guard Rex Tucker and wide receiver David Terrell, anticipate being 100 percent for training camp.

Causes for concern: Greg Blache's defense is built around space-eating defensive tackles Washington and Keith Traylor. Washington, who missed 14 games with a foot injury last season, is 35 years old and Traylor will be 34 this season. If the foundation of the defense crumbles, can it still stand?

Training-camp battles to watch: Alex Brown started at right defensive end from Week 7 on as a rookie. He has bulked up without losing the good first-step quickness the Bears liked, but if rookie defensive end Michael Haynes, the Big Ten's sack leader with 15 last season, makes a splash, Brown could be the odd man out.

Don't be surprised if: The defense approaches the level of success it reached during the Bears' 2001 season, when they went 13-3. The only significant personnel loss the team suffered is strong-side linebacker Rosevelt Colvin. If Blache can scheme ways to get to the quarterback without sacrificing middle linebacker Brian Urlacher regularly, Colvin won't be missed.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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