Thread: 5 Bears with Most to Prove in 2011...........

Originally Posted by soulman

5 Bears Most to Prove Series: No. 3 Zack Bowman


by Dominique Blanton on Jul 14, 2011 7:00 PM CDT in Roster Analysis

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12 months ago: BOURBONNAIS IL - JULY 30: Zack Bowman #35 of the Chicago Bears intercepts a pass intended for Earl Bennett #80 during a summer training camp practice at Olivet Nazarene University on July 30 2010 in Bourbonnais Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)


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I kicked off the ‘5 Bears Most to Prove' series last week with Safety Major Wright and a couple days ago put 4th year offensive lineman Chris Williams at #4. We're back on the defense side of the field as Cornerback Zackary Bowman comes in at #3 in this series. Bowman is arguably the most athletically gifted corner Lovie Smith has had since he got here in 04. He's quick with decent speed, great agility, very good in man coverage, and is a ball-hawk. All of these attributes were definitely on display in 09 where he lead the team with 6 interceptions and 10 pass defenses.


You have to wonder where it all went wrong for Bowman in 2010. Most fans say the Monday Night Packer game, but I go further back all the way to mini-camp that year when Lovie prematurely gave Bowman the LCB spot over veteran Charles Tillman. Lovie had in mind that if Bowman was covering the opposing teams #1 receiver he will have even more opportunities to make plays on the ball. That plan backfired as Bowman was victimized by the league's best receivers, and it hit its breaking point in week 3 where Bowman struggled mightily in zone coverage and displayed poor tackling. He was benched in that game for Tim Jennings and never saw full time duties again that season.

The good news for Bowman is that he's not entrenched in Lovie doghouse, as Lovie came out in the off-season and said that Bowman will have a chance to win his job back against veteran Jennings and last years 5th round rookie Joshua Moore. Out of the 3, Bowman is arguably the better talent; he brings a different element to the Bears CB position with his ability to man up on receivers and make plays on the ball. The problem is that Jennings excels best in zone coverage which is what Lovie and Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli runs a majority of the time. You also have to factor in that Lovie in the past hasn't been afraid to play CB's with limited experience so Joshua Moore is definitely in play for the starting job. Bowman needs to prove to the coaches that he's not a one dimensional CB. He has to improve a lot on zone coverage assignments and needs to show coaches he's a willing tackler. Bowman is a good talent, but talent only takes you so far. This is the year that Bowman needs to prove he's a starting caliber corner in this league

I don't give a $h1t about how talented Bowman is . He's never gonna deserve to start if he continues 2b a wuss when it comes to tackling. Man up or go home.

Originally Posted by soulman

5 Bears with Most to Prove: No. 5 Major Wright

by Dominique Blanton on Jul 7, 2011 7:00 PM CDT in Roster Analysis

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11 months ago: San Diego Chargers' Ryan Mathews, right, is tackled by Chicago Bears' Major Wright during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)


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The ‘5 Bears Most to Prove' series kicks off with Safety Major Wright. The 5-11 206 pound Bear is an athletic Safety who can come up and tackle and can also hold his own in zone coverage. In any other scheme Wright would be SS because of the concern that he can't come up and cover slot receivers, but in Lovie Smith tampa-2 scheme that runs many different zone coverage's, Wright can get away with playing FS since both safety positions are interchangeable.


Taken in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft, Wright was pegged to be a starter at either one of the safety positions next to Chris Harris. When Wright went down with an injury in training camp, it stunted his development and forced Lovie to put veteran Danieal Manning at SS. The combination of Manning and Harris worked out for the Bears as Harris was named to the All-Pro 2nd team and Manning was rated by Pro Football Focus as the 4th best safety in the entire league. Because Wright was a high 3rd round selection and is very talented, Lovie and Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli rotated him in the line-up with both veterans to get him adjusted to the NFL level. Wright had some highlights and some lowlights when he was in there, but the highlights outweighed the lowlights and it has set him up to possibly get a lot more playing time in 2011.

There will be a lot of pressure on Wright in 2011 for several of reasons. Whenever a new CBA is agreed upon Manning will be an unrestricted free agent and the Bears are not willing to give Manning the dollars he commands. Part of the Bears reason for not making Manning a priority is because the investment they have in Wright along with drafting a safety in this year draft in Chris Conte. Manning seems to have finally found a role in this defense at SS and he wind up being the best Safety on the team. Assuming Manning is not back with the Bears; Wright will have big shoes to fill at the SS position. What made Manning a force at that SS position is no doubt his athleticism and speed at the position, and it was definitely on notice in the box and in coverage. Wright is quick and athletic himself, but this season he will have to prove he can be just as good if not better than Manning at the position.


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Bring back Than Merrill !

Originally Posted by soulman

5 Bears With Most to Prove: No. 4 Chris Williams

by Dominique Blanton on Jul 12, 2011 7:00 PM CDT in Roster Analysis

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Last week's series premiered with 2nd year Safety, Major Wright. Today Chris Williams, who was a former 1st round pick of GM Jerry Angelo back in 2008, comes in at #4 with the most to prove. When the Bears selected Williams with the 14th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, they believed that they had solved their need at LT for the next 8 to 10 years. Despite the Bears ignoring Williams' medical concerns that lead to many NFL teams taking him off their draft boards, Angelo still took Williams at 14th, two spots after the Broncos took what might have been the Bears initial target Ryan Clady. A herniated disc robbed Williams of his rookie season. He wasn't available until later on in the season and the Bears couldn't play him because they were in the middle of a playoff race. Williams didn't play LT until the end of the 09 season where the highlight of his career came in a Monday night game against the Vikings when played a big part in shutting down Jared Allen.


Even with doubts and heavy criticism from offensive line coach Mike Tice, Williams went into the 2010 season as the starting LT. Williams struggled in the first two games of the season and on top of that got injured in week 2 against the Cowboys. When Williams came back he found himself as the new LG and his original position, LT, was won by Frank Omiyale. Williams was serviceable at best at the position. As expected he struggled against the bull rush, but found his strength in pass blocking and pulling blocking on outside runs.
In 2011, Williams has found himself in a make or break year. It's not a stretch to think this year will define his career moving forward. Fans and media are already labeling him a bust, and when talking about possible free agent acquisitions, fans are clamoring for his replacement instead of the 32 year old RG Roberto Garza. Williams will need to come into camp stronger and with a new attitude; he has to prove to Tice that he fits as his type of lineman. Williams has the potential to be one of the best LG's in the NFL. He's by far the most athletic lineman on the team where he is very technically sound in the pass blocking department, and his athleticism shines in certain blocking plays. Now he just needs to prove to fans in his coaches that he can take that next step.


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How is it that a guy is a multi-year starter in college , gives up like 0 sacks in a tough conference, then comes to the NFL and turns into this ? I'll give him his 1st year ( tough injury ) but blocking is basically mano-a-mano so .... what is it ? Lack of toughness, intensity, attitude ? Make or break IMO.

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

I don't give a $h1t about how talented Bowman is . He's never gonna deserve to start if he continues 2b a wuss when it comes to tackling. Man up or go home.

Bowman's trouble is that he never played in a defense like the Bears before. He was strictly a cover corner in college so playing off his man in a zone and closing on the ball to deflect, pick or tackle aren't skills he came into the league with. I think he may have been a poor pick because he doesn't fit the need but his speed and athleticism are undeniable.

He had a first round grade before his injury so when he dropped as far as the 5th round the Bears probably still had him as the top guy on their board and decided to take a chance on him. The guy has mad ball skills and if he can learn to read and react in a zone and wrap up his tackles we'll have Tillman's replacement already on the roster. If he can't Lovie will dust him after this season.

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

How is it that a guy is a multi-year starter in college , gives up like 0 sacks in a tough conference, then comes to the NFL and turns into this ? I'll give him his 1st year ( tough injury ) but blocking is basically mano-a-mano so .... what is it ? Lack of toughness, intensity, attitude ? Make or break IMO.

I think you hit the nail on the head brother. He lacks the strength and toughness he needs to excel in the NFL. He far more a finesse guy and he could get away with it in college and maybe in the pros at LT but he won't get away with it at OG. He needs to build up his strenghth and add some nasty if he's gonna make on a Mike Tice Oline.

5 Bears with Most to Prove: No. 2 Mike Martz


by Dominique Blanton on Jul 19, 2011 8:46 PM CDT in Roster Analysis

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6 months ago: CHICAGO IL - JANUARY 16: Quarterback Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears talks with offensive coordinator Mike Martz in the second half against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Soldier Field on January 16 2011 in Chicago Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)


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Back on the offensive side of the ball, but the #2 Bear with the most to prove does his work from the sideline instead of the field as offensive coordinator Mike Martz makes his appearance on this list. One of the better offensive minds in the past 10 years that produced a Hall of Fame player in Marshall Faulk and future Hall of Famers in Kurt Warner and Orlando Pace, Martz was hired by the Bears after spending a year away from football.

There were questions on whether his style of offense would match a stadium like Soldier field that is known around the league for having the worst field conditions. There were also questions on whether the parts that were already in place in Chicago fit his system; specifically franchise Quarterback Jay Cutler who main strength is using his athleticism outside the pocket to make plays down the field. The week 1 game against the Lions showed what Martz was made of, but weeks 2 and 4 showed that he didn't have the offensive line to run his system in its entirety. The Giants defensive line put one of the worst beatings I have ever seen put on a QB; sacking Jay Cutler 9 times and making him leave the game with a concussion.

The Bye Week was the obvious turning point for Martz, who adjusted his scheme to where Cutler wasn't at too high of a risk. Gone was the consistent 7 step drop, which was substituted for quicker 3 to 5 step drops with short to intermediate routes and a heavy abundance of Matt Forte and Chester Taylor in the ground game. He also threw out the whole "throwing to a spot" to where Cutler was now picking and sticking the football to whoever was open. The adjustment played a big part in the Bears reaching the NFC Championship where they lost to division rival Green Bay Packers.

Going into year 2 of this offense, Martz will most likely be looking to get the Bears offense to that next step now that he has a complete familiarity with what his skill players can and can't do. He should expect a much improved Offensive Line this season, and another wide receiving target that can open things up for the existing skill players on the roster. Martz has much to prove this year, and that's whether he can stick to the identity of the offense that Coach Lovie Smith laid out to him in the bye week which is balance in the pass and ground game. Martz also has to prove he can call a successful game plan against Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers who pretty much have owned both Martz and Cutler since he arrived there.

Martz should know that Green Bay stands in the way of any other NFC team trying to be a super bowl champion and in the meetings against Green Bay last year the defense wasn't the one holding the team back. Last but certainly not least, Mike needs to continue to get the best out of Cutler. He did a fine job last season adjusting his system to Cutler strengths, and now in year 2 he needs to have Cutler take that next step in his development. The Defense is expected to be a great unit again this year, but Martz can get this team over the top with a much improved offensive unit.

So the #2 guy with the most to prove isn't a player at all but rather OC Mike Martz. Personally I'd make him #1.

Those sentences that I've highlighted say it all. Will Mike Martz finally realize that he's playing 8 games per year at Soldier Field and not the RCA Dome? Will Mike come down off his pedestal and put together an offense that works with the players he's got and will he learn to take advantage of the unique talents of guys like Cutler, Olsen and Forte? Can Mike Martz game plan and play call against the best defensive minds in the game including Dom Capers?

If he can we stand a better than even chance of getting back to the NFC Championship Game and to the Super Bowl. If not maybe 11-5 will seem like a great record compared to 8-8. This year the real onus is on Martz and Tice to bring the offense into focus and win some games from that side of the ball.

Originally Posted by motownbear

I think where we play is irrelevant. GB has one of the best passing attack. Whats the difference? The investment in the GB offense is great. Ours has been poor.

If Wright stays healthy I think he will have a great future. Between him and Paea we finally have two young building pieces to restock this defense after years and years of some pretty bad draft picks

Green Bay has made better investments in their offense than we have and it's traditionally been on improving their passing game as opposed to their running game. Seems like it's always been that way. Fom the beginning of the NFL the Packers have almost always feature their passing attack while with the Bears it's always been their running game.

Where we play is a different story though. Even in late November or December Lambeau Field's turf looks like a country club compared to the turf at Soldier Field. I know the Bears are handicapped in that regard because the Park District owns it but that doesn't mean there isn't a huge difference between how much easier it is to pass there than here.

It's also not anywhere near as windy as the lakefront most of the time so you rarely have to contend with throwing into a 30+ mph wind in Green Bay. Don't get me wrong. I'm in favor of improving our passing game but I just doubt whether or not the smaller quicker guy will be any more efficient than the big guy in Chicago weather and in Soldier Field.