.jpg&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "Chicago Bears Trade Analysis: Right Call to Trade Gabe Carimi?")
Bears OT Gabe Carimi, there is concern in his knee
Lost in all the hoopla surrounding the left tackle battle is the health of Gabe Carimi and his knee. We still don't know how healthy Carimi's knee is and will he be able to handle the grind of a 16 game season.
Early on in camp Carimi's knee didn't even hold up through the rigors of training camp and there are reports that Carimi has at times looked uncomfortable in practice.
No one knows the extent of pain Carimi is experiencing, and Carimi certainly isn't letting it out that his knee is bothering him.
According to Jeremy Stoltz of Bear Report magazine a reporter even asked Carimi if his knee is bothering him and Carimi rightfully didn't let on. However there wasn't a denial either rather a careful wording of how he's feeling and how he's getting better.
Stoltz also let on that there has been times where it looks like Carimi is paying extra attention to his knee in practice, as if he isn't yet confident in the health of it.
One thing has become clear however, Gabe Carimi is not 100-percent, and it it something to watch the rest of this season precisely how many reps during games he's getting.
One thing is for certain I don't want Chris Williams back at the RT spot. Williams was horrible at RT in 2009, he was better at LT in 2009 and has been comfortable as a LG. Williams is left handed so it would make sense for him to be more comfortable working on the left side.
However if Williams doesn't win the LT spot he's the swing tackle and comes in for Carimi if the former first round pick misses time. This further weakens the Bears' O-Line and increases the pressure both literally and figuratively on Cutler.
Neither James Brown or Corey Brandon have established themselves as a solid roster spot contender this training camp. While Brown has a lot of attributes, his play has not stood out remarkably to the point that he is a legit contender to make the final 53.
This means the prognosis on Carimi needs to improve rather quickly. Also it may bode watching that this knee subluxation that Carimi has suffered twice in his career may be something that could be a risk for a full career.
What is clear is the Bears don't have a very stable offensive tackle situation moving forward, and while from an ability standpoint the Bears may be able to count on Carimi, health wise he's not as healthy as you'd like to see from a guy that will be grinding week to week for another 20 weeks.
