About a week ago, CBS Sportsline columnist Mike Freeman wrote about how the Bears are poised to become the next NFL dynasty. While the idea sounds idiotic to most people, the Bears do have one thing on their side: youth. Just take a look at the roster, a lot of the pivotal players haven't even entered their primes yet. Urlacher looks like an old man on the defense, and he's still only 29. You'd have to search long and hard before you find someone who matters on the wrong end of 30, that is, of course, until you head to the offensive line.
Honestly, that doesn't bother me at all; it's actually a good thing. It's a well known fact that it takes time for an offensive line to gel, and a veteran group of road graders is never really a bad thing. These five guys know what there doing, it is probably one of the safest o-lines in the NFL. That's not to say it is the best- I think Minnesota and Baltimore probably have something to say about that- but the Bears do not need to worry about their offensive line. They're as solid as they come, five experienced dudes who have been together long enough to know what's going on.
It all starts in the middle with Olin Kruetz, who is widely regarded as the league's top center. Kruetz has been to about as many Pro Bowls as Urlacher, and is one of the true leaders of the team. And if he can correct Rex's little fumbling problem, it might be time to consider him for the Hall-of-Fame.
Hall of Fame, you say? Kruetz isn't the only one who could be headed there. Let me introduce you to Cedric Benson's good friend Ruben Brown. Eight Pro Bowls with the Bills and he keeps on trucking. Brown may not be the best guard in the NFL, as he once was, but he is still one of the most reliable players on the Bears. Brown is another grizzled veteran who makes this team go, and makes their championship aspirations legit.
Along with those two maulers, the Bears are throwing out John Tait (one of the ten best left tackles in the NFL), Fred Miller, and Roberto Garza, with the strangely dependable Terrence Metcalf being the sixth man. Miller is the only one the Bears should have any concern over, and it's just because of his age. He's still a dependable right tackle- in fact, dependable might be the best word to describe the entire group- but Miller is clearly on the down side of his career. Look for the Bears to use a high draft pick on a tackle in next year's draft. Had Joe Staley fallen a few picks further, he may have been wearing navy blue and orange instead of Greg Olsen.
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Good call on the o-line..much has been made about their age, but as you point out, it takes time to gel and gain cohesiveness. The only concern I have is injuries, especially with Tait. St. Clair has looked pretty beatable in his spot and the tackle position will prove key this year with every team knowing they can get to Grossman with intense blitz packages. Overall, they're right up there with any other line in the league.