Questions to be answered in Bears Training Camp
The Bears are heading to Training Camp this week, and unlike last year there are LOTS of questions. I, along with everyone else in the free world, (John Clayton, anyone?), was delusional heading into the 2007 season and described a team that had "no holes." Uh, can I have a mulligan on that one? A big, fat, disgusting 7 and 9 later, let's get to the questions for 2008:
Who's the starting Quarterback? Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton? Or is there a wild card out there we don't know about? And I'm not talking about Nick Hill or Caleb Hanie. (I'm not talking Brett Favre, either.) I'm talking Chris Simms. Simms is the odd man out in Tampa, and he's shown just enough moxie to make himself attractive to the Bears. Will Jerry bite? As for Grossman and Orton, without seeing a snap I'd give the ball to Orton. But Grossman's amazing practice performance will probably win him the job. Joy.
Who's the starting Receivers? I would think Marty Booker is about as close as there could be to a lock. He didn't do a whole lot in Miami, but then again he did have 50 catches last year with dog feces throwing to him. After that, I think Devin Hester, Brandon Lloyd, and Rashied Davis are the favorites, with Earl Bennett and Mark Bradley as dark horses. If Hester has an amazing preseason, I don't see how they can keep him out of the lineup. He's a playmaker, though third downs may still be best for him. Despite his lack of production in Washington, Lloyd has a pretty solid resume. Davis knows the plays and he was a solid enough #3 the last few years, so he might have the inside track for at least the first few games. I'm curious to see how Bennett will do.
Who are the two new starting offensive linemen? I would like to think that Chris Williams will be one of them, provided he signs within the next two weeks. Man, he better sign. After last year's draft, they need massive production from this draft class - starting at the top. (Really, it'll be interesting to watch all the rookies this Summer.) I guess Terrance Metcalf and John St. Clair are the steady-but-underwhelming choices for the last spot on the line, though it'd be nice to see Josh Beekman come out of nowhere and grab the job.
How's Urlacher look? Coming off the neck surgery, the bad back, the mini-camp/OTA holdouts, and the massive amounts of bad press; he's got a lot to play for. And if he doesn't look good, the pressure will only get worse.
How's Tommie Harris look? When he's not 100%, the team struggles. The Enforcer needs to be healthy, period.
How's Mike Brown recovering? This question has been asked at every camp for the past five years. I guess I should be asking, how's Mike Browns backups doing? Kevin Payne looked good before his injury last year, and many people think Craig Stelz was a steal in this year's draft. And I really can't crap on McGowan much, as he was pretty solid the last four or five games last year. Danieal Manning needs to step up as well. But back to Brown a minute. Over the last two years, when Brown played (along with a healthy Tommie Harris), the Bears defense flat out dominated. (Yes, in 2007 the dominance only lasted for three quarters of the opener against San Diego, but I'm thinking 2006 when they started 8-0 and were winning games by 40 points. Remember those heady days? Seems like eons ago.)
Will Mark Anderson return to 2006 form? I think they need to make Alex Brown the starter (like they did towards the end of last year), and let Anderson as a third down specialist. Nothing wrong with having another Simeon Rice around, is there?
Will Dan Bazuin make the team? He looked OK in the preseason last year, I thought, but was PUP and the word on the street is he's out. That's a 2nd round pick, my friends. I really want to see him make it, if for no other reason than he went to a MAC school.
Garrett Wolfe, same question. Now that Kevin Jones has signed, and Peterson seemingly entrenched on Special Teams, I don't see a spot for Wolfe. He showed a few flashes last year, but not nearly enough for a 3rd round pick. As much as I loved him at Northern, a third-down back should not be drafted in the third round. Period.
And that just scratches the surface. Coming off a season like last year, everybody on the team should be looking over their shoulder. And when they look over their shoulder this year, they'll be looking at me. I'll be filing my report from Training Camp next week for the third year in a row, and I won't be as soft as I was last year. Till then....
BEAR DOWN