The NFL is it. 

We’ve got between five thousand and fifteen thousand fans at training camps all over the country.  Beat writers Twittering detailed play-by-plays from the practices.  Those same beat writers reporting initial depth charts as if they’re news worthy (and fans like me caring).  The minutiae of the NFL off-season has officially usurped baseball’s pennant races, golf’s fourth major and NASCAR’s build-up to the Chase as the preeminent sporting event of the summer.  It’s an NFL sandwich.  Everybody else is the condiments. 

Here is my reaction to the Bears’ release of the initial depth chart:

1. What happened to Craig Steltz?  There have been no stories in any of the dailies regarding particular struggles by the LSU safety.  Steltz, only two weeks ago, was slated to start at free safety and now has fallen behind Josh Bullocks to third on the depth chart at the position. 

2. The Bears kept 9 defensive linemen on the initial 53 last year.  Assuming Jarron Gilbert is the ninth man, does this leave Texas’ Henry Melton on the practice squad?

3. Because I’m a football nerd, I’m excited to see Richmond McGee – currently listed as both the backup placekicker and punter.  I’ve often wondered why there aren’t any successful guys doing both duties and why teams don’t actively develop that kind of talent.  It would immediately free up a roster space. 

4. If one thing has become clear through early camp, it’s that Brandon Rideau is going to be on the field this season.  The team kept six receivers a year ago and Rideau is currently listed in the top four.  Here’s hoping he has some nice preseason performances.

Nobody.  Not Zack Bowman.  Not Danieal Manning or Craig Steltz or Al Afalava.  No player on this team’s defense is about to undergo a more important run of preseason games than Nathan Vasher.  And reading the start of David Haugh’s disappointing, yet unsurprising Trib column doesn’t breed a great deal of optimism:

On a sweep to the defensive right side, cornerback Nathan Vasher
correctly read run. Vasher quickly closed and technically put himself
exactly in the spot where the Cover-2 playbook says he should have
been, in a position to force everything inside of him or, better yet,
make the play himself.

Vasher then feebly offered a shoulder and approached running back Garrett Wolfe
in a way that personified the word tentative. New secondary coach Jon
Hoke, the respected defensive-back mechanic hired to tinker under
Vasher’s hood, immediately reminded Vasher the Bears were wearing full pads for a reason. So try using them.

Picking one play out of two weeks of training camp at Olivet Nazarene
unfairly represents any one player. But that six-second span the other
day during a full-team drill summed up a dilemma nagging Vasher in
particular and the secondary in general: right place, wrong timing.

I don’t usually paste that much of a column onto this blog but there’s a couple things at play.  (1) It’s impeccably written and I’m often very critical of Haugh’s style.  (2) It illustrates what many believe is the problem with Nate: his heart is not in the game.  Why?  Because according to this ESPN article, Vasher earned $15.6 million of his $28 million contract by the end of the 2008 season.  I like to think that isn’t the answer but I’ve learned to know better.

Vasher must start all of these late summer contests and face the best these opponents have to offer.  If he struggles, Lovie Smith can not afford to start him against the best passing attack they’ll face all season on September 13th.  I’m starting to wonder if they can afford the roster spot at all.   

A String of One-Year Contracts
Brad Biggs, in the National Football Post, breaks down the Bears’ contractual relationship with Tommie Harris:

The Bears, who knew of Harris’ knee condition following arthroscopic
surgery in January 2008, also protected themselves, as much as a team
can any way, in the $40-million, four-year extension they wrote for
Harris last summer. The deal included $10 million guaranteed, but what
is remaining on the contract, which runs through 2012, is basically a
series of roster bonuses, none of which is guaranteed. In essence, it
becomes a string of one-year contracts.

In so much as it’s believed that Lovie Smith is coaching for his Bears’ life this season, I think we can assume that Tommie Harris has the next sixteen games (and hopefully more) to prove he can stay on the field.  Otherwise the Bears would be insane to pay a roster bonus to a player that’s never on the roster.

Devin Aromashodu’s Roster Spot
Contrary to what’s on Da Site, Tribune and some of the other blogs, Mash is still a significant long shot to make this roster at wide receiver.  Yes he’s been performing well in practice.  But the history of the NFL is littered with guys whose only highlights come in the heat of the summer.  But Mash will be getting significant playing time with Caleb Hanie and the number 2s throughout the preseason and is quickly becoming a pretty good story.  By the way, what are the odds of having two receivers named Devin?

We haven’t done an open debate in a long time so let’s get you guys all pumped up on a Monday morning by thinking about the wide receivers.

In: Devin Hester, Earl Bennett

Gonna Be In: Juaquin Iglesias

Bubble: Rash Davis, Jackass, Rideau A Deer…

And here’s the question.  Is it worth the Chicago Bears moving on from Rashied Davis and another season of big drops on third downs in favor of youth and its upside?  Might it simply be time to throw the kids on the field and see what they’ve got?

“Smith is coaching as if his job depended on it. . . .“
Steve Rosenbloom takes a look at Bears camp and makes a point I’ve been waiting for a local columnist to make.  Lovie Smith is showing offensive ingenuity, making tough decisions, keeping the guys in pads and having those guys tackle each other.  I think anyone who believes Smith can keep his job in Chicago without a trip to the postseason isn’t reading the tea leaves.

Beekman v. Omiyale Update 
From Brad Biggs:

“I would say it’s the plan,” Smith said. “You can’t start moving guys
around. We have done very little live, I’m talking about finishing
plays and things like that. Both guys are getting good work right now
and we’ll let it play out. Once we start playing preseason games, to me
that is when you get a legitimate depth chart. Until then, we’re just
working the guys in and going from there.”

I would think the second preseason game, against the New York Giants’ brilliant defensive line, should give the coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate this position.

Caleb Hanie
Brad Biggs writes that the Bears made an attempt to acquire Andrew Walter for the backup quarterback position.  I’ve written it before but Caleb Hanie is the player I (and hopefully the organization) will be watching closely over these four fake games.  When you’re organization’s hopes and dreams are a rolled-up-on ankle away from washing down the drain, I think the situation warrants attention.

I only have one rule about being a Chicago Bears fan.  If one of your best friends, who also happens to love the club, emails you from South Africa with concerns…there are concerns. (Even if this individual happens to always be concerned.)  His email subject line, “this is why i worry”, made me laugh.  Why?  (1) Because it should be the title of the Reverend’s autobiography.  (2) Because he really is in South Africa, worrying.

The quarterback is as good as advertised.  The running backs and tight ends are the team’s strength.  The wide receivers have surprised even me.  Defensive line and linebackers?  Talented, inspired by new coaching and reportedly motivated.  This leaves the secondary – the subject of Reverend’s email.  And we have a phrase in the theatre for what the Bears have done with the secondary (I’m sure it exists elsewhere too).  When the structure of a piece is off and you simply make small edits.  We call it rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 

This is not a Doomsday report, announcing the demise of the Super Bowl hopes of our charter franchise.  After only a week of practice, nothing is as hopeful or dire as fans in the current NFL like to make them.  But one can’t help but notice that almost all of the club’s question marks are among a unit that ranked 30th in passing yards allowed, was brutal on third down conversions and became the object of opposing offensive coordinators’ wet dreams down the stretch.

But the bigger question might be…
…does it matter?  Outside of
Peanut, have any of these players instilled the kind of confidence that
makes their presence in NFL action more important than the next guy? 
These guys failed in 2008 and failed often.  Yes, they found themselves
getting thrown on every down from about October on. (1st in attempts by 17 – almost a full game over the Chargers)  Yes, they lacked any form of substantial pass rush. (22nd in the league).
Yes, they picked off 22 passes, ranking them third in the NFL, but that
number must be qualified.  Of the five teams with 22 or more picks, the
Bears picked off the lowest percentage of total passes (3.53).  The
Ravens (4.92), Browns (5.15), Packers (4.25) and Bucs (4.63) each were
substantially more successful at turning the ball over in the air.

So
what’s the verdict, you might ask?  Who the fuck knows.  What I do know
is this unit should not be expected to become Richardson, Frazier,
Duerson and Fencik.  They’ll be serviceable at times, terrible at
others and – in those rarest of moments – capable of altering the
course of the game.  But it’ll be up to the quarterback and offense to
compensate by putting more points on the board.  It’ll be up to the
defensive line and their apparently God-like position coach to pressure
opposing quarterbacks into making bad decisions.  It’s be up to Mr.
Smith to do his best impression of Mr. Bellichick and put these
underwhelming guys in position to make overwhelming plays.

Otherwise
it’ll be Strawberry Fields for Aaron Rodgers, Big Ben, Matt Hasselbeck,
Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer and another hollow January. 

Call it “The Anti-Cutler”
Kyle Orton, a player I like quite a bit, was routinely booed by a record-Broncos practice crowd after throwing a couple bad interceptions.  I wrote it when the deal was made but I’ll say it again: Orton is not going to do well in Josh McDaniels’ offensive system.  It is deep drop, read-the-field, quick delivery stuff and Orton needs an uncomplicated, first-look approach.  I’m going to root for him but I see some bad days ahead.

Booker in the ATL
Marty Booker signed with the Atlanta Falcons – the team I’ll be predicting to finish in last place in the NFC South.  Roddy White isn’t coming to camp.  Harry Douglas is lost for the season.  Michael Jenkins is Michael Jenkins.  Tony Gonzalez isn’t young.  In the last two days, the Falcons have signed Robert Ferguson and Marty Booker.  This would be a banner week in 2001.
   

Shady, the man with his ear to the grindstone, found this interview by Zach Zaidman.  I gave it a listen and it’s pretty amazing stuff with Jay Cutler and Jersey Greg.   

Shady’s been with us forever and he is beloved. Click here to listen.

Eli Manning is the league’s…
…highest paid player?  Does anybody who knows the game of football think that Eli Manning is even the best player on his own football team? (Read PFT’s analysis of the deal)  The question will be what impact this contract has on quarterbacks around the league, including the one currently waring #6 in Chicago.  David Haugh, in his best column so far this year, breaks it down.  The most interesting detail (which Brad Biggs did not have):

Angelo woke up Wednesday morning to an e-mail from Bears contract point
man Cliff Stein that shared details of Manning’s contract. It read,
“Brace yourself.”…When recounting that story later Wednesday on WMVP-AM and considering the potential ramifications for the Bears, Angelo kidded, “My mouth just got real dry.”

Remember when folks like me were pining for the Bears to sign Kyle Orton to a contract extension last season?  Doesn’t that feel like a century ago?

Waddle Likes Rash  
Legere in the Herald says Tom Waddle, my all-time favorite Chicago Bear, quite likes Rashied Davis.  Of course, he qualifies his enthusiasm:

“Technically, he’s the best wide receiver on the roster” Waddle said of
the 5-foot-9, 187-pound Davis. “He runs great routes, he’s quick as
(heck), and he’s got great body control. He does just about everything
right; if only he was more consistent catching the ball. None of that
other stuff matters if he drops the ball.”

Rash Davis will forever be remembered in Chicago for making a clutch catch from Rex Grossman in overtime, setting up the first win of the 2006 playoffs.  He’s very easy to root for.  He needs to fuck off with the drops and win the slot job.  End of story.  You’re a professional football receiver.  You’re only job is to catch the football.  So catch the football.

Practice at 7:00 tonight.