August 8, 2007

After 5 days of rest, Muhammad back at Bears practice

2007 8-17: Wolfe in Bears 8-17: Tightends 8-16: 'Peanut' 8-16: Linebackers 8-15: D-Day 8-15: Madden '08 gets 8-15: Mannelly known 8-15: Cornerbacks 8-14: A step ahead 8-14: Offensive guards, 8-13: Benson has clear More

By Jimmy Street
sports@daily-journal.com

Muhsin Muhammad has made a career out of playing through injuries, so it came as a surprise when the veteran wide receiver sat out five consecutive days of practice last week because of what head coach Lovie Smith called "general soreness."

On Tuesday, Muhammad was back in action on the Olivet Nazarene University practice fields and the receiver was in good spirits after the first muggy session of a scheduled two-practice day.

"After you miss a couple days like that, I think the biggest thing is just getting your wind back and getting your feet back underneath you," Muhammad said. "Everything felt good for me today."

Several days ago, the Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake coined both Muhammad and Bernard Berrian the team's No. 1 receivers, but at the age of 34, No. 87 realizes his value is much greater than simply making plays on the field.

When the Bears acquired Muhammad in 2005, it was assumed that the All-Pro veteran would be able to help develop some of Chicago's young talent, as well as make plays.

Those assumptions have led to some on-field coaching for the veteran in his first two-plus seasons in Chicago, but Muhammad still views himself as a playmaker.

"I'm still playing, but I guess you could say I'm coaching now. If they want to pay me a coach's salary on top of what I'm making already, I'd be fine with that," Muhammad jokingly said. "I still feel like I'm kind of one of the generals over here. I still feel like (a) go-to kind of guy."

Muhammad was the go-to guy for the Bears in 2006, as the receiver caught a team-high 60 passes for 863 yards, while ranking third on the team with five receiving touchdowns.

This year, those numbers might go down a bit because of the onslaught of young weapons the Bears possess, but Muhammad is excited about having so much talent around him.

"Actually, I'm pleased to have the weapons and to have the talent around me. When I got here it was kind of (similar)," Muhammad said. "They were looking for a go-to guy, but they were also looking to develop some talent. I feel like we've done that. When you do that, the whole team gets better."

Now in his twelfth season in the league, Muhammad is only 636 receiving yards away from becoming the 28th player in NFL history to reach the career 10,000-yard plateau.

With the amount of talent the Bears have on offense increasing, Muhammad has also seen growth in quarterback Rex Grossman's game during this summer's training camp.

"I think (Rex) is more polished," Muhammad said. "I think he definitely knows the offense more. I think he's able to handle a lot more, as far as the play calling and what we're doing ... Basically, I think he's gotten better."