Can Trestan Ebner Deliver?
Trestan Ebner is out to disprove the knock he had coming out of college.
The Bears would likely be pleased if he provides dependability in the rushing game and pass blocks capably in the few instances he does play in such situations.
One of the most difficult aspects of play for any young NFL back is pass blocking and Ebner, who must play for injured Khalil Herbert Sunday in Atlanta's noisy Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will have his own past to defeat.
"To tell you the truth, I always heard it was a knock on me," Ebner said. "But I never gave up a sack in five years at Baylor. Probably I could fix a lot of technique things, yes, but as far as getting in there and hitting somebody and fighting, I don't have a problem with that."
The Bears have starter David Montgomery available, still, and in passing situations expect he would be on the field as their best backfield pass blocker. Still Ebner thinks he can do it if called upon.
"I feel very confident in knowing who to block and where to go, and I think if I just don't rush it and stay patient, I think I'll be able to make a lot of good blocks and feel confident in my blocking ability," Ebner said. "I just think it's a lot of technique stuff, so I've got to stay patient and try not to jump the guy and be patient with it."
It's not just blocking where there are questions about Ebner's ability to contribute. He has just 18 runs on the year and 46 yards. He had seven for 23 when he finished the game for injured Montgomery against Houston and then backed up Herbert the next game with six runs for 20 yards. That was Weeks 3 and 4, and the only other work Ebner had was mop-up situations against the Patriots and Cowboys in lopsided games.
"I'm a lot more comfortable, even just going through the season and getting more reps at practice," Ebner said. "The Giants game where I had to play more, I felt like those were good reps for me to get comfortable and get used to the game speed.
"So now I feel much more comfortable going into this game."
Well, he's somewhat more comfortable.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous, you know," Ebner said. "You know, it's a little nerve-racking cause you just want to get in and execute.
"You just know what the running game means to this offense, so I don't want to let anybody down, any of my teammates down."
Quarterback Justin Fields thinks it's possible, but did point to an area Ebner must improve. It's an important area.
"Trestan, he's a great athlete and great running back," Fields said. "I think the biggest thing with him is him learning our plays, the motion shifts because our plays are wordy, so him just kind of digesting that as a rookie coming in."
The pass blocking is a concern, Fields said.
"I think he's grown since Week 1 or from even the preseason now," Fields said. "He's an explosive running back, he's great with his hands so I'm excited to see what he does this week."
But can he pass block?
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