The linebacker position
coincides with the thought of the Chicago Bears. Nagurski, George, Butkus,
Singletary and Urlacher have built and carried on the tradition for The
Monsters of The Midway. Last year the monsters were not too scary. The
defense was one of the worst in franchise history. Coming into this camp the
bears are looking to bring the ferocity back in to the windy city. In the off
season the bears lost their leading tackler James Anderson to the New England
Patriots and moved Shea McClellin back to linebacker.
Strong
Side Linebacker
With
McClellin's athleticism look for him to compete for the strong side linebacker
spot this training camp. He may have struggled at defensive end these past few
years, but McClellin has played linebacker before at Boise. He is decent
against the run and uses his hands to his advantage to shed blocks. Although he
has the athleticism to run with running backs and tight ends the question is
how well he will do in zone coverage. The other contender for the position is
Jon Bostic. The bears want to get Bostic on the field any way they can. Bostic
and McClellin are completely different players. Bostic is a hammer that wants
to bring the pain like classic Chicago Bears linebackers. He bulldozes his way
through blockers and ball carriers but overruns the play sometimes. In zone coverage
Bostic roams the middle and hunts for heads. In man coverage he is easily
beaten due to lack to lateral quickness. Do not discount Khaseem Green in the
fight for the position either. He showed flashes of brilliance last year along
with flashes of what are you thinking. He is not very strong in the run game.
Green does excel in zone and man coverage though. The battle for the strong
side linebacker position is an intriguing battle to watch this training camp.
Middle
Linebacker
There
are two names in the fight for the middle linebacker position, Jon Bostic and
DJ Williams. Bostic was thrown into the fire last year with the injury to
Williams. The bears were looking to have Bostic develop for a year or two
before being put into the starting spot. When Bostic replaced Williams last
year we got a good look at why the bears wanted to sit Bostic for a year or
two. Bostic has hitting power that is unmatched but is sometimes out of
control. He takes himself out of position by looking for the big hit. His man
coverage skills need to be developed, he struggles to keep up with faster tight
ends. Williams is a machine in the middle. Production is all you get from the
man when he is healthy. He has had more than 70 tackles seven times in his
career. Williams and Bostic are very similar in playing styles with one big
difference. Williams is a veteran that understands the importance of staying in
position to make the solid play instead of looking for the highlight
play.
Weak
Side Linebacker
There
is obviously one pick for this position, Lance Briggs. He is the leader in the
locker room and a warrior on the field. The defense was not the same once
Briggs went down with his shoulder injury. He is a sideline to sideline player
that can play every down. There are no glaring holes in his game. The only
problem, is father time catching up with him? At 33 years old he only has 2-3
years left in the tank. This training camp is the time for him to start passing
his knowledge on to Green, McClellin, and Bostic.
This
camp will have a heated battle for the strong side linebacker position. McClellin looks
to be the guy who will win the spot. His talents are better suited than Green
and Bostic for the spot. The bears also have a first round pick invested in the
guy. They do not want a first round pick to go to waste again. Williams will
most likely win the middle linebacker spot over Bostic. Williams’ experience
cannot be overlooked. He is 31 years old and there is not much time left for him
in league. Bostic's time to grow into a better player is now and his time to
shine is right around the corner. Briggs will be the starter at the weak side
linebacker position. He is poised to have another great year.
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