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Training camp. Which training camp?
It looks like we were on the road to Decatur yesterday to launch the 100th Bears season. There are now only 15 days left before the Bears open the NFL season against the Packers and there are still some key questions that require answers.
Beyond the obvious, for example that young players must mature and improve, that everyone is as healthy as possible for the NFL marathon season and that Chuck Pagano fully settles in the former office of Vic Fangio, there are at least three very serious cases to resolve:
1. Do these Bears have what it takes to improve from start to finish and open up a whole new world of possibilities to unlock the multiple offense of Matt Nagy?
We really do not know what kind of extreme professional Adam Shaheen can and will be until when the Bears drafted him 51st overall, about 28 months ago.
Shaheen is the only real "Y" on the team, and if he can not stay healthy, Nagy may have to throw a large portion of his book out the window.
The Bears are attempting to convert the offensive tackle Bradley Sowell to the "Y" position – with mixed results.
Nagy says, "I love where he is. For us, if we do not have patience with him in this transition and we are frustrated, we must control ourselves as coaches. So, all that being said, I really like where he is and I'm waiting for more.
But Sowell is nowhere, and the truth is that it still looks a lot like a tackle trying to play.
Trey Burton will be doing well in "U", but the UDFA's Ian Bunting and Dax Raymond – vying for a spot in Burton's support – have not yet shown enough to be comfortable if Burton gets hurt at again, and Ben Braunecker did not prove that he could make a difference in both cases regularly.
The Bears could wear three, four or five, but probably wear four, and we will not know for weeks in the season if they have done enough to remedy the situation.
2. What will happen if Bobby Massie or Charles Leno are injured?
As they entered the camp, the Bears looked forward to seeing Rashaad Coward as their new target.
It is reasonable to assume that the plan was to carry eight O-linemen – the five starters, Ted Larsen, rookie Alex Bars and Coward.
But as Coward quickly connected to the left side and started ringing after the Giants show match, they may have to pack nine – either TJ Clemmings or another vet, Cornelius Lucas, who would find a place on both sides.
Nagy offered an extremely lukewarm endorsement from Lucas, saying, "Lucas really (really) did … he's a great guy. He did a good job with some of those defensive goals, so we like that.
"We know it's a position we need to have perfectly in this tackle zone."
Does it inspire you as much as it does not?
3. Have the Bears worked enough to improve their intermediate field game?
Nagy tells us, "You can not win one and two yards. You must have pieces to be able to recover them.
"We have to be better at running. It's a priority for us and our guys understand it.
Tarik Cohen is a dangerous weapon that will give you the pieces, but he is too small to ask to do it more than a handful of times.
David Montgomery is promising in our still small sample.
Nagy and Ryan Pace continue to talk about Mike Davis, but it's hard to find examples of what he can do to make a difference.
Kerrith Whyte and Ryan Nall are both promising, but you can not pay your bills with promises.
Until at least one or two of these guys deliver their regular season games, largely thanks to the tight ends and tackles they have in front of them, we will never know how much better the Nagy offensive can be.
And if that's not the case, the playoff wins may have to wait another year.
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