Bears Blitz

Published by Matt Eurich on December 24, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

An NFL offense is only as good as its offensive line, and after a solid start to the season, the Chicago Bears offensive line has become the team’s weakest link in recent weeks.

Chicago added a few new pieces to the offensive line during the offseason, but injuries have forced the Bears to make a lot of changes up front in 2015.

After releasing veteran center Roberto Garza early in the offseason, the Bears added veteran center Will Montgomery in free agency to help anchor the middle of the offensive line.

After Montgomery signed with the Bears, head coach John Fox said part of the reason why the team added the veteran offensive lineman was because of his familiarity with the offense, per Larry Mayer of the Bears’ official website:

He’s familiar with the system. There’s a lot to the center. He’s kind of the quarterback of the O-line. So we know how he fits that way and what his demeanor is. That’s why a lot of coaches and staffs move around and bring players with them they’re familiar with. He’s adapted well. I think he’s helped the growth of our offensive line with that knowledge of the system.

Along with the addition of Montgomery, the team also signed guard Vladimir Ducasse in free agency, drafted center Hroniss Grasu and tackle Tayo Fabuluje in the 2015 NFL draft and added third-year guard Patrick Omameh just before the start of the season. 

The team spent part of training camp and the preseason determining whether Charles Leno or Jordan Mills would begin the year at right tackle, but when the Bears opened up the season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long got the start at right tackle, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Patrick Finley:

In the season opener against Green Bay, veteran Jermon Bushrod started at left tackle, Matt Slauson at left guard, Montgomery at center, Ducasse at right guard and Long at right tackle.

According to Pro Football Focus, the unit allowed one quarterback sack and 13 quarterback hurries in Week 1.

Despite the group’s struggles at times in pass protection, it did help open up holes in the running game for running back Matt Forte and quarterback Jay Cutler. Forte finished the game with 141 rushing yards on 24 carries with one touchdown, Cutler ran the ball four times for 31 yards and Chicago’s offense gained 189 yards on the ground on 33 carries.

Chicago used the same starting five linemen in its next two games against the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, but an injury to Bushrod in Week 3 forced Leno into action at left tackle in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders.

Three plays into the game against Oakland, Montgomery had his leg rolled up on by Leno, which forced Slauson to move over to center for the first time in his career, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:

Omameh replaced Slauson at left guard and allowed three quarterback hurries in 76 snaps, but Slauson held his own at an unfamiliar position.

“He’s a professional,” Fox said about Slauson after the game, per Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com. “He had most of his reps as a left guard. So I think it was pretty amazing what he was able to do.”

In the team’s next game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Slauson moved back to left guard, and Grasu started at center for the first time in his career. The former third-round pick struggled early in the game against Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poe, and he finished the afternoon with a minus-2.8 overall grade and allowed one sack and two quarterback hurries.

That same five started against the Detroit Lions in Week 6, but Grasu injured his neck leading up to Chicago’s Week 8 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, and Slauson moved back inside to center. Leno and Long remained on the outside at the two tackle positions. Meanwhile, Ducasse moved to left guard, and Omameh started at right guard.

The combination of Leno, Ducasse, Slauson, Omameh and Long started three consecutive games against Minnesota, the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams, and the Bears went 2-1 in those games. During that three-game stretch, the offensive line allowed just four sacks, and the offense gained 359 yards on the ground on 88 carries for an average of more than four yards per carry.

Slauson’s play at center helped stabilize the interior of the offensive line during that time, while both Leno and Long held their own against the opposition’s pass-rushers on the outside. Despite the success that group was having, the Bears opted to move Slauson back to left guard after Grasu returned from his injury in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos.

Leno, Slauson, Grasu, Omameh and Long have started Chicago’s last five games, but the Bears hold just a 1-4 record during that stretch. 

The starting guard duo of Slauson and Omameh has allowed just three sacks and seven quarterback hurries combined over the last five games, but Grasu, Leno and Long have all struggled since Week 11.

Grasu (6’3″, 300 lbs) recorded negative grades in four straight games before finishing last Sunday’s contest against the Vikings with a plus-2.2 overall grade. Since Week 11, he has allowed nine quarterback hurries.

The young center is an athletic lineman who is terrific when asked to pull in the running game, but he lacks overall strength at the point of attack. He is often pushed back off the snap of the ball, and he lacks the physicality needed to be an effective center in the NFL. There is still hope the 24-year-old can develop into a solid starter at the position next year, but he will need to work on his strength this offseason.

Leno has had an up-and-down season in 2015, and that trend has continued in recent weeks. He played well against the Broncos in Week 11 and the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, but he struggled against Green Bay on Thanksgiving night, as well as against the Washington Redskins in Week 14 and against the Vikings in Week 15.

Since Week 11, Leno has allowed two sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. Since taking over as a starter against Oakland, he has allowed four sacks, five quarterback hits and 28 quarterback hurries. He is an athletic tackle who moves well in space, but he struggles with strong bull-rushers on the outside. 

The former Boise State Bronco has proved he can handle his own on the outside at left tackle, but he appears to be a better fit as a reserve moving forward.

Long’s transition to right tackle at the beginning of the year was a bit shaky, but he started to come into his own in the middle of the season. He has been terrific in the running game all year long, but he has struggled mightily in pass protection since Week 11.

In the last five games, Long has given up two sacks, two quarterback hits and 12 quarterback hurries.

The former Oregon Duck held his own against top-level pass-rushers such as Khalil Mack, Justin Houston and Ziggy Ansah earlier this year, but the 27-year-old has given up a sack in both of Chicago’s last two games.

Long has struggled with his technique in recent weeks, often lunging and attempting to grab defenders instead of engaging with them off the snap of the ball, and opposing pass-rushers have been able to take advantage of his inexperience at the position.

Even though Long has struggled in recent weeks, Fox does not want to single out his young tackle’s play, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson:

I don’t think he’s had any more or less problems than maybe other positions. I don’t like really singling guys out. I think it is a new position — I think that’s well-documented — one that I’ve seen him operate at a very high level against some pretty good players. Again, it’s just about that consistency thing. We’ve had that issue, not just with Kyle Long but with our whole football team.

I think he’s been a steady performer. I don’t think he’s been a performer that’s been real inconsistent or more inconsistent. I think like everybody, the newer you are at something there is more to learn, more to be accountable for.

Despite his struggles at his new position, Long said he wants to work to get better.

“I’m a football player,” Long said, per Campbell. “I’m trying to get better every week, and I’m trying to help this team win games.” 

The Bears have two offensive linemen in Slauson and Long they can build around next season, but no one else has stood out with his performance this year. In his career, Slauson has proved he can play either guard position or center, and while Long has struggled as of late at tackle, he has the ability to play both inside at guard or outside at tackle.

Chicago’s offensive line played well at the start of the season with Bushrod, Slauson, Montgomery, Ducasse and Long, but all of the changes in the middle of the season forced the team to use a handful of different lineups with varying results.

Leno, Grasu and Omameh have all flashed at times this season, but the offensive line’s struggles in recent weeks prove the Bears will need to add some new faces to the position group this offseason if they want to compete for a playoff spot next season.

Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.

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