LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs now says recent rifts involving players aren't having "any effect" on the Chicago Bears.Briggs on Thursday seemed to back off comments he made to Comcast SportsNet Chicago this week. He told the television station that issues were taking "away from wanting to go out on the field and just play."But Briggs said Thursday that he doesn't believe "it has any affect" and the "business side should never take away from the football." He said the Bears "may have unhappy players, but we don't have an unhappy locker room."

Briggs and running back Matt Forte wanted new deals, and Chris Harris requested a trade before Tuesday's deadline after the safety was held out last week against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears (3-3) play Tampa Bay (4-2) in London this buy cheap jerseys weekend.Hillis is in the final year of his rookie contract, which will pay him $600,000 this season. He can be a free agent in March and Holmgren said the Browns will pursue Hillis even if he tests the open market."Are we going to be a player in there (free agency) to try and keep him here?" Holmgren said. "Absolutely. I told him that yesterday."

As for McCoy's future in Cleveland, Holmgren was, as expected, noncommittal. The second-year quarterback has struggled this season while running Cleveland's new West Coast offense. Holmgren, who coached Joe Montana, Steve Young and Brett Favre, has been impressed with McCoy's development and knows he has a lot to improve upon.McCoy will start for the Browns this season. Nothing is set after that.

"I say, wait, let's see how he plays," Holmgren said. "Are we committed to Colt? Absolutely. Will we be committed after the season's over? Custom NFL Jerseys I will always be committed to the players on this team. Does it guarantee him the starting quarterback's position for the next how many years? Well, we'll see. He's doing everything we're asking him to do. I want him to do well, everyone's rooting for him because it's important and I know he's trying real hard."

"Peyton was sick in that first game, OK?" Holmgren said. "He couldn't play. He was sick. Most recently he had the hamstring and I found out that everyone was concerned during the game on Sunday, 'What's happening? He's not in there.' It's not this major conspiracy deal going on. It's just he had an injury. He tried to go again. jerseys supplier He couldn't go. It's something that happens every Sunday with any number of teams all the time. But because of the previous stuff that happened with Peyton it became more noteworthy or newsworthy, but that's where it sits."Holmgren also scoffed at reports the Browns were interested in trading Hillis before Tuesday's deadline.