| Today is
2006 Bears Camp Dates
      |
July 27, 2007 Smith
enters camp confident in Bears offense
ssoucie@daily-journal.com When Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith arrived in Bourbonnais for the first time four years ago, one of the first things he said was that his ultimate goal was to win the Super Bowl. That seemed almost laughable at the time. But despite reaching great heights the Bears didn't win the big one. That left Smith and his troops in the same place they were before -- in search of the Lombardi Trophy. "We took a big step this past year, getting to the Super Bowl," Smith said. "Of course that was big, but we still didn't achieve our ultimate goal, which was to win the Super Bowl. So we are going back to work to try to make that happen." Smith seems pleased with the status of this team, as a strong defense should be bolstered further by the return of injured players like defensive tackle Tommie Harris and safety Mike Brown. Offensively, Smith is confident. The unit led by an uneven effort from quarterback Rex Grossman will improve and the addition of the electric Devin Hester to the receivers' unit, if even on a part-time basis, should certainly make the team more explosive. One area worth watching is the tailback position, where the former committee of Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones has turned into a solitary effort following the predraft trade of Jones to the New York Jets. "I'm excited about some of the changes that we have made," Smith said. "We pretty much have our team intact and we'll be able to go from there. Sometimes when you get to camp you are trying to figure out who should play and who should be at what position. We're beyond most of those things." On Thursday evening the team was set to receive NFC Championship rings to commemorate last year's run through the conference. While no player intends to reject those rings, they'll serve as a constant reminder of how close they came to the ultimate prize. "It's very motivating," Charles Tillman said. "Because now we've been there and lost. We want to get back there." The Bears took great strides in securing the future of their secondary. Both starting cornerbacks, Tillman and Nathan Vasher, got long-term deals that will keep them in Chicago for several seasons. "It's good. I'm glad we got the deal done," Tillman said. "I was just one of many guys on this team that I foresee getting a long-term deal and sticking around for a long time." Grossman chooses to put a positive spin on things. "I tend to be a positive person, so I look at it as an NFC Championship ring, rather than a second-place ring, it is still something to be proud of," Grossman said. |
Check out the Weather!!
| |||||||||
