Bears prepping Darnell Wright for tough matchup vs. Packers defense
Of all the strengths on the Green Bay Packers roster, it's clear that the OLB/EDGE room is not only very good – it's very deep. I mean, the team is carrying six pass rushers. That's all you need to know about how talented this room is and how good the coaching staff feels about it. […]
Of all the strengths on the Green Bay Packers roster, it's clear that the OLB/EDGE room is not only very good – it's very deep.
I mean, the team is carrying six pass rushers. That's all you need to know about how talented this room is and how good the coaching staff feels about it.
"Well, I think we’ve got a lot of potential, but we’ve got to utilize that potential and put it to good use." Matt LaFleur said recently. "The best way to do that is to go out there and continue to work and get better, but I like the approach of the group. I think [pass rush specialist Jason Rebrovich] "Rebs" does a great job with those guys first and foremost and the competition has really elevated, I think, the play of some of those younger players."
A big reason why the group is in such good shape is the return of Rashan Gary, the team's EDGE1. Not only is he the best pass rusher on the Packers roster, he's also one of the NFL's best. His return cannot be quantified with words, but opposing quarterbacks are more than aware of its significance – even if Gary will be on a pitch count in Week 1.
The Chicago Bears are well aware of what awaits their young tackles on the edges of the Packers defense, especially rookie right tackle, Darnell Wright.
And the team is doing everything it can to prep the youngster for all of the different looks and challenges he is set to receive on Sunday.
"[The Packers] have some good players up front, they have a lot of first round picks on that defense, and a lot of them are up front," Eberflus told reporters Wednesday. "Those guys are going to throw their fastball and [he's] got to be able to do his thing in terms of setting the right way, setting in pass pro, being aggressive, but under control in the run game."
Wright will also be challenged by a guy that's likely to not even line up across from him or matchup with him for a single rep in Packers' two-time Pro Bowl DL, Kenny Clark. Clark is an interior pass rusher, but his presence could force the Bears to add extra help for whomever is matched up with Clark, thus leaving Wright or second-year left tackle, Braxton Jones, on an island with an outside pass rusher.
"The get-off [and] the power, you know, the speed-to-power that he has [and] the athleticism," Eberflus said when asked on his feelings about Clark as a player. "[He] is a good run player. He's a good with one-on-one matchups – so he's a very good player."
In all, the battle upfront -on both sides of the ball- will be fun to watch and it'll undoubtedly play a large factor in who wins the game.
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Featured image via Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
