Up Close: The Safeties
Bryan Dietzler
Written on June 15, 2010
The Bears haven’t had a solid starting safety since the days of Mike Brown (when he was healthy), and this has cost them dearly on defense. With the type of defense that the Bears run, they need the safety to not only be strong in run support but also solid in coverage and they have been lacking in both areas. They have had hitters and guys that could almost fill the position well but they have come up just short in the past few seasons.
Will this be a season of change at the safety position?
The following is a look at each player that the Bears have at the safety position coming into training camp this summer. There is a look at how they did in 2009, how their offseason has gone so far and where they stand for 2010.
The Bears signed former New Orleans Saints safety Josh Bullocks as a free agent last offseason hoping that he would be able to compete for a starting spot in the secondary.
Even with the lack of talent the Bears had at the position, Bullocks was unable to crack the starting lineup in Chicago and prove his value to the team. Altogether, Bullocks played in a total of 12 games, starting four. He had a total of 23 tackles with 19 solo and four assisted. He didn’t have any interceptions or passes deflected.
Bullocks will be on the bubble throughout all of training camp, and if he doesn’t show any improvement over 2009, then it’s likely he will be let go at the end of training camp. If someone is injured, then the Bears might have no other choice but to keep him on the roster.
A rookie last season, Al Afalava stepped into the starting role in training camp and relinquished it only after getting injured at points during the seasons throwing the defense out of whack a few times.
Overall, Afalava played in and started in a total of 13 games last season. He recorded 53 total tackles with 43 solo and ten assisted. He had two sacks, seven passes deflected and one forced fumble.
Afalava is known for his big hits and toughness, but is still young and has a lot to learn about the game. Granted, he didn’t do too bad starting as a rookie but the Bears feel that they could get someone better back there and it appears as if they have found the solution.
Afalava is fully healed and ready to go in training camp but he is definitely going to have to battle to get his starting job back and it’s most likely he’s going to be a backup in 2010.
The Bears brought back a familiar face this offseason when they traded for former Chicago Bears and Carolina Panther’s safety Chris Harris. Harris, who last played with the Bears during their Super Bowl season in 2006, is familiar with the system and will most likely earn a starting spot in training camp this summer.
Last season, with the Panthers, Harris played in a total of 13 games starting all of those contests. He had a total of 60 tackles with 48 solo and 12 assisted. He also had six passes defended, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. He was pretty productive when compared to safeties in Chicago last season and should be able to help fill in the void needed at the position.
Danieal Manning has become somewhat enigma with the team since coming there as their second round selection just a few seasons ago. He has made his presence felt on special teams much more than defense and this may be the last year that he gets a chance to prove himself (on defense).
Last year, Manning played in a total of 15 games for the Bears starting 10. He had a solid total of 92 tackles with 72 of those being solo and 20 of them assisted. He had one sack, one safety, two passes defended with one interception and two forced fumbles. He was pretty productive and if he can finally crack the starting lineup this coming season the Bears may decide to see how he does in a starting role.
If he improves, than there is no reason to think that he won’t be back in 2011 and end up being a good player fro the Bears.
Craig Steltz has been talked about at times as being a starter at the safety position but things just haven’t worked out for the former LSU Tiger. In 2009, Steltz played in a total of 12 games with the team starting two. He had 11 total tackles with eight solo and three assisted. He has just one pass defended in 2009.
Steltz may end up being gone at the end of training camp especially if some of the younger guys can step up and prove their value. One thing that may keep him on the roster is his ability to play special teams. Steltz has been solid on coverage units and may have some significant value there.
Major Wright-The Bears went for some additional depth at the safety position in the 2010 NFL Draft and with their first pick they selected Florida’s Major Wright. Wright, with a solid training camp, may end up being the starter at some point but ideally, it would be best if he could learn for a year before being thrust into the lineup.
If he doesn’t start, look for Wright to contribute in some defensive packages while working his way into the lineup where he could eventually be a starter by the end of the season.
Brian Iwuh-Iwuh, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, may either play linebacker or safety next season for the Bears but it’s most likely he will be relegated to special teams duty and be a backup in only special situations. While in Jacksonville last year, Iwuh played in 15 games with two starts and had a total of 29 tackles with 23 solo and six assisted.
As mentioned, it appears as if Iwuh will make his mark on special teams first but could see some time in the defensive backfield for the Bears depending on what happens in the secondary this season.
Finally, the Bears brought in a small school prospect, Quentin Scott, to add some depth and provide some competition while in training camp. Scott hails from the University of Northern Iowa and through first hand experience (in seeing Scott play) he has some talent that might interest the Bears. Look for him to put up a good fight in training camp and quite possibly land on the practice squad when it’s all said and done.
Both safety positions have been points of contention for the Bears for quite some time but the good news is, it looks as if they are going to be much better off at both the free and strong safety positions in 2010. If anything, they have created a lot of training camp competition for the positions which should make things much more interesting and better for the secondary.
Look for the competition at both safety positions to be very interesting in training camp and as long as injuries don’t overcome the position(s) this should be a decent year for the safety position in Chicago.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4063 ... e-safeties
