LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears first-round draft pick Chris Williams said he is optimistic about a fast recovery from back surgery to repair a herniated disc.
"The stitches are gone, I started rehab, doing cardio, lifting," the tackle said Sunday. "I'm trying to get back in shape."
Williams, who left the second day of practice last month after his back flared, said the Bears haven't talked to him about going on injured reserve and missing his rookie season. He was on a week to week basis with a possible return date around the beginning of November.
"I want to put the pedal to the metal, but they won't let me," he said. "They're making me take it pretty slow and be pretty consistent. The healing time is something that you can't speed up."
Williams described the back injury, which has sidelined him until at least the season's midpoint, as an old college injury that got worse once training camp began. He said the injury never caused him to miss a practice or game at Vanderbilt.
"I had a herniated disc before I got here," Williams said. "We knew that. Everyone knew that. It just was a thing where most people it doesn't affect. It wasn't affecting me, so if nothing is broke, you don't fix it. Then something happened in practice that second day (of camp), the disc started moving and that caused some problems."
Williams had been expected to assume the starting left tackle spot by the Sept. 7 regular-season opener at Indianapolis, but the injury has left the Bears using veteran backup John St. Clair at the position.
Notes: The Bears waived safety Josh Gattis of Wake Forest, wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen of Hawaii, cornerback Leslie Majors of Indiana and wide receiver Marcus Monk of Arkansas. Monk was the only 2008 draft pick in the group.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
