It didn’t take long for Jon Bostic to become more involved in the Chicago Bears defense.
It was only the second week of training camp when the second-round draft pick out of the University of Florida took over at middle linebacker for the Bears. Bostic took over for D.J. Williams who is nursing a calf strain and is officially week-to-week according to the team.
Bostic is taking in this situation as a chance to win the starting job and make an impact on this Bears defense this season.
But replacing a future hall of fame player like Brian Urlacher won’t be easy and won’t come fast for the Bears.
The 6-1, 245-pound linebacker is showing signs of improving everyday at training camp and is ready to help the team any way he can.
“It’s going good. There is still a lot of things I need to work on”, said Bostic. “I just have to go out practice hard, watch film and keep doing it every single day”.
Bostic was a key piece to a good Florida defense last season and says there are some similarities with this Bears defense.
However a major difference that Bostic would have to get used to is the speed of NFL players compared to college players.
“You’re playing against some of the best athletes in the world so everything is going to be different. The speed, skill and talent will be different,” said Bostic. “But being able to play and compete with them on Sundays is all I can really ask for”.
The Bears will run a Cover-2 scheme again this season which features a lot of new terms, calls and checks that Bostic is not used to. Bostic isn’t having any trouble with the terms and seems to be picking them up quickly.
Going against the Bears offense, who features players like Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte, Martellus Bennett and Alshon Jeffery has also helped Bostic get used to the transition from college to the pros.
“It’s tough going against them because they are big and physical guys. They have the speed and size to do it all,” said Bostic. “Seeing it in practice is good and will help me figure out ways to match-up against other guys in the league”.
One benefit Bostic has to his advantage is playing with star players on this Bears defense. Players like Julius Peppers, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman. All three have helped Bostic in his transition from second team to first team in camp.
“The guys have really helped me out, especially in the linebacker’s room with Lance. Learning the defense from him has been a big help to me and the rest of the team. Now we just have to go out and make plays.”
Bostic will get his first taste of the NFL this Friday when the Bears take on the Carolina Panthers in the team’s first preseason game.
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