The Sports Xchange

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Preseason sometimes is revealing for a team but in many cases the large rosters and lack of playing time for starters masks problem areas and strengths.

The Chicago Bears came through their first preseason under head coach John Fox with uncertainty at a few positions, more clarity at some problem spots and with a new sense of where the team is strongest heading into the opener with the Green Bay Packers.

The great question about who would start at right tackle seemed solved after the final preseason game with Cleveland. Jordan Mills was the only potential starter called upon to play, but wound up being a surprise cut after the team had reduced its roster to 53. The Bears claimed former Tampa Bay right guard Patrick Omameh, who had been cut after starting all 16 games last year.

The move seemed to signal the potential move of Kyle Long from right guard to tackle, with Omameh or Vlad Ducasse playing right guard.

“If they ask me to play receiver, I’d be out there running routes now, practicing,” Long said. “It’s football. It’s not that complicated. As (coach Fox) said, it’s never too late.

“It’s like, if you’re working on a 300-piece puzzle and you can’t figure out which pieces to go where, it might be the end of the puzzle before you figure out, ‘Oh there’s that piece for there.’ So we’re not really worried about that. We’ve got a lot of guys who are competing and ready to roll. We’re excited about getting this season started.”

The really important issue facing the Bears heading into the opener against Green Bay now seems to be which guys at the wide receiver position will be ready to roll.

Expecting Alshon Jeffery to start and play a full game against the Packers seems unlikely at best after he missed every preseason game due to a calf strain. He hasn’t been on the field running at practice or participating in any way, and the team hasn’t said one way or another if he’ll be ready.

Fox’s only chance to see his No. 1 receiver came in OTAs and minicamp, and the first week and a half of training camp.

“So he’s a guy we’ve missed, I think, in the preseason,” Fox said. “But again, the whole goal of the preseason is getting guys to the regular season because that’s when they start really keeping score.”

With Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson suffering from hamstring injuries and Kevin White gone until at least mid-season after shin surgery, quarterback Jay Cutler will approach opening day without much practice time with his top receivers. In fact, he can’t be sure which of those he’ll even have against the Packers.

“That’s part of the NFL,” Cutler said. “There’s others teams out there that are dealing with the same situation we’re dealing with.”

If preseason underscored anywhere the Bears are healthy, it’s at running back. Already solid with Matt Forte, they found rookie Jeremy Langford, second-year back Ka’Deem Carey and veteran Jacquizz Rodgers all can contribute big plays.

“Quizz (Rodgers) has had a great preseason,” Cutler said. “Langford’s had a good preseason. Twenty-five, Ka’Deem’s come on. He’s ran the ball extremely hard.

“I know (running backs coach) Stan (Drayton) is doing a great job with those guys making sure they’re on their stuff. Every time you give a guy the ball, it seems like they’re getting some chunks here and there.”

–It would be difficult to find players who made more strides since Day 1 of training camp than Willie Young and Lamarr Houston since they not only learned new positions but came back from surgeries.

Both played extensively during the last two preseason games, and it seemed obvious why they were on the field longer than other players.

“They both are coming off of fairly serious injuries from a year ago,” head coach John Fox said. “Getting a better feel for our scheme and our defense, all of those are important matters as you get ready for the regular season.”

For Houston the road wasn’t quite as far for Young since he had played in a 3-4 in Oakland.

Rumors persisted that Young, who had Achilles surgery at the end of last season, would be dealt before the regular season.

“It’s been a long road for me this year, but now I’m back up and running, I feel good right now where we are,” he said. “I went from ground zero to back up and playing again – however you want to grade me, you can do that.”

–Quarterback David Fales seemed a long shot in training camp at times to make the team after an illness that kept him sidelined from July 30 through Aug. 15. However, his 14-for-18, 131-yard passing effort with two touchdowns let the Bears win the preseason finale 24-0 over Cleveland.

It was crucial since the team had picked up former Bronco Zac Dysert, who had been in the same offense. If Fales had struggled, no doubt it would have been Dysert who made the 53-man roster.

“He’s a guy that got set back with some sickness early in camp and didn’t get a lot of reps but he looked pretty sharp (against the Browns),” Fox said.

Fales displayed a knack for moving around in the pocket and throwing in this offense that he hadn’t shown in Marc Trestman’s attack last preseason.

“I think that’s always been an ability of mine,” Fales said. “I’m not going to outrun anybody after that but I can make the first guy miss.”

Fales enjoyed getting to work most of the game rather than taking a few series and leaving or coming in to mop up the final two series.

“It’s nice to get into a rhythm,” he said. “You don’t have just one series or two series and you kind of feel it out and make your plays when it’s time to make your plays. But it’s definitely good to get comfortable and see what’s going on.”