"It's probably good for the Bears that T.J. Houshmandzadeh picked the Seattle Seahawks in free agency over the Minnesota Vikings. That way, they'll face him just once this season.

The veteran wide receiver remembers the phone calls he didn't receive from the Bears when free agency opened.

''Aw, man, the Bears ain't hollered at me,'' Houshmandzadeh said Wednesday on a conference call with reporters. ''Jerry Angelo probably didn't think I could play, so I'm going to show him Sunday.''

Houshmandzadeh already has done his homework on the Bears, noting that cornerback Zack Bowman attended Nebraska.

''Look, I'm going to be realistic with you guys,'' Houshmandzadeh said. ''I feel like I'm going to get open every play, every time. But those guys get paid now, you know Charles Tillman gets paid well, [Nathan] Vasher gets paid well, Bowman gets paid well, Danieal Manning gets paid well. I feel like I'm going to win regardless, but I just have to be realistic with it. I'm going to win 95 percent of the time, and they can get the other five.''"