Eddie Jackson Didn’t Hold Back On The Bears At Latest Presser
Eddie Jackson has always been around success in his football career. His teams at Boyd H. Anderson high school found success. Then he helped Alabama win a national championship in 2016. He fully expected the winning to continue when he joined the Chicago Bears in 2017. Sadly, he learned fast that the NFL doesn’t work that way. Outside of a great run in 2018, where they went 12-4, the Bears have finished .500 or worse in every season Jackson has played for them. That isn’t something he has grown to accept.
Far from it. When speaking with the media this week, Jackson sounded like a man with some barely-contained bitterness. He didn’t single out a person. Instead, he called out the organization itself for failing to have proper championship standards for most of his time here.
It sure sounds like Jackson isn’t a big fan of guys like John Fox, Matt Nagy, and Ryan Pace. They were primarily responsible for the lack of success during his first five years in the league. He seems to think they never held guys to a high enough standard. Thankfully, it sounds like things have changed.
Eddie Jackson finally sees the mentality changing.
GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have gone out of their way to acquire what they call “elite competitors.” In other words, they seek athletes with specific mental traits built around high energy, intensity, resiliency, and work ethic. Those are the four pillars of what they believe makes up a championship roster. Jackson can already sense the difference. Everybody in the locker room is committed to the cause, something he didn’t always see from previous versions during his time in Chicago.
We already know Eddie Jackson has bought into the Eberflus way. The coach was instrumental in helping the safety rediscover his Pro Bowl form, notching four interceptions in only 12 games last year. Now Poles has begun adding reinforcements to the defense. Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards fortify the linebacking corps. DeMarcus Walker, Rasheem Green, Gervon Dexter, and Zacch Pickens all arrived to bolster the defensive line. If they all play better than what the Bears had last season, Jackson could have another great year. Maybe this time, it will be in more winning efforts.