Jeff Fisher's teams at Houston/Tennessee were known for being physical and straddling the line of fair play -- Gregg Williams and Jim Schwartz are two of his disciples. But he said he does not endorse the aggressive tack that Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano used with the New York Giants in a kneel-down ''victory formation'' at the end of their game last week -- though he did not criticize Schiano for the aggressive play.

The Bucs went after Giants quarterback Eli Manning as he was trying to take a knee to end the game. That irked coach Tom Coughlin, who chastised Schiano, a rookie NFL head coach, when the two met at midfield after the game.

''This came out of nowhere. There's really no rule that you can't do what Tampa Bay elected to do,'' said Fisher, who is in his first season as the St. Louis Rams head coach after 17 seasons with the Oilers/Titans. ''I would not ask my defense to do that, nor would I think any other coach in the league would ask his defense to do that.

''I think we realize that the game was fought hard, we're inside of two minutes, they can't stop the clock, the game's over. Again, that's coach Schiano's choice. If he chooses to that, the opposing team needs to be prepared for it.

''How you prepare for it, I don't know.''

With the possible exception of Earl Bennett, Brandon Marshall probably knows Bears quarterback Jay Cutler better than anyone else at Halas Hall.

And that's why Marshall insisted he doesn't want Cutler to change.

"Whenever you get outside of yourself, I think that's when you create problems. That's something I learned in my own personal life. You have to be who you are. So when Jay is not fiery, that's when I'm going to have a problem. I'm going to want to play with a different quarterback," Marshall said. "That's the reason I wanted to be here, that's the guy I wanted to play for.

"We have to be productive, we have to make sure we're communicating the right way, I'm sure there are things that we need to change, but that's the guy I want to play for. I can go back to our second year in the league when he comes in the huddle and he tells us, 'Hey, we're going to go down 90 yards against San Diego and we're going to score, and we're going to go for two for the win.' That's the guy I want to play for and I'm glad to have him.''

Marshall noted that he's not -- and not trying to be like -- Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson.

Everyone is different," Marshall said.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said the incident involving teammate J'Marcus Webb and the ensuing controversy in the aftermath of the Bears' loss to the Packers is already in the past.

''Everything's fine,'' Cutler said in his weekly press conference at Halas Hall. "It's a dead issue We're moving forward at this point."

After berating Webb and giving him a light shove as they walked off the field during the Packers game, Cutler was criticized not only locally but from national commentators such as former Steelers coach Bill Cowher and Hall of Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino and Troy Aikman. He chuckled when asked if the criticism cut any deeper coming from such respected football people.

St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who knows Jay Cutler better than most NFL coaches who never coached him, said ''Chicago is lucky to have Jay'' and critics of his on-field demeanor last week against the Packers ''ought to back off and let him play.''

''A guy has an opportunity as a quarterback in the huddle or on the sideline to voice his opinion,'' Fisher said in a conference call with Chicago-area reporters Wednesday morning. ''[He's] not the first quarterback to do that. A quarterback that's got a chance to lead a football team and win games has to take that position. So I think you guys, or whoever's generating this stuff, ought to back off and let him play.''

The Bears today are working out outside linebacker Rennie Curran, a third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2010.

Curran, who played at Brookwood High School in Snellville, GA, starred at the University of Georgia. He was one of the top linebackers to come out of the 2010 NFL Draft, but he lasted just one season with the Titans.

In 2009, he was an All-SEC and All-American.

Curran has struggled to make an impact on an NFL roster. But, he clearly enough potential to forego the final year of his eligibility at Georgia.

It's not clear if the Bears are working out other linebackers. But, the Bears could just be checking out players for special teams purposes.

UPDATE: The Baltimore Sun reports that the Bears are also trying out Clifton Geathers, Spencer Adkins, and four other defenders, citing a league source.

Bears head coach Lovie Smith shot down early reports over the weekend that said Matt Forte had a high-ankle sprain, stating, "He has an ankle sprain, but not a high-ankle sprain.''

As far as a timetable for the running back to return? Smith wasn't going to go out on that limb.

Forte did not practice on Monday, but was on the practice field with his teammates. As far as showing off just how far the right ankle had come since he was knocked out of the Thursday loss to the Packers, Forte did jog off the field, escaping the media before they could close in on him. And they initially had the angle.

While there was a lot of tip-toeing going on around Halas Hall on Monday afternoon, cornerback D.J. Moore seldom does things quietly.

Asked about quarterback Jay Cutler and his sideline tirade on tackle J'Marcus Webb in the Thursday night nationally televised loss to Green Bay, Moore pulled no punches, starting with the criticism Cutler seems to be getting not only by a lot of the local media, but national media.

"What did he do? Did he shove the guy? Oh yeah,'' Moore said sarcastically. "[I think the criticism is warranted] man. I don't think you can act like that, though. To make it seem like it's just my fault or what not, I think it's just wrong, though honestly. I would feel a certain way if he did me like that, to make it seem like, 'Well, the reason I'm having a bad game is because is what you're doing and not about me taking accountability for myself because I'm throwing these type of passes and doing these type of reads.' It's a tough situation.''

Asked if Cutler is under a different set of rules because he is the quarterback of the team, Moore said, "Sometimes, but when you act like that, though, with your own teammates on the sideline, it's just something different that you normally wouldn't do. You might say it in the locker room or something, but to do it like he did, that's something different. It's just weird.

"I didn't know it really happened until I looked on TV, and it kind of made you feel a certain way a little bit. But he is what he is. He's always been that way, and I wouldn't expect him to change.''

Asked if someone needed to talk to him about it or is quarterback one untouchable, Moore said, "The quarterback? Quarterback and he makes a lot of money, and he can throw the ball? He'll be alright. He's throw a couple passes and they'll forget about it next week.''

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach and CBS analyst Bill Cowher said Jay Cutler is going to have to ''change his ways'' or the Bears will have to consider changing quarterbacks next season if the Bears don't make the playoffs.

Responding to host James Brown's assessment on ''The NFL Today'' on Sunday that Cutler ''displayed questionable demeanor as the leader of the team,'' Cowher said, ''I think it's a problem.

''The guy's got a strong arm. There is no question about that,'' Cowher continued. ''He's had some protection issues. I know there's been some questionable [play] calling. But they brought players in to help this guy win a championship, and he's going to [have to] prove to be more accountable -- not sensationalize every little mistake with his antics and body language.

''He's a good quarterback. But if he does not change his ways and this team does not go to the playoffs, they have to consider changing. He has to change.''

As expected, the Bears re-signed running back Kahlil Bell in anticipation of Matt Forte missing extended time after suffering a sprained ankle in Thursday night's 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

''I'm taking my talents back to Chicago. So happy to be back,'' Bell tweeted Saturday. "Never wanted to leave."

Forte reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain when he was tackled by Charles Woodson on a 15-yard pass play and could miss 2-6 weeks if that is the case. That the Bears signed Bell so quickly indicates Forte could be out awhile. But the Bears have not confirmed anything regarding his injury, as is their policy.

Bears cornerback Charles Tillman said he could have been in a better position to make a tackle on the Packers' fake field goal attempt in the final two minutes of the first half.

He certainly couldn't have been alone, since only safety Chris Conte even reasonably had a chance to make the play.

Moments later, though, Tillman gave the Packers props.

"It was just a good scheme. They out-schemed us," Tillman said. "You got to give them credit. It was a good play on their part."

On the play, holder/ punter Tim Masthay took the snap and shoveled the ball to backup tight end Tom Crabtree, who easily scored from 27 yards out.

Crabtree to Sports Illustrated gave the credit to special teams coach Shawn Slocum and rookie pulling guard Don Barclay.

In addition, kicker Mason Crosby may have confused the Bears, by sprinting to the left, while the play went right.

That proved a huge play because, otherwise, the Bears defense had kept the game close. The Packers were lining up for a field goal that, if it went through the uprights, would have given them a 6-0 lead, in the final two minutes of the half. But, they went up 10-0 instead, intercepted a Jay Cutler pass, then converted another field goal to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - And now a word from Jay Cutler to his lineman J'Marcus Webb ... earmuffs kids.

The Bears quarterback was caught by cameras dressing down Webb on the sidelines of Thursday night's game, and even chest-bumping the left tackle after telling him "get your f----- head into the game.''

Cutler couldn't avoid getting sacked by the Packers seven times in the 23-10 loss, and he definitely wasn't avoiding questions about publicly calling out an offensive line that he's taken numerous shots at since last May.

"I care about this,'' Cutler said of the incident with Webb. "This isn't just a hobby for me. If we're not doing things the right way, I'm going to say something. If they want a quarterback that doesn't care then they better get someone else.''

Webb downplayed things as best he could.

"It's an emotional game and things happen, and things get said, and you move on and go onto the next play,'' Webb said. "Uh, take it for what it is.''

Asked about it being more than just some "friendly advice'' from Cutler, Webb said, "[He was] saying, 'Let's move this ball, let's get this touchdown.' Positive.''

It was the week leading up to the Colts game that Cutler last called out the offensive line, turning a question about the improved weapons around him into an "or else'' on the shoulders of the offensive line.

"We can only do as much as they can handle,'' Cutler said of his offensive line. "If they can only block three-step drops, we can only throw three-step passes. We're limited to what they can do and as of now, they've been holding up really well.

"We've got some guys that can play football on the outside. There's no doubt about that. It's gonna hopefully make my job easier; being able to get them the ball, let them work. Up front I think the guys know that there's some pressure on them because Matt Forte can run if we give him holes. If I get the guys the ball on the outside and we hold up enough time we can make some good plays. So it's gonna be fun to watch.''

Or in the case of Webb on Thursday night, fun to tear down and scream at on national television.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Not that running back Matt Forte was going to do much good, considering how bad the offense looked on Thursday, but the running back left the game in the third quarter with an injured ankle and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Before the injury, Forte had carried the ball for seven carries and 31 yards, with most of his damage coming as a receiver, catching four balls for 49 yards.
Michael Bush replaced Forte, with Armando Allen also getting some work.