Kellen Davis Coming Along in Chicago Bears’ Plans

Drafted in the fifth round out of Michigan State in the 2008 draft, TE Kellen Davis struggled in his first year with the Chicago Bears. While Greg Olsen continued to improve and Desmond Clark continued to solidify his importance in the passing game, Davis stood back on Sundays—struggling (or perhaps unwilling to put in the effort) to properly learn the offense.

But this year brings a brand new day, and Davis seems to be coming along in the Bears’ plans, according to tight ends coach Rob Boras. Boras discussed Davis in a recent discussion with ChicagoBears.com writer, Larry Mayer.

“He’s getting better. It’s all about trying to find the consistency. Once you’re consistent, the quarterbacks, the coaches and everybody start to have trust in you,” Boras said.

“There are still some ups and downs for him, but the biggest jump everyone always says is from your first year to your second, so we’re expecting him to make that big jump. If he can play with consistency, he’ll be a guy that can get on the field and hopefully make some plays for us.”

Buras’ statement is significant in that it presents an answer for many wondering what Kellen Davis’ future would be in Chicago once TE Michael Gaines was signed as a blocking tight end—a role Davis was drafted to fill—last May out from Detroit. It appears that Davis is sticking around…for now.

That wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Bears.

No one questioned Davis’ athleticism or size at the 2008 NFL combines. At 6’7” and 260 pounds, Davis earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention and showed loads of potential out of his breakout senior season in East Lansing.

Many scouts said Davis has the size and athleticism that any team would look for from a tight end. Heck, the guy even lined up as a defensive end for the Spartans on occasion for marginal success.

But what people questioned was his lack of dedication to making himself better on the field and, yes, even off. His 2006 arrest from an East Lansing scuffle didn’t help his cause come draft night. As for his play, scouts found that Davis hadn’t shown a willingness to improve his route-running and blocking.

Still, his potential was undeniable, and the Bears made their investment in the former Spartan. So, that begs the question: was Davis’ lack of development in his first year just a somewhat-typical rookie year? Or was the lack of development, well, a lack of effort?

Only Davis and the coaches will know for sure. But Keeping Davis around is a good idea at the very least for the depth that Davis allows. Having Davis as insurance will give the Bears more security with having Olsen and Clark on the field together, preferably in double-tight end sets.

However, it also gives Ron Turner the flexibility of using Michael Gaines as a fullback (as he has stated is an occasional possibility), since Gaines thus will not have to necessarily be that insurance.

Still, Davis can make his best contribution on the field.

“He’s such a big body that he could be a red zone threat for us just because of his pure size. He has great straight-line speed,” Boras said.

Hopefully, Davis can be successful and present another threat in the Chicago arsenal. For even if Davis doesn’t fit into the Bears’ future plans, his success can ultimately lead to a beneficial trading chip for the Bears.

Personally, I wish it doesn’t come to those complexities as a Bears fan who happens to be a MSU alum. But if it does play out that way, at least Davis will have came along just fine.

“Like everybody, he’s a work in progress,” Boras said.

Earl Bennett Is Key To Bears’ Success (and The Hester Project, Too)

I’ve said before that I will, unlike many within the legions of Bears fans, reserve judgement about the Windy City’s receiving corps. Sure, with the exception of Rashied “Brick-hands” Davis, they’re young and “unproven.”

That is precisely why I haven’t written them off, as many others have. But nowhere am I reserving judgement more than in the case of Earl Bennett.

In fact, that is a lie. I may…possibly…maybe…say that I believe Earl Bennett is going to have a good year. In fact again, I think he will not only have a good year, but he will ultimately be on the keys on the Bears offense.

“Earl Bennett is attacking his role as one of the lead receivers. I feel he’s really showing the things that we all saw back in college,” Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo said on the team website for an article written earlier this month.

The Bears are counting on the second-year pro to do just that, because what he did out of Vanderbilt was tremendous. Bennett set the SEC Conference record for career receptions (236) in 2007, just his third year on the field.

In each of those three years, Bennett earned All-SEC honors. He would enter the 2008 Draft after scoring 20 touchdowns, with nine (the most he scored in a single year there) of those coming directly out of Jay Cutler’s hand. 

So, though he didn’t get much of a chance to contribute last year, I’m optimistic that Bennett will be a great asset. I’m not alone.

“[Bennett] has had an awesome offseason,” head coach Lovie Smith said.

“Sometimes as rookies you don’t really get an opportunity to prove what you can do. But we saw him improve a lot the latter part of last season and we’ve seen the same things right now, and I think he’s a guy that will come onto the scene and everyone will like quite a bit.”

However, as excited as I will be should Bennett see success, it will be what that success represents for the Bears that will be pleasing.

If Bennett can get some beneficial touches, he can legitimately set himself as a No. 2 receiver. With success, comes attention. And it is that attention that I want from the defenses, let alone you critics.

With more attention on Bennett’s side, Devin Hester, who is also vastly improved according to Turner, will be able to get his touches more easily as well. Those passes could amount to plenty of the deep bombs from Cutler to Hester seen at last Wednesday’s OTA practice.

As any football strategist knows, the passing game opens holes for the running game and vice versa.

As I said, the Bears are counting on Bennett to produce because he can be the gear that, once the running game is established, can create that long ball to Hester or continued success on the ground.

Bennett said that he thinks Culter is “going to do wonders for this team.”

I may, possibly…think Bennett is, too.

 

 

Lions’ Playbook: Strategies May Simply Be Asking Too Much

From what I saw last year, the Lions offense ran typical pro sets, I-formations and such. With Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson opposite of each other, you would’ve thought that the Lions had a nice recipe for success outside, considering Kevin Smith’s successes in the run game.

Sure, the running game wasn’t perfect by any means, but to deny Kevin Smith’s abilities is just ignorant. The line was a mess and so was the quarterback situation—a trend in the North last season.

This year, much of that should change. Culpepper should be a prepared quarterback with a full preseason under his belt rather than a fill-in QB as he was last year. Yet you would think that he could wipe much of whatever success he had last year as a new offensive coordinator this year equals a new playbook.

Sort of.  Culpepper is familiar with Linehan from their time in Minnesota. With a premier receiver in both tenures—Moss and now, Calvin Johnson—I would expect a similar type of offense, considering it is also the same conference-brand of play.

Drafting Stafford, Pettigrew, and Derrick Williams (which I think is a superb pick that hasn’t been talked about much) to place into the mix, the Lions now have a good amount of talent in those key positions. But drafting a single lineman out in the seventh round doesn’t exactly show the Lions are worried about their line. They kinda should be.

Last year, the Lions employed more zone-blocking schemes. This year, it would be wiser to refer back to man-to-man, which I’m sure they will if they plan on doing some more running. With pretty good skill position players, the run game is needed to open up space for those receivers, which is where we come full circle.

The line is still bad, so don’t expect the running game to be too successful. It’s as if the Lions, for example, fixed an appliance from the electrical cord to the appliance itself, yet never turned on the electricity to get it started in the first place.

So, in reality, I imagine the Lions will stay to their Pro Sets, three-wide outs and strong side I formations—with of course some philosophical modifications. Linehan is different, which in turn leads to different play calls.

Will the offense be better? No doubt, but only because of the upgrade in skill personnel.

In fact, a pass-first concept wouldn’t be out of the question. In that regard, that would open up the running lanes.

Once the running game gets going, well, refer to top. But then again, this is the NFC North.

On defense, new defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham is a very experienced coordinator. I like the choice. The addition of Louis Delmas and DeAndre Levy for Cunningham to play with allows some more security on the outside thirds of the field.

The philosophy here is of course to keep the offenses on the inside. By keeping them on the inside, it allows Larry Foote, Julian Peterson, Ernie Sims, and/or DeAndre Levy to make the plays.

Hey, that’s not a bad idea at all. The Lions have definitely upgraded the personnel which virtually simplifies the philosophy: Keep the offenses to the middle will force defenses to run. So, stop the run.

The problem, though, is a similar one. Yup, the linemen are the key and, um…the line sucks.

Sure, sending Foote, Peterson, and Sims to make plays is a good idea. But all the time?

Having an old Grady Jackson lead the line, forces the younger lineman to step up. Landon Cohen fits the bill but is too light (296 lbs.) for what the staff prefers.

Kevin Seifert reported that the Lions are looking to beef up their linemen “to stand up against the run better.”  That logic ultimately shows why the Lions selected Sammie Lee Hill (331 lbs.) in the draft.

Grady Jackson is the heaviest at 345 lbs. Hill and Chartric Darby will have to make plays. If they do, the defense should be relatively okay.

Considering the passing game, the linemen must make rush the quarterback too if they plan on being successful. That may be asking too much from this corps of linemen.

But if the Lions implemented a 3-3-5 scheme as has been suggested, it takes pressure of the lineman and adds more on the linebackers. Again, we come full circle. If the linemen fail, you now may be asking too much from the linebackers, even as good as they are.

But Gunther is smart. We’ll see what he does to plug his holes. In the end, the Lions simply may be asking too much right now.

Lions Pointed In a New Direction: Renewed Expectations In 2009

Needless to say, last year was a historically dismal one for the Detroit Lions and much has been made about it. What’s done is done. Yet everyone in that organization and in the city of Detroit has put 2008 behind them, as they should.

Looking ahead, second-year running back Kevin Jones made a bold predic…err, guarantee that the Lions would make the playoffs in 2009—though he declined to say whether it’d be through winning the division or taking the wild card.

Well, there’s nowhere to go but up.

What if I say that the Lions will indeed make the playoffs?

I will not.

Instead, I will say with firm conviction that the new-look Lions (literally and figuratively) are headed in the right direction.

The organization cleaned house in the offseason and how could you not?

With a new coaching staff, a new philosophy, a first overall draft pick (who can also serve as the new face of the organization), and even a new logo, it is still not easy to predict how the Lions will do in 2009.

After a winless season, every game this year will look tough for the Lions, every team better. Yet, when you consider the pieces GM Martin Mayhew has put together combined with the strengths they already had (yes, they did have strengths), the Lions should be decent.

 

Prediction: four-six wins

With the NFC North scheduled against the not-too-great NFC West this year, they have a good chance to pick up some wins and, more importantly, gain momentum in reversing the misfortunes that have plagued the franchise.

Beyond scheduling the NFC West, the NFC North also has the task of facing a good AFC North. The Lions start their trek through the division right at the top of the heap against the Super Bowl Champion Steelers in mid-October.

The schedule isn’t much easier before then.

In fact, the Lions will not play a sub-.500 team in 2008 until they follow the Steelers with a trip to Lambeau Field. Eventually, they’ll meet up with the likes of St. Louis and Seattle starting in November.

Then, the wins will come.

Though Smith’s guarantee will fall a little short, the Lions should realistically compete for about four to six wins—victories against several NFC West teams, perhaps the fast-falling Cincinnati Bengals, and possibly a divisional win against the Packers.

Depending on where the Bears are at in the standings in the last week of the regular season, the Bears may only play their reserves if they’ve already clinched a playoff berth by then, allowing the Lions to pull out a late-season win in downtown Detroit.   

 

To exceed…

Learning the new systems/schemes and building chemistry early on is vital for the Lions to, not only meet these expectations, but possibly exceed it. The coaches must have faith in their players while the players must buy into the system.

Though there is still work to do, the talent has been drafted, the experience has been acquired.

We’ve heard all about Matthew Stafford. Calvin Johnson is increasingly becoming one of the premier receivers in the league with every incredible catch after incredible catch.

This year’s Mr. Prediction, Smith, finished a good rookie season with 976 rushing yards and two 100-yard games against Indianapolis and Carolina defenses. Coaches predict he’ll continue to progress.

Though not too many people were happy with picking TE Andrew Pettigrew so early in the draft, no one can argue that Pettigrew has great potential.

Louis Delmas, down I-96 from Western Michigan, was one of the top-rated safeties in the draft. Receiver Derrick Williams is a versatile weapon from Penn State who will demand a bit of attention away from Calvin Johnson.

Meanwhile, the Lions have mixed in a good set of intelligent seasoned veterans by acquiring players like Julian Petersen and Larry Foote for an upgraded linebacking corps. Teamed with Ernie Sims, Detroit’s linebacker corps went from a past weakness to a current strength.

They bring back Daunte Culpepper at QB. Obviously, Culpepper isn’t the Culpepper of old, but it is an improvement over Dan Orlovsky.

The players are just the tools however. So, the Lions must wipe away all psychological effects from last year to use their resources effectively.

But just as the players must, so too must the coaches. Scott Linehan joins the Lions as their new offensive coordinator after basically failing as the Rams’ head coach the past three seasons.

Still, he’s had plenty of experience as an offensive coordinator. But it is Mike Schwartz who has the monumental task of turning around this franchise. Luckily, Mayhew got the ball rolling in upgrading his personnel.

 

To fall short…

There’s still plenty of work to do however. And the Lions could easily fall under four wins.

First and foremost, one obstacle is the psychological aspect of being the first professional football team to go winless.

With all the disappointment and embarrassment, if the Lions cannot get over last year, the same team, psychologically, will come out of the locker room.

Another obstacle comes from the sacrifices of acquiring Julian Petersen. DT Cory Redding is now in a Seahawks uniform.

The loss of Shaun Rogers after the 2007 season definitely played a role in the Lions’ 2008 season. So, the Lions have sacrificed their defensive line. Just as in 2008, the loss of Redding may play a role in 2009.

In addition, the offensive line also needs help despite decent team captain Mike Raiola. Culpepper has lost a step and if the O-line cannot protect he or Stafford, defenses will fill up the box with Smith in their targets. As with any team, a lack of first downs is always an obstacle to success.

Lastly, the lack of depth on this team may cost the team some wins should key players get hurt. Analysts and coaches alike fear that of Stafford gets thrown into the fire too early, the pressure and potential failure may cost the Lions a career. That, of course, is a stretch, but the fear is still there.

The Lions have NFL-ready players across their depth chart, but having to plug players in at different times with different calibers does affect the chemistry. As stated, chemistry is key.

 

But the Lions (and Detroit) are tired of thinking and witnessing the worst. At rock bottom, there is nothing to do but begin thinking optimistically. With at least one member of the Lions, he’s taken that first step.

I applaud Smith for his new outlook—fired up by the sunrise of a new day with the sun rays bleeding out the optimism necessary to break out of a deep depression.

He, and the Lions, will need it.

Heck, there’s nowhere to go but up, right?

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