Bears rookie Tarik Cohen’s skills at running back have made him a big hit and have elicited reactions not only from teammates but from opposing players, too.
‘‘I think on one my runs [Saturday], Frostee Rucker really stared me down on the sideline, but it was nothing big,’’ the 5-6, 181-pound Cohen said, referring to the Cardinals’ 6-3, 280-pound defensive end. ‘‘But after the game, [Cardinals safety] Tyrann Mathieu . . . he [direct-messaged] me on Twitter to just tell me to keep grinding, stay humble.’’
Cohen, who rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries against the Cardinals, took that compliment like a pro.
‘‘I wanted to scream like a little girl,’’ Cohen said. ‘‘But I gotta be a man about it, so, ‘Thank you, appreciate it.’ ’’
As for Rucker’s staredown, ‘‘I double-taked that,’’ Cohen said. ‘‘He’s, like, 7-foot. I had to make sure he was staring, and he was staring. So I walked back to the huddle like, ‘Why’s that dude staring at me?’ ’’
No hard feelings
Center Hroniss Grasu said he’s fine with guard Kyle Long after an altercation Aug. 14 in the final training-camp practice at Olivet Nazarene.
‘‘He’s one of my best friends,’’ Grasu said. ‘‘It’s training camp. Little things get on your nerves sometimes. It was definitely for the good. Right away, [we] worked it out. We’re best friends. He’s a brother of mine. I love the guy. So it’s all good.’’
Injury report
Defensive end Jonathan Bullard (glute) still is waiting for clearance to practice. Long (ankle), outside linebacker Sam Acho (ankle), cornerbacks Bryce Callahan (hamstring) and Johnthan Banks (leg) and safety Chris Prosinski (hamstring) also didn’t practice. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee (knee) continued working on the side.
‘I love you, Nate’
Defensive end Akiem Hicks, the only Bears defensive player to start all 16 games last season, credited trainer Nate Breske for getting him back on the field this week after he missed the game against the Cardinals with an Achilles tendon injury.
‘‘I wasn’t happy about [the injury], but I think we’ve handled it correctly as a team, as a training staff and everybody — especially Nate,’’ Hicks said. ‘‘Make sure you put this in some type of article: ‘I love you, Nate. You’re amazing. Thank you for getting me back healthy.’ ’’
Follow me on Twitter @MarkPotash.
Email: mpotash@suntimes.com
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