Category: Points of View

Bears

• Gavin Crowell and Stephanie Stremplewski at the Chicago Sun-Times ask Bears rookies which veterans have been most helpful:
  

  “David Fales, quarterback: ‘‘Jay Cutler has been great. Anytime you have someone with the experience he does, with that ability and talent, it’s so helpful. He’s reached out to me on several occasions, which he didn’t have to do, so that means a lot.’’”

  This has become a common theme. Recall that backup Jimmy Clausen mentioned that Cutler spent a weekend studying with him after he was picked up by the Bears. I think Cutler learned a lot from his experiences with Josh McCown.

• Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times quotes Bears quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh on Jordan Palmer:
  

  “‘[Palmer] knows the system very well and had some work last year — but not a lot, even in practice,’ Cavanaugh said. ‘So that’s where he’s catching up now is on the field, and he’s doing a good job. He’s a tall [6-5], strong-armed guy who’s smart and makes good decisions.’

  “The Bears covet quarterbacks who can make decisions and avoid turnovers more than anything in Trestman’s offense, and Cavanaugh said those are two of Palmer’s strengths.”

  Clausen has been generally considered to be the better quarterback in camp because of his willingness to push the ball down field. But its possible that’s not what the Bears are really looking for in a back up quarterback.

• Potash on linebacker Christian Jones
  

  “Jones will be an interesting test case for the Bears coaching staff — can they find the right spot for him and develop his unique ability? Jones was incredibly versatile at Florida State — he played the strong side and weak side linebacker positions in 4-3 defenses; and inside and outside linebacker positions in a 3-4. But for some strange reason, players like that sometimes find themselves without a position in the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bears can find the right spot, because they seem to know they have something to work with, but also that it won’t happen overnight.”

• This statement goes against the comments of many observers who have’t been impressed with Marquess Wilson. It may speak more to the mediacrity of the competition. Via Potash:
  

  “Second-year pro Marquess Wilson still leads the competition for the No. 3 wide receiver spot, [Bears head coach Marc] Trestman said in a rare acknowledgement of positional rankings.”

• Rich Campbell at the Chicago Tribune quotes analyst Cris Collinsworth on former high school teammate and current Bears linebackers coach Reggie Herring:
  

  “‘He was Mr. Intensity before that was the cool thing to be,’ Collinsworth said. ‘He was born to coach. In football, passion sells. It’s hard to go to practice every day. Something hurts all the time or it’s hot or the pads stink. Football is a lifestyle of ‘something is wrong.’

  “‘With Reggie, every day was sunshine. Every day was the greatest day of his life that he got to walk around the field and play football.'”

• From Dan Wiederer at the Chicago Tribune:
  

  “On a day in which the defense was active and energetic, linebacker Lance Briggs made plays. During one session of 11-on-11 work, Briggs broke on a Cutler pass to Martellus Bennett and deflected it, punctuating the play by running past the bleachers with his right fist in the air. Some fans, however, are never happy. ‘Next time catch it!’ one yelled to Briggs.”

• Although I’d never heard of him before the Bears signed him, linebacker DeDe Lattimore‘s name keeps popping up in reports from camp. He’s making plays against back ups but the more I see his name, the more I think it may mean something.
• Speaking of under the radar players, I think this report from Michael C. Wright at ESPN.com is notable:
  

  “Veteran defensive end Trevor Scott hasn’t received much publicity throughout camp, but he’s proven deserving over the first several days of camp. In addition to size and physicality, Scott showcases a plethora of pass-rushing moves on a day-to-day basis that could make him a contributor to the rotation up front. One staffer called Scott ‘the real deal so far’ at camp.”

  Lattimore is probably competing for a spot on the practice squad. But Scott very well might be a major contributor before this thing is all over. He’ll be someone to watch very closely in the preseason games.

• Arthur Arkush notes something that I, also, have been meaning to get to:
  

  “Special teams units are often filled with younger players, but there is no shortage of established veterans [general manager Phil] Emery has brought in this offseason to bolster [special teams coordinator Joe] DeCamillis’ transitioning unit. From [Jordan] Senn to Danny McCray to M.D Jennings to Ryan Mundy, not to mention returning contributors like Sherrick McManis and Eric Weems, the Bears have a wealth of experienced and prideful core special teamers.”

  Unlike many fans, I gave DeCamillis a pass for the most part last year. They can’t all be Dave Toub.

  But that’s all over. Emery paid a lot of attention to special teams in the offseason and if they under-perform again, I strongly suspect that DeCamillis will (and should) pay the price.

• Speaking of special teams, Wright lists the current members of the first string kickoff return team for those looking for clues as to who has the edge for a roster spot.
• I think labeling this one “unofficial” might be more accurate:
  

Elsewhere

• San Antonio Chamber of Commerce executive Richard Perez told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Raiders are taking “a serious look” at the city. Via Mike Wilkening at profootballtalk.com:
  

  “Perez also shed some light on Davis’ message to city officials.

  “‘I will you tell that I felt very, very comfortable and confident that his word was true,’ Perez said. ‘And he said, ‘Look, you know, I’m not telling you that I’m coming today, but I will tell you that I’m looking, and you all are definitely someone that we’re looking very closely at.’'”

  This probably isn’t smoke. The Raiders are on a one year lease and Steelers owner Art Rooney told Sirius “The Raiders have a stadium situation that’s difficult. Something is going to have to give.” With the 49ers the NFL doesn’t need two teams in the Bay Area. Whether its San Antonio or somewhere else, the possibility that the Raiders will move sooner rather than later is very real.

• Even with the difficulties involved in this particular case, I’m not entirely sure why Josh Gordon‘s hearing is taking so long. But it can only mean good things if you’re a Browns fan. From Darin Gantt at profootballtalk.com.
• Something tells me that Jim Haslett better shut up and listen. Via Josh Alper, also at profootballtalk.
• William C. Roden at the New York Times on the effect that Rex Ryan is having on the Jets. Ryan has toned it down in recent years because in an effort to keep a lower profile, something the organization apparently wanted at the time. Not so this year:
  

  “With his job possibly on the line, Ryan has apparently decided that if he is going to get fired, he will go out the way he came in — with bravado on full throttle.

  “[Offensive tack D’Brickashaw] Ferguson said the importance of Ryan’s return as the coach with the bullhorn was that he was re-establishing confidence in his players.

  “‘When you believe, ‘Maybe I can do it,’ and you have people who motivate you and encourage you, it really puts you in a position to say: ‘You know what? This is going to happen; I need to buy in.’ ‘”

• Former Bears Scouting Director Greg Gabriel at the National Football Post on Julius Peppers, now with the Packers:
  

  “Peppers will have some big games early in the season and many in the media will criticize the Bears for letting him go. The problem with that criticism is that the season isn’t five or six games, it’s 16. I have no doubt that the Julius Peppers we see in September will not be the Julius Peppers we see in mid-November and December. I am sure his play will drop off dramatically, just like it has over the last few years. When you are in your mid-30s and have played 13 years in the NFL, that’s what happens.”

  Bashing Peppers, especially among Bears fans, is fashionable nowadays. But everyone, including Gabriel, would be well advised to remember that Peppers release was almost entirely about his cap number. If he’d been making less, he’d still be a Bear and we almost certainly wouldn’t be hearing any of this.

One Final Thought

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune on the Green Bay Packers:

“The Packers are waiting for a tight end to emerge from a three-man competition with no guarantee anyone will in the club’s effort to replace Jermichael Finley.

“For the second straight offseason, Aaron Rodgers lost a primary target at wide receiver as James Jones departed via free agency for the Raiders.

“But the Packers have Rodgers back, healthy and rested, and that alone makes them the favorite in the NFC North.”

It’s hard to argue with him. The addition of Eddie Lacy to the running game and Peppers to the defense is going to make them very tough. Again.

But it goes well beyond that. Over the years the Packers have shown a bad habit of getting it done when they have to. The Bears often haven’t. Not as often as the Vikings. But pretty often. They’re are going to have to start showing that they can perform when it counts if they want to be in the Packer’s class. I’m pretty sure that’s what part of what Trestman means when he says that they have to get “tougher”.

Bears

• Rich Campbell at the Chicago Tribune makes thinks this is a good sign. I would agree:
  

  “I want to single out defensive end Jared Allen for two stops he made against the run in third-and-short situational drills. Allen’s affinity for sacks is well documented. On third-and-short, though, when the offense has the luxury to either run or pass, Allen read the running plays and executed accordingly. His suddenness getting off blocks helped the defense win the downs, as did his understanding of where his help was.

  “‘I just try to set an edge and make sure the ball doesn’t get outside me, and then try to fall back in and help on the tackle,’ he said.”

• Pretty much all reports indicate that linebacker Shea McClellin is having a rough transition to linebacker. Campbell’s is no exception:
  

  “McClellin plays with the second-string nickel package and the first-string base defense, which means he currently is not on the field in many obvious passing situations. That could change during games, of course, but it’s something to keep an eye on, especially because the Bears have touted McClellin as a pass rush specialist as they try to jumpstart his career at linebacker.”

• Dan Wiederer at the Chicago Tribune quotes defensive end Willie Young:
  

  “Defensive end Willie Young senses a heightened sophistication in the Bears’ defense compared with the one he played in during his first four seasons with the Lions. Said Young: ‘I didn’t have too many responsibilities besides getting after the quarterback and doing everything on the run. … (Here) you definitely have to have some brains. You have your responsibilities. It gets more complex than that. But everybody has a job to do and everybody is held accountable to be where they’re supposed to be.'”

• Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune quotes Young on how he managed only three sacks last year when he had a massive 48 quarterbacks hurries last year:
  

  “‘Some sacks I just completely freaking blew,’ Young said. ‘Beating the tackle so quick, moving so fast, it’s, ‘Whoa! How did I miss this guy?’ You just name (the game) and go down the list, there were games I could have had five sacks. Could is a big word with my statement.'”

Let’s hope its a word he can drop this year. Most of the time when this happens its because the defensive lineman is going so hard after the quarterback that he can’t control his body and make adjustments to the quarterback’s movement in the pocket. Whether Young can get to the quarterback with the same consistency and still maintain the balance needed to finish will be interesting to see as the season progresses.

• I think most of us assumed this but Biggs confirms that Lamarr Houston will be moved into defensive tackle in the nickel package.
• Adam L. Jahns at the Chicago Sun-Times quotes offensive guard Matt Slauson on defensive tackle Will Sutton:
  

  “‘His mental side of the game I am very impressed with,’ Slauson said. ‘The things that he picks up about what I do, now I have to change my whole game for him.

  “‘A lot of times you go against a rookie and you’re like, ‘Ah, I can just take a normal set because I know he doesn’t know a lot.’ But that worked for a day. He’s changed everything, and now I’ve got to change. It’s awesome.'”

• To this day this topic is so painful it was all I could do to just scan the article.
• Referees at Bears camp also went over new points of emphasis this season. Via Patrick Finley at the Chicago Sun-Times:
  

  “The most common ‘new’ flag we’ll see in preseason, they said, is a false start penalty for offense linemen — particularly centers — who made sudden movements, under the guise of communicating with their teammates, to try to draw an offside penalty.”

Kevin Fishbain at chicagofootball.com adds this one which may turn out to be more important:

“In the past, a grab of the jersey would be ignored if it did not impede a receiver’s route to make a catch, but with the precision of so many timed routes around the league (like the Bears’ offense), jersey grabs will be watched closely. Cornerbacks Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings and Kyle Fuller, who can all be very physical, will need to keep that physicality inside the five yards when the quarterback is in the pocket, otherwise flags will fly.”

• Jenning’s quadriceps injury is stunting his growth at nickelback. Again From Finley.
• Arthur Arkush at chicagofootball.com thinks that Pat O’Donnell has “likely” won the punting job. Let’s wait and see how the preseason goes, shall we?
• Lance Briggs doesn’t automatically buy into the annual preseason hype surrounding the team in his interview with Chris Boyle at csnchicago.com towards the end of this clip:
  

Elsewhere

• Sam Farmer, writing for the Chicago Tribune, reviews the state of the 49ers going into the 2014 campaign:
  

  “Coach Jim Harbaugh would describe the maturation of his quarterback in terms a techie could appreciate.

  “‘Colin [Kaepernick] is at the highest level, where he can auto-correct,’ Harbaugh said of his fourth-year quarterback at training camp this week. ‘You know, like auto-correcting in texting or whatever. Even if a coach makes a mistake, it’s wrong in the script, the play is called into him wrong, he just auto-corrects it and doesn’t ask, ‘Hey, is that right or wrong?'”

  The 49ers seem to be depending upon former Bears wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to do big things this year:

  “‘He does this thing in meetings that I have not seen before,’ [Harbaugh] said. ‘He’ll be sitting in his chair watching the tape and go through his route. And all of a sudden here comes a swim move [pantomiming the move], or a slap of the arm. And then sometimes he’ll stand up and, you know, it’s a jab step.

  “‘Talk about full speed mentally and 100% engaged in the meeting. I mean, I’ve never seen a guy at any level go through a meeting like that. It just makes me giggle and giddy to watch him do it. Wish I had seen that earlier in my career and could have adopted that into my meeting game. It’s awesome.'”

• As this video from Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com implies, most people think the contract that offensive tackle Tyron Smith signed yesterday with the Cowboys is a horrible deal. It’s 10 years with relatively little money guaranteed. That’s OK if all it affects is Smith but the contract is so egregiously bad that the NFLPA and most of the agents are angry and they fear that the will affect negotiations for other players.

One Final Thought

The NFL is implementing what amounts to a GPS system (though that’s not precisely what it is) for players on the field in 15 stadiums this year. The system provides positioning data to broadcasters and, eventually, coaches. I’m having a hard time getting excited about this but we’ll see where it goes. Via Ellen Jean Hirst at the Tribune.

Bears

• Rich Campbell at the Chicago Tribunenotes a few observations from Hall of Fame reciever Michael Irvin:
  

  “Irvin pointed out how Marshall uses his size and speed to separate on horizontal routes. At 6-foot-5, Marshall is imposing. So when Marshall bears down (pun intended!) on a cornerback at the top of his route, a cornerback has to respect Marshall’s physical presence, sometimes by backing off. That often helps Marshall create space coming out of his break.

  “He lauded [Alshon] Jeffery’s fluidity and spatial awareness after Jeffery caught a deep pass from quarterback Jay Cutler near the right sideline at the end of practice. From a wide split, Jeffery drove his route up the field, pushing rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller inside. That created space for Cutler to target his pass toward the sideline. Cutler exploited the space with an accurate throw that Jeffery ran underneath and caught. Irvin appreciated how Jeffery created the space for himself with his route direction and then smoothly got back to the outside.

  “After practice, Fuller said he must be more aware of the space between him and sideline and narrow that to limit Cutler’s margin for error and Jeffery’s range to catch the ball. Such lessons are part of his daily development at this point.”

• I found this statement from Irvin via Patrick Finley at the Chicago Sun-Times to be easy to believe:
  

  “Irvin joked there was one thing Marshall and the Bears’ receivers do better than he did: block. He praised the Bears’ receivers ‘fervor’ for blocking.

  “‘I’ve always found that part difficult,’ Irvin said. ‘It was nowhere in my contract that (owner) Jerry (Jones) was willing to give me any incentives for blocking.'”

• Campbell continues with this observaion of rookie quarterback David Fales:
  

  “When he was pressured during team drills, he climbed the pocket to extend the play. He kept both hands on the ball — a technique coach Marc Trestman and quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh want their quarterbacks to prioritize in the pocket — and maintained a sound, athletic base. That enabled him to keep his eyes downfield and complete a pass to Chris Williams over the middle.

  “On a similar play earlier in camp, Fales’ legs were too close together as he shuffled forward. That resulted in him being too upright. He had to quickly reset into a throwing position, but the awkwardness resulted in an errant pass.”

  It wouldn’t be right to do it or I would have quoted most of this article for the blog. It’s recommended reading.

• Fred Mitchell and Campbell note that Danny McCray took the first team reps in place of rookie Brock Vereen at safety yesterday. Adam L. Jahns at the Chicago Sun-Times elaborates:
  

  “With only 10 career starts, McCray was considered just a special-teams addition. But the Bears have lived up to their promise that the competition would be wide open.

  “‘Everyone has an equal chance,’ McCray said.

  “‘Danny has worked to an extent that he gets a chance to get some work there,’ [head coach Marc] Trestman said.

  “‘We just wanted to see how Brock handles the situation. And how does Danny handle moving up? It all goes into the gathering of information to make decisions at the end.'”

• Though offensive guard Kyle Long has been cleared to play by doctors, Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the two days of noncontact work before he actually practices in pads Saturday night is required by the collective bargaining agreement.
• Potash also says that “Will Sutton continues to look like the rookie DT who will make the most impact this season. But it’s early.” I would say that Sutton is more likey to appear to make the most impact. The position of nose guard isn’t very glamourous, especially if Ego Ferguson‘s primary responsibility will be to keep the offensive lineman off of the linebackers. But its probably going to be darned important.
• Kevin Fishbain at chicagofootball.com makes an interesting point I didn’t find elsewhere:
  

  “Linebackers coach Reggie Herring and defensive backs coach Jon Hoke worked with the offense — Herring with the tight ends and running backs and Hoke with wide receivers — in a ball security drill. Marc Trestman is very vocal about ballcarriers putting the ball away. Herring and Hoke can offer pointers from the perspective of having coached defensive players on stripping the ball.”

• Another interesting observation from Fishbain:
  

  “Trestman praised second-team left tackle James Brown for his block out in front of a run play.”

  It’s the first mention of Brown, whose roster position I think is in serious jeopardy, that I’ve found since camp began.

  Another name I haven’t heard much is “Isaiah Frey” as Fishbain states that “Kelvin Hayden played first-team nickel with Tim Jennings limited”.

• You people need to settle down. From csnchicago.com:
  

  “According to the online sports book Bovada, 95 percent of the money wagered on the Bears’ upcoming season has Chicago favored to win more than 8.5 games, meaning only five percent of the public is betting they won’t have a winning record after going 8-8 last season.”

• Shame on Tony Andracki at csnchicago.com (or whatever editor is responsible for the assignment) for drumming up this non-story so early in the year.
• Michael C. Wright at ESPN.com makes an interesting observation:
  

  “Trestman spent several minutes after practice working with backup quarterbacks Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen, putting the duo through rope-ladder drills. Holding the ball, the quarterbacks simulated their drops through the ladder. It appears the coach is working to improve the quarterbacks’ footwork.”

  Not to be too critical but I would have liked to have heard that Cutler was doing it with them.

• More hand wringing over the linebacking corp on Sports Talk Live:
  

One Final Thought

I love the fact that the Bears managed to get not just one but two sponsors for Saturday night’s practice by calling it the “Meijer Family Fest presented by Chase”.

Bears

• Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times quotes linebackers coach Reggie Herring on Jon Bostic:
  

  “Right now, his ability to play any position and be effective — to me, he’s more valuable than any guy I got. He’s the only guy right now that I feel comfortable that can line up at every position and know what to do and be effective.”

  I also thought this nugget from Potash was interesting:

  “One particularly intriguing Herring project is Christian Jones, an undrafted rookie from Florida State who signed with the Bears in part because of Herring, who played linebacker with Jones’ father, Willie Jones Sr., at Florida State in 1978.

  “‘He has a great body you want to develop,’ Herring said of the 6-3, 240-pound Jones. ‘He’s a great kid. We’re excited about him being here. He’s raw. There is a process. But we are very pleased with where he is.’”

  Given the log jam at linebacker, Jones is starting to sound like a practice squad candidate. But that’s assuming the Bears believe that no one will try to put him on their roster if they release him.

• Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune quotes linebacker Lance Briggs:
  

  “You know what? I really enjoy watching my teammates make plays. I always have been that way. That’s just the way I am. A lot of guys are, ‘I want to make the play,’ but I genuinely get excited to watch my teammates make plays.”

• Also from Biggs, it was nice to read an uncharacteristically positive quote from former middle linebacker Brian Urlacher:
  

  “‘I am sure another year under the staff (has [Briggs] more comfortable) and I am sure he knows what they could possibly have there,’ Urlacher said. ‘They could be really good this year.'”

• Dan Wiederer at the Chicago Tribune quotes defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni on the two rookies, Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton:

“‘I hope they’re leaning on each other,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Because this is too hard to try to do all by yourself. I hope they’re leaning on each other and I hope they’re leaning on the older guys as well.'”

• The guys at chicagofootball.com review the action from Monday (they had yesterday off). The thoughts of Kevin Fishbain on the defensive line were interesting. The unit will be critical to the Bears success. He’s particularly impressed with Trevor Scott, calling him the Bears fourth best defensive end. I’m not too surprised. We’ll see if it translates into performances in the preseason games.

• More love for Jimmy Clausen from John Mullin at csnchicago.com the Sports Talk Live guests (below):

• Shame on you all for not Tweeting enough.

Elsewhere

• People in Buffalo aren’t too thrilled with Bon Jovi‘s bid to buy the team. He’s being backed by a group from Toronto and many if not most fans believe that’s where the team will eventually head if his group wins the bid to buy the team. From Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com:
  

  “‘It’s the Buffalo Bills, and they will do everything they can to make that work there,’ consultant to the Toronto group recently told the Buffalo News.

  “Which doesn’t make it any better.

  “‘They will do everything they can to make that work there’ possibly means, ‘They’ll dog paddle in Buffalo, saying all the right until the lease allows them to load up the Mayflowers and declare, ‘Well, we did everything possible to make it work there. Bye.'”

• Darin Gantt, also at profootballtalk.com, on the Browns’ quarterback competition:
  

  “The Browns are pretty clearly trying to send a message to Johnny Manziel to settle down and get to work.

  “But sometimes in sending that message, they might be going overboard the other direction.

  “Browns left tackle Joe Thomas was praising Manziel’s competition for the starting job, saying Brian Hoyer was ‘a lot like Tom Brady.’

  “Well, they both play football, they both wear silly hats, and they both have three Super Bowl rings. OK, so they both play football.”

One Final Thought

Steve Rosenbloom at the Chicago Tribune on the Bears need to be a tougher team this year:

“I believe [Lamarr] Houston is a particularly sensitive case when it comes to discipline. Houston and Willie Young, another new defensive lineman. They came from perhaps the two dumbest organizations in the NFL — the Raiders and Lions, respectively — so it’s likely neither has learned what tough really is. The Raiders act like they earn bonuses for stupid play, while the Lions under Jim Schwartz were unanimous winners in the Village Idiots race.

“But guess what: It’s a lot tougher to display discipline than lash out with fists. So the Bears fights or scuffles or skirmishes fail the tough-guy test.”

Bears

• Hub Arkush at chicagofootball.com never makes half-hearted statements:
  

  “Fans and some media who keep suggesting if the defense can just be a little better, maybe just average, that it makes the Bears a contender are nuts.

  “Average defenses don’t win Super Bowls, or even get the chance to lose one.”

• Arkush seems to be very concerned about the situation at linebacker and is extremely tough on Shea McClellin:
  

  “James Anderson was the Bears best linebacker last year and he wasn’t even invited back because the Bears refuse to quit on Emery’s first, first-round draft choice, McClellin, and they believe last year’s number two, Jon Bostic can play as well.

  “There is no longer any denying McClellin can’t play with a hand on the ground in the NFL so he’s been given the starting strongside linebacker spot. Allegedly there’s a competition for the spot with Bostic, but it’s clear it’s McClellin’s to lose.”

  “At Saturday’s practice McClellin looked uncomfortable and awkward. The reality may be that while he did have exceptional athletic skills for the defensive end spot – he just didn’t have the strength, power or instincts – at linebacker his athleticism is just average if that.”

  “The best linebacker on the field Saturday was actually 2013 fourth-round pick, Khaseem Greene. Like Bostic he appears much more fluid and instinctive this year and parlayed that into an interception of Jordan Palmer he returned for a touchdown.”

  Well, I don’t know about Anderson being the Bears best linebacker last year but I have no trouble believing that McClellin is struggling. He’s not going to stand out as an athletic linebacker at this point where speed is going to be much more likely to be apparent with little or no contact. Let’s hope that McClellin can show off more strength when the pads go on. Its early yet and McClellin isn’t likely to look very instinctive next to linebackers who have a year or more of experience under their belts.

  Still, like Arkush, I’m worried that McClellin’s draft status is causing him to be handed a position that he doesn’t deserve (at least not yet). This wouldn’t be a good sign on an organizational level where such things need to be avoided. Also like Arkush, I’m starting to wonder if all of those fans and media who thought that McClellin should have been trained to be Brian Urlacher‘s replacement when he was drafted weren’t right all along. Physically, at least, he certainly appears to be better suited to the middle linebacker spot. Like Urlacher, who started off as a strong-side linebacker, I’m not at all sure the Bears have gotten McClellin’s situation right, yet.

• Dan Wiederer at the Chicago Tribune quotes new Bears defensive end Jared Allen on the possibility that he was going to retire if he didn’t find the right fit in free agency:
  

  “‘That wasn’t an empty threat,’ Allen says. ‘It’s a weird thing. As much as I love the game and still want to play, football is what I do but not who I am by any means. I love my family. I have other interests. So above all else, I wanted to believe in what I was playing for.

  “‘I’m not going to play football if I’m not happy going to work. So for me it was finding a spot where a) I have a chance to win; and b) I believe in everything they’re selling.'”

  “‘My last few years in Minnesota, there were guys who weren’t bought in. There were times when I wasn’t bought in. I was telling guys, ‘Listen, I’m not 100 percent into this.’ And you have to dig deep to convince yourself to get back on board.'”

• Rich Campbell at the Chicago Tribune on wide receiver Ashon Jeffery‘s performance:
  

  “The long catch (over cornerback Kyle Fuller) highlighted the good day Jeffery had catching the ball. His sure hands are nothing new, but he showed them off several times Saturday. His best catch occurred about 15 yards down field coming back to the ball with cornerback Charles Tillman on his back.

  “Jeffery’s strong, reliable hands have become an important part of the Bears’ passing success, particularly because Cutler likes to throw with trust in his receivers.”

  “Jeffery said he trains to strengthen his grip by churning quantities of dried rice.”

• Patrick Finley and Gavin Crowellat the Chicago Sun-Times on the second skirmish in as many practices at Bears camp:
  

  “Offensive tackle Jordan Mills called his skirmish with defensive end Lamarr Houston — their second since organized team activities — ‘nothing but competition.’”

  “Defensive end Willie Young’s helmet came off during the skirmish, and he didn’t play the rest of practice. Trestman said Young had a sore quad.”

  Its funny that Young’s “sore quad” became an issue right after the dust up. Let’s hope head coach Marc Trestman didn’t have Young on his mind when he called these fights a “safety issue”.

• Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times has a timely reminder for overly some optimistic fans:
  

  “Interceptions in training-camp practices without pads are fool’s gold more often than not.”

• Kevin Fishbain at chicagofootball.com notes that wide receiver Terrence Tolliver had two drops yesterday. Not a good sign.
• Some might enjoy this talk by Trestman to the Illinios football team. The video is dated April, 2014:
• I thought this video was funny. I’m more than a little afraid of what that ways about me.

Elsewhere

• Wide receiver Stephen Hill is under the gun in New York and head coach Rex Ryan hasn’t been all that helpful. Most organizations pull together behind a draft pick no matter how people felt behind the scenes. But that’s apparently not Ryan’s style. Via Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com:
  

  “‘Well, nothing told me he would [contribute],’ Ryan said in 2012 to Don Banks at SI.com]. ‘Nothing. When I saw the tape [of his collegiate play] I was concerned. But Mike Tannenbaum and [senior personnel executive] Terry Bradway and all our scouts were adamant about this guy. They were adamant that this guy can do it. He can run all these routes, he had good hands and he’s got 4.2 speed at 6-foot-5. He was the guy they all wanted, but honestly, when it came down to it, a wideout? Not my dream pick. But now that we have him, of course, I want to claim him: ‘Oh, that was my pick.’ But it really wasn’t.'”

• Ron Jaworski when asked whether he would take Nick Foles or Russell Wilson. From Florio:
  

  “‘I’m taking Foles,’ Jaworski said. ‘Not even close. Russell Wilson is just… because of that system he is in. Russell Wilson plays with that defense, the best in football. He just managed the game very well. I think Russell Wilson has played terrific, a great maturity, but I’m going to take Nick Foles.’

  “While Jaworski is entitled to his opinions (and ESPN is entitled to milk three days or programming out of each of them), this one seems a little kooky.”

  I’m inclined to agree with Jaworski, here. Though I must say that you could also argue that Foles is as much of a system quarterback as Wilson.

• I would agree with Florio in that the surveilance video of this incident might be even more interesting than that of Ray Rice.
• Ben Goessling at ESPN.com has this significant bit of information from Vikings camp yesterday:
  

  “Nearly a third of the Vikings’ 24 completions in team drills went to running backs, and they put a particular emphasis on setting up screens for Adrian Peterson…. [Head coach Mike Zimmer said,] ‘Once he gets the ball in his hands, if it’s in the open field, it’s bad news.'”

  Agreed. Peterson has been totally under-utylized in this regard in the past. The change is undoubtedly a result of the thinking of new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, someone who knows how to use a running back. This isn’t good news for the NFC North.

• A couple of other interesting points from Goessling:
  

  “For the second day in a row, the Vikings used a nickel package with three safeties, and Zimmer said he also has a three-corner, one-safety base look that he’ll unveil at some point.”

  “It seems like Norv Turner’s offense will employ pulling guards more often than Bill Musgrave’s scheme did; the Vikings had rookie David Yankey pulling on a number of plays. There will still be some zone blocking, but it doesn’t seem like the Vikings will be as married to that style of offensive line play as they were with Musgrave.”

• Here’s another one for the “people are idiots” file:
  

  “[Titans’ rookie quarterback Zack] Mettenberger was sucker-punched last weekend by an Alabama fan while at a bar with fellow rookie Taylor Lewan. A man came up to him and said, ‘Roll Tide.’

  “The former LSU quarterback, says he answered ‘Good luck with that’ before being slugged. The man ran out of the bar before being chased down. A police report also was not filed.”

One Final Thought
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll and wide receiver  Doug Baldwin aren’t on the same page when it comes to running back Marshawn Lynch‘s holdout. From Michael David Smith, also a profootballtalk.com:

“Carroll says Lynch needs to get to camp because Lynch signed a contract and needs to honor it. But shortly after Carroll made those comments, Baldwin took to Twitter and said he hates hearing from NFL teams about how players have to honor their contracts, because teams routinely cut players who have years left on their contracts.

“‘I hate the ‘but you signed the contract’ argument,’ Baldwin wrote. ‘Players can’t say that s–t when organizations cut them.’”

And I can’t stand it when players try to make Baldwin’s argument. You don’t like the terms of the contract? Don’t sign it. Otherwise be a man of honor and live up to its terms.

No one owes you a pro football career. If you don’t like the threat of being cut at any time you can try blogging for a living.

• New Chicago Bear Kaseem Green held a draft party on Friday Night.  Just one problem.  He wasn’t picked until Saturday.

They never learn.

Via Mike Vorkunov at The Star-Ledger.

• Cornelius Washington was ESPN analyst Mel Kiper‘s best available player.  The problem is that he had held that title for hours instead of minutes by the time the Bears finally took him in the sixth round.  Via Wayne Staats at The Augusta Chronicle.
• Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is apparently celebrating the addition of the offensive help from the draft in style:

As tweeted by Kristin Cavallari.