One of the responsibilities of a superstar player is to take on the role of leadership. Leaders are expected to do many things, but most importantly they have to set the level of expectations for everybody else. The Chicago Bears are aiming for a Super Bowl. That is the obvious goal. However, there are lesser ones that players want to achieve. Eddie Jackson knows this.
His 2018 Bears defense was one of the best in recent memory. On par with the great units of the 2000s with Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman. They ranked 1st in points allowed, 1st in run defense, and 1st in takeaways. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get them beyond the wild card round of the playoffs. To him and others on that defense, it just means they need to get better.
Jackson appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio to talk about both his team and his defense. He basically summed up his thoughts neatly in one statement. Not only is he expecting a Lombardi trophy by the end of February, but he also expects to no longer live in the shadow of a certain other great Bears defense.
“I’ll go right now for our defense to be No. 1 across the board. Shout out to the ’85 Bears but we want to top everything they’ve done. We plan on taking this whole thing. We plan on winning the Super Bowl.”
Eddie Jackson certainly set a high ceiling for Bears to reach
Hats off to Jackson. Most guys would merely state they wish to be the best defense in the league. To live up to the memory of the 1985 defense. He’s not satisfied with that. He wants this unit to have a legacy of their own. One that puts them on par with the greatest in team history. If that means trampling a bit on the legacy of that iconic group, so be it.
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That said, he certainly knows how to set the bar. His defense last year had 50 sacks and 27 interceptions. The ’85 team had 64 sacks and 34 interceptions. They also allowed just 198 points total in a season. Not even the best defense of the past decade, the 2013 Seahawks (231) could sniff that number.
This should offer an idea of the scope of improvement required. The Bears would need 14 more sacks, seven more interceptions, and give up 85 fewer points than last year in order to accomplish the goal of even matching that defense. This against a schedule that will include Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Patrick Mahomes.
That’s asking an awful lot.
