[CBFF] DS: Rookie tight ends impress in camp

[Victor Waldron]

Inside the Bears

Rookie tight ends impress in camp

Monday, May 8, 2006

By Gene Chamberlain
Staff writerBears general manager Jerry Angelo has promised the search
for tight end help will go on.

But it may already be on the roster. At the team's rookie minicamp
over the weekend, the Bears came away with positive reviews of two
undrafted players who signed as free agents — Cooper Wallace and Tim
Day.

Then again, neither player is a finished product.

"I don't think either one is a perfect what we call a 'Y' tight end,"
Bears collegiate scouting director Greg Gabriel said.

The "Y" tight end is the classic all-around player at the position —
someone who sets up on the line of scrimmage, blocks in the running
game and can get involved in the passing game.

Even though Day made 86 catches for 1,208 yards and 13 touchdowns in
his collegiate career and Wallace had 23 fewer catches for 379 fewer
yards and nine fewer TDs, Wallace may be the better all-around player
because of his blocking.

"I think blocking is more of a strength for me," said Wallace, who
played at Auburn. "I have to go a little more aggressive to the
whistle, but I think it's something I could be good at."

During the 2004 season, the 6-foot-3½, 260-pound Wallace helped spring
Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams in the Auburn running attack. Both
backs went in the top five of the 2005 NFL draft.

"The running backs were pretty good, but we had a good O-line, and I
was anchoring the end of it," Wallace said. "But we prided ourselves
on the run game, so I think that was a big reason we were good."

Day, who played at Oregon, doesn't want to be discounted, even though
his blocking has come under question.

"He caught the ball well, good route runner, good hands running with
the ball after the catch," Gabriel said of Day. "Adequate blocker, not
a great blocker, but an adequate blocker and strong in the upper
body."

The rookie minicamp didn't involve contact drills, which won't be run
until training camp in July, but Day believes he has a lot to show in
terms of blocking.

"I think I'm a better blocker than people give me credit for," Day
said. "I think if you go back and look at my film, you can see that we
were successful running the ball because they could get around the
edge because I can block. It's just another thing that I have to go
out and show and people might believe me."

Both Wallace and Day have other issues. Day was injured often in
college, suffering ankle, knee, calf and shoulder injuries. He had
calf surgery prior to his senior year. He said the surgery has been a
success, allowing him to run faster.

"I think that's what really got me to drop (out of the draft)," Day
said of being injury-prone. "Coming out here, I'm just going to try to
show everybody I can play without the injuries.

"I'm healthy right now,'' he added. "I'm ready to come out and play."

Another reason both players went undrafted was lack of production in
their senior seasons. Both cited extenuating circumstances.

In Day's case, Oregon had a new offense under former Bears coordinator
Gary Crowton that did not use tight ends. Crowton moved Day out to the
slot, standing him up like a wide receiver.

"And he was really a fish out of water in that offense," Gabriel said.
"He just didn't have a role, so his production really diminished."

The Bears had Wallace pegged as a middle-rounds draft choice after his
junior year, but with Williams, Brown and quarterback Jason Campbell
no longer at Auburn, Wallace's production suffered.

"This year (2005 season), he didn't play good, didn't warrant being
drafted off this year," Gabriel said.

Bears coach Lovie Smith found it amusing when media members flocked
around the two undrafted tight ends at minicamp and ignored some of
the drafted talent. Even Minnesota basketball player Zach Puchtel, who
received a tryout at tight end, drew more media attention than some of
the drafted players.

The rookies have been hearing they are in a good position because
tight ends Desmond Clark, John Gilmore and Gabe Reid caught just 28
balls in 2005. But Wallace isn't taking anything for granted.

"I don't know what everybody's talking about," Wallace said. "People
keep coming up to me saying it's the best opportunity at this
position, but I've been watching them on film, and I think they're
pretty good. So I'm looking forward to them getting in here and me
learning from them."