Chicago Bears Preseason Game #1: Stock Watch Offense
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Stock Down:
C Hroniss Grasu – Was decent in pass pro and had a couple of nice 2nd level blocks, but got overpowered at the line of scrimmage in the running game. Grasu got driven into the backfield on a Langford run that resulted in a loss of 3 years and was consistently overpowered. He finished with the worst overall grade on offense (-2.4) from Pro Football Focus.
RB Jeremy Langford – Only gained 1 yard despite 4 carries and looked tentative at times. He did have two catches for 16 yards, and had room to run on a screen pass but his hesitation cost him a potential big play. Langford also went down from an ankle tackle on a three yard loss. With Carey and Perry both playing well, Langford’s poor game makes the competition for the RB2 job closer than it was before the game.
Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
WR Josh Bellamy – Led the team in targets with seven but had only three catches for 15 yards. More importantly Bellamy failed to get out of bounds on a catch near the end of the half, which cost the Bears points, also didn’t give much of an effort to move the chains on a short 3rd down catch, and dropped a sure touchdown on a slant route that hit him in the numbers. With Bellamy in his 3rd year and no longer eligible for the practice squad, I expected some more urgency out of him.
RT Jordan Mills- Was beaten by Cameron Wake for a sack on Jay Cutler and also had a false start penalty. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else gets some snaps with the 1st team at RT before the end of camp. Mills needs to prove to the new coaching staff that he can handle the job after an inconsistent 2014 season.
OT Charles Leno Jr – With Mills struggles it could have been a prime opportunity for Leno Jr to push for the starting RT job, but Leno was just as bad if not worse. He was decent in pass pro, but failed to get any push in the run game. I like Leno more than most, but he will have to play much better to see any snaps this year.
Next: No Kevin White? Marquess Wilson Must Step Up