Thread: Unfinished Business; The Offensive Line............

Bears' unfinished business: offensive line

By Brad Biggs Tribune reporter 9:03 a.m. CDT, June 15, 2012


There is some unfinished business for the Chicago Bears on the offensive line and new position coach Tim Holt certainly will not dispute that.

While offensive coordinator Mike Tice is closely overseeing all business on the line, Holt was hired as the position coach and he’s excited about what is ahead for the group after the club wrapped up its minicamp and offseason program Thursday at Halas Hall.

“I am real happy with where they are,” Holt said. “I think the new offense is going to help them a lot. We’ve changed so much, like the drops. There are a lot more five-step, three-step, the ball is going to get out. That helps any O-line. And our run game is going to be nice. I am real excited because those guys worked very hard band we got a lot better on technique this spring.”

Tice and Holt don’t have a lot to evaluate at this point because offseason rules prevent the use of full pads and any contact. So, the focus was placed on technique work, the kind of detailed stuff that will be needed to improve the group. That includes footwork and handwork. Tice has stressed he wants the players to be much better with their hands this season, a message that has been sent to left tackle J’Marcus Webb, who has also been instructed to clean up his second step. In Thursday’s practice that was two hours, they spent 80 minutes on technique work as a position group.

But can Holt notice a difference?

“That’s all we can do,” Holt said. “You see it because we do the same drills everyday so it becomes muscle memory. You really see it when we watch the tape and it shows up. I think they are buying into a lot of the stuff we are doing.”

Holt got the job without knowing anyone in the building. He worked the past three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, starting out as an intern in 2009. The Bucs liked him and he stayed around the entire season and slept on couches, putting in the kind of effort that people noticed. So, former Bucs coach Raheem Morris, who knows Lovie Smith well, put in a call on behalf of Holt. Longtime offensive line coach Pat Morris, who knows Tice, placed a call. Holt got an interview and he got the job.

“There were some mutual friends but I didn’t know anybody which is kind of rare,” Holt said.

Now, he’ll work to learn more about the craft under Tice while trying to complete the business the Bears need done on the line. Tice will run the meeting room similar in a lot of ways to how defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli oversees the defensive line, but Holt will have a prominent role.

“It’s tremendous,” Holt said. “Mike is a great coach. I get to learn some new things from him. We’re bouncing things off each other. It’s been a good mix so far.”

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs