Guest view: Bears through basketball-tinted eyes

As I approached Ward Field to watch the Chicago Bears practice, I was kicking myself for agreeing to do an article because I had no ideas about what angle to approach it from. But I decided to watch the practice through the eyes of a basketball coach.

The first thing I noticed about practice was the high level of organization. Each drill was timed out to the minute: The players knew where to go and the coaches were enthusiastic and did a good job of involving the players and teaching. I also noticed how the entire practice area was utilized. I was amazed by the number of coaches — they were everywhere.

The second thing I looked for was who I would recruit to play basketball for me. I know nothing about their basketball ability, so I was looking for athletic ability, size, and most of all, quickness. There is a difference between speed and quickness — athletes with good “straight ahead” speed are not necessarily quick.

Finding my guards was pretty easy. Charles Tillman gives me a big guard and Nathan Vasher would be the point guard.

What excites me about them is I can imagine them on defense. They could disrupt any offense. One forward would be Matt Forte, who is very smooth and athletic. Power forward had a couple canidates: John Tait (at 6-foot-6, he’s not as quick with his feet but no one would push him around) and Brian Urlacher (so quick with his feet and reaction time). I decided to go with Urlacher.

In the post would be Kellen Davis, who really impressed me with his blend of size and quickness. At 6-7, 260 pounds, he has great feet, can run with the “little” guys and displayed some intensity.

My sixth man would be Mark Anderson, who impressed me with his size, quickness and work ethic.

It was also hard to overlook John St. Clair, who looks much taller than he is listed at 6-5. He would be a great post presence.

The third thing I observed was how much time the coaches spend teaching technique at half-speed. Actually, there was very little time spent doing what I would consider “full-speed,” and even then players only went about four or five plays before rotating out. I also thought there was a feeling of “going through the motions,” and overall, the full-speed part of practice lacked the intensity I had expected.

I always enjoy watching how other coaches organize and execute practice, and the Bears staff would get an ‘A’ in that area.

In that same vein, you could not help but be impressed with the planning and organization of the Olivet Nazarene University staff. Everything ran very smoothly.

One other observation was how enthusiastic the Bears fans were, and their dedication to the team is quite impressive. It rivals the fans of the Boston Red Sox.

I also learned that I just don’t have what it takes to be a sports reporter:

* I’m not tough enough. It got pretty chilly and I left 15 minutes before practice was over.

* I’m not patient enough. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen — it never did.

* I’m not creative enough. I never did come up with a good angle for the story. I appreciate those writers who have to come up with new insight everyday.

As for me, I will retire to my role as a second-guesser on the radio. It’s much easier.

~ Denny Lehnus has been coaching basketball since 1965 and is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches
Association Hall of Fame. You can hear him broadcast high school football and basketball games on WKAN-AM 1320.