The Bears have had a rich history on the defensive line. There have been many legends who played on the line for the Bears since 1920. There’s Doug Atkins, Dan Hampton, Richard Dent, Steve McMicheal, and the “Fridge”. Those are just a few off the top of my head, so forgive me if I forgot anyone. There’s also Alex Brown, he was a very good defensive lineman for the Bears and all around great guy and I don’t think anyone can disagree with that.
I will be starting things off with the Left Defensive End position this entry. Alex Brown played the majority of the year and was cut this off season. I could go on and on about how it was a really really bad idea to cut Alex, but I’d rather not turn this entry into a Jerry Angelo bash fest. Anyways, there will be plenty of competition at the LDE position this year between Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije. They are competing for the starting job while Corey Wootton is pretty much slated for a back up role. I do think he will be playing some this year, but not a whole lot unless Mark or Izzy is injured. Now, Mark and Izzy didn’t get much playing time but did rack up a total of 5.5 sacks combined. Mark ended the season with 28 tackles combined and 3.5 sacks while Izzy only had 18 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
Mark Anderson only had one outstanding season and that his rookie season. He racked up 28 combined tackles and 12 sacks and four forced fumbles. Pretty much everyone thought he was going to be the next big thing for the Bears. He hasn’t reached that peak since then and that was in 2006. He didn’t even start that year either. So I really don’t know what happened to him. Israel Idonije on the other hand was never given a chance to shine in my opinion. Only thing folks know him for is his kindness off the football field and his ability to block field goals and passes. I do believe with his speed and jump off the ball he will be starting, but I think that Lovie Smith will rotate them throughout the game evenly. Which isn’t bad either and it gives both of them a chance to rest.
Now time to move onto the defensive tackles. Tommie Harris is starting without a doubt. It’s his year to lose the starting job if he plays that horrible. Over the past few years he has been a disappointment. With his injuries and not properly rehabbing them has put a damper on his career. He really needs to turn his career around this year.
The Bears signed a monster in Julius Peppers to help Tommie out. They should be able to create more pressure and sack the quarterback more often this season. I guess we’ll find out right? The Bears have Marcus Harrison and Henry Melton competing as the back up. They also have Marcus Harrison competing for the back up position for the Nose Tackle. I’m sure he will be lining up as a DT and as a NT throughout the season. Henry Melton will see some playing time, but not a whole lot. He went on injured reserve last season so I’m sure he is ready to go and play some football.
Now it’s the Nose Tackle’s turn. It’s a complete free for all for the starting job in my opinion, even though they have Anthony Adams listed as the starter. The players listed on the depth chart are Anthony Adams, Marcus Harrison, and Matt Toeaina. There is another player on the depth chart, Mick Williams. He will most likely end up being cut or put on the practice squad.
In 2009 Anthony Adams started only 8 games last year, registered 44 tackles and 2 sacks. It was another quiet year for him, but it was the most sacks he had since joining the Bears in 2007. Marcus Harrison had another quiet year, only registering 24 tackles and one sack. So it wasn’t the best year for nose tackles last season. The whole defensive line wasn’t playing that well except for Alex Brown. Why oh why Jerry? Both Anthony and Marcus play well, but they haven’t shown me a whole lot that they deserve to be the starter at nose tackle this year.
Now the fan favorite right now, Matt “The Big Toe” Toeaina is having a wonderful camp this year. He didn’t do anything last year and was pretty much pushed back in the line rotation. It was pretty crowded and hectic last year, but this year he’s having a terrific camp and it’s putting him in the spotlight. I really want him to be the starter or at least the first back up. I really wished they would of given him a chance for the job the last two years at least.
Another no brainer, Julius Peppers will be starting at Right Defensive End this season and hopefully for many more seasons. I also hope he will continue having 10+ sacks a year. If Julius doesn’t have at least 10, he will most likely be labeled as a bust of a free agency signing.
Now his back up Jarron Gilbert might actually be cut this season. That’s the rumor going around some of the sports blogs. He has a lot of athleticism and potential to be great in the NFL. He became a bit famous for his athleticism when he was recorded jumping out of a pool. He also was a phenom for San Jose State in his college playing days. in 2008 he had 52 tackles, 22 of them were for losses and 9.5 sacks. So the talent is there, but he just didn’t do much last year in NFL. Only racking up one tackle, which isn’t the best thing for a defensive end or any defensive player really. Me personally, I don’t think he will be cut this year. He only had one bad year and now he has some time to learn from a great player, Julius Peppers.
The other rumor/idea is that he will be converted to an offensive lineman. It’s something that has been done before, and it’s not a bad idea. If they were to convert Jarron, he would need to bulk up and I do mean bulk up. He weighs under 300 pounds at the moment according to the Bears website. If they do move him, I think he would fit perfectly at right tackle to back up Frank Omiyale and J’Marcus Webb. I would love to see someone other than Frank Omiyale at Right Tackle. He needs to be replaced, but that’s just my opinion. What do you think?
There are two others listed under Right Defensive End, Barry Turner and Maurice Evans. Out of those two, I think the Bears will keep Barry Turner. He was quite a force at Nebraska. His career stats include, 115 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. If Ndamukong Suh didn’t play at Nebraska, I’m sure Barry would of received more media and national attention. Unfortunately for Maurice Evans, he’s been bounced from one team to another. He’s been with 5 different teams including the Bears. That should do it for the Bears defensive line this year. Sorry that it took so long to write this entry Bears fans. Next entry will be about the Bears DB’s.
GammaBears
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