Top ten things to watch for in the Bears second preseason game

10 Greg Olsen

Did anyone else find it a tad concerning that Orton never seemed to look Olsen’s way in game one? Of course it’s only the preseason, but Olsen should be a big part of the Bears offensive once the regular season starts. They may as well get him comfortable now. There is no reason Olsen shouldn’t be the leading pass catcher on this team. All the Bears have to do is throw it to him. In game two, let’s at least hope Olsen gets some passes thrown in his direction.

9 Anthony Adams and Marcus Harrison at D tackle

Everyone loves Dusty Dvoracek. He’s scary and awesome. But it would be foolish for the Bears to count on him this season after considering he has played in only one game ever. Tommie Harris is going to need some help in the middle of the defensive line, so the focus turns to Anthony Adams and rookie Marcus Harrison. Adams played well in the first preseason game, recording a sack, and Harrison showed some flashes of why scouts evaluated him as a first round talent. These two guys need to continue to play well throughout the season.

8 Injuries

Coming out of the preseason injury free is the most important part of these four worthless games. The Bears were relatively unscathed in game one. Hopefully that will continue.

7 Garrett Wolfe

The most impressive player on the field for the Bears in their first preseason game was Wolfe. The Bears offense is in desperate need of big play weapons, and if Wolfe continues to develop in the preseason, the Bears will certainly utilize him when the games start to count.

6 Where’s Tait?

The Sun-Times Mike Mulligan urged the Bears to move Tait back to the left side of the line immediately, and it’s hard to disagree. Left tackle is one of the most important positions in football, and though it would appear Tait would be more comfortable on the right side, the Bears don’t really have a choice.

5 Caleb Hanie!

I would like to remind the peanut gallery that Kyle Orton also tore it up against third stringers as a rookie in the preseason. Never the less, Hanie’s performance was impressive. If he keeps it up, the Bears will be forced to carry three quarterbacks on their roster. Previous reports stated they would prefer have Hanie on the practice squad and go with only Rex and Kyle.

4 Can Haas do enough to make the team?

Mike Haas needs to be on this team. He tore up training camp and preseason last year, and had a strong showing in his first preseason game this year. The Bears probably have the worst set of pass catchers in the NFL. There is no reason why Haas should be cut again this year if he continues to produce.

3 How will line hold up?

Maybe the most encouraging sign in the Bears first preseason game was the way the starting offensive line protected Kyle Orton. Left tackle isn’t the only question mark in this group, either. The only way the Bears can compete this season is if the offensive line gels, and the preseason is a wonderful time for that to happen.

2 Big game for Rex

As silly as it may sound, Saturday’s preseason game against the Seahawks could be one of the biggest of Grossman’s career. It appears Kyle Orton is the front runner in the world’s least exciting QB derby since Shane Matthews and Jim Miller slugged it out years ago. I thought Rex played well against Kansas City. He’ll need to be even better if he wants to start September 7 against the Colts.

1 How will the Bears D look in the first quarter?

The Bears are counting on their defense to return to the form they showed in 2006. If not, this year could get ugly quickly. The first unit didn’t look good against a poor Chiefs O in the first game. Even though it’s only the preseason, they need to be better on Saturday.