Brad Weert often saw a family walk together around the Oak Forest neighborhood where he has lived for almost three decades.

On Friday morning, at least four members of the family were dead after gunfire erupted during a house fire. A person barricaded themselves in the home.

“You hear it in the news and you just hope that one day it doesn’t come to your neighborhood,” Weert, 57, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

About 6:35 a.m. police responded to a domestic call in the 5500 block of Ann Marie Lane and found two people shot in the driveway and a third shot in the roadway south of the home, according to Oak Forest police.

All three died of their injuries, police said. Their names haven’t been released.

Police say a child was released from the home shortly before the fire started.

After the fire was extinguished, police say they found a fourth person who died, who was believed to be the suspect. It was unclear how he died.

Anyone living in the area of the home was initially told to shelter in place.As of 10 a.m., officials said there was no longer a threat to the community.

Neighbors stood outside watching as police and fire officials continued to investigate. A woman could be heard wailing as she was ushered farther away from the burnt home.

“[The neighborhood] is so quiet,” said Sirena Velazquez, 30. “The only thing exciting that goes on in this street are the football or baseball games.”

“It’s scary,” added Velazquez, who has lived in the neighborhood for over five years. “I have three little ones. … I don’t want anything happening to them.”

Weert said he heard “three pops” from inside his house Friday morning and came outside to find “flames going as many as 10 feet above the roofline.”

He said he’s known the family for over a decade and helped them during a severe rainstorm after they first moved in.

He described a man who lived in the house as “an ex-Marine who mostly kept to himself.”

“You don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors,” Weert said. “We all have to realize when we need help.”

Authorities encourage anyone with information to contact Detective Sgt. Ryan Burnett at 708-687-1376 or [email protected].

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Chicago Bears may be missing Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson for Sunday’s game.

The Chicago Bears’ two most experienced defensive players are both suffering from injuries. Roquan Smith injured his hip and Jaylon Johnson injured his quad. Smith and Johnson are both listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

According to ESPN, Smith’s backup when the Bears are in their nickel defense, Matt Adams, has been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a hamstring injury he sustained during practice. Head Coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears’ are “hopeful” that Smith will be able to play despite him missing all three days of practice.

If one or both linebackers are unable to play the Bears can turn to Jack Sanborn and Sterling Weatherford, undrafted free agents who the Bears claimed from Indianapolis before Week 1. Eberflus is quoted saying,

“We’re looking at all combinations because if you were to have two guys down, obviously in pro football, that’s always not good, we’re working through that right now but we’ll have all combinations up.”

Rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. is likely to miss his third straight game because of a lingering hamstring injury he has been dealing with since the start of training camp. He is marked as doubtful for the Houston game.

With all the injuries the Bears currently have we’re looking for a miracle on Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

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Big Ten Conference play resumes with four massive conference matchups.

The chill is in the air in Big Ten country, and for my fellow football junkies and myself, the energy only grows from this moment on. To this point in 2022, our beloved Big Ten has been kind to our bankrolls if you’ve been following along with these blog releases, and this week hopes to continue the positive run.

The slate runs a little smaller than the past few weeks, as four Big Ten conference games await us on Saturday, including a huge Big Noon Kickoff at the Big House and a potential redemption spot for Michigan State, just to name a couple.

It’s time to sharpen the iron here in Week 4, because beginning next week, we will have all fourteen teams in action with seven head to head matchups. Best of luck this weekend, and thanks for following along!

2022 Big Ten Record: 8-4-1

Central Michigan at Penn State (-28): O/U 61.5 (11:00am CST)

We can get this one out of the way early, as this stands as the biggest spread difference on Saturday’s Big Ten slate. Now I fully expect the Nittany Lions to roll in this one, but I will most likely be avoiding the full game spread here.

Penn State impressed not only the Big Ten faithful last week, but turned some heads nationally with their 41-12 blowout win at Auburn. I completely anticipate this Penn State offense will play well on Saturday, but with this game being sandwiched between that Auburn game on the road, and one week before their resumption of Big Ten play, it would not shock me to see Penn State coast in the second half if they find themselves with a significant first half lead.

If I’m going anywhere, I may be interested in some first half action for Penn State, up against a Central Michigan team that allowed 58 points to Oklahoma State, and 38 to South Alabama. Considering these outputs, you would expect this to come easy for Penn State, but with my thought of a potential second half coast, I’ll lean towards Penn State -17 in the first half.

RMags’ Pick: Lean Penn State 1H -17

Maryland at Michigan (-17): O/U 64.5 (11:00am CST)

We have arrived once again for the annual “it’s time for Maryland to make their Big Ten statement” game. If you’ve been paying attention for the past decade, you probably understand where this could be heading (see 2021 Maryland “statement” game).

To be fair, I will not deny that Maryland has a ton of talent and can score points in a hurry. Their offense has been impressive through three games. What I will contest, is that as we’ve seen in previous years, this Terrapin team just does not have the size and physicality to match with the higher level teams in the Big Ten, and this week that includes Michigan. I do believe that Maryland is a better and more experienced team than they were last season, however that does not mean that they have addressed the issues that they saw when Big Ten play arrived.

In 2021 Maryland had similar expectations as they do in 2022 with their explosive offense, and solid QB play led by Taulia Tagovailoa. That team finished 3-6 in conference play with wins over Illinois, Rutgers and Indiana, the bottom feeders of the conference. In their six losses, their closest margin of defeat was a 17-point loss to Penn State. In every single one of those six games, their offense was drastically out-matched physically, and their defense was gashed in brutal fashion.

I can definitely be convinced that Maryland will have a better showing in 2022 than what I just laid out, but this just isn’t the right match for this team. Granted, it would be fair to argue that Michigan has not played anyone yet, but they undoubtedly have fired on all cylinders in the games that we have seen. Their offense should have zero issues scoring on Maryland’s defense, and while I would not be shocked if Maryland is able to score, the physicality difference that Michigan will bring will certainly be enough to distance these two teams.

I could actually foresee a total deja vu scenario where Maryland goes undefeated in non-conference play, and goes 3-6 in Big Ten play, this time beating Indiana, Northwestern and Rutgers, while getting absolutely demolished defensively by the top half of the conference.

I’ll happily take a stance on Michigan with this one, and will go with a 45-20 drubbing in the Big House.

RMags’ Pick: Michigan -17

Minnesota (-3) at Michigan State: O/U 50.5 (2:30pm CST)

If you are wondering why the Spartans, in a bounceback spot, are a home underdog on Saturday, I will be the first to tell you that it’s not so much about Michigan State garnering a lack of respect, but it’s about these Minnesota Gophers bringing in a boatload of respect for what they can do on both sides of the ball.

Despite a tough season-ending injury to Chris Autman-Bell, this Gophers team is really freaking good, and have plenty of horses to fill the void of Autman-Bell. After a poor defensive showing against Washington last week, Michigan State finds themselves at 2-1 and quickly outside of the AP Top 25. I do believe this team will still have a nice season, and should be really competitive, but against the well-rounded teams in the Big Ten, will probably face some struggles.

While they have not had a chance to showcase their team on any significant stages thus far, Minnesota has eviscerated the opponents that have come before them. Looking back to last year, had they managed to avoid a two week scuffle where they lost consecutive weeks to Illinois and Iowa, this team would have won the Big Ten West and battled Michigan in the title game. Of course, anybody can say “woulda, coulda, shoulda”, but the point is that this team was really good for the majority of the 2021 season.

This Spartan pass defense has shown serious signs of weakness, and with a well-rounded offense in Minnesota, could see troubles again. What will be interesting to see is how they plan to slow down Mohamed Ibrahim. Ibrahim returns this season after missing the majority of the 2021 campaign following an opening night injury. In three games in 2022, Ibrahim has ran for 464 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and scoring seven touchdowns. With a schedule that avoids the tough Big Ten rushing defenses until the final weeks, we actually could be talking about this man during mid-season as a potential Heisman sleeper.

Give me the Golden Gophers to roll 31-20.

RMags’ Pick: Minnesota -3

Indiana at Cincinnati (-16.5): O/U 57.5 (2:30pm CST)

There really isn’t much I can say about this game, other than I believe the lines and prices are fairly spot on. Where I do feel confident is that Cincinnati should have no troubles scoring on this Indiana defense and a Hoosier squad that should arguably be standing at 1-2. I am very interested in monitoring this game and the line movement up until game time, but for now I will be passing on this game. My heart says Cincy beat down, but something isn’t sitting right with me on this one.

RMags’ Pick: Pass

Iowa (-8.5) at Rutgers: O/U 34 (6:00pm CST)

I’ve asked this a couple of times this week, but I’ll ask again. Is this a service academy game?? We’re looking at a game total of 34 with zero weather issues and greater than a touchdown spread. The Big Ten homer in me is so amped for this inevitable disaster of punts and brutal offense, but the bettor in me is still trying to pinpoint what I feel is the best option here.

My gut tells me that Iowa should cover this number, however, I refuse to back this offense on the incredibly realistic chance this game finishes 13-7, or worse. I will however, feel much more confident backing the Iowa defense with an under pick on Rutgers team total of 13.5. The Scarlet Knights enter this game 3-0, but the resume is not exactly eye popping, beating a bad Boston College team, a dismal Wagner FCS squad, and taking down Temple 16-14 as 18.5-point favorites.

Regardless of how you feel about this Iowa offense, I still believe you can show confidence in the Hawkeye defense.

RMags’ Pick: Rutgers Under 13.5 Team Total 

Wisconsin at Ohio State (-19): O/U 56.5 (6:30pm CST)

In previous seasons, and most likely again in the future, this matchup has been one of the biggest of the entire Big Ten season. In 2022, that won’t quite be the case. While Wisconsin does have a very solid defense, this offense is really no match for Ohio State. With that being said, I think these betting lines are very spot on and are really tough to get in to. The last two meetings between these two teams saw 34-21 and 38-7 victories for the Buckeyes, and while those games were played back in 2019, I would not be shocked to see either of those final scores.

RMags’ Pick: Pass

FAU at Purdue (-16.5): O/U 58 (6:30pm CST)

Despite the 1-2 start, I really believe in this Boilermaker squad, and firmly believe that they will have a really successful season. In the case of this game however, Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell, is currently a game time decision to play in this game. Whether he plays or not should have no indication on the Boilermakers winning this game, but it does make the spread and totals tough to decipher.

Purdue has massive games beginning next week against Minnesota and Maryland, and O’Connell’s presence in those games matters a heck of a lot more than it does against FAU. Stay away and hope O’Connell gets back healthy for some fantastic conference matchups in October.

RMags’ Pick: Pass

Miami Ohio at Northwestern (-7.5): O/U 49.5 (6:30pm CST)

Last, but, well maybe least, we have the Northwestern Wildcats favored by more than a touchdown over a MAC opponent. After two consecutive losses to Duke and Southern Illinois, Northwestern’s increased expectation following the Nebraska win, have quickly been dashed. Despite the stumbles, the 7.5 point spread, in addition to a team total higher than 28, would lend you to believe that the Wildcats are destined for a bounceback.

Defensively, Northwestern should hold an edge in physicality, and with the performances they have laid out on the defensive side, you’d imagine that some positive trends are heading their way. Offensively, Northwestern has been fine, and I expect that to continue Saturday night. Give me a Northwestern cover to get the ship back on track heading back into conference play.

RMags’ Pick: Northwestern -7.5 

Follow Riley Magnuson on Twitter @riley_magnuson1 

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As bad as the Bears’ offense was against the Packers and as ill-advised as it would be to continue with such a limited passing game, their success on the ground signaled growth.

Rushing for 180 yards at a rate of 6.7 yards per carry is always a good thing in itself. Should the Bears have thrown more, especially trailing by 14 in the fourth quarter? Of course. But building this offense might require several gradual steps.

If the ground game truly has been fixed and is going to roll with the combination of running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, it’s a start. If the Bears get quarterback Justin Fields clicking in the passing game, then they’d be viable.

“We definitely can run the ball on any team,” Herbert told the Sun-Times. “That’s one thing the o-line and us have been talking about since the spring: With the guys we’ve got, we can do that against anybody.”

Montgomery added, “It’s definitely progress, and we want to build on it. But we’re trying to get everything together so we can do it in all facets.”

Bears coach Matt Eberflus is looking for a balanced game plan from offensive coordinator Luke Getsy against the Texans on Sunday, and a thriving rushing attack should help open things up for Fields. The Texans have allowed 4.7 yards per carry (20th in the NFL) and 76.7 opponent passer rating (sixth).

The thought of the Bears being able to run at will is new after how dismal that aspect was in former coach Matt Nagy’s offense. From 2018 through ’21, the Bears were 26th in the NFL at 4.1 yards per carry.

The improvement is perfect timing for Montgomery, who is in the final season of his rookie contract. He needs to stack up convincing performances to land a major payday in his next deal, and rushing for 122 yards on 15 carries against the Packerswas a boomingbounce back from getting just 26 on 17 in the opener.

Herbert’s four rushes for 38 yardswere a nicecontribution, too. Getsy’s plan seems to be for him to have a consistent role in tandem with Montgomery, with an openness to sticking with what’s working.

“It’s really whoever has the hot hand,” Herbert said. “We have our rotation, but if one of us gets hot, the other one is cheering for them to keep going and keep him in. We feed off each other. We compete in that way, and it gets us going.”

Herbert was a sixth-round pick last year and got an opportunity to prove himself as an NFL-ready running back when Montgomery missed four games with a knee injury early in the season. He averaged 86 yards per game and 4.4 per carry, and had nine catches for 44 yards.

But when Montgomery played, he got 83.6% of the running back carries. Stunningly, that figure includes 86.2% after Herbert theoretically showed the Bears what he could do.

Getsy, conversely, came from an offense with the Packers in which A.J. Dillon ran 187 times last season and Aaron Jones ran 171. It might not be that close to even this season, but he has divided their carries at 71% for Montgomery and 29% for Herbert.

Like any running back, Montgomery wants the ball as much aspossible and saidhis maximum workload is “as many carries as they need.” But putting up big numbers in a loss tends to feel hollow after a while, and the Bears have gone 23-28 over his four seasons.

“I’ve never got a problem [getting the ball], but whatever it takes to win is what I want to do,” he said.

It’s on Getsy to decipher exactly what that is. But a running game that believes it cansteamrollany defense is a valuable piece of the equation.

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MIAMI – Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman released the cover of his first book, loosely based on his childhood and written for 8- to 12-year olds, on Twitter Friday.

Stroman’s interests outside of baseball are wide-ranging, from podcasting to wine. He’s started two clothing brands – the second, SHUGO, is set for a November release. This three-part series, published by Simon & Schuster, is his latest venture.

“If I get an idea and I want to do something, I do it,” Stroman said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “I don’t wait. I put it right into motion. I have an awesome team around me, of people that help bring all of my ideas into fruition. … I’ve been very involved, which has been awesome. So, I’m excited to see the reaction once it’s out”.

The first book of the series, entitled “The Grip,” is already available to pre-order and set to go on sale Jan. 31, 2023.

“It’s loosely based around my upbringing as a kid,” Stroman said. “Young minority kid coming up, divorced parents, playing sports, going through school dealing with everything that young kids are gonna be dealing with: from bullies, to juggling schoolwork and homework, to living at your mom’s house then going to your dad’s house being in a divorced household. So I’m excited. I’m excited. Because it’s truly geared towards mental adversity and mental health as well.”

When asked to imagine his infant son someday picking up his dad’s book to read, Stroman took a moment to think of what he’d want Kai to take away from it.

“Just to always be himself, to chase his dreams passionately, to never let anybody get in the way of his dreams,” Stroman said. “I feel like a lot of the time in this world, especially with social media, there’s so many people who work against you – or there’s so many ways that you can give in to people and not allow yourself to truly chase what you want to do in life. So, I think it’s extremely important to keep a small group of people who love you and who are going to support you.”

Stroman said the next two books in the series will also be semi-autobiographical, and while he has a few ideas, their exact subject matter has yet to be decided.

A couple months before “The Grip” comes out, Stroman has a different launch party planned. Pre-orders for SHUGO ZERO cleats and trainers, in three different colorways, went live on shug0.com earlier this week. Stroman said he’s targeting the first or second week of November for the launch party.

Injury updates

Cubslefty Brandon Hughes, who rolled his ankle on the mound Thursday, was still a little sore the next day, manager David Ross said.

“He said, ‘I’ll tape it up and be ready to go,'” Ross said. “So, we’ll see. That’s a good mentality for him to have.”

Catcher Willson Contreras (sprained left ankle) went through a full slate of baseball activities on Friday, according to the team. That included on-field batting practice and running the bases. The Cubs have not yet revealed a timeline for his return.

Cubs lefty Drew Smyly played light catch Friday. The Cubs skipped his last start due to his fatigued left shoulder.

Southpaw Justin Steele (strained low back) threw a “touch and feel” bullen Wednesday and is scheduled for another bullpen in the next couple days.

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September 2022 didn’t seem far away to Seth Jones in July 2021, when he signed an eight-year, $76 million extension with the Blackhawks a year before his previous contract was set to expire.

The year in between turned out to be long and eventful, however, and not in a positive way. The Hawks’ outlook entering this season — technically the first of Jones’ massive new contract –is radically different than it was when Jones put pen to paper.

He’s understandably not thrilled about that.But he’s not searching for a loophole to allow him to escape Chicago, either. That’s just not the kind of guy he is.

“I don’t have any regrets from my decision,” the 27-year-old defenseman said Friday at training camp.

“It was a little frustrating to see [the trades this summer] at first. It’s not really what I or anybody had in mind, looking back a couple years. But it is what it is. It’s going to make a lot of us better in here. We’ll be patient with each other and help each other through this.”

Jones’ long-term stability compared to his teammates is remarkable. He has eight years left under contract; the Hawks’ projected 12-man forward corps have 18 years left under contract, combined. Fellow defenseman Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe are the only other Hawks with more than two years left.

So for better or worse, Jones will be here for the long haul. Ideally, by the second half of this mega-contract, the Hawks will be back in contention — back where he once imagined they’d be. In the meantime, though, he’ll have to accept some struggles.

“[I’m] looking at the bigger picture, for sure,” he said. “Patience is going to be important this year. At the same time, we’re going into every game trying to win. We’re going to have to be a disciplined, structured team this year. [We need to] make sure teams earn their wins and goals against us.”

New coach Luke Richardson has asked Jones to assume an even bigger leadership role this season with captain Jonathan Toews’ departure on the horizon.

The two of them–Richardson and Jones — will likely spend a lot of time together through this rebuild, during which the rate of roster turnover will otherwise be high, and Jones’ steady presence could prove as valuable for Richardson as vice versa.

The main tenets of Richardson’s defensive system might help Jones improve upon his decent yet imperfect Hawks debut season, too.

Richardson is implementing a “box-plus-one” coverage scheme, aiming to aggressively shut down opponent puck movement and quickly exit the zone. He emphasized Friday that a defenseman’s first read, after retrieving the puck in the defensive zone, should be passing up the ice to a forward rather than simply going ‘D’-to-‘D’.

“[Seth will] be a great guy to close gaps with that long reach, and he’s got the skill –when he does it –to make a quick transition,” Richardson said.

But Richardson also gave his star defenseman some constructive criticism.

“You don’t always have to join the rush and be involved in every shift as a defenseman on offense,” Richardson said. “He’s a guy who will play a lot of minutes, and [you shouldn’t be] wearing yourself out in areas that you have no chance of getting the puck back. All you’re doing is skating 200 feet, up and down.

“He realized that. He was maybe forcing things his first year here, trying to show what he can do. Obviously, the team didn’t do great, and he wanted to help. Sometimes you just help in the wrong way. So [he should] pick those spots where the other team’s vulnerable, and that’s when you go. Other than that, have a little patience.”

That criticism was received with open ears. After all, Jones has been equally harsh on himself.

Personally, he’d like to improve in the offensive zone just as much as in the defensive zone. He “looked at the percentages and all that stupid stuff” over the summer and determined he wasn’t assertive enough with shooting opportunities. That led to him scoring just five goals, including zero on the power play.

“[I’ve worked on] getting in those areas, being more deceptive with the puck [and] being a little bit quicker with the puck in shooting it,” he said. “And being a little more selfish, as well. In a positive way.”

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September 2022 didn’t seem far away to Seth Jones in July 2021, when he signed an eight-year, $76 million extension with the Blackhawks a year before his previous contract was set to expire.

The year in between turned out to be long and eventful, however, and not in a positive way. The Hawks’ outlook entering this season — technically the first of Jones’ massive new contract –is radically different than it was when Jones put pen to paper.

He’s understandably not thrilled about that.But he’s not searching for a loophole to allow him to escape Chicago, either. That’s just not the kind of guy he is.

“I don’t have any regrets from my decision,” the 27-year-old defenseman said Friday at training camp.

“It was a little frustrating to see [the trades this summer] at first. It’s not really what I or anybody had in mind, looking back a couple years. But it is what it is. It’s going to make a lot of us better in here. We’ll be patient with each other and help each other through this.”

Jones’ long-term stability compared to his teammates is remarkable. He has eight years left under contract; the Hawks’ projected 12-man forward corps have 18 years left under contract, combined. Fellow defenseman Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe are the only other Hawks with more than two years left.

So for better or worse, Jones will be here for the long haul. Ideally, by the second half of this mega-contract, the Hawks will be back in contention — back where he once imagined they’d be. In the meantime, though, he’ll have to accept some struggles.

“[I’m] looking at the bigger picture, for sure,” he said. “Patience is going to be important this year. At the same time, we’re going into every game trying to win. We’re going to have to be a disciplined, structured team this year. [We need to] make sure teams earn their wins and goals against us.”

New coach Luke Richardson has asked Jones to assume an even bigger leadership role this season with captain Jonathan Toews’ departure on the horizon.

The two of them–Richardson and Jones — will likely spend a lot of time together through this rebuild, during which the rate of roster turnover will otherwise be high, and Jones’ steady presence could prove as valuable for Richardson as vice versa.

The main tenets of Richardson’s defensive system might help Jones improve upon his decent yet imperfect Hawks debut season, too.

Richardson is implementing a “box-plus-one” coverage scheme, aiming to aggressively shut down opponent puck movement and quickly exit the zone. He emphasized Friday that a defenseman’s first read, after retrieving the puck in the defensive zone, should be passing up the ice to a forward rather than simply going ‘D’-to-‘D’.

“[Seth will] be a great guy to close gaps with that long reach, and he’s got the skill –when he does it –to make a quick transition,” Richardson said.

But Richardson also gave his star defenseman some constructive criticism.

“You don’t always have to join the rush and be involved in every shift as a defenseman on offense,” Richardson said. “He’s a guy who will play a lot of minutes, and [you shouldn’t be] wearing yourself out in areas that you have no chance of getting the puck back. All you’re doing is skating 200 feet, up and down.

“He realized that. He was maybe forcing things his first year here, trying to show what he can do. Obviously, the team didn’t do great, and he wanted to help. Sometimes you just help in the wrong way. So [he should] pick those spots where the other team’s vulnerable, and that’s when you go. Other than that, have a little patience.”

That criticism was received with open ears. After all, Jones has been equally harsh on himself.

Personally, he’d like to improve in the offensive zone just as much as in the defensive zone. He “looked at the percentages and all that stupid stuff” over the summer and determined he wasn’t assertive enough with shooting opportunities. That led to him scoring just five goals, including zero on the power play.

“[I’ve worked on] getting in those areas, being more deceptive with the puck [and] being a little bit quicker with the puck in shooting it,” he said. “And being a little more selfish, as well. In a positive way.”

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Bears rookie wide receiver Velus Jones is doubtful with a hamstring injury and not expected to play Sunday against the Texans. But the third-round draft pick from Tennessee is getting closer to returning after participating in practice on a limited basis for the second consecutive day Friday.

‘I’ve been praying on it. I feel close,” Jones said. “Today [Friday] was a good day — running and stuff like that. But just looking at everything one day at a time.”

Jones was hampered by the recurring hamstring issue in training camp. He had a 48-yard punt return and 31-yard kickoff return against the Seahawks in the preseason, but was sidelined again with the hamstring injury the following week.

He practiced last week on Wednesday, but sat out practice the next two days.This week he did not practice on Wednesday but was active Thursday and Friday.

“It’s a great feeling to be out there with your brothers,” Jones said. “Just to be in the same atmosphere with them, grinding with them in individual [drills]. It’s an amazing feeling. That’s definitely a changer — make me feel a whole lot better about myself.”

Injury report growing

Jones was the only player on the final injury report before the Packers game last week. There are six players on it this week: cornerback Jaylon Johnson (quad), linebacker Matt Adams (hamstring) and safety Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) are out. Linebacker Roquan Smith (hip) and tight end Ryan Griffin (achilles) are questionable.

Gordon’s rookie trials

Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon’s perseverance will be put to the test Sunday after the second-round draft pick had a tough night against the Packers last week.

“With any player and of course rookies, that does happen,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “You have up games and down games. A lot of times it’s a step up for rookies, playing in the pro game. It takes some time. But he’s certainly talented enough [and] mentally tough enough get that done.”

Eberflus said Gordon’s issue was more about fundamentals than rookie mistakes.

“It’s basic fundamentals that he can clean up, that we looked at in detail,” Eberflus said, “It could be from footwork to the fundamental tackling to a lot of things. And we detailed them out for him and he’s excited about putting those into practice in the game [Sunday].”

Respect for Lovie, but …

Texans coach Lovie Smith will return to the Soldier Field sidelines for the first time since 2014, when he was coaching the Buccaneers and lost to the Bears 21-13. Smith was 81-63 (3-3 in the playoffs) with a Super Bowl berth in nine seasons with the Bears.

Though neither Eberflus nor defensive coordinator Alan Williams worked on the same staff as Smith, they have a connection as part of the Tony Dungy coaching tree.

“I have respect and admiration for him,” Williams said. “Love that he’s a head coach in the NFL again — that part of it I’m proud of. Excited for him.

“But at the end of the day, I would say this: He’s the opponent across the field and he’s trying to come into our house and take what we have. So with that in mind, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he goes away with a frown on his face.”

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Bears rookie wide receiver Velus Jones is doubtful with a hamstring injury and not expected to play Sunday against the Texans. But the third-round draft pick from Tennessee is getting closer to returning after participating in practice on a limited basis for the second consecutive day Friday.

‘I’ve been praying on it. I feel close,” Jones said. “Today [Friday] was a good day — running and stuff like that. But just looking at everything one day at a time.”

Jones was hampered by the recurring hamstring issue in training camp. He had a 48-yard punt return and 31-yard kickoff return against the Seahawks in the preseason, but was sidelined again with the hamstring injury the following week.

He practiced last week on Wednesday, but sat out practice the next two days.This week he did not practice on Wednesday but was active Thursday and Friday.

“It’s a great feeling to be out there with your brothers,” Jones said. “Just to be in the same atmosphere with them, grinding with them in individual [drills]. It’s an amazing feeling. That’s definitely a changer — make me feel a whole lot better about myself.”

Injury report growing

Jones was the only player on the final injury report before the Packers game last week. There are six players on it this week: cornerback Jaylon Johnson (quad), linebacker Matt Adams (hamstring) and safety Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) are out. Linebacker Roquan Smith (hip) and tight end Ryan Griffin (achilles) are questionable.

Gordon’s rookie trials

Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon’s perseverance will be put to the test Sunday after the second-round draft pick had a tough night against the Packers last week.

“With any player and of course rookies, that does happen,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “You have up games and down games. A lot of times it’s a step up for rookies, playing in the pro game. It takes some time. But he’s certainly talented enough [and] mentally tough enough get that done.”

Eberflus said Gordon’s issue was more about fundamentals than rookie mistakes.

“It’s basic fundamentals that he can clean up, that we looked at in detail,” Eberflus said, “It could be from footwork to the fundamental tackling to a lot of things. And we detailed them out for him and he’s excited about putting those into practice in the game [Sunday].”

Respect for Lovie, but …

Texans coach Lovie Smith will return to the Soldier Field sidelines for the first time since 2014, when he was coaching the Buccaneers and lost to the Bears 21-13. Smith was 81-63 (3-3 in the playoffs) with a Super Bowl berth in nine seasons with the Bears.

Though neither Eberflus nor defensive coordinator Alan Williams worked on the same staff as Smith, they have a connection as part of the Tony Dungy coaching tree.

“I have respect and admiration for him,” Williams said. “Love that he’s a head coach in the NFL again — that part of it I’m proud of. Excited for him.

“But at the end of the day, I would say this: He’s the opponent across the field and he’s trying to come into our house and take what we have. So with that in mind, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he goes away with a frown on his face.”

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Brad Weert often saw a family walk together around the Oak Forest neighborhood where he has lived for almost three decades.

On Friday morning, at least four members of the family were dead after gunfire erupted during a house fire. A person barricaded themselves in the home.

“You hear it in the news and you just hope that one day it doesn’t come to your neighborhood,” Weert, 57, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

About 6:35 a.m. police responded to a domestic call in the 5500 block of Ann Marie Lane and found two people shot in the driveway and a third shot in the roadway south of the home, according to Oak Forest police.

All three died of their injuries, police said. Their names haven’t been released.

Police say a child was released from the home shortly before the fire started.

After the fire was extinguished, police say they found a fourth person who died, who was believed to be the suspect. It was unclear how he died.

Anyone living in the area of the home was initially told to shelter in place.As of 10 a.m., officials said there was no longer a threat to the community.

Neighbors stood outside watching as police and fire officials continued to investigate. A woman could be heard wailing as she was ushered farther away from the burnt home.

“[The neighborhood] is so quiet,” said Sirena Velazquez, 30. “The only thing exciting that goes on in this street are the football or baseball games.”

“It’s scary,” added Velazquez, who has lived in the neighborhood for over five years. “I have three little ones. … I don’t want anything happening to them.”

Weert said he heard “three pops” from inside his house Friday morning and came outside to find “flames going as many as 10 feet above the roofline.”

He said he’s known the family for over a decade and helped them during a severe rainstorm after they first moved in.

He described a man who lived in the house as “an ex-Marine who mostly kept to himself.”

“You don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors,” Weert said. “We all have to realize when we need help.”

Authorities encourage anyone with information to contact Detective Sgt. Ryan Burnett at 708-687-1376 or [email protected].

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