The Chicago Bears offensive line has been embattled for years running under Lovie Smith, and furor over the team's pass protection reached a fever pitch once again after Jay Cutler was routinely terrorized by the Green Bay Packers' pass rush last Thursday night. In response, the Bears have made a change along the offensive line, benching left guard Chris Spencer and elevating Chilo Rachal into the starting role. Here is Smith's view of the change:
"We think that it was close when we went with Chris Spencer in the first place and just feel like right now Chilo deserves an opportunity to show exactly what he can do. He's a tough guy. He's a good athlete who can pull out in the open field, and he has good speed and agility for a guy his size. I'm anxious to see what he can do."
(via ChicagoBears.com)
The move isn't likely to completely fix the problems that are plaguing Chicago's offensive line, but it is a start. The good news for Chicago is that they'll be facing a Rams team on Sunday that's has one of the lowest sack rates in the NFL through the first two games.
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