Bear(ing) the News – A Chicago Bears Blog

Much has been said about how much time it will take for the new offense to gel under offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer and head coach Marc Trestman. But, as emphasized by this quote from defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, the defense is likely going to be feeling its way through some adjustments as well. Via Adam L. Jahns at the Chicago Sun-Times:

‘‘’It’s all about who is doing it,’ Tucker said. ‘It all looks good on the board, but you really have to ask yourself, ‘Who is doing what? Who is doing the blitzing? Who is doing the movement? When we create ones-on-ones, can we win?’

‘‘’Every team is different, and certain pressures are different because you’ve got different guys coming. That’s the first thing we try to evaluate — ‘Is this effective?’ I know it looks good on the board, but it is effective on the field? And usually the effectiveness starts with who is doing it.’’’

The former staff did blitz on occasion, especially in recent years. But not much. So Tucker isn’t going to have much tape to go on when it comes to determining who is going to win one-on-one match ups in a blitz situation. Its likely something he’s going to have to feel his way through the first half of the season. The process of evaluation should be an interesting thing to watch.

Hub Arkush at the Chicago Sun-Times reads my mind when it comes to the rookies on the right side of the offensive line:

The offensive line is being celebrated almost universally around Chicago for its four new starters, including the two rookies — Kyle Long and Jordan Mills — on the right side. If the line can make a leap from one of the worst units in the league over the last three seasons to just average, 2013 can be a ton of fun.

If it can’t, none of what [head coach Marc] Trestman will try to do will work.

Newer is not always better. Clearly, this group is more talented than it has been in years with the additions of Jermon Bushrod and Long. But sometimes talent isn’t enough, and what we’ve actually seen is snippets of these guys against the Chargers and Raiders, who have two of the worst defensive lines in the league.

Take a pill, everybody. There is good cause to hope for the best, but the jury is still way out on this one. This is not only a huge key to this season, but to the future under Trestman and general manager Phil Emery.

What we’ve seen of Long and Mills is highly unlikely to be what we see during the season, at least at the beginning. The same goes with the other rookies. Quotes I’ve frequently read from the rookies on the Bears say that the games have slowed down for them because the practice so fast. All indications from previous years are that’s about to change. Neither preseason games nor practice are anything like the speed they are about to experience on Sunday.

My strong suggestion would be that everyone lower their expectations and get ready for some of the growing pains that are almost certainly on the way.

Rick Telander at the Chicago Sun-Times quotes cornerback Tim Jennings in a moment of candor when asked about the “new” Bears offense:

‘‘‘Let’s see how the season starts, let’s see how [head coach Marc Trestman] gets things going, how he reacts to pressure, when bodies start flying and everything starts to be real. I’m real curious to see how he manages the offense, and manage the whole team as well.’’’

‘’‘It’s very intense,’ said Jennings of the offense he watches from his DB position. ‘It’s up-tempo, and they’re working so hard.’’’

“But he added, ‘I can’t really tell the difference from last year, because all offenses kind of look the same to me. But the way they get in and out of the huddle, there’s intensity.’’’

I can’t tell the difference, either. Not exactly.

Oh I know there’s a difference between good offenses and bad offenses. Anyone who watches the San Francisco 49ers can tell. Any one who watched the old 49ers with their classic West Coast offense under Bill Walsh can really tell. But the question is “What’s the difference?” Like Jennings, I think they all more or less look the same with some variations.

Jennings seems to think it might be about “intensity”. But perhaps “concentration” would be a better term. The guess here is that if we’re going to see an improved Bears offense this year, it’s going to come down to execution. That’s both on the level of the individual player and how they work together as a team as a whole.

Yes, we talk about the X’s and O’s. General manager Phil Emery talks about how former offensive coordinator Mike Tice didn’t use the middle of the field. And that did hurt. But, really, the single biggest reason the offense failed last year was because quarterback Jay Cutler lost faith in his other receivers and fed the ball to Brandon Marshall in the air when he wasn’t handing it to Matt Forte on the ground. All 11 guys weren’t working in harmony with the coaching staff in a coordinated offense. If the Bengals come out in man coverage and the receivers can’t get open again, it’s not going to matter what Trestman does.

My guess is that it’s about keeping 11 guys all on the same page doing their jobs and limiting mistakes. One weak link and the whole process falls apart. That seems kind of obvious but it really isn’t. And even assuming you accept that, how you accomplish that goal is a whole different issue. Increasing the intensity with which you concentrate on what’s going on and what you are doing is probably a good place to start. But that’s certainly not where it ends. As Jennings reaction to the question demonstrates, the difference is a fine line that’s dependent on a lot of factors. No one can really tell if you’ve crossed it or not until you are actually under fire. That’s where the Bears offense will be on Sunday.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a good offense in Chicago that wasn’t an opponent. It hasn’t happened in my lifetime. And yet it’s fascinating that a veteran Pro Bowl cornerback who has been around the league and pretty much seen it all is as clueless as I am as to exactly where the Bears offense is at this point. Like Jennings, we’re all just waiting to see.

Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times addresses a choice which will tell us the direction which the Bears are to take this year. At least initially:

“D.J. Williams or Jon Bostic?”

“Williams has earned the respect. He’s a nine-year starter who led the Denver Broncos in tackles five times. The Bears likely will be better with him at middle linebacker — at least at the beginning of the season.”

And that’s the bottom line isn’t it? Bostic, like many young linebackers, has a tough time taking on blockers against the run. And the Bengals are exactly the kind of team that will run over him up the gut over and over until he learns to stop it. And he will learn. But not after some growing pains. For all of us.

I’m going to bet they start Williams and try to win now. If the find themselves with a losing record at the halfway point, they may reconsider. But I think the only thing that puts the Bears rookie on the field now is if the injury to Williams is still affecting his play.

But I could be wrong. The choice before the Bears is a defining one, not just for the middle linebacker position but for the team overall. The Bears may decide to go with the future now and live with Bostic until he gets his feet under him. If they do, its going to tell us something about this season and what to expect. Its going to be about future Super Bowls rather than present playoff berths.

I think Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune probably has the right of it on the release on tackle Jon Scott:

“The Bears signed Scott after the Week 1 game last season because they did not want to be on the hook for his full season’s salary in the event they decided to make a change. The plan could be to bring him back in a week or two when his knee is healthy. The departure of Scott makes Eben Britton the swing tackle for this week and the foreseeable future.”

There’s no reason to carry Scott on the roster for week 1 if he can’t play. The Bears likely thought it was worth the risk that another team would try to pick Scott up in the meantime. So we will likely see Scott back for week 2 or 3 if all goes according to plan.

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune writes about the possibility that the Bears will start two rookies, Jordan Mills and Kyle Long, on the right side of the offensive line. This quote from offensive cooridnator Aaron Kromer stood out as being odd:

“’There are a lot of good players picked late in drafts, and the biggest key is if a guy knows his limitations,’ Kromer said. ’If a guy is smart enough to know what he can’t do, he can be effective at what he can do. That’s the No. 1 thing a young guy has to learn. What you physically can’t do, don’t put yourself in that position.’”

What, exactly, are the limitations that Kromer is thinking of in this case? Is he talking about Long or Mills (more likley) or both? Or is talking about seventh round pick J’Marcus Webb?

Teams do limited game planning in pre-season game 3. Whether its this week or the season opening week, it will be interesting to see what happens when other teams try to take advantage of this situation.

1. It was definitely the pre-season for Chris Berman. He (or the people in the booth) had a tough time identifying a few players. Trent Dilfer was relentlessly positive.
2. I am already disappointed in Jay Cutler. He started the first possession by holding the ball instead of getting rid of it quickly, on time to a receiver. He and Brandon Marshall resorted to last year’s offense for the rest of the night. Its only pre-season game number two but if he continues to do that, they’ll be looking for a new quarterback next year.
3. Shea McClellin look’s like he’s using his speed better this year. He’s maintaining distance from the blocker and he’s not as likely to be engulfed. I’m waiting to see how he’s going to defend the run.
4. Matt Forte is running with good vision. This offense will be good for him (if Cutler runs it).
5. Devin Hester’s showed his achilles heal with his indecisive fair catch on his only punt.
6. Lots of up and down tackling out there. I’d say some work needs to be done, especially with the special teamers.
7. J.T. Thomas had to showe up on special teams and he did. Still no sign of Devin Aromashodu.
8. Armando Allen’s roster spot has to be in serious jeopardy. Michael Ford once again looked like he belonged.
9. I’m not sure what Josh McCown was doing in there in the fourth quarter or what that means for Matt Blanchard.
10. The rookie linebackers were up and down. Khaseem Greene struggled more and though Jon Bostic certainly had his moments he also looks like he’s going to have a hard time getting off blocks and stopping the run for a while.