The Chicago Bears had plenty of reasons to love Shemar Turner in the draft. His talent was an obvious starting point. His mix of good size, power, leverage, and quickness made him difficult to block. His versatility to play inside and outside couldn’t be understated. However, they admitted that one of the key selling points for taking him in the 2nd round was his mentality. Turner developed a reputation in college for being aggressive and violent, like outright nasty. The Bears felt their defense needed more of that, even if he tended to get carried away from time to time.
Some guys are born that way. However, their playing style is more often than not influenced by somebody they watched growing up. Turner was asked about this during an interview with Chicagobears.com. He did have an idol growing up. It’s probably not who you’re expecting.
Who were your sports idols growing up?
Ray Lewis, that was my dawg. Big Ray. Really just him because once I found my one dude, I was good.
Now everything makes way more sense. Lewis is one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history and had a well-deserved reputation for violence and physicality. Many players genuinely feared him and with good reason. Though Turner plays a different position, his approach is similar.
Shemar Turner is perfect for the Bears.
Look back throughout history, and you’ll find the best teams in franchise history had at least one guy with that temperament. It was Doug Atkins on the 1963 squad. In 1985, it was Wilbur Marshall and Steve McMichael. As for 2006, Lance Briggs was the enforcer of that group. While this version of the Bears has plenty of talent, nobody has emerged as that violent force of nature that other teams don’t like playing against. Shemar Turner seems eager to embrace that role, just like Lewis did for Baltimore all those years ago. Before doing that, he’ll have to earn his spot on the team. Chicago has plenty of good defensive linemen on the roster. Turner won’t be handed anything. They expect him to earn his stripes like everybody else. If he becomes what many expect (and fear)? This defense is about to transform.
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