Offensive line has been pleasant surprise for Bears
The Bears' first offensive drive of the season ended with Mitch Trubisky getting nothing on a third-and-one quarterback sneak in Detroit.
The offensive line didn't move an inch and it seemed to be a "here we go again moment" after such a poor performance in 2019.
But since then, the offensive line has actually been a pleasant surprise for the Bears, with running back David Montgomery averaging 5 yards per carry through two games.
A closer look at the time-consuming, 12-play, fourth-quarter drive against the Giants showed how third-year guard James Daniels has been a catalyst of the offensive line's improvement.
"This is the point where guys really in their career start taking off," offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said this week. "Hopefully it's a good match with how he's being coached. Hopefully there's good continuity with the guys next to him. I think you put all those things together with a guy who really wants to be good, I think this is a time in his career where you'd like naturally to see him take off. So hopefully that's what we're seeing."
The Bears used some variety on this drive. On first down, tight end J.P. Holtz lined up at fullback and rookie receiver Darnell Mooney motioned toward the hole and became another lead blocker. Montgomery ran behind Daniels, center Cody Whitehair, Holtz and Mooney for a gain of 11 yards.
The Bears used no lead blockers on the next play, while Montgomery ran through the same hole for 9 yards. Whitehair did a nice job of double-teaming the nose guard with Germain Ifedi, then sliding to the middle linebacker.
Two plays later, the Bears lined up two tight ends on the left side, and Daniels and tackle Charles Leno Jr. opened a big hole for a 9-yard gain. This play was wiped out by an illegal chop block penalty on Ifedi, which was unfortunate since it happened on the other side of the line and had no effect on the play.
But Montgomery came back with a huge 23-yard gain on the following play. The Bears seem to be keeping things relatively simple with the offensive line this year, with a lot of slants and zone blocking. So this time, Montgomery ran right, but Daniels cut in front of him and knocked a Giants linebacker off his feet.
A second-round draft pick in 2018, Daniels is an important piece to the Bears' success. Last fall he started the season playing center, then after the eighth game, he and Whitehair switched spots and he's been at left guard ever since.
The Bears' offensive line struggled badly last year and it was easy to question whether Daniels could handle the task. So far this year, he's put those concerns to rest.
"I remember sitting, having dinner with him, I was with another team when he was coming out in the draft," Lazor said. "He's an intelligent person. He wants to do it right, he wants to be good. So if you have the physical ability and you bring those intangibles, then you should keep getting better."