LeGere: Bears will take a close look at offensive tackles

[Xee]

Bears will take a close look at offensive tackles

By Bob LeGere | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 2/20/2009 12:01 AM

INDIANAPOLIS - There is a bit of a rivalry among the top three offensive tackles at this year's NFL Scouting Combine as to which of them will be the first one taken on draft day.

Unfortunately for the OT-inadequate Bears, all three - Virginia's Eugene Monroe, Baylor's Jason Smith and Alabama's Andre Smith - could vanish from the draft board in the first 12 picks.

Currently at No. 18, the Bears can only hope one of the three falls to them, but if not Mississippi's Michael Oher could wind up being just as good.

Or they could wait until the second day of the draft and still get Oklahoma's 6-foot-8, 343-pound Phil Loadholt.

Both Oher and Loadholt said they spoke extensively with Bears coaches Wednesday night, the first day of the combine.

Oher, the subject of Michael Lewis' book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," is the most interesting story.

His father was murdered when he was in high school and his mother was addicted to crack cocaine. He attended 11 different schools in nine years and was in and out of almost as many foster homes before he grew into one of the nation's top college recruits.

Oher downplays his difficult path to the verge of a multimillion dollar payday in the NFL.

"I grew up poor and was homeless a lot growing up," he said matter-of-factly. "I just worked hard and came through a lot of adversity. I just kept working.

"I was taken in by a family that helped me get to college and pushed me. That's why I think I'm here today at this level."

Oher is physically gifted, but because he's not as polished as the top three tackles he might have to play guard in the NFL. He's considered by some a boom-or-bust type of player.

When Jason Smith was asked Thursday at the combine if he wanted to prove to NFL personnel that he was the best Smith in attendance, he quickly responded, "Not just the best Smith, the best offensive tackle."

He certainly doesn't lack for confidence.

"Just put on my game tapes from Baylor," Smith said, "You'll see that I'm the best. I believe it's realistic that I could be the No. 1 (overall) pick."

The 6-5, 309-pound Baylor product also was one of the most entertaining players, especially when describing his style of play.

"When I'm on the field," he said, "I take a lot of pride in physically assaulting people. My greatest strengths are my ability to play fast, physical and with a lot of effort for four quarters."

Alabama's 6-4, 332-pound Smith has loads of talent, but there is concern about his tendency to gain too much weight. He might be better-suited to play guard with his massive size, strength and ability to dominate defensive players once he gets his hands on them.

"My father, he always told me to be the nicest player off the field but on the field be the meanest, most tenacious type guy that you could ever possibly be," he said.

"You have to have that attitude as an offensive lineman. It's a pride thing to go out there and dominate a guy for four quarters - set the tone from the first play, let him know how it's going to be the remainder of the game."

Monroe probably has the best chance of being the first offensive lineman taken, and he agrees with that consensus.

"I think over my career at Virginia I've proven I can block anybody," said the 6-5, 309-pounder. "I have the determination to improve my game and the ambition to succeed, and I never stop.

"I continue to set goals. When one step is completed, I set another goal. I make sure I do everything in my power to achieve that. If I can't, I'll reset everything and I'll go back to the drawing board and just continue to grind."

[gaba]

If he's tabbed for guard I'd be thrilled to have Oher. We're a little better off at guard though. We desperately need someone who can play tackle. (Maybe a couple someones.)

[G08]

I really hope Oher falls to us. If he does, the question becomes: Who is our left tackle?

[gaba]

Does anyone know where Williams is, progress-wise? I'd rather be sure, but I guess it's possible we're not as screwed as I think.

Oher could be a nice addition at RT, but I'd rather have him at guard, coming along slowly behind Garza. That still leaves us one tackle short AND... by the time these young guys start to mesh, we're gonna need to replace Olin. I'm not even addressing whether he's good or bad... within a couple years he'll be ready to hang 'em up. Is Jerry gonna wait until he retires to start looking for a replacement too?

[G08]

I think Williams said that he's 100% fine at this point, and that he feels stronger than he did prior to the back injury.

[gaba]

Doesn't matter. The last couple years the Bears have taken the position that they should have taken the year before. I was screaming for a safety last year, so we'll get one this year... and then he'll spend the year on the bench whether he's healthy or not because Lovie Smith is a f*&king idiot.

[wab]

Oher checked in a lot smaller than I ever imagined. He's been listed anywhere from 6-6 330 to 6-5 318. To have him come in at 6-4 306 was really surprising.

I think he has the feet to play LT. He can make pass blocking look effortless...and besides Jason Smith, he is probably the best pure pass blocker in the draft. The biggest knock on him is that he can get real sloppy sometimes. No one seems to know what position he plays in the NFL, but I wouldn't mind Oher at LT and Williams at RT if thats the direction we head.

[gaba]

I'd feel better if it were the other way around. The slop is kind of what I'm afraid of and I think (mentally) Williams has the edge on him.