Jimbo Covert was one of the best offensive tackles of the 1980s. The anchor of arguably the best Chicago Bears offensive line in history. A multi-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion. If he’d managed to play a more than a decade without injuries? He’d probably be in the conversation for one of the best tackles ever in the NFL. That is why finally getting his gold jacket from Cantos this year was so satisfying.
Covert did everything required of a Hall of Fame player. He dominated for a long period of time and helped a team win a lot of football games. Including the most important one. Players like him inevitably have great stories to tell. For one, he is best friends with Dan Marino. An all-time great quarterback. They were teammates for three years at Pitt. Yet the best story that most people don’t know comes from Dan Pompei of The Athletic.
A story that illustrates how fortuitous change can be.
Another teammate from Pitt, offensive lineman Mark May, is sitting on a couch in an alcove. May recalls using Rolling Rock beer to help convince Covert to become an offensive tackle. Covert came to Pitt as a highly recruited defensive lineman.
“He thought it would fit right in with (pass rushers) Hugh Green and Ricky Jackson,” May says. “He was a heck of a defensive tackle. But (offensive line coach) Joe Moore was like, ‘Hey, we need to get him on offense.’ So he told me and (fellow offensive lineman) Russ Grimm, ‘Whatever you guys have to do to convince him, get him beers, get him pizza, just make sure he’s happy with it.’ So we took him out. It was a weekend, a long weekend. I think we went to Micro Brew and then Russell’s. Russell’s always had kegs. He finally decided to do it, and from day one, he was a natural.”
That is crazy to think about. Covert had his heart set on playing defensive line. Yet a coach who had two future Pro Bowlers on his line already in May and Grimm felt he needed more. It is nice to know all that was needed to convince the Bears legend was some booze. Jokes aside, this is also proof that change can be a good thing in football. Coaches get paid a lot of money to not only recognize talent but also where best to apply it.
It’s fun to speculate how his career might’ve been different had he reached the NFL as a defensive tackle. Given his ridiculous athleticism for his size? He probably would’ve enjoyed a long career there too. Just not in Chicago. By the time he arrived in 1983, the Bears already had Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael. Looking back at the draft, if they were still eyeing offensive tackle help they probably would’ve taken Bruce Matthews out of USC. Another Hall of Famer.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqCJSa7slw&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
Jimbo Covert wasn’t the only convert on that Bears front
Many forget his linemate Mark Bortz was a defensive lineman at Iowa before shifting to offensive guard. He went on to become a Pro Bowler. This serves as a reminder that guys who are good in the trenches will probably be good on both sides of the ball. Provided they have enough athleticism and the necessary work ethic. That was never a problem with Covert. No, the problem for the Bears is finding somebody who can live up to his legacy.
Since he retired in the early 90s, the organization has never even come close to finding a left tackle as capable. They’ve found serviceable guys like Jermon Bushrod and Charles Leno. Yet nobody could be called a true anchor. Somebody a quarterback knew would never allow pressure from the blindside. Now the Bears enter their most uncertain period yet.
They don’t know who their left tackle is yet.
Right now the battle seems to be between two rookie draft picks in Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom. Both are talented to be sure. They’re also injured. Jenkins has back tightness and Borom has a concussion. It is times like this Bears fans wish Jimbo Covert could turn back the clock and make his return for another run.