ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

Summer vacation is over. I am back and full of stories from Bourbonnais, IL. I drove down to Bears training camp this morning with my lovely wife. I was giddy. This was my first trip down to training camp. I didn't know what to expect. The first thing that had me worried was the drive. Summertime in Chicago means construction time. This year is no exception, but I have to say I was surprised to see that the trip only took one and half hours from the north burbs. I can't say enough about how easy it is to get down there, and from the size of the crowds today, I am preaching to the choir. (Just go, take the kids and have a good time)

There are a lot of questions about the Bears this season. I came to camp prepared with a cooler filled with G2, some fresh rope sausage from St. Louis, and a camera. I couldn't get answers to every question on my list , but here are my notes:

• What are we doing with the quarterback position?

Suffering. That's what. I sat around and watched all four quarterbacks practice and do drills. Orton, Grossman, Hanie and Nick Hill (from SIU) all took some practice snaps. I saw them throw a few deep balls and a ton of quick outs. Surprised? I didn't think so. Orton and Grossman aren't that different. I saw each of them miss the mark a few times in various drills. I even saw one broken play before the ball even snapped. That was when Grossman was under center. I'm guessing from the heckling in the crowd, Grossman must have fumbled the snap. He fumbles the snap even in practice. With no rush. What a freaking joke. I got close enough to get some good pictures. Check them out here.

• Who looked good? 
  

Believe it or not, Nick Hill looked good. I saw him taking some throws early in the afternoon and he did well. He seems pretty big (listed at 6'3) and he had some nice zip on the ball. He did miss one of the tight ends on a curl pattern, but over all I think he impressed me the most. That is to say, I didn't notice the other QBs, unless they made a mistake. I think Hill might have a chance to make the team, but let's see what he does in game this preseason.

• Ok, cut the crap. How was Hester? 

Hester was Hester. He was running around as if he was a newly minted millionaire...wait, he IS a newly minted millionaire. This was Hester's first real practice, with a contract and a magically healed, contract-itis caused, hamstring. If this guy had a leg problem, I'm M. Olympia. He was unbelievably fast. I saw him return kicks and it was amazing, even without hitting, how he was able to weave his way forward for 50-60 yards. This guy is the only bright spot on offense. He took some reps as a wideout too. He ran some decent routes and made an especially amazing catch while falling backwards on a tight in-pattern. It was the highlight of the day. The bottom line is that Hester is healthy, fast, and seems to be ready to put the work in to become a great wide receiver. Now all we need is a quarterback, left tackle, and a run game.

•  So, is there a run game?

I'm not sure. I didn't get a chance to see the running backs do much of anything. There was a drill they were doing on the side of one field that wasn't especially fun to watch. They basically went after a tackling dummy. Now that I think about it, it was a "chip" drill. This is probably something they expect rookie running back Matt Forte to handle since the line is weak on the backside. That just reeks of wins doesn't it? Speaking of Forte, I didn't get a chance to see him run. This pissed me off to no end because I am high on Forte and would have loved to see him tear into our defense. But, I can tell you he is bigger than you think.

Ok kids, I gotta head to work. Part II of this write up will hit the wire later tonight. We'll talk about the facilities and the other side of the ball - the defense.

BEAR DOWN!