Bears Way of Handling of Offensive Line Isn't Productive.............

**soulman** · 08-16-2012, 08:14 AM

The Offensive Line Shuffling is Out of Control

by T.J. Shouse on Aug 14, 2012 1:00 PM PDT in From The Desk Of...

Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE - PresswireMore photos »

Jason Campbell may be regretting his decision to play behind this offensive line.

The best quality of our offensive line is its versatility; multiple players capable (depending on your definition of "capable") of playing multiple positions.

Versatility is generally perceived as a beneficial quality to have in just about any walk of life. Like a running back being a good blocker and receiver, or a business manager with good people skills, or Kev's ability to walk and chew gum. But, a key component of versatility means being competent at multiple tasks. Excelling at these tasks is a extension of competency, or simply an added benefit of your multiple abilities. For the Bears offensive line, no matter what the time of year or situation, there seems to be another positional change. And I'm not even looking at the starting lineup; I'm talking about specific players changing their primary position for the benefit of team. The only problem with this tragic misuse of versatility? It keeps failing.

To be fair, I'm just a fan like you that has some modicum of football-related knowledge (and happens to write for a fansite); I don't know more than Lovie or Tice or any of the other professionals that make decisions concerning the Chicago Bears. The nonsense that is our offensive line - shuffling starters and asking undrafted or late round picks to play like veterans with starting experience - has obviously gotten old for most of us. But the thing that grinds my gears more than that as a fan: is the team's inability to even keep guys in a particular position and frakking (is that with two k's or one?) keep them there.

The joke last year was about having a guard playing tackle, a tackle playing guard, a center playing guard and a guard playing center. And while the line's performance overall last year wasn't good, we did see some positive things happen before the Cutler injury (23 sacks allowed with Cutler and 26 allowed with the poo-poo platter under center).

But the crazy thing to me is just how messed up our offensive line situation is where we have multiple players - make that starters - playing positions different from their primary one. Not only that, but we have guys like Lance Louis going guard-tackle-guard in under a year, or Chris Williams and his wonderful career as a left tackle-right tackle-guard-right tackle-left tackle. In essence, the guy's played a different position each year he's been in the NFL. Even if he didn't suck (which he kinda does), how do you expect a guy to get comfortable and perform at a high level when he doesn't even know what position he'll be playing in a week?

We've all given Lovie Smith flack (well, not personally, but in internet land) for his creation of a new disease called DMS (and if you don't know what that stands for, close this tab, go to eBay, and buy a Vikings jersey). But we've given him a complete pass on just how messed up his amalgamated offensive line is. Bringing together a cohesive offensive line is part and parcel to success in the NFL, but I highly doubt a key element of that process involves having multiple starters playing at a position different from the primary one they've been at the majority of their professional careers. Is the line so bad that we need three or four guys to play different positions then they're accustomed to in order to produce a mediocre (if we're lucky) unit? Why not keep them where they're comfortable and give that a try?

I know a big part of the problem for the Bears' line issues has been talent; Tice alludes to this issue every once in a while, and you get the feeling he's trying to squeeze a diamond out of manure with Webb, not to mention having average guys battle it out for starting reps at other positions (is battle the right word? Maybe "pillow fight" is more appropriate). I don't consider anybody on the line a solid lineman I wouldn't want to lose because of talent - and that includes Carimi since the "best lineman we have" has completed one game as a pro. We have guys we're afraid of losing because what's lingering behind them on the depth chart. And frankly, if you have average guys, I'd imagine the coaches would want them to play up to their averageness by repping the heck out of them, not having them struggle for stretches by playing new positions next to new guys and then (hopefully) succeed at mediocrity.

Being versatile is supposed to be a beneficial thing, something positive that can be used to gain an advantage because of one's proficiency in multiple areas. The Bears' offensive line versatility - the constant reshuffling of player positions - is a good practice or idea turned into an abhorrent trait for any Chicago lineman, except for Gabe Carimi. If there's one thing I like about the offensive line, its that Carimi has been given a chance to learn a position and stay in that position (until they move him, eventually) in order to excel at that position.

Every other member has been shuffled about, with the coaching staff hoping that the newest hand they've dealt will turn out to a winner, despite a losing track record. And if that hand fails, they'll just shuffle again and start over. Just look at the left tackle position. Tice and Lovie inexplicably handed the job to Webb with barely a contest from Williams (which, fine, whatever, it was stupid, but fine), only for that to last one preseason game before Williams reentered the competition for the starting left tackle spot. Why pull Williams away from that battle if you're so disgusted by Webb after one game that you reopen the starting spot? Don't you know what to expect from Webb by now?

In the end, I have a feeling the status of the offensive line (and specifically Webb) will be the new "Forte contract" topic to be beaten into the ground during preseason. Sam already browbeat the Webb situation on Friday, and Les just posted his take on the positional battles along the offensive line. Though the O-line discussion may get a little over the top, remember that the only clear area the Bears have question marks at is on the offensive line, and barring injury, that'll be the difference between a great year or not.

**motownbear** · 08-16-2012, 08:37 AM

Just about most of the board was all over tice jock thinking his fairy dust over talent strategy would work. Bull fucking shit. Enough with this glorification of coordinators they are as good as talent given. People were the same way when we hired marineli and he improved jack shit until he was given a peppers. That's why Im adamant of investing real cap space in the oline instead of pissing our ccap away on special teams

The usual homers can come in now and stroke tice ego

**Henry Burris** · 08-16-2012, 08:40 AM

Honestly, Martz's system was so fuggin' bad, that there was an obvious change (look at the Giants game vs. the Jets game) in the outcome each year, when Tice had more power. I'm still believing we shoulda got Reiff instead of McClellin (would love to be proven wrong), but I think Tice is simply going to make better use of the offense than Martz..

**soulman** · 08-16-2012, 08:51 AM

Just noticed I screwed up the title..........help from staff appreciated. Sorry it's early and my brain and eyesight are still in neutral.

I brought this fan written article over from another fan site because it hits on many of the points we've been discussing, including the key one, and because I believe many times we as fans do a better job of analyzing the problems we see than most sportswriters to. Maybe it's because we don't need to stay on anyone's good side to keep our press credentials. I always think that compromises true honesty at times. It's a good article and should give us a basis for some debate of our own.

I don't buy into everything this author says. For instance, I believe there is better talent there than is recognized by most. But the heart of the matter he brings up, what this article is all about, I do believe wholeheartedly. This "Chinese Fire Drill" approach to setting this line is foolish, has been foolish, it will always be foolish and it isn't and won't work as planned. The constant shifting of players to plug holes in the blocking dike isn't working. The pass rush floods our backfield and gets to our QB's anyway. I'm tired of this "we moved him because we needed him there" approach. Trying to hide the failures of certain players and their coaches inability to develop them by moving someone who may be only slightly better just to save face is stupid, inefficient, and it's not working.

It really is time to put a stop to this idiocy. All week long my position on this has been to give CWill his last shot at LT. Pulling him away from that competition was stupid and the one thing that has happened so far this camp that has caused me to begin losing faith in Tice as an OC. The story about needing him at RT to protect Cutler was weak and lame especially in view of the fact that Cutler never played anyway. If it was Lovie who insisted on that (which I doubt) then I'll give Tice a pass but it wouldn't be like Lovie to override his OC about something like that. If CWill was good enough to protect Cutler at RT (which he sucks at) then he was good enough to do the same at LT. They could have just swapped him and Webb around.

If CWill cannot prove after this week that he's CLEARLY the better guy then leave Webb at LT, back him up with the rookie James Brown, and put CWill back at LG where he can continue to develop in a position he looked pretty good at last year. (this is another area where I disagree with the author). It's pretty hard to call Carimi our best lineman in 2011 on the basis of just one game and aside from Garza, whose play was almost heroic considering that position change this late in his career, CWill was without a doubt our best and most improved lineman. It should be noted that Forte's rushing numbers declined after CWill went down.

Just put the same five fucking (we don't have to misspell it as frakking) guys out there in the same spots they started in last year and work from there. We were told that unit would do just fine so if that was the case before Carimi was injured then it should STILL be the case. Were they bullshitting us then, or are they bullshitting us now? We did little or nothing to improve the quality of those five starters in the offseason. All we did was add depth and some competition so it's difficult to believe that anyone else has really stood out in camp so far or we'd have heard about it by now.

Just set them; Webb, CWill, Garza, Louis, Carimi, left to right then line up these five behind them, Brown, Rachal, EWill, Spencer, Brandon, left to right. There ya' go. In ten minutes, even before my 2nd cup of coffee, I just did the Bears a huge favor by doing their OLine depth chart for them. Somebody fax this over to Mike Tice will ya'? I've got some stuff to do this AM and I don't want them to spend even one more day in the dark wondering what they should do.

**motownbear** · 08-16-2012, 09:03 AM

I will fix the title soul when I get on a comp I'm using the iphone

And you are 10000% right you have to take what you read with a grain of salt. This is their job and if they get shut out from the bears cause of controversial articles they are out of a job

As much as I think the Shuffling is dumb as fuck I think the biggest problem is talent stinks. And people are cool with it cause we have tice. How's that theory working?

**A-11** · 08-16-2012, 10:59 AM

Mo, I agree that the real problem is lack of talent. Obviously, they were counting on Webb to make that "jump" this year. While this game of musical chairs is frakking frustrating, it is not the real problem.

While it might be too late to bring in a new starter, I still can see the line improving this season. Not giving up after one preseason game.

**short faced bear** · 08-16-2012, 11:04 AM

I say just ask Pep who could play LT best and leave a guy there. How much of this could have been avoided if Carimi (barring injury) was the starting LT from day one. Cwill would have stayed where he was at and Webb could have developed perhaps more w/o pressure at RT. Louis and Spencer could battle it out for RG.

**Riczaj01** · 08-16-2012, 11:08 AM

I actually think there is talent on the line, but it's hard to tell when the line never gets to show it. Cwill did show capable as guard, even really good. Carimi got hurt, but no reason to think he has no talent. Garza/Louis all showed to be good at what they do last year. Spencer did to last year, but he is struggling this year at LG. But the problem is Webb is moving CWill from LG b/c of his big ol bag of suck and now Spen now has to fill that gap.

That was proved last year when Cutler/Tice forced Martz away from his stupid system of getting qb's killed and went to a more line friendly O.

Webb is the majority of the problem. I'm all for more talent on the OL, but none of it will matter until LT is fixed.

**XaosGorilla** · 08-16-2012, 12:01 PM

Remember the LOFT (Lack Of Fuggin Talent)factor motown?

While I'm not ready to condemn the entire O-line, it seems as if Webb isn't getting it. (cutting him might be the best thing for him as a person and the team) Combine that with a bunch of guys that may well only be "average" (yes I realize that Carimi is unproven) and you have an ugly situation.

Fortunately, it is only preseason, and the o-line will improve. I just wonder how much it will improve........

**Chi66** · 08-16-2012, 12:07 PM

One pre-season game. Zero game-plan. Cutler and Forte didn't play. Marshall didn't do much. Defense without Lach or Peppers. If we had dominated I would have been surprised. It's a pre-season game. How about we chill until at least the second pre-season game. Or even better yet we could wait until regular season. This line is not going to be giving insane time overnight, but Tice will not just put them out there to get beat over and over again like Martz did. With a real gameplan I see no reason why this line won't serve it's purpose. We're no world beaters when it comes to OL but I don't think it'll be the hamper everyone seems to be predicting. It's one pre-season game, I don't know how to stress that enough. Everyone was moaning about McC not performing in just a few training camp practices and it's like the same thing here, it will not look perfect yet. We need to gel, we need more reps, we need gameplans and more time. There's a reason we don't just hop into the regular season. The McClellin cries have died down since he performed pretty well in preseason, I see no reason why the OL won't progress and be protected and go into the regular season well. We were 7-3 with this line and Martz. Now Martz is gone and we've only added weapons. It needs to be addressed at some point but I think it's good enough to take us to the Super Bowl, or at least not prevent us from going and winning.

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