http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/1308540,CST-SPT-bearnt02.article
Dvoracek injury opens door for Harrison, Adams
The position at which the Bears could not keep bodies healthy last season took its first hit of 2008 when defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek was lost for the remainder of the year after tearing his right biceps Sunday at Minnesota.
Dvoracek was engaged with Vikings center Matt Birk on the second play of the game and walked off the field after the play with no overt sign of the injury that will send him to injured reserve for the third time in three seasons.
The former third-round draft pick had been leading Bears linemen in tackles and had started all 12 games after playing just three quarters in his first two seasons because of a foot injury and a torn ACL.
''That's very hard for a guy like Dusty to go out like that,'' coach Lovie Smith said Monday. ''He has had a lot of injuries. No one works harder than him. He's a tough guy, just unfortunate. Don't know the reason why.''
Dvoracek's loss will put rookie third-round pick Marcus Harrison in a more prominent position and give veteran Anthony Adams more opportunities. Harrison had a solid game Sunday with seven tackles, and Adams had six with a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. Adams tends to play with more range than most believe he has.
Dvoracek will be in the final year of his contract next season, and the Bears won't be in position to count on him given his injury history. The good news is Harrison will be in his second season, and Adams is under contract through 2010.
''When you've missed the amount of time that Dusty has, that [injury-prone] label will stay with you until you make it through an entire season,'' Smith said. ''As I talked with Dusty today, I talked about last year, he barely dressed and he was injured. This year he almost made it through the season, so he's making progress. Hopefully next year he'll be able to make it all the way through.''
