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The Bears came out of their Bourbonnais portion of training camp knowing that at the very least, they have defensive line depth.
It all starts with defensive end Julius Peppers, of course. His freakish quickness and athleticism for someone 6’7,” 300 pounds has been put on display almost every day of practice.
“There are things he does every day that I will watch film on and I’ll be like, ‘God, how does he do that? A guy that size?’ ” said linebacker Brian Urlacher.
No one doubted this ability when Peppers came to Chicago. Instead, one of the big question marks about the defensive line was whether defensive tackle Tommie Harris would be able to regain the physical status he had four years ago before a series of knee, hamstring and ego injuries rendered him little more than an average player.
Each training camp since 2006 the Bears have reported Harris would go through as much practice as possible and each camp that meant a few days of practice, followed by a day or two off.
However, in this camp Harris escaped unscathed and stronger in his legs than any time since the Bears’ Super Bowl season.
“No reason to believe Tommie isn’t going to have a very very good season for us,” general manager Jerry Angelo said. “So, again, we’re excited about that.
“A healthy Tommie, a practicing Tommie should be a very, very good football player.”
For Harris, it all started prior to camp by being healthy enough to participate in the team conditioning program, minicamp and OTAs.
“I wasn’t injured this off-season, so I practiced like I did before I got injured,” he said.
Nose tackle Anthony Adams looked his usual consistent self, swing tackle Marcus Harrison has come on after problems with heat exhaustion and the battle between Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije for starting left defensive end rages on.
“It’s not going to be a big issue who starts,” Idonije said. “We’ll use a three-man rotation at end like we always have.”
The real issue is who the backups will be and whether second-year defensive end Jarron Gilbert will be on the roster. He could get sqeezed out by a few younger players or if veteran nose tackle Matt Toeaina is retained.
After a handful of practices, Gilbert had done enough to warrant some looks with starters. As camp concluded, Gilbert was nowhere to be found and rookie Corey Wootton and second-year player Henry Melton had begun attracting attention.
“Henry, we think he’s really going to blossom this year,” Angelo said. “He’s put on some weight in the off-season. He’s looked real good in certain aspects of the scheme.
“(Defensive coordinator) Rod (Marinelli) is starting to play him a little bit outside as a defensive end. That’s what he played in college. But he’s got all of the necessary traits that we look for at the under tackle. Obviously pass rush is what we see in his future with us.”
Melton started camp 260 pounds but gradually has been adding weight. Playing at 260 inside wouldn’t be easy, but Marinelli sees something he likes.
“He’s got a certain hardness to him inside,” Marinelli said. “He’s a physical player. He’ll hit. This guy will really get after it in terms of those things.”
With Marinelli saying he needs a “couple more” rush men, Gilbert went the opposite way of Melton in more ways than one. While Melton went from end inside to tackle, Gilbert has gone from tackle outside to end—but without the same kind of success.
“He had a handful of plays,” Angelo said about the game against the Chargers. “He looked OK.
“He’s got to pick it up obviously. We need to see something out of Jarron. That probably can be said with a handful of players at other positions as well.”
A general manager saying a player has to pick it up can be best described as pro football’s version of a cattle prod. Gilbert may have been able to jump out of swimming pools in that now famous YouTube video he did, but he’d better start making jumps up the depth chart or he could wind up on the way out of town.
If the Bears had no one behind Gilbert, he could languish on the bottom of the regular-season roster another season. However, Wootton has made greater strides after a slow start at end.
“Other than playing too tall - he stands up too much, too high—what I’ve really been impressed with is his mental toughness,” Marinelli said. “I mean every down, he plays hard and he’s physical, he listens, he’s not thin-skinned and he’s getting better every day.
“I mean he plays hard now, I’m impressed with that. He just plays too tall right now.”
Toeiana has played well enough at nose tackle to take away some of Harrison’s and Adams’ first-team snaps. So it all will come down to how many linemen they decide to keep among the final 53 players. Angelo pointed out that they usually kept nine defensive linemen in the past.
“Again, we like to think we have nine good defensive linemen and those nine defensive linemen will be our best 53,” he said. “If that’s the case, that is the number we are going to go with.
“We’re not going to get fixated on numbers. We really want to get focused on keeping the best players because it’s a long season, players get hurt and you don’t want to drop off radically at any position in terms of talent.”
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Gene Chamberlain is an imbedded reporter with the Chicago Bears for CBS RapidReports and his reports can be found daily at http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/CHI
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Who Wants a Job?
It has been an interesting 48 hours for Bears GM Jerry Angelo and his staff, as they tried several times to land a backup QB for Jay Cutler before apparently finding a taker in former Michigan quarterback Matt Gutierrez.
Since Caleb Hanie went down with a shoulder sprain, the Bears offered contracts to (and were rejected by) Trent Green and Todd Collins.
Technically, this is just a temporary position anyway, mainly because the Bears don’t want Cutler to play extended minutes in preseason and have only rookie Dan LeFevour in camp.
Still, if the team had been able to sign a veteran with a solid track record, Mike Martz is known to prefer that to a guy like Hanie. But you can’t blame a guy for not wanting to risk getting hurt in camp without a guaranteed contract in place.
Meanwhile, Brett Basanez and Mike Teel are both unavailable after receiving injury settlements from the Bears.
So enter Mr. Gutierrez, who, if signed today, will have just a few precious days to pick up Martz’s complicated offense, as he will likely see playing time Saturday night against the Raiders.
Given that Gutierrez was on the verge of joining the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks before the Bears called, you’d have to assume that he is excited for the opportunity.
Hanie’s injury may be a blessing to LeFevour, whose workload has greatly increased in practice, though he threw six picks in Monday’s practice.
Major Wright is Right Again
Bears rookie safety Major Wright had his fractured left index finger surgically repaired and is back with the team in practice. Coach Lovie Smith reiterated that the team has not ruled him out for the season opener, though that seems like wishful thinking to me.
Wright showed promise in his first game before hurting the finger, and he could be a valuable piece in the Bears otherwise very shaky safety situation.
Fullbacks Need Not Apply
Unlike previous years when the Bears reserved a roster spot for a blocking fullback, under the Martz offense a fullback is not required.
After the release of Jason McKie in March, the Bears now technically have two fullbacks on the roster, Will Ta’ufo’ou and Eddie Williams.
But both are long shots to make the team, as the Bears might decide to keep just four tight ends and no fullbacks on the final 53-man roster.
Brian Iwuh Impresses Lovie in Camp
If the Bears keep seven linebackers on the final roster as expected, one of those spots could go to Brian Iwuh, who returned to practice Monday after suffering a knee injury and ankle sprain on the fifth day of training camp.
Iwuh has impressed Lovie Smith in practice and had two of the six picks against LeFevour on Monday.
But it’s his play on special teams that will likely earn Iwuh a spot on the team. In four seasons with Jacksonville, Iwuh recorded 61 special-teams tackles.
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Two-time Pro Bowl Guard Logan Mankins has requested a trade from the New England Patriots due to he and the team still being unable to reach a satisfactory contractual agreement.
The Patriots show no sign of giving into Mankins’ demands, which supposedly would exceed $7 million per year. Mankins, however, shows no signs of backing down either. He has skipped training camp thus far.
The Patriots are in bad shape at the position after Nick Kaczur, his replacement, went down with a recent injury; and the Patriots are rotating Dan Connelly and Ryan Wendell in and out of the position desperately trying to find a solid solution.
However, the Patriots have always kept their “no player is bigger than the team” attitude and look to stay on that path in this situation as well, and have been disregarding Mankins’ absence when questioned about it by the media.
If the situation remains status quo, a trade is inevitable… and guess who happens to need help on the offensive line?
The Chicago Bears.
Offensive line coach Mike Tice should be pushing Angelo to do whatever possible to make this move, as it would improve the Bears offensive line. This is crucial in a Mike Martz offense that relies on former Pro Bowl QB, Jay Cutler, remaining upright.
Mankins has been largely responsible for keeping Tom Brady on his feet the past five seasons, and is easily one of the best guards in the game. He would be an excellent addition to the Bears offensive line and what’s more… the Bears may have a key trading piece in order to pry him away from the Patriots.
Tight End Greg Olsen was involved in possible trade talks with the Patriots earlier in the off-season, and New England could still use the versatile tight end. And regardless of how highly you may think of Olsen as a Bears fan, the fact still remains that the tight end position is not a key asset in the Martz offense, and the Bears aren’t exactly hurting at the position with veteran Desmond Clark and the young Kellen Davis on board.
The Bears could offer Greg Olsen packaged with some mid-round draft picks. Both teams would be filling obvious needs while unloading players that may not impact their team this upcoming season.
After allowing only one sack on his way to a pro bowl in 2008, Mankins was a major player on a line that allowed only 16 total sacks of Tom Brady (career best) in 2009 on the way to his second pro bowl appearance.
After becoming a restricted free agent at the end of last season, Mankins was tendered at the highest possible level by the Patriots, $3.26 million. Mankins refused to sign the tender and skipped out on all Patriots workouts, which lead the Patriots to lower his tender offer to $1.54 million. Angered by the treatment from a team he had contributed so much to, Mankins has requested a trade.
The Chicago Bears would be smart to answer the call. Or perhaps they feel better with Frank Omiyale on the line, who has had multiple false start issues during camp. He has been completely outplayed by the newly acquired DE Julius Peppers.
Jerry Angelo… pick up the phone.
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Now, be honest. When you saw the word “hot” in the title, you were hoping for photos of scantily-clad women, weren’t you? Well, no such luck. But I will “reveal” to you some of the hot issues affecting the team as it prepares for a “win or else” season.
Lovie Smith is as optimistic as ever, in fact he’s full of it. Um, optimism, that is. But is that optimism warranted?
Sure, the Bears improved in the offseason, signing three major free agents, most notably Julius Peppers. But other teams did not exactly stand pat, either.
Perhaps the most interesting question revolves around their new offensive coordinator. Mike Martz brings much anticipation, but also some trepidaiton amongst Bears fans, as does his QB Jay Cutler.
Here at Olivet Nazarene University in sleepy Bourbonnais, IL, the Bears are preparing for what could be a “make or break” season for GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith. So let’s go around camp and find out what the most pressing issues are.
Entering the season before an alleged lockout takes place, the faithful fans of the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys face expectations that are seemingly sky-high.
Lovie Smith, and Jerry Angelo have come to grips with reality. Their respective fates as a Chicago’s head coach and general manager is hanging by a mere thread.
With a revamped offensive scheme, much needed assistance at the defensive line, and secondary advances, there is no reason for failure in 2010. It’s do or die for the former NFC champions, who were competing in the Super Bowl just four years ago.
In Dallas, head coach Wade Phillips will no longer be out of the hot seat if all falls apart for the undoubtedly talented squad that some consider America’s team once again. Owner Jerry Jones is not one to keep losers around.
While all seems negative for the couple of underachieving teams, there are bright spots within each team’s wide-out position.
Johnny Knox, the fifth round pick out of Abilene Christian last year, has become a fan favorite for the Bears.
Like Dallas favorite Miles Austin, a Monmouth University product, Knox wasn’t looked upon as a future star.
While Austin had his breakout year at receiver, catching 81 passes for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2009, Knox was quietly making a name for himself.
In the season opener, Knox immediately garndered some attention after he beat veteran cornerback Charles Woodson on his way to catching a 68-yard bomb against the Green Bay Packers.
After Knox’s preseason performances and contribution in the first game of the year, the 140th overall selection went on to earn 45 receptions for 527 yards, five touchdowns, and a spot beside Austin in the Pro Bowl.
While Austin is Tony Romo’s number one target coming into 2010, the Bears look to gain a new identity as a passing offense with Knox lining up against the second corner.
Chicago’s radio analyst Tom Thayer says he believes out of the Chicago’s youthful receiving corps, Knox should emerge as the most successful receiver.
Will Knox’s numbers rival that of Austin’s?
Well, Knox and Miles are similar in multiple ways.
- Blazing speed is something neither athlete lacks, with both players running under a 4.35 in their combines.
- Both Knox and Austin have been looked as a “natural receiver”, opposed to a learning wide-out. However, let their play on the gridiron speak for that opinion.
- Large, rich schools are something Johnny and Miles aren’t accustomed to, coming out of no-name facilities in Abilene Christian and Monmouth.
- Neither receiver was even heard of in their respective draft classes, while Miles was an undrafted free agent and Knox being drafted in the fifth round.
- Each target is a favorite in terms of their franchise quarterback, and can be used in multiple situations.
Knox is poised for a breakout year in 2010. Will he reach the likes of Austin when it comes to level of play?
Check out chicitysports.com, where this article was originally written. - Dustin Brown
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