We all know Khalil Mack is great. He’s proven that much over the course of the past five seasons. Never more so than during 2018 when despite having no training camp to prepare and battling an ankle injury, he still managed 12.5 sacks and first-team All-Pro honors. He was the first Bears pass rusher to crack the 12-sack barrier since 1993. His addition transformed the Chicago Bears defense from really good to the best in the NFL.
That GM Ryan Pace managed to get him via trade from Oakland remains perplexing to everybody.
Since then the impact of Mack on the team has only deepened. For all the great things he does on Sundays, it’s his impact in practice that the Bears have felt most thus far this year. His work ethic is maniacal and he goes 1000 miles per hour on every single rep. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest reasons he has become so good at what he does.
That and a limitless supply of self-confidence. Bears offensive tackle Rashaad Coward spoke to David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. He had a story about blocking Mack in practice that offers a clear picture of how dominant the outside linebacker is.
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“Oh, my goodness, one day I had Khalil across from me and punched him and he absorbed it and just kept running through me even though I did everything right,” Coward recalled after a recent workout. “I work hard at my technique. I thought I was improving. So I asked him afterward, ‘What did I do wrong?’
“He just laughed and said, ‘Nothing, man. You were good. It’s just, well, I’m Khalil Mack.’ I got that.”
Khalil Mack has that Michael Jordan-level of swagger
Any older Chicago sports fans will recognize that level of swagger. One where they don’t have to spout it off to everybody, but when the time comes they simply state their greatness as fact. One person who comes to mind with something like this is Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan. His confidence was higher than maybe any athlete in history. He didn’t always shout it out to the masses. Most of the time he’d simply dominate opponents as evidence. However, there were plenty of times he’d speak up about it.
Mack is the same way. He’ll battle you, win and move on to the next player. However, if you aim to talk to him about it, he’ll let you know you’re not on his level. Why? Mostly because it’s the truth. Mack is great and he knows he’s great. He can be humble when it suits him but most of the all-time athletes in any sport got to where they are by believing in themselves more strongly than anyone else. Mack said he wants to be the best ever.
Lines that like should remind Bears fans that he’s not joking.
