Colston Loveland availability to open camp more idea than reality

“To be honest with you, I haven't even looked that far ahead,” Johnson said in the second week of June when asked. “We will get that before we officially break for summer, just the expectation for camp and who's going to be full-go day one, and who is still limited and working in. I don't have that answer for you at this moment."

Loveland chimed in with a more up-beat message when asked if he’d be ready at the outset.

"That's the plan. Just working every day to get there," Loveland said.

Well, everyone has a “plan” when they get in the ring with Mike Tyson until they get punched, as they said in the 1980s.

The plan and the reality are often two different things. Loveland had the surgery in January as he tried playing through the injury last year, so rehab has taken up his offseason.

Loveland hosted his first football camp for youth last week, and his participation remained limited because of his right shoulder. He didn't practice beyond some minor individual work at Bears practices all offseason, either.

“It’s been good. There haven’t really been live bullets flying yet,” Loveland told Aaron McMann of the Michigan-based website MLive.com. “We’ll really know in camp once I get out there, doing a lot more stuff.”

Even the people who watched Loveland help lead the Wolverines to the national title two seasons ago are not getting the glowing, positive answer being reported in many places as camp was ending.

McMann reported Loveland was throwing passes at the camp, but was doing it with his left arm. The right-hander told Bears reporters during OTAs that he has become a bit ambidextrous as a result of his injury, and apparently he's still working at this.

This injury truly remains a mystery just like the Jones injury and perhaps more will be apparent after Saturday, as rookies report that day for training camp. More likely, it will be known on July 22 because Ben Johnson and newly extended GM Ryan Poles will address the media before the start of practices.

Maybe the most fun thing Loveland said at the camp in Ann Arbor regarding his new affiliationm after being in Michigan for school.

“I’ve wanted to do a camp in Michigan for a long time,” Loveland said. “It’s a quick flight.

"It was cool to see all the Michigan fans now turn into Bear fans.”