BOURBONNAIS – Had the Bears’ Khalil Mack not sprained an ankle in the first quarter in Miami during Week 6 last season causing him to finish that game and play the next week against the Patriots at half speed, at best, and then miss the Bears’ next two games against the Jets and Bills, it is reasonable to believe he would have won his second defensive MVP award in only his fifth season in the league.
Minimally, it is completely safe to say that Mack, the Rams’ Aaron Donald and Houston’s J.J. Watt are the three best defensive players in the league, and three of the best we’ve seen in quite some time.
On Tuesday in Bourbonnais, Mack’s new position coach, Ted Monachino, told Pro Football Weekly, “Nobody has a higher expectation of the way they play than Khalil. I don’t have a higher expectation of Khalil than he has of himself. So everyday he goes there to prove it, and every day he goes out there to make sure everybody understands that he’s worth it.
“And the time and resources that this organization has put into that player, he’s trying to make sure that that all pays dividends for us.”
As if to amplify what Monachino said, Mack explained after practice why he thinks the Bears’ defense can be even better this season than it was last year.
“That’s the point. That’s the point of emphasis,” Mack said. “We’re not really focusing on last year but just continuing to come out and work on the little things and get better as a group. The little things would be running to the ball and getting off of blocks sooner, all those different intangibles that you need as a defense.”
It’s that attitude that has convinced Monachino that Mack’s value extends well beyond his own almost freakish skill set.
“It’s nice to have that leader by example in your position group,” Monachino said. “But his attitude and leadership skills translate to both sides of the ball, translate to the locker room, translate to special teams, and all of our guys look to him for that leadership.”
What was most remarkable about Mack’s All-Pro campaign last season was the fact that he didn’t participate in training camp at all while in a contract holdout with the Raiders, and only seven days after being traded to the Bears, he gave one of the greatest single-game individual performances in the history of the league in the Bears’ last-minute loss to the Packers.
Asked how different it’s been for him so far this season in his first Bears training camp, Mack said, “Oh man, it’s fun. It’s fun.
“You have the [defensive backs], the linebackers, the [defensive] line, everything is effort. You know what I mean?” Mack said. “You can give what you give, and they go out and do their job. But everybody is doing the same, making plays. And that’s what everybody aims for.”
Despite his incredible first year with the Bears, Mack appeared moody at times and clearly wasn’t a big fan of the spotlight or visiting with the media.
But so far this season, settled in with his new team, Mack has been much more at ease, still not a fan of the spotlight because he is remarkably humble for such a special player, but while extremely soft-spoken, he has been much more comfortable in interviews and speaking for the defense.
Mack talked about the vibe on his side of the ball so far in Bourbonnais.
“Oh man, you’ve got to have that cohesiveness,” Mack said. “It’s an energy that you feel when you’re out there. You can’t help but bounce around and feel light because everybody is flying around to the ball and wants to make a play.”
For fans still worried about the defense’s transition from Vic Fangio to Chuck Pagano, Mack said there is nothing to worry about.
“The same energy and the same effort and the play call can’t really change that, you know what I’m saying?” Mack said. “That’s the beautiful thing about this group. I mean yeah, absolutely, absolutely effortless.
“That’s all you can ask for.”
When you have a Khalil Mack, there aren’t a lot of reasons or need to ask for too much more.
• Hub Arkush is executive editor of Pro Football Weekly. Write to him at harkush@profootballweekly.com, and follow him on Twitter @Hub_Arkush.
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