Camp Trestman: Bears News And Notes
By Rob Winn in News on Aug 1, 2013 7:40PM
You know Bears training camp is in full swing when half the fan base is talking about the Super Bowl, while the other half talk about the need for a complete rebuild. With a new head coach, injuries and the usual drama, this year is off to a rousing start. So with that, here is our first news and notes of the 2013 season. Set, hut:
Injuries Mounting:
Defensive end Corey Wootton left practice today with an apparent hip injury, adding him to the list of injured Bears. They lost defensive end Turk McBride for the season last week after he ruptured his Achilles tendon. If Wootton is out for any significant time, look for the Bears to bring in a few defensive linemen for depth.
Linebacker D.J. Williams was carted off the field Wednesday. Williams suffered an injury to his right calf and has been designated as week-to-week. (Never hear that one before, but okay.) Williams was brought in to replace the retired Brian Urlacher, which leaves rookie linebacker Jon Bostic taking a large portion of the snaps.
Meanwhile Jermon Bushrod remains sidelined with a calf strain. Bushrod was signed during the offseason to solidify the left tackle position and protect Jay Cutler. It appears he will be back soon, but he needs all the snaps he can get while the Bears learns head coach Marc Trestman's offense.
Cutler Questions
With another new offense and a contract to play for, quarterback Jay Cutler figures to be the main point of discussion this year. The Tribune's Brad Biggs reported that the Bears have the foundation to run the read option, which had been successful behind Washington's Robert Griffen III and Seattle's Russell Wilson. An obvious problem with the read option is the quarterback takes a significant number of hits. That spells trouble when you combine Jay Cutler's concussion history with how the Bears play with a backup quarterback.Trestman tried to downplay that Wednesday, saying "You guys have seen him more than I have over the years, but what I have seen is a guy that knows how to take care of himself most of the time."
Cutler meanwhile was asked how much read option he thinks they will run during the regular season. His response, "None."
Devin Hester's Return to Returning
Thankfully, the Bears seem to be sticking with their plan to utilize Devin Hester solely in the return game. During camp he has take no snaps with the offense. Apparently he spends most of his time off by himself catching passes from the Jugs machine. After watching his wide receiver play from the last few years, it's a welcome change to see Hester focus on punts and kickoffs