Rookie Afalava excited for Gonzalez matchup

LAKE FOREST, ILL -- From Day 1, Lovie Smith has spoken highly about rookie strong safety Al Afalava. "I like for him to be known as a smart, big hitter," Smith said. "As a safety you want to get a reputation as a guy that will hit, but you want to be known as a smart player. Al is a smart player. Anytime you have a rookie that can come in and do the things he's done, you have to know what's going on. He has good ball sense also. He'll get better everytime he steps out on the football field." The Bears are counting on Afalava to help slow down future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is second on the Falcons with 19 receptions. Gonzalez was a rookie with Kansas City in 1997, the same year Afalava would have been roughly in fifth grade. "Going against him, I always watched him as a kid growing up, and look here, I'm playing against him," Afalava said. "Coach [Smith] said be ready, because he's probably one of the better ti...