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By Adam Hoge-

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Brandon Marshall may have hijacked the attention at Halas Hall Thursday, but for those craving actual football information, here are 10 things you need to know as the Bears prepare for the New York Jets:

1. Isaiah Frey is back as the Bears’ nickel cornerback. Just 24 days after getting waived in the first round of training camp cuts, Frey suddenly finds himself back as the team’s nickel back, where he contributed for all 16 games last season. Frey told 87.7 The Game Thursday that he didn’t think he would be back in the role so soon, but he did expect to end up back on the 53-man roster at some point this season.

“I knew I was coming back,” he said. “I knew the plan. I knew I wasn’t going to play in the last preseason game, so that was the reason for that. I knew I was going to have an opportunity to be moved up eventually, just not as soon as this. But here I am and I have to be ready to go.”

Frey was hobbled by a hamstring injury in training camp and missed the first three preseason games. He returned to practice the week he was waived, allowing the Bears to waive him healthy and sign him back to the practice squad once the 53-man roster was established. Of course, the mere fact that he did not make the 53-man roster out of training camp was an indication that he hadn’t performed at a high enough level in 2013.

“I think for the most part for me was just getting takeaways,” Frey said. “Last year, assignment-wise I did really well. Graded out really well as a technique grade and all that. It was just making plays on the ball and turning the ball over because that’s the difference in a ball game. I think if I can do that I’ll be OK.”

Frey’s analysis of his 2013 season is pretty spot on. He never seemed to be among those making big mistakes on defense, but he also didn’t make many impactful plays on the ball. He finished the year with 47 tackles, no interceptions, no forced fumbles and just one pass defended.

Frey’s promotion back to the 53-man roster was made possible by Charles Tillman’s season-ending triceps injury and now Frey hopes the lessons he has learned from Tillman help him make more plays on the ball.

“That dude is Hall of Famer man,” Frey said.

2. Chris Conte practiced Thursday and looks like he will play against the Jets. The Bears safety was out there in a limited fashion for Thursday’s padded practice and all indications are that he’ll play Monday against the Jets. Conte suffered a left shoulder injury against the 49ers, but it doesn’t appear to be anything more than something keeping him sore. He had surgery on his right shoulder in March.

“He got some work in,” head coach Marc Trestman said. “He moved around, was in pads. So I think that’s a good sign as we move forward in the week.”

3. Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) practiced and looked good. Reporters can only see individual drills, but Jeffery cut, shuffled and ran without a problem. He looked a lot more comfortable than he did in warmups before Sunday’s game against the 49ers and certainly more comfortable than he did in the game when he clearly wasn’t 100 percent.

4. On the same day he spent 35 minutes holding a press conference about his past experiences with domestic violence, Brandon Marshall (ankle) did not practice. There doesn’t seem to be much concern about his ankle, however, and he should be good to go by Monday.

5. The Jets have their own health problems at wide receiver. Eric Decker (hamstring) did not practice today. Jets head coach Rex Ryan said he would like to see Decker practice by Saturday, but also said he doesn’t necessarily have to in order to play Monday.

6. Defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff is still going through the concussion protocol. It’s encouraging that the Bears added an extra cornerback (Demontre Hurst) instead of an extra defensive tackle to complete the 53-man roster Thursday, but Ratliff did not practice Thursday. He’ll continue to be evaluated throughout the weekend to determine his status for Monday.

7. Quarterback David Fales (shoulder) and fullback Tony Fiammetta (hamstring) practiced for the first time since the preseason. Both players were let go last Friday to make roster room in case Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery did not play against the 49ers. Both were deemed healthy at the time they were let go, despite the fact that they did not practice at all last week. Fales was signed back to the practice squad and will probably stay there for the rest of the season, while Fiammetta will likely be involved in the offensive game plan now that he’s healthy.

8. Elsewhere on the injury front: linebacker Shea McClellin (hand) was also limited Thursday, while defensive end Jared Allen (back), center Roberto Garza (ankle), left guard Matt Slauson (ankle), cornerback Sherrick McManis (quad) and defensive end Trevor Scott (foot). Allen’s injury is not believed to be serious.

9. Rashad Ross looks like the Bears’ new kick returner. And who is Rashad Ross? The second-year wide receiver out of Arizona State spent the preseason with the Washington Redskins and will be making his NFL debut Monday night.

“We watched him on tape from Washington,” special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said. “He was explosive. He had some good returns in the preseason on kickoff return. He’s also caught punts. So we like him. we like his speed, too. He showed some toughness on the cover units, also.”

10. Santonio Holmes isn’t very concerned about his return to New York. The wide receiver spent the last four seasons with the Jets and most of his time there was tumultuous. Asked Thursday about his emotions going back to MetLife Stadium, Holmes said: “Right now there really aren’t any.”

He did, however have nice things about Jets head coach Rex Ryan: “He was a great guy. He accepted me through all the trials and tribulations and gave me an opportunity to be a great player for him and I really thank him for it.”

Holmes was infamously benched in the final game of the 2011 season after getting into an on-field argument with a teammate. Holmes was a captain that year and the team ended up missing the playoffs after losing that season finale to the Dolphins.

Asked Thursday if that incident helped him as a player, Holmes just said: “I don’t remember what happened in 2011.”

Bonus Thing: According to a source, referee Jerome Boger has been assigned to Monday night’s game between the Bears and Jets.

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