Getty Khalil Mack met with the media after his first training camp practice.
Khalil Mack is ready to get past the first round of the playoffs, thank you very much. The superstar linebacker for the Chicago Bears spoke to the media for the first time since last season ended in an NSFW-laden discussion about his current mindset, along with his expectations for the upcoming season. As usual, Mack did not disappoint.
“Charles Woodson told me a long time ago, he was like, ‘You cannot waste time. This s*** is very valuable.’ I understand that now going into Year 8 and only been in the playoffs three times so far and losing in the first round every one of them. S*** is very valuable. Time is of the essence,” Mack said on July 28. “There’s always a sense of urgency. I understand that now, going into Year 8. And [I’ve] only been in the playoffs three times so far and losing in the first round every one of them. S*** is very valuable. Time is of the essence.”
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Mack Issues Challenge to Entire Defense
“The thing about a team sport is everybody’s got to carry each other,” Mack said. “It’s about everybody being of one accord and everybody doing what it takes to win ballgames, whether it’s them scoring 17 points or 14 or 12 or us shutting another team out. Whatever it takes to win a ballgame is definitely what we’ve got to step up and be able to do on defense.”
While Mack has yet to eclipse the 12.5 sacks he had in his first season with the Bears in 2018, and his forced fumbles have gone down slightly in each of his three seasons in Chicago (he had 6 in 2018, 4 in 2019 and 3 last year), he’s still a complete game-wrecker, and he revealed the message he has been spreading throughout the defense:
“Get to the damn quarterback,” he said. “That’s what we got paid to do, coming in and affecting the game by getting to the quarterback and creating turnovers and short fields for the offense. Ultimately, that’s the goal. Of course, we’re not satisfied with the result last year. So there’s work to be done. Enough talking, I don’t do that. I don’t like to talk about it.”
Chicago has seen its sack total fall over the last three seasons, as well. The Bears had 50 sacks in 2018, 32 sacks in 2019 and 35 sacks in 2020. Getting back up to 50+ this season would be ideal.
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Mack: ‘I’m Not Going to Say S***
The three-time All-Pro linebacker also noted he’s ready to up the caliber of his play this season.
“For me personally, I know I can play better. So ultimately, what I can control is what I can control. And that’s everybody’s approach to this season — what you can control is what you can control. … Just talking about it is not something that I’m accustomed to. I’m an action guy. So I’m not going to say s***.”
It seems clear Mack, who turned 30 in February, is feeling the pressure to win now. Whether the Bears can finally get in sync on both sides of the ball to help facilitate the kind of winning he’s talking about is the key question. Regardless, Mack says he’s ready to leave it all on the field — which certainly bodes well for the Bears.
“When I’m out there, I’m doing whatever I can to help the team win. That’s ultimately the kind of guy you got with me.”
You can watch Mack’s full interview below:
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