Chicago Bears Preseason: Position Battles Update

Well, the preseason has started. Game one is done and we finally got a chance to see the new Chicago Bears in game action. After the first game, let’s take a look at some of the key position battles going on.

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In the backup quarterback battle, Jimmy Clausen showed that his training

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camp success was no fluke. He went 7-13 for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not only that, he looked poised in the pocket, and had good zip on his throws.

Head coach Marc Trestman was impressed with Clausen’s game. “I thought he moved the team well,” Trestman said. “He was poised for a guy who’s been here so little time. I think we saw something there as well.”

Perhaps Clausen’s best play was his 73-yard touchdown pass to Chris Williams. He beat the Philadelphia Eagles’ blitz and threw a perfect strike.

“It was a great release by him,” Clausen said. “I just tried to look the safety off and give him a chance to score on that. He just ran underneath it and made a great play.”

Clausen also hit Micheal Spurlock on a 22-yard touchdown.

Even though Clausen got the attention, Jordan Palmer did not have a bad game. He went 8-11 for 104 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception. He was rushed a bit, and he seemed a little tentative after he threw that interception.

To be fair to Palmer, he did go against better competition. We will wait and see if maybe Clausen goes in first in the next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Advantage: Clausen

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Things looked a little murkier in the backup running back battle. The one who made a bit of an impression was Jordan Lynch. He had 7 carries for 24 yards. Of course, every time he touched the ball the crowd was roaring for him, so he had that going for him.

Rookie Ka’Deem Carey had the most carries of all the running backs (10), but he had just 23 yards. Michael Ford had 5 carries for 17 yards, and Senorise Perry had 17 yards on 5 carries.

Nobody did anything to separate themselves from the pack on Friday. What Lynch did is put himself in the mix, and he will probably get a few more looks than at first thought. As I wrote earlier about Lynch, he would not have many opportunities so he would have to make the best of each one, and he did. Advantage: Even

With Marquess Wilson out with the broken clavicle, there is a wide open battle now for the third wide receiver.

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Former Canadian Football League player Williams made an impression with that touchdown catch. He only had two catches for 78 yards and 73 of them came on that one play, but he did get a chance to show off his speed and big-play capability. He already looked to make the team as a special teams returner, but he may get more looks at wide receiver.

Spurlock also impressed in his time. He had four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. He is another special teamer who may get a few more passes targeted for him.

Josh Morgan seems to be the one the coaches are looking at as the number three. As Jordan Campbell wrote here recently, Morgan certainly has no shortage of confidence. He only had two catches for 36 yards, but he was getting the starter’s treatment. Advantage: Morgan

In the safety battle, things were pretty quiet, which in and of itself is a great

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thing. Brock Vereen had three tackles (2 assists) and looked good. Adrian Wilson had two tackles (1 assist) that were of his usual hard hitting variety. If he can continue that, the former Pro Bowler will be in a Bears uniform come September. Advantage: Even

Remember, these are the impressions after just the first preseason game. There are still three more games for these players to make an impression. They also have the daily practices to show they deserve the jobs they are going after. Stay tuned to see how these battles develop.

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