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Tice: "What happened to the line I had in OTAs?"
Neil Hayes on November 3, 2010 6:07 PM |
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Mike Tice admitted Wednesday that the line he thought he had during offseason workouts isn't the line he ended up with during training camp.
"In shorts, I thought I had a group that was gonna go into training camp and rock and roll," the Bears offensive line coach said. "But then you put pants and shoulder pads on and some of those guys you saw flying around there in shorts, we're like, 'Where did they go?' You're looking around for them, [but] they disappeared. So playing is really the only way to get better as an offensive line, and of course playing together... getting guys playing together. The communication. I like where we are today and hopefully we can build on that and put a four-quarter game together."
Tice said that having too many protections and therefore confusing his linemen has not been the problem.
"I don't know where that's coming from," he said. "In fact, the numbers that we carried in the Seattle game --- I thought someone wrote six protections. I don't know where you're getting your information from --- but we carry in the low 20s every week. We might call 15 to 16, 17 of those in a game. For me, that's been the norm. I don't know how that's been on other teams. So saying that we're carrying too many protections, I don't buy that. I don't think that's an area where we can make an excuse for young or old guys. I don't buy into that. We're not carrying too many protections."
Hopefully for Tice, with Roberto Garza returning to right guard, the line will get some much-needed continuity, allowing more of them to play "winning football."
"We should improve just based on that, you know," he said. "The way I've looked at it over time is this: If three guys out of five play winning football in a game, you should win some games. If four out of five guys play winning football in a game, unless you turn the ball over a whole lot, you should win the game because not all five are gonna play winning football in a game. Every play is a street fight. I coached one of the greatest linemen to play in Randall McDaniel and Randall McDaniel never graded 100 percent. So there's not a lineman that I've seen. Name one. I don't care. Name all the greatest linemen ever to play. There's not a lineman I've seen that's blocked his guy every single play. It just doesn't happen. So to expect that is a pipe dream. But what we have to do is have four guys grade out... I don't care what four they are. Hopefully your center is one of them because he's the focal point and he's making all the calls. [If] four guys grade out winning football, we'll win a lot of football games if we don't turn the ball over. [If] three guys [play winning football], we're gonna win some. [If] two [play winning football] we're not gonna win many. That's the only way I know it. I only know it that way from experience. That's what I tell my peers, and my bosses is that we've got to get more guys to play winning football."
http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2010..._the_line.html
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BEARS IN BRIEF: Martz thrilled to have veteran Garza back on O-line
November 4, 2010 BY SEAN JENSEN sjensen@suntimes.com
His starting five isn't what offensive line coach Mike Tice envisioned during the spring.
''In shorts, I thought I had a group that was going to go into training camp and rock and roll,'' Tice said. ''But then you put pants and shoulder pads on, and some of those guys you saw flying around there in shorts, we're like, 'Where did they go?'
''You're looking around for them, [but] they disappeared. So playing is really the only way to get better as an offensive line and, of course, playing together.'' The Bears may finally be able to work on continuity with guard Roberto Garza returning after undergoing a knee scope. Garza is expected to start at right guard next to rookie right tackle J'Marcus Webb.
''You can't overstate it,'' offensive coordinator Mike Martz said of Garza's return. ''Having a veteran back, who has played at such a good level for so many years ... it's going to help J'Marcus, first of all, with the calls.''
Garza, who fully practiced Wednesday, is looking forward to playing with Webb.
''He's a good player, and I'm fortunate to get a chance to work with him,'' Garza said.
But Garza said he won't have to do anything ''outside of the box'' to help Webb.
Meanwhile, Tice insisted his players aren't overwhelmed by the number of protections.
''I don't buy that,'' Tice said. ''I don't think that's an area where we can make an excuse for young or old guys.''
Toughest offense
Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick played under Martz in 2005, when he was a rookie with the St. Louis Rams. It was Martz's last season in St. Louis as the head coach, and Fitzpatrick learned the offense.
He has played in four others and said Martz's is the most difficult.
''At the same time, I think that it was fun; it was a challenge,'' Fitzpatrick said. ''It's obviously been very successful. For me, it provided a great base, just in terms of understanding concepts, offensive philosophy and different ways to exploit a defense.
''It was difficult, but I spent a lot of time trying to get it down and understanding why he was doing what he was doing, and I think it's helped me throughout my career.''
Fitzpatrick said the offense puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback.
Injury update
Cornerback Zack Bowman (foot) did not practice, and linebacker Lance Briggs (ankle) and guard Edwin Williams (back) were limited.
Coach Lovie Smith said the Bears considered Randy Moss, but ''we feel pretty good about the guys we have here right now.''
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/footb...arnt04.article
Last edited by The Benjamin; 11-04-2010 at 04:53 AM.
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Bears’ Tice has interesting theory on ‘winning football’
By Lindsey Willhite
Remember Trident’s commercials that claimed four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum for their patients?
It made sense and sounded good, but what did it actually mean?
In that vein, Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice recommended Wednesday that four out of his five offensive linemen need to play “winning football” in order for the Bears to win games.
Like all good ad men selling a message, Tice added a fine-print disclaimer.
“What we have to do is have four guys grade out ... winning football, we’ll win a lot of football games,” Tice said.
“If we don’t turn the ball over.”
Considering the Bears turned over the ball six times in their most recent half, that sounds like a big if.
Tice had other tangents to this theory: three winning linemen can win you some games ... you can’t expect five linemen to play winning football at the same time ... two linemen won’t win you many games.
All of these formulas beg the basic question: How many Bears linemen have been playing winning football?
Tice didn’t divulge that number, but admitted it isn’t as large as he was led to believe by the team’s OTA workouts.
“(Improvement) happens when they play,” Tice said. “You look at the off-season, coming out of the OTA days, in shorts I thought I had a bunch of guys ready to rock-and-roll.
“Then you put shoulder pads on and some of those guys you saw flying around there in shorts, you’re like, ‘Where did they go?’ You’re looking around for them and they disappeared.”
That sounds like an indictment of some younger linemen, which means Roberto Garza’s return comes at a crucial time.
The 10-year veteran started the first five games at left guard before missing two games while healing from arthroscopic knee surgery. Garza resurfaces as the Bears’ right guard, the place where he started the previous four seasons.
“Now I feel great, but obviously I haven’t done much,” Garza said before Wednesday’s full-pads workout. “So we’ll see how I practice.”
Apparently he looked swell because Lovie Smith gushed about Garza afterward.
“I told him today, he looked like he looked it seems like five years ago,” Smith said. “It’s always good to get a veteran player back, you know, to solidify the line a little bit. If he’s one of the guys that’s playing.”
It’s not an “if” in Tice’s mind. He said Garza was one of the guys playing winning football “for the most part” before he stepped aside for the surgery.
Not only does he solve a position that has been shared by youngsters Lance Louis and Edwin Williams, he offers help for rookie right tackle J’Marcus Webb.
“J’Marcus is getting close (to playing winning football) even without Roberto there,” Tice said. “And with Roberto there, I think it’s going to help him settle down in some areas.
“I think the biggest area it will help him settle down is third down when all the (crud) is happening. All the walking around and the shifting and the this and the that.
“A young guy starts jumping at stuff that’s moving. (Roberto) will settle him down.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2...rts/711049750/
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I can't believe that I am excited to see Garza come back.
Winston Churchill:
"Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak."
"If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain."
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"In shorts, I thought I had a group that was gonna go into training camp and rock and roll,"
Are you kidding me? You thought this was a solid group from hitting the bags?
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Originally Posted by
Butka 
Are you kidding me? You thought this was a solid group from hitting the bags?
They think that every year, what else is new...!!!
"...Rex is our QB..."...ring a bell...???
3nagurski
"...Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue...."
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Originally Posted by
Butka Are you kidding me? You thought this was a solid group from hitting the bags?
the pathetic thing is when they have two good games at the end of the season they will add two more practice squad players to the oline and say that will be the improvement going forward...................I cant stand JA
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Amazing that a group looked good in shorts, but did not in pads.
Their is not talent on this OL and it can be argued that a 7th round rookie J'Marcus Webb has the most potential of any OLmen.
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He's crazy if he thought Chris Williams looked good in shorts.
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