Lance Louis' illness gives Bears a peek at different O-line
BOURBONNAIS — Starting right guard Lance Louis took ill during Wednesday's practice.
That gave coaches an opportunity to look at the offensive line with Roberto Garza back in his familiar spot at right guard and free agent Chris Spencer replacing Garza at center.
That's an alignment that has been rumored since the start of camp but one that offensive-line coach Mike Tice has resisted, as he strives to get his best and biggest lineup on the field.
“We kind of lucked into it without you guys writing a big story about me moving guys around,” Tice said. “I had no choice. It'll be good film for me to see Chris in there with the ones and see Roberto back over on the right side.”
Tice said it hadn't been determined if Louis' condition was heat or food related, but it isn't considered serious.
Tice has preferred the 6-foot-3, 320-pound Louis in the lineup because it gives the line more size and a more powerful presence.
But despite his strength and athleticism, Louis was responsible for 2 of last Saturday's 9 sacks.
“Lance is a very quiet person, so he's a hard guy to read,” Tice said. “He always works hard, so it's not like you're going to see any difference in his work ethic.
“But I'm seeing some more of the same young mistakes that we're making in practice. If you make a mistake and it's corrected, that's cool. Everyone makes mistakes.
“But when you make the same mistake a couple times in practice, as a coach, you get a little bit concerned about the youth of it. So we've got to continue to make strides there.”
The 309-pound Spencer is considered more of a finesse player than the 310-pound Garza. Wednesday's tape will give Tice his first extended look at how Spencer fits with the first team.
“He's a veteran guy,” Tice said. “He knows the game, but he played in a little bit different system. He's only played in a West Coast system, so the pulling and maybe the power run blocking, the double teams, are a little bit different for him and he's working his way through it.
“But he's accepted coaching very, very well. He's a good leader, too. He knows how to take charge in the huddle.
“There's a lot to like about Chris. We'll look at that film and see. We were able to make a move and take a look without turning it into a saga.”
Last chance:
With Corey Wootton out, free agent Vernon Gholston should get more opportunities to salvage his NFL career by proving he can be a factor in pass-rush situations as a backup to starters Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije.
The 6-3, 262-pound Gholston flopped as a first-round pick with the New York Jets, who moved him around from defensive end to outside linebacker with little success. He failed to register a single sack in three seasons.
“The biggest thing (for me) is playing (just) defensive end, having my hand in the dirt,” he said. “It's just all about effort, just keep going hard, working my moves and working my hands in pass-rush situations.”
Odds and ends:
Wide receiver Devin Hester and tight end Desmond Clark did not practice Wednesday, and linebacker Brian Urlacher was limited. Coach Lovie Smith described all of their injuries as “general soreness” and said none are serious. …
Cornerback Zack Bowman (concussion) and nose tackle Anthony Adams (calf) remained out, but linebackers T.J. Thomas (hip) and Chris Johnson (hip) returned to practice. … Offensive tackle Mike Lamphear, an undrafted rookie out of Western Illinois, was waived.