Bears at Texans
On the field
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August 11, 2007
<!-- Article By Line --> <!-- Article's First Paragraph --> With an eye toward the regular season, the Bears might be economic with their use of
Cedric Benson in the preseason, especially tonight. That's fine by him. ''With all the carries that I'll be having throughout the season, I think that I should conserve and save as many hits as I can,'' he said. The mercurial Benson has been keeping mostly a low profile since his comments regarding ex-teammate
Thomas Jones to the Sun-Times at the start of camp. He did offer this thought-provoking tidbit this week when asked about running behind the same line that has been here for two years. ''It's a good relief,'' he said. ''But you know, I've got to think I'm putting the effort in and I've been running behind them the past two years, and you know I'm very comfortable with them. Hopefully if not now, then real soon in the future they'll feel the same way. I think it's a great thing to have those guys.'' FOCUS ON:
REX GROSSMAN</breakouthead>
Rex Grossman is entering a pivotal season. If he performs well, the Bears will be convinced they have a franchise passer and likely will pony up for a long-term contract. If he stumbles, he'll have a hard time finding a franchise that wants to make him a starter. The game tonight at Houston is a chance to evaluate the mechanical work he did in the offseason. The Bears know full well he will be under pressure when the season opens at San Diego and they face linebacker Shawne Merriman.
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Jockeying for position
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http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/506157,CST-SPT-bear11.article)
August 11, 2007
BY
BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com
Ron Turner said he just wants to see tight end Greg Olsen do in the Bears' exhibition opener tonight what he's been doing in two weeks of training camp.
If the first-round pick carries his practice into games, and then the regular season, he just might be the rookie of the year. He's been that good.
Olsen should get ample playing time at Houston (7 p.m., Ch. 5, 780-AM), a smattering with the first team and more with the second team. The Bears don't figure to play the starters long, although coach Lovie Smith would like to see Rex Grossman and the offensive starters find some momentum and leave on a positive note. That would be a nice building block for the final week of camp at Olivet Nazarene University for a unit the organization believes can be one of the best in the league.
''It's going to be fun just to be able to go out and play in a game and get a feel for what it is going to be like,'' Olsen said. ''I'm sure I'll have a few nerves, but mostly I am just going to be excited about the chance to go out there and play and get some real game experience.''
Turner said playing in multiple offenses at Miami helped Olsen adapt quickly. Of course, being a coach's son doesn't hurt him either.
''Greg has practiced pretty well,'' Turner said. ''You are always anxious to see how a guy does when it comes to game time in the attention to detail and the focus and everything. I'll be surprised if it's not there. He's played in a lot of big games in college, and he's always played well.''
The rest of the game will be an opportunity for players at the bottom of the roster to fight for positioning on the depth chart. There aren't many jobs up for grabs, so there also will be those competing for spots on the practice squad. Here's a look at eight such players:
FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo
Losing his appeal of a drug suspension didn't help. Ayanbadejo was brought in after J.D. Runnels was lost to a knee injury, but there was no guarantee the team was going to keep a backup to Jason McKie anyway. • •
Working for him: He's an Ayanbadejo. It's in their blood to excel on special teams.
• •
Working against him: The team might decide to settle its special-teams needs without him.
DE Copeland Bryan
The Bears put a full-court press on Bryan to sign him to the practice squad last September. He decided to join because Alex Brown had an injured shoulder and Mark Anderson had missed all of training camp. Suffice to say, he never got off the practice squad, but he has gotten increased reps in camp with Dan Bazuin missing time. • •
Working for him: Bazuin's left knee could be a lingering issue.
• •
Working against him: There already are two established backups in Brown and Israel Idonije.
DT Antonio Garay
The scrapper got into four games last season, primarily at the end, after turning heads in camp last summer. A pulled hamstring that kept him out of most of the first two weeks this summer didn't help his cause, which looked to be greatly aided by the departure of Tank Johnson until Darwin Walker was acquired. • •
Working for him: The Bears play in waves with their tackles, and a strong preseason could convince them to keep him as No. 5.
• •
Working against him: He's had trouble staying healthy, and Idonije has experience playing inside.
CB Corey Graham
The fifth-round pick from New Hampshire has been lost in the sea of support for seventh-rounder Trumaine McBride. A leg injury slowed Graham in the offseason program, and he hasn't caught up. • •
Working for him: Angelo has a hard time cutting draft picks, and space was cleared by trading Dante Wesley.
• •
Working against him: A lack of plays. When a team gets depth, it can't keep all the picks.
WR Mike Hass
After biding his time on the practice squad last season, Hass has drawn the attention of everyone with his hands of glue. All he does is catch the football, helping him get ahead of Drisan James and Brandon Rideau on the depth chart. • •
Working for him: The Bears could keep six receivers, counting Devin Hester, but Hass has to prove he can pitch in on special teams.
• •
Working against him: Speed. He will not outrun many defenders.
OT Mark LeVoir
The former Notre Dame standout impressed Turner with his improvement at the start of camp, but the hardest position to judge when the action isn't real is offensive line. The preseason will be his opportunity to show that he's ready for something greater than the practice squad. • •
Working for him: LeVoir is bright and has the physical traits to succeed. The Bears need a developmental tackle, too.
• •
Working against him: John St. Clair already is in place as the swing tackle, and the club would figure to make fourth-round pick Josh Beekman its developmental lineman.
LB Darrell McClover
Added during the season, he played in only seven games but still managed to place fourth with 18 special-teams tackles, 16 of them in the final five games. He's absolutely cut and runs well. • •
Working for him: He's a production machine.
• •
Working against him: McClover is fourth on the depth chart at weak-side linebacker, and the club already carries one linebacker who doesn't figure in on defense--Brendon Ayanbadejo.
C Anthony Oakley
He quietly came on last season and solved an area that has been an off-and-on problem -- backup to Pro Bowler Olin Kreutz. Oakley also can play guard, but he doesn't have any game experience. • •
Working for him: He knows the system and essentially can play three positions.
• •
Working against him: The Bears could try Beekman at center, too -- and remember how much Angelo covets his draft picks.
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The new players are in place, and beating each other up is getting old, so all that's left to do is play some football ... starting tonight
The Texans are ready to ring out the old and ring in the new when they begin the preseason tonight against the Chicago Bears at Reliant Stadium.
New players such as quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Ahman Green, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, receiver Keenan McCardell and receiver Jacoby Jones will be on display for the first time.
Most of the starters — including Schaub and Green, new weapons on what should be an improved offense — won't play more than 15 snaps each. Much of the attention will go to Schaub as the replacement for David Carr, the starter for the Texans' first five seasons.
"Our mindset is to be ready to go from the start to the finish," said Schaub, 26, who started only two games in his three seasons at Atlanta. "I feel very comfortable in the huddle. You get a good feel for the guys, and they get a good feel for me.
"We're starting to get things clicking on offense, and we're getting our timing down."
August has been Schaub's best month of his career. He played well in Falcons preseason but was relegated to Michael Vick's backup during the regular season. The Texans paid dearly to acquire him, sending two second-round picks to the Falcons and agreeing to exchange first-round positions with Atlanta.
"As the backup in Atlanta," Schaub said, "my mentality was always 'You have to be ready at any moment. You have to be ready to play from the first snap.' I'm definitely looking forward to play. I'm excited about seeing somebody in a different jersey and seeing where we are at this point in training camp."
Although he will only play about a quarter, Schaub has a few goals for tonight's game.
"Ball security is a must, especially the first preseason game," he said. "You've got to make good decisions. Everybody has to be on the same page."
General manager Rick Smith and coach Gary Kubiak, who orchestrated the trade with Atlanta, have a lot at stake in how well Schaub performs.
"He's making tremendous progress," Smith said. "He looks more comfortable, but he's going to make mistakes. He hasn't done it on a consistent basis, so it's important for us to make sure that he understands the standards that he's going to have to operate under to be our quarterback. Gary's capable of getting that message across."
Kubiak got his message across to Schaub in practice this week. The quarterback threw to the wrong receiver during a two-minute drill, and Kubiak chewed him out for a bad decision.
"It's my nature to coach those guys hard, and he knows that," Kubiak said. "I expect a lot out of him. His teammates do, too."
With left guard Chester Pitts sidelined because of a sprained back, Steve McKinney is replacing him. Kubiak wants veteran starters playing with Schaub.
"We've got to take small steps along the way as we work toward Kansas City," Kubiak said about the regular season opener on Sept. 9 at Reliant Stadium. "I want to keep him protected (today) so he can stay in one piece."
When the season begins, Schaub will benefit if the Texans have a running game that can control the clock and keep the defense off the field. That kind of offense starts with Green, who signed as a free agent.
"What Ahman can do for a quarterback that's starting for the first time is tremendous," Kubiak said. "He can bring so much to the table."
The Texans are deep at running back with Green, Ron Dayne, Samkon Gado, Wali Lundy and Darius Walker.
"We want to run the ball first and foremost," Kubiak said. "We have to run to make Matt successful and our team successful. That's where it all starts."
john.mcclain@chron.com
