Mustipher proud to be viewed as intelligent player

[Staley Da Bear]

Listening to those testimonials, you almost expect Mustipher to jog onto the field Sunday for his first NFL start with a pair of thick engineering textbooks tucked under his arm. After all, he earned his computer science degree from Notre Dame, graduating with a 3.6 grade-point average.


Mustipher, who is expected to start in place of the injured Cody Whitehair Sunday when the Bears host the Saints, is pleased that his coaches and teammates see him in that light.


"That's a critical factor for any football player I feel like; to be smart, to be intelligent," Mustipher said Friday. "But not only that—to be able to apply it on the field is important; to be able to see things quickly, diagnose things and then go out and execute. And that's something that I take pride in. So I love that people within the locker room look at me that way. I hope I can continue doing that."


Mustipher signed with the Bears last year as an undrafted free agent and spent all of his rookie season on the practice squad. He opened this year on the practice squad as well before being elevated to the active roster Oct. 14 after left guard James Daniels was lost for the season with a chest injury.


Mustipher mixes his intelligence with a strong work ethic. He told reporters that he's always prepared like a starter—even when he was on the practice squad—and regularly attends early morning quarterback meetings along with Whitehair.


"Cody goes and I feel like if I'm the second-string center, I want to be ready each and every week," Mustipher said. "So if Cody is there, then I'm there. He's prepared me very well to do that."


Mustipher was prepared when called upon last Monday night in Los Angeles after Whitehair exited with a calf injury late in the third quarter.


"It was exciting," Mustipher said. "Any time you get an opportunity to play on Monday Night Football, I understood the opportunity I had in front of me. Obviously, hated seeing Cody go down, but you know that's an opportunity. It's a great challenge, and that's how I looked at it. I'm excited for this week as well."