The Bears’ 2018 season was full of memorable moments that made it a magical year. Matching that will be tough in 2019, but the team seems well-positioned to get after it, achieve it, and go even further than the year before.
Chicago returns four first-team All-Pros and eight Pro Bowl player led by the reigning NFL Coach of the Year – no wonder Bears GM Ryan Pace has Super Bowl expectations for the team he’s assembled. But in an interview with 670 The Score’s morning show starring Mike Mulligan and David Haugh, Pace explained that the high bar he has set for the team goes beyond having good players.
“What’s cool about it — and I don’t want to feel like it’s just a kumbaya thing — it’s real. We have good chemistry in our building,” Pace explained. “It’s not just in the locker room. It’s our staff, everyone rolling in the same direction. … We can feel it.”
You can listen to Pace’s entire interview with 670 The Score’s morning show below:
To his credit, Pace has assembled a team full of players with tremendous football IQ and a drive to get better. Think about the offseason some of the team’s best players had in the wake of a very successful season. Khalil Mack worked out during the Super Bowl. Mitch Trubisky brought his receivers to California to work out with him. Anthony Miller stuck to Matt Nagy’s side while he was injured to keep an extra-close eye on the offense when he couldn’t practice. This is what it looks like when the team’s best and most important players are all working toward the same goal.
Bears fans are familiar with what it looks like when the locker room, coaching staff, and front office aren’t rolling in the same direction because of how the Marc Trestman/Phil Emery era went. After all, it’s how Pace ended up in Chicago in the first place. When you know what it is like to be on the opposite side of the spectrum, it should be easy to find a real appreciation for the team’s newfound sense of togetherness and camaraderie.