Bears' season on the line

[dabears54]

Bears' season on the line

St. Clair, Metcalf, Kreutz, Tait and Williams on spot after tough 2007


July 25, 2008
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BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The spotlight in Bears training camp is on the quarterback derby, but two days in, coach Lovie Smith was begging to talk about anything else.
How about the offensive line, where some other position battles are being waged? The Bears will be only as good as their running game this season, and it all starts up front. If you don't think the competition for left tackle is heated, line coach Harry Hiestand has some news for you.
John St. Clair looked solid on the first day in shoulder pads Thursday. Meanwhile, first-round pick Chris Williams had to leave the field with back spasms midway through the afternoon session during one-on-one pass-rush drills. The spasms aren't considered serious.
''I spent a lot of time with the trainers, which I don't really like to do, but it's getting a lot better,'' said Williams, who hopes to practice today. ''I can't tell you now. I will probably take some good medicine and sleep well, and we'll figure it out.''
The Bears are looking at having a different starter from last year's opener at three positions. John Tait has been working strictly at right tackle. Terrence Metcalf has gotten the bulk of reps at left guard, while Josh Beekman and Anthony Oakley are dividing time at center with Olin Kreutz coming back from a procedure on his Achilles tendon. Then there's the competition at left tackle.
''All you have to do is watch them,'' Hiestand said. ''Anybody who just wants [Williams] out there doesn't understand football. Just watch [St. Clair]. Nobody wants to watch him; they just want Chris to automatically be in there. Let the process take place and see how he does. Watch how he does against Mark [Anderson] and [Alex Brown]. He's not doing bad. John has had a great offseason.
''This will just make us better. Whoever is playing in there is going to be pushed and will be battling and competing. There are no handouts.''
The Bears will don full pads for the first time this afternoon, their first true chance to evaluate linemen since last season. All of the offseason work in shorts and without pads is for the passing game.
Smith has mentioned a desire to play starters longer in preseason games to get a better evaluation. The Bears would like to have their starting unit in place for the third preseason game Aug. 21 against San Francisco. That's less than four weeks away.
''It's a process,'' Hiestand said. ''You can't think about that part of it. You just try and make all the corrections and pick out the things you need to improve on and just work. It's obviously got to happen by the season.''
Metcalf was criticized for his performance last season but was playing with a broken left hand. A third-round pick in 2002, he has to step forward and seize this opportunity. He certainly knows the system as well as anyone.
Tait projects to be one of the better right tackles in the NFC, if not the league. Kreutz will be healthy soon and is in some of the best shape of his career. Roberto Garza is solid at right guard, and then there's left tackle, where the team hopes Williams asserts himself.
''We'll see how it goes,'' Hiestand said. ''He's going to get tested here in camp against our ends.''
The Bears thought they were in good position last year with a veteran line returning for a third season together. It crumbled quickly, and age was a factor for departed tackle Fred Miller and guard Ruben Brown. No one can tell if the puzzle has been solved until the real action begins.
''Every year is different,'' Kreutz said. ''Some years it clicks. Some years it never clicks. How long does it take? You don't know, so you're always working to get that rhythm and that continuity. As an offensive line, you really have to be playing together to be good. We have a lot of guys who have been in this system and have played together, so we know each other and it should help us.
''I don't know how you can't [be upset at how the line played last year]. This is what we do for a living. I'm a professional, and we take it more personally than anyone. We played really bad last year, and no one knows that more than us.''