CHICAGO -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Chicago Bears' 20-14 loss to the Detroit Lions:
Martellus Bennett mentioned he didn't "think the passion is always there" for some players after his club's loss on Dec. 15 to the New Orleans Saints, but after a defeat to the Lions on Sunday, the Bears tight end commended the effort of teammates.
"I felt guys brought it a little bit more today," Bennett said. "Overall, I think everybody's playing hard. Guys are playing hard until the end of the game. That's all you can ask for, your teammates to come out and give everything they've got, and try to do the most they can. I felt like all three phases, that's what guys were doing."
Dry-erase message: With no postseason to play for, the message left on the team's dry-erase board in the locker room said, "Play for the guy next to you."
Strange scene: The lockers of Bennett, Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen are all in a row, and in that order. Interestingly, a large crowd on one side gathered near Bennett's locker, while Clausen conducted a postgame interview with WBBM. In the middle, Cutler's locker sat empty, and there was no sign of the benched quarterback in the locker room after the game.
