It is one thing to recognize a defensive front and quite another altogether to block it. But without the first, the second becomes exponentially more difficult, and indications are that rookie Cody Whitehair is acting like anything but a rookie in this, his orientation week as an NFL center.
Veterans said privately that heads were turning and nodding as Whitehair repeatedly gave instantaneous – and correct – responses when challenged to identify defensive fronts he and the Bears are likely to see Sunday against the Houston Texans.
“He’s seeing things right away,” said one, “and he’s nailing them.”
Knowing where the Houston “Mike” linebacker is in the defense is easier than getting past nose tackle Vince Wolfork to block him. But the rest of the offensive line needs the information, and early signs are that the group is getting it.
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And while it is still just practice, if Whitehair were making multiple mistakes, concern would be rising.
“It’s been challenging,” Whitehair said, smiling. “But you have to just put what you’ve learned up to this point, into just playing the position. As I learned guard, I was also learning the big picture of the defense, and that’s helped me.”
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Whitehair has been establishing himself as an NFL lineman since back in June and already had won a job as a starting guard. Now he’s in a different position but it is still in the interior rather than shifting outside to tackle, for instance, which involves vastly different personnel and situations.
As a guard he wasn’t necessarily identifying the middle linebacker the way a center would, “but you always look to see what’s in the box,” Whitehair said. “Hroniss [Grasu, injured center] basically did all that.
“But you just learn from that. You get up to the line and you see what he goes off of. There’s still stuff I’m learning.”