Rebuild: Where to Start (Pt 1: O-line)
As we make our way through the offseason with a new regime of GM and head coach starting to build their hopeful dynasty, we look into what positions should be focused on; the why's and why not's. I'm going to try to stay neutral and focus on the Bears' history.
This is the first installation:
Offensive Line
With Ryan Poles at the helm of operations, and being a former offensive lineman himself, this position is going to be a focal point. Poles has signed Lucas Patrick, Dakota Dozier, and tried to sign Ryan Bates from the Bills. He also resigned Lachavious Simmons and Sam Mustipher. What is the next move? A more proven veteran or a stand-out college stud?
The line is essential to winning, right? We have to protect Justin Fields, give Darnell Mooney time to progress through his routes, and open holes for David Montgomery. Every single play starts with the line doing their job so that everyone else can do theirs. We have had good linemen in the past. Kyle Long was a three-peat Pro Bowler (2013, 2014, 2015). Cody Whitehair has been a dependable anchor for our line for the last seven years. One of the issues that have come up is that our better linemen are almost "too versatile." Kyle Long was a right guard and Cody Whitehair is a center. But Long played games at every offensive line position except for center and Whitehair has played left guard, right guard, and center. In order to be successful, there needs to be consistency. Without consistency there is confusion:
In the grand scheme of things, how important is the offensive line though? Can you name how many Pro Bowl offensive linemen we've had since the '85 Bears? In almost 40 years, we have had seven linemen make Pro Bowl: Cody Whitehair, Josh Sitton, Kyle Long, Olin Kreutz, Ruben Brown, Mark Bortz, Jimbo Covert. This is not to say we didn't have guys that were deserving in their time. Guys like Roberto Garza or Tom Thayer were essential players. But for the guys in charge of protection and opening holes to rarely be recognized as elite in the league can we really say this is where we need to start? Obviously, based on the Pro Bowl selections, we don't have to have an elite line to be successful.
The bottom line is (pun intended) the line needs to be effective in order for the offense to be effective. The question is how much attention and emphasis it needs to be given. Do they need to go deep with depth due to it being a position with higher injury rates? Do they only go with 7-8 guys that are great at what they do? It has been a fan favorite as a position they want to see fixed for sure and Poles says he doesn't like what he seen with the o-line last season. Now we wait and see if we get a seasoned and solid veteran like Jason Peters again or draft a mean streak guy like Trevor Penning?
| POLL | ||
12 AVRIL | 135 ANSWERS Rebuild: Where to Start (Pt 1: O-line) Who is the Bears' greatest offensive lineman of the past 40 years? | ||
| Olin Kreutz | 60 | 44.4 % |
| Jimbo Covert | 52 | 38.5 % |
| Kyle Long | 11 | 8.1 % |
| Other | 12 | 8.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
