Martz pleased with Chicago Bears line's progress

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – It typically takes some time for an offensive line to gel. But Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz is pleased with the progress the No. 1 unit has made early in training camp.

Players presently working with the first team are J’Marcus Webb at left tackle, Chris Williams at left guard, Roberto Garza at center, Lance Louis at right guard and rookie Gabe Carimi at right tackle.

Roberto Garza is expected to anchor the offensive line this season whether he plays guard or center.

“There’s a couple of things with the line that are very, very encouraging,” Martz said Tuesday in Bourbonnais. “First of all, Garza last year had a terrific year. He played exceptionally well. Moving J’Marcus back over to the left side, he’s probably a little more comfortable over there.

“The progress that that group—Chris, Garza, all those guys—made together the second half of season, [they] continued to get better every week and we’ve kind of picked up with that a little bit.

“Now Carimi, he’s going to learn what’s going on. But he’s not intimidated by anything. He’s got that great work ethic. He’s athletic. He’s what we were looking for to help us at the tackle position, so we think we’ve resolved some of those issues.

“Obviously we miss Olin. [His exit was] unexpected and it hurts all of us. We were very attached to Olin. But at this point, the five that we have in here, we’re very comfortable with. We’re happy with the progress that they’re making and I’m very encouraged by it, and obviously Mike [Tice] is the guy you want coaching those guys.”


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