Chicago Bears Tight Ends…Not so Good…
For those of you that know me, you know that I have never been a fan of Greg Olsen. He has never seen a block that he likes. Additionally, while he makes catches there are many occasions when he is out of a play before it begins. He will get caught up in interference or not be able to shed a defender. The Chicago Bears have claimed that he is now a recognized target, but so are Dallas Clark, Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. However, the difference is that the three guys not in a Chicago Bears uniform make plays on a regular basis.
Speaking of Gates, the Chicago Bears signed his former teammate Brandon Manumaleuna as one of the big three with Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor. Manumaleuna is supposed to be a devastating blocker and will occasionally catch a pass when he’s open. Well this preseason, he hasn’t caught a pass or blocked very well. Now in his defense, he was hurt. For a guy that is considered by many to be such a great blocker, I ain’t seeing it. He was a key player for the Mike Martz offense in St. Louis, so let’s hope this is just him getting his legs back after an injury. But like with Marv Cook, the Chicago Bears haven’t had the best track record of bringing in tight ends from free agency.
Desmond Clark has been one of the more underrated Chicago Bears during his career. This season, he has made the transition to h-back as well as playing some tight end. H-back is a combination between the two positions, but one of the primary jobs of an h-back is to block for both the quarterback and running game. Clark has struggled with both of these tasks. In his defense, it is a new season and he is learning a new position. However, it better improve really quickly or this could be a disaster.
Kellen Davis isn’t a lock on this roster. He is used primarily as a special teams player and catches occasional short passes. Quite honestly, he has looked the best of the four this preseason (although I have to say that Olsen is a far superior pass catcher, but I think blocking is as big of a part of the tight end position as catching passes…unless you’re Jay Novecek). He seems to get a pad on someone and helped with the running game. That does not mean I think he is more talented than the other three (well more than Olsen in the blocking department, my two-year old son can block better), I just am giving him credit for being the best of the tight ends this preseason.
Closing Preseason Thoughts…
I think one of the dangers of the preseason is the ability of us fans to gripe about something. When teams play four games, fans want to see what his or her team can do. In the case of the Chicago Bears, we saw very little from this squad. If this team finishes 13-3, people will forget the preseason fairly quickly.
I have no issue with Lovie Smith holding out some of his star players. That being said, it would seem that learning a complicated offense like Martz’s one require a lot of practice. The lack of blocking really did not allow this group to find a rhythm. Maybe this is getting done at Halas Hall, but based on the results (and I am sure most of you would agree), we do not have much to feel good about at this point. This can all change a week from Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals Post-Game Recap
Yuck! Can I just end the article with that statement? I would but I feel obligated to tell you more about the blood-bath I observed tonight. For those of you that enjoyed a Saturday night doing anything else, smart move.
Here are some of the low-lights…
-Jay Cutler played like Rex Grossman.
-The offensive line still cannot block.
-Missed tackles on defense.
-Two missed field goals.
-Lack of third-down stops.
-Lance Briggs injured his ankle.
-Matt Forte doesn’t play very much.
-Chris Harris missed two obvious tackles on consecutive plays.
-Brandon Manumaleuna forgot how to block.
What were the highlights???
-Dan LeFevour actually looked like he did in college…good (and he shut me up with some play-making abilities).
-Juaquin Iglesias made a tough catch in the end-zone.
-Pisa Tinoisamoa was all over the field making plays.
-Johnny Knox continues to grow before our very eyes.
-Julius Peppers is pretty good.
-Tommie Harris continues to show flashes of his former self.
Overall Recap
I really left Soldier Field tonight with a sour taste in my mouth and anger in my gut. How can this team be so bad? Are they not showing us anything or do they not have the ability to show us anything? Lovie Smith claimed that this game was going to be treated like a regular season game and even suggested that the Bears had a score to settle with the Cardinals from last season. If this is how the Chicago Bears settle a score, it may be time to start looking for another line of work.
OK, its only the preseason I keep telling myself. No one remembers what your record was during this time. However, glaring holes are still showing up on this team and there is little that may give us any hope.
Chicago Bears Offense…the H-Back Explained
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am so glad that the days of Jason McKie are over. I was so sick and tired of watching him not gain yards or drop short passes. Now that Ron Turner is gone, so are the days of the boring fullback that does little but take up space. To this day, I am trying to understand exactly what McKie brought to the table, and I am still not quite sure. He really never seemed to block anyone and when he would actually catch a pass, it would be for very little yardage. This was one of many things that Turner seemed to do well…have eligable receivers that teams knew darn well were not getting the football. Or if that player did, bad things would probably happen.
Now let’s welcome Mike Martz. Martz’s offense specifically requires each eligable player to do a specific task on every play. Working within a cohesive unit, each receiver’s responsibilities opens up opportunities for a teammate.
One of the key’s to his offense is the use of the H-Back. What is an H-Back you might ask? Well an H-Back traditionally serves as a player with the combined skills of a fullback and tight end. The H-Back will line up in the backfield in a spot similar to where the fullback would line up or in support or on the line of scrimmage. The H-Back may also go in motion to the desired location. So the player is not exactly a fullback but can play that roll…he is also not a traditional tight end but can play that roll as well.
Don Coryell, who is considered by many to be the father of the modern passing game, in one of his many innovations identified that the tight end could be used as more than just a blocker. While Martz has varied this approach a little bit, it still comes from this general concept. In fairness to Ron Turner, he tried some of these things too, but seemed to favor McKie over more athletic type players that Martz has had a tendency to favor in this roll.
During the St. Louis Rams great runs, Ernie Conwell was that type of player. He would line up in the backfield and find his way into the short-to-immediate passing zone and create an option for Kurt Warner. This would open everything up for the “Greatest Show on Turf” to work its way downfield.
Based on this, the Chicago Bears have two great candidates for this type of player…Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. Both are guys that have shown some receiving skills and in the case of Clark, a guy that can block when he has to do so. Brandon Manumaleuna will play the roll of tight end (that is known for blocking first in the Martz offense), but the other two guys will fill the roll nicely at H-Back.
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Chicago Bears Profile…Desmond Clark
What does Desmond Clark need to do to get respect around here? He has been one of the most productive Chicago Bears over the past few seasons, and yet all the organization wants to do is replace him. Greg Olsen may have better “pure” receiving skills and Brandon Manumaleuna is a better blocker, but Clark does everything pretty well.
During the first few days of training camp, he has been one of the top offensive players. He has made some impressive catches and found ways of getting open.
For a change, tight end has become a position of strength for the Chicago Bears.
Going forward this season, look for Clark to have a strong season in the red-zone due to his size and deceptive skills. Additionally, he is a strong blocker that will help Manumaleauna on the opposite side. Clark will be the unsung hero this season.
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T-Minus Four Days Until Chicago Bears Training Camp
OK, things are starting to get exciting around here. We can almost taste the start of football season. Yesterday, I started highlighting story lines for training camp.
Building to The Chicago Bears Strength
It is fairly easy to find the things the Chicago Bears do not do well. In fact, the pro-White Sox media (OK, had to throw this in here…) seems to find many things wrong that the Bears do. But, this is not the worst football team on Earth. Here are a few areas of strength for the Chicago Bears.
Special Teams
Brad Maynard and Robbie Gould are one of the premier kicking duos in football. Both kick in one of the toughest venues in football and do it at a high level. The Bears also have a strong group of returners. The best of all of these dudes is Devin Hester (will the old Devin Hester please stand up). Johnny Knox and Daniel Manning have both proven valuable in this roll as well. The Bears also cover kicks and block very well. Kudos to this group!
Starting Quarterback
Jay Cutler is a gifted quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm and can move out of the pocket. While he made some bad throws last year, he didn’t get much help. With a new system in place and more experience for his wide receivers, Cutler is due for a strong season.
Tight Ends
Finally the curse of Coach Ditka is gone. The Chicago Bears are blessed with good tight ends. While I am not the biggest Greg Olsen fan, he does bring some things to the table. Desmond Clark is a solid tight end and the most valuable of the group is Brandon Manumaleuna. Having this guy will help with the blocking on the offensive line. And when you are not looking, he will slip out and catch a pass.
Linebacker
You have one Hall-of-Famer (Brian Urlacher), one possible Hall-of-Famer (Lance Briggs), and a really solid player (Pisa Tinoisamoa) starting in this group. In addition, there is one solid backup (Nick Roach) and a veteran (Hunter Hillenmeyer) in this group.
In Closing…
I wanted to give us all some good thoughts for the day. It is easy to be negative, but today, its all about the love.
