By: Nick Kapetan (@KapN93)
Football is back! Well, kind of.
The
first preseason game is must watch television for about ten
minutes and then it is time to start scrolling through the channels, searching for
something else to tune into.
On Friday night the Chicago Bears officially kick
off the 2014 season when they battled the Philadelphia Eagles. Expect
a lot of Jordan Palmer and Mark Sanchez and very little of Jay Cutler and Nick
Foles.
It
is difficult to find interesting storylines after the first team is taken off
the field, a measly one or two drives into the game, but there is a position
battle on the offensive side of the football that should draw the attention of
Bears fans.
This
past week Chicago’s number three receiver Marquess Wilson suffered a broken
collarbone while making a diving catch in practice. Wilson, who appeared to be
a lock to replace Earl Bennett on the depth chart, is expected to miss at least
half the season. In the meantime, the Bears are searching for someone to step
in and make somewhat of an impact right away.
Let’s
get this straight; not having a number three receiver is not the end all be all
for the Bears offense. They ran out an unreliable Bennett for most of last
season and still were one of the top three offenses in the NFL.
With
the dynamic duo of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jefferey stretching the field as
Cutler’s primary targets, a pass catching tight end Martellus Bennett and one
of the most versatile running backs in Matt Forte as additional weapons, the number three receiver is
actually the quarterback’s fifth option to throw to. That being said, the
position still requires a guy that can be a difference maker on the field,
while many passes are not thrown his way.
In
head coach Marc Trestman’s offense, the third wide receiver plays mostly in the
slot and is the go to guy to throw to when Forte remains in the backfield in
order to assist in blocking under a heavy blitz. When the Bears line up in
three receiver sets, he must be able to block in order to free up running lanes
for Forte on the outside. Not a small task.
Heading
into the first preseason game, veteran Josh Morgan will be given the chance to
show the coaching staff what he can do.
Weems
and Williams are seen as more of special teamers that will focus most of their
energy on making an impact returning punts and kickoffs. Bellamy lacks the
experience and explosiveness to separate himself from the rest of the pack. Morgan should be able to win the job if he remains healthy and continues to show the productivity he has displayed in his days San Francisco and Washington.
This
past week Morgan came out and compared his game to that of Anquan Boldin.
That may be a stretch, but the Bears are not expecting the veteran to be
anything like the former Pro Bowler. All the Bears need out of their third
receiver, whomever that may be, is be another option for Cutler that can draw
some attention away from Marshall, Jefferey, Bennett, and Forte. If he could do
that, then the Bears' offense will continue to be one of the best in the NFL.
Nick Kapetan hosts The Sports ReKap with his co-host DJ Vogt. The show will begin airing again in September on MarquetteWire.org.
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