Besides a lesson in the different degrees of hamstring strains and the return of the practice fight to Bears football, the first week of training camp enlightened many who were curious what Lovie Smith’s new team would look like and, as significantly, how he would prepare it.
Here are five quick impressions that, of course, could change as quickly as the second week. After all, it’s only Aug. 2.
1. Practices are more physical, but don’t include as much contact as some veterans feared.
Sure, Smith’s practices include more hitting at training camp than Dick Jauron’s did last year, but there were card games more intense than Jauron’s practices. The Bears spend more time on the field but not necessarily banging heads, or even in full pads. The contact hasn’t been excessive and Smith has been smart in his treatment of veterans.
Two examples: John Tait practices only once a day, and Saturday, the first day the Bears practiced twice, Smith gave guards Rex Tucker and Ruben Brown the afternoon off to rest. No question Dave Wannstedt’s training camps that wore down the Bears before Labor Day demanded more than Smith’s. But Wannstedt was probably at one end of the continuum with Jauron on the other. Smith, it seems, appears to be comfortably in the middle with most NFL coaches.
2. The offensive line will be the strength of this team.
The big question remains what side tackle Tait will line up on, but either way the Bears look strong enough up front to be able to run the football effectively. The interior three of left guard Tucker, center Olin Kreutz and right guard Brown have dominated so far, especially in short-yardage situations. Likely backups include guys with NFL starting experience such as Steve Edwards, Terrence Metcalf and Michael Keathley. They won’t be able to keep everybody, making it likely a good player will get a tap on the shoulder on cut-down day.
3. The defensive line will be the weakness of this team.
It can’t be discounted that one of the reasons the Bears have looked so good running the football might be because their defensive front has struggled stopping it. Rookie defensive tackles Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson will be forces, and Johnson probably is ahead of Harris at this stage of camp. But as they develop, the absence of a force such as Ted Washington or Keith Traylor in the middle will be felt.
Starting defensive tackles Bryan Robinson and Alfonso Boone will make plays but remain susceptible against massive offensive linemen. Whether ends Alex Brown–18 pounds lighter than last season–or Michael Haynes can stop the run remains to be seen.
4. Marty Booker’s injury has allowed other receivers to show how deep the position really is.
While the compelling battle between Justin Gage and David Terrell continues neck-and-neck as both players reported serious about winning the job, Bobby Wade has evolved into the most consistent receiver in camp. Wade has a knack of finding the holes in the secondary, seems to have a nice symmetry going with Rex Grossman, and has some of the surest hands on the team.
The other surprise has been Jamin Elliott, a player who looks intent on sticking with the Bears during his second tour on the team. That makes four guys who have given coaches reason to trust them as Booker’s hamstring heals, putting the pressure on Ahmad Merritt and rookie Bernard Berrian. Can this team afford to keep six wide receivers?
5. Speed will break every tie under the new regime.
The day middle linebacker Brian Urlacher pulled his hamstring and left practice, backup Hunter Hillenmeyer took over the rest of the day. By morning, Smith had shifted Lance Briggs over and moved in Marcus Reese into his spot in the starting lineup at outside linebacker. Reese runs a 4.5 40-yard dash and Hillenmeyer doesn’t, making his spot on the roster shaky. Hillenmeyer was considered a good fit by the former staff, but maybe not this one.
Remember, too, that running back Anthony Thomas lost the starting job more than Thomas Jones won it. Why? Jones’ speed and quickness have been among the most eye-catching things about this camp, giving him the edge over the more straight-ahead runner in Thomas. As Smith and the staff start to make roster decisions, particularly on defense, they will be quick to reward the quickest and follow the model that has worked in Tampa Bay and St. Louis.
