Bears dealing with extremely talented Lions

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Draft status doesnt matter much once your rookie contract is done and you begin your NFL career. But there is something to be said for scoring with No. 1 picks. In the end, talent rules.

The Bears will have exactly one of their own No. 1 draft choices starting on offense Monday (guard Chris Williams). Just as the Green Bay Packers formidable core has come through their drafts, the Detroit Lions have the makings for a Packer-like foundation.

Their No. 1s on offense: quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Jahvid Best, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, tackles Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus.

They have really done a great job of acquiring talent, said defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. This is a talented offense. Their coordinator, coach Linehan offensive coordinator Scott is a tremendous play-caller and I think theyve got five or six No. 1s but theyre playing like No. 1s. Its taxing.

The Bears have experience with this sort of problem. Carolina had No. 1s (their own picks) at quarterback, running back (2), tackle (2) as well as imported tight ends (2).

Sick Bay

All five injured Bears (besides receiver Earl Bennett and tackle Gabe Carimi, both out) practiced Saturday and are listed as probable: safety Chris Harris (hamstring), tight end Matt Spaeth, guard Chris Spencer (hand), cornerback Charles Tillman (hip) and defensive end Corey Wootton.

The Lions will be without backups in linebacker Erik Coleman, tackle Jason Fox and former Bear wide receiver Rashied Davis, down with a foot injury.

But Detroit did get a positive Saturday in the form of defensive tackle Nick Fairley, their No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, being able to practice in full. Fairley has not practiced since suffering a preseason foot injury and is listed as questionable but is expected to make his NFL debut against the Bears.

John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.

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