Hoge's Observations From Bears' OTAs: Trestman Running A Tight Ship
By Adam Hoge-
HALAS HALL (CBS) As the Bears broke into groups for special teams drills at Tuesday's OTA practice, safety Tom Zbikowski, a noted boxer, went over to the tackling dummy and gave it a few jabs and an uppercut. Linebacker Blake Costanzo then came over and playfully threw Zbikowski onto the padding that was placed on the ground.
Little did they know that they had caught the eye -- and ire -- of head coach Marc Trestman, who wasn't pleased. Trestman delivered a scolding in front of the small group and made it clear that he didn't want to see that stuff.
Lesson learned. After practice, Zbikowski said incidents like that are how you get used to a new coaching staff.
"It's what you got to do," he said. "We got to make mistakes and know what is expected out of us from him. Somehow it's just how you build continuity. You build relationships that way and you know different people view different things as what's fun and what's goofing around. So sometimes you cross the line, you get yelled yet, you know you're not going to do it again and you move on from it."
The incident was certainly miniscule in the grand scheme of things, but it was an important moment for every Bears player who witnessed it as they learned quickly that Trestman isn't going to put up with nonsense during his practices. A little horseplay wasn't uncommon during Lovie Smith's practices, but Tuesday's scolding from Trestman was a good example of how these offseason activities are important as the players get used to the new coaching staff.
Trestman is a very detailed guy who is running fast-paced practices, throwing a lot of information at the players in a short period of time. There's no time to mess around, especially for two non starters.
"I don't think it's anything he's going to hold against us," Zbikowski said. "He knows we're two hard working guys that have more passion for football than just about (anyone). But we do have a couple screws loose in our head also."
Too Close To Home
Bears backup punter Tress Way is a graduate of Oklahoma, which is located just about five minutes away from Moore, Okla. where Monday's deadly tornado hit.
Way was in meetings at Halas Hall when the tornado struck and he couldn't help but feel helpless as he found out about the damage.
"I texted all the guys from my team back home. I just said, 'Fellas, get down there, start pulling debris off. They're missing kids, there's families,'" Way said.
The punter's fiance is a softball player at Oklahoma, and Way said she has organized charitable efforts to collect shoes and clothes and donate them to those affected by the tornado.
Roll Call
- Running back Matt Forte and cornerback Tim Jennings were not at Halas Hall Tuesday as both are in Germany on a USO of Illinois trip. They are expected to miss all three practices this week.
- Wide receiver Brandon Marshall once again observed practiced from the sideline as he continues to recover from offseason hip surgery. Tight end Gabe Miller also continues to be sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
- Kicker Robbie Gould was not at practice Tuesday as the Chicago Tribune reported he was in Dallas meeting with his surgeon. If he is cleared by the surgeon and the Chicago Bears, he could practice Thursday for the first time since rupturing a muscle in his left hamstring last season.
- As expected, offensive lineman Gabe Carimi is still a no-show at OTAs as he continues to train on his own in Arizona.
For more Bears coverage, follow Adam on Twitter (@AdamHoge).
