Sam Mustipher is fast becoming one of the best underdog stories for the Chicago Bears in years. Nobody really knew his name at this time last season. He was little more than a practice squad offensive lineman just trying to find a way on the roster. Then fate intervened. A torn pectoral to James Daniels and positive COVID test on Cody Whitehair suddenly robbed the team of their two primary centers. So Mustipher was called up in an emergency situation.
He was ready and played well. After some initial shuffling, the team reached a conclusion after the bye week. They would move Whitehair to left guard and keep Mustipher at center the rest of the year. The offensive line experienced a significant revival down the stretch, helping the team to claw their way into the playoffs. It didn’t take long for the former Notre Dame standout to establish himself as a leader in the locker room. Teammates loved him.
That convinced the Bears to maintain the status quo.
Mustipher would remain the center going into 2021. The third-year lineman didn’t rest on his laurels though. He worked tirelessly this offseason to gain weight and add more strength. Something that was a problem at times last year for him. This isn’t just about hanging onto the starting job anymore. For him, it’s about pursuing something bigger. Mustipher wants to put together a proper career. Something people can remember.
That means finding every possible way to get better. With his body taken care of, the next step is continuing to finetune his technique. What are tricks of the trade he may not know? This is where the arrival of Jason Peters comes in. The six-time All-Pro has played a lot of football in his career. Mustipher actually watched a lot of it when he lived in Baltimore, being so close to Philadelphia. Now that the 39-year old is a Bear? He plans to pester him for tips as often as possible.
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Sam Mustipher continues to have the right mindset
He knows he isn’t there yet. So what should he do? Be humble and ask for advice at every single opportunity. The good news is he will likely find a willing ear in Peters. The future Hall of Famer has said in the past that he loves to show the younger guys how to play football. So one can imagine he will answer any question Mustipher has. Not just him but others as well like Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom.
The only lingering question is what Peters will be able to offer the line himself. There is no question he isn’t the player he was 10 years ago. Still, when healthy he has proven he can still be an average-to-above-average left tackle in the NFL. That is more than the Bears had before signing him due to injuries. If he maintains that form and Sam Mustipher can take another step forward?
This could be a decent blocking unit.
One has to imagine the starting five for Week 1 in Los Angeles will start to take shape by the end of this week. It looks like Jenkins won’t be ready. So the wait is on to see if James Daniels and Germain Ifedi will be back in time to start on the right side. They’ll be needed with Aaron Donald looming.