The Bernstein Brief: Bears Look Past Numbers For Bobby Massie
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) NFL metrics often tell less than the whole story, and in the case of newly acquired tackle Bobby Massie, the Bears have to be betting that's the case.
Simply put, his numbers are bad.
Massie graded out as STATS LLC's 57th of 63 qualifying offensive tackles (minimum of 200 snaps) last year while playing for the Cardinals, placing in just the 11th percentile for pass protection, the 36th percentile for run blocking and eighth percentile overall. Translated, that's a total of 90 more total disruptive plays allowed than the average NFL tackle last year.
Chicago's Kyle Long was their 20th-ranked offensive tackle in 2015, and it sounds like he's moving back inside to guard to accommodate Massie, who's set to play right tackle.
Bears fans have to trust that general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox see something that the statistics didn't as they signed Massie to a three-year deal.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.