Bears offensive line getting better by the week

Maybe the Bears' offensive line isn't that bad after all.

It's still a work in progress and, after the regular season, center Olin Kreutz is the only one of the five starters who will be going to Hawaii, where the Pro Bowl is played.

But that's only because he lives there.

Still, the improved performance of the offensive line played an integral role in the Bears' 3 victories in 12 days, which vaulted them into first place in the NFC North at 7-3.

In all of those wins, the Bears ran the ball for more than 100 yards, and quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked just five times after going down 19 times in his previous three games.

“I think the offensive line is coming together,” Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. “Obviously that's critical, particularly with all the sacks that we had early on.”

Those are welcome words for a unit that has gotten very little love this year, even from the most devout Bears fans.

“We knew coming into the season that it was said we'd be the weak link,” said Kreutz, a 13-year veteran and a six-time Pro Bowl pick earlier in his career. “We knew that people were waiting to say, ‘I told you so,' and we knew by our performance that people would say, ‘I told you so.'

“But we're sticking together, and we keep improving little by little. But by no means are we happy where we are. We want to get better and better and play our best ball late in the year.”

There are still some chinks in the O-line armor, and a few more speed bumps along the way are inevitable.

Rookie right tackle J'Marcus Webb was penalized for holding three times Thursday night. In his defense, Webb was at times left 1-on-1 with linebacker Cameron Wake, who had 1 of the Dolphins' 3 sacks, giving him an AFC-best 9½. The Bears' seventh-round pick would agree that Wake is a pass-rushing terror.

“You could say that,” Webb said. “It's definitely a little bit of my fault. (I had) technique issues, but I got them readjusted and had a better second half. I just need to keep my pads down and be a little bit more aggressive. You can't sleep on the guy. But I had a better second half and helped us win.”

It says something about the Bears' confidence in Webb that they left him alone against Wake at all, although that might not have been the wisest strategy.

Coach Lovie Smith, who was otherwise in a triumphant mood after the game, was a bit terse when asked if the game plan called for not providing any help for Webb in 1-on-1 pass-rush situations vs. Wake.

“The game plan was for him to play the tackle position,” Smith said. “Sometimes he will be on his own. You have to eliminate some of those mistakes, but he is getting better.”

The same can be said for the entire group.

Frank Omiyale is looking more comfortable at left tackle each game, Roberto Garza is back at his familiar right guard spot after missing two games following arthroscopic surgery, and Chris Williams is adapting to the move from left tackle to left guard.

Thursday night was the third straight game in which the Bears used the same five players at the same five positions, something that did not happen in the first seven games. Continuity and coordination among all five players is critical on the O-line, but the Bears' improvement up front is more than several individuals playing as one.

“First of all, you start with (offensive line) coach (Mike) Tice,” Kreutz said. “He's as good as there is in the business, and we keep believing in what he's telling us, and we keep trying to do that, and then we hang together as a group.”

Their resolve was tested early, when the offensive line struggled to the point where Cutler could have sued for non-support. The line appears to have emerged from that adversity as a stronger unit, but there were growing pains.

“It was definitely hard,” Kreutz said. “But that's where coach Tice comes in, and that's why they brought him in. He kept us believing in what he's saying and trusting in what he tells us to do, and that's what we're trying to do now.”

As a result, the Bears may have the front line that will lead the offense through the remainder of the season and, they hope, into the postseason.

Ÿ Follow Bob LeGere's Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere. Check out his blog, Bear Essentials at DailyHerald.com