It's been too long since I've gotten to talk about live Chicago Bears football! On Saturday the Bears will be in San Diego to take on the Charges in their first exhibition game this year. While I'll go in-depth at each position in later blogs, I'll let you know what to look for if you're in the mood to watch some scrubs fight for jobs.
Offensive line battles:
Regardless of the new offense Mike Martz is installing and the hiring of Mike Tice as o-line coach, the front five are shaky at best. Chris Williams has been getting all he can handle so far in training camp, going one-on-one with Julius Peppers almost exclusively. Still, this will be his first full year at left tackle, the position he feels most comfortable at. Unfortunately, the rest of the line isn't as solid. Roberto Garza has shifted from right to left guard, ensuring a learning curve for his first few starts. Olin Kreutz is another year older and therefore more susceptible to the stronger interior defensive tackles. Seventh round pick Lance Louis is starting at right guard. Do I need to say anything else? Finally, Frank Omiyale is starting at right tackle, hopefully about to prove he's worth having on the team. Like I said, shaky at best.
Solidifying the safety spot:
Who's starting the season? Chris Harris at free and Danieal Manning at strong? Major Wright at strong and Chris Harris at free? Who knows with Lovie Smith these days? Smith has never been able to stick with a safety combination, whether it's because of injury or poor play. Manning may be on his last chance at safety (let's hope) while Chris Harris isn't fit to play the free safety spot. Major Wright has impressed the coaching staff in practice, now we see if he can do the same on the field.
Crossing corners:
Zack Bowman has risen to the number one corner slot, replacing Charles Tillman. A natural ball-hawk, Bowman has had trouble staying healthy and in the line-up. On the other side, Tillman is still struggling to pick up the nuances of the switch and hasn't had a great camp so far. The top two corners on this defense need to be at their best if the Bears are to create turnovers like they have in years past.
Starters might play a half:
It's typical coach-speak going into the first preseason game. The starters MIGHT play a half, but it's more likely a quarter or so. Don't expect much from either side of the ball though. It will be a very vanilla gameplan on offense and defense. On offense the Bears will focus on their timing and route-running, especially with all the inexperience at wide receiver. Still, it will be fun just to see Jay Cutler again. Getting the starters out healthy is their main concern. (Speaking of which, keep an eye on Brian Urlacher to see if he's really at full-speed.)
Scrub Wars!
Who makes it on special teams? Is Garrett Wolfe a lock for the third running back position? How does Josh Beekman look backing up Olin Kreutz? Was rookie third-string QB Dan LeFevour worth the pick over signing a veteran back-up? These are all questions to answered during the course of these four preseason outings, so pay attention and we'll have a quiz before the regular season starts.
Normally I'd cover the Chargers, but it's preseason, so who gives a crap? They'll be without left tackle Marcus McNeill and wide-out Vincent Jackson, so we're obviously not going to see their best. (But we may see Julius Peppers eat a QB appetizer with McNeill out. One can only hope.)
Happy preseason and happy Jay Cutler Day to you!
