‘He’s going to bore you to death’ — The impact one Bears veteran is having is going unnoticed, but it’s changing everything for Chicago
Joe Thuney has been a rock for the Chicago Bears this season.
Whenever you hear about an offensive lineman in the NFL, it’s usually a bad thing. Maybe it’s a false start or holding call or giving up a bad sack on the quarterback.
It’s a boring position to play that doesn’t get much credit, but it’s easily the most critical position in the game and it’s a great feeling when you can put together some great players up-front.
That’s something the Chicago Bears have been able to do in the first season under head coach Ben Johnson. The unit up-front has been the motor to the entire offensive operation when it comes to having one of the league’s top rushing offenses and keeping quarterback Caleb Williams up-right.
While the entire unit has been night-and-day compared to a season ago, one veteran player for the Bears has been quietly standing out in the best way possible in left guard Joe Thuney.
Joe Thuney’s impact has been quiet in Chicago, but it’s being felt in a major way
“It starts behind the scenes, what you guys don’t see. Just how he carries himself everyday and really the biggest thing is he’s incredibly consistent,” Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said of Thuney on Thursday. “Eric Bieniemy, when we were kinda going through the process, talked about him and his relationship with him in Kansas City, he just said ‘he’s going to bore you to death with how consistent he is on his details, you’re not even going to notice him…’
And that’s the biggest thing. He’s done a great job doing everything that we’ve asked of him. But the leadership behind the scenes is really the area that he has the biggest impact on our team.”
When the Bears went out to acquire Thuney this offseason in a trade with the Chiefs, consistency and leadership were the two driving points for the decision, along with his championship-pedigree. It’s one of the best uses of a fourth-round pick you’d ever see in the NFL.
Consistency isn’t even doing justice for the way Thuney has played halfway through his first season with the Bears. Entering Week 11, Thuney is one of five guards that have played 250+ pass blocking snaps to not allow a sack this season and his seven total pressures allowed is tied for the fewest in that same sample group.
To put things in a better perspective, of Thuney’s seven pressures allowed this season, four of those seven came in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings in his first game with the Bears.
As a whole, the interior offensive line has been dominating this season for the Bears with three new starters coming in to Chicago and right tackle Darnell Wright has taken a major leap this season.
The best thing for an offensive lineman is to not have their name called during a game. The best ones in the league always go unnoticed until you actually look at the tape and the accompanying numbers. Thuney is playing among some of the top offensive linemen in football (at an All-Pro level) and absolutely deserves more praise for the impact he’s brought to the team.
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