Professor

From free safety to free time :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears

excerpt:

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- End Alex Brown isn't the only returning starter from last year's Bears defense who received an offseason demotion. He's just the only one upset by it.

Free safety Danieal Manning, a second-round draft pick in 2006, when he was the Bears' first selection, moved into the starting lineup in the third game last fall and remained with the first team through the Super Bowl. He has been out of a starting job since Adam Archuleta arrived in a trade with the Washington Redskins and moved into the strong safety spot, allowing Mike Brown to shift to free safety ahead of Manning.

''They got the right man in the right position at the right time,'' he said. ''There are still some things I don't know from a lack of experience. Mike has more experience and more game time, and he should be playing first.''

Manning wants to play, mind you. He's a respectful guy who puts the team first and accepts there isn't much he can do about his situation but find different ways to earn playing time. He has talked to coaches about playing nickel back or working in the dime package, and he says he'll embrace the role of four-phase special-teams player if that gets him on the field.

''I thought about it and maybe had a little bit of a hard time dealing with it, but I am a team player,'' Manning said. ''I want the best for the team. It's bigger than me. And I am still here. They didn't try to get rid of me or anything.''

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