There were several reasons the Chicago Bears wanted to sign Lucas Patrick in the off-season. It started with his versatility. He’d played every interior line position during his early career and looked especially effective at center last year. Then there was his temperament. GM Ryan Poles claimed the Bears’ blocking didn’t have enough violence or nastiness. Patrick has both. He’s not the pure talent Kyle Long was, but the temperaments are identical.
Then there was the personality. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy loves him for his grinder mentality. Patrick loves to play football and loves to work hard. More than that, he loves the camaraderie of the game. On Sundays, he is an excellent teammate—the kind of guy you want behind you in an alley fight. However, Patrick also has a devilish side to him. That became apparent when his Packers teammates tried to get him to tone down his relentless hugging.
Adam Jahns of The Athletic revealed the details.
In Green Bay, a Lucas Patrick Fine was created. He liked to hug his teammates too much.
Or too long.
The Packers apparently needed a time limit for his hugs.
“So if anybody hugged anybody for more than two seconds, then it became a fine because of him,” Getsy said. “So he made sure that he hugged everybody in our room and hugged everybody any time we got on the practice field, so everyone got fined.”
Can Patrick confirm the details?
“Sometimes some stories are just left for speculation, and I’ll leave that one for speculation,” Patrick told The Athletic with a wry smile.
Here's hoping everyone has as much fun tomorrow as Lucas Patrick (lower left on the screen) did after the #Bears scored the go-ahead TD. #footballisfun pic.twitter.com/99bOd12pBx
— dan durkin (@djdurkin) September 15, 2022
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Lucas Patrick is exactly what the Bears needed.
Winning football teams need certain players that bring juice. They are the energy guys who push everybody else. Need more excitement? Attitude? Humor? They are ready and willing to provide it. Walter Payton was that guy in the 1980s. Brian Urlacher was the same way in the 2000s. Long provided it for most of the 2010s. While Patrick might not have their pure athletic abilities, he still isn’t afraid to mix it up with his guys. Whatever it takes to bring people closer together.
It is somewhat fitting that the Bears have Lucas Patrick ready for Sunday night in Green Bay. He understands the defensive front they’re going against. If anybody can prepare the young Chicago offensive line for battle, it’s him. While he still loves his old teammates, they better expect no mercy when the whistles blow. He’ll be handing out worse things than fines for too many hugs.
Sunday is going to be fun! If you miss this game, you just might miss the best game of the season, not to mention the fact the Bears will open the season 2-0 after the final whistle blows!
What a “beautiful story.”
Why don’t we just let him prove it on the fields (practice first, and then, game day if he earns it).
Just like everyone else on the team.
Like aaron rowand after the sox traded him. He was a great teammate n locker room guy. The kind that helped em win the series in 05
great story. Good team’s need ‘character’. (the super bowl shuffle). (the slip-n-slide, this past Sunday)
Makes us all feel like kids again. Can’t help but smile