[bears9]

The next time you see a Bears helmet on Lance Briggs' head might be the Pro Bowl.
The weak-side linebacker sat out Sunday's game because of an aching hip, and his status for the season finale against New Orleans is uncertain.
A source close to Briggs said the free-agent-to-be was aiming to return against the Saints to leave no question that he has been on the field for 75 percent of the defensive snaps this season. That's the threshold he must hit to prevent the Bears from again placing the franchise tag on him, which would deny him the lucrative payday it appears he'll get elsewhere.
But Briggs, who declined to speak when leaving the locker room, appears to already have reached the magic number, having played in 12½ games. He's a three-down linebacker who doesn't come off the field. It comes down to defensive snaps over the entire season, and the Packers held the ball Sunday for only 54 plays, a season-low for the Bears. In the other game Briggs missed in its entirety, Detroit had only 55 offensive plays.

http://http://www.suntimes.com/sport...arnt24.article