Some Chicago Bears fans have had concerns about the decision to move James Daniels to center. While he did have success there in college, the timing is unusual. It’s not like Cody Whitehair was bad last season. Far from it. He made it as a Pro Bowl alternate. The first to do so since Olin Kreutz. Is it really necessary to upset the delicate balance of their interior blocking with such a switch?
Daniels himself doesn’t share those concerns. He is a resolute and confident young man despite his tender age of 21. His ability to handle Aaron Donald last year is proof of that. However, there is another reason he isn’t overly worried about the shift working out. For one, he trusts the coaching staff to know what they’re doing. Matt Nagy is an accomplished offensive mind and Harry Hiestand is one of the best line coaches in the business.
They believe the move will make the Bears better. He’s not going to argue. There is another reason though he isn’t too worried about the transition. For one, it’s not that different from playing guard. The two key differences are the snapping and the calling of protections. That second part is the bigger hurdle, and he has somebody close by who is ready to help.
“Nothing’s really changed. Nothing. I’d say everything’s about the same. The only difference on the field is like I can make the calls. Even if I do like have a bad call, Cody’s always like, ‘Oh James, it’s this.’ Or he’ll just say the call is wrong and he’ll correct me. So I mean it’s about the same.”
James Daniels has Whitehair on hand to cover his mistakes
This is the part people seem to have glossed over. It’s like Daniels and Whitehair switching spots put them on opposite sides of the planet. Whitehair is quite literally moving two feet to his left. He’s still going to see the same setup defenses present every Sunday. He just won’t be the one making the calls. That doesn’t mean he can’t let Daniels know whenever he might miss something.
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That’s what good teammates do.
Besides, it’s not like Daniels hasn’t done this stuff before. He was quite good at it in Iowa. A program that has produced great offensive linemen for decades. Including seven-time Bears Pro Bowl center Jay Hilgenberg. Maybe it’s okay to trust the team has the kind of support in place for making a move like this as seamless as possible.
