BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Chicago Bears left tackle J'Marcus Webb drew the ire of offensive line coach Mike Tice in the aftermath of Saturday's preseason opener when he admitted to not matching the intensity of Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman.
Singled out by Tice for underperforming in a game in which the Bears' first-team offensive line gave up four sacks, Webb said, "maybe individually I didn't match (Merriman's) intensity. He came out as if we were in the regular season, and obviously I didn't."
Those comments didn't sit well with Tice, who said that Webb ultimately needs to "buck up."
After releasing a long sigh when asked about Webb's comments, Tice said, "I played for a long time, and I don't know that I've had that problem. I have a problem with that from a personal standpoint that a player is saying he didn't have the intensity level. I mean, (expletive), after sitting around for five months you should have plenty of intensity built up inside you. So I'm a little disappointed by that. I heard about that comment. He's got to understand that we put a world of weight on his shoulders. He needs to step up, play better, and he needs to grow up quickly because he's out on an island."
Just days after declaring his starters along the offensive line were set, Tice watched his unit pave the way for the running backs to average 4.9 yards per carry while struggling in pass protection. Responsible for protecting quarterback Jay Cutler's blind side, Webb was responsible for two sacks by Merriman, and also allowed more pressure that led to a third sack.
Webb's struggles came as somewhat of a surprise to Tice, who declared his starting five up front early in part because of their strong performances during training camp practice sessions.
"We had some guys that didn't play well," Tice said. "Not to call anyone out, I think everyone knows who those guys are. It was pretty evident."
Michael C. Wright covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.