Thread: Another Look at the Who's Who of the Bears Win..

Film of exhibition opener kind to Carimi

Rookie tackle solid in pro debut; running back Bell must improve his all-around game


Gabe Carimi moves to block against the Bills. (Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images / August 13, 2011)



Dan Pompei On the NFL 7:37 p.m. CDT, August 14, 2011


What happened Saturday night at Soldier Field isn't going to define the Bears, and it isn't going to make or break any players' careers.

But the Bears-Bills game did offer us a glimpse of what some players can and can't do. Here are some players who stood out after a review of the tape.




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Kahlil Bell: The aggressive running — shooting through holes and bouncing off defenders — was inspiring. His receiving skills make him an ideal sub for Matt Forte.
It was enough for a lot of people to want to give Bell a roster spot. And he might get one.

But he's also going to have to improve on his all-around game, because if he's the third back, Bell isn't going to be getting many carries. Bell fumbled a kickoff and gave up a sack in pass protection to Danny Batten.

Gabe Carimi: The starting O-line was beaten up a little, but Carimi was very solid in his pro debut. His pass protection skills look natural, and his footwork did not look like the footwork of a rookie.

We don't want to jump to conclusions after one half of play, but if the trends continue, we'll be wondering if the Bears don't have the wrong guy on the left side. J'Marcus Webb struggled at left tackle, giving up a sack and being flagged for a holding penalty that was declined.

Nathan Enderle: He made some nice throws, like his 31-yard pass to Kris Adams.

The bad: It looks like everything is moving too fast for him.

Enderle was holding the ball too long, and he doesn't have enough escapability to do that.

Roberto Garza: He was probably the best blocker on the line last year and he's being counted on to be the rock of the line this year.

He didn't have a great performance in his debut at center, however, failing to stop Shawne Merriman on a stunt that resulted in a sack, and whiffing on Andra Davis on a run that resulted in a loss of a yard.

Vernon Gholston: He still didn't show the speed and athleticism that made him the sixth pick in the 2008 draft, but he did finally show something.

The defensive end tipped a pass, pressured Tyler Thigpen on a power rush through Ed Wang, slipped past David Martin to limit Johnny White to a 1-yard run and made a tackle on special teams.

With Corey Wootton out at least four weeks with a knee injury, the Bears are going to need this guy.

Henry Melton: Amobi Okoye did some nice things, but he wasn't as disruptive or quick off the ball as Melton.

Even when Melton wasn't making plays, like when he got on the inside shoulder of guard Kraig Urbik and caught C.J. Spiller in the backfield for a loss of 3, he was helping others make plays by redirecting the ballcarrier or quarterback.

It looks like Lovie Smith was right on about this guy.

Craig Steltz: The Bears need some players to step up on special teams to help replace Rashied Davis and others. Steltz showed some signs that he might be ready to do that, throwing a key block on Johnny Knox's 70-yard kickoff return and coming up with a loose ball on a kick return by the Bills.

Chris Williams: The left guard did some nice things in the run game, helping Marion Barber to some of his big gains.

Edwin Williams: If the coaching staff decides to replace starting guard Lance Louis or move Garza, Williams looks like he's ready to move up.

Williams, who can play guard or center, had at least three "pancake" blocks in which he put a defender on his back. He was moving very aggressively and finishing his run blocks.

Major Wright: The second-year safety looks like he is playing with considerable confidence. Wright covered a lot of ground and was a force when he was on the field.

It appeared he was where he was supposed to be, and he was getting the ballcarrier on the ground with solid tackling.


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