Hoge's Notes: Peppers Held Out Of Practice, Bears Say 'Coach's Decision'
By Adam Hoge-
HALAS HALL (CBS) -- Asked Wednesday about the status of his injured players, Bears head coach Marc Trestman wanted specific names.
Asked one-by-one, Trestman said cornerback Charles Tillman was held out of practice Wednesday, but is "expected to play" Sunday against the Redskins. Tight end Martellus Bennett (knee) was also held out, but did some side work and went through walk-throughs. Defensive tackle Stephen Paea (toe) and linebacker James Anderson "were out there" and "they look good."
But what wasn't mentioned was the status of defensive end Julius Peppers, who did not practice, despite being dressed in full pads inside the Walter Payton Center during the portion of practice open to the media.
The official injury report revealed that information and the only explanation was "coach's decision."
That term is used when the player is held out for a non-injury related reason. In other words, if Peppers was hurt, the team would have to reveal the injury on the official injury report.
A teams spokesperson did not provide any further explanation, although it is worth mentioning that the team had an additional practice Monday that they don't usually have during a normal game week. Peppers may have just received a veterans' day off.
Of course, the Bears are also in the middle of a stretch of 24 days where they only play one game.
Marshall Credits Shanahan For Foundation Of His Career
Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall played for three seasons under Mike Shanahan in Denver and credits the now Redskins head coach for laying the foundation of his career.
"He's definitely someone I think that would be a friend, a mentor, a coach for the rest of my life," Marshall said. "He's that type of guy, and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to play for him."
Marshall said he still sees Shanahan from time to time at golf outings or restaurants.
"I'm so thankful they gave me an opportunity in Denver, and he gave me chance after chance," Marshall said.
Facing DeAngelo Hall
Jay Cutler might have thrown four interceptions to Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall in 2010, but he didn't have Brandon Marshall as a receiver back then.
This time, Marshall will be on the field Sunday in Maryland, and he is looking forward to the challenge of facing Hall.
"You know what, DeAngelo Hall man, he turns it up a notch against bigger receivers," Marshall said. "I'm excited for the challenge. He's a guy that you've just got to stay focused and stay in your zone because if you come out of your game, that's when he starts to win. I'm looking forward to it. It's one of those games where you've got to strap up, put on extra padding because he's tough."
Notables
- Marshall was fined $10,500 for wearing lime green cleats last week against the Giants, but he said Wednesday that he "would have done it for $30 grand."
Marshall wore the cleats for Mental Heath Awareness Week and said a group in California estimates the attention brought on an estimated $75,000 worth of coverage.
- Unlike Derrick Rose, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III says he has not experienced any soreness in his surgically repaired knee.
"It's not a shot at anyone else if they come back and have soreness," he said on a conference call Wednesday. "It's just how their body reacts to it and I was just blessed not to have any soreness."
- Griffin gave former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman some credit for his development, saying "he really helped me with how to handle a lot of things."
Grossman is the Redskins' third-string quarterback.
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
