Bears OLine Coming of Age...............

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11-10-2011, 02:44 PM
soulman

Bears OLine Coming of Age...............

Bears' O-line coming along just fine now

Tice's group keeping Cutler on feet and Forte moving forward

By Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune reporter 10:08 p.m. CST, November 9, 2011

The Bears offensive line now is why coach Lovie Smith was swift to refuse Mike Tice permission to interview with the Titans about their offensive coordinator job in February.

Going against his general policy of promoting his assistant coaches when possible, Smith denied Tice a chance at advancement as he remained under contract to the Bears. The team gave Tice a small raise and tacked a year onto his deal as he went about continuing to rebuild the offensive line.

Now, quietly and consistently it is improving, and doing so with a mix that no one could have predicted.

Quarterback Jay Cutler wasn't sacked Monday night in the 30-24 victory over the Eagles — a first for him after his previous 29 games — and running back Matt Forte is second in the NFL in rushing with 805 yards.

The offensive line has gone from being a problem to, well, it's not one right now.

"Guys are going to keep getting better and we'll see what we have to do," Cutler said.

Opponents are recognizing the running schemes offensive coordinator Mike Martz and Tice have designed are formidable. Cutler has been sacked 21 times, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL, but he has gone down only 10 times in the last six games.

After using four starting combinations through the first six games, the line is expected to have the same lineup for the fourth straight time Sunday when the Lions visit Soldier Field. When the teams met Oct. 10 in Ford Field, there were nine false starts, five the responsibility of linemen, and three sacks. The Lions present another top challenge with a stacked line led by tackle Ndamukong Suh and ends Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch.

Since that last meeting, right guard Lance Louis has been moved to right tackle and Chris Spencer, playing with a plate and eight screws in his right hand, has played right guard.

Roberto Garza, the center that didn't become a center until Olin Kreutz walked away from a contract offer before training camp, is a freshly minted man with a new deal.

Former right tackle J'Marcus Webb has settled into left tackle despite a myriad of small injuries. Chris Williams has adapted well at left guard.

Through the fog of criticism, the group has maintained its course and Tice has stuck with what he believes in.

"Tice has done an incredible job of putting guys in positions to be successful," Garza said.

Cutler found himself contemplating the solid blocking midway through the game at Lincoln Financial Field.

"I was thinking about halfway through the game, 'Let's not jinx this yet,'" Cutler said. "I didn't want to say anything, but it was looking pretty good. Those guys played well. They're getting better and better. They're getting more relaxed out there. Mike's doing a great job of calling plays and helping them out."

That's just it. Martz has recognized a need for tight ends to stay in and for backs to chip. Cutler is rolling out a little more often. The offense is using all the tricks necessary to slow a pass rush. The benefits have been easy to find.

"We've gotten some consistency and continuity," Spencer said. "The last three, four weeks we've started to come together because we have guys in there playing with each other, learning what this guy is doing, feeling his movements, his steps. That way you can kind of feed off one another."

First-round pick Gabe Carimi remains sidelined in his comeback from a right knee injury, and the more this line settles in, the harder it's going to be for him to get back in the lineup. Then the Bears could have a good problem on their line. It has been a long time since that has happened.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

Copyright © 2011, Chicago Tribune
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11-10-2011, 02:54 PM
soulman

I know we may have been a little hard on Tice after thos first few games, especially the Lions game, but you have to give him max credit for what he's pulled off since.

He's got these guys opening holes for an all-pro RB with abandon and finally protecting Cutler enough so that we now at least have some sembalance of a passing game. What makes it all the more incredible is that he's gotten it done with two 7th round picks playing OT, a failed former 1st round pick LT playing LG, an OG who has played one game at the position before this year making us forget all about Olin Kruetz and a failed former 1st round pick OC playing RG at nearv pro-bowl level with a broken hand. On top of that add the greatly improved blocking by our TE's and guy has made a believer out of me even if others don't think that way.

I think we might have expected things to get better week by week as the season progressed and Carimi returned but to turn it around like this in three weeks has been pretty incredible. I know that they're getting help pass blocking from te TE's but still to cut down from 11 sacks in the first two games to only 10 in the next six is almost too good to be true.

Maybe Cutler is right and we shouldn't talk about it and jinx them. I'll knock on my oak desk just as a precaution, LOL.
11-11-2011, 10:08 AM
short faced bear

I think guys having to find their own way, become self-motivated, and possible leaders later on down the line while learning through adversity is far greater than the leadership of Kreutz and his play would have provided. Might not have seen or acquired Spencer either.
11-12-2011, 10:17 PM
Dagan81

We are doing so well right now. I'm proud of this line. They are heads above last year's line and what the original offensive line looked like to start the season. I'm not so sure that if I'm Lovie Smith, I don't put Gabe Carimi on IR and just let the line play out like it is.
11-13-2011, 12:41 AM
soulman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dagan81

We are doing so well right now. I'm proud of this line. They are heads above last year's line and what the original offensive line looked like to start the season. I'm not so sure that if I'm Lovie Smith, I don't put Gabe Carimi on IR and just let the line play out like it is.

Right now we're only one injury away from seeing OMG back at OT. Putting Carimi on IR means he lost to us for the season and that wouln't be wise. Despite how well the line is playing he may still play a big part in things if we get into the playoffs. You don't want to keep on going with OMG as next in line at RT or LT do you?

Did anyone ever expect to see this,

The Lions have allowed 11 sacks over the last four games, while the Bears have given up six over the same span. The Bears appear to be peaking in the protection department, which likely is a byproduct of playing the same starters up front for three consecutive games. Not only has Chicago improved at protecting Cutler, it has become dominant in the rushing game. http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/chi.gif

Quote:

Originally Posted by WindyCity

Did anyone ever expect to see this,

The Lions have allowed 11 sacks over the last four games, while the Bears have given up six over the same span. The Bears appear to be peaking in the protection department, which likely is a byproduct of playing the same starters up front for three consecutive games. Not only has Chicago improved at protecting Cutler, it has become dominant in the rushing game. http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/chi.gif

Never expected it but it's been a nice surprise, especially the way Spencer and Louis have been manning the right side. Spencer is getting out in front of those right side sweeps and into the second level and Louis is just nasty as both a run blocker and a pass protector. That boy plays with a mean streak in him.

Let's just hope they can keep it together and stay healthy. If either one of the OT's goes down it's back to OMG for a few weeks until Carimi returns. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they're the ones who do the hurting not the other way around.