Preseason Week 2 Preview

The Bears went absolutely ballistic last week in their first preseason game. Now, I am going to preface this blog with how I have prefaced every preseason Bears blog so far. It is preseason, I understand that. These games don't mean anything for the regular season. That being said we can definitely see some things and, as fans, we can have fun watching football again. It has been 6 awful and long months without football and 7 months without the Bears. We finally get both back so let's have fun and overanalyze the shit out of the small things and pretend that we know everything when in reality we probably know closer to nothing. That all being said, here are my personal things to keep an eye on in the Bears 2nd preseason game on Saturday.

The Dreaded Left Tackle

Keep an eye on that left tackle position. It has been our nightmare for years and until the Beast from the East, Ozzy, can come back, it will probably stay our biggest fear. Last week we saw Kiran Amegadje and Jedrick Willis play the majority of snaps at left tackle. This week expect to see the same with a healthy rotation of Theo Benedet. With a lack of depth here for the first couple weeks there is a good chance one of these guys will be competing with Braxton Jones for that starting spot. That being said, I think Braxton wins the job handily, but this glimpse will be a good look into the depth that the Bears have at left tackle (Which is abysmal). Expect a lot of bootleg plays to the right side and runs to the middle or right. This position is a fucking nightmare (without Ozzy). Hopefully Dan Rouschar can whip these boys into shape and make this offensive line hum again!

Kaden Davis

This man tore it up last week in the game. He has torn it up in training camp. He tore it up in joint practice. Let's see if he can continue this pattern. He is a fucking speed demon and can find the soft spots in coverages. In a loaded, and I mean really fucking loaded wide receiver room, he is going to hav to make some noise every chance he gets just to make the roster and the cut. Right now, we have Rome wasn't built in a day Odunze, Darth Luther, All day Jahdae, Khalif Raymond and now Kaden Davis and Maurice Alexander trying to make a spot. The line is long but if he keeps it up, he has a shot to make this stacked group. Even if he doesn't make the team expect him to get picked up by another team within seconds. I know you haven't heard this much but not everyone has as deep of a WR room as the Bears. Damn, we truly are in a happy place right now.

Defensive Line AKA the Group of Misfit Toys

This defensive line has been pieced together using duct tape, glue, even gum, now it's time to see what we've got. Last week we saw a couple players shine such as James Lynch, Jordan Van Den Berg, Jamree Kromah and more. This week I am looking for consistency. Can these players, especially Kromah, play to the level they did last week? Is someone else going to step up and make waves? Who is going to be the star this week on that line? These are all things I am going to keep my eyes on this week. This position was the biggest worry going into the offseason and we have done everything except make a splashy move to fix this team. We just signed vet Marcus Davenport who is a Dennis Allen project. I doubt he plays this week but if he does, he will be the most important one to keep an eye on. After last week I feel a little bit better about this position group but still not very confident. I need to see consistency and even then, I will probably still be worried until regular season. This is turning into a big "I trust Dennis Allen" moment for me. Also, let me just say I truly think Dennis Allen is a stud defensive coordinator and I have full faith in him like I do Ben Johnson. Go get 'em DA!

Secondary, More Specifically, SAFTIES

This secondary was getting absolutely deep fried by Watson last week. Definitely not a good look having someone who has only been receiving massages and not playing any ball piece you up. That being said, our starters were not playing, and JJ has been looking great in camp. That does say a lot about our depth though. For a team that had a ton of injuries in their secondary last year, we cannot afford to lose any of our secondary this year. This week I need to see better coverage, and I need to see some more people make a splash. Thieneman Toast Crunch played great last week, and I am excited to see what he's got this week now that he has played in his first high intensity game. He has insane closing speed and seems to love to bait the QB. Hopefully the first rounder pays off. I am also interested to see the person playing next to him since Xavier Woods is now injured. Elijah Hicks and Joshua Blackwell are on my shit list (Joshua Blackwell the DB not him as a special teamer). I need to see something more than them being a dead fish on the field. Also, keep an eye on Malik Muhammad as he continues to display his skills. He was fun last week but struggled off the line and playing in the nickel position (has never played this position so he is learning) but covering the outside man and dropping into coverage he looked good. Hopefully we see some improvement from this group.

Antwaan Randel El, The Ben Johnson Coaching Tree

This might be my most favorite thing to watch this weekend (except maybe Tory Taylor but that's a different story). Last week El got a chance to call plays. This is Ben Johnson growing his coaching tree because El looked absolutely phenomenal calling plays. Man, I just love this man. He brings the heat and hype every week. He is energetic and electric and so much fun as a coach and now we find out he's a star at calling plays. The only downside is that this means we will probably lose him to an offensive coordinator or head coaching job next year. I am guessing this week Ben is going to let him show off his play calling abilities again and I am here for it. I am pumped to see him show the world what he can do. El, please don't leave, but if you do, I hope you kill it out there. We still have you locked down for another year, but we are going to have to cherish every moment.

Honorable Mentions

• Tory Taylor

• Logan Jones

• Salvon Ahmed (This one should probably be in the top 5 up above)

• Miller Moss

• Dan Rouschars Trenches