Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on April 26, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

It’s pretty obvious that the Bears need help on the offensive line. Quarterback Jay Cutler and Bears quarterbacks were sacked 56 times last season, and Cutler was knocked out of two games (including the NFC Championship Game) as a result of the pounding that he took thanks to the weaknesses on the defensive line.

The Bears are a team that has a defensive mind, and general manager Jerry Angelo, along with head coach Lovie Smith, seems to favor drafting defense much more than offense. In fact, they are much better at drafting defensive players and have had some nice success there. But would it be a failure if they did draft some offensive talent, particularly on the offensive line?

Only if they don’t pan out, and that is always a threat when it comes to drafting offensive players, especially offensive linemen.

The Bears’ last and latest failure at drafting an offensive lineman came when they took offensive tackle Chris Williams in the first round of the draft three years ago. Williams came pre-injured (with a back problem), and that set him back early in his development.  Then, after some trial and error, it was discovered that he wasn’t a good fit at the left tackle position, so the coaching staff moved him over to guard. He has had mixed results there.

Williams is moving dangerously close to being a draft bust, and that’s something that the Bears cannot afford. They also can’t afford to have any busts in this year’s draft.

The most likely scenario for the Bears in this year’s draft is to allow someone who is sitting at the top of the second round to trade with them and come into the 29th spot while the Bears move back a bit, acquiring additional draft picks in order to help fill their needs much more effectively. The Bears like making trades to acquire additional picks, and this seems like a likely scenario.

If there is someone that Bears are interested in (an offensive lineman) at this point in the draft, then the Bears will probably take him. Chicago would have to feel very comfortable in making the choice, and it would have to be endorsed by offensive line coach Mike Tice, who appears to have a lot of say in what happens with the offensive line (this is a blessing).

The Bears need help at all positions on the offensive line. Right now they have a group of somewhat serviceable players but don’t have any players that can be considered stars, nor do they have anyone that has any outstanding talent. They need to start injecting some of that talent and ability into that part of the team so that they have success in both the long and the short term.

There is no doubt that the success of this team lies in how well the Bears work on their offensive line during this offseason.

Granted, it would be much easier if there were free agency (and if the final eight rule didn’t apply, if it does when and if free agency ever begins) because the Bears could find some nice talent in free agency to help fill some of their needs on the offensive line. Angelo has had a lot of success with free-agent offensive linemen in the past (like guard Ruben Brown and tackle Jon Tait), but he may not have a chance to go that route this year.

With the possibility of free agency basically an unknown, the Bears cannot afford to try to look ahead to that possibility. They have to operate with the thought that there won’t be free agency and that the draft is going to be the path they need to take to continue their success in the NFL.

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