By Adam Hoge-

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Game prep for the Buffalo Bills went into full swing Wednesday at Halas Hall as the Bears practiced in full pads following

Tuesday’s off day.

Here’s everything you need to know from busy day full of information:

1. If Chris Conte is cleared, the safeties will be rotated. At least that’s what Bears head coach Marc Trestman said Wednesday. Conte has still not been cleared from the concussion he suffered in Seattle nearly two weeks ago, but Trestman said Conte “practiced the entire practice today” despite the Bears listing him as “limited” on their official injury report. Basically, that means Conte was able to participate in team drills, but was limited in the amount of reps he took.

More importantly, Trestman said Conte is “going through the last portion of his (concussion) protocol.” In other words, it sounds like he’ll be able to play Sunday. And if that’s the case, Trestman said they aren’t set on who will start, but Conte, Ryan Mundy and Danny McCray will all be rotated in.

So why the rotation?

“I think that one of the key advantages is we’ve got special teams duties for Mundy and McCray. They are a big part of what we are special teams-wise,” Trestman said. “And a big part of why they were brought in here was to not only have the opportunity to start but have the opportunity to play special teams. So by rotating guys in we think we can keep them fresh and create an advantage special teams-wise as well.”

Yeah, I’m not buying it. If you are trying to keep your special teamers fresh, then it doesn’t make sense to take Chris Conte off the field at all. Rotating Mundy and McCray in-and-out would be all you would have to do to keep them fresh.

The more logical reason would be that Conte might not be ready to play a full game. He missed a lot of time in the preseason with his shoulder and concussion issues and might not be 100 percent from a conditioning standpoint.

2. Lance Briggs never told Marc Trestman he was opening a restaurant when he asked for a personal day to miss Monday’s practice. Here’s how the interrogation with reporters went Wednesday:

Reporter: “When you asked Marc for a personal day, did he know it was to open a restaurant?

Briggs: “No.”

Reporter: “Uh, did you tell him later it was?”

Briggs: “No.”

Reporter: “Have you guys talked about it since?”

Briggs: “Nope.”

Naturally, Briggs thinks the entire issue has been overblown: “That’s my opinion. Everybody is entitled to their own.”

I tend to agree with him.

Is it weird that he missed a practice during a game week to open a restaurant? A little bit. And is it weird that he didn’t tell Trestman why he needed the day off? A little bit. But it’s also weird that Trestman didn’t ask.

“He just trusted,” Briggs said. “I asked him for a personal day, he said OK. I guess my announcing the opening of my restaurant made bigger news than we kind of expected. It is what it is. Right now we’re on Wednesday preparing for the Buffalo Bills.”

But does it really matter? As I’ve mentioned many times on the radio this week, Mondays are not a day you install game plans, which is something Briggs reiterated Wednesday.

“Monday was an hour-long practice,” the linebacker said. “Typically, in the NFL, you install your game plan starting on Wednesday. You put in your first and second down. This is typical throughout the league. Your third-down and blitz package on Thursday and your short-yardage and goal-line stuff on Friday, and your review on Friday. Then you have a walkthrough and review on Saturday before you play the game. For me, the grand opening on Monday was an opportunity and I asked him.”

As for Monday’s practice, it was an opportunity to get Jon Bostic and Shea McClellin more reps, which quite frankly is more important that Lance Briggs being at a one-hour practice with zero install.

And as for why Briggs needed to open the restaurant Monday instead of the scheduled off day Tuesday:

“I didn’t make the decision,” the linebacker said. “My partner made the decision. It was Labor Day and on Labor Day, as you know, most people do not work.”

That’s actually a pretty good reason.

3. For those who are REALLY concerned about Briggs missing practice, his lunch Wednesday consisted of leftovers from his restaurant. Commence freak out.

4. Trestman showered Jim Schwartz with respect. The former Lions head coach is now the Bills’ defensive coordinator and is obviously very familiar with the Bears’ offense.

“I think he’s really sound,” Trestman said about Schwartz. “I thought he did as good a job of defending us last year in Detroit as any coordinator, with all due respect to the others, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the first week up.”

So what does Schwartz do so well schematically against the Bears?

“He does a great job of understanding our concepts and our patterns and what to take away,” Trestman said. “He gives you a lot of different looks from the standpoint of coverage-wise and he’s always good at rushing the passer. Obviously he fell into a very similar group. They are as close to the group that we played in Detroit in terms of having a big three-technique and being able to push the pocket inside and having edge rushers, good solid backers.”

For Schwartz, he probably hopes that new, but similar group is more disciplined — something he took a ton of heat for in Detroit.

5. The running back situation looks a little clearer. All indications point to rookie Ka’Deem Carey serving as Matt Forte’s primary backup.

“Ka’Deem made a move to be second,” Trestman said Wednesday.

Beyond that, both Shaun Draughn and Senorise Perry could be used in an emergency, but they are primarily still on this roster for special teams duties. Perry will be a gunner and returner, while Draughn will be a four-team special teamer.

6. Jared Allen is ready to go. The defensive end missed three of the four preseason games, but the shoulder issue he had in training camp isn’t holding him back and he knows he’ll be playing an important role Sunday, especially against any read-option the Bills run.

“The zone-read stuff, I’m usually the read guy,” Allen said. “Me or Lamarr, the D-ends are the read guys. So we all have a large responsibility. We all have responsibilities within the defense. If we take care of them, be fundamentally sound, we’ll be alright.”

7. Ryan Mundy has a new helmet. The safety had 15 stitches taken out of his head Monday from the head laceration he suffered in Seattle when his Schutt helmet sliced his forehead over the right eye. Mundy has since switched to a Ridell helmet, which he called “a spaceship helmet.”

8. EJ Manuel doesn’t think Jordan Palmer’s short stint in Buffalo helped the Bills prepare for the Bears all that much.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of back-and-forth about Chicago,” Manuel said on a conference call. “It wasn’t like he came in here and gave us all (the Bears information), not a whole lot of it.”

Even if he did, Palmer is a free agent now and could easily call Trestman and give him some of Buffalo’s secrets too.

9. Manuel claims he doesn’t know how much Kyle Orton is making. The Bills gave Orton a two-year, $11 million contract a week before the regular season starts. That’s not exactly an endorsement for Manuel, who has to be looking over his shoulder.

“I don’t even know how much he got paid, to be honest, so for me it’s just focusing on this game,” Manuel said.

10. In addition to Conte, fullback Tony Fiammetta (hamstring) and offensive lineman Brian de la Puente (knee) appeared on the Bears’ injury report. Both were limited in practice Wednesday.

As for the Bills, cornerback Stephon Gilmore (groin) was limited, while wide receiver Sammy Watkins (ribs) practiced in full.

Bonus Thing: According to a source, referee Brad Allen has been assigned to Sunday’s game between the Bears and Bills at Soldier Field. Allen is one of three new head referees this year, but the former ACC ref is the only newcomer without NFL experience.

Adam Hoge covers the Bears for 87.7 The Game and TheGameChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.