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After spending months cooped up in an office pouring over game tape, Lovie Smith finally took the field as coach of the Chicago Bears on Friday.

He didn't waste any time taking charge.

According to the Associated Press, receivers did push-ups in the middle of the field after dropping passes. Lineman ran from one drill to the next. And Smith moved from group to group as work began to reshape the Bears into a leaner, quicker team that will create more turnovers on defense and move the ball more efficiently on offense.

"It went well. When you have change, most of the guys are going to show you their best face," Smith said after Friday's first practice. "The players have been great from day one. They're anxious to get a 7-9 bad taste out of their mouths."

Smith, who replaced Dick Jauron, was hired in January after three seasons as defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. He takes over a Bears team that has had just one winning season in the last eight years and two playoff appearances since 1992.

One of his first orders of business is getting some of the heftier defensive linemen and pass rushers to lose weight and gain quickness.

"We want to get quicker."

Smith believes he's already done that on offense with the addition of free agent running back Thomas Jones, who came on strong for Tampa Bay at the end of last season.

Originally drafted by Arizona with the seventh overall pick of the 2000 draft, Jones rushed for 627 yards and had three touchdowns last season, though he started only three games. He's also shown potential as a receiver, one of the main reasons Jones was brought to Chicago and is expected to take over the starting job from Anthony Thomas.

"He gets your attention by just looking at his body. He's got great speed, we know that. We know he's got power," Smith said of Jones. "It's good to see him catch the ball and run around, and I think he did a good job of that."

Smith has said that Jones will start out as the lead running back, but that Thomas will be given every opportunity to take the job away from him. The Bears signed Jones to a four-year deal in the offseason.

"We need more than one good running back to go through a season," Smith said following Friday morning's session.

"Two running backs will play for us this year and be able to get their time. That's how it is with just about every team in the league."

But only one player can be No. 1. The backup may get a handful of touches per game at best, which isn't enough to satisfy a player who considers himself a starter.

"Of course the guy that's the starter is going to be happier than the other guy," Smith said. "But I think there are enough plays in a game to get running backs their plays, just like receivers. We're going to play a lot of receivers, and we think in time all of them will get a chance to prove what they can do. The ones that perform the best will start getting more plays. They'll all get a chance to show what they can do."

Jones hopes this is the year he finally breaks out as a top NFL back.

"The offense is very exciting to me and I think it fits my abilities. I expect a lot from myself," Jones said.

As for Thomas, he appears to be running out of chances in Chicago.

The fourth-year back out of Michigan rushed for over 1,000 yards and was named the NFL offensive rookie of the year his first season with the Bears.

Things haven't gone nearly so well since. He rushed for just 721 yards his second season, and battled foot problems last year.

Thomas said he has spoken with Smith several times, but isn't sure what his role will be this season -- if any.

"I really don't know what they have planned for me. I don't know what the plan is," Thomas said. "I don't know if they're seeking a trade. I don't know if I'm going to be here. I don't know what's going on."

Thomas has rushed for 2,928 yards since the Bears drafted him in the second round in 2001, but the addition of Jones last month may render him obsolete. Which of course, is bad news for a guy who wants the ball 20-25 times a game.

"Obviously it's frustrating (to have) anybody come in," said Thomas, who rushed for 1,024 yards last season and averaged a respectable 4.2 yards per carry. "I've been here for three years; I've been playing and they bring another guy in without sort of (telling) me what's going on. I just have to take it as it is. But he's going to come in and help us try to win games. I can't be selfish right now; I just want to win games."

As noted above, Jones is considered a better pass catcher than Thomas, although neither has put up particularly impressive receiving numbers.

Jones has averaged 24 catches for 6.7 yards in four NFL seasons. Thomas averaged 23 catches for 7.4 yards in his first two seasons but caught just 9 passes for 36 yards last season.

"I just didn't have an opportunity to really catch the ball since I've been here," Thomas said. "You can go back and watch my college film, and you see me catching the ball. You saw me practice out here today. You see me catch."

Smith was pleased with what he saw on the first day from both backs, and he says he'll keep an open mind about competition there and at every other position.

"I think Anthony Thomas came out strong," Smith said. "We have a starting rotation that we use, but once guys get on the field, it's really open season, and the cream will come to the top. I think both of the guys got a good start on that. ..."

Maybe so. ...

But I still tend to agree with Chicago Sun-Times staffer Mike Mulligan, who reminded readers on Friday that Jones was handpicked for the role because he fits the new scheme, has shown signs of improving and could get chunks of yards as opposed to three yards and a cloud of dust.

And as Mulligan summed up: "[Jones] is the starter, make no mistake about it. The job is his to lose. ...

Also of interest. ...

Quarterback Rex Grossman impressed the coaches with his ability to run the offense after taking a crash course under new coordinator Terry Shea. But he admitted the finger he broke in the season finale hasn't returned to full strength.

"My finger is mostly healed," Grossman said. "It's fine right now. It's not bothering me right now, and it can get stronger but that will come with time. So it's not really a problem, but I would like for it to get a little stronger."

The team's ability to adapt to Shea's scheme will obviously be critical to their success and according to Mulligan, the key to that is how quickly Grossman can pick up the system.

Shea describes his scheme as high volume, which is a polite way of saying the playbook is the size of a New York phone book. The number of plays the Bears run will be determined by Grossman's learning curve. The more he's comfortable with, the more they will try.

Fortunately, Grossman is used to learning a new offense every year and has been a fixture at team headquarters since the new staff came aboard.

In a semi-related note. ... ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli recently predicted the former first-round wideout David Terrell could finally flourish in the offense being installed by Shea, "whose blueprint has to be better than the dink-and-dunk style of predecessor John Shoop."

And finally. ...

Smith ran the team hard the first day of workouts and said he wouldn't let up today. The coach admitted, however, that he was curious to see how they would do coming back from a tough workout.

According to the Sun-Times, bodies were flying around Friday, with at least four players on the ground during one scrum in the second practice. It was a physical workout considering the players were not in full pads. Marty Booker tweaked an ankle after taking a hit from behind on one play.