Because it pushes already competitive individuals sometimes even more, competition for positions is a good thing.
Dont necessarily tell that to the players with jobs at risk, particularly along the offensive line, traditionally the closest-knit group on any football team.
Long-time Bears center Olin Kreutz always maintained that the most unpleasant time in his distinguished career was the 1999 training camp and preseason competition he went through vs. Casey Wiegmann.
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The reason had nothing to do with acrimony or bad feelings between the two. It was that each knew that the loser was someone who deserved to be an NFL starter.
Kreutz went on to become a six-time Pro Bowl center and started 183 games for the Bears. Wiegmann was voted to the AFC Pro Bowl as a member of the Denver Broncos and at one point had a 127-game streak of consecutive starts.
Then 2012 training camp has been the proving ground for JMarcus Webb and Chris Williams at left tackle. Both have started at the position; both have started at right tackle as well.
Unless a calamity befalls Gabe Carimi at right tackle, either Webb or Williams will no longer be a starter.
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In a meeting room and position group built on closeness, a measure of strain among friends would be understandable.
Not at all, insisted center and Bears co-captain Roberto Garza. Both guys are true professionals and weve spent a lot of time together, but this obviously has nothing to do with the friendships.
Its got everything to do with them just showing the coaches that they deserve to be the starting left tackle. Nothing gets in between us.
Competitions are going on elsewhere. Chilo Rachal and Ricky Henry are challenging guards Chris Spencer and Lance Louis. But the starters in each case are established rather than in the kind of competition involving Webb and Williams.
And much of the upheaval along the offensive line over the past couple of seasons has been the result of injury rather than straightforward Player A beating out Player B.
The one with arguably the most to lose right now is Williams, who becomes a free agent after the 2012 season. But Webb is desperately in quest of establishing that he was not the pass-protection disaster that he became in 2011.
Its a big position to be in for both guys, Garza said. Its Chris contract year and JMarcus is trying to establish himself as well. So its going to be very competitive and important for our team.
Both know the stakes and the terms of the competition.
It doesnt affect me too much, Webb said. You just got to come out here and do your job, get better every day and help your team out.
For Williams, who has lost tackle jobs before, theres always pressure, he said. Everyone has a job to dothe whole teamand we just got to come out and do our best to be explosive and take care of our part of the bargain.