Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2018 17:47:22 GMT -6
Column: Stronger Isaiah Irving eager for chance to boost Bears at outside linebacker
For a guy who is five pounds lighter than he was at this time a year ago, Isaiah Irving sure looks bigger, and an offseason spent reshaping his physique hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The outside linebacker, an undrafted free agent from San Jose State last year, headed to Anaheim, Calif., in February to begin training and returned in April with an improved frame, one that he hopes will help him win a roster spot by the end of the summer.
Irving weighs 253 pounds and said a Bod Pod measurement showed he’s carrying 20 pounds more muscle than he did before his rookie season. His upper body is stronger and he has turned heads through the Bears offseason program that concludes with minicamp this week at Halas Hall.
“He had an outstanding offseason,” outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley said. “His body is at a great spot right now and his understanding of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it has come a long way.”
Outside linebacker remains one of the biggest questions for the Bears, at least for those outside Halas Hall. Inside the building, there’s confidence the team has enough quality and depth behind starters Leonard Floyd and Sam Acho. Irving is set to get the first crack at a reserve job after veteran addition Aaron Lynch. It would be premature to call him a great find by the scouting staff, but that doesn’t mean the Bears aren’t looking at him as a potential role player with upside.
As is the case with most undrafted free agents, the second year is critical for Irving. He flashed traits as a rookie last preseason, played sparingly during the season and needs to display productivity in Year 2 in order to ensure his future after getting a signing bonus of just $5,000. The arrow needs to continue to point up for undrafted players because once they begin to plateau, it’s easy for teams to make the decision to move on.
Irving knows the stakes, and that is what prompted him to head to Stars Performance Training, where he worked out with Raiders fullback Keith Smith, another former San Jose State player. Irving changed his diet and embraced the grind.
“It shows out here,” he said.
Irving has to stand out in training camp and then the preseason. He popped late last summer when he had a sack at the end of the third exhibition game against the Titans and then had two more along with a forced fumble the next week against the Browns.
“It was a confidence builder for sure, but I knew that those guys were not the guys I am going to be playing against and they’re not the level of competition I hoped to be playing against,” Irving said.
Although he started the season on the practice squad, he was elevated to the 53-man roster after Willie Young’s season-ending injury. He wound up appearing in seven games, mostly on special teams. He landed on injured reserve in December with a knee injury suffered in practice after a season-high 36 snaps at Philadelphia on Nov. 26. Injuries to others last year led to more practice time for Irving. He’s gotten some of the same this spring as Floyd and Lynch have both missed time.
“We feel like he can make a push,” Staley said. “We really felt like before he got hurt at the end of last year that he was making a push. We like a lot of the things that he brings to the table. He can do the job well. He can rush. He is outstanding in the run game. Heavy-handed. He can move his feet really well in pass coverage. He’s got great makeup. It matters a lot to him. We’re excited to see how far he can make the push from OTAs to training camp.”
Irving played four seasons at San Jose State and started 37 of 47 career games. He had only four sacks through his first three seasons and then seven as a senior in 2016, drawing some attention. The Bears don’t need him to be a standout, but if he can handle a reserve role and pitch in on special teams, it will be a bonus. Departed veterans Young, Lamarr Houston and Pernell McPhee were not a lot of help in that area.
Irving didn’t watch the draft but said he paid attention to who the Bears added as it went along. The team drafted outside linebacker Kylie Fitts in the sixth round, and Irving knows his situation would be different if they’d used a significantly higher pick on someone at his position.
“This is a big, big opportunity,” he said. “If I keep in the direction I am going now, I think I am going to see some good things going into training camp. I’m just working on myself, trying to get better within the scheme and build upon what I had last year.”
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is not easily impressed, will wait to make meaningful judgments when it counts. He called Irving “lost” during much of training camp last summer.
“You really couldn't tell how good he was because he really didn’t know what to do and he was struggling,” Fangio said. “And then the light came on one day and a lot of it started making sense to him. He’s better off than he was last year obviously, but we’ll see. He’s still got to do it in game situations.”
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
Brad BiggsBrad BiggsContact ReporterChicago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-minicamp-isaiah-irving-20180605-story.html
For a guy who is five pounds lighter than he was at this time a year ago, Isaiah Irving sure looks bigger, and an offseason spent reshaping his physique hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The outside linebacker, an undrafted free agent from San Jose State last year, headed to Anaheim, Calif., in February to begin training and returned in April with an improved frame, one that he hopes will help him win a roster spot by the end of the summer.
Irving weighs 253 pounds and said a Bod Pod measurement showed he’s carrying 20 pounds more muscle than he did before his rookie season. His upper body is stronger and he has turned heads through the Bears offseason program that concludes with minicamp this week at Halas Hall.
“He had an outstanding offseason,” outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley said. “His body is at a great spot right now and his understanding of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it has come a long way.”
Outside linebacker remains one of the biggest questions for the Bears, at least for those outside Halas Hall. Inside the building, there’s confidence the team has enough quality and depth behind starters Leonard Floyd and Sam Acho. Irving is set to get the first crack at a reserve job after veteran addition Aaron Lynch. It would be premature to call him a great find by the scouting staff, but that doesn’t mean the Bears aren’t looking at him as a potential role player with upside.
As is the case with most undrafted free agents, the second year is critical for Irving. He flashed traits as a rookie last preseason, played sparingly during the season and needs to display productivity in Year 2 in order to ensure his future after getting a signing bonus of just $5,000. The arrow needs to continue to point up for undrafted players because once they begin to plateau, it’s easy for teams to make the decision to move on.
Irving knows the stakes, and that is what prompted him to head to Stars Performance Training, where he worked out with Raiders fullback Keith Smith, another former San Jose State player. Irving changed his diet and embraced the grind.
“It shows out here,” he said.
Irving has to stand out in training camp and then the preseason. He popped late last summer when he had a sack at the end of the third exhibition game against the Titans and then had two more along with a forced fumble the next week against the Browns.
“It was a confidence builder for sure, but I knew that those guys were not the guys I am going to be playing against and they’re not the level of competition I hoped to be playing against,” Irving said.
Although he started the season on the practice squad, he was elevated to the 53-man roster after Willie Young’s season-ending injury. He wound up appearing in seven games, mostly on special teams. He landed on injured reserve in December with a knee injury suffered in practice after a season-high 36 snaps at Philadelphia on Nov. 26. Injuries to others last year led to more practice time for Irving. He’s gotten some of the same this spring as Floyd and Lynch have both missed time.
“We feel like he can make a push,” Staley said. “We really felt like before he got hurt at the end of last year that he was making a push. We like a lot of the things that he brings to the table. He can do the job well. He can rush. He is outstanding in the run game. Heavy-handed. He can move his feet really well in pass coverage. He’s got great makeup. It matters a lot to him. We’re excited to see how far he can make the push from OTAs to training camp.”
Irving played four seasons at San Jose State and started 37 of 47 career games. He had only four sacks through his first three seasons and then seven as a senior in 2016, drawing some attention. The Bears don’t need him to be a standout, but if he can handle a reserve role and pitch in on special teams, it will be a bonus. Departed veterans Young, Lamarr Houston and Pernell McPhee were not a lot of help in that area.
Irving didn’t watch the draft but said he paid attention to who the Bears added as it went along. The team drafted outside linebacker Kylie Fitts in the sixth round, and Irving knows his situation would be different if they’d used a significantly higher pick on someone at his position.
“This is a big, big opportunity,” he said. “If I keep in the direction I am going now, I think I am going to see some good things going into training camp. I’m just working on myself, trying to get better within the scheme and build upon what I had last year.”
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is not easily impressed, will wait to make meaningful judgments when it counts. He called Irving “lost” during much of training camp last summer.
“You really couldn't tell how good he was because he really didn’t know what to do and he was struggling,” Fangio said. “And then the light came on one day and a lot of it started making sense to him. He’s better off than he was last year obviously, but we’ll see. He’s still got to do it in game situations.”
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
