BBAO: Reconfiguring the Bears' OL again
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LINK to the article BBAO: Reconfiguring the Bears' OL againIt appears that injuries and performance issues will leave the Chicago Bears with alternate starters at three of their five offensive line positions Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com has the full story.
Right guard Lance Louis will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury, and the Bears will continue to use former right tackle Gabe Carimi in his spot, according to Wright. That means Jonathan Scott will continue to start at right tackle. Meanwhile, left guard Chris Spencer will need a week or two to recover from a knee injury, leaving backup Edwin Williams to start in his place.
Backups will be undrafted rookie James Brown, who has not played in an NFL game, and veteran guard/center Andre Gurode, who was signed Tuesday. Gurode, 33, last played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011.
The Seahawks are tied for ninth in the NFL with 29 sacks this season.
Continuing around the NFC North:
Here's the Michael Wright article mentioned above:
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By Michael C. Wright
ESPNChicago.com
Looking to bolster depth up front after losing right guard Lance Louis on Sunday for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, the Chicago Bears on Tuesday announced the signing of veteran guard/center Andre Gurode, a five-time Pro Bowler.
The signing of Gurode comes on the heels of the Bears losing two starters in the 28-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Louis suffered his season-ending injury after sustaining a blindside hit from Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. Starting left guard Chris Spencer also suffered a knee injury against the Vikings, but his timetable for recovery is approximately one to two weeks, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The Bears also waived veteran defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, in addition to signing offensive lineman Derek Dennis and receiver Dale Moss to the practice squad.
While Gurode, 33, possesses All-Pro pedigree in addition to being named to multiple Pro Bowls, he joins the Bears as a backup, according to an NFL source. With Spencer expected to sit, it's likely the Bears will continue to use former starting right tackle Gabe Carimi at guard for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks opposite veteran Edwin Williams, who replaced Spencer when he suffered the knee injury against the Vikings.
Prior to the signing Tuesday of Gurode, undrafted rookie James Brown -- who was inactive during Sunday's win over the Vikings -- represented the only backup option remaining on the active roster. Brown still hasn't yet played in an NFL game.
"We just keep playing the way we're playing," left tackle J'Marcus Webb said Tuesday, just before news surfaced of Gurode's signing. "We're a unit. We've been together now for X amount of weeks, X amount of years. We have to continue to look like it and play like it; play as a unit, and not as one."The attrition at Halas Hall hasn't diminished morale, Webb said.
"The mood of the team is great. We're sitting real nice," Webb said. "Seattle is in our way. We can't let injuries or anything like that (keep) us from reaching that ultimate goal. We're at home, and we have to play like we're at home. The past weeks before last week were a little rough. We feel good. We're going to continue to strive for excellence."
Selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2006-10 as a center for the Dallas Cowboys, Gurode last played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. After Gurode missed the majority of training camp in 2011 recovering from offseason knee surgery, the Cowboys cut him after the preseason and he signed with the Ravens that September.
Gurode started five games for the Ravens in 2011, and has made 127 starts over his career.The Bears also worked out linebacker Aaron Curry at Halas Hall on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the situation.Information from ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers contributed to this report.
