(2) Getsy is still in the middle of figuring out where Lucas Patrick will play Sunday.
After veteran guard Cody Whitehair left last Sunday’s game with a knee injury, Patrick filled in at left guard while Teven Jenkins remained at right guard. With Patrick having experience at both guard positions as well as center, Getsy is unsure what the starting offensive line will look like in Minnesota.
“Yesterday he did a little bit of everything, so we’re gonna try to put what we feel in by the end of the week. We’ll evaluate it again today and then make that decision,” Getsy said.
Patrick, who played six season with the Packers, played both guard positions – with three starts at each spot between 2017 and 2018 – early in his career. The veteran first played center in 2019 when All-Pro Corey Linsley was out with an injury. Then in 2020, Patrick started four games at left guard and 11 games at right guard.
He continued to rotate through positions in 2021, starting one game at left guard, one game at right guard and 11 games at center.
“You’re lucky you have a guy that has that kind of experience,” Getsy said. “I mean, he’s been thrown in those situations before, but it’s still not an easy task. I think he’s taken zero snaps at left guard since he’s been here, and for him to go out there and be able to finish that game the way he did, we’re lucky we have Lucas.”
With Whitehair being placed on injured reserve Wednesday, the unit will be without him until at least Nov. 6 when the Bears host the Dolphins.
(3) Williams knows his unit will have their hands full while defending both Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook.
“We have to worry about two, and not to diminish the other guys on the team, but those are two dynamic players,” Williams said. “I think the running back is dynamic and Jefferson is dynamic. So you have both. And so that’s really what creates the problem. They can beat you in two ways. They can beat you on the ground, they can beat you up in the air. So you have to pick and choose how you call it, what you do and where you put guys and what you focus on. This week the focus is on both, not just one.”
Just one week after facing the NFL’s top running back in Saquon Barkley, the Bears defense will be challenged with stopping another unique runner. Cook sits in the top 15 among the league in rushing yards with 279 and carries with 63 heading into Week 5.
As far as Jefferson, he ranks No. 5 in the NFL with 393 receiving yards. His 28 receptions also rank fifth. Jefferson’s playmaking ability goes beyond the initial completion as he ranks No. 7 with 158 yards after the catch.
With cornerback Jaylon Johnson still out of practice with a quad injury, the Bears will likely have a young group covering Jefferson, including rookie cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones and rookie safety Jaquan Brisker. Williams’ advice to the young players is to stay true to their technique and fundamentals.
“No. 1 thing would be, in a nutshell, make sure your technique can stand the test of time,” Williams said. “That’s to say that hey, whatever your technique is, whether it’s a dynamic [guy], whether it’s a fast guy, not so fast guy, tall guy, small guy, whatever that is, you want to make sure your technique, whatever it is, can stand the test of time so that you’re not so focused on what they do. We do look at that, we do look at where their catches come from, where they’re lined up, how they run their routes, when they get their targets. So for a young guy, the No. 1 thing is, your technique will get you to where you’re supposed to be. Your eyes will take you where you’re supposed to be. You don’t need to do anything different than what you’re doing.”
