Bears safety spots scream for continuity
BOURBONNAIS — At no position are the Bears more desperate for continuity than at safety.
Since Lovie Smith became head coach in 2004, he has made 56 lineup changes at the two safety positions. There are players on the team who haven't changed their socks that often.
The plan is for this year's combination to be Chris Conte at free safety and Major Wright at strong safety. But, if history is any indication, top backups Craig Steltz and rookie Brandon Hardin not only will get playing time but will also see the starting lineup at some point — maybe at both positions.
Last season, the Bears started eight different combinations at the two safety spots. In between minor injuries, Wright started 11 games, eight at strong and three at free. Conte started nine games at free as a rookie and would have started two more were it not for a hand/wrist injury that landed him on injured reserve. Steltz started five games at strong.
Hardin didn't start any games last year at Oregon State because he missed the entire season with a fractured shoulder that required surgery.
Wright (2010), Conte (2011) and Hardin (2012) were all third-round draft picks. Steltz was a fourth-rounder in 2008. Coaches like certain aspects of each player's game, but they'd love to get two to play with the consistency and good health that have escaped Bears safeties for most of the past eight years.
“Craig has been here for a while, so we feel good about him as a backup,” said Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke. “You like what he does and brings to the table.”
Steltz's calling card is physical play, and he's one of the Bears' top special teams players but lacks the range of Conte and Wright.
“You're excited about Major's athletic ability, and hopefully with the experience he's gotten in the last couple of years he'll continue to improve,” Hoke said. “You like (Conte's) athletic ability. You saw flashes of what he might be able to be (last year), and you like where he's at right now.”
In addition to not having played in a game in almost two years, Hardin is transitioning from college cornerback to NFL safety. At 6-feet-3 and 217 pounds, he's big and physical enough to make the switch — but he'll need a lot of reps.
“Athletically he's got everything you want,” Hoke said. “He's just not played the position, and he's learning as we go. But he's a smart guy, so he's able to pick it up, so with him, it'll just be reps.”
As the starters, Conte and Wright are working to become a tandem that works more smoothly together on the field, reacting to what the other does. They're constantly together going to and from the cafeteria at Olivet Nazarene University.
“We've grown a lot, not just on the field but off the field,” Wright said. We communicate off the field. If he's doing something, he'll call me and say, ‘Hey you wanna do this or you wanna do that?' We try to bond more off the field because we're doing it on the field.”
As a rookie, Conte's primary duty was to make sure nothing got behind him for a long score. More is expected this year.
“Whenever you're playing safety, you can't give up the big plays, so that always has to be in the back of your mind,” said Conte, who had 47 tackles but just 1 interception and 1 pass breakup as a rookie. “But I want to be more aggressive and go after the ball a little bit more this year. For me, it's just creating turnovers and being around the ball more; intercepting balls.”
Wright knows what he has to do to lock down a spot in the secondary and keep it. He's earned a reputation as a big hitter, but that's not enough.
“I need to be an all-around safety,” he said. “Just being more aware in different types of situations and always being in the right place at the right time.
“I don't feel like I'm (just) an in-the-box guy. I feel like anywhere you put me on the field I can make plays.”
The Bears have been looking for a couple of safeties to do that on a consistent basis for a long time.
rlegere@dailyherald.com