Potential or production? Bears must choose
At what point does a team with only unrealistic playoff hopes sacrifice the present for the future?
With a 1-3 record, Bears coach John Fox and his staff might already be asking themselves that question this week. And chances are it will be a recurring theme throughout what is a rebuilding season whether its acknowledged or not.
This week, Fox and Co. must decide what to do to replace 10-year veteran center Will Montgomery, who suffered a fractured fibula in the Bears’ 22- 20 victory over the Raiders.
That morale- boosting win, Fox’s first as the Bears’ coach, has infused some enthusiasm after a slow start. And no one could blame the Bears for looking ahead at their next two games and envisioning a .500 record heading into their Week Seven bye.
The Bears have back- to- back road games, but their opponents are the 1- 3 Chiefs and the shellshocked 0-4 Lions. Shell-shocked? Did you see Jim Caldwell’s face after Calvin Johnson, inches shy of the goal line, had the ball punched out of his hands and through the back of the end zone Monday night. It looked like he ate some bad clams.
But win or lose in Kansas City and Detroit, the Bears will have this bigger- picture issue to deal with all year: Do they play to win now or develop young talent for the future?
This week, the position in question is center, but there will be others in the weeks to come. Veteran left guard Matt Slauson stepped in after Montgomery was injured on the third play from scrimmage in Week Four, and he did a more- than- admirable job. There was a botched exchange between Slauson and Jay Cutler, which was recovered by the Raiders, but Slauson’s play was, in Fox’s opinion, “tremendous.”
But what happens now? Slauson is the best option at center right now, certainly from a physical standpoint, where his size and strength are far superior to rookie Hroniss Grasu. But Grasu was drafted in the third round ( 71st overall) to be the center of the future. So, is the future now, even though Grasu isn’t a better center right now than Slauson?
Choosing potential over production is a dangerous path for a coach to navigate.
In one breath he asks his veteran players to ball out every week.
In the next breath, he doesn’t put his best lineup on the field be- cause he’s getting experience for younger and less effective players and building for the future.
Not the best way to win over a locker room.
On the other hand, if Grasu is adequate, it would allow Slauson to remain at left guard, where he is the second-best member of the offensive line behind right tackle Kyle Long.
If Slauson remains at center and struggles, and if Pat Omameh isn’t the answer as the fill- in for Slauson at left guard, it makes the Bears weaker at two O-line positions rather than one.
Grasu was a four- year starter at Oregon and an exceptional college player. But he lacks size and strength as an NFL starter. Maybe he can make up for it with technique and coaching. Maybe not.
It’s worth noting that Olin Kreutz, who also was a third-round draft pick, went to six straight Pro Bowls with the Bears and started 187 games at center.
But he didn’t start his first game until Week 17 of his rookie season.