Bears Preseason Stock Watch: Week 1 Offense
After a long wait to watch the Bears in action, I found myself looking forward to their first game being over by halftime. It might have had something to do with the playoff-like feel of the Cubs/Cardinals game going on at the same time, but also the fact that there was very little to be excited about during the Bears 22-0 loss to the Denver Broncos.
It’s just week 1 of the preseason and nothing to get concerned about, but there were way more troubling signs than things to be happy about for Bears fans. All three strings of the Broncos dominated their Bears counterparts on both sides of the ball. It was disturbing to say the least.
It’s hard to find much to get excited about when you get shut out during the preseason and only gain 130 total yards on offense in a game mostly played by 2nd and 3rd string players. After watching the tape again,¹ I did find a few more things to be optimistic about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still bleak overall… But also the first game of the preseason so nothing to get too fired up about.
Here is my breakdown of which offensive players helped or hurt their stock with the Bears after the first week of preseason.
Stock Up:
Nobody: Just kidding (sort of)
P Pat O’Donnell:
It’s not a good sign when the punter is the star of your offense, but he might have been the most impressive player for the Bears O on Thursday night. He was certainly busy with eight punts and a 48.0 yards per punt average.
O’Donnell outkicked his coverage a couple of times contributing to an average of 11.8 yards per return by the Broncos and barely pinned the Broncos inside the 20 (19) despite punting from midfield on his first punt, but overall he was consistently good. His stats improved a little in 2015, but more is expected from a punter drafted in the sixth round in 2014 and O’Donnell showed flashes of his ability in week 1 with a few booming kicks.
WR Deonte Thompson: He didn’t do much as a kick returner with only 19.8 yards per return, but had the Bears biggest offensive play of the game with a 28-yard reception on a crossing route. If Thompson’s feet didn’t get tangled up turning upfield, he may have taken it 70+ yards to the house. Thompson showed big-play potential last season with two deep catches and flashed it again Thursday night.
If he can continue to show potential at WR, it will solidify his spot on the roster as the primary kick returner. For the game Thomspon finished with just 2 catches for 33 yards, but made a nice catch in traffic while taking a hit and had one catch called back by penalty. He also got wide open a couple times and was missed by back-up QB Brian Hoyer, including a play Hoyer threw too high that ended in an interception.
RB Jacquizz Rodgers – Showed the ability to gain tough yards between the tackles, but the highlight of his day was a 20-yard screen play where he broke a couple tackles and ran with power and a low center of gravity. Rodgers also made a couple of tackles on special teams. He’ll need to outplay Ka’Deem Carey and Senorise Perry to ensure his spot on the team, but Rodgers is off to a good start.
Next: More Good than Bad