Chicago Bears’ GM Defends His Team’s Offensive Line
Added on Sep 22, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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There’s little doubt that the Chicago Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler is a top level NFL signal caller. When he gets time to throw the ball, he can carve up a defense. There’s only one problem–he seldom has this luxury playing behind his team’s notoriously porous offensive line. Last year Cutler was sacked a league high 52 times. So far this season, he’s been sacked 11 times in two games. Despite this, Chicago Bears’ General Manager Jerry Angelo is happy with the play of the offensive line and is satisfied with the team’s effort to shore up the position in the offseason.
In an interview with the Bears’ website, Angelo had this to say about the position:
“We did everything you could possibly do to that [offensive line] position. Nobody did more than the Chicago Bears.”
Angelo continued to give a vote of confidence to his linemen and to blame issues beyond their control for many of the problems:
“We drafted a player in the first round. We brought in a player with a lot of NFL experience who is still in his prime. We developed young players who are going into their second and third years, including another high draft pick in Chris Williams.”
“We like our eight linemen. That’s not an issue. Injuries happen, and then you have to adjust accordingly. Everything bad that happened on Sunday wasn’t all because of poor offensive line play. Believe me when I tell you that. It was a collective failure. The defense and special teams share part of that as well. So let’s not beat up on the offensive line.”
Despite bearing the brunt of his offensive line’s shortcomings, quarterback Cutler remains upbeat:
“I’m not worried about [the offensive line]. We’re 1-1. There’s still a lot of football to be played. If this continues, then obviously we’re gonna have a problem. We’re gonna have to address it. But I’m looking forward to this game. I know the guys are gonna bounce back, as will I.”
The Bears will host their longtime rivals and defending Super Bowl champions the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Packers are a -3′ point road favorite on the NFL betting board with the total set at 46.
