Brad Biggs of Chicagobreakingsports.com pointed out that right guard Roberto Garza is the only Bears offensive lineman currently lining up in the same starting spot as a year ago. The rest of the front five has been shuffled….for the time being.
Center Olin Kreutz is still rehabbing his way back from Achilles surgery. Josh Beekman has been filling in for Kreutz. The Bears have been trying to replace Beekman at left guard for years; ’09 undrafted free agent Johan Asiata is the latest to get a shot.
Right tackle Chris Williams has moved to the left tackle spot that Orlando Pace occupied (fruitlessly) last season. Tackle-turned-guard Frank Omiyale is apparently now a guard-turned-tackle, as he’s playing in Williams’s old spot on the right side. If Williams and Omiyale are the starters, the Bears may have the least physical offensive tackle tandem in the NFL this season.
It’s surprising that ex-Falcon/Brown Kevin Shaffer isn’t getting more of a look at right tackle. Shaffer’s slow feet can be a major problem in pass protection, but unlike Omiyale, he at least has substantial starting experience at the pro level.
Remember, the Bears are working from the Mike Martz playbook now. Martz’s scheme frequently features four-receiver sets, with all four receivers running slow-developing routes. No team will put a greater demand on pass protection in 2010 than the Chicago Bears.
--Andy Benoit
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