Chicago Bears Offseason 2012

[Guest]

James Brown stands out at practice...

Scouts from three organizations told the Tribune that marijuana was an issue for Brown

 and that led their teams to remove his name from their draft boards.

  

When asked if he wanted to address the matter, Brown said, "Could be something to that."

 

If this is what dropped him....hurray! There are so many worse things to drop a college player than tokin'.

 

It can't be just weed. This is the NFL, weed doesn't drop a potential top-3 round guy to UDFA.

 

Could be weed, but dealing it rather than smoking it.

 

What these poor kids have to resort to now that the alumni can no longer easily contribute to their college lifestyles!

[jersey cubs fan]

how can you take someone off your board for weed? you'd end up with like 10 draftable guys

 

Yeah, but they'd all be Tebow so you'd be golden.

[Magnetic Curses]

reading the marshall interview again and i'm kind of disappointed that he says: "You definitely have to let the judicial system take its course but again this also is one of those things as a result of everything I've been through in the past."

 

i wish he would have showed a little insight into those problems and asserted ownership of the things he's done. he seems to dismiss them by implying that he's had no control over the situations he's put himself in. should have changed "been through" to "done".

[Banedon]

Looks like the "Williams-to-tackle" move is on the way....

 

The Chicago Bears have not made it official with Chris Williams, but barring a new development it appears likely the former first-round draft pick is headed back to tackle. Williams has spent time at both guard and tackle in the voluntary offseason workout program, according to one teammate, and the composition of the roster makes it clear he’s needed on the outside.

 

It would appear general manager Phil Emery and the coaching staff have no other option but to play Williams at tackle. The club has plenty of depth on the interior, especially since the addition of Chilo Rachal in free agency last month. When asked about it during the draft weekend, coach Lovie Smith wouldn’t commit to a position for Williams.

 

Chris Spencer, Lance Louis, Rachal and Edwin Williams all have experience playing guard and that mix provides the team with competition to sort through during training camp and preseason. At tackle, offensive coordinator Mike Tice has J’Marcus Webb and Gabe Carimi

 

So, healthy bodies right now at tackle -- if you don’t include Williams -- are Webb and undrafted college free agents A.J. Greene of Auburn and Tyler Hendrickson of Concordia. The club lists Troy’s James Brown, another undrafted free agent, at both guard and tackle on the roster. He did a little of both during rookie minicamp.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-signs-pointing-back-to-tackle-for-bears-williams-20120514,0,7870245.story

[Magnetic Curses]

stupid stupid stupid. turn your best offensive lineman into someone who won't even play every down.

[PosterToBeNamedLater]

stupid stupid stupid. turn your best offensive lineman into someone who won't even play every down.

 

Are you saying that he won't play every down because he will be the backup to Webb? I was hoping that by moving him to tackle, Webb would not be starting anymore.

[minnesotacubsfan]

the HAVE to be talking starting LT for Williams, right? He wont be the back up..will he?

 

 

who gives a [expletive] what kind of competition they think they have at guard, Williams was better then all of it combined

[PosterToBeNamedLater]

the HAVE to be talking starting LT for Williams, right? He wont be the back up..will he?

 

 

who gives a [expletive] what kind of competition they think they have at guard, Williams was better then all of it combined

I would hope that is the case as well. Hopefully they are thinking that the difference between Williams and the guard who replaces him is not as great as the difference between Williams and Webb at left tackle.

[davell]

If he moves to OT, then his play (and Webb's) will dictate who starts. He does need to earn it. I wouldn't dare say he's done enough to just come out and say the job is his to lose. He needs to play his way in. If he does, my guess is he'll start, if not, Webb will. It's what we've got to work with, it's not ideal on any level, but I'm going to trust Tice, one of the best O Line coaches around, to make the right call.

 

After the first few weeks of last year, once they moved Jay around some, Webb wasn't even a real issue until Cutler went down and we had no one capable of getting rid of the ball quick or having the ability to evade pass rush whatsoever. I think we only allowed 23 sacks through Jay's 10 games, that's not bad at all, and with the WR's we've acquired, Jay is going to feel even more comfortable getting rid of the ball quick. While the line will NOT be a strength, I actually believe them when they say it won't be a problem either. If it is, we can address it in the 1st next year.

[jersey cubs fan]

If he moves to OT, then his play (and Webb's) will dictate who starts. He does need to earn it. I wouldn't dare say he's done enough to just come out and say the job is his to lose. He needs to play his way in. If he does, my guess is he'll start, if not, Webb will.

 

Wow, that's some insight.

[rawaction]

If he moves to OT, then his play (and Webb's) will dictate who starts. He does need to earn it. I wouldn't dare say he's done enough to just come out and say the job is his to lose. He needs to play his way in. If he does, my guess is he'll start, if not, Webb will. It's what we've got to work with, it's not ideal on any level, but I'm going to trust Tice, one of the best O Line coaches around, to make the right call.

 

After the first few weeks of last year, once they moved Jay around some, Webb wasn't even a real issue until Cutler went down and we had no one capable of getting rid of the ball quick or having the ability to evade pass rush whatsoever. I think we only allowed 23 sacks through Jay's 10 games, that's not bad at all, and with the WR's we've acquired, Jay is going to feel even more comfortable getting rid of the ball quick. While the line will NOT be a strength, I actually believe them when they say it won't be a problem either. If it is, we can address it in the 1st next year.

 

The Bears OL was pretty strange last year. Whereas in 2010, they were bad from Day 1 up until the final snap of the NFC Championship game in every facet of blocking......last year, they were actually pretty good at times run blocking (typically to the outside when they outnumbered the defense schematically) and put together a pretty decent stretch for 4-5 games of pass blocking after MNF game in Detroit. But they were still pathetic at times early in the season and after Jay went down. And despite having (I think) the most runs over 10-20 yards last year, they also had the most negative yardage run plays in the league also. The line will continue probably continue to be a problem. It's hard to think otherwise. But the hope is that they become the type of "problem" that the Giants were last year, or the Steelers were the year before that. Both those teams went to Superbowl with lackluster OLs (Giants last in rushing, Steelers top 5 worst pass blocking) due to having star QBs, with talented players to throw to, to go along with playmakers on defense. Hopefully, with Marshall and Jeffery and the new blood on offense, the Bears can fall into that category also.

[davell]

If he moves to OT, then his play (and Webb's) will dictate who starts. He does need to earn it. I wouldn't dare say he's done enough to just come out and say the job is his to lose. He needs to play his way in. If he does, my guess is he'll start, if not, Webb will.

 

Wow, that's some insight.

 

Well, read the couple of posts above mine, asking whether or not he's going to get a chance to start or not. Not sure how else I could follow that up, other than saying it's up to him and he'll be given a chance. If you prefer, I could say Webb sucks and Williams should automatically get the job, because we don't know that he sucks. Sorry, if that was the response you were looking for.

[jersey cubs fan]

If he moves to OT, then his play (and Webb's) will dictate who starts. He does need to earn it. I wouldn't dare say he's done enough to just come out and say the job is his to lose. He needs to play his way in. If he does, my guess is he'll start, if not, Webb will.

 

Wow, that's some insight.

 

Well, read the couple of posts above mine, asking whether or not he's going to get a chance to start or not. Not sure how else I could follow that up, other than saying it's up to him and he'll be given a chance. If you prefer, I could say Webb sucks and Williams should automatically get the job, because we don't know that he sucks. Sorry, if that was the response you were looking for.

 

You wrote he won't be handed the job, that he will have to play well to earn the job and if he does play well you think he will start or if not it might be Webb.

 

 

For the record, my opinion is it would be beyond moronic to do anything but start Williams if you move him to tackle. They are forcing themselves to hand him the job without technically handing him the job. So unless he really falls on his face this summer, he's going to be the starting LT if he's actually moved to tackle.

[davell]

I disagree, to an extent. It's his last year under contract. I think the Bears, rightly or wrongly, are enamored with Webb and his potential upside. I think the Bears have time invested in Webb at this point. Yeah, I can see Williams beat him out, but my honest guess is the Bears WANT Webb to be their LT. My thinking is they look at moving Williams as a necessity, to give the OT position some depth. OG already has some.

[rawaction]

Why move your best Guard to get "depth" at tackle? I understand moving your best guard if you want to get "better" at tackle, and think you won't get much worse at guard. But that's clearly different. If you want depth at tackle.....here's an idea.....draft or sign a GD TACKLE! If the Bears are moving Chris Williams to tackle, he'd better be the starter at one of the tackle spots, because otherwise your best 5 linemen aren't on the field and everything the team has preached the last 2-3 years has been BS.

[jersey cubs fan]

I disagree, to an extent. It's his last year under contract. I think the Bears, rightly or wrongly, are enamored with Webb and his potential upside. I think the Bears have time invested in Webb at this point. Yeah, I can see Williams beat him out, but my honest guess is the Bears WANT Webb to be their LT. My thinking is they look at moving Williams as a necessity, to give the OT position some depth. OG already has some.

 

I highly doubt they are enamored with Webb. They've thought there was more there than most people thought, but he's not any good and they probably know it. You don't move your best guard to be the backup tackle just because you think you have plenty of depth at guard. They have numbers, not quality.

[Wilson A2000]

What about Williams at RT and Carimi at LT? Obviously both guys aren't going to be good LTs, but is the team better with Carimi at LT than Williams or Webb there

[jersey cubs fan]

What about Williams at RT and Carimi at LT? Obviously both guys aren't going to be good LTs, but is the team better with Carimi at LT than Williams or Webb there

 

Maybe they are. But I think the Bears have made clear that Carimi is going to play RT. I think ideally he would be an RT and it's probably better to at least have one guy on your line starting at the ideal position. If they move their best guard to tackle, they already have a guard playing center and backup caliber players starting at guard, no reason to make your RT play LT.

[davell]

Obviously, it could be lip service, but it really seems like Tice is committed to Webb. I don't care either way as long as whoever is the best option plays.

[WrigleyField 22]

Wait, why would anyone think that Williams would be strictly a backup tackle. If Webb beats him out, he'll almost certainly go back inside. Given our current roster he is at the very least the backup LT, even if hes the starting LG, but that doesn't mean its LT or nothing else.

 

 

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[jersey cubs fan]

Obviously, it could be lip service, but it really seems like Tice is committed to Webb. I don't care either way as long as whoever is the best option plays.

If they are actually going to move Williams back to tackle, that would be a huge indication that they are not committed to Webb as their starter.

[davell]

Is it though? We lost Omiyale and didn't sign a swing type.

[Magnetic Curses]

They view williams as a swing tackle.

[minnesotacubsfan]

How can you tell lo pan?

[Magnetic Curses]

How can you tell lo pan?

 

because they aren't moving webb. maybe they think carimi really isn't going to be alright. they are moving williams as insurance, not to start him.

 

everything they've said has led me to believe that webb is the guy. webb is tice's boy, his diamond in the rough, he's staked his career on the dude. i'll believe that williams will be the starting left tackle when i see it.