Briggs is ready to give it all for the Bears.

Fear is a foreign concept to Lance Briggs, which explains his reaction when told by coaches that he would be moving to middle linebacker to replace Brian Urlacher. Not only is Briggs unfazed by the prospect of filling in for the team's marquee player, who is out indefinitely with a right hamstring injury suffered Wednesday in the first training camp practice of the Lovie Smith era, but he's genuinely excited about the opportunity. "We told him (Wednesday) night and a big smile came on his face," Smith said. "He probably stayed up a little bit later than he normally would. He does need to cram." Urlacher was slated to undergo an MRI Thursday afternoon to determine the severity of the injury, but the Bears aren't optimistic that the four-time Pro Bowler will return anytime soon. Results of the exam are expected to be announced on Friday. "We know that he's going to be out for a while and we know it's going to take a little bit," Smith said. "He'll be back, but right now we're getting a chance to look at some different options for us in case certain things happen during the year." Though Hunter Hillenmeyer stepped in after Urlacher went down Wednesday, the Vanderbilt product is not viewed as a long-term solution. Briggs moved from weakside linebacker into the middle Thursday with first-year pro Marcus Reese assuming Briggs' "Will" position with the starting unit. A physical player who enjoyed a breakout season as a rookie in 2003, Briggs seems well-suited to play the "Mike" linebacker position. The biggest adjustment he faces is learning to call plays and align his teammates. "The difference is that you're the captain of the defense," Briggs said. "You need to know what everybody's doing. Since I haven't been doing that up until this point, now I need to get in the books every night and know what everybody's doing on the team." There are also subtle differences once the ball is snapped. The positions are more interchangeable in Smith's system than in most, but Will linebackers typically line up in space whereas Mike linebackers are positioned right in the eye of the hurricane. "You've got to be a little more physical at the Mike position than at the Will," Briggs said. "You've got to know that there are going to be times you'll have to shed the linemen. You have to use your hands a lot more at Mike. At weakside, you play more in space, like a back-side hit man playing in the field. At Mike, you're in the mix regardless of whether it's pass or run." Bears coaches are confident that Briggs, who at 6-1 and 238 pounds is three inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than Urlacher, will adapt quickly to the new position. "The first thing is just being in front of the huddle, taking control," Smith said. "He's making all those calls now, and that's as much as anything. The football part is very similar. The Mike and Will are close together; they're one gap over, so that won't be a big adjustment for him. "It's about just being in charge and being a leader. And really it's kind good. We would like for Lance to grow a little bit on that, so now we're just forcing his hand a little bit quicker." Briggs should benefit from an unusually large and well-qualified support system. Smith coached linebackers for five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera played the position for nine years with the Bears, linebackers coach Bob Babich served in the same capacity with the Rams and former Pro Bowl middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson is working as an assistant in training camp with the Bears. "When you look at what Lance does, he's a stout football player with good quickness, good burst and he's got a good feel for where the ball's going," Rivera said. "That's why we're making the switch right now, to give him a chance to refine the techniques. But he brings a headiness there." Briggs made his presence known during his first practice at middle linebacker Thursday morning. He hammered running back Dwone Hicks on one play, then blew up an attempted block by fullback Jason McKie with a bone-rattling hit on the next. After an impressive training camp last summer as a rookie, Briggs proved to be a big hitter with a penchant for being around the ball. Starting the final 13 games at strongside linebacker, he recorded 81 tackles and registered the Bears' only defensive touchdown on a 45-yard interception return against Brett Favre and the Packers. Briggs played middle linebacker at Arizona, but concedes that the system was entirely different than Smith's. Nevertheless, he insists that he feels very comfortable at his new position. "To step on the field, you've got to have a lot of confidence and I have plenty of confidence. If the coach tells me that's what I've got to do, I've got to do it. Linebacker is linebacker. You've got to have a feel for the game. I'm ready regardless-Mike, Will, Sam; it doesn't matter. "I want to embrace (the opportunity). I'm not out here worrying whether I'm going to fail or not; never have worried about that. Mistakes are going to happen. Just do them at full speed and play hard, and that's all you can do."

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