Thayer: Little things make big difference in line play

BOURBONNAIS - After almost three weeks of training camp practices and one preseason game, Tom Thayer, the color commentator on WBBM's Bears broadcasts, has seen enough of the line play to make some observations about where they stand today.

And Thayer, a Joliet Catholic High School and Notre Dame product who started eight straight seasons at right guard for the Bears, knows what he's talking about. Here's what the 1985 Super Bowl champion has to say about the offensive and defensive lines as the team prepares for its second preseason game Saturday at Soldier Field against the New York Giants:

Q. With the possibility of three new starters on the offensive line - LT Orlando Pace, RT Chris Williams and LG Frank Omiyale, if he beats out Josh Beekman - how big of a concern is continuity?

Thayer: Continuity among all five is the key to being a successful offensive line. If you have to verbally communicate your assignments each and every play, you're going to limit your chances for success because defensive linemen aren't as dumb as they look. When they start hearing the same conversation, or even the same basic code words, maybe a few plays in a row, they understand it, because there are key words that offensive linemen use throughout the generations.

For example, if you forget the snap count and you talk to a teammate as you're walking up to the line of scrimmage, it has to be a series of code words that the defensive linemen can't understand. But after they hear it a couple times, they can pick up on it and jump the snap count.

Q. What's an example of code words that offensive linemen could use to tell each other what the snap count is?

Thayer: Say the snap count's on one, two or three. When I played we used to have Arapahoe, Blackfoot and Cherokee to signify one, two or three, just an A, B, C thing. Or we used to have red, white and blue.

But we used a series of different calls, and because I knew (left tackle) Jimbo Covert so well, I could give him a call just by looking a certain way, and he's picking it up. (Left guard) Mark Bortz could alert me that there's a defender walking up in a blitz position by a series of code words.

A right guard can still help a left tackle and vice versa through a series of code words, so yeah, continuity is a serious step in being a successful offensive lineman.

Q. Can the extensive experience of left tackle Orlando Pace, center Olin Kreutz and right guard Roberto Garza help speed the process along the line?

Thayer: It should. First of all, the camaraderie of a football team is developed in the weight room in the off-season program. These guys spend a lot of time around each other. When they're in the weight room or they're walking to and from the field, the conversation isn't about what movie they're going to see Saturday night; it's about all the little things that go into making them better and more efficient at their jobs.

Nothing's going to happen in a game that Orlando hasn't seen before. He's always drawing from experience, and that can speed up a guy like Chris Williams' process by having the opportunity to talk to a player who's seen it all.

Q. Who do you think should be the starter at left guard; Frank Omiyale (who started the preseason opener and will start Saturday's game vs. the Giants), or Josh Beekman (who started all 16 games last season?

Thayer: I think it's still undecided).

Q. Has Beekman done anything to lose it?

Thayer: No, but if I'm going to construct an offensive line, Josh Beekman is the best backup center they have. If you're taking snaps away from Josh at left guard so he can get more experience at center, that will make the offensive line better, because then Josh can play right guard, center and left guard equally well. But that may take away from his progress at left guard.

Do I think he should lose the left guard job if the other guy's not playing better than him? No, I don't. I still think they're both in a very competitive situation as to who should be the starter at left guard.

Q. Speculation has been that Rod Marinelli's coaching will make the defensive line better. Do you see any evidence of that in specific players?

Thayer: Yes, Mark Anderson, and I think Jarron Gilbert, has really absorbed a lot of what Rod has taught him, and that's making him a better player.

Wale (Ogunleye) is a better football player than where he concluded the last season. You look at his pass-rush technique, his shoulder dip, the move and countermove, and they're all better. Alex Brown has always been a hard-working player, and when you start looking at the stunts they run as a unit, the pass-rushing stunts when they are going to attack the passer, you see improvement.

Also, I see the offensive line being better at switching (and defending) stunts because of what they've seen on the practice field so often, so there's a spillover affect.

I think it's unfortunate that Tommie (Harris) doesn't get the amount of time in practice because I think (Marinelli) is making Tommie a better player, too. It's just unfortunate that he doesn't have it in his leg to battle every day on the practice field.