Practice begins at the top of the hour as the Bears kick off the 2008 season.

Brian Urlacher will put his repaired neck and back to the test.

Mike Brown will start what is an essential summer for him.

Marty Booker puts on a Bears helmet in front of fans for the first time in four years.

Rookie Chris Williams should be here on time to participate.

Oh yeah, a couple of quarterbacks will have their every move scrutinized.

There's that and a lot more. We'll do the best we can to bring some updates via Twitter from the sidelines. Then we'll have a recap or two this evening. Check back often. The weather is perfect. A great summer afternoon for football.

The man who the 46 defense was named after was hired Tuesday by the Atlanta Falcons as a special assistant for first-year coach Mike Smith.

``We finally got him back into the NFL,'' said Danny More, Plank's agent. ``Doug has the opportunity to help the Falcons and coach Mike Smith and he's very, very excited about a return to the NFL on a full-time basis. Hopefully this will be the first step in him climbing the coaching ladder in the league.''

The plan for now is for Plank to remain as the head coach of the Force.

The Bears play at Atlanta Oct. 12.

Among the things Urlacher discussed was Favre's situation, and his hope that No. 4 suits up for someone this season:

FOR THE BEARS?

``For us? I don't think that's a possibility. If they do trade him, I don't think it's going to be in our division, No. 1. Maybe not even in our conference.''

THEN PLAYING IN GREEN BAY THIS SEASON?

``I can't imagine seeing him anywhere else. I don't think anyone else can, either. When you think of Green Bay, you think of Brett Favre. At least I do.''

The blog was a dream not a reality when training camp opened last summer. Now with a revamped look (the staff tells us it's easier to manage now as well) and some more handy technology gadgets, we've ready for kickoff. To prove it, we've got half our bags packed with an eye toward a morning getaway to Bourbonnais.

We've also embarked on a new effort using Twitter. It's a handy resource to send out quick updates from the practice field, game, Halas Hall or wherever. You can subscribe at and receive the updates just as fast as they're sent out via text message or IM. It's free. Our handle on Twitter is cst_bears. Check it out.

Twitter will not replace the work done here but accompany it. Our goal is to have a few updates a day with recaps, news, etc.

Thanks for checking in and we'll set the date for a mailbag column soon. Hope to see you in training camp.

With Brian Urlacher agreeing to a reworked contract on Monday, the eve of training camp, all that's left to do for the Bears is sign first-round draft pick Chris Williams. It's expected Williams will be in camp on time, but there was never a guarantee things would be done for Urlacher.

By agreeing to terms with the face of the franchise on an $18 million, one-year extension, the Bears have taken a large step toward trying to build some harmony in the locker room after negotiations that were ugly at times this offseason. Urlacher will receive a $6 million signing bonus and has his base salary bumped up by $1 million each of the next four seasons. The $1 million bumps are not contingent on play time, which is how the club's original offer was structured.

Urlacher is now under contract through 2012 at a cost of $8 million.

The Bears are still working on signing Williams, who is represented by the same agents who handle Urlacher. It's imperative he be in camp from Day 1 if he is to lock down the starting left tackle position. When the Bears sign Williams they will have to release one player to reach the 80-man limit. With the recent addition of running back Kevin Jones, that or fullback would figure to be possible positions the team could target.

Stay tuned for more information.

The Bears recently came to agreement with Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., on a two-year agreement to extend the team's stay there through next summer. This will be the team's seventh year at ONU. Because of state law, the school and sign only two-year contracts with the organization. They've had mutual options for a third year in the past and it's unknown if there is one in place now.

Players report to ONU on Tuesday and the first practice is at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Thanks to a reader for a tip on finding this news nugget.

*** There will be a two-page spread advancing training camp in Sunday's edition. We take a look at 10 storylines to follow in camp topped by, what else, the quarterback competition.

One thing we didn't get into was advancement by tight end Greg Olsen in his second season. Olsen, the first-round pick in 2007, was fifth on the team with 39 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns. They're not numbers that blow you away but compared against tight ends drafted over the last two decades in the first round, Olsen was a fair bit ahead of the average. It's a difficult position to come in and put up big numbers right away because it's essentially two positions. The tight end is a sixth (or seventh offensive lineman) on some downs and a receiver on others.

So, keep an eye on Olsen in camp and how he's utilized.

*** First-round draft pick Chris Williams remains unsigned. I'd expect a deal to be forged in advance of Wednesday. The percentage of actual holdouts is very small every summer. The percentage of holdouts drafted after the top five or so is even smaller.

Yes, cornerback Darrelle Revis, the 14th pick in '07, missed 20 days of Jets' camp last summer. But the Jets and Revis were involved in a haggle over years that will not bog down Williams' negotiations. He'll sign a five-year contract.

The Inside the Bears staff is going to swing back into action soon and we’ll have a few reports between now and then starting with news that the Bears have agreed with running back Kevin Jones on a $605,000, one-year contract.

His presence as a former 1,000-yard rusher will create some competition in an area the team apparently decided some was needed. Rookie Matt Forte is still expected to be the go-to guy in the backfield but Jones could provide a 1-2 punch with him while also pushing veteran Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe, the third-round pick from 2007.

Check back later for more details.

Good enough that you can forget about the possibility of the club pursuing any free agents like Shaun Alexander, Kevin Jones, Ron Dayne or anyone else. That’s what coach Lovie Smith said Wednesday after the club wrapped up its offseason program at Halas Hall minus linebacker Brian Urlacher, who was not in attendance.

“This late in the game you need to feel good about the players you have. We do.”

If you penciled in Matt Forte’s name as the starter Sept. 7 at Indianapolis, go ahead and go over that in pen. Barring a setback, the second-round pick will be the starter. Of course, that could well have been the case even if former first-round pick Cedric Benson had not gotten himself run off.

Start the countdown to camp.