Bye Bye Bourbonnais: Bears News And Notes

By Rob Winn in News on Aug 13, 2013 5:40PM

The Bears head into the second preseason game Thursday against the San Diego Chargers with all eyes firmly planted on the offense. After Jay Cutler threw an interception on the first play of the game Friday against Carolina, it is clear the Bears still have a long way to go to fully learn head coach Marc Trestman's offense.

Combine that with the defense scoring when the offense couldn't and you have an entire city rolling their eyes once again. With a short turnaround between games here is the latest as the Bears prepare to leave Bourbonnais.

It takes more than a nation to block the defense.

Much-maligned offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb was demoted to the second team over the weekend. Trestman attempted to explain the move as a way to look at rookie right tackle Jordan Mills. But for Webb, the writing is on the wall. First round draft pick Kyle Long also continues to work on the first team, meaning the Bears may start the season with both a rookie right guard and right tackle. By all accounts Long has had a solid camp, making rookie mistakes from time to time, but showing the talent that made him a first round draft selection.

Meanwhile JWebb Nation may have been dealt its final blow. He's had an up-and-down career since the Bears selected him in the seventh round. His play has been serviceable at times and down right bad at others. During the final drive with the first team last Friday, Webb gave up a sack, allowing the defensive end to speed pass him and deliver a strong hit to quarterback Jay Cutler. That may have been the last straw for the Bears.

Back to work for the offense

Cutler took the blame for the Bears' offensive woes during his post-game interview, but it was clear that there was a miscommunication between him and receiver Alshon Jeffery. The Bears came out and ran the exact same play at the start of the next drive, resulting in a first down. After the interception Cutler went on to complete 6 of 8 passes. The offense is obviously still a work in progress. Improvements will need to be made before the regular season opener, otherwise Bears fans will be relegated to more of the same from the last four years: an offense that doesn't hold up their end of the bargain. No one expects the offense to start clicking with only a few weeks of training camp and one preseason game. They should be able to improve as they have more time on the field and in the film room—we hope.

Injury bug still biting

Resident senior long snapper Patrick Mannely was injured after being on the receiving end of a blindside hit from the Panthers. He appears to be on track to still play in the season opener but has been sidelined for practice while nursing bruised ribs. Meanwhile defensive tackle Henry Melton and wide receiver Earl Bennett are still recovering from concussions. Melton suffered the concussion during the first quarter of Friday's game and did not return. However Bennett's is probably the more concerning of the two because of his history and the fact that he was sent home to recover. Linebacker D.J. Williams also still remains sidelined with a calf injury. He hasn't practiced since July 31.