The Bears worked out in full pads Saturday for the second time this training camp after five non-contact practices at Halas Hall. It was also the second practice that was open to the public. Here's what transpired:
For the second straight day, the Bears defense highlighted its playmaking ability in various team periods.
Early in practice during a 7-on-7 drill, the defense came away with back-to-back interceptions. Safety Adrian Colbert had the first pick, following up his interception during an 11-on-11 drill Friday. Cornerback Reddy Steward, a undrafted rookie out of Troy, intercepted the ball on the next play.
"I told the players at the end of the day it's about focus and finish," coach Matt Eberflus told reporters. "So the focus needs to be better. … Really have to wire in and focus on the offensive side.
"We had some really nice plays on the ball on defense as well, so you've got to give credit to those guys. They did a nice job there in terms of the interceptions. That was really good."
Throughout 11-on-11 drills, the defense continued to challenge their counterparts. Linebacker T.J. Edwards blitzed twice and reached the backfield both times. However, on one of the plays, quarterback Caleb Williams appeared to got the ball out on time, as he hit tight end Gerald Everett in stride after being flushed out of the pocket.
In the same drill, linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga and Steward had back-to-back pass breakups. During the next 11-on-11 period, it was linebacker Micah Baskerville who stood out with a pass defensed followed up by an interception against the No. 2 offense. Cornerback Jaylon Jones also had a pair of pass breakups Saturday.
"Hats off to the defense," Eberflus said. "They played well most of the day. Played well in the two-minute. Again, the offense obviously had its struggles today but I also said to them after the practice, 'Guys, all three phases have to play well for us to be a good football team.'
"So, there's going to be days where the defense struggles or special teams struggles but it's got to be all three phases hitting on all cylinders, and we're just not there yet. Of course it's early in training camp and I don't expect us to be. But I do expect us to grow and learn from this and get better."
Eberflus also told the players that experiencing ups and downs is what training camp is all about. He emphasized the importance of building up calluses now in order to execute during tough situations — whether in the red zone, 2-minute or late in a drive — once the regular season begins.
Eberflus is looking forward to the offense's response Monday after a day off Sunday.
"It's always about the response," Eberflus added. "I'd like to see the offense come out swinging on the next stack of practices and that's what we're looking for."
Eberflus already saw Williams start that positive response during Saturday's practice. During various 11-on-11 periods, the rookie completed quick passes to rookie receiver Rome Odunze and hit veteran receiver Keenan Allen down the sideline while on the run.
"I thought he responded well," Eberflus said. "When you throw an interception, what is your response? I thought he responded well in 7-on-7 after those plays and again, we were doing all downs today, so we were doing situational football, third and fourth down, quad zone stuff so I thought the response was good."
Scott making most of opportunity
A year after Tyler Scott was drafted by the Bears in the fourth round, he saw the team experience a transformational offseason, especially at the receiver position. The Bears acquired Allen via a trade with the Chargers and drafted Odunze No. 9 overall, adding to a room with veterans DJ Moore, Velus Jones Jr. and Scott.
"We've got some bigger names in the room," Scott said. "We've got a lot of character in the room as well. Just different guys. But we have a really competitive group overall. I love the guys in there. We have a lot of age in there as well. We've got Keenan is going on [Year] 12, DeAndre (Carter) is going 10-plus, Dante (Pettis) is seven, DJ, you got a lot of years in the room ... you've got some young guys.
"I feel like it's just a great complement as far as experience and youngness coming together because those young guys can learn from those older guys, and vice versa. I feel like Ryan Poles did a great job putting that room together."
While the depth in the receiver room leads to natural competition on the field, Scott is embracing each opportunity he receives to showcase his talent. In the offseason, Scott began building a relationship with new receivers coach Chris Beatty to understand his role and where his assignment would be during camp.
Scott expressed his faith in the coaching staff to put him in positions to excel, but knows it comes down to him "making the best of those plays" that do come his way.
The Cincinnati product has accomplished that early in training camp, hauling in a pair of big catches this week.
The second catch, which resulted in a touchdown, came in a two-minute 11-on-11 drill during Friday's first padded practice. Scott told reporters he initially ran the wrong concept, placing him between the cornerback and safety in the "honey hole." While Scott waited to see how the play would unfold, Williams launched it to a spot that only Scott could reach.
"He threw a beautiful ball to where (Jaquan) Brisker was saying after, he thought he was throwing out of bounds," Scott said. "I just kind of adjusted to it and saw that I had some room left and caught a great pass. That was really all on Caleb just throwing me a great ball, throwing me open, really."
As Scott continues to develop in his second NFL season, he's already feeling the game slow down compared to his rookie season. He also feels that his mental grasp of the game has evolved, allowing him to be in better positions to complete blocks or catches that he didn't last year.
That level of maturity on the mental side is also helping Scott keep his energy directed toward his own game rather than the competition in the receiver room.
"What I like to say is work in my bubble, my square and just focus on the things I can control," Scott said. "I wouldn't say it's a huge mindset change because it's something that I've always felt. Something that my dad always taught me growing up was no matter who's on the field, be the best player out there. So that's always been my mindset and I want to be able to prove that."
Offensive line shuffling
While the main storyline out of the offensive line room in training camp has been the center battle between Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton, Saturday's practice showed the value of each player's versatility.
Guard Nate Davis left practice early due to what Eberflus called "a strain" and is considered day-to-day. During several team periods, Bates, who primarily played guard in Buffalo, stepped into the right guard spot while Shelton worked at center.
"Versatility on the offensive line is something that we have now," Eberflus said. "And we didn't have before as much. So, the depth is crucial. … I always say a pair and a spare at each position and that's what we did today."
Left tackle Braxton Jones, who Eberflus noted as day-to-day at the beginning of camp, took his most snaps in team periods Saturday since the start of training camp.
"I'm back," Jones said. "I've been going, just the ramp up and making sure everything's going period-by-period. Each period I take more, just making sure everything's good. But I'm back running smooth."
Legend in the building
Eberflus had longtime friend and mentor Nick Saban stop by Halas Hall Tuesday, spending over two hours catching up with the seven-time national champion.
Saban coached Eberflus in 1990 at University of Toledo, where the former linebacker registered 21 tackles in one game.
Eberflus told reporters he texted Saban after the coach announced his retirement from the University of Alabama in January and invited him to visit Halas Hall "anytime you want."
"Basically, our conversations were on leadership of the football team," Eberflus said, "and really his process and his cadence and rhythm of working with a quarterback — with Tua (Tagovailoa, with Jalen (Hurts), and what was his experience during that time during the camp phase of it and also during the season. I gleaned a lot of information and a lot of wisdom from him, and it was great to see him.
"He's been a mentor of mine for a long time. We were together back in 1990 and have stayed in touch the entire time. He's a special man and a special leader. It was fun to get to visit with him. We talked a little bit about family and of course we ended up spending about 30 minutes talking about coverages. That's something we always do."
