I made my annual trip down to Bourbonnais for Bears Training Camp. The Bears made some good moves over the off season, so I'm excited about the upcoming season. Training camp has changed a lot from the old Platteville days. Back then it was for the "Super Fan." The only thing to do was to watch the team practice. Now, it's a huge family event. A play area for kids, theme days, a huge store, food vendors, multiple fields, radio stations broadcasting live, giveaways, bleachers, & so much more. So many more fans come now. It makes it much harder to get autographs. I was very impressed this year, because George MacCaskey, Chairman of the Bears. was actually walking around & visiting with fans. That kind of stuff didn't happen in the past.

Here is what I thought of the team. Remember it was only the 2nd day of camp & they weren't in full gear yet. They started out with special teams. The Kick Return game looks good, as always. Then they broke down into positions. The OL were in front of me. It's the biggest question mark on the team. They do have some big young guys. Hopefully, a couple of them will pan out. I really liked James Brown (6-4 306) & Tyler Hendrickson (6-8 313). Then they worked more in groups.
I had the QB's, WR's, TE's, & DB's doing drills in my area. The DB's looked awful. Again, no pads, no real contact, & only 2nd day of practice. For the TE's, starter Kellen Davis has a tough day. Lots of drops. The rookie, Evan Rodriquez, was looking good. For the WR's, Brandon Marshall is a beast. He dominated! Hester, Bennett, Weems, & Sanzenbacher all showed good hands. The rookie, Alshon Jeffery, looked like a stud. Both Jay Cutler & Jason Cambell  were impressive too. In 7 on 7 drills the offense dominated the defense. When they went to full team action, the defense came alive. Devin Hester got his bell rung.

Overall, a good day of practice. Looking good for the 2012 season. Good Bears!

Here was the starting line-ups (let's see if they change)...

QB Cutler
LB Urlacher
RB Forte
LB Briggs
FB Clutts
LB Roach
WR Marshall
DE Peppers
WR Hester   
DE Idonije  
TE Davis
DT Melton
RT Carimi    
DT Toeaina
LT Williams
CB Jennings
RG Spencer
CB Tillman
LG Louis
S Conte
C Garza
S Harris