Battle at LT

[BearFan PHX]

19 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

No one can judge OL or DL until the pads are on and they have contact. 

Back in January you were saying 2 new OL at most, that you liked what we had on the roster, and I was saying 4. It looks like we are at 3 right now, and likely heading toward 4.

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

No one can judge OL or DL until the pads are on and they have contact. 

This is the offseason.  Of course you can't fully judge any of our players until they are actually playing a real game but it's ridiculous to say we, and the coaches, can't learn anything about a player while they are performing drills.  Until we get to the games the coaches have no choice but to evaluate them on their form, technique, assignment discipline, etc. from drills and practice.   In the past we've seen other Olinemen struggle with position changes (i.e. Kyle Long) and getting their feet, stance, and punch timing right early on in the offseason.   The rookie, at this point, is not having similar issues with this transition.  Of course I'm basing that off other camp observers not my own but Clay Harbor used to line up next to LTs in the NFL and he knows the expectations and what "good" looks like far better than I do.  For me this is a positive start for the rookie.  A rookie I had low expectations for.    

If there is nothing to learn from these drills why then are coaches wasting their time on them?  

 

[Mongo3451]

14 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

If there is nothing to learn from these drills why then are coaches wasting their time on them?  

Nice ending!  Totally agree.  We have college film, combine results and pro days to know if we like a guy.  Rookie camp is a chance to see the new fit and test what they can do and learn.  Coaches also learn during this time.  People have different learning styles, so they must adapt to be better teachers.

[Stinger226]

9 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

Nice ending!  Totally agree.  We have college film, combine results and pro days to know if we like a guy.  Rookie camp is a chance to see the new fit and test what they can do and learn.  Coaches also learn during this time.  People have different learning styles, so they must adapt to be better teachers.

I admit i didnt word that right. You can see how players move, their ability to learn the  information they are given. Delivering a dialogue between position coaches and players. Whether they have the atheleticism to do what  are asked og them. How do you judge how a player can handle a bull rush w/o contact? Lots of people look good in underwear. I'll try to find the video where Olin Kreutz talked about what happens in OTAs.

[Mongo3451]

11 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I admit i didnt word that right. You can see how players move, their ability to learn the  information they are given. Delivering a dialogue between position coaches and players. Whether they have the atheleticism to do what  are asked og them. How do you judge how a player can handle a bull rush w/o contact? Lots of people look good in underwear. I'll try to find the video where Olin Kreutz talked about what happens in OTAs.

The only thing you can rely on is game tape of you are looking for situational play.  You're correct in stating that the physical stuff is proven in pads.  Guys in basic training look like all stars until the bullets start flying.

[BearFan PHX]

Yeah you cant really judge how they will be in live fire - strength and all that - but it is a good chance for the coaches to work on positioning, and the mental side of the game.

One thing we seldom talk about, but it really important, is teaching the blocking rules to the players. They have to all be reading the same way on an outside zone blocking scheme (for example), or you end up with unintentional double teams, and also someone coming free.

We've had serious problems with assignments and stuff like that for a LONG time. I hate seeing Bears OL players just standing in space looking around with no one to block. That's usually a blown assignment. This is something the players and coaches can work on this time of year.

Having Roushar, and even just getting rid of Morgan is a huge step forward for us. I heard Coach Johnson talk about needing smart players on the OL, and this is where that really makes a difference - in processing what youre seeing the same way your teammates do, so you can all get the right guy.

If we can consistently identify and move guys on the OL, we are gonna win a lot of games. That's the core that makes everything else work. And knowing who to block is a huge part of that - especially in complex systems. BJ runs all kinds of different running systems. Most teams are either inside zone, outside zone or power schemes. Most dont run multiple blocking rule sets. We apparently do now, and so this time of year is probably doubly important, especially in year one.

So I guess you can see whether your players are getting it, at least in terms of the mental part of the game.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Rookie camp is basically showing them around the campus, getting equipment, teaching formation and basic play languages, and then seeing how well they can retain instruction in drills.

The veterans had camp, so they are a step ahead.  They want the rookies up to speed so when they all meet they are green light.