Thread: 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

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