Chicago Bears: 4 Biggest Things to Take Away from Training Camp

The Chicago Bears' proactive approach to the offseason excited Bears fans for what the 2012 season held in store for their team. Training camp was the beginning of this new journey. 

And thus far—through camp and two preseason games—Bears fans have a lot to look forward to.

The Jay Cutler-Brandon Marshall connection seems to have spilled over from a former navy-and-orange team, and on the other side, rookie Alshon Jeffery has delighted fans with the opportunities he's been given so far. 

That doesn't go out without saying that the team definitely has some question marks still, and in this slideshow, I'll cover just a few of the things—good and bad—that Bears fans can take away from training camp this summer. 

Cutler/Marshall Connection Is as Strong as Ever

We remember that for two seasons, Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall hooked up for 206 receptions and nearly 2,600 yards when they were in Denver together. 

As Bears fans, we hope that the Mile High magic spills into the Windy City and these two can put up numbers that Chicago wide receivers haven't reached since 2002. 

In fact, I think we're already seeing it.

Through training camp, Marshall always seemed to be Cutler's first read. He didn't always go to him, but you can tell that he's most comfortable when targeting Marshall. 

Not to mention, in their first play from scrimmage together, Cutler and Marshall hooked up for a 41-yard pass to help set up a Bears touchdown run by Michael Bush. Marshall only caught two passes in their preseason game against the Washington Redskins, but it was crystal clear that the chemistry didn't go anywhere. 

What Brian Urlacher Will We See?

The heart and soul of the Chicago Bears has been adamant in saying that he'll be ready for the Sept. 9 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. 

He said earlier this month, via The Chicago Tribune:

"

Sept. 9, I'll be ready to play. I'm pretty sure. That's really all that matters to me. Preseason games and all these practices, I'd love to be out there, but I'm not going to put myself in jeopardy and miss the first game.

"

Urlacher is a pure gamer and a future Hall of Famer as well, so when he says that he'll be able to come back and play, I put stock into it. 

How much stock is a different story.

I don't expect him to be the Brian Urlacher that's anchored one of the league's top defenses for years. It may be tough to watch at times, and it's unfortunate, but such is football. 

The Offensive Line Still Has Major Work to Do

The Chicago Bears offensive line has been bad. Like really, really bad in the past few years. 

It's time for this unit to step up and protect the skill position players that management has implemented in hopes to give Chicago a Super Bowl-winning team. 

There's no question that losing Gabe Carimi to injury last season hurt, but as a whole, the unit was pretty abysmal. And now that Carimi is back to give some stability to the right side of the line, it would be helpful if the other four guys followed suit. 

One thing that needs to be noted as well is that the unit has little to no depth. After Carimi, you have Roberto Garza, Lance Louis, Chris Spencer, Chris Williams and J'Marcus Webb. If the Bears were to experience another Carimi-like injury, it could be detrimental to the unit's potential success. 

For the time being, though, much of training camp has been revolving around the Chris Williams-J'Marcus Webb battle for the left tackle starting position. 

That, for me, is the one thing I'll be following the rest of the preseason, so stay tuned for updates. 

Mike Tice Is Up to the Offensive Coordinator Challenge

How could anyone forget Jay Cutler yelling over to the sidelines when receiving an incoming play call only because he didn't like how the Bears were running the same plays over and over again?

Yeah, that was Mike Martz for you. 

Now the Bears give the OC reins to offensive line coach and former Minnesota Vikings head coach, Mike Tice. 

With the pieces the front office put in place on the offense this year, and the fact that Tice is already accustomed to the blocking schemes and offense in general, it should help ease his transition. 

Tice has a very smart football mind, and one thing we've already seen this preseason and training camp is that he trusts his quarterback to make plays. This is crucial if the offense wants to evolve from what it was under Martz.

All Tice needs to handle now is how to make that offensive line serviceable.