Chicago Sun Times: Offense still tops list of Bear questions

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September 5, 2005

BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bear05.html

There is no disputing that the Bears enter the 2005 season with the biggest unknown a team can have: a future staked to a rookie quarterback.

The regular-season routine kicks in today at Halas Hall as the Bears put the final touches on their game plan for the opener Sunday against the Washington Redskins (noon, Fox-32, 780-AM). While the team had the weekend off, Kyle Orton no doubt was at Halas Hall, feverishly studying film of blitz packages he didn't even dream of during the preseason.

The track record of struggles by rookie quarterbacks is well-documented, but the Bears did not have another choice and needed the extra week of training camp to cycle through three starters. Aside from the quarterback issue, it was a pretty good summer for the Bears. The first-team defense allowed only 13 points in what added up to about six quarters of work. By and large, the roster remained healthy.

Here's a review of the 10 areas of concern posed when camp opened more than six weeks ago:

1. Can the offense be fixed in one season?

Probably not. But if coordinator Ron Turner can elevate it somewhere above the level of abysmal, it will be hailed as major improvement. The running game behind Thomas Jones was sound throughout the preseason. If Turner can call 30-plus handoffs per game, the Bears could win more than they lose. Rookie wide receiver Mark Bradley provided a dimension the team hasn't had in ages: the ability to break a catch all the way at any time. So the faster he's fully immersed in the system, the better.

2. Will the Bears stay healthy?

So far, so good. No one expected fullback Bryan Johnson (right foot) not to be ready by now, but the great hamstring epidemic of 2004 did not return. Rusty Jones, the new strength and conditioning coordinator, appears to be as good as advertised, as the only starter to go down was quarterback Rex Grossman (broken left ankle) on a freak hit after a pass in St. Louis. Find the teams with the fewest players on injured reserve in mid-November, and they are typically the ones in the playoff hunt.

3. Rex or bust

Kyle or bust? Grossman's third surgery in three seasons will force general manager Jerry Angelo to seek at least an alternative in addition to Grossman as a future franchise quarterback. The Bears know they cannot put all their eggs in Grossman's basket any longer. He certainly has not been written out of future plans, but there will be no more training camps in which the No. 2 competition is as weak as Chad Hutchinson.

As long as injuries do not pile up, the Bears will carry Grossman on the 53-man roster, leaving at least the thought that he could return to the field in December. If Orton is 75 percent of Ben Roethlisberger, he might never surrender the job.

4. Follow the leader

The Bears did the wise thing in preserving middle linebacker Brian Urlacher during the final preseason game. Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera said his magic number is 17 -- allow fewer points than that every week, and odds are good you go to the playoffs. The Bears allowed 16.6 points per game when Urlacher was healthy last season.

Urlacher made his presence known to Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark two weeks ago, leveling him on a play over the middle that cost him a $5,000 fine. If **** Butkus took time off from his high school team in Pennsylvania to watch, no doubt he was smiling.

5. Feed the Moose

Any doubts about Muhsin Muhammad's value, on what essentially is a three-year contract for $16 million, vanished quickly. He's a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, a tag that would have been difficult to apply to Marty Booker in his heyday, and he is one of the hardest-working players on the team. Muhammad has a knack for getting open and will be a real safety net for Orton.

One legitimate concern is that if the Bears cannot find someone else to step forward in the passing game -- whoever the No. 2 wide receiver will be or tight end Desmond Clark -- defenses will be able to focus on Muhammad and shut him down.

6. Is the line in order?

John Tait's transition from right to left tackle was so seamless, you have to wonder why it was not accomplished last year. He appears ready to be a bookend for years to come, and left guard Ruben Brown is healthy again. This group will not come close to the 66 sacks allowed last season, but there are questions about run blocking, especially if defenses do not respect Orton.

Fred Miller, picked up in free agency to play right tackle, struggled some in the preseason, and it appears Terrence Metcalf will be rewarded with the right guard job.

7. Are there depth issues on defense?

Jerry Azumah is expected to practice today, a little more than a month after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip. If the right cornerback can return at full strength, the secondary should be in good shape. But if the hip is a seasonlong issue, there could be a real concern here. Nate Vasher is probably best suited in a No. 3 role right now, and if the Bears learned anything this preseason, it's that they don't have a legitimate fourth corner on the roster.

Depth also could be an issue at linebacker, but then again, if any team loses players such as Urlacher or Lance Briggs, they would be in trouble.

8. Wale World

It was easy to see why the Bears were so hungry to acquire Adewale Ogunleye last summer. With a full year in the system and a training camp, Ogunleye proved that his right ankle is fully recovered from surgery last December and that he can get the takeoff he needs out of his stance to reach the quarterback. He had four sacks in limited time in the preseason, and it would be a surprise if he does not crack double digits. No true defensive end has done that for the Bears since Richard Dent in 1993.

What will be interesting to judge is how much effect Ogunleye has on the other members of the line. If their games reach new levels, the trade will look even better.

9. Kicking and returning

There is no question about Doug Brien's accuracy as a kicker, but his depth on kickoffs was a major concern after the first preseason game. Brien has been consistently better since. While he's not going to reach the end zone for touchbacks very often, the Bears are used to that. They just want someone who will consistently hit his field goals.

The return game remains less settled. Azumah vows he will be ready for full duty right away on kickoffs, but he has had very little practice with the new three-man wedge that special-teams coach Dave Toub has installed. There might not be the dropoff from R.W. McQuarters on punt returns that some worried about if Rashied Davis can be trusted in the role. Bobby Wade was solid in the preseason, too.

10. Just run, baby

With two quality running backs, Turner would love to run the ball more than 55 percent of the time. First-round pick Cedric Benson has yet to be introduced to Bourbonnais, but he is expected to be a quick study with the offense, and there is a difference in learning a game plan and learning the entire playbook.

Jones and Benson need to succeed for Orton to have a chance to do the same. After all, it was Orton who said the Pittsburgh Steelers had a good blueprint with Roethlisberger: a power running game and a top-flight defense.

NOTE: The Bears made two changes to the 53-man roster, releasing veteran guard Steve Edwards and cornerback Jerrell Pippens and claiming two cornerbacks: Daven Holly, a seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers this year, and Chris Thompson, a fifth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2004. Wide receiver Eddie Berlin's contract was terminated after he received an injury settlement.

Seven of the eight practice-squad positions were filled, and five were familiar faces: offensive linemen Rob Droege and Anthony Oakley, linebacker Jeremy Cain, fullback Keith Belton and defensive tackle Antonio Garay. Also added were defensive back Rod Babers, a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants in 2003 who recently was let go by Denver, and defensive tackle Jason Jefferson, a Leo product who was a sixth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints from Wisconsin.