Getty Eddie Jackson and Kyle Fuller of the Chicago Bears
All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson appeared on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football Monday to discuss the upcoming NFL season. Jackson talked about his and the team’s current mentality following a disappointing 8-8 season last year, while also sharing his thoughts about the ongoing competition at quarterback between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles.
Jackson and the Bears went 12-4 in 2018 and made the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, but they hiccuped in 2019. Chicago regressed on both sides of the ball, but Jackson thinks the team’s rough year was a mere speed bump on the road to greatness.
“Right now, we’re not putting no limitations on how great we can be,” Jackson said about the Bears’ defense this season. “We know how we played, how we ranked last year. This year, there’s a lot on our minds. We want to get back to that Chicago Bears defense we was — if not better.”
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can keep up and weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
Eddie Jackson Is Ready for the Doubters
It certainly seems as though Jackson and the rest of the team cannot get the sour taste of 2019 out of their mouths — and they’re using it as motivation this year. When co-host Nate Burleson asked Jackson about his Twitter header photo which simply reads “Revenge,” Jackson explained it thusly:
“It’s just me being the underdog,” Jackson said. “I know the type of team we have. People will be with us one moment and then jump off the bandwagon when things aren’t going good, so right now, it’s revenge season for everything. For me personally as a player, for the team, this organization — it’s revenge. Me personally, I love playing as the underdog. You give more people stuff to talk about and then prove them wrong. Right now it’s just revenge for everybody, all phases.”
The addition of edge rusher Robert Quinn to replace Leonard Floyd should give the defensive line a boost, but Chicago suffered a significant blow when nose tackle Eddie Goldman opted out. Jackson admitted losing Goldman will hurt, but he thinks his teammates will be able to pick up the slack in his absence.
Jackson Also Talked Bears’ QB Competition…
Co-host Kay Adams asked Jackson about the quarterback competition in Chicago, and what, if anything, was different about Bears’ QB Mitchell Trubisky this season, and he shared one thing he has noticed so far in training camp.
“The only thing I would say is different is he’s more focused,” Jackson said of Trubisky. “He comes in, you barely see him in the locker room, but when you do see him, he’s in and he’s out, so he’s way more focused. He knows what’s ahead of him this year.”
Jackson also seemed to throw a mini-endorsement Trubisky’s way. “That’s been our quarterback — we’ve been riding with Mitch … and I feel like Nick Foles being here as a guide and competition to bring the best out of him, so I’m just excited,” Jackson said.
READ NEXT: Bears Coach Subtly Suggests Third-Year WR Is on the Hot Seat