LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS - Veteran Chris Chandler will start at quarterback for the Chicago Bears on Sunday, replacing ailing Jim Miller. <br>
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Miller has tendinitis in his throwing shoulder and elbow and hasn't practiced since Monday. Although Bears coach Dick Jauron originally said Miller's status could be a gametime decision, he made the switch Friday after Miller missed practice again. <br>
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It will be Chandler's first appearance in a regular-season game since Dec. 30, when he played for the Atlanta Falcons. It will be his first game against Detroit since 1998, the year he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl. <br>
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``It feels like 10 years since I've played,'' Chandler said after Friday's practice. ``I've been trying to do whatever I can to try and feel comfortable in the offense over the past few weeks, to keep learning it, be ready in case something were to happen.'' <br>
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Miller was upgraded from questionable to probable, so he'll likely serve as Chandler's backup ahead of third-stringer Henry Burris. <br>
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Chandler spent the past five seasons in Atlanta before signing a three-year, $4.5 million deal with the Bears last spring. <br>
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In the preseason, he was 10-of-18 for 119 yards and a touchdown. <br>
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``I hope it's not too big of an adjustment,'' Chandler said. ``It's still a new team and new guys and stuff. But I've been around them since last spring and we had a pretty good practice today and all week long.'' <br>
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Though Chandler hasn't gotten much practice with the No. 1 offense since training camp, offensive coordinator John Shoop doesn't expect anyone to have a problem adjusting to Chandler. <br>
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``One thing with having Chris is it's a real luxury to have a guy that's played at a high level in the NFL,'' Shoop said. ``And when you have a guy like that, you don't have to change (the offense) a great deal.'' <br>
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The quarterback shuffle comes at a critical time for the Bears. Chicago has lost three straight for the first time since 2000, when Cade McNown was the quarterback. <br>
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``You look at us, what our record could be, what Detroit's record could be - every team is good in this league and you have to go out and play really well to win,'' Chandler said.
