O-line injuries forcing Bears to improvise

Maybe the rash of injuries to Bears offensive linemen is just the football gods evening things out after last season, when all five starters started all 16 games.

It took less than 30 minutes of football this season to realize the streak of good health on the O-line wasn't going to continue. Center Roberto Garza and left guard Matt Slauson both hobbled off with sprained ankles before halftime in the season opener. In the last three games, Garza was replaced in the starting lineup by Brian de la Puente, while Michael Ola has filled in for Slauson.

Garza and Slauson returned to practice for the first time Wednesday, on a limited basis. Their return came on the same day left tackle Jermon Bushrod suffered a knee injury in practice when he had his right leg rolled up on. That kept him out for all of Thursday's practice, and his injury was listed as knee/ankle.

Slauson and Garza were both limited again Thursday, and Slauson says it's now up to the training staff and coaches to decide if he plays vs. the Panthers.

Asked if he could return to the starting lineup if he gets the OK, Slauson said: “Absolutely.”

If Slauson is back, that could free up Ola to slide over one spot to the left and fill in at left tackle for Bushrod. Ola, an NFL rookie who played two seasons in the Canadian Football League, guaranteed himself a roster spot during training camp and the preseason by demonstrating the ability to play multiple O-line positions.

Plugging new players in on the O-line is no longer a novelty for the Bears who have had no choice but to adopt a next-man-up attitude.

“It's how we operated the last month of (this) season,” coach Marc Trestman said. “We've been without Roberto. We've been without Matt. We'll see where things are without ‘Bush.' Certainly, it's an unfortunate incident. But we have to move forward.”

They've done that impressively at times, ranking No. 4 in the league in first downs, but there have been some breakdowns in the red zone that have them tied for 17th in scoring.

Quarterback Jay Cutler doesn't seem overly concerned by the prospect of his blind-side protector, Bushrod, missing Sunday's game.

“We have a lot of guys in and out of there,” Cutler said. “We're always rotating guys in, so it's nothing new. (General manager) Phil (Emery) has done a good job of bringing guys in who can play, even though they're not starters.”

The Bears picked up Ola as a fee agent after he was waived by the Miami Dolphins in late May, and de la Puente was signed as an unrestricted free agent in April when the Saints let him leave after three years as their starting center.

Bears backups have been able to step in and make seamless transitions because they've practiced that way, something that offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer and offensive line coach Pat Meyer have stressed since summer.

“We're constantly moving people around, particularly in training camp and the individual periods,” Trestman said. “We're doing individual work at different positions to be able to account for these moments when you have to move people around.

“That was a big factor in us being able to transition the last few weeks with Brian and Michael Ola. Michael Ola wasn't just playing tackle, he was moving around through the line. Brian was playing left guard, right guard and center.”

Especially for backups like Ola, de la Puente and Eben Britton, their versatility is crucial. Nothing completely replaces the continuity that comes from having the same starters in place the entire season, but preparing contingency plans has provided a safety net.

“It doesn't necessarily help the continuity,” Trestman said. “But at least it gives you a chance when you have to make those kinds of changes.”

That philosophy of putting players in different positions was apparent at Thursday's practice.

“We moved a bunch of guys there, and we're just going to have to decide as we go,” Kromer said. “What we did (Thursday) was rotate guys in and out and rotated different guys playing the extra lineman/tight end (where Britton played extensively last year).

“We rotated guards. We rotated centers. Slauson got some reps, and Garza got some reps. We were just looking for our best combination and what we feel best with.”

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