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2009 Offensive Line Analysis - Chicago Bears

2009 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Orlando Pace
Left Guard: Josh Beekman / Frank Omiyale
Center: Olin Kreutz
Right Guard: Roberto Garza
Right Tackle: Chris Williams / Kevin Shaffer

2008 Injuries:
None

2008 Statistics:

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The Chicago Bears surprised many in 2008 with an average of 3.9 yards per carry as opposed to only 3.1 in 2007 and certainly no one would have expected Matt Forte to run for 1,200 yards in his rookie year. The Bears line also allowed only 29 sacks, 10 fewer than the previous year, but everything needs to be re-evaluated this year because there have been a number of changes.

Starting at left tackle for the Bears will be the seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace. The Bears signed the 33-year old tackle to a three-year deal worth 15 million dollars. At 6’7” and 325 lbs, Pace is one of the best to ever play the position but injuries have slowed him down in the past few seasons. He started 14 games last season but he has missed 25 starts in the past three years and remains a question mark. Despite his age, Pace is still one of the best in the NFL in pass protection allowing only 2.0 sacks in 2008 and ranking fourth amongst left tackles. Pace used to be as dominant in run blocking as he is in pass protection but that aspect of his game has declined in the past couple of years. Nonetheless, Pace is still one of the ten best left tackles in the NFL if he stays healthy and will be a very nice upgrade for this offensive line. At the right tackle position there will be an interesting battle between last year’s first round pick Chris Williams and eighth-year veteran Kevin Shaffer. Williams missed most of last season with a back injury and was a non-factor for this line in his first year but the Bears are hoping he steps up his game and can start at right tackle. He is very agile and has quick feet which allow him to stay with faster defensive ends in pass protection. He is also very smart and should have no problem adjusting to the NFL game in pass protection. The downside with Williams is that even at 6’6” and 315 lbs he lacks strength and his intensity has been questioned in the past. He is able to hold his own and not get pushed into the backfield but does not have the strength to push back defenders when run blocking. Kevin Shaffer on the other hand is a good run blocker and can hold his own on the right side in pass protection. He has missed only one start with the Browns in the past three years and will be a decent starter or a very good backup for the Bears.

The left guard position should also be an interesting battle between fourth round pick in 2007 Josh Beekman and free agent acquisition Frank Omiyale. Beekman started all 16 games at left guard for the Bears in 2008 and allowed only 1.25 sacks but he seemed to struggle all season long in run blocking. He is a smart player who should continue to improve in his third season especially with Orlando Pace on his left but he will receive some good competition in training camp. Omiyale spent the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers after being let go by the Falcons in 2007. He is still very unproven but he showed great improvement last year and surprised many by his play when he replaced Gross at left tackle for one game last season. Similar to Beekman, he is better in pass protection than run blocking and it should be an interesting battle in camp. Starting on the right side will once again be the ninth-year veteran Roberto Garza who has not missed a start in three years. Garza is below average in pass protection but his run blocking skills are underrated by many. He remains a below average right guard and could be replaced to improve this line but he is still a serviceable starter. Adding depth at the guard position is the 27 year old Dan Buenning

At center is the veteran Olin Kreutz who will be returning as the Bears starter for the tenth consecutive season. Kreutz is a former third round pick who was named to the Pro Bowl six times but he is not the player he was a few years ago. He is small for an offensive lineman at 6’2” and 290 lbs so does not have the strength to push back much larger defensive tackles. At 32 years old he does not have the explosiveness he once had but he was still one of only five centers who did not allow any sacks in 2008. Kreutz has missed only one start in eight seasons and will continue to be efficient for at least a few more years.

2009 Outlook:
The Bears will have at least two new starters on the line when the season begins after the release of John St. Clair and the retirement of  John Tait. If we compare this year’s line with last year’s: Orlando Pace is a huge upgrade over St. Clair, especially in pass protection; Chris Williams and Kevin Shaffer are both upgrades over John Tait who had really slowed down in the past two years and the left guard position can only be better with Beekman (last year’s starter) and Omiyale battling for it. Last season, 19.5 of the 29 sacks allowed by the Bears were credited to offensive linemen; 15.75 of those were allowed by St. Clair and Tait and they have been replaced by two players who allowed a combined 6.5 sacks in 2008. It would not be a surprise to see Jay Cutler being sacked less than 20 or even 15 times in 2009, especially since he gets rid of the ball much quicker than Kyle Orton. Run blocking should also be better but the improvement will not be as dramatic. In terms of depth, there will be good battles for at least two positions on the line and a few linemen like Omiyale or Williams could play at left tackle if Pace is injured. Overall we expect very good things from this line in 2009 even though it remains average at best in run blocking.

See all of our 2009 Offensive Line Analysis Articles