Bears Lineman Chris Williams Just Wasn’t Good & More NFC North News
Published by Andrew Garda on October 18, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Tribune’s Dan Pompei says that Chris Williams’ pairing with the Chicago Bears was doomed from the start.
My only issue with the piece is that it says that one reason Williams failed was because they put him at right tackle when he was drafted to play left tackle.
I think his short arms hurt, though there are plenty of examples which fly in the face of that draft logic. I agree that his back hampered his development and it hurt him to not start a game until his second year.
I’m fine with those pieces of logic, though as Pompei says, neither is the big reason he failed.
But I’ll buy both of those over “he was never given a shot at left tackle.”
Left tackle is only one of the two most vital spots on the line. It’s left tackle (or the blind side for most quarterbacks) and center, and if either of those are truly awful, it can be hard to recover.
Where do failed left tackles go? Right tackle, then guard.
Now, maybe he was a poor fit at either or both of those positions and really, if that’s the case, he’s not a good offensive lineman.
But to say that he would succeed at left tackle—a more difficult and challenging position—when he couldn’t at guard or right tackle is just crazy.
There are slightly different skill sets required, but he wasn’t great in pass protection and if there is something you need to be able to do at the left tackle more than anywhere else on the line, it’s pass block.
There are a lot of reason Williams didn’t work out for the Bears. Some are his fault, some are the Bears’ fault. I don’t think he was ever handled correctly and frankly, having Mike Martz as an offensive coordinator isn’t going to enhance a lineman’s prospects.
It may be that if Williams had been given more time at any spot, he could have excelled.
But if you’re unable to beat out J’Marcus Webb for a left tackle spot, it’s hard to imagine that any amount of time was going to help. That’s not even a knock on Webb, by the way.
It just says something when a guy drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 draft outplays a guy taken 14th overall in 2008—well, you have more problems than him not being at the right position.
On to the rest of the division.
Chicago Bears
Check out the 50 Greatest Bears of all time over at ESPN.com. The third guy on the list, Mike Ditka, told ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy Show that George Halas should have been first on the list.
Matt Forte and Michael Bush are the key to getting the offense rolling according to Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times.
The Tribune’s Vaughn McClure says that with Williams leaving, the focus will fall on Gabe Carimi.
The Free Press’ Dave Birkett says that the Lions are down to just a pair of completely healthy cornerbacks.
Justin Rogers of MLive.com reports head coach Jim Schwartz was expecting what Nick Fairley did last week all along.
As has been feared all along, it appears Jahvid Best will not take a snap this season due to his continued concussion issues, but Bleacher Report’s Ethan Grant says Best should serve as a benchmark for the rest of the NFL.
CheeseheadTV.com’s Zach Kruse says the Packers have the talent to control the slot position on both sides of the ball.
Sarah Barshop of ESPN Wisconsin reports cornerback Davon House is aiming to get his starting job back.
The Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein writes that the Packers have added linebacker DJ Smith to the injured reserve list.
Dan Wiederer of the Star-Tribune says that Percy Harvin draws heavy praise from no less a receiver than Larry Fitzgerald.
The Pioneer Press’ Brian Murphy says that the Vikings have a big advantage having both their next two games—played in four days time—home at the Metrodome.
Here’s an interesting (and illuminating) aspect of Jerome Simpson’s frustration about being inactive last week—it cut into his pay, according to the ESPN NFC North blog’s Kevin Seifert.
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