Bear Digest

Tracking the Bears at Camp: A Player Keenan Allen Can't Seem to Beat

Keenan Allen has seen his share of cornerbacks and can't really understand what the league's players were thinking when they voted this time on the top-100 list.

Gene Chamberlain

Keenan Allen signs autographs at Bears camp. Allen named a teammate who should have been on the top 100 list.
Keenan Allen signs autographs at Bears camp. Allen named a teammate who should have been on the top 100 list. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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Keenan Allen is the highest-ranked Bears player on the NFL Top 100 lis at No. 51 and has a message for the league's players, who voted on it.

It's kind of like what Jaylon Johnson expressed when he said "bull (bleep)" to being left off the list.

Allen, now in his 12th season, has been working with the Bears since the start of this year's offseason practice and sees one player who he has gone against who he  has learned to be a truly superior player.

"I probably would say Jaylon for sure," Allen said. "I haven't had a catch on him. Something always goes wrong.

"I don't know what it is. I'm going to get him though, tomorrow, one on ones."

If Allen can't make a catch against a cornerback, it must be a talented coverage player.

This is a receiver with 904 catches for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdown so he knows coverage.

"He's patient," Allen said of Johnson. "He plays his assignment well. He knows routes. He squats, which means he like sits on routes, so he's always looking to make a pass breakup or something like that.

"He doesn’t like anybody to catch the ball on him. He's greedy in that way, which is a good thing. So, a good competitor."

As for the top 100 snub? It's a matter of time says Allen.

"I mean, it is what it is," Allen said. "Year-in and year-out you get kind of the same guys, so. Once he gets in one time it just happens like that, so."

It's Practice, Man

The Bears had a short practice coming out of the day off before a long one coming on Wednesday. The highlight might have been a back-corner throw by Caleb Williams to DJ Moore on a day when the early practice worked extensively on red zone or plays deep in the offense's territory. A two-minute drill led to a Cairo Santos field goal. A completion Williams threw to Gerald Everett set up the kick. The two-minute drill also looked good with backups as Tyson Bagent threw a TD pass to Freddie Swain.

Again, false starts were a problem and it must be noted it's without Andrew Billings trying to trick people into moving by yelling during the cadence.

Film Critic

Allen says the receivers have had a healthy dose of Seattle Seahawks film to understand Shane Waldron's offense. Even Allen admits he's learning by watching it.

"Obviously seeing DK (Metcalf) and Tyler Lockett run through the plays and then you just try to use those as kind of recommendations for how you want to run the route, and just trying to see it how they saw it because they were with (Waldron) multiple years. And then just being able to bring it to life in my way."

Pin Collector

Safety Jonathan Owens came to his press conference with his Olympic pin collection after arriving back from watching his wife, gymnast Simone Biles, win three gold medals in Paris.

He definitely knew who to schmooze. 

"My favorite pin would be the one I went there with and that's the Simone Biles pin right here," he said. "Yeah, that's my wife. It was specially made with her autograph on there so you can only get it from her or a family member. I had to make sure I kept a few of those on here to tease people. Like 'No you can't get it, I'm sorry.' "

Owens said he watched the Bears preseason game with Houston at 2 a.m., live.

Twitter: Bears On SI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.