Chicago Bears Roster Battle: Chris Spencer and Chilo Rachal

**JustAnotherBearsFan99** · 08-20-2012, 08:43 AM

Sounds like Spencer may lose his starting position. If so, then our two starting guards from last year - C.Will & Spencer - may be bench warmers this year.

LINK to the article

The battle to be the starting left guard for the Chicago Bears is going to come down to the final days of the preseason. During my film evaluation of the offensive line, I intently focused in on Chilo Rachal and incumbent Chris Spencer. Spencer is the starter for the time being based on the fact he was one of the best performing offensive linemen of 2011.

He was the starting RG for the Bears after being the center for the Seahawks for a few years. Spencer made the switch this off-season to LG for the first time in his NFL career. After two games of watching film on Chris Spencer, one thing is clear, his job is in jeopardy.

He has struggled mightily against both the Broncos and Redskins in his starting role at LG. During the Bears second drive of the first quarter Spencer got one good block on a linebacker and then followed it up with four straight bad plays. He gave a pass pressure, then got blown back at the point of attack by a linebacker who got in on the tackle on Forte, followed that up with a false start penalty and then gave up another pass pressure on Cutler by failing to pick up the delayed blitz on the linebacker.

Although there was marginal improvement on the first drive, on the second drive things seem to completely fall apart. This lackluster performance puts Spencer's job squarely on the line, even with his versatility. The Bears have that same type of versatility in Edwin Williams, so the Bears could look to move in a different direction.

Chilo Rachal on the other had a pretty good game against the Redskins, especially as a run blocker. Rachal has put together two solid efforts compared to the below average efforts from Spencer. Rachal was known as a mauler of a run blocker in 2010 with the 49ers but lost some of that fire in 2011.

In the game against the Redskins Rachal's take no prisoners run blocking mentality seemed to return. After Spencer's mistake filled offense drive, Rachal came in immediately and completely blew the DT off the ball, walked him down the field five yards on the Michael Bush touchdown run.

Rachal had some minor struggles in pass protection early but settled down later in the game to perform well.
Two games in and two games left and Rachal is clearly pushing Spencer for his roster spot. This will be a battle that goes down to the final preseason game.

**soulman** · 08-20-2012, 08:57 AM

If CWill doesn't win the LT spot outright I'd still prefer Tice move him back to LG and let him and Rachal compete. Rachal always has been a tough run blocker but a liability in pass protection which is how he lost his starting spot in SF. Maybe they're helping him to clean that up.

I believe the Bears extended EWill last fall and after they signed Rachal I figured Spencer's situation might get a little tentative just based on his $3.75 mil cap hit alone. If he can't start I doubt they'll keep him around when EWill and Rachal don't cost that much combined and EWill can also play OC and OG. They should probably move Spencer back to RG but if there's a guy on the bubble it may be him just because of that contract. We shave $2.75 mil of cap cost if we let him go.

**JustAnotherBearsFan99** · 08-20-2012, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by soulman

If CWill doesn't win the LT spot outright I'd still prefer Tice move him back to LG and let him and Rachal compete. Rachal always has been a tough run blocker but a liability in pass protection which is how he lost his starting spot in SF. Maybe they're helping him to clean that up.

I believe the Bears extended EWill last fall and after they signed Rachal I figured Spencer's situation might get a little tentative just based on his $3.75 mil cap hit alone. If he can't start I doubt they'll keep him around when EWill and Rachal don't cost that much combined and EWill can also play OC and OG. They should probably move Spencer back to RG but if there's a guy on the bubble it may be him just because of that contract. We shave $2.75 mil of cap cost if we let him go.

Whatever they decide to do, I wish they would get the final starting lineup set, so the guys can begin working together as a unit. I feel like precious time is ticking away. Surely, by now they know (or should know) who should be our starting 2012 oline.

**soulman** · 08-20-2012, 09:24 AM

Well this will be the week when the starters will play into the 3rd Q so my guess is that we'll see more of what we saw against the "Skins". Webb/Spencer as one pair and CWill/Rachal as the other since these are the guys competing on that left side. The Giants are the perfect team to play against in order to find out who can pass block and who can't.

I don't see them making a decision until after this weekend. The competition is still too close to call it yet but as it stands it looks like Webb and Rachal have the edge respectively. As much as I want to see CWill back at LG I have this gnawing feeling that Tice won't do that as long as Webb remains suspect. If Webb fails he wants a vet like CWill to plug in so this year they don't have to shift the entire line around in order to make changes.

My guess is that by this time next week Tice will announce his starting five.

**MPBears68** · 08-20-2012, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by soulman

Well this will be the week when the starters will play into the 3rd Q so my guess is that we'll see more of what we saw against the "Skins". Webb/Spencer as one pair and CWill/Rachal as the other since these are the guys competing on that left side. The Giants are the perfect team to play against in order to find out who can pass block and who can't.

I don't see them making a decision until after this weekend. The competition is still too close to call it yet but as it stands it looks like Webb and Rachal have the edge respectively. As much as I want to see CWill back at LG I have this gnawing feeling that Tice won't do that as long as Webb remains suspect. If Webb fails he wants a vet like CWill to plug in so this year they don't have to shift the entire line around in order to make changes.

My guess is that by this time next week Tice will announce his starting five.

That's exactly how it is shaping up, agreed. I too think that Webb was all but a foregone conclusion at LT and that Tice is basically just using CW to motivate him (as ridiculous as that is) with a view toward him being a vet backup. Sucks for CW but that seems to be the plan like it or not.

I'm not nearly the OL analysis guru you guys are but even I could see Spencer sucking big time in both PS games. He was a fail at C too and Louis has RG locked so unless he makes himself vital somehow at LG, he may very well become a cap casualty for the reasons you stated. Question is...can Rachal pass protect now? He reportedly sucked at in SF.

**short faced bear** · 08-20-2012, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by MPBears68

Question is...can Rachal pass protect now? He reportedly sucked at in SF.

Someone posted some SF message board comments about him. Sounded like he was the second-coming of Omiyale...or Webb.

**JustAnotherBearsFan99** · 08-20-2012, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by short faced bear

Someone posted some SF message board comments about him. Sounded like he was the second-coming of Omiyale...or Webb.

He's a big, physical guy (6'5" 323 pounds, and he's ripped) who plays with the heart of a serial killer. He will immediately help our running game. At training camp he even LOOKED scary when he wasn't practicing. I took his picture (like I did almost all of the players) and that look in his eyes was like he'd enjoy dismembering me just for the fun of it. Scary dude.

Rachal has prototypical dimensions with strength and powerful hands that can control and steer opponents......can hunker down and hold his ground versus a good bull rush.

**MPBears68** · 08-20-2012, 11:57 AM

^^^^
We could use that to run against guys like Suh but can he pass protect?

If he's improved there, then we may really have a cheap find.

**short faced bear** · 08-20-2012, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

He's a big, physical guy (6'5" 323 pounds, and he's ripped) who plays with the heart of a serial killer. He will immediately help our running game. At training camp he even LOOKED scary when he wasn't practicing. I took his picture (like I did almost all of the players) and that look in his eyes was like he'd enjoy dismembering me just for the fun of it. Scary dude.

He can be as scary looking as he wants to be but that does not help the cause. I've seen NOTHING to indicate he's better than Spencer much less Cwill. Many guys who look like world beaters end up being egg-beaters.

**JustAnotherBearsFan99** · 08-20-2012, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by short faced bear

He can be as scary looking as he wants to be but that does not help the cause. I've seen NOTHING to indicate he's better than Spencer much less Cwill. Many guys who look like world beaters end up being egg-beaters.

He's better than Spencer right now. I don't know what happened to Spencer since last season, but he's just not the same guy (and he wasn't a world beater anyway).

I 100% agree that Rachal isn't great either. But he's better than Spencer now. He needs to work on his pass protection. Let's watch what happens in the Giants game.

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