Bears do some things well, others not so much

The scoreboard notwithstanding, there were some positive developments in the Bears’ preseason-opening “snooze fest” that resulted in Thursday night’s 31-3 loss to the Broncos.

And there were a lot of negatives, too.

Strong safety Major Wright’s goal line interception might be an indication that he is becoming more aware in situations, a problem that has prevented him from performing as well as his physical abilities would dictate.

“I’ve been working on my alignment, my assignment, my technique and me just honing in to the defense and knowing what I’m doing every play,” said Wright, who downplayed his hamstring injury that coach Lovie Smith call “just a tweak.”

“I think I’m pretty comfortable right now,” Wright said. “My coach (Jon Hoke) has been on me. We meet extra, and things are coming along.”

Even more encouraging was the pass-rush performance of rookie defensive end Shea McClellin, even more crucial given the heightened scrutiny he’s been subject to as the Bears’ first-round pick.

“It’s a start,” McClellin said. “There’s always pressure on any first-round pick, but you’ve just got to go out there and play and have fun. I did some good things and some bad things. I have a lot to learn and a lot to work on.”

McClellin’s confidence can only improve practicing against the Bears’ offensive line, especially if it plays as it did against the Broncos. The Bears ran the ball 21 times for 36 yards and the O-line allowed 6 sacks.

“There are no excuses,” center Roberto Garza said. “It’s up to us to do a better job of executing, protecting our quarterback and creating running lanes for our running backs.”

While most starters on both teams played less than a quarter, the Bears’ offensive linemen worked overtime — at least for a preseason opener. The starting front five all played into the second quarter, left guard Chris Spencer played the entire first half and left tackle J’Marcus Webb played into the fourth quarter.

“Once you’re on the field, you really don’t take note of how long you’re in there,” Garza said. “You want to go out there and do a better job than we did. We’re not happy with what we did, and obviously we have to do better.”

Webb’s extended playing time raised eyebrows and led to speculation that he was being punished by offensive coordinator Mike Tice for a false start penalty and for allowing a sack.

“I don’t think it was a punishment,” Webb said. “I didn’t look at it that way. I’ve got to get better and, if he asks me to stay in, then I will.

“It’s definitely a sign that we need to work on some things. I also need to work on understanding what we’re here to do and that is to be explosive.”

Right guard Lance Louis, who also had a false start penalty, said he couldn’t tell if Tice was peeved by the O-line’s performance.

“I don’t know. Just seeing him on the sideline, I couldn’t tell you if he was mad or not,” Louis said. “However long they want us to go, that’s what we do.”