Bears lose game, maybe Olsen

<font size="2">

<p align="justify">Forget the score, which is easy to do since the Cleveland Browns beat the Chicago Bears 19-9 Thursday night.

<p align="justify">What matters most is tight end Greg Olsen's health. Is Chicago's first-round draft pick temporarily bothered by a knee bruise or sprain, or is it more significant than that?

<p align="justify">And why was he playing late in the second quarter, when virtually all top personnel long had been removed?

<p align="justify">"We're evaluating him and hopefully he'll be OK," Smith said. "When you don't finish a game, there's always cause for concern."

<p align="justify">Olsen was hurt after a three-yard reception at the two-minute warning of the first half. He limped off the field after being tackled by linebacker Clifton Smith and was taken to the locker room before halftime.

<p align="justify">"He's not a starter," said Smith, explaining why Olsen was still in the game. "We played (safety) Danieal Manning a lot. Somebody has to play."

<p align="justify">Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said the show must go on no matter who's missing.

<p align="justify">"We'll just keep going and running our offense," he said. "Hopefully, he's not out too long. He's a very good player. We have big plans for him.

<p align="justify">"We have a lot of other good players, too. We'll just pick up and go and continue to see where (the offense) is."

<p align="justify">The injury roll call also included backup linebacker Rod Wilson (migraine), safety Brandon McGowan (hamstring) and rookie linebacker Michael Okwo (shoulder).

<p align="justify">The Bears tried to be conservative, playing their offensive starters for one series and defensive regulars for two.

<p align="justify">The Browns went two series with each set of starters, although some offensive mainstays were on the field for the third series behind backup quarterback Derek Anderson.

<p align="justify">Basically, the second quarter was a duel between third-string quarterbacks -- Chicago's Kyle Orton and Cleveland rookie Brady Quinn of Notre Dame.

<p align="justify">Chris Leak played the second half for Chicago, while Quinn turned things over to Ken Dorsey in the fourth quarter.

<p align="justify">As for game detail, the Browns had 12 points before the Bears generated their initial first down. That came at 10:48 of the second quarter on a 4-yard Garrett Wolfe run.

<p align="justify">Chicago's special teams slipped up, allowing a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown by Joshua Cribbs and a safety when Manning fumbled twice on the same kickoff.

<p align="justify">Manning helped redeem himself by taking the opening kickoff of the second half 38 yards.

<p align="justify">"We have a lot of young skill players down the line right now," Smith said of special teams. "We get a good evaluation of them. We haven't played as well as we need to."

<p align="justify">As for notable efforts, Chicago's Brandon Ayanbadejo intercepted Quinn in the third quarter, and Mike Hass grabbed a 9-yard touchdown toss from Leak.

Reed Schreck is the NFL writer for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at 815-987-1381 or rschreck@rrstar.com.</font>