Editor’s note: Over the next few weeks, our Bearing It All correspondent, Jamie Ramsay, will be filing occasional special reports from the Chicago Bears training camp in Bourbonnais as a preview of the 2008 Bears season.

Sixty miles south of Chicago, the Chicago Bears kicked off the 2008 season with day one of training camp. A flip of the coin determined that Rex Grossman would be the first to touch the ball in exercises. And thus began the quarterback position battle between he and Kyle Orton that will continue until one proves to be the answer to the Bears ongoing dilemma. 

Of course, the more pressing issue was "Where’s Devin?" Glaringly absent to the many fans boasting #23 jerseys, the maverick kick returner-cum-promising wide receiver surprised coaches by failing to show up Wednesday. Later in the afternoon, the rumor mill of sideline reporters said that Hester was holding out for more money. Immediately following practice, general manager Jerry Angelo confirmed that the Bears were indeed still negotiating Hester’s contract.

Hester’s demands aren’t unreasonable, as he’s been the most consistent player on the Bears, often producing either a kick return touchdown or great field position for the offense. With boxing matches in place for quarterback, receiver, and running back positions, the Bears know they need one sure thing like Hester to anchor the Bears’ shaky offense. But if he’s going into the running for a receiver position, he needs to be practicing. 

Backstage drama aside, what’s really going on in Bourbonnais? Truth be told, the whole camp was fairly laidback. On day one, everyone was rotating in pretty regularly and egos were at a minimum. As the air horn sounded at the beginning of each new drill, players looked ready but not overly intense, leaving the field to casually ride their bikes from the practice field to dorms.  

The Chicago fans in attendance–mostly blue-jerseyed families relaxing in lawn chairs, autographable memorabilia in hand–were good barometers for what’s brewing at training camp. The loudest cheers greeted the appearance of wide receiver Marty Booker in the first passing drills of the day. And as the ball was kicked through the uprights, encouraging shouts of "C’mon Brad!" sounded for punter Brad Maynard. The same fans who may have complained to local sports radio last fall have accepted that Rex could still be a contender and embraced him with autograph solicitations and cheers for every completed pass. Yes, some still yelled, "Pack your bags, Put in Kyle!" when Grossman lobbed incomplete passes. But at least Chicago fandom is (re-)excited about the team. 

Summer in the city has a way of casting a revitalized glow on even the most cynical Chicagoans. And Wednesday’s perfect sunshine seemed to have put a hopeful spirit in the 2008 Chicago Bears. Rookie running back Matt Forte showed no signs that his recent ACL surgery will affect his game. The recently-repaired neck of linebacker Brian Urlacher didn’t stop him from running drills with the defense. Orton and Grossman were all smiles together during the warmup stretch. Even the fact that center Olin Kruetz was present but not practicing due to injury was dismissed calmly by Coach Lovie Smith as, "not a cause for concern." 

But this is just day one and I’ll be keeping watching throughout all three weeks of training camp to see how all the starter competitions play out, how players hold up, how (gasp, if?) Hester’s transition into wide receiver continues, and what the next three weeks of camp suggest for the success the 2008 Bears football season.

Photos: Jamie Ramsay