Bears Notes: Physicality Ever Present As Bears Learn
By Chris Emma--
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (CBS) -- To no surprise, Bears guard Kyle Long didn't sugarcoat it. And a guy in the trenches of practice knows it best.
"We're beating the crap out of each other -- that's for sure," Long said.
Let that define the Bears' training camp to this point.
Coach John Fox prefers physical battles during his practices, a vast difference from Marc Trestman's tenure. Part of it stems from the competition thriving through a new start for the Bears, because few jobs are safe in Chicago.
The Bears' battle at the line of scrimmage comes between a hungry offensive line and revamped 3-4 defense, which brings unpredictability in its schemes.
Long gave good advice to his former Oregon Duck teammate, new Bears rookie center Hroniss Grasu.
"Just to attack the defender," Grasu said of Long's message. "Don't let him attack you. You attack him. You cause the collision. Don't catch the guy, go punch him and give him that shock on the line of scrimmage."
Because of mindsets like this, practice has been physical for the Bears.
Chicago's defensive line features Jeremiah Ratliff in the middle and edge rushers like Lamarr Houston, Pernell McPhee, Jared Allen and Willie Young.
"We need to be aggressive," McPhee said. "We need to be the attackers, not the ones being attacked."
Training camp brings the challenge for these Bears of adjusting to new coordinators and systems on offense and defense. There's a natural process of thinking before attacking at the line of scrimmage.
Over time, the Bears will learn these new schemes and feel more comfortable. But through the early part of camp, the linemen have been getting after it.
"There's definitely people that are going to challenge you," rookie tackle Tayo Fabuluje said. "There are definitely people that are bigger and better. You got to be sound with your technique."
Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase spoke of how his offense learning against the 3-4 defense has been beneficial, while players on defense have said the new-look offense has been helpful, too.
Montgomery making an impact
Adjusting to a new offense can be challenging for an incoming coordinator, but Gase has enjoyed the luxury of familiarity with his Bears.
Snapping the ball with the first-team offense is Will Montgomery, a 10-year veteran who came over from Denver along with Fox and Gase.
"Will absolutely makes things a lot easier on me," Gase said. "A lot less explaining to do. I can say something, he takes it, runs with it."
Montgomery has taken the majority of snaps with the Bears' top offense, while Grasu is working with the twos.
Grasu is still adapting to the speed of the NFL game, plus taking in Gase's offense each day.
"I'm just getting better every single day," Grasu said. "That's all I can ask for, is take it day by day and find one thing each day to get better at."
The 23-year-old Grasu said he spent Wednesday attempting to finish his blocks better.
Meanwhile, Montgomery, 32, has that veteran presence the Bears can benefit from on offense. Early in camp, it seems that Montgomery is the guy Chicago will keep at center, while Grasu will learn as the understudy.
Long, a third-year pro, feels the positive impact of having Montgomery's presence in camp.
"Having Will Montgomery here," said Long, "with his previous understanding of this offense, it's leaps and bounds ahead of where we'd probably be if it was somebody learning this offense. Will helps us out exponentially."
Competition will continue as camp progresses, but Montgomery certainly has the early edge thanks to his experience. Grasu has work to do in catching up.
The Bears have been bettered by Montgomery's presence in practice.
Cutler finds new way to relate with teammates
The age of 32 is hardly an old age by any means, but it sure feels like it for quarterback Jay Cutler.
A 10-year veteran, Cutler has a young core of teammates around him, so bonding brings on a new challenge.
The Bears spend their down time at Olivet Nazarene playing video games. Those who aren't on the controllers watch on a separate television screen.
"It's like, I don't understand that," Cutler said. "They just watch you play the video game. They're like, 'Yeah, it's awesome.' I don't know anything about this."
To get on the young teammates' level, Cutler has joined the fun.
"You kind of have to get int their world a little bit and get to know them," Cutler said. "If you have to play a few video games with them while people watch them on the Internet, that's what you got to do."
To Cutler's credit, he has found a way to get closer with his teammates.
Quote of the day: "Jeremiah Ratliff is the final boss you got to face at the end of a video game." -- Kyle Long
Extra points: Tackle Michael Ola was carted out of practice with an apparent knee injury. However, he was seen later walking under his own power ... Rookie tackle Tayo Fabuluje left practice with an asthma attack ... Receiver Alshon Jeffery returned to action on Wednesday, while Kevin White remained sidelined with apparent shin splints ... Bears greats Brian Urlacher and Olin Kruetz were present at practice, as was team owner Virginia McCaskey.
