Thread: Bears hold first OTA practice at Halas Hall

Bears hold first OTA practice at Halas Hall
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 5/22/2012 4:04 PM

The Bears conducted their first of 10 OTA workouts Tuesday at Halas Hall, capping a two-hour practice with spirited 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 non-contact drills.

With the offseason program entering its third and final phase this week, the Bears are permitted to pit their offense against their defense and wear helmets for the first time.


“We’re excited about taking this next step, where some of the rules change,” said coach Lovie Smith. “We had a good start. Players are really excited. We saw guys make a lot of plays today.”


Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall didn’t disappoint in his first OTA with the Bears, catching several passes from quarterback Jay Cutler against the No. 1 defense.

“It was a little give and take today,” said Marshall, who was acquired March 13 in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. “It was good to see the defense make some plays and we also made some plays. We’re excited about where we’re at right now, but we have a lot of work to get done before the opener.

“I’m not where I want to be and I’m sure as a team we have a lot of room to grow and to get better. It feels good, but at the same time we’ve got to keep our head down, foot on the pedal and just continue to grind.”

Marshall and Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman provided the most entertaining match-up of the day.

“It’s fun because he’s a smart DB,” Marshall said. “He’s really good. He’s really talented. He keeps me on my toes. It’s like a chess match out there. The only thing I don’t like about him is he’s in such good shape that he talks all the way through practice and I’m so winded I can’t respond to him half the time.”

The OTAs give Bears coaches an excellent chance to evaluate their players in game-type situations.


“They’ve looked good in the weight room, getting acclimated to the offseason program and then [in] some individual work,” Smith said. “But you want to see a little bit more competition. That’s why it’s really good for a guy like Charles Tillman to get a chance to go against a big receiver like Brandon Marshall, and new guys like Jason Campbell and Michael Bush being able to see exactly how we do things. It was a great start.”

The Bears will conduct their OTAs Tuesday through Thursday this week, May 29-31 and June 4-7 before concluding their offseason program with a mandatory full squad minicamp June 12-14.

First OTA workout held at Halas Hall