Offensive Line
Injuries the past couple seasons have forced the Bears into situations where they have had guys playing out of position and backups playing key roles on the line. The addition of tackle John Tait, combined with the return of Rex Tucker, gives the Bears some flexibility and depth. Tait is slated to play right tackle while the relatively untested Qasim Mitchell takes on the critically important job of protecting Grossman’s blindside. The coaches like Mitchell’s potential, but I’m not sure he has the athletic ability to match up with the top speed rushers in the league. If he struggles, Tait would likely be moved to left tackle and and the massive Aaron Gibson would be given a shot to start at right tackle.
Olin Kreutz is one of the best centers in the league, displaying a quickness that allows him to consistently get out on the linebackers in the running game.
At guard, the Bears need Rex Tucker to stay healthy this year. He is a solid blocker, and along with Kruetz and fellow guard Rueben Brown, should give the Bears a solid interior. Brown, who was brought in to fill the spot vacated by Chris Villarial, is on the downside of his career, but is still effective and brings a lot of experience to the position.
Giving the Bears the depth they have lacked in recent years is Mike Gandy, who can backup any position on the line, and veteran Steve Edwards, who can play guard or right tackle.
Defensive Line
Chicago’s defensive line is another big question mark for the Bears. While they appear to have some up-and-coming talent, they are very young and inexperienced. They spent their first two draft picks this year on defensive tackles Tommie Harris and Terry “Tank” Johnson, but neither rookie can be counted on to provide a consistent impact. Veteran Bryan Robinson has dropped about 20 pounds to fit the mold Smith is looking for in his defensive linemen, but I’m not sure he wouldn’t be a better fit playing the power end position. A move to the outside is unlikely though considering the Bears lack of experience in the middle.
The Bears will likely start the season with Robinson at the nose tackle position, while either Alfonso Boone or Harris line up next to him. I wouldn’t look for the Bears to start both rookies, especially early in the year, so they will probably begin with a starting combo of Robinson and Harris, with a heavy rotation of Johnson and Boone thrown in.
The Bears are emphasizing an attacking style this year as opposed to the read-and-react they played under Greg Blache, which should allow their ends to significantly increase this units pathetic sack total of just 18 last season. Alex Brown is probably the Bears best pass rusher, and he should benefit greatly by defensive coordinator Ron Rivera’s philosophy of getting after the passer. Second-year player Michael Haynes will see most of the action at the opposite end of the line, but he is very raw having received little extended playing time as a rookie last year.
The Bears still lack a proven edge rusher, which is why they took a chance on Claude Harriot out of Pittsburgh with their fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, but he is coming off a disappointing senior campaign at Pittsburgh and may not be ready to be the third man in the defensive end rotation. If he is not ready for that big of a role, those duties will probably fall to fourth-year veteran Joe Tafoya.
Linebackers
The Bears are still very solid in the middle with Brian Urlacher, one of the league’s best defenders, but his role will change a bit this year. Under Jauron, the Bears attempted to plug the middle of the line while Urlacher roamed from sideline to sideline. This season, the defense will be asked to attack in more of a north-south style with the linebackers plugging the holes instead of chasing down ball carriers. Urlacher’s best years came when he had big defensive tackles tying up the offensive linemen, but with his athletic ability, he should thrive in this system.
Lance Briggs was a surprise as a rookie last season, but he is being moved from the strong side to the weak side this year, while Bryan Knight and second-year linebacker Joe Odom vie for the starting job on the strong side. Personally, I feel Briggs would be better remaining on the strong side while Odom/Knight fight it out on the weak side, especially if Odom wins the job. Rookie Leon Joe will back up the strong side while Hunter Hillenmeyer, who is in just his second season, backs up the middle, leaving the Bears with a bit of a depth concern should one of the starters go down.
