Ravens free safety Ed Reed missed his second straight game Sunday with a hip injury, but former Notre Dame and Buffalo Grove alum Tom Zbikowski has stepped in and done a fine job in starting for him the last two games.

Zbikowski has had an interception in both starts, and could get the start Sunday against his hometown Bears. (Here’s some video of a pick Zbikowski had on Aaron Rodgers a couple of weeks ago against Green Bay.)

The Bears didn’t draft Zbikowski a few years ago because they didn’t think he was the right fit for the Cover-2 defense. But they missed on the chance to draft a local player who could have added depth to a secondary that had just lost Chris Harris and featured an aging and injured Mike Brown. Zbikowski is no slouch on special teams, either.



The Bears could have used Zbikowski on Sunday. Remember how Josh Bullocks was out of position on Ryan Grant’s 62-yard touchdown run? Zbikowski told the Chicago Tribune’s Vaughn McClure that he was pulling for Grant, a former Notre Dame teammate:

"Tears up the Bears again, man, with a long run!” Zbikowski told the Tribune. “You know what I love? I love seeing good dudes succeed. That guy spent two or three years on the practice squad and made it the hard way. He's proving everyone wrong."

The Replacement : Mike Martz has been working for NFL Network as an analyst this season. He’s doing an OK job breaking down highlights in-studio with Warren Sapp, but we might suggest a career change … like calling plays for the Bears next year.

Even former Bear quarterback Jim Miller sees the rift between Jay Cutler and the offensive coaches. Now an analyst with Comcast Sports in Chicago, Miller told 670-AM The Score: “[Cutler is] young in his career and needs to be coached at his position. He needs to be coached.”

Final Shot : Eliminated from the playoff hunt and with little chance at even a .500 record, Lovie Smith was asked at a televised press conference this week if the Bears were underachievers this season. “We’re 5-8,” Smith said. “Whatever you want to use to describe it, we’re 5-8.”

-- MIKE REILLEY
 Follow him on Twitter @bearsblogblitz