Official Bears Training Camp Thread

[chimpy2121]

URLACHER UPDATE:

Thursday night, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo and Urlacher both said they expected him to miss four weeks. That estimate would put Urlacher's return around the time of the third preseason game, Aug. 27 against New Orleans.

[SnB]

URLACHER UPDATE:

Thursday night, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo and Urlacher both said they expected him to miss four weeks. That estimate would put Urlacher's return around the time of the third preseason game, Aug. 27 against New Orleans.

WOOO that's awesome news.

[Confederate_48]

Thomas Jones and Anthony Thomas as our running backs is gonna be awesome

[MinnesotaSoxFan]

Isn't usually around the 3rd preseason game, is when the starters play for a half? I know the 4th game is when they play a series and leave. You gotta rest for the 1st game of the year!

[Confederate_48]

ChicagoBears.com is saying 4-6 weeks for Urlacher so maybe he wont see any pre season games.

[CWSGuy406]

Thomas Jones and Anthony Thomas as our running backs is gonna be awesome

I agree. I haven't been this excited about our backfield since when we drafted Rashaan Salaam. Of course, you guys know how poorly that worked out - but IMO, we have two solid backs, and Brian Anderson our FB looks to be a solid FB.

[chimpy2121]

I agree.  I haven't been this excited about our backfield since when we drafted Rashaan Salaam.  Of course, you guys know how poorly that worked out - but IMO, we have two solid backs, and Brian Anderson our FB looks to be a solid FB.

Dont you mean Bryan Johnson (who we got from the Redskins)? Bryan Anderson is OL.

[CWSGuy406]

Dont you mean Bryan Johnson (who we got from the Redskins)? Bryan Anderson is OL.

Bryan Johnson, that's correct. I was mixing up his name with the KC Royals pitcher.

[Xero]

I agree.  I haven't been this excited about our backfield since when we drafted Rashaan Salaam.  Of course, you guys know how poorly that worked out - but IMO, we have two solid backs, and Brian Anderson our FB looks to be a solid FB.

He is so solid that we gave up a 6th round draft pick!

[CWSGuy406]

Guys, I know this is a day late, but here's a report from MeanMikeBrown, a poster on chicagobears.com message boards on Thursday's practice (EDIT: so thanks, MeanMike, for letting me borrow this - credit and props to you).

 

THURSDAY REPORT:

 

 

I went to both the morning session and the evening session yesturday, here is how I saw it.

 

Moring Session: Where do I begin? Well, for one, Lovie's practices are much more fun for the fans because there are several things going on at once and they arent as spread out as they were previously. Not only that, but the scrimmage alot more than the previous regime rather than doing drills.

 

Grossman looks like he has to warm up a bit before he gains his accuracy. He one hopped a couple passes and was generally inaccurate for the first few passes before he started throwing on target darts. He has a rifle arm, throwing laser shots 30 yards downfield. His really deep arm isnt nearly as accurate or powerful. He gets the ball off really quick, he's very decisive, and makes good reads. He's clearly our best QB.

 

DT was acting a bit immature. Lovie told him to come back to a pass(which he did catch, but fell down on) and as he was walking back to line kinda brushed off lovie as he Lovie was admonishing DT. DT dropped a couple passes. In a skeleton drill with QB, WRs vs. DBs, DT tried to shake Peanut off the line but got stoned by 'Nut and completely gave up on the route, and just stood there.

Peanut is clearly our best CB, not that you didnt notice that

 

The main event for me was the O-Line vs. D-Line drill in which both lines line up and when the ball is snapped one D-lineman tries to beat one O-Lineman to the QB. At this point, I notice Alex Brown was missing. He never returned, and I didnt notice him being carted off or anything, he just disappeared. Anyway, the stars of this drill were Tank and Metcalf. Tank dominated all the "unknown" interior linemen. He ate Tucker and Ruben Brown up as well.

Kreutz looked, as he is, our best O-Lineman negating all who faced him, but thats to be expected. Metcalf did the same. Metcalf lined up as the backup center and dominated everyone he faced, including Tommie Harris. Harris was wearing knee braces on both knees in the morning for some reason and was held out of some drills. He also looked winded at times. Q Mitchell looked up and down, he got burnt on one play, but then knocked his man to the ground at the LOS on the next play. Here's a hungry sleeper for ya, Dan Rumishek. They list him as a DT, but played DE and did well. He has a great motor and beat his man more often than not, though there were alot of scrubs out there. Alain Kashama looked like he was out of shape and didnt show much else. Tait didnt practice in the morning but was out there in his jersey. Haynes hasnt shown me much at all, Im kinda worried.

 

Alot of the DBs looked good. R-Dub had 2 picks in the skeleton drill versus WRs. Peanut, R-dub, Zoom, and Vash, all cover like a blanket, but dont go for the ball enough. Mike Brown got in on one of the CB Vs. WR drills and blanketed DT on a slant knocking the ball out of DTs waiting hands. Mike Brown's man-to-man coverage skills are as good as anyone's Ive ever seen. If he was faster, he'd probably be a great cornerback. In those same WR vs. CB drills, Zoom went down with what appeared to be a neck stinger. He didnt practice the rest of the day. Mike Brown looks like a tank. Mike Green looks taller but less filled-in than I remember. He looks really fast too, but didnt show up that often in scrimmage or drills. Bobby Gray popped Lyman pretty good during the scrimmage along the sideline, best hit of the morning practice. Worrell and Todd Johnson seem pretty nondescript.

Alphonso Marshall is a big corner and has very good movements including a very smooth backpeddal and hip turn. He needs alot of coaching but could be a very decent corner if he and the coaches give him enough work; he's a project.

 

The first team linebacking crew is Marcus Reese at WILL, Briggs at MIKE, and Odom at SAM. The weird thing is, and I heard Bob Babich on the Score say this, the WILL LB lines up on the TE side of the formation, which Ive always been told is the strong side. Thats puzzling. I couldnt tell much out of this group in practice as though there is some hitting, there isnt tackling, i.e, bringing the guy to the ground. Briggs does seem to posess the ability to move sideline to sideline more than adequately, though not nearly as fast as Url. Reese is in there because Leon Joe doesnt seem to posess much of a nose for the ball or LB instinct. Also, Joe's athleticsm really doesnt show up in gameplay.

 

A-Train is a man posessed. He probably stood out as the most impressive player all day. He caught the ball VERY well, catching every catchable ball. He showed very good acceleration, and the ability to find the uncovered gaps in the short zone, so he caught a couple dumpoff passes. Thomas Jones looked good catching the ball as well, which is to be expected, but did drop maybe 2 very catchable balls. He has great speed. They dont tackle in scrimmage and the RBs are told to run through the "tackles" and continue on. Well, on this one off-tackle play, he "broke" through a couple tackles and was sprinting to the house when Peanut decided to make chase(really just for fun and to hustle). Jones was a whole half step ahead of Peanut until Peanut dove for TJ at the last second as TJ turned on a last second after-burner. Without question, TJ is our fastest play, but I tell you, Peanut is probably a close second.

 

Afternoon session:

 

A-Train again looked to be a man posessed. He caught everything and ran with power. I saw this mentioned earlier, but A-Train completely ran-the-F-over Marcus Reese(#52), very impressive. TJ kinda disappeared in this practice.

AP, Forsey, and Hicks are all about on equal footing to me. Each brings something a little different. Forsey seems to have the best vision though he looks painfully slow. AP seems to have great patience, strength and balance, but not overwhelming speed. Hicks seems to have the best speed of the three, and also got more passes thrown his way. Its gonna be tough to decide which of the three to keep.

 

Bobby Wade made some nice catches in traffic. Jamin Elliot really made a case for himself today. All of the guys who wear numbers in the teens looked pretty good. DT came on late after dropping a number of balls. Gage catches everything thrown at him. Ive been a big DT supporter as the #2, but Im starting to be swayed by this guy. He looks like a thin TE. He has good YAC too. Lyman was pretty non-descript, as well as Gilmore, but Clark had some good catches. Berrian is now on the PUP list but was in his jersey running fly routes on the side. He looks to have great speed and caught everything, though they were all just easy touch passes.

 

Grossman got off to a rusty start again, but started to pull it together. He did well in his progressions. He did have a pass batted down terribly by B-Rob, but that is one thing B-Rob does very well. B-Rob also had very good pentration on that particular play from the left side. Quinn is a huge guy, 6-6 240 and it shows. He's terribly indecisive. He wont throw the ball to a guy unless he's wide open, which is nearly never the case. If this guy doesnt get it together and he has to play at all, we'll be getting sacked alot. He's got enough time to decide what to do, but just doesnt. He tucks the ball at the last second, but he's fairly slow. Krenzel is fairly indecisve as well, but not nearly to the extent of Quinn. Krenzel has a better more accurate arm than I had thought, but then again I hadnt had a high opinion of either to begin with. With some work krenzel could take the #2 spot. Dinwiddie looks terrible.

 

The O-Line works better as a unit than individually. Tait practiced in the second practice and looked good. they had him lining up at LT most of the time when I noticed him. Gibson looked good.

 

Defensively, Tommie Harris showed up in the second practice. He and Tank were on the second team and Harris had good penetration at times, though it was versus the second team. Tank had about one good play but was negated most of the time as he lines up on the the center and the second string center is Metcalf who looked great all day. Tank also seemed to receive his share of doubleteams. Haynes again isnt getting to the QB. Rumishek showed up again, against the second or third string O-Line. Alex Brown didnt practice again and was nowhere to be found. As a whole though, the D-line seemed to get pushed around a bit. If you wanted to run on us, youll probably gain a consistent 4YPC a carry.

 

Odom had a good pop in the second session. Overall, the LBs seem to be getting to the play quick enough laterally, but dont seem to fill gaps towards the LOS.

 

Mike Brown entered the field and did a couple drills, but then disappreared, literally. He was nonwhere to be found after about 30mins into practice. I didnt see him get injured or anything, he was just gone. In his absence, Green played FS and Gray played SS. BTW, it looks like we'll be blitzing the FS alot and showing the FS blitz alot.

 

On to special teams: Zoom didnt practice so they had Merritt, Darryl Jones and Vasher returning kicks. Merritt didnt look special. Vasher looked extremely quick and fast. Give him open daylight and he's GONE. darryl Jones looked pretty quick and fast, but also showed some VERY nice moves on the kickoff return. He had this little shake and bake from side to side as he cruised down the field and didnt lose any speed as he made these moves. I cant wait to see more of him returning kicks. Edinger still cant drive kicks deep on kickoffs consistently. Brooks Bernard kicked-off as well and did alot better on his depth but didnt get the hang-time of edinger.

 

 

On a cool note: I was wearing my Mike Brown away jersey and was standing in the back of one of the bleechers at the beginning of the morning practice. As the starting defense began to line up for a scrimmage, Mike Brown was waving towards the bleechers I was sitting on. I thought he was waving at the whole bleecher but i was thinking, "wouldnt that be cool if he were waving at me because I was wearing my Mike Brown Jersey". Then Mike started tugging at his jersey by the numbers singnifying that he was indeed waving at me because I was wearing my Mike Brown jersey. So I waved back, and that's the end of the story. I jst thought that was kinda cool, albeit kinda corny.

 

Sorry about the legth and lack of organization of my post. Its just that there was so much going on and its difficult for me to try to remember everything and organize it all in my mind as a write. I should have made an outline, but Im too lazy, sorry, i hope you enjoyed the info and perspective anyways.

[Confederate_48]

Im liking what im hearing about A-Train. Good read alot of good stuff in there.

[CWSGuy406]

Here is another report from chicagobears.com, this time from a poster named Black Bear (thanks BB! ). For those of you not reading these because of their length, I recommend you find a couple minutes and read them. They provide really good insight firsthand on what went down.

 

Here it is:

 

 

TRAINING CAMP REPORT, FRIDAY, JULY 30th

 

 

First of all I got to see the fair weathered fans in action soon as the drizzle started they piled out like al qaeda was coming, why even come to camp just to leave when the drizzle starts they had to know it was gonna rain

 

Right off the rip DT caught one over the middle for 15yds with worrell and gray drapped all over him they couldn't tackle dt he is so huge he had a great practice that's for you NANA YOUR BOY IS LOOKING GOOD!!

 

I mean he is looking serious all ball no bs focused his route's were crisp he performed well in his drills if he keeps this up he'll be a terror this season I can see him getting better since the start of camp and that's what the coach's are looking for if you hear anything negative about Dt today don't believe it he's on..

 

Rex is still giving it, he threw an int today he over threw his receiver the ball went right to Mike green. other than that rex is still like where you want it.

 

Don't trade the train that's all i'm saying he looks marvelous! he continues to impress me.

 

Jones was okay he continues to be the speed back he just looks so crisp.

 

They worked brock today he was pounding some cats.

 

AP is definetely our third back he does have the skills to step into that 2 spot if needed.

 

Dwone hicks is getting a nice look he's decent.

 

The offense as a whole looks like they can give it this year go bears!

 

Harriott I got a nice look at them today not bad they could do something I don't think they both make the squad though 1 is going to the practice squad maybe.

 

Brob I thought I would never say this but he looks good he is really working hard gettint to the qb and hitting those gaps on the running plays.

 

.Tait practiced today the oline will be a strength this season. Mitchell looks nice he could get off the ball a little quicker though but overall he looks like he could do the job especially with a rotation of guys.

 

Tommie harris and tank are gonna help us out a lot this year these guys have a nice upside they are speed demons I can see them causing some trouble in the back field this year. I would like to see them work on their technique for the remainder of camp but the talent is there.

 

Bryant Knight is coming on he had a good practice

 

The secondary looks nice were gonna need those guys this season I think they can do it these guys are getting better with each practice..

the scheme the d is running is gonna help us out a lot!

 

Urlacher was on the field today was glad to see him even though he didn't practice

 

This Team is starting to take shape I can see what Lovie is trying to do with this team and it looks nice...

 

If I forgot something just let me know.

[MinnesotaSoxFan]

Nice to know my guy, DT is getting some passes thrown to him! Go DT!!!

[chimpy2121]

Bears message board=Hacked.

[WHarris1]

Bears message board=Hacked.

fun stuff too

[chimpy2121]

Goal-line offense owns the end zone

By Larry Mayer

July 31, 2004

 

 

 

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - The Bears' offense dominated the defense in a spirited goal-line drill late in Saturday's morning practice.

 

Thomas Jones is proving to be as an effective runner in goal-line situations as he is on the rest of the field.

Running backs Thomas Jones, Anthony Thomas and Adrian Peterson all got into the end zone as the offense scored from the three-yard line on the first nine plays of the 12-play drill.

 

"When we get inside the three-yard line, we go to our big formation and we try to get a 'hat on a hat,' so that allows the ballcarrier to at least get back to the line of scrimmage," said offensive coordinator Terry Shea.

 

"That's our whole philosophy on the goal line. Some teams spread you out, some teams do other things. But we'll compact it."

 

The "hat on a hat" philosophy was evident on two particular touchdown runs. Fullback Bryan Johnson's block on safety Bobby Gray sprung Jones into the end zone and tight end Gabe Reid's block on linebacker Marcus Reese allowed Peterson to waltz in.

 

When Shea was quarterbacks coach in Kansas City last season, the Chiefs scored 42 TDs on 54 red-zone possessions, a 77.8 success rate that was easily the best in the NFL. The Bears mustered 22 TDs on 45 red-zone possessions (48.9 percent), ranking 16th in the league.

 

While the Bears are still not certain which running back will be utilized in short-yardage situations, Shea was pleased with all three of the ballcarriers who saw action in the goal-line drill.

 

"What we tried to do today is give each back that we selected some reps," he said. "It sure appeared to me that Thomas Jones is just as effective on the goal line as he is the open field. Anthony Thomas made some real tough runs and Peterson stepped up too."

 

Bears coach Lovie Smith wasn't surprised that the offense held such a decisive advantage in the drill.

 

"It kind of goes like that; one side or the other kind of dominates for a certain time," he said.

 

"When you haven't tackled live, you think you can go live but you really don't know for sure. I think it's a little of that, but I think our offense was ready to play a little bit more than the defense, and that's normally what it comes down to. We have a good offensive line and we should be able to get the ball in the end zone once we get it down there."

 

Pay-back time: The defense bounced back in 11-on-11 team drills as rookie end Claude Harriott and rookie tackle Dan Rumishek both returned interceptions for what would have been touchdowns on nearly identical plays. Harriott picked off Rex Grossman and Rumishek victimized Jonathan Quinn .

 

 

Claude Harriott showed his athleticism by intercepting a Rex Grossman pass and returning it for what would have been a touchdown.

"It was a zone (blitz) and they had me dropping in coverage," said Harriott, a fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh. "I dropped in the right place at the right time and the quarterback didn't see me, so it worked out pretty good for me."

 

Harriott was elated with the interception, but he didn't celebrate long.

 

"It helps, but I have to remember that I have a play after that," he said. "It has to be short-lived and I have to try to do just as good on the next play or better."

 

Though the interception was nice, Harriott's primary objective is to prove to coaches that after a disappointing senior season last year, he's the same dominant pass-rusher who compiled 9 ½ sacks, 21 tackles-for-loss and seven forced fumbles as a junior.

 

"They didn't bring me here to drop in coverage," Harriott said. "That's a bonus. My real job is to find a way to get around these big tackles."

 

Aches & pains: Fans gave wide receiver Marty Booker balloons and presents to celebrate his 28th birthday Saturday. The six-year veteran, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, said he hopes to return to practice on Monday.

 

Defensive end Alex Brown (calf), guard Mike Gandy (groin) and rookie receiver Bernard Berrian (hamstring) also remain sidelined. Cornerback Jerry Azumah (stinger) wore shoulder pads and a helmet but not did participate in contact drills.

 

A day at camp: Several former Bears attended Saturday's morning practice. The group included Bob Avellini, Brian Baschnagel, Ronnie Bull, Wendell Davis, Shaun Gayle, Roland Harper, Dennis McKinnon, Emery Moorehead, Jim Morrissey, Jim Osborne, Revie Sorey and Bob Thomas.

 

Cornerback Todd McMillon made two excellent plays in the session, batting down a Grossman pass on a blitz and breaking up a pass intended for tight end Mark Anelli.

 

The best pass of the practice was a connection between Grossman and wide receiver Ahmad Merritt deep down the right sideline.

 

Undrafted rookie quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie took advantage of a rare rep by stepping up in the pocket and hitting Reid near the right sideline.

[chimpy2121]

A-Train impressing coaches as runner, receiver

By Larry Mayer

July 31, 2004

 

 

 

 

Anthony Thomas rushed for 1,024 yards and 6 TDs on 244 carries in 13 games in 2003.

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - Darting across the middle, Bears running back Anthony Thomas reached up high to pluck a Rex Grossman pass out of the air with one hand like a seasoned wide receiver during Saturday's morning practice in Bourbonnais.

Thomas, the first Bear to rush over 1,000 yards in two of his first three seasons since Walter Payton, is proving that he's adept at catching the ball after not being called upon in the passing game under the previous coaching regime.

 

"I can catch," Thomas said. "It's just something that they didn't have to use. We had a lot of receivers that went out and did a good job, so they didn't really have to use a running back as much. But this offense is different. They're passing the ball a lot to the backs and I've got a skill that I can use now."

 

Thomas no doubt will contribute more as a receiver than he did last season when he had just nine receptions for 36 yards. Coordinator Terry Shea's offense utilizes a high volume of passes to the backs, which is a major reason the Bears signed running back Thomas Jones on the first day of free agency.

 

With his speed, elusiveness and breakaway ability, Jones is a better fit in the scheme than Thomas. But when asked to identify which player has been the most pleasant surprise so far in training camp, Shea didn't hesitate in naming the A-Train.

 

"One of the real pluses has been Anthony Thomas," Shea said. "He's done it with his catching skill. He's done it with his reading of running lanes. He's done really a very consistent job, not that Thomas Jones hasn't. (Jones) has made some brilliant runs with his vision. In my opinion, we've got two of the better backs that we need for this offense."

 

There's a long way to go before the regular season opener, but Jones has already solidified his spot atop the depth chart.

 

"Right now Thomas Jones has been able to win that job, and he won it in the offseason," Shea said. "We brought him here to be a real sold player for us and start. I wouldn't say Anthony Thomas can't win it, but right now, if we were to play tomorrow, it would be Thomas Jones '1' and Anthony Thomas '1A.'"

 

 

In training camp, Thomas Jones has proven to be the speedy breakaway threat the Bears envisioned when they signed him as a free agent.

The Bears insist there are enough footballs to go around for both running backs, but their exact roles have yet to be finalized.

 

"We really haven't addressed with the individual players what their roles are," Shea said. "We were going to let training camp unfold. We're still brand new to each other. We were going to go probably 10 days into training camp and then really start to solidify, 'OK, here's how you're going to play into the offense.'

 

"But Anthony will play. If Thomas Jones is our starter, Anthony will play. He will complement Jones. We'll play them both in the same backfield at times and we'll just go from there."

 

Appearing a bit revitalized by the new coaching staff, Thomas is performing like the back who was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2001 after rushing for 1,183 yards and 7 TDs. After one run during a recent practice, a fan remarked, "Either the entire Bears defense is a lot slower or Thomas is much quicker."

 

The A-Train is unfazed by Jones' presence and insists he doesn't need to be pushed by other players to excel.

 

"No matter what, if he was here or if he wasn't here, it would be the same thing," Thomas said. "I just want to go out here and have a good camp and work real hard and try to get this (play) book down. It's nothing about me and Thomas against each other."

 

Thomas produced one of the most impressive plays of training camp Thursday night when he ran over linebacker Marcus Reese, delivering a bone-crushing hit that reverberated throughout Ward Field and brought the crowd to its feet.

 

"I'm just trying to show (the coaches) that I can play football," Thomas said. "The rest they can see from films and stuff like that. They know I can play. I just want to go out and work hard and play my best."

[Confederate_48]

I really hope they dont get rid of A-Train.

[chimpy2121]

Gage studying his way to No. 2

By Adam Caldarelli

ChicagoSports.com

 

July 31, 2004, 2:54 PM CDT

 

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Justin Gage would've been perfect in Bill Walsh's style of offense--a big, tall receiver in the mold of John Taylor who can catch the ball over the middle.

 

That's what he was until Terry Shea showed up this year to run the Bears' offense. Now Gage has had to adjust his game to a style he has never played.

 

Shea wants his receivers playing at full speed the entire time--right off the line and in and out of their cuts up field.

 

Being 6-foot-4-inches tall, it was a struggle at first for Gage, a former basketball player at Missouri, to control his body to make precision cuts at full speed, sometimes in tight quarters in order to shed a defensive back.

 

"It's something I couldn't do in the first mini-camp that we had," Gage said. "I've seen it done and I tried it a few times but it's something that I've gotten more and more comfortable with and I feel it's a lot easier. I'm doing it a lot better now."

 

Shea would go even further than that.

 

"He's done a nice job of mastering that technique," Shea said. "It is not easy, especially for the longer-legged receivers. And he's got that catching skill that is probably about as good as we have on our football team right now."

 

Gage doesn't possess the flat-out break away speed to blow by a cornerback. With all types of double-moves in the offense, he doesn't need it. Shea's offense has other ways to get a receiver open deep.

 

Like during Thursday night's practice in the Olivet Nazarene stadium. Gage provided the highlight of the night for the capacity crowd when he caught a deep touchdown in stride from Rex Grossman after Grossman pump-faked the safety off.

 

Both may only be second-year players but they know each other well.

 

It's a receiver-quarterback rapport forged last season on the depths of the scout team, which prepares the starting defense by mimicking the offense used by the upcoming opponent.

 

It's a daunting task for rookies and peripheral players but Grossman, Gage and receiver Bobby Wade held their own at times against the likes of Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown.

 

"I think that really helped us and got us prepared for the end of last year and what's to come," Gage said.

 

It was no coincidence that Grossman's first pass in the NFL was a deep one to Gage, who jumped high and drew a pass interference penalty on the cornerback for close to a 40-yard gain.

 

That experience has provided Gage and Wade with a slight advantage in this camp and it's been evident by how many times Grossman has found them during team passing drills.

 

"Gage is certainly one of Rex's hot buttons right now," Shea said. "He and Bobby Wade are both pretty dynamic for Rex at this point."

 

That doesn't bode well for David Terrell, a former No. 8 overall pick, who some have speculated could be cut at the end of camp. Terrell did turn in the play of the day on Thursday when he caught a ball in heavy traffic and held on after being pin-balled by the safety and cornerback.

 

But as No. 1 receiver Marty Booker sits with a minor hamstring injury, the pressure is squarely on Terrell as Gage presses him for the No. 2 receiver spot.

 

Darryl Drake has seen it all before. The wide receivers coach is hardly surprised by Gage's ascension. He coached the receivers at the University of Texas for six years and saw Gage twice a year in Big 12 battles.

 

"This offense fits him well," Drake said. "There are certain things that will allow him to use his size and his speed and his athletic ability. But, heck, I always knew he could play."

 

Drake, however, didn't know Gage was such a good a listener, someone who digests coaching advice and quickly turns it into receptions on the field.

 

Case in point: During Friday's afternoon practice under a steady rain, Gage went up for a jump ball but instead of stretching high he attempted a basket catch. The ball slipped through his arms and fell incomplete. Drake ran over and instructed the receiver to use his height and his hands over his head, especially in bad conditions.

 

"The next opportunity he'll get to do that he'll make that catch because he'll know how to do that," Drake said. "That's my job to teach him those things and help him with those things, and that's his job to transfer it and be able to do those things. He's really a coachable guy. He'll make those adjustments."

 

Teams traditionally keep five receivers. Besides Booker, who is entrenched in the first spot, Gage and Terrell are locked in a battle for the second spot, while Bobby Wade appears to be the front-runner at No. 3.

 

Coach Lovie Smith will ultimately make the final call on who lines up wide in the second receiver spot. So far he's impressed.

 

"Justin Gage has made a couple good catches just about every practice we've had," Smith said.

 

While most players descend on training camp in luxury SUVs, Gage last year got a ride from his parents, who then left them their car from him to use. He's since scored his own ride, but still retains some of that innocence when he speaks of just wanting to make the team and using each practice as a way to impress the coaches.

 

"With 10 receivers [in camp] and you're competing and only keeping five or six, it's a big battle," he said. "But that's what it's about."

 

So far Gage is winning that battle and then some.

[CWSGuy406]

Great articles, chimp!

[dasox24]

This is from CB.com:

 

Tempers flare during afternoon practice

By Larry Mayer

July 31, 2004

 

 

 

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - It took four days for the Bears' first training camp fight and about five minutes for the second.

Tempers flared during Saturday's afternoon practice, leading coach Lovie Smith to halt the workout, gather the team around him and instruct them to leave the fisticuffs to Mike Tyson.

 

The first battle was waged between 6-6, 370-pound tackle Aaron Gibson and 5-11, 199-pound safety Cameron Worrell. It occurred on a play where running back Thomas Jones ran over safety Virgil Williams at the goal line. Several players entered the scrum, which consisted mostly of pushing and shoving.

 

Moments later, 6-6, 355-pound tackle Qasim Mitchell and 6-3, 274-pound defensive end Michael Haynes went at it, throwing wild haymaker punches at the end of a play.

 

Earlier in the day, the Bears' offense had dominated the defense in a goal-line drill, and the competition between the two units was becoming a bit too intense.

 

Smith felt compelled to remind the players that they all had the same "C" on their helmets.

 

"He wasn't so much mad that the fight happened," Haynes said. "We had that one incident earlier and then there was a second one. That's what he was mad about, when you have too many fights in a row. He wants everybody to be together. That's pretty much what he said. He's like, 'You know what, we can't have offense and defense. We've got to be a team.'"

 

The funny thing about the Haynes-Mitchell altercation is that the two are good friends who've gone out to dinner together.

 

"We go out all the time, so it's not like I'm fighting a total stranger," Haynes said. "He's been to my house and we hang out all the time, so it's really not that big of a deal. You know how football is. Sometimes you have a misunderstanding. We got it corrected, so hopefully it won't happen again."

 

Mitchell explained to reporters how the fight started, but his version may not have held up under cross-examination.

 

"I'm going to tell you what happened," he said with a wink. "I completely shut him down and it was a blow to his confidence, so he had to retaliate."

 

News and notes: Running back Anthony Thomas sat out part of the afternoon session after hurting his side. The injury is not believed to be serious. ... Tight end John Gilmore sat out the practice with a hamstring injury. ... Cornerback R.W. McQuarters intercepted a Rex Grossman pass and returned it for what would have been a touchdown. ... Cornerback Charles Tillman later picked off a pass in the corner of the end zone after receiver Bobby Wade slipped while trying to make a cut.

 

I, personally, kinda like to see this type of stuff, as long as no one gets hurt. It brings intensity and brings the players closer together after altercations like these.

[CWSGuy406]

From Sun-Times - A good David Terrell Read:

 

WR coach fingers Terrell for immense improvement

 

July 29, 2004

 

BY BRAD BIGGS STAFF REPORTER 

 

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The end of the Bears' first practice Wednesday looked more like drill camp than training camp. The wide receivers were doing fingertip pushups in the middle of the field after the majority of the team was in the locker room.

 

 

 

In a circle, the group of nine -- minus Marty Booker, who had a minor leg injury, and rookie Bernard Berrian, who was not suited up -- worked to the command of coach Darryl Drake, who was shouting, "Down!''

 

"That's something I've done for 25 years, getting their fingers strong,'' said Drake, who came from Texas, where he helped groom Detroit Lions first-round draft pick Roy Williams. "It will help them as the season goes on. When you're blocking and you're catching, you always have injuries to your fingers. What it does is make them stronger, and when they have a strain or something, it allows them to come back a lot quicker.''

 

Some days, Drake will have the group do as many as 300 pushups, and he knows Booker and Berrian have some catching up to do. Those aren't the only pushups the group does. Receivers also will drop and do 10 when they drop a pass during practice.

 

After the group broke up, David Terrell and Daryl Jones went to catch extra passes from a Jugs machine, a move they made on their own.

 

"I'm more proud of [Terrell] since I've been here, as far as wanting to get better, than anyone else,'' Drake said. "From the first day, he's improved tremendously. We've just got to ask him to do things he can do and not things he can't do.''

 

What Drake thinks Terrell can do is be a threat in the red zone, something the Bears talked about but rarely did after his rookie season in 2001, when he caught four touchdown passes. It got so bad last year that offensive coordinator John Shoop didn't want Terrell active on game days. Shoop didn't win that war, but he certainly had an impact on Terrell's reduced role.

 

"David's a guy that does a great job with his body,'' Drake said. "He can catch the ball over the middle, inside. He can block. He's tremendous in the red zone. I don't know what's happened in the past, but I know those are his strong suits. Those are things he does well. As a coach, you have to put him in a situation where he can be successful because he can make you successful. That's what we're doing.''

 

Just because he's big (6-3, 212 pounds) and physical over the middle doesn't mean Terrell will be stuck solely in the slot, a position he detests because he says it prevents him from being a playmaker.

 

"At times you'd like him singled up because of his size and his body,'' Drake said. "The offense lends him the opportunity to do a lot of different things.''

 

 

NOT PICKING A SIDE: Right tackle John Tait expects training camp to go much like the offseason workout programs did, when he spent considerable time taking repetitions on the left side.

 

"I'm OK with it,'' Tait said. "They told me [they signed me as a right tackle], but that was one of the pluses that I had with teams that were looking at me: I did have the ability to play both sides. It's not a total shocker.''

 

Tait says he's better as a right tackle simply because that is where he is most comfortable.

 

"I feel like I really elevated my game to a point where I was playing really well at the end of last season,'' he said. "I kind of want to keep doing that. That's my own personal thing, but if they did want me to play left, that's something I can do.''

 

Time for David to prove that he was a deserved first round pick!

[dasox24]

WR coach fingers Terrell 

 

That's just not right...

[SoxAce]

I think this is gonna be a fun year to see these young guys play

[chimpy2121]

Hey guys, just got back from training camp (pictures coming soon).

 

Rex looked mediocre today, had a lot of balls thrown in the ground. Recievers were great though. No one dropped any easy throws during scrimmages. However DT dropped some in warm ups. During a red zone drill, Desmond Clark cut across the middle and came up limp. (Hammy injury, not sure how serious, got a picture though). The D looked really good. Always got to the quaterback on there plays. A-train wasnt in pads. Azumah and Urlacher were on the side as well. AP broke some big runs and caught some nice passes. Jones caught a very nice pass as well. One hander while getting his feet in before goin out of bounds. Best play of the practice was a 2 minute drill play where Grossman threw it to Merritt, and then Merritt pitched it to Jones as he was going down, then Jones went downfield (would have been a touchdown.)

 

I probably have forgot a lot but ill try to remember.

 

I did get Joe Tafoya's autograph, came close to getting Tank, he was right next to me. Also came close to getting Mike Browns.

 

Pictures coming soon!