(670 The Score) Bears training camp arrives Tuesday, just in time to remind us that the brief window of time where the days are long and the weather's great and people are happy is almost over. No one has to preface their Bears predictions with, "I know it's only summer, but," anymore – it's time to unleash the way-too-early camp convictions instead. The practice notebooks are practically here, and the coming weeks will be full of observations –sometimes three, sometimes five and sometimes even 10!
If you know where to look, you may even find a 53-man roster projection sooner or later. The Bears have an especially fascinating camp ahead of them, as not every NFL team gets right guard competition and linebacker holdouts in the same season. There will be, admittedly, plenty of other narratives bouncing around Lake Forest all August and getting ahead of them now seems like the perfect piece of content for the moment. If you can't beat them, join them, etc.
The wide zone, it's working
Something I've picked up by spending time in and around NFL locker rooms is this: If something works, that's because it was wide zone. If something doesn't work, that's because it wasn't wide zone. That's basically the gist of it, which is actually great news for the Bears because new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy (the coach whom Aaron Rodgers basically begged Green Bay to keep, you'll remember) believes in the wide zone (probably why Rodgers liked him) and now the Bears run the wide zone. When the Bears' offense ends up anything but literally dead-last in the NFL, it's important to remember that it's because they are running the wide zone.
Not knowing who's at either tackle spot is normal and part of the plan
When you finally have an offensive system that's installing plays which work (wide zone), secondary matters like talent, depth or positional versatility barely matter. Bears general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus wanted lighter, faster offensive linemen and if you think about it, being able to cycle all of them up and down the line will actually help the team. Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins are going to push one another in a way that fifth-round rookies normally push second-round sophomores. Getting Orland Park native Michael Schofield on his home team will help him find that next level, and all of a sudden the unit looks like a sneaky top-10 contender. Building modern NFL offensive lines is an art, not a science.
There's a new energy on the practice fields, where guys are flying around
You can't spell effort without some of the letters in Eberflus, and he's making sure everyone knows it. Guys are flying around out there, making plays. It's a contagious energy that, honestly, has everyone in that building excited about just how much noise the Bears can make this year. And of course there's stuff to clean up, but each day is just about getting a little bit better than the one before, and it's been encouraging to see everyone buy in. That mid-November noon home game against the Lions is starting to look like it could have huge ramifications for the second wild-card spot.
Report: Justin Fields' new throwing mechanics are the talk of camp so far
Fields' lengthy throwing motion was holding him back, but thanks to the wide zone, he's now more compact, fundamentally sound and efficient with his motion. His timing with receiver Darnell Mooney looks much-improved, but it was a deep ball down the seam to tight end Cole Kmet that had beat reporters buzzing for the rest of the session. It's still early, but if Fields can string together a bunch of performances like he did today, you have to wonder if Vegas may soon regret sticking the Bears with such a low win total.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
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