GM Ryan Poles knew that rebuilding the defense was a priority from the moment he arrived. The Chicago Bears have always identified by that side of the ball. Not much winning happens when they’re bad. So he and head coach Matt Ebeflus made it their mission to retool as quickly as possible. Thanks to a series of fortunate bounces in the 2022 and 2023 drafts and Jaylon Johnson’s presence when they arrived, the Bears may have built something special in their secondary. Fans caught their first glimpse of it last season.
The starting unit alone collected 12 interceptions last season. That was with guys missing games with injuries throughout the year and Tyrique Stevenson being a rookie. Now they’re joined by Kevin Byard, one of the best ballhawks in the league over the past several years. Confidence is sky-high. It has reached a point where they have given themselves their own nickname. Jaquan Brisker saw it surface on Twitter last year and felt it was perfect. Comic book fans are going to love it.
The Chicago Bears secondary was already tilting that way.
Cornerback Kyler Gordon already leaned into the Marvel universe with his Spider-Man nickname from Eberflus. Brisker decided to take it the rest of the way. As far as who represents which superhero, that remains a mystery. Given the way he plays, Brisker would probably be the Hulk, given how he willingly throws his body around, hitting everything that moves. Johnson is very much a Black Panther type. He’s the group leader, a tremendous athlete, and can beat anybody one-on-one. Tyrique Stevenson is Ant-Man. While he might not be known for his precision, he’s a world-class thief and much tougher than he gets credit for. Byard is Thor. Ageless, versatile, and much stronger than anybody realizes.
All of that aside, it is great to see the Chicago Bears secondary brimming with such confidence. That is what the team needs to reach the next level. If they want to win a championship, they must first believe there is nobody who can beat them on equal terms. If the team can start stringing wins together, that confidence will only grow. Establishing the nickname is one thing. Earning it will be another.
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Old Buddy Ryan would make them all wear “10-24” on their backs — until they actually beat someone.
But these guys might cry in their mother’s arms.
We’ll see.
@Jordo I see your point and do agree with you–that’s the respectful ideal for the top of the NFL hierarchy. But I have been on informal teams and societal gangs at lower levels where we selected and either voted or fought for our names. But if the Bears DBs do not select a name, then who will–the media or other teams in the NFL? It might not be so flattering or as catchy.
Love the secondary but play more than a half a season of good ball before you anoint yourselves. Also, nicknames should be given not self imposed.
I guess boys will be boys, and gangs will be gangs, because of the need for male-bonding. But they have not been in a real street or gang fight yet. Although some of that confidence is a good thing, too much will put a big target on their backs. So, they better be well prepared to back it up against the Texans/Game 2–the equivalent to the Black Stone Rangers or the Hell’s Angels. (“The Avengers” though sound very British for some reason.)
Dr. Mel. I’m sorry to say, I just picture Braxton wearing a red Star Trek tunic on the away mission.