Khalil Mack is a superstar. That level of notoriety comes with plenty of perks but also plenty of responsibilities. Great teams are often driven by their best players, on and off the field. There are plenty of those throughout history who were great on game day but never embraced the leadership required of them. Mack, to his credit, is not one of those. He has made sure to take on the role of a locker room presence that everybody should follow.
This is difficult for him. Mack has never been the extroverted personality. He’s not prone to gabbing like an Akiem Hicks or Tarik Cohen would. He’ll answer questions as best he can but never seeks out media appearances. However, this hasn’t stopped him from setting the tone for the coming 2019 season. It can sometimes be lost on the fact that Mack is already entering his sixth NFL season. Though he’s still fairly young at age 28, this is typically the time when a sense of urgency starts to take hold.
The odds already favor Mack getting to the Hall of Fame. His greatest concern is whether he can call himself one of the greatest of all-time without a Super Bowl ring. That’s why he told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times and others that the Bears had their fun last year. This season must be all about business.
‘‘You’re running out of time, man,’’ Mack said. ‘‘All these older dudes let us know at an early point in my career, man, we ain’t got no time to waste.’’
As good as he still is, earning All-Pro honors last season, he senses it’s getting late.
‘‘Absolutely,’’ he said. ‘‘You’ve gotta win. Gotta win now.’’
Khalil Mack realizes this may be his best chance
One of the things Mack is not is dumb. He’s a highly intelligent player who knows the game of football as well as anybody. He has a sense of what this Bears team is every bit as much as fans or experts. It is easily the most talented he’s ever played on in his NFL career. Not only is the defense stacked with Pro Bowlers, but the offense is also coming into its own around Mitch Trubisky and his arsenal of young, athletic weapons.
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This team is capable of winning a championship. The first this city has seen in almost a decade. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL and there’s no telling how many chances the Bears may have to go after it. So why bother ramping up the excitement by getting a bit closer each year? They need to seize the moment. It won’t be easy. Nothing ever is in this league. Still, Mack is prepared to do whatever it takes to complete the mission and wants his teammates to do the same.
That is what good leaders do.
