Toast88
Well-known member
- Joined:
- May 10, 2014
- Posts:
- 12,537
- Liked Posts:
- 12,690
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...ith-veterans-bubble-biggs-20180815-story.html
Chicago Tribune
Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.
Does Roquan Smith start Week 1 against Green Bay? — @zr_1ls9
If that isn’t the first question most people have about the Bears’ first-round pick, it’s the second. I don’t expect the team to answer anytime soon. Barring something unexpected, Smith will almost certainly play in that game, and I expect the inside linebacker to get up to speed quickly. Maybe the team decides to keep Nick Kwiatkoski in the lineup to start the season; he’s had a pretty good training camp, but Smith will be the starter sooner than later. Although Smith missed the entire Bourbonnais experience, he’s arrived in time to contribute Week 1. That’s what matters most in this situation.
Can you explain the Bears’ logic when it comes to their offensive line? They flip Kyle Long from guard to tackle and back to guard. They draft a guard (Cody Whitehair) and switch him to center. They draft a dominant college center (James Daniels) and promptly shift him to guard. I understand the appeal of position flexibility, but it seems the Bears are repeatedly playing their best O-linemen away from their natural spots. Furthermore, how is it that career reserve/swing lineman Eric Kush, coming off a season-derailing injury, is suddenly the projected starting left guard? It just feels like the Bears are being too clever for their own good. — David D., Rogers Park
That’s a lot of ground to cover. If there is a consistent theme in the Mailbag, it’s that some readers constantly are in search of position changes. Usually it’s on the offensive line, but not too long ago a vocal group wanted Kyle Fuller moved to safety. Perhaps those folks were the same ones who wanted Charles Tillman shifted to safety. It’s easier to understand the questions about the offensive line. The first thing I would say is we’re more than three weeks away from the start of the regular season. Nothing is set in stone, and as offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said during the spring, the true evaluation of the linemen wouldn’t begin until they put on pads. Let’s allow this process to play out and see what the team decides. Moving Long to right tackle, I think the Bears would admit, was a mistake, but at the time they were shorthanded and he was better than their other options. I think Whitehair’s best NFL efforts have been at center, and he’s actually played more center than guard after two seasons. Does that mean he stays there? Not necessarily. Daniels also played guard at Iowa before taking over as the team’s center, and there’s nothing wrong with positional flexibility, especially if he’s the sixth lineman to begin the season. Daniels has a chance to be a very good pro, but he’s still 20 and there’s no reason to rush things. I talked to Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz about Daniels and where he would end up playing in the NFL, and he made a really good point. When Jonathan Ogden was a rookie with the Ravens in 1996 and Ferentz was the team’s offensive line coach, they played the first-round draft pick at left guard. Ogden went on to be one of the best left tackles in the history of the game, but the Ravens had a solid left tackle, Tony Jones, for that season. The point I’m trying to make is I wouldn’t tie myself in a knot over where the players are lining up right now. As far as Kush, he’s a player the Bears like, and he would have seen significant action last season had he not suffered the season-ending hamstring injury in training camp. Let’s see what shakes out.
With the new renovations at Halas Hall, are the Bears going to eventually ditch training camp at Bourbonnais? — @knee_mart
Nothing lasts forever. The Bears spent 18 summers training in Platteville, Wis., and they’ve been at Olivet Nazarene University for 17 years now. That being said, I don’t know of any plans to move training camp to Halas Hall. The Bears used new practice fields that were built behind the Walter Payton Center for the first time Tuesday before departing for Denver. With additional outdoor fields, it certainly gives the team options. However, it seems unlikely the Bears could host crowds anywhere near what they draw in Bourbonnais to Halas Hall if they wanted to remain open to the public. Additionally, off-campus parking and a shuttle service would have to be used. I believe Bears ownership likes having the team connect with the fan base at ONU, and the facilities there are quite good when compared to what other teams that go away for training camp have. Construction is ongoing at Halas Hall, and we’ll see if the team’s goals for training camp shift when it’s completed in 2019. For now, I think the ONU arrangement is working well for the club.
Chicago Tribune
Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.
Does Roquan Smith start Week 1 against Green Bay? — @zr_1ls9
If that isn’t the first question most people have about the Bears’ first-round pick, it’s the second. I don’t expect the team to answer anytime soon. Barring something unexpected, Smith will almost certainly play in that game, and I expect the inside linebacker to get up to speed quickly. Maybe the team decides to keep Nick Kwiatkoski in the lineup to start the season; he’s had a pretty good training camp, but Smith will be the starter sooner than later. Although Smith missed the entire Bourbonnais experience, he’s arrived in time to contribute Week 1. That’s what matters most in this situation.
Can you explain the Bears’ logic when it comes to their offensive line? They flip Kyle Long from guard to tackle and back to guard. They draft a guard (Cody Whitehair) and switch him to center. They draft a dominant college center (James Daniels) and promptly shift him to guard. I understand the appeal of position flexibility, but it seems the Bears are repeatedly playing their best O-linemen away from their natural spots. Furthermore, how is it that career reserve/swing lineman Eric Kush, coming off a season-derailing injury, is suddenly the projected starting left guard? It just feels like the Bears are being too clever for their own good. — David D., Rogers Park
That’s a lot of ground to cover. If there is a consistent theme in the Mailbag, it’s that some readers constantly are in search of position changes. Usually it’s on the offensive line, but not too long ago a vocal group wanted Kyle Fuller moved to safety. Perhaps those folks were the same ones who wanted Charles Tillman shifted to safety. It’s easier to understand the questions about the offensive line. The first thing I would say is we’re more than three weeks away from the start of the regular season. Nothing is set in stone, and as offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said during the spring, the true evaluation of the linemen wouldn’t begin until they put on pads. Let’s allow this process to play out and see what the team decides. Moving Long to right tackle, I think the Bears would admit, was a mistake, but at the time they were shorthanded and he was better than their other options. I think Whitehair’s best NFL efforts have been at center, and he’s actually played more center than guard after two seasons. Does that mean he stays there? Not necessarily. Daniels also played guard at Iowa before taking over as the team’s center, and there’s nothing wrong with positional flexibility, especially if he’s the sixth lineman to begin the season. Daniels has a chance to be a very good pro, but he’s still 20 and there’s no reason to rush things. I talked to Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz about Daniels and where he would end up playing in the NFL, and he made a really good point. When Jonathan Ogden was a rookie with the Ravens in 1996 and Ferentz was the team’s offensive line coach, they played the first-round draft pick at left guard. Ogden went on to be one of the best left tackles in the history of the game, but the Ravens had a solid left tackle, Tony Jones, for that season. The point I’m trying to make is I wouldn’t tie myself in a knot over where the players are lining up right now. As far as Kush, he’s a player the Bears like, and he would have seen significant action last season had he not suffered the season-ending hamstring injury in training camp. Let’s see what shakes out.
With the new renovations at Halas Hall, are the Bears going to eventually ditch training camp at Bourbonnais? — @knee_mart
Nothing lasts forever. The Bears spent 18 summers training in Platteville, Wis., and they’ve been at Olivet Nazarene University for 17 years now. That being said, I don’t know of any plans to move training camp to Halas Hall. The Bears used new practice fields that were built behind the Walter Payton Center for the first time Tuesday before departing for Denver. With additional outdoor fields, it certainly gives the team options. However, it seems unlikely the Bears could host crowds anywhere near what they draw in Bourbonnais to Halas Hall if they wanted to remain open to the public. Additionally, off-campus parking and a shuttle service would have to be used. I believe Bears ownership likes having the team connect with the fan base at ONU, and the facilities there are quite good when compared to what other teams that go away for training camp have. Construction is ongoing at Halas Hall, and we’ll see if the team’s goals for training camp shift when it’s completed in 2019. For now, I think the ONU arrangement is working well for the club.