There’s a lot of reason for optimism with the Chicago Bears these days. With No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams surrounded by a solid supporting cast, the young Bears look like they have a ton of promising potential. It’s no wonder HBO and NFL Films wanted them on Hard Knocks next month.
If there’s one thing that can pop this balloon of Bears hopefulness, it’s unwarranted confidence from non-franchise, inconsistent players.
Enter Jaquan Brisker.
You might remember the Chicago safety from that time he said Jordan Love is “nothing special” after a dominant Green Bay Packers win. How about that time when he begged rightfully frustrated Bears fans to be nicer to the team after a dumpster fire start to the season? I’ll give Brisker this: he’s certainly not shy to air out his grievances and speak his mind, regardless of whether whatever he has to say makes any sense.
I don’t blame you if you don’t remember Brisker from those instances. Other than any time he’s been unjustifiably arrogant in public, you probably don’t recall him because, through two years, he’s mostly been an unreliable disappointment on the Bears’ defensive back end.
Funny how that works!
Brisker’s history of standing on a soap box despite his not earning one is what gives me pause about his cringy compliment of the Bears’ secondary to start training camp. Seriously, this is the absolute last thing I want to hear from someone like Brisker:
Bears S Jaquan Brisker, on the secondary—
“We’ve got something special. We call ourselves The Avengers.”— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) July 21, 2024
Admittedly, the Bears’ defensive backs are good. They’re arguably the biggest reason Chicago had one of the NFL’s better defenses last season. Jaylon Johnson’s an All-Pro caliber cornerback, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon are young guys coming into their own, and Kevin Byard is a savvy vet who has been around the block long enough to make an impact.
If literally any one of those four other guys said the Bears’ secondary is like a team of famous superheroes, I’d be bouncing off the walls with excitement at the possibilities. When Brisker says it?
Hoo boy, I’m waiting for those same walls to cave in.
I won’t be one to tell Brisker how to approach his job. If talking like this is how he psyches himself up, so be it. But maybe just once, given his history of stepping on rakes, he could keep these kinds of thoughts to the locker room? It’s just a thought.
