Thread: Tice on LT issue: "I have trouble sleeping at night"

Good read. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it sure sounds like Webb is on thin ice. Not a good thing for a 320 pound lineman

LINK to the article

Bears' left tackle competition heats up

Chris Williams (left) and J'Marcus Webb at Bears practice. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune / August 13, 2012)

By Brad Biggs Tribune reporter 2:20 p.m. CDT, August 13, 2012




BOURBONNAIS — Chris Williams will get playing time with the starters on Saturday as the left tackle derby continues and the Chicago Bears want to see him against Brian Orakpo.


The Bears will host the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field and the competition for the starting job at left tackle is now wide open with offensive coordinator Mike Tice saying it is important to see J’Marcus Webb and Williams both go against Orakpo, who lines up on their side and has posted 28 ½ sacks in his first three seasons.


It’s another sign Webb could be losing a grip on the starting job that before the preseason opener vs. the Denver Broncos looked like he had secured.


“It’s very important, if you’re going to be real about the situation, that both guys get an opportunity to go against 98,” Tice said. “I think that is very important for us in our evaluation process.”


Tice said his biggest disappointment in the first preseason game was in the inability to run the football, something the Bears did well last season. He believes that will come around and now he’s focused on shoring up the pass protection with the starter on Jay Cutler’s blind side unresolved.


“I have trouble sleeping at night until I know that our quarterback is protected,” Tice said.


Tice said he was not sending a message to Webb when he had him on the field for 41 of the offense’s 49 snaps in the 31-3 loss to the Broncos. He said he is up front in communicating to his players what expectations are. For Webb, it’s real simple: Get better.


Webb sells T-shirts online that have the slogan “J-Webb Nation,” a curious side project considering most offensive linemen don’t make efforts to be individually recognized. Tice said he’s not concerned about social media activities and such. He’s just looking at what happens between the lines.


“Anytime your players are playing with inconsistency, as a coach you struggle,” Tice said. “So, you want to look at what you’re doing first. What kind of drills, what do you ask him to do, how are you teaching it, how are your power points going, what kind of film are you showing them, what kind of notes are they taking? I think that’s all I can do.


“I can’t worry about Webb Nation and all of the other things he does socially. That’s not for me. He’s a grown man.
I just want him to play better football for us.”


Otherwise, he might soon be passed on the depth chart by Williams

bmbiggs@tribune.com