Johnny Knox's natural instincts could make him a success in Mike Martz's offense. (Chris Walker/Tribune)
By Brad Biggs
A former eight-year veteran on the offensive line for the Bears, Tom Thayer will be dialed into the training-camp rebuilding project undertaken by new line coach Mike Tice.
That's just one of the storylines Thayer will be following as he prepares to enter his 14th season in the booth as a Bears radio analyst. This is the 10th season he will be paired with play-by-play voice Jeff Joniak.
Thayer recently weighed in on issues facing the entire team. In today's Q&A, he tackles five questions pertaining to the offense and explains why he thinks Johnny Knox will thrive in Mike Martz's offense (on Wednesday, he will assess defense and special teams):
The offensive line has pretty much the same parts as in 2009. How can the unit be better with the same personnel?
"A saying I have become familiar with through the legendary Clyde Emrich (former Bears strength coach) is knowledge earned is greater than knowledge learned. The information that (former line coach) Harry (Hiestand) was giving these guys on a regular basis was knowledge that he had learned from being involved in the coaching basis. When the players get it repetitively from Tice it's going to be from past experiences and examples and the way he saw it unfold in front of him during a long career in the NFL. His initial ability to go out and tell them a little bit more in detail how the plays are going to unfold will be in Tice's favor.
"Also, after Olin (Kreutz) and maybe Chris Williams, I think everyone else is coming in there with a clean slate. And I think Chris and Olin are also, however, they may have that first step forward and I think everyone else is coming in to compete. You're not going to get a line in the first drill that is going to be etched in stone and, 'This is the way they're going to bat the first regular-season game.' I think the competitiveness of the positions is going to make for more spirited practices and a better competitive atmosphere."
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Tripper,
You mean the geniusii (not really a word, but fun to say) that still think Al Afalava is going to start at the safety spot opposite Harris? Or the ones who think Dusty Dvoracek is still in the mix at DT? I continually get amazed that these guys are reporting on teams without knowing anything about them. I would expect better from the high school paper, let alone a national sports network like ESPN, or a network whose only focus is on the NFL
I have enjoyed Thayer's perspective, and would like to see more of it.