RealGM

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Having moved their minicamp up two months, the Bears returned to the practice field en masse Tuesday on a windy and unseasonably warm afternoon at Halas Hall.

“We wanted to get to some form of football as soon as we can,” said coach Lovie Smith. “That’s why we’re having a camp when we’re having it. It was a great day to get some fundamental work in as much as anything to get our start for the 2009 season.”

The minicamp is typically held a few weeks after the draft, but it was switched to mid-March to set a tone for the upcoming season, give new defensive assistants Rod Marinelli and Jon Hoke a chance to work with their players and provide a final glimpse at the roster before the draft.

“Everybody knows that a message is being sent, and that message is it wasn’t good enough last year,” said quarterback Kyle Orton. “We’ve got to do whatever we can to get to the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl, so that means you’ve got to work as hard as you can.

"Most of the guys are here anyway, so we might as well just get to work. Nobody’s happy about last season, so we get that behind us and move on and get to work."

“It’s good that we’re getting a jump on it seems like every other team out there,” added cornerback Nate Vasher. “We’re just setting a tone right now that we’re going to come out and dominate.”

Orton and fellow quarterbacks Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez all looked sharp despite strong wind gusts.

Orton completed 18 of 21 passes in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. He connected on seven short throws to Matt Forte; three seam routes to Greg Olsen; two passes apiece to Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Jason McKie; and one each to Desmond Clark and Brandon Rideau.

“It felt good, besides the wind,” Orton said. “But we got some work in and I thought the guys ran well and caught the ball well. It was a pretty good first day actually for the offense.”

Orton’s only costly mistake came when his pass intended for Rashied Davis was intercepted by a leaping Craig Steltz and returned along the left sideline for what would have been a touchdown.

Operating the No. 2 offense, Hanie completed 12 of 14 mostly short passes. He showed his athleticism and quickness when he rolled out and connected with Fontel Mines and Jason Davis. Basanez completed 7 of 8 passes, making crisp throws on curl routes to Rashied Davis and Devin Aromashodu.

Working with the No. 1 offense along with Hester, Bennett made nice catches along the right sideline and on a quick slant over the middle.

“Definitely, it felt good to be out there, winging the ball around in this wind,” Bennett said. “It was a lot of fun today.”

Expectations are high in 2009 for Bennett, who did not catch any passes as a rookie last season.

“I got a whole lot better, especially coming in and out of my routes,” Bennett said. “I know today I went through a route in 7-on-7 and had perfect timing with Kyle. Just working on the little things like that in the offseason help a lot.”

First-year pro Cody Balogh lined up with the first team at right tackle and likely will continue in that role at least in the short term after it was learned late Tuesday that free agent John St. Clair had signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.

“This is an opportunity to get myself better and get the team better,” Balogh said. “I’ll help the team get better any way I can do it and it gives me reps which I can always use.”

The Bears are expected to bolster the position in the draft and possibly also free agency. Another option would be to move recent free-agent acquisition Frank Omiyale, who previously played tackle for the Carolina Panthers but worked exclusively at left guard with the No. 2 offense in Tuesday’s practice.

Omiyale wasn’t the only new face on hand Tuesday. Free-agent acquisition Josh Bullocks worked with the No. 1 defense at free safety, making an impact (literally) when he broke up a pass by smashing into Bennett.

Marinelli, who's considered one of the NFL's top defensive line coaches, also worked with his troops for the first time.

“It’s really a very athletic group; a rangy, tall group,” Marinelli said. “It’s a good veteran group. They’re tight and there’s a lot of veteran leadership in that group.”

Some early observations from Chicago Bears mini-camp
By Vaughn McClure

Here are a few quick takes on mini-camp:

Newcomer Frank Omiyale is a big man, especially for a guy slated to line up at left guard. He drawfs Josh Beekman.

Left tackle Chris Williams seems to have filled out a little bit. He was rather slender last year as he recovered from back surgery.

Rashied Davis dropped a couple of passes in early drills. Not a good sign. Earl Bennett also dropped one. Oops.

The defensive linemen seems pretty receptive to Rod Marinelli, who appears as much of a hands-on coach as everybody touted him to be.

Rashied Davis dropped a couple of passes in early drills. Not a good sign. Earl Bennett also dropped one. Oops.

Rashied Davis dropped a couple of passes in early drills. Not a good sign. Earl Bennett also dropped one. Oops.

Frank Omiyale now at right tackle
By Vaughn McClure

So much for Frank Omiyale lining up at left guard.

The Bears new signee lined up at right tackle with the first unit during the second day of mini-camp Wednesday. Omiyale was the second string left guard on Day 1.

With John St. Clair gone to Cleveland, it wasn't a surprised to see Omiyale moved. But is the move permanent? We will see.

Chewie wrote:Well, WR is the position that's going to have the magnifying glass on it.

Instant impact: Newcomer Josh Bullocks has caught a lot of grief for an infamous YouTube video criticizing his safety play. Bullocks got the last laugh Thursday, intercepting a Kyle Orton pass in full-team drills. Ironically, Bullocks' lone interception with the Saints last season was against the Bears—and Orton.

Interceptor strikes again: Speaking of picks, Nathan Vasher snatched one on Thursday, too, a scene the Bears hope becomes familiar once again. "The Interceptor" seemed to be in good shape coming off a dismal, injury-plagued 2008 season. He will need to remain healthy to earn his starting spot back over Corey Graham or any drafted rookie.

Missing in action: Defensive tackle Tommie Harris sat out much of Thursday's session, but it was no cause for alarm. The team rested Harris' ailing left knee most of last season as a precaution. "We think Tommie will be good to go," Smith said, "but right now, two days in row is quite a bit when a guy is not in tip-top shape." … Linebacker Lance Briggs was excused from practice for personal reasons, allowing Jamar Williams to fill in with the first team at weak-side linebacker.