Left side of O-line perplexes Bears

BOURBONNAIS - As if the offensive line didn't have enough problems with first-round pick Chris Williams having already missed 11 straight days of practice with no sign of a return anytime soon, left guard Terrence Metcalf underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday morning on his injured left knee and will be out indefinitely.

So, if you're keeping score at home, the probable o-line alignment for Thursday night's preseason opener against the Chiefs at Soldier Field won't be a familiar one. At left tackle is John St. Clair, who hasn't been a full-time starter since 2004. The plan was for Williams to quickly move into the left tackle spot with St. Clair moving over one spot to left guard, where he started the final three games last season.

Instead, left guard will see some combination of Anthony Oakley and Josh Beekman. Oakley has bounced around the NFL since 2004, has never started a regular-season game and has played in only three. Beekman played briefly in one game last season after being drafted in the fourth round, and his best hope for a future in the NFL is probably at center.

For now, the center spot is solid with six-time Pro Bowler Olin Kreutz, who will have his hands full trying to create some continuity out of a makeshift line against the Chiefs. Fortunately for him he'll have Roberto Garza next to him at right guard, and they've already played three seasons together. Right tackle John Tait has been the left tackle the previous three seasons, and he is expected to make a seamless transition.

But the left side remains a puzzle, and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand is in charge of the juggling act, which he admits is far from an ideal situation to be in, even though it's more than a month until the start of the regular season.

"It's a factor," he said of the disruptions. "Any time you have injuries it's going to have an influence on what happens; changing guys around a little bit. But it's training camp, and some of those things happen and you just have to work through it."

Beekman got most of his off-season work at center, and he worked there with the starters the first week of camp while Kreutz recovered from an Achilles injury. But he was primarily a guard at Boston College, so he says the transition won't be a problem.

"It's not that taxing," he said. "It's not a big thing that you have to deal with but it is the little steps that you have to follow, and it is trusting your technique."

Playing at full speed will be important for Beekman and the rest of the linemen.

"It's just coming off the ball and being aggressive," Beekman said. "If you're late, if your technique's a little bad, (as long as) you're coming out and you're being aggressive and you're showing that you want to get after it, that will help you."

If there is a positive in all the offensive line shuffling, it's the opportunity for some backups to get a longer look and a chance to impress coaches.

"It's always good to see guys get opportunities and see how they respond," Hiestand said. "So we are getting some looks at some of the other guys."

And coaches will be making evaluations that will determine the final 53-man roster, which is due Aug. 30, so jobs are at stake.

"Guys like me have to state their case every year," Oakley said. "(You have to) show what you've got every year to let them know what you can do, so you can be on the team."

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