Thread: Bears may give Rodriguez a look at tight end

Team seeking consistency after Davis' struggles vs. Texans; rookie fullback showed impressive hands in camp

By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter

9:09 p.m. CST, November 12, 2012

Kellen Davis' struggles were evident from the start of the Bears' loss to the Texans on Sunday night, when he lost a fumble on the first offensive play after catching a pass and taking a hit from ex-Bear Danieal Manning.

Two weeks ago, coach Lovie Smith praised Davis for his performance against the Panthers. Monday, Smith couldn't sugarcoat his tight end's play. Davis was targeted five times and had only one catch — the one he fumbled. He had at least two drops.

"It's pretty hard for guys to play at a certain level each week,'' Smith said. "(Sunday) night, he'll say it wasn't his best game. It's as simple as that. He'll come back this week.

Whether Davis rebounds or not, the Bears are expected to give rookie fullback Evan Rodriguez reps at tight end this week as they search for consistency at the position. Rodriguez opened eyes in training camp with his receiving ability and had three catches for 49 yards in exhibition play. He missed two regular-season games with a sprained MCL and hasn't caught a pass.

Rodriguez was drafted as a tight end. The fourth-round pick from Temple caught 69 passes for 871 yards and seven touchdowns in three seasons with the Owls.

Out of running: Matt Forte averaged a season-low 2.4 yards per carry against the Texans, gaining 39 yards on 16 attempts. His previous low was 4.0 against the Cowboys in Week 4 (52 yards on 13 carries).

The Texans entered with the league's second-ranked run defense, allowing 82.4 yards per game. They surrendered 115 to the Bears, but 42 came on scrambles by quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell.

"We have to give the Texans a little bit of credit,'' Smith said. "We weren't running against the scout team. They have good players.

"We knew that going in. They played well. But we just have to keep that commitment to the run, which we'll do, and eventually it will happen. There's a lot of football left to go in this year.''

As a team, the Bears average 4.4 yards per carry.

End results: Rookie defensive end Shea McClellin didn't get a chance to make an impact against the Texans after exiting early with a concussion. His injury was different than Cutler's.

"Shea ... sustained a concussion with symptoms that were displayed right away, so that hurt our rotation,'' Smith said.

McClellin's status for Monday night's game against the 49ers is unclear. He had one serious concussion in college, so the Bears might be cautious with their first-round pick.

The Bears have options at defensive end if McClellin misses the game. Cheta Ozougwu, who led the team with three sacks in the preseason, has been impressive in recent practices. Ozougwu was active for the Packers game but did not play.

Defensive tackle Henry Melton has played on the edge in certain formations, but the Bears likely don't want to move him outside.



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