When the Bears made plans for this season, they hoped the middle of the offensive line would be a strength. Center Olin Kreutz and guards Chris Villarrial and Rex Tucker gave them one of the best interiors in the league.
Elsewhere on the line, right tackle Marc Colombo was the Bears’ first-round draft choice in 2002 and Mike Gandy had showed promise at left tackle last season.
It hasn’t worked out, to say the least.
Injuries forced the Bears to junk part of their running game at times this season. The Bears have been forced to use players they hoped to develop slower, and Colombo is missing the season recovering from the knee injury he suffered last year.
The problems along the offensive line narrowed the Bears’ already small margin for error. A healthy line might not be the difference between 3-6 and 6-3, but we’ll never know.
“It hurts us even when the player can play but not practice,” Bears coach Dick Jauron said. “It’s never the situation you want to be in. You want your guys to have an entire week of practice. And you do need continuity. The offensive line may be as critical, maybe the most critical–that and the timing of the quarterbacks and wideouts.”
Last Sunday, Kreutz played with an injured ankle and the Bears couldn’t run the ball at Detroit. Kreutz is that rare center who is a difference-maker, and the Bears appeared reluctant to run in some short-yardage situations. His injury was arguably the difference in a 12-10 loss.
“It’s always frustrating when you can’t play the way you want to play,” Kreutz said.
Last week Kreutz missed the Wednesday and Thursday practices. This week is shaping up the same way. He said he feels better than he did a week ago at this time.
“Any time you miss practice it’s critical,” Kreutz said after being held out of Wednesday’s workout. “I don’t know if I have a choice now. It’s really important to see the looks, especially against a team like the Rams that blitzes a lot.”
Kreutz has showed again this season why he’s a Pro Bowl performer, often combining with the guards to create sizable holes for Anthony Thomas.
“He’s a great leader to us, just having him out there was key for us,” said Aaron Gibson, who took over the right tackle job for Colombo.
“If you can get 80 percent Olin it doesn’t matter. That’s better than most centers in the league.”
Said Villarrial: “Any time a player goes out and plays injured, that’s courage.”
Kreutz was healthy until last week. But Villarrial suffered a knee injury in the opener at San Francisco and missed the next game. Then Thomas missed the sixth and seventh games with a foot injury.
So the Kreutz-Villarrial-Thomas combination has been available and healthy for only four games. In those games, Thomas has averaged 5.1 yards per carry and ran for three scores as the Bears went 2-2.
Everything started to go wrong for the offensive line when Colombo needed more off-season knee surgery, making Steve Edwards the right tackle before Gibson took over.
Then in the last exhibition game, left guard Rex Tucker tore a tendon in his ankle and was lost for the season. That forced Edwards into service at guard.
Edwards hadn’t played guard until the week before the San Francisco game.
“I’ve played nine games there now, so I’m comfortable there,” Edwards said. “I feel comfortable just about anywhere except center.”
Colombo, last year’s first-round pick, still must show he can be the right tackle for the next decade or so.
The left tackle position is the only one on the line where the Bears have stayed healthy, but Gandy has struggled. Because his natural position is guard, nobody should be surprised.
“I’m trying to get better every week and that’s what I’ll continue to do,” Gandy said.
Gandy could wind up back at guard if the Bears let Villarrial leave as a free agent after the season. That would break up the interior of the line.
“C.V. is a great guard,” Kreutz said. “Of course, if you ask me, they should sign him right now.”
Tucker said his rehabilitation is progressing, though he isn’t running yet.
So nobody should be surprised if that high first-round draft choice that appears to be in the Bears’ future is spent on an offensive lineman. Unless a dominating, run-stuffing defensive lineman is available, it probably should be.
In the meantime, the linemen are trying to learn from their experience.
“The last two seasons have been up-and-down seasons for us,” Edwards said. “What we’ve been going through the last couple of years will help in any future disasters.”
