Bears to Call Illinois Home Next Season

The Chicago Bears settled on the University of Illinois as a temporary home while Soldier Field undergoes a year-long, $587-million renovation.

The Bears said Monday they would play home games next year at Memorial Stadium in Urbana-Champaign, about 120 miles south of Chicago.

Illinois officials said they don’t plan major upgrades to 70,904-seat Memorial Stadium.

Bear receiver Marcus Robinson will sit out the rest of the season with torn ligaments in his left knee.

Robinson, Chicago’s leading receiver the last two seasons, will have surgery within two weeks. His recovery is expected to take up to a year.

Robinson was injured during the second quarter of Chicago’s 24-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

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Linebacker Junior Seau of the San Diego Chargers has sat out only five games with injuries in 12 seasons. Coach Mike Riley doesn’t expect that number to reach six this weekend.

Seau is cautiously optimistic that he’ll play against Buffalo despite a groin pull that kept him out of the second half of the Chargers’ 27-10 victory over Denver on Sunday.

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St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk might sit out another game with a bruised right knee, and Coach Mike Martz said it has nothing to do with Trung Canidate’s brilliant starting debut.

Canidate had 195 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving in the Rams’ 34-14 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday. He missed most of his rookie season with injuries.

“If Marshall’s not fully ready to go, we’ve got so much of the season left we’ve got to do the right thing,” Martz said.

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Detroit receiver Germane Crowell will have surgery for a torn patella and sit out the rest of the season.

Crowell was injured while jumping for a pass in the end zone in the Lions’ 27-24 loss to Tennessee. on Sunday at Pontiac, Mich.

Tackle Tony Boselli was put on injured reserve by the Jacksonville Jaguars, officially ending his season after shoulder surgery last week.

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The Miami Dolphins signed end David Bowens, filling the spot vacated by injured defensive tackle Damian Gregory.

Bowens, a fifth-round draft choice by Denver in 1999, started the season with the Washington Redskins before being released Sept. 26.

Dallas fullback Robert Thomas, who last week had surgery to repair torn knee ligaments, was put on injured reserve and is out for the season.

The Cowboys activated tight end Johnny Huggins from the practice squad to share the fullback duties with Troy Hambrick.

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Rose Davis, the mother of Oakland Raider owner Al Davis, died Friday at Boca Raton, Fla. She was 103.