[CBFF] Scout.com: Bears Inside Slant: Priority No. 1

[Tom Shannon]

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Bears Inside Slant: Priority No. 1 ________________________________

Scout.com
 BearReport.comApr 4, 2008

The Chicago Bears have a lot of needs heading into the 2008 draft, but
rebuilding what was a miserable offensive line this past season has
got to be their top priority. Fortunately for the Midway Monsters,
it's a deep class of trench warriors. Get the Inside Slant from the
NFL experts at Scout.com.

 As many as seven offensive linemen are talented enough to be drafted
in the first round. Unfortunately for the Bears, they only have one
first-round pick.



"It's a good year for offensive linemen, probably one of the better
years," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "I think most of the
personnel people will echo that. We've got a couple of juniors who
came out who are very, very good players and have created a lot of
quality and quantity at offensive line."

Senior tackles Jake Long of Michigan, Jeff Otah of Pittsburgh and
Chris Williams of Vanderbilt are all expected to go early in the first
round, along with junior Ryan Clady of Boise State. USC's Sam Baker
and Boston College's Gosder Cherilus could also fit later in the first
round or early in the second

The timing for a bumper crop of O-linemen couldn't be better for the
Bears, who – after the offseason release of right tackle Fred Miller
and left guard Ruben Brown – are looking at a major rebuilding project
up front.

"Whenever you take two starters out of the picture, that's a big area
of concern," head coach Lovie Smith said. "We feel like we have a
plan."

The Bears may have a plan, but they don't have the personnel to
implement it yet.

Ideally, they want someone who can step in and play the critical left
tackle spot right away, protecting the quarterback's blind side. That
would allow 33-year-old John Tait to switch from left tackle to right
tackle, replacing Miller. That could upgrade both tackle positions,
which would be an impressive step toward improving an offensive line
that went from experienced to antiquated almost overnight.

"That's one thing we've talked about," Angelo said of moving Tait from
the left side to the right. "You see a lot of players who played left
tackle in college come in and move to the right side because it's a
little bit easier to develop them and bring them along. Then in a year
or two you move him over to the left side."

Long and Clady are both expected to be off the board by the time the
Bears' 14th pick comes due, but the Bears hope either Otah or Williams
is there when they're on the clock. There's no guarantee that either
will be able to start on the left side as a rookie, but most scouts
believe they have that potential.

Of the two, Williams is more athletic, agile and a better pass
blocker. Otah is bigger, stronger and more effective as a run blocker.
Williams (6-6, 315) is also more of a finished product having spent
five years at Vanderbilt, while Otah (6-6, 339), who didn't play
football until his senior year in high school, is a bit of a project.
…

Three-year veteran safety Brandon McGowan, a restricted free agent,
signed his one-year, $1.47 million tender offer from the Bears on
Tuesday to remain with the team.

McGowan, who originally was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free
agent from Maine in 2005, started a career-high nine contests in 2007
and played in 14 games. He was sixth on the team with 80 tackles (52
solos) and tied for third with the first two interceptions of his
career. He was also sixth with 10 special-teams tackles. Had another
team signed McGowan, which was highly unlikely, the Bears would have
received a second-round draft pick in return.

But the 24-year-old McGowan is expected to contend for significant
playing time with the Bears this season. The situation at safety is
unsettled and that may be a position they address in the draft,
although it is considered an "anemic" group this season according to
Angelo.

McGowan started in Week 1 when the Bears opened with a three-safety
alignment, filled in three games when starting safeties Mike Brown and
Adam Archuleta were injured at various times, and finally took the
full-time strong safety job for the final five games of the season
when Archuleta was benched. In his career, McGowan has started 12
times and played in 23 games with 110 tackles (72 solos).

Brown has missed 43 of the last 64 games because of various injuries,
and he might be forced to agree to a restructured deal to remain on
the roster. Archuleta's status is also uncertain since his production
last season hardly matched his paycheck, which is too hefty for a
player used primarily on special teams as Archuleta was by the end of
last season.

S Brandon McGowan
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Kevin Payne showed promise as a rookie last season but suffered a
season-ending arm injury in Week 4. Like McGowan, Archuleta, and even
Brown, Payne is seen as more of an in-the-box safety, who is much more
valuable in run support rather than in coverage. Danieal Manning, a
second-round pick in 2006, has started 29 games in his first two
seasons but is yet to play up to the level expected for someone with
his physical gifts.

Without Brown and Archuleta the Bears lack experience at safety, but
they contend there is enough talent without adding personnel.

"There's more concern there because they're younger players," Angelo
said. "But we feel good about the players that we have, and we feel
good that we can win with these players even if we didn't do anything
outside of what we have on the present roster."

NEWS & NOTES
 Safety Leonard Peters spent the 2007 season on the Bears' practice
squad, but he could be given a long look in the offseason and during
training camp at a position that has a lot of unanswered questions.
The 26-year-old from Hawaii via American Samoa is considered a big
hitter, but he's had durability issues and is still somewhat raw.

At Hawaii, the 6-1, 199-pounder Peters played in 50 games despite
spleen, kidney, knee rib and shoulder injuries that forced him to
redshirt twice.

"I think it was all due to my style of play," Peters said. "I'm the
kind of person that likes to leave everything on the field no matter
if I get hurt or not. One day, a lot of years from now, when you see
me at the beach, I want people to say, 'I want that guy to play on my
team because of the way he played when he was younger.'" …

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLI, the Bears will open the 2008 regular
season on the road against the Colts on Sept. 7 as the primetime game
on the Week 1 slate.

The nationally-televised game will be the first regular-season contest
played in Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts' new retractable-roof facility
in downtown Indianapolis.

"I think it's a great way to start the season," said Rex Grossman, an
Indiana native who will compete with former Purdue star Kyle Orton for
the Bears' starting quarterback position. "They're a great team, but
it's going to be fun and it's going to be exciting. There's a lot to
gain by going down there to Indianapolis and winning on Sunday Night
Football to start the season."

In addition to home and road games against division foes Detroit,
Green Bay and Minnesota, the Bears host the Jaguars, Saints, Eagles,
Buccaneers and Titans. They're on the road against the Falcons,
Panthers, Texans and Rams in addition to the Colts.

The Bears open the season away from home for the fourth straight year
and the seventh time in the last nine seasons. Since 1980, the Bears
are 1-8 when opening the season on the road. They are 10-12 all-time
on Sunday Night Football. They split their two SNF contests last
season, losing 34-10 to the Cowboys on Sept. 23 at Soldier Field
before defeating the Packers 27-20 on Oct. 7 at Lambeau Field …

Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said there will be a simple
system for determining playing time at wide receiver, an unsettled
position since the Bears lost their top two receivers from 2007 –
Bernard Berrian signed with the Vikings, and Muhsin Muhammad was
released before signing with the Panthers.

Veteran free agents Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd have been added to
the mix along with inexperienced-but talented-holdovers Devin Hester
and Mark Bradley. Restricted free agent Rashied Davis should also be a
factor, although he has yet to sign his tender offer.

"We'll lean towards the guys that are making plays, the guys who are
consistently doing what we ask them to do and making plays in the
system," said Turner. …

The Bears were awarded three compensatory choices in the seventh round
of this year's draft, giving them a total of 11: two in the third
round, four in the seventh, and one in each of the other five rounds.
The Bears' compensatory picks will be Nos. 243, 247 and 248 overall,
but they have had success with late picks in the past.

Cornerback Trumaine McBride, a seventh-round pick last season (221st
overall), started nine games as a rookie. Linebacker Rod Wilson, a
seventh-round pick in 2005 (220th overall) was third on the Bears last
season with 16 special-teams tackles. Safety Mike Green, the last
player drafted in 2000, spent six seasons with the Bears including two
as a starter.

QUOTE TO NOTE
 "Devin's been here. He's been studying, been working, and he is
committed to making that leap and making that step to be an every-down
receiver. So he's doing so far everything this offseason that you'd
expect a guy to do. He's got a lot of pride and he's got a lot of
ability obviously, and I think he's ready to make that move. I'm
excited about watching him progress." – Offensive coordinator Ron
Turner of Devin Hester, who has already been working on becoming a
bigger factor as a wide receiver.

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