[CBFF] Peter King's Bears Training Camp Postcard

[Jerry Madsen]

It's nice that Peter King has some favorable things to say about the
Bears, but his evaluation of how he thinks Lovie plans to use Walker
just goes to prove what I've almost always thought of the man: he's an
idiot.

Jerry


On 8/1/07, aaron s <adsti3 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Training Camp Postcard: Bears
> Posted: Wednesday August 1, 2007 11:54AM; Updated: Wednesday August 1,
> 2007 1:22PM
> Where's Peter?
>
> Postcards From Camp
> Chicago Bears
> Bourbonnais, Ill.| Aug. 1, 2007
>         More Postcards From Camp
>
>
> Devin Hester, who is making the transition to wide receiver, is a
> sensation at Bears camp.
> Devin Hester, who is making the transition to wide receiver, is a
> sensation at Bears camp.
> Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI
>
> In Bourbonnais, Ill., at Olivet Nazarene University, a cute little NAIA
> school 90 minutes downstate from Chicago. The summer home of the Bears
> is a bucolic campus with a swell football stadium, where I watched the
> well-stocked NFC North favorite practice for two hours Tuesday night. On
> Wednesday morning, the Bears worked on the practice fields next to the
> stadium.
> Five Things I Think
>
> 1. I think the Bears might want to look at the Web site run by newly
> acquired defensive tackle Darwin Walker before they know what they have
> in the run-stopper they got to play alongside Tommie Harris in their 4-3
> front. Walker is an engineer, and his site at darwinwalker.com is
> labeled "Engineered to Sack.'' The Bears think they have acquired the
> run-stopper they badly needed in the wake of the Tank Johnson firing.
> They got the 295-pound Walker (he looks stouter to me) for a fifth-round
> pick from Buffalo, and signed him to a five-year contract last night.
>
> He looked like a space-filler at practice, and Lovie Smith can't say
> enough good things about him. But in the Chicago defense, playing the
> run will be job one. Now, in fairness to the Bears, Smith doesn't ever
> play his front with big-load types like Ted Washington. Smith wants a
> run-stopper in the middle with some movement. It'll be interesting to
> see what kind of fit Walker is.
>
> 2. I think Tank Johnson is floating out there, looking for a job, and
> though JerryJones insists Tank isn't going to Dallas, everyone here in
> Bearville thinks Dallas is his most likely landing spot.
>
> 3. I think Greg Olsen, the first-round pick from Miami, looks like a man
> among boys on some of his pass routes. He's a head taller than some
> linebackers who try to cover him, and head-and-shoulders taller than the
> corners. Looks athletic too, with good hands.
>
> 4. I think the first game of the season this year might well match the
> NFC team with the most talented 53-man roster (Chicago) against the AFC
> team with the most talented 53-man roster (San Diego). What an
> Armageddon game for the NFL's opening weekend. That is far and away the
> best game of Week 1.
>
> 5. I think if you watched Harris at practice, you'd never know he
> ruptured his left hamstring, requiring surgery in December. He's not
> favoring the leg at all and reports no pain. Looks like the Bears will
> have a three-man DT rotation, with Harris at the three-technique slot,
> Walker the run-stopper, and Dusty Dvoracek the relief pitcher on 30
> percent of the snaps per game.
>
> 1 of 2
>
> Did You Know?
>
> There is no smoking, drinking, swearing or dancing allowed on the campus
> of Olivet Nazarene.
>
> Dancing?
>
> There is, however, and thank the Lord for this, a drive-through
> Starbucks in the borough of Bourbonnais (pop.: 17,000).
> Insider Fantasy Tip
>
> The one guy on this team I'd take a fantasy flyer on is Bernard Berrian.
> "He's determined to join that upper echelon of receivers in the NFL,''
> Lovie Smith told me this morning. The rail-thin Berrian, 6-foot-1 and
> 182, ran by cornerback Nathan Vasher and caught a well-thrown bomb from
> Rex Grossman under the lights at practice last night, and I'm told he
> caught several others like that early in camp. Grossman and Berrian have
> formed a good chemistry in a passing game designed to get the ball deep
> two or three times a game. In the last two years, Berrian has average
> 16.0 yards per catch. My guess is he's a good bet for 60 catches and
> seven or eight touchdowns if, and this is a big if, Grossman is more
> consistent this year.
> On the Menu
>
> At breakfast this morning with Smith, I was impressed with his culinary
> discipline. With terrific-smelling waffles and a nice selection of eggs
> and meats, Smith grabbed a bowl of mixed fruit, a breakfast bar and a
> bottle of Tropicana orange juice. Now there's a man with strength at 7
> a.m. Not an easy thing to do.
>
> For me: Oatmeal with raspberries, blueberries and one teaspoon of brown
> sugar. I let it get too cold talking to Smith, but it's hard to screw up
> oatmeal. Grade: C+.
> Camp Confidential
>
> The Bears have a rock star. His name is Devin Hester.
>
> He went into motion from left to wide right on one play in last night's
> team work, and the crowd began chattering in anticipation. There is a
> rising oooooooohhhhHHHHHHHHH from the crowd every time he leaves the
> line of scrimmage. And at the end of practice, walking off the field,
> this is what he hears from the fans waiting for autographs: "We want
> HESTER! We want HESTER!''
>
> As I watched practice with veteran Chicago Tribune scribe John Mullin,
> he described Hestermania by saying, "It's not training camp here. It's
> the Devin Hester Experience. He's like a theme park.''
>
> This is the greatest tribute I can pay to Hester: The Bears selected him
> 57th overall in 2006 as a cornerback and returner, and he went on to
> play in 19 games, including the playoffs. He scored seven touchdowns.
> The Miami Dolphins picked Ted Ginn Jr. No. 9 overall this year ... and
> said the reason they did it, in large part, was because games are so
> close these days and they have such a good defense. In other words, they
> took note of the impact Hester had with the Bears.
>
> For now, Hester is moving all over the formation. Strangely, the thing
> that could help him a lot is having the new tight end, Greg Olsen. Olsen
> could move to the slot occasionally and take up a safety's attention
> because he's too fast for most linebackers to cover. Hester has shown
> good hands so far, and a fearlessness the Bears knew about due to his
> daring return ability. But there's no lock he'll be able to make the
> transition. "He's put in the time he needed this offseason and really
> learned the position,'' Smith said. "He's made the position so much more
> competitive for us.''
>
> Now we'll see if that translates into being a good fourth receiver.
>
>
>
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