Four takeaways from Bears position coaches

Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd are winning their pass rushes, outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino said. The problem is that, without Akiem Hicks pushing through the middle of the line, quarterbacks step up in the pocket.

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Outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino believes Khalil Mack will benefit from Akiem Hicks’ potential return Sunday.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Four takeaways from Bears position coaches Tuesday:

Hicks almost healthy

The Bears will ask defensive lineman Akiem Hicks how he feels — and others, too — before deciding whether he’ll return from injured reserve Sunday against the Packers after dislocating his left elbow against the Raiders in Week 5. Defensive line coach Jay Rodgers didn’t guarantee Hicks’ return but explained how he’ll monitor his progress this week in practice.

“First thing is, you’ve got to ask him — ‘How do you feel when you did this?’ ” Rodgers said. “Put him in positions to be able to strike and separate. Ask the offensive linemen that he’s going against, ‘How did it feel when he punched you?’

“Those are the things that I’m going be looking at and have been looking at when you’re starting to put together what’s next for him. But the biggest thing is asking him how he feels.” 

Key moment for Montgomery

Running back David Montgomery is learning from a rookie mistake. The Bears were ahead by 17 points with three minutes to go in the third quarter Thursday when Montgomery took a handoff and began to fight for extra yards. Cowboys players held him up while linebacker Joe Thomas ripped at the ball, forcing a fumble that was recovered by teammate Jaylon Smith. 

“He learned a good lesson the other day,” running backs coach Charles London said. “He runs so hard, and he’s hard to bring down. So I said, ‘That’s how people are going to try to attack you now. They’re going to try to hold you up and strip the ball.’

“He knows you have to do a better job taking care of it. You never want to take away that spirit he has, of trying to fight for extra yards. But that time also has to be calculated, to take care of the ball.”

London’s advice is simple when you’re up by 17 that late in the game.

“Just go down,” he said. “Take care of the football. Take the profit. Live to play another play.”

Better together

The Bears’ outside linebackers are looking forward to Hicks’ return. 

Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd have been winning their pass rushes, outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino said. The problem is that, without Hicks pushing through the middle of the line, quarterbacks step up in the pocket and avoid the edge rushers.

“We’re at the launch point at the end of the down,” Monachino said. “But the launch point has now moved up into the pocket.”

That could change Sunday.

“Our guys’ job is to knock the ball back into Akiem,” Monachino said. “And his job is to knock the ball high and outside to us.”

O-line gets its due

Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said his unit is “inching forward,” though he was hesitant to give credit to any one player for the line’s recent improvement — or blame anyone, for that matter.

Hiestand said Cornelius Lucas, who’s been playing right tackle for an injured Bobby Massie, “has been really a blessing for us.” 

But is the line better because the Bears switched Cody Whitehair to center and James Daniels to left guard?

“I don’t see a ton of difference, to be honest with you,” Hiestand said. “As long as those two are on the field, I’m happy. “

Is the improvement because the Bears are running more?

“All linemen enjoy the ability to go and come off the ball and attack the guy over you,” he said. “But it’s a product, I think, of a lot of things.”

Pushed on whether Daniels could play center eventually, Hiestand eventually conceded that “the guy can play center — there’s no question.” 

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