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2010 Offensive Line Analysis - Chicago Bears

2010 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Chris Williams
Left Guard: Josh Beekman
Center: Olin Kreutz
Right Guard: Roberto Garza
Right Tackle: Frank Omiyale / Kevin Shaffer

2009 Injuries:
T Orlando Pace: Weeks 13-17
G Josh Beekman: Weeks 2-6

2009 Statistics:

Overview:
The Chicago Bears struggled for most of the season in the running game and were below average in pass protection with 35 sacks allowed. In the past four years, the Bears have never ranked amongst the top 20 teams in yards per carry and have finished in the bottom ten in yards of offense for three straight years. The addition of Jay Cutler did not have as much impact as they had hoped on the offense, so this line needs to step up its play in 2010.

Starting at left tackle for the Bears will be their 2008 first round pick Chris Williams. Williams missed most of his rookie season with a back injury but he played better in his second year. He started the first 11 games at right tackle and then moved over to the left side for the final five games when Pace went down with an injury. He is very agile and has quick feet which allow him to stay with faster defensive ends 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. He showed last year that he is a much better fit on the left side of the line and could surprise this season if he continues to improve. Starting opposite of him will likely be Frank Omiyale who played most of the season at left guard. Omiyale was picked up from the Carolina Panthers last off-season and started 12 games in his first year with the Bears. He had a below average year, especially because of his eight penalties, but he is a natural tackle and should be much better this year. Competing with Omiyale will be Kevin Shaffer who started the final five games of the season at right tackle after Pace went down and Williams moved to the left side. He is a good run blocker and can hold his own on the right side in pass protection. 26-year old James Marten will add depth but is not expected to compete for a starting job this year.

Returning as the starter at left guard will be Josh Beekman who started all 16 games in 2008 but was replaced by Omiyale in 2009 and started only four games. As a starter in 2008, Beekman was impressive in pass protection but his poor run blocking and penalties made him a below average guard. He is a smart player but at 6’2” and 310 lbs, he doesn’t have ideal size to be a long term solution at left guard. Starting at right guard will once again be the tenth-year veteran Roberto Garza who has not missed a start in four years. Garza was surprisingly good in pass protection last season but like the rest of the line he wasn’t particularly good in run blocking. Despite playing much better in 2009, he remains an average right guard at best, and could start slowing down at 31 years old. The Bears are hoping that youngsters Johan Asiata and Lance Louis surprise in training camp but both are probably still at least a year away from being serious contenders for a starting job.

At center is the veteran Olin Kreutz who will be returning as the Bears starter for the eleventh consecutive season. Kreutz is a former third round pick who was named to the Pro Bowl six straight times from 2001 to 2006 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 33 years old he does not have the explosiveness that he once had but he is definitely still good enough to be a starter in the NFL. Kreutz has missed only one start in nine seasons and will continue to be efficient for at least a couple of years but the Bears will soon have to think about developing a replacement for him.

2010 Outlook:
The Bears will have a very similar line to last year despite releasing Orlando Pace in the off-season. In the final five games last season, the Bears allowed 11 sacks and averaged just over 3,9 yards per carry in the running game. The only changes with that line will be Omiyale moving to right tackle and Beekman moving into the left guard spot. We have to believe that these two changes will be small upgrades because otherwise they would just keep things the same with Omiyale and Shaffer. In terms of depth, the Bears have Kevin Shaffer who can easily step in but the other backups are unproven and the line could struggle if two or more starters go down; it shouldn’t be an issue however since Kreutz and Garza play 16 games every year. Overall, this line should play pretty much as they did last year and be right around 35 sacks and 4.0 yards per carry but could surprise depending on the play of the two tackles.

See all of our 2010 Offensive Line Analysis Articles