Isn't It Time for Ron Turner To Think outside the Box?

(Photo by Getty Images)

Say what you will about the New England Patriots, but one thing is clear: they get the most out of every player they have. Isn’t it time the Bears did the same?

The Bears boast an unusual amount of underutilized talent. Every year we have questions about the Bears' offense, and every year we go into the season wondering who will step up and fill the roles needed to field a typical, supposedly, west-cast offense. My question is, why do we have to be typical?

The Bears may not have the best tight end in the league, but they have the best group of tight ends. Clark is going to toe the line in typical tight end fashion, but Olsen is truly a gifted, versatile player who needs to be used in different situations. Ditto for Kellen Davis, who is as much of a physical, athletic freak as anyone in the league.

Adrian Peterson has been a staple of our special teams play for several seasons and we have all seen what Forte can do, but what about Wolfe and Jones? 

Jones is a former first round pick who suffered devastating injuries two years in a row before being released by Detroit. Jones has stated that he would have argued that he was 100 percent last year, until he had another offseason to recover and to truly see what 100 percent could be. We know that injuries such as the ones he sustained often take two years to fully recover from, but could we see the return of the Kevin Jones, who rushed for over 1100 yards in 2004? 

Wolfe is clearly undersized, but we have heard rumors of using him as a flanker for several seasons, only to see him get the occasional carry between the tackles. Wolfe has the kind of speed and agility that had people wondering (unrealistically) if he could win the Heisman while playing for a school like NIU. Wolfe may never be a Pro Bowl running back, but teams like San Diego have shown us what both small backs, and backs from NIU, can do.

We also have several players who are extremely athletic and have been flexed around to multiple positions on defense and special teams. Israel Idonije, Joey LaRocque, and Nick Roach come to mind.

Fullback Jason Mckie has been used in the passing game, but in a fashion that is very much vanilla and has become predictable.

Everyone is caught up in who is going to compliment Hester at receiver, and while I would love to get a great receiver, couldn’t we have been doing more to free up Hester all along?

The Patriots utilize linebackers in one of the best passing games in the league, yet before Moss came to town, you would be hard pressed to call any of their receivers a number one on most NFL rosters.

The Dolphins

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?