St. Clair proving critics wrong

Entering the 2008 season, Bears offensive left tackle John St. Clair was considered by many critics to be the weak link in a weak chain.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound, nine-year veteran hadn't been a full-time starter since 2004 with the Miami Dolphins, and that was at the less challenging right tackle position.

Haters predicted that St. Clair's shortcomings as a pass blocker against elite pass rushers like the Colts' Dwight Freeney, the Panthers' Julius Peppers, the Vikings' Jared Allen and the Falcons' John Abraham would result in serious bodily harm to quarterback Kyle Orton.

But Orton's protection has been above average, and so had the Bears' passing game until the past two weeks, when it stalled.

Today in St. Louis, St. Clair faces rookie Chris Long, who has been the Rams' best all-around lineman and is second on the team with 4 sacks.

The game is a chance for the Bears' offense to get back in gear, but it's also a homecoming for St. Clair, who was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2000 draft and spent four years in St. Louis.

As a rookie, St. Clair benefited from the guidance of Rams offensive left tackle Orlando Pace, who was already a Pro Bowl player entering his fourth season and a great role model.

Fortunately for the Bears, the 33-year-old Pace will not play today because of a knee injury.

"I watched everything he did," St. Clair said. "He was such a great athlete that you couldn't do all the things that he does on the field, the way he's built and his athleticism. But a lot of things I know I learned from him. He embraced me from Day One. We're really good friends. He was a great veteran, and I learned a lot from him."

St. Clair has tried to provide the same help to Bears' rookie left tackle Chris Williams, this year's first-round draft pick.

"My mentality is that I want to treat people how I want to be treated," St. Clair said. "When he came in, I had the same mentality. If he needed my help, if he asked, I helped him, and it just went from there."

Williams was expected to replace St. Clair before opening day, but a back injury on the second day of training camp and subsequent surgery delayed his progress, although he got his first few snaps on offense in mop-up duty last week.

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said there is no temptation to rush Williams into the lineup because of the way St. Clair and the offensive line, as a unit, are playing.

"Overall, our offensive line is doing a good job," Turner said. "(Williams) is going to be a really, really good player in this league, and when he's ready to go in there, he will."