| 10 April 2010
With the release of Alex Brown it's not hard to look at the defensive position and ask the question who is that needs to step up and take over? Which player needs to step into that starting role and become a player that player that plays at a high level and meets or exceeds the production of Alex Brown.
Someone needs to come in and take the pressure off of Julius Peppers, the youth on this team has to step up and develop into a talented contributor, if not a starter.
The question is who is that person that needs to step up their game the most?
Most Bears fans are going to argue that I need to put Israel Idonije into this discussion and debate since he's likely going to need to be competing for the starting DE spot opposite Julius Peppers as well. Fair enough, throw Idonije into the debate if you must, but I'm choosing to focus on a different angle here.
We essentially know what we're going to get from Idonije and to this point in his career most Bears fans are happy with his production, mainly because he's far exceeded the expectations of an undrafted free agent that the Bears signed off of the Cleveland Browns' practice squad. You don't expect a guy like Idonije to stick on your roster much less compete for a starting role. Yet that is what he has been able to accomplish in his career, a player who simply exceeds all expectations and has contributed at a high level based on his draft status.
This is the reasoning behind leaving Idonije out of this debate, and why I feel it comes down to Anderson and Gilbert. The two players who most immediately need to step up their game, and I'd argue one of them needs to put a strangle hold on the starter's job.
The first and most obvi
ous player to focus on in this debate is Mark Anderson who rightly or wrongly has enormous expectations placed upon him. Foor a fifth round draft pick you could argue that the expectations for Anderson have far exceeded those of any other player drafted in the fifth round. That's a fair argument because there shouldn't be a lot of high expectations placed on a fifth round draft pick.
But for Mark Anderson that expectation level has gone out the window, partly by his own production and primarily because now Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli have publicly stated a great deal of confidence in his abilities.
Anderson exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2006, 12 sacks in the rookie year of an NFC division title run will do that for expectations. What was even more impressive is that his production came as primarily a third down rush specialist, where he wasn't playing as many snaps as a starter.
From there Anderson earned a role as the starter over Alex Brown for the 2007 and completely bombed, same result as a come off the bench pass rush specialist in 2008. Anderson has good speed, but doesn't have elite speed or a lot of technique and doesn't play with leverage all that well. To put it simply he isn't the complete player four years into his career that Alex Brown is now. Overall he hasn't improved as much as you'd like to see from a four year veteran player.
2009 is the one year that legitimately was an improvement over the last two years in which Anderson has struggled. No it wasn't a huge improvement or production at a level that we witnessed in 2006, but it was on a level acceptable enough to tender Anderson a restricted free agent offer.
Finally the release of Alex Brown and the praise from Rod Marinelli took the expectations for Anderson to a new level. The thought is that he's most likely start across from Julius Peppers. However is that a fair level of expectations for the former fifth round pick? Was it fair for the expectations for Anderson to reach the level that they did in the first place?
His sack total was impressive, but that was with Tommie Harris playing at the highest level of his career and to a point, being a rookie. Most rookies can sneak up on veterans because they don't have any tape to watch on them to learn their tendencies their habits and moves and counter moves. Once that happens, a veteran can usually prepare himself better to shut down that rusher. The job of Anderson is then to develop his pass rush repertoire to keep blockers off balance and keep the upper hand.
Problem is Anderson has never developed any real pass rush moves other than a hard speed rush straight up the field, a slight hard inside speed rush and then a spin move. Anderson is extremely predictable in his approach and very lacking in his technique. Part of that comes from coaching which is why Marinelli was brought in to mold young talent on this D-Line.
However the fact remains Anderson is a fifth round pick with some skills that all together may add up to a third round value. He doesn't have elite size or speed so automatically he may not ever develop into the player we expect him to be. At this point four years into his career Anderson needs to have learned a lot of these lessons on his own, or picked up tips from Brown himself.
Now heading into his fifth year the Bears may be forced to recognize that Anderson is who he is, a one trick pony best served in a back up role. A player who could potentially start and play well if there is an injury to a starter but unless he shows massive promise during these off-season activities should be limited to where he is. 
The focus then shifts to Jarron Gilbert who does in fact have first round level athleticism, size, speed and power all the measureables you look for in an elite pass rusher. 6-foot-5 288-pounds with a 40-yard dash time in the mid 4.8, which is dynamic for a player that size and adds all the more pressure to Gilbert to succeed.
Add to it the perception among most Bears fans that Gilbert is their first round pick from last year. Automatically the pressure is on Gilbert to play up to the level of a first round prospect. Combine that with the hype that accompanied him from a video on Youtube in which he jumps out of a swimming pool and onto the deck and the expectations soared.
Gilbert's size and athleticism is like that of another former pupil of Rod Marinelli, Simeon Rice. Like Anderson he lacks in overall polish in his game and needs to show that he can step up into the role of contributor arguably starter. Gilbert is the great unknown, we don't really know what we are getting from him as a player. What is the real expectations for his potential? Is he a guy that looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane?
Do the Bears want to keep him inside at DT and develop him there or should be coming off the edge in a more natural role as a DE? Given his athletic attributes and the high ceiling that he has over Mark Anderson does that put him in a better position to develop and start as a second year pro?
Gilbert's game should take a major step up from year one to year two, that's typically the year that most NFL player show the most improvement. Evidence Earl Bennett who didn't play a single regular season down in 2008 who came out and played at an unexpectedly high level in 2009. Is that the level Gilbert should attain in year two? All signs point to yes, he should be out there as at least the third defensive if not in prime contention to move up into a starting role.
Based on the pure level of talent that Gilbert possesses the pressure is on him to prove that he was worth the third overall pick. Given the Bears are stacked at the DE position, and the fact that Gilbert was drafted so early in the third round the pressure is on for a big leap from year one to year two. With the depth in place and the need for depth in other spots the pressure is on even more for Gilbert to step up his game based solely on where he was drafted. His third round status means the front office had full confidence in him developing into a major contributor, arguably being a big steal in round three.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
