HOLDOUTS : Bears, McMichael Make No Progress

The Chicago Bears and holdout defensive tackle Steve McMichael remained at an impasse after the latest contract talks failed to resolve their differences.

No new negotiations were scheduled after McMichael and his agent met for more than two hours Monday with Bears finance director Ted Phillips.

And with just two exhibition games to go before the regular season starts, the stalemate frustrated Coach Mike Ditka.

“There seems no sense of urgency, and that’s always bothersome,” Ditka said. “If there is a sense or urgency, you get it done. You don’t vacillate and jockey for position. You meet head-on and say, ‘Hey, let’s talk about this thing.’ ”

The team originally offered to raise McMichael’s $500,000 contract to $775,000 this year. But that offer was withdrawn after McMichael rejected it and missed the start of training camp July 26.