Bears signed OL Herman Johnson

[defiantgiant]

They picked him up off the Cardinals' practice squad, cut Barry Turner to make room for him. When Johnson declared for the draft, some scouts he might end up as a right tackle in the long term, and others thought he'd have to stay put at guard. He's listed as a guard, but he'd be one of the biggest guards in the league - he goes 6'7" 360 pounds (or more.) Either way, it'll be interesting to see if Tice can turn him into anything, although I don't think he'll make any contribution this season.

 

Johnson may be another long-term developmental guy like Webb, but at least it means the brass recognizes that there are problems up front. And if their strategy is to take the shotgun approach and grab a bunch of players on the cheap, I'd rather they get guys like Webb and Johnson, who at least have the physical tools to play in the NFL. Who knows if they can learn the mental aspects, but it'd be a nice windfall if Tice can coach one or both of them up before the start of next season. If Johnson could play guard down the line, he and Webb would make a hell of a big right side: they're about 700 pounds put together.

[Bears4Ever_34]

That would be sick if both Webb and this Johnson kid could actually turn into something nice. So far Webb though has shown that he's the worst OL in the league and can't pass block to save his life or Cutler's. He's the real issue on this line. I guess he is just a rookie but it's hard to expect anything out of a 7th rounder. We will see what he's really made of at the start of next year.

[Connorbear]

That's one big mamma jamma.

 

Peace

[defiantgiant]

That would be sick if both Webb and this Johnson kid could actually turn into something nice. So far Webb though has shown that he's the worst OL in the league and can't pass block to save his life or Cutler's. He's the real issue on this line. I guess he is just a rookie but it's hard to expect anything out of a 7th rounder. We will see what he's really made of at the start of next year.

Yeah, Webb's been sucking it up so far. That said, no team with a halfway decent o-line would be starting a 7th-round rookie out of a D-II school. It's no surprise that he sucks right now, but I'm willing to give him a pass for this year. That's a learning curve that anybody would struggle with. Like you said, we'll see whether he's any good next year, once he's had time to learn the game a little. Same goes for Johnson, I think - who knows what he's got at this point...we'll just have to wait and see.

 

I'll say this for Johnson, though - that dude is a very large man. When he reported to LSU as a freshman, he checked in at 411 pounds. The Bears' nutritionists are going to have their work cut out for them.

[AZ54]

I'm in the minority on Webb. I actually think he's getting better each week. There are struggles and it's frustrating to watch but the kid usually adjusts within the game and stops getting beat. I always figured he'd struggle with the fast edge rushers, and he does from time to time, but quite often he shuts them down one-on-one. I don't really isolate on line play but since he's been in we've had a running game. There's other factors in there too with Garza, the play calling, among others. Often times it's a gain for nothing but then we hit one for 8 or 9yds. I know there's a whole lot of factors in that but when I see us control the ball for the last 5 min against Detroit he had to be doing something right.

[sulster]

I remember many having this large human being in their mock drafts. Have him and Webb on the ends. Wow. If isn't thrown into the fire, he will develop. He played in the SEC, so he's use to competition from the best.

 

Webb did start at division 1, so he does have potential, but he just has study film and just get a little quicker off the ball on passing downs. Webb is one hell of run blocker though.

[jason]

That would be sick if both Webb and this Johnson kid could actually turn into something nice. So far Webb though has shown that he's the worst OL in the league and can't pass block to save his life or Cutler's. He's the real issue on this line. I guess he is just a rookie but it's hard to expect anything out of a 7th rounder. We will see what he's really made of at the start of next year.

 

I still contend that Omiyale is worse than Webb. For the sake of argument, however, we'll call it a tie.

[azbearsfan]

I'm in the minority on Webb. I actually think he's getting better each week. There are struggles and it's frustrating to watch but the kid usually adjusts within the game and stops getting beat. I always figured he'd struggle with the fast edge rushers, and he does from time to time, but quite often he shuts them down one-on-one. I don't really isolate on line play but since he's been in we've had a running game. There's other factors in there too with Garza, the play calling, among others. Often times it's a gain for nothing but then we hit one for 8 or 9yds. I know there's a whole lot of factors in that but when I see us control the ball for the last 5 min against Detroit he had to be doing something right.

 

 

 

I actually saw him last game drive blocking his guy downfield on some runs, so thats a positive. He still gets killed on speed rush, but at least he is getting better in some regard.

[defiantgiant]

I'm in the minority on Webb. I actually think he's getting better each week. There are struggles and it's frustrating to watch but the kid usually adjusts within the game and stops getting beat. I always figured he'd struggle with the fast edge rushers, and he does from time to time, but quite often he shuts them down one-on-one. I don't really isolate on line play but since he's been in we've had a running game. There's other factors in there too with Garza, the play calling, among others. Often times it's a gain for nothing but then we hit one for 8 or 9yds. I know there's a whole lot of factors in that but when I see us control the ball for the last 5 min against Detroit he had to be doing something right.

Oh, I don't disagree at all. He's definitely improving every week, he's just still a pretty below-average starter. But I like his trajectory so far, especially considering that he's making the DII-to-NFL leap. Webb needs a lot more seasoning, but it seems like he has WAY better tools than a guy like Omiyale. I'm not an o-line expert by any stretch, but I haven't seen Webb get beaten physically; usually when he gives up a sack or pressure, it seems like he just didn't identify his blocking assignment. Like, I've seen him crash down on a DT and leave the DE unblocked, double-team the DE Garza's blocking when there's a blitzing LB/DB or a stunting DT coming around the edge...it seems like it's mental stuff with him. When he stops making mental mistakes, I think he'll be a capable tackle.

 

 

EDIT: And yeah, sulster, I don't think it's a coincidence that the run game got better after Webb took over RT. He can definitely drive-block, which the Bears haven't been able to do for a while. Also, I think Chris Williams has quietly done a great job blocking on pulls and screen plays. The past couple of weeks, I've seen him make some nice blocks out in space to spring Forte and Hester. Webb, Williams, and Garza coming back from his injury have all helped the run game out.

[ChileBear]

They picked him up off the Cardinals' practice squad, cut Barry Turner to make room for him. When Johnson declared for the draft, some scouts he might end up as a right tackle in the long term, and others thought he'd have to stay put at guard. He's listed as a guard, but he'd be one of the biggest guards in the league - he goes 6'7" 360 pounds (or more.) Either way, it'll be interesting to see if Tice can turn him into anything, although I don't think he'll make any contribution this season.

 

Johnson may be another long-term developmental guy like Webb, but at least it means the brass recognizes that there are problems up front. And if their strategy is to take the shotgun approach and grab a bunch of players on the cheap, I'd rather they get guys like Webb and Johnson, who at least have the physical tools to play in the NFL. Who knows if they can learn the mental aspects, but it'd be a nice windfall if Tice can coach one or both of them up before the start of next season. If Johnson could play guard down the line, he and Webb would make a hell of a big right side: they're about 700 pounds put together.

Why not kick the tires on this kid? Hey, we couldn't get much worse on the OL, could we?

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

I remember him coming out as well and I wanted the Bears to take him. It can't really hurt to give him a whirl.