Charles Tillman spoke to Chicago Bears rookies last summer as a guest. He offered insight into what it means to go from college to the NFL and how the work is only getting started. The event was well-received. So much so that the organization brought him back a second time. Tillman seems to have found a way to top himself. He started with a similar message from last year. He insisted to everybody there that if they helped make this organization a winner, immortality was waiting for them on the other side. There is no greater place in sports to have success than Chicago.
However, midway through the speech, he changed course a bit. He talked about how in order to be successful in this league, you must embrace the criticism. Weaponize it to make yourself better. Here’s the entire speech via 1920 Football Drive on YouTube.
What Tillman says is true. The best players in this league have often been the ones that seemed to thrive off the criticism they get from fans and the media. He himself is a great example. Tillman had plenty of doubters early in his career. Rather than wallow in self-pity, he channeled the noise into something useful. His game evolved and he became the best cornerback in franchise history.
Charles Tillman appeared to get their attention.
Several young players in the audience were spotted taking careful notes of everything he said. That is a sign they took his words seriously. It’s also a sign of the types of players the Bears have targeted over the past years. They want football junkies, guys that will do anything to be great. Perhaps listening to somebody that fundamentally changed the game of football like Tillman, who was also part of the franchise’s last winning period, would be smart. He isn’t trying to make them like him. He is trying to help them understand the sacrifices that are necessary for any great NFL player.
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Time will tell how many of them heed his words. There is plenty of talent in the Bears’ last draft class. A lot of it is unpolished. Substantial work will be needed to polish them. Some won’t reach the goal. That is the sad reality of the draft. A majority of the players selected won’t work out. It was true of the draft Charles Tillman came from. The 2003 class featured 12 picks. Both 1st rounders were busts. Three other players became average short-term starters. Yet it’s viewed as a great draft because Tillman and Lance Briggs made it so.
The same must become true for this group.
