Willie Young's comeback continues, giving Bears another option at OLB/DE

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Apparently you can teach old 4-3 defensive ends new tricks.

Lamarr Houston and Willie Young started as the outside linebackers and had a measure of impact against what were the Cleveland reserves. Houston forced a first-half fumble that was turned into the lone Bears touchdown of the first half, and was credited with three solo tackles, one for a loss.

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Houston has played, successfully in a 3-4 scheme as a member of the Oakland Raiders. Young, however, is playing in a stand-up stance for the first time in his career and possibly playing himself off a bubble and onto the roster. On top of that, he is coming back from a season-ending Achilles tear that idled him for most of the offseason prior to training camp.

But “there’s probably more crossover [at defensive end] than people think, whether you’re talking about Jared Allen or Willie,” said coach John Fox. “The game is played probably 70 percent of the snaps in nickel anyway, so it’s really a four-down front.

“He’s an explosive guy from what we saw from tape last year. Just getting him back confident and how that feels to push off from and explode off of is just normal for any player coming off an injury. I’ve been pleased with what we’ve seen.”

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Young had two solo stops plus a sack and a quarterback hit.

“It’s always fun when you can go out there and take snaps,” said Young, making his way back from a season-ending Achilles tear. “It’s been a long road for me thjis year but now I’m back up and running… . However you want to grade me, you can do that.”

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