Hi gang. Just checking in. I have a few thoughts on the final throes of this GM search. I see there is some concern about Phil Emery being too easy of a choice, because he was here before, and that perhaps it implies there won’t be much change. The other area of concern is with Lovie Smith being involved in the GM search.

I am holding out hope for something good in this hire. What if Emery, through his experience in Atlanta and KC’s organizations has seen enough of how “modern” clubs are run, and now, with the power to bring his own visions to reality can truly bring the best talent and structure to the Bears? He would have the ability to make things right, and know enough about what works and doesn’t work to bring that vision back to the Bears and correct the flaws he had seen when he was actually down in their own trenches. Who better to empower to do such a thing? He would be a man who could see the big picture yet already knows what is happening at the front line.

Regarding the retention of Lovie Smith, I think you really had to keep him. You look at his overall coaching record, and then keep in mind how poorly the previous GM had helped him talent-wise. Lovie did more with less. I can think of quite a few times where the Bears pleasantly surprised me and beat some pretty good teams that I thought had more talent than they had.

The other notion to keep in mind is ownership. Pro Football Weekly’s Hub Arkush was on local radio saying that it was clear that Ted Phillips, Jerry Angelo, and Lovie Smith are no longer tied together. This firing of Angelo was handed down by George McCaskey. Make no mistake; Lovie and Ted are on the hot seat if they continue to falter. It also explains why even with Angelo whacked, they needed to keep Ruskell around at least another year. They needed to prepare for this draft, and the entire organization that scouts talent needed to still be doing their jobs, to see it through free agency and the draft. The ripples are starting now, but keep in mind they couldn’t yank the entire carpet out and be completely pantsed…as much as most of us kinda had hoped for that, it’s a bit of a myopic view.

So, Lovie got to interview the GM candidates. I agree there is a bit of a fox-henhouse thing with that. But remember, Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith had to be on the same page to get the right personnel for the scheme, the present roster, and the future. This is natural. Further, when you think of the guys who ran the interview process and realize they’re more businessmen than football people, I think you NEEDED Lovie to be involved to ensure someone can cover a lot of that material. If anyone should feel uncomfortable in this scenario, it should be Lovie Smith. So, how would you like to interview the guy that will be able to fire you, albeit a year from now?

So Phil Emery cannot fire Lovie for a year. So what? Lovie deserves/has earned another year. I’m saying this and will admit I’m clearly not his biggest fan. His in game management has often been a problem. But as I mentioned before, he’s prepared the team extremely well and often has surprised me when I thought the Bears were going to get beat. You have to think about how they managed to get to the playoffs with Kyle Orton as the QB most of the year. So much could have gone wrong but didn’t. They went to the NFC Championship last year, and eventually lost to one of the hottest teams we’ve seen in ages. This year they came right back and went 7-3 outta the gates, but the season goes in the toilet with Cutler and Forte out. It’s not Lovie’s fault that Caleb stunk. It is plenty Mike Martz’s and it sure was Jerry Angelo’s. So they need to be ushered out, and they are. Yeah, he gets another year. And anyone with eyes could see that the offensive line was not all that good, but did enough things to make you see that Mike Tice belongs as an integral part of the coaching mix. They elevated him as well they should have. These were the right decisions to make.

Back to Emery for a moment. Phil Emery has a background that includes a stint at the Naval Academy where he was such a taskmaster as their director of strength and conditioning that he was nicknamed “Satan.” He has taken that work ethic with him to scouting, where his reputation for being thorough and tireless was unquestioned. Emery ultimately won out over Marc Ross, Jason Licht (also a finalist), Jimmy Raye and Tim Ruskell.

I have no predisposition for this guy, but have indeed liked everything I’ve read and heard about him. I plan to scrutinize his every move just as much as the previous GM. All of that said, let’s give him a chance. We can be fair as Bear fans. That’s not asking a lot. Just don’t ask us to be too patient.

First of all, it’s good to be back. Really, it is. It’s good to be writing about Bears football. And holy smokes it’s great to HAVE a football season. A lot of wheels have been turning at the same time since the NFL opened its doors again to training camp and free agency. I want to focus on the Greg Olsen trade, because there’s something going on here and my knack for the obvious is something I like to share.

Clark is back. Hey, wait a minute (AP Photo).

Anybody remember the last preseason? It seems like it was more than just a year ago. Local scribe Mike Mulligan was chided by some because of an article he put forth about Greg Olsen. It said that upon Mike Martz becoming the Offensive Coordinator, Olsen sought a trade. Martz’s view of tight ends in his offense is less about pass catching and more about being an offensive tackle’s side car. So Olsen pooh-poohed Mulligan’s column in The Sun-Times, and Martz went on to do all he could to work Olsen into the offense. Quite honestly, Olsen’s numbers (41-404, 5 TD) weren’t that bad, but clearly not much was thrown to the tight end in the offense last year, beyond what Olsen had. The other 3 tight ends combined to only add 7 more receptions for the position. I’m not going to look up the total receptions for tight ends on each team around the league, but would imagine that this total has to be near the dregs circling the drain.

So…where am I going with this? In the whirlwind that has taken place since the league opened for business, Olsen was traded to Ron Rivera’s Carolina Panthers for a third round pick. Oh, and now Desmond Clark was just brought back. Desmond Clark? The guy who spent much of last year on the inactive list? Yeah, that Desmond Clark. The guy who had 40 or more receptions in 3 of the previous 4 seasons as a Bear. Desmond Clark, who blocks better than Olsen and is a better all-around tight end than Kellen Davis. Comparing Clark to that other tight end, the fat guy who’s initials are appropriately B.M. is a joke.

Back to Martz and Angelo. Jerry Angelo told us point blank in his interview this week that Olsen approached him last offseason for a trade, but that it was too late in the preseason to make it happen and get value. He credited Olsen for taking the high road and playing well all season. That’s nice. So, if there were less than 50 receptions to go around to your tight ends, and you knew that you’ve got a player that wants to go…would you want to keep a player that wants to be elsewhere? Faced with all of that, and knowing there was only one legitimate player who could have taken receptions away from Olsen, doesn’t it only make sense to ensure Olsen gets as many of those passes as possible to put up numbers to give him the greatest value?

So I am to believe that Kellen Davis and Brandon Manumaleuna should have been on the field ahead of Desmond Clark for some other reason, like special teams play? I just look back on this and go “hmm….” Welcome back, Desmond Clark. This team needs you.

The cuts are official. Before the season starts, I need to first eat a plate of crow. I made it clear here in my blog that I felt Josh Beekman deserved to be a starting guard until he lost that job. I also felt Lance Louis was too much of a project, having gone from college tight end to professional tackle and now to starting guard in a very short space of time. The games that count haven’t yet started, but it’s clear I was wrong. Beekman’s release put a nice bow on it. Some of what I have to say here is also about how neglected the Bears’ line has been in terms of Jerry Angelo’s drafting priorities.

End of the road in Chicago for Josh Beekman (Michael Nudo photo)

There are football lessons and clichés that swim around in my head all the time. One of them says that no matter how good you think a certain player is, if he’s a wide receiver, “they’re a dime a dozen.” Well, with few exceptions, I think that’s true. You look at all the different wide receivers some of the great QBs have had. One of the other ones says that closer to the ball you line up, the more important that position is. Oh, and I don’t care for the recent notion by some that guard is the easiest position to just throw a failed tackle at. Omiyale wasn’t even a failed tackle yet, and, well, last year he showed he was a failed guard. For all our sakes, let’s hope he doesn’t also prove out to be a failed tackle.

Guard requires a much different combination of quickness and sheer physical strength to deal with the mauling defensive tackles of this league. Based on the defensive front, there are many times he’ll be uncovered and will need to help a fellow lineman in pass protection while also having the awareness to be able to see a blitz coming and peel off. It also means being quick enough to reach a linebacker, and to get out of your stance and not only pull, but to be able to gather yourself to actually hit someone. Usually you’re trying to do that at top speed, as you’re rounding the corner or up into the hole. It’s akin to making an open-field tackle on a scat back, except you’re doing this not as a svelte 215 pound defensive back but as a lumbering 315 pound rhinoceros of a man zeroing in on a slippery gazelle.

Jerry Angelo’s tendency to relegate picking linemen very late in the draft is disheartening. That guy so many of us sorta liked from a few training camps ago, Kirk Barton…I think I read the other day that he retired already, LOL. Third-round selections Jarron Gilbert and Juaquin Iglesias were recently cut. Gilbert, the guy who jumps out of pools, had his most shining moment in that video and not on the field. Doesn’t that say something? There were quite a few offensive linemen the Bears passed on to make those picks. Many of them have already become starters and solid contributors to their teams.

I will give credit on the Lance Louis pick. Going into this preseason, I was shocked it wouldn’t be Beekman as a starter until proven otherwise, and Louis, the converted tight end, would continue to have a tough row to hoe. Josh Beekman was surprisingly competent at guard, even though he was being groomed to take over center, once Olin Kreutz decided he’d had enough. But Beekman was RAG DOLLED throughout the preseason. I’m actually GLAD he was let go. It’s inexplicable how bad he looked. He was consistently being blown three steps off the ball.

Lance Louis, who I had no FAITH in, well, he’s been the most happy and pleasant surprise I’ve seen this preseason. I watch him. He makes you forget he was a tight end. He plays with a mean streak wider than anybody on the Bears’ line. I wish Chris Williams had half of this guy’s aggressiveness. I really like the way he pass protects, too. I’m sure he’s going to make some mistakes, but another old football cliché sticks out for me too, which is to say that you’d rather see someone playing with “reckless abandon” and allowing a few mental errors as long as they’re doing so with that reckless abandon. Don’t lose that aggression, Lance. You’re Jerry’s saving grace for now.

By
Michael Nudo

Made #3 look like Dan Marino last night (AP Photo/Jim Prisching).

Yesterday, I previewed the game with a string of questions that I felt would be a key to defining our expectations for the season. Well, last night we saw the smoking gun of evidence that points directly to the fallen body of a 5 and 11 season.

I’ll keep this short and quick, firing the bullets off in rapid fire.

Does Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz know you’re allowed to run the ball? Do they plan to practice this at all? This was not a balanced attack at all. Other than the draw, are they planning to have some running plays in a live scrimmage?

The pass protection was actually better than the number of sacks indicated. One of the sacks was due to the ball being held too long. Another was because Cutler stumbled. The third, well, let’s chalk that up to the line being bad. That’s right, I’m not defending them, I just gotta tell you what is and isn’t happening. Frank Omiyale has found a new penalty (holding, 2 of ‘em) that he likes more than the false start.

I remember Chris Harris’ first run as a Bear. He still tackles too high. Chris Harris had an isolated play where he came up to fill the hole against the running back and just flat out missed. He’s a safety. There’s a reason why the position is called “safety.” You’re supposed to be the surest tackling position on the field. I think not.

Arizona was playing without Larry Fitzgerald, and their quarterbacks had combined for a putrid preseason. And yet their passing offense looked stellar versus our number ones, who played like a pile of number two. What’s Aaron Rodgers, Driver and Jennings going to do against them?

The bulk of investment by the Bears in both free agency and draft picks lives on the defense. It’s up to the coaches to get them to perform, and put together schemes that stop opposing offenses. For this moribund Cardinals team to throw the ball up and down the field against the Bears’ defense, well, it’s too much like what we’ve seen here every season since Ron Rivera was asked not to return. It’s time to stop blaming the players and start looking at the coach. They don’t know how to run an effective blitz package that locks up the receivers long enough to allow the rush to get to the quarterback. Week after week, year after year, it’s like watching a 7 on 7 drill when the Bears are on defense. The football rarely touches the ground. How much more can YOU take?

Dez Clark is your H-Back/Fullback. Are you kidding me? Really? This reminds me of Gary Crowton using Casey Weigman at fullback. This is a JOKE. The offensive genius is purely offensive. We have another coordinator who seems to think that NFL stands for No Fullback League.

Sorry, but Jay Cutler was grossly inaccurate. His two picks were UNFORCED. Just bad passes. He also had a pass in the left flat where he got the completion but it was so low the receiver could do nothing with it after he caught it. Let’s stop making excuses for the guy and call it like we see it.

On offense, I’m expecting some growing pains. But how do you NOT TRY TO SCORE at the END OF THE HALF? Well, that sent a message to me. It sounded like the Soldier Field fans got the message as well. I’m glad they shared their opinion with Lovie as they slinked back to the locker room at the half.

Preseason Game 3 Preview

By
Michael Nudo

Time to show what they have learned.

The third preseason game is looked to with importance for several reasons. This will be a telling test for not just the players, but also the coaches. The starters will see their most extended action, playing into the second half. The offense will be a main focus under a new scheme and with a retooled offensive line. This game also carries importance from the coaching standpoint. Some semblance of game plan will be in place. In-game adjustments can be made.

Left tackle Chris Williams’ performance last week was nothing short of a disaster. First, Williams needs to look better in both pass protection and run blocking. Beyond that, Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz needs to make the necessary adjustments to ensure Jay Cutler can remain upright and uninjured throughout the regular season. Will we see the backs and tight ends offer help on occasion to ensure there are no breakdowns?

Before Williams became a question, there were serious concerns about a revamped offensive line. Is Martz smart enough to keep the defense off Cutler? Will he give the ball to Forte and Taylor so the defense cannot sell out to rush the passer? Can three-step drops be used to get the ball out before the rush arrives? Will we see enough of the inexperienced right side of the line (Lance Louis, Frank Omiyale) to feel good about either their run or pass blocking?

Everyone has raved about Tommie Harris’ strong camp. This would be a good time to show something outside of practice. How will strong side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa perform in extended duty? Can he stay healthy? Brian Urlacher is out for the game. How well can they perform without their leader?

The boogeyman position of safety remains a huge question. Is Chris Harris going to revert back to the strong side? Have they seen enough of Major Wright to anoint him a starter at free safety? What will Craig Steltz’s strong camp result in? Can Danieal Manning be counted on to play one position, and play it well? We don’t expect to see Wright in action. Will somebody step up? Is anybody left that hasn’t gotten injured? It’s almost as if former Bear Mike Brown’s well-catalogued injury bug has been passed down those who have followed him.

Against Arizona, they’ll be facing a very troubled passing attack. Quarterback Matt Leinert has been benched in favor of Derek Anderson. Stud wideout Larry Fitzgerald (knee) isn’t expected to play. The Bears really need to show some results, with style points. If they find a way to somehow make either of the Cardinals passers look good, Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli should be strung up by their cover-twos.

By
Michael Nudo

Controlled Violence

I’ve been to Bears training camps since they were up in Platteville. I saw some things on Wednesday that I haven’t seen in any of the years I’ve been there. Offensive Line Coach Mike Tice inherits a line that a year ago was poor in pass protection for Jay Cutler and provided few holes for Matt Forte. Tice has been asked to make something out of a group that doesn’t exactly overflow with top-notch talent. Further, a new offensive playbook is being installed.

They’re looking at young guards Lance Louis and Johan Asiata quite a bit. Louis, a college tight end, was a tackle last year. Veteran Roberto Garza has been moved to left guard from right. Chris Williams enters his first camp as a starting left tackle. Williams was never known to be a great run blocker. Olin Kreutz is coming off surgery. Right tackle Frank Omiyale has little experience as a starter. He played out of position last season at left guard. How will Tice mold this unit into the foundation of Mike Martz’s offense? Well, practice would be a start.

What I saw was encouraging. Tice had the line using dummies. Full length and body shields. They were practicing combination/cross blocks. Linemen were firing out and taking angles to reach second-level pad carriers. They practiced trap blocking. They pulled around the corner of the line to look upfield and hit a defender on the run.

As a lineman, it doesn’t count if you just get there. You have to get there and hit somebody. That sounds easy, but it’s not. These guys have to get used to moving through traffic and hitting a moving target that’s usually going to be smaller and faster than them. They must get good position in terms of being between the ball and the defender, keep their balance, and get a body on a charging linebacker or a slippery defensive back.

Tice is doing this all within the scheme of the offense. He’s walking them through the play and the defensive look. Patiently. And then he’s setting up the dummies and instructing them on where to go. He shows them who goes first. He tells them who goes second. Footwork is critical. But they’re firing off the ball now. No bucket steps. They’re moving forward. Violently. Previous Bear offensive lines looked like they were trying to catch the defender. Not now.

While the special teams units were on the main field, the individual position groups flanked the sidelines. All those other groups were having a good old time watching the punt and field goal teams work. None of them were doing much of anything. Except the offensive line. Tice was conducting his own walkthrough on the side. These guys were working the whole time. And they were having fun. Tice is as big as any of them. They look up to his leadership. They follow his lead. He’s one of them and he knows his craft. He’s working them, and he’s building a bond. A clear, palpable bond. We have something to look forward to here.

OTHER NUGGETS:
Remember early last year, when Jay Cutler made a statement about Devin Hester not being someone you throw a jump ball to, but someone who will run under a bomb? I saw Hester make two excellent leaping catches. He is making progress.

Tight end Richard Angulo is on this roster to be a blocker. Wednesday’s passing drills were clear evidence of the reason why he’s NOT here. He had two big drops, one of them resulting in an interception.

Defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, now sporting jersey #93 looks like he’s in great shape. Let’s see if it translates onto the football field. He’s been pretty quiet up to now. He needs to show up big this preseason.

There have been lots of passes to tight end Greg Olsen. I’m not going to be as rose-colored in my outlook here. It seems the tight end is featured every training camp here going back to Greg Latta. I’ll believe it when I see it on the field.

By
Michael Nudo

Should Frank Omiyale be starting at right tackle? (AP photo, Paul Sancya)

OFFENSE

Right Tackle:

Frank Omiyale (6’4”, 315) is running with the first team in training camp. He was handed the starting left guard position last year, and was a disappointing fish out of water. Omiyale is a natural tackle, although he’s really proven very little as a professional. Prior to joining the Bears, he only had one start (this was at tackle) as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Should we feel confident in him being able to get the job done, especially in pass protection, with so little experience? Should he be the guy at the top of the depth chart where it’s his job to lose?

Kevin Shaffer (6’5”, 318) is an accomplished veteran, entering his 9th NFL season. Prior to joining the Bears, he had started 15 or more games for 5 consecutive years. Shaffer started the final 5 games last year and more than held his own. He’s currently being painted as a swing tackle, capable of playing either side, and maybe even a little bit of guard in a pinch. Swing tackle is a valuable position. In this case, however, it is a waste. The best players should start. And he’s not a guard. He should be the starting right tackle, until someone shows they can outplay him. Frank Omiyale has not earned the starting job at right tackle. There is no body of evidence to back Omiyale’s status as a starter. He has proven nothing.

I have a very serious concern that Frank Omiyale might be the second coming of Qasim Mitchell. Am I the only guy who remembers hearing about how Mitchell had a “great punch” coming off the line, only to show he could not be counted on to be even a consistent player? Right tackle in Mike Martz’s offense is not too different from left tackle. The pass protection responsibilities will be immense. Who would you trust with your quarterback’s protection, the guy with one career start at offensive tackle or the guy with 91? It looks like the decision may already have been made. This is ridiculous. They’re doomed to make the same mistake with Omiyale as they did a year ago. It’s only a little better in that Omiyale is a natural tackle. He needs to earn it. Shaffer has earned it.

By Michael Nudo

How is this guy not starting? (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

OFFENSE

Wide Receiver:

They’re telling us the starters today are Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. Knox has amazing receiving skills and blazing speed. Hester can turn any missed tackle into six points. Mike Martz’s system is dependent upon receivers being where they need to be and at the right time. Quarterback and receiver need to make the same reads when seeing the same alignments and adjustments. This is a relationship built on trust. If you were going to ask me who fits that mold best for the Bears, I’d say your starting receivers would be Earl Bennett and Devin Aromashodu.

Earl Bennett was the Bears’ most consistent wide receiver last year. He doesn’t have great speed. He just runs excellent routes and catches just about everything. Further, he has a great knack for making the first guy miss after he makes a catch. Also in his favor is the relationship with Cutler from their days in college. Aromashodu was the Bears’ best receiver during the final month of the season. This came after Cutler’s campaigning for him to see the field ever since training camp. Yeah, I’m pretty sure Jay trusts Aromashodu. Am I making too much of this? Martz’s offense should have enough 3 and 4 wide sets to keep everyone involved. DA and Bennett should see plenty of action, and perhaps there will even be a time for Joaquin Iglesias to see some action.

I don’t have so much of a problem with Knox being anointed as one of the starters. The point here is simple. Although Devin Hester has great speed and decent hands, there hasn’t always been a great level of confidence in his ability to make quick decisions at a position that’s still pretty new to him. He’ll be learning a new offense, and that might come easier to guys who have learned several offenses before. How many times has Hester needed to learn an offense from the ground up, going all the way back to college?

By
Michael Nudo

OFFENSE

Left Guard: They’re being coy about who has the lead here. Why isn’t this Josh Beekman’s job to lose? Was his play there over the last two seasons so poor that he clearly doesn’t belong? Beekman’s role has been defined as the heir apparent to the center position that Olin Kreutz is holding down. If Kreutz’s surgery is as successful as they’re saying, Beekman may be already on a new team by the time Kreutz finally hangs ‘em up. Frank Omiyale (he of the sizable contract) was handed the job last year, in spite of negligible experience at guard. Anyone who watched saw Omiyale struggle to sustain even the most simple of blocks.

As it stands now, Johan Asiata and Lance Louis have been getting the majority of reps. Asiata seems to have the inside track. Louis is a guy who has gone from tight end to tackle to guard in just a few years. I’m not sure where he projects, but he is clearly a project that I wouldn’t want to see pushed into starting until he’s had at least a season of practice at the position he’s going to play. Did they learn NOTHING from Frank Omiyale’s square peg? Beekman’s detractors say he’s undersized. He’s actually heavier than both Asiata and Louis. Ah, those rosters must be full of lies. Beekman’s numbers are whipped up full of air like a good milkshake then, right? I guess I’m more apt to have confidence in the guy who actually played interior line at Boston College. Kevin Shaffer has seen some time there this off season as well. It’s pretty clear that they’re thinking of Shaffer as the backup at both tackles, however.

I’ll be keeping a close watch on this position as the preseason unfolds. In Mike Martz’s offense, pass protection is that much more important. The winner here needs to be able to hold his own and not distract from what Kreutz is doing. And when he’s uncovered, he’ll need to be smart enough to give help to Chris Williams or Kreutz but have the awareness to know when there’s a delayed blitz sneaking around from the other side. Let’s keep an eye on who can provide positive push for Mike Tice and is smart enough to get all the protection assignments correct. If it’s not going to be Beekman, I truly hope we see some convincing evidence of a better football player winning the job outright.