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Chicago Bears News and Updates
Radio analyst Tom Thayer, a Chicago Bears guard from 1985-92, offers his take on key issues in addition of Saturday night’s preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers(NFL):
What has impressed you most so far in training camp?
“What’s impressed me most has been the pushful nature of the coaching staff. It’s non-stop. Verbally, it’s not harsh, but the coaches have been critical in terms of wanting to see a high effort from their players in practice. It’s all been good. I think it’s really created competitiveness in training camp.”
Which player has stood out the most?
“I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen out of Julius Peppers. afterwards you put a lot of money into a free agent, you want to see how he reacts with the rest of your team. Julius doesn’t take veteran days off. He works hard. He makes left tackle Chris Williams a better player and he makes the defense better. He also enhances what you can do with the other players on defense and their skills because he’s Julius Peppers. He’s a presence and opponents are going to have to account for him.”
What have been your tactual sensations of the offensive line?
“First of all, it’s very competitive. No one’s job is etched in stone, so that makes practices and drills more competitive, and I think ultimately they’re going to be a better offensive line. And when I watch the 9-on-7 and team drills, I see them being a more aggressive offensive line two, three, four steps into their block. It’s not just a collision at the line of scrimmage and you hope it works out. They’re fitting nicely into their combination blocks and there’s a length of effort downfield.”
How would you assess the defense to this point?
“I mentioned soonest that Julius Peppers is going to have an impact on the defense. I think he’s already made a big impression on Tommie Harris. Tommie has looked better than he’s looked the past three or four years, so that can mean a lot. I still think they’re searching for answers at the other defensive end position and making sure they’re developing talent at the safety position.”
What’s your greatest concern moving forward?
“It’s going to be making sure the right side of the offensive line has good chemistry. I think the competition is still on in terms of precisely who is going to play there.”
What will you be focusing on in Saturday night’s preseason opener?
“Mental errors. If you go out there and you’ve got false starts every three or four plays, that’s a problem. You also don’t want to see a receiver break down to the right when the football’s being thrown to the left. It’s really significant that players grasp the offense. They have to show that they understand the system because that’s going to be very important in terms of flourishing.”
Tags: Bears News, Chicago Bears, Competitiveness, Four Steps, Free Agent, High Effort, Julius Peppers, Line Of Scrimmage, Offensive Line, Opponents, Preseason Opener, Radio Analyst, Rsquo, San Diego Chargers, Saturday Night, Sensations, Team Drills, Tom Thayer, Tommie Harris, Training Camp
