That’s great, but who’s gonna play left guard?
Left tackle? A 14th overall selection of Chris Williams yells out a proverbial ‘check.’ Center? Six Pro Bowls and a mean-streak like Naomi Campbell tells me Olin Kreutz has the job. Right guard? Hell if I know if Roberto Garza is any good but he seems like a great guy. Who else would give those old people a ride to the doctor’s? Right tackle? Two positives on this one: John Tait makes the move to a spot that he plays better and that could add a couple of years to his career. So who’s missing, here? Oh, yeah. Left guard? Uh. Excuse me? Can anyone play left guard?
Sure, someone can. The question is who. As of right now, the frontrunner appears to be Terrance Metcalf only because he has more experience than any other candidate. Over his six-year career, he’s started 15 games at right guard but only 5 at left. And he’s never played consistent enough to be named a consensus starter. That in itself should raise a red flag.
Second-year man Josh Beekman will be given every opportunity to earn the job in training camp. Unfortunately, the majority of his 37 collegiate starts were at right guard. Oh, and by majority I mean 34. But don’t fret fans, at least the other 3 were at center. Thankfully, Beekman’s lack of experience at left guard shouldn’t hinder his chances. With Ruben Brown as broken down as he was, the Bears brass would have been wise to groom Beekman for left guard from day one. That means he’s had a full year to learn the playbook and refine his technique. Also, the fact the Bears waited until Round 7 to choose a guard should speak volumes about how confident they feel in Beekman’s progress and ability.
That brings us to our seventh-round selection and wildcard: Chester Adams. The only thing that scares me more than Chester Adams is Chester Adams with a helmet on. Grizzly. “The Big Cheese” has some major intimidation factor. Watch the Bears’ rookie mini-camp highlights from Day One. Watch out for number 72 and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The reality is Adams won’t start this year unless it’s due to injury. The Bears, understandably, don’t want their whole left side made up of rookies. That could be scary. Like the extent of Mario Manningham’s ineptitude scary.
The truth is training camp and maybe the preseason will ultimately decide who starts at left guard. My bet is on Josh Beekman with Terrance Metcalf serving as a veteran back-up. Give Chester Adams a year to get acclimated and he could be a dominating force.
Williams-Beekman-Kreutz-Garza-Tait.
A much more promising (younger) line than last year.
[...] in the middle and Garza does United Way commercials. That leaves the left guard slot wide open. Who will start at left guard? Josh Beekman, Terrance Metcalf and John St. Clair seem to be the early contenders. Williams, [...]