Look at the new Bears depth chart and one thing jumps off the page.
Starting free safety Danieal Manning, the replacement for the injured Mike Brown, just became the defense’s most irreplaceable player.
Nobody is suggesting Manning suddenly means as much to the Bears defense as Brian Urlacher or Tommie Harris. But at least if either Harris or Urlacher went down, able, veteran options exist.
Behind Manning, the depth chart could read Hope and Prayer.
Manning brings the experience of starting 14 games as a rookie last year and better athleticism than perhaps any player in the Bears locker room. The defense will remain dominant with him.
Without him, no such guarantee could be made.
That is not necessarily a knock on Kevin Payne, the rookie elevated to No. 2 at the position. But the Bears drafted Payne as a strong safety to make plays close to the box instead of roam the secondary to clean up others’ mistakes at free safety.
Cornerback Charles Tillman also pointed out that the Bears trust Brandon McGowan, who has three career starts, if injury forced him into the lineup. But has McGowan shown enough awareness in limited duty to have earned it?
Tillman also stressed that in the Cover-2 defense the safety positions are interchangeable because of the way each position has to cover half the field.
“Either Payne or McGowan could do it,” Tillman said.
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SOME OTHER COMPELLING QUESTIONS
Does anyone miss Chris Harris?
Harris made seven tackles and forced a fumble in his debut as a starter for the Panthers and broke into the lineup with the Bears in 2005 playing free safety — Brown’s position. So given the Bears’ lack of proven players behind Manning, anybody saying Harris’ experience isn’t missed at Halas Hall is just trying to justify the trade.
Are the Bears going to regret not having done more to improve the offensive line?
If all five starters stay healthy, the Bears will regret nothing. The only remedy to the line’s age, keeping in mind the salary cap, is the draft. The Bears have had mixed results going that route to bolster their depth. It’s easy to say the Bears need to get younger on the offensive line but much harder to develop that youth on a veteran unit.
Is there any chance we ever see No. 30 on the field for the Bears again?
It makes sense to expect the Bears to make the difficult decision to part company with one of the franchise’s most popular players of the modern era. Though there seems to be a consensus building that Brown will retire from the NFL, remember he is only 29 and safeties often enjoy more longevity than other position players in the league
At what point does Ron Turner have to shoulder some of the blame for the offensive woes?
The offensive coordinator didn’t call a clever game against the Chargers and needed to threaten with more deep passes and more of Devin Hester. But the problems don’t start with Turner, whose body of work earns more patience than some critics are showing him this week.
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BEARS HITS
Devin Hester isn’t the only Bear lobbying for more playing time. Fellow receiver Mark Bradley was stumped about his brief appearance in the season opener, although his role should increase Sunday against Kansas City.
– Rookie TE Greg Olsen, with a brace on his left knee, looked better in drills Thursday but is probably not ready for his first regular-season action. G Ruben Brown returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday with a shoulder injury.
– With S Mike Brown sidelined, coach Lovie Smith announced DE Adewale Ogunleye as a defensive captain alongside LB Brian Urlacher. Brown still is considered one of the captains, in Smith’s eyes. Ogunleye’s promotion appeared to give the team reason to celebrate. He danced around before practice like he was in the “Soul Train” line.
– The 2006 NFC Championship trophy will be on display Sunday in the Bears Den west of Gate 0 at Soldier Field. Fans can view it from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. and take pictures.
