Jul 26, 2012; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tackle J

J’Marcus Webb officially got the nod as the starting left tackle when the Bears released their first depth chart of the 2012 season, beating out Chris Williams in one of the lamest positional battles of recent memory.  The Bears hyped up the matchup like a steel cage death match to see who would protect Jay Cutler’s blind side.  Just a couple of padded practices into camp and J’Webb took over.  Offensive coordinator Mike Tice discusses the battle for the left tackle spot:

“I thought that one guy would separate himself and really jump out there,” Tice said. “I don’t think that’s really happened. So for me, let’s keep status quo and see where the games take us. I’m not in a rush to change for changes sake. We hope that a guy in his third year, Webb, will step up and mature as a football player and as a person…will get better, as show us this means something to him.’

That didn’t really inspire a lot of confidence, did it?  Reading between the lines, Tice said the Webb needs to grow up and act like a professional.

Here’s the rest of the offense: (more…)

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And another…

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Are you noticing a theme here?

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And finally…

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Jul 26, 2012; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears players walk to the practice field during the opening day of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-US PRESSWIRE

Offensive line drama highlighted the sixth day of practice for the Chicago Bears.  The biggest battle for a position up for grabs is the left tackle position.  So far, last year’s starter J’Marcus Webb has been alternating with challenger and former first rounder Chris Williams.  Wednesday, there was an unexpected change and drama ensued. (more…)

Jul 26, 2012; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears training camp logo during the opening day of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-US PRESSWIRE

After a day off on Monday (and what’s up with that by the way for Ditka’s sake!?!?), it was back to work on Tuesday.  Here are some highlights and lowlights from Tuesday’s padded practice:

• Shea McClellin had another rough day at the office, with Bears offensive linemen routinely having their way with him.  And then fellow rookie pass catching TE Evan Rodriguez stymied him, drawing cheers and jeers from the crowd.  Maybe a big change will help him out?
• McClellin’s rough day doesn’t compare to the bad time that newcomer Brian Price had.  He was routinely getting stood up, pancaked and generally looked overmatched.  He’s one of my early candidates to get IR’ed and miss the season while he gets his legs under him after that crazy hamstring procedure.
• Staying on the lines, undrafted rookie James Brown continues to impress.  His name came up repeatedly as showing well.  He might have an inside track to back up Gabe Carimi at RT.
• More O-line: It was J’Marcus Webb’s turn to run with the 1′s in the battle for the starting LT position.  The way I hear it, he held off Julius Peppers in one sequence, only to have Peppers turn him inside out on the next play.
• Bears worked on goal line on Tuesday.  Brandon Marshall back shoulder from Cutler for a TD.  I have a feeling I’ll be typing that again many times this season.  Kahlil Bell wowed the crowd with an over the top goal line score.
• Bears corners had a good day and Tim Jennings with Lovie Smith singling him out as a standout.  He’s serious about winning that job alongside Peanut.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Jul 26, 2012; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Shea McClellin walks to the practice field during the opening day of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-US PRESSWIRE

Rookie first round draft pick Shea McClellin is quickly learning that he’s not in Boise any more.  Life for an NFL rookie is hard while life for a Chicago Bears first round draft pick on a defense that features four returning Pro Bowlers is damn near impossible.

McClellin is facing the typical ups and downs of any rookie early in camp.  There are good moments and there are very humbling moments.  After a couple of days in pads, the second year rookie was hard on himself:

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Jul 26, 2012; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall reaches for a pass during the opening day of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-US PRESSWIRE

With the arrival of Brandon Marshall the butterfly effect will be great for certain Bears. A big time player of Marshall’s caliber can make things a lot easier for the players around him. So who will be the one that benefits the most? Below is a list of players that I think will.

Jay Cutler

Since Jay got to Chicago he has not had the explosive wide out that changes games. Despite this Cutty has gotten better each year with the beloved. Marshall will help continue that trend on a couple different fronts. First of all he will give Jay that big wide out that every quarterback covets. Secondly he will make the wideouts around him better by not having a bunch of two’s and three’s playing as one’s and two’s. Even if this tandem does not produce huge numbers together Cutler’s will improve just with him being here. (more…)

I never anticipated my inaugural piece here at beargoggleson.com to be a collection of pithy, subjective training camp observations, but alas, here we are.

After an active offseason, in which the Bears seemingly added a bevy of new talent, the 2012 Chicago Bears were unveiled to the public this past week, and I witnessed them first-hand on Friday afternoon. I am far from a kool-aid drinker, but must admit, I was impressed with the talent new General manager Phil Emery has assembled, and look forward to this season with more anticipation than I can ever recall.

Without further ado, here’s my list of notes, where I spray to all fields.

• Brian Urlacher practiced with a brace on his left knee, but didn’t appear to be hobbled by the MCL sprain he suffered in the 2011 finale. Urlacher looked fluid in his drops, with good knee bend and quick change of direction. He was actually featured in a few zone blitz packages, but blitzing has never been Urlacher’s forte. I was encouraged by Urlacher’s movement on the field as he appears to be completely healthy heading into the season.

• Israel Idonije looked very thin. As I wrote about here, I have concerns about the depth at defensive tackle, and was happy to see Emery saw it the same way by acquiring Brian Price, in a low-risk, high-reward transaction.  I initially speculated that Idonije could be moved inside on passing downs, and spoke with John “Moon” Mullin about my theory after practice. Moon quickly shook his head “no”, saying Idonije reported to camp at 262 pounds. Look for Idonije to be utilized solely on the edge, spelled by rookie Shea McClellin.

• Tim Jennings was targeted and beat deep regularly. Much like last season, Jennings was susceptible to double moves, and was beat by Brandon Marshall on a deep out, and then by Earl Bennett on a wheel route. Visions of what Jordy Nelson, Titus Young, and other NFC North receivers might do to Jennings ran through my head. Jennings needs to improve, or Kelvin Hayden will take his job.

• Speaking of Marshall, he is as good as advertised. Big, strong, sudden, quick feet, no wasted movement, great body control, and the desire to attack the ball at its highest point. Marshall is easily the best offensive weapon I’ve seen in a Bears uniform since Sweetness himself. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch Marshall and Jay Cutler work this season, as Cutler looks his way often.

• New feel to the offense. New Offensive coordinator Mike Tice’s offense will look drastically different than what we saw from Mike Martz the past two seasons. The Bears will blend two offensive systems, Tice’s power running and vertical passing game with the roll-out/get the quarterback on the move offense we saw Cutler run in Denver with new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates. The Bears took several snaps from the shotgun, rolled the quarterbacks out on bootlegs/nakeds/waggles, and ran a fair amount of no huddle plays. With the new personnel – particularly at wide receiver and running back – the up-tempo aspect of the no-huddle could really put a defense on its heels.

• Emphasis on vertical and seam routes with the tight ends. Tice likes to run the tight ends vertically to challenge the safeties. With a player like Marshall on the outside who commands safety attention and help over the top, the Bears could have some opportunities for big plays from the tight ends. But do they have enough talent at the position to capitalize? Paging, Kellen Davis.

• Speaking of tight ends, bubble player Kyle Adams stood out in 7-on-7 and during the team period. Adams ran with confidence over the middle of the field, catching every pass in his direction, typically in traffic with a trailing linebacker and a safety over the top. If Adams has a strong camp, he could push someone like fullback Tyler Clutts – as Tice’s offense typically doesn’t feature a traditional fullback – off the roster.

• Rookie Evan Rodriguez is an intriguing prospect. While he’s not built in the prototypical mold of a tight end, he has traits similar to Redskins tight end Chris Cooley. Rodriguez has sure hands, and is very slippery in the open field. His versatility to line-up as an F-back (fullback in an off-set I formation), H, and Y, makes him a player to keep an eye on in the pre-season. Tice would be wise to devise a small package of plays to get the ball to Rodriguez in the flats.

• Rookie Alshon Jeffery is a big target out there who catches everything near his body, and wasn’t afraid to go over the middle of the field. Jeffery will make an impact as a possession receiver and a red zone target, but he needs to work on his footwork at the top of the route tree. Jeffery is a long strider, who rounds off his routes. With a little bit of fine tuning, and a set package of plays, Jeffery could evolve into a nice compliment to Marshall.

• Running backs Matt Forte and Michael Bush are in great shape – especially Forte – and could form the best backfield in the NFL. Forte looked very quick and decisive with his cuts, showing no residual damage from the knee injury he suffered last season against the Chiefs. Bush looked strong and powerful in the open field, with great body lean, lowering his head at the sign of any wannabe tackler.

• Given the competition at left tackle between Chris Williams and J’Marcus Webb, the rest of the line from left to right was: Chris Spencer, Roberto Garza, Lance Louis, and Gabe Carimi. Carimi looks to have slimmed down a bit in the offseason. Equipped with a brace on his surgically repaired right knee, Carimi appeared to be running with a very slight limp on the field.  The focus will be on the left tackle “battle”, but Carimi should also be scrutinized, as he’s yet to prove himself at the NFL level.

Granted, it’s only July, and this team does have several question marks, in particular the secondary and both lines. But I have a level of comfort with Emery at the helm that I haven’t had in decades. Emery has been proactive in addressing needs, and mentioned he will never rest on improving the roster. With the talent to compete, the pressure is now squarely on the shoulders of Head coach Lovie Smith.

No excuses in 2012, Lovie.

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