Khalil Mack: “I’m Way Hungrier Than I Was Last Year”

One of the best defenders in the NFL, Khalil Mack stated that he and his teammates feel hungrier than they were last year. The Chicago Bears showed just glimpses of their true potential, and are now aware of their capabilities.

After arriving in Bourbonnais, Illinois, the fantastic outside linebacker addressed to the media for the first time this season. The main thing which he stated was that the Bears want more from the upcoming campaign than they experienced in 2018.

“We’re hungrier than we were last year,” Mack said. “I’m speaking for myself, as well. I’m way hungrier than I was last year. ”

The 27-year-old spoke about his performances too, telling the reporters that he isn’t satisfied with the way he played and that he intends to take his game to another level.

“It definitely wasn’t good enough,” Mack said of his first year with the Bears. “Just looking forward to this year and getting better.”

https://twitter.com/NBCSBears/status/1154805316451741697

If that is true, the fans can only imagine what this guy might do in the upcoming NFL season. His numbers in 2018 were quite impressive, and improving them in 2019, would mean a lot for the Bears. Mack ended the campaign with 12.5 sacks, had 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, a return for a TD and 47 tackles! And all that without proper preseason preparations, as he missed the entire training camp.

Still, there was no doubt about his Pro Bowl invitation, and a place in the first-team All-Pro.

Mack turned out to be the missing piece in Bears’ game, and following his landing at Soldier Field, the team flourished. They became the best defense in the league, which terrorized all the rivals. Unfortunately, their quest towards the Super Bowl ended in the Wild Card round, after an unlucky loss against the Philadelphia Eagles at home, 15-16.

Unlike the previous year when he didn’t go to a training camp, Mack is now with his team in Bourbonnais where Chicago holds its preseason camps since 2002. His teammates were telling him how fun this part of the training sessions is going to be, but the former defensive player of the year isn’t quite sure in their honesty.

“I don’t know if it’s sarcastic or not,” he stated, “but I’m looking forward to it.”

During his interview, Mack wasn’t only speaking about himself, and he mentioned two teammates who are, in his view, the All-Pro caliber. Their names are Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. For both of these guys, Mack has a high opinion.

“I feel like those two should take over the All-Pro position for these year. You can say that’s a large task for those guys, but I don’t think it will be.”

Them two had 223 tackles combined and were a nightmare for all the opponents. When we add Akiem Hicks in the equation, we see that Chicago indeed has a terrifying defense.

We really got Khalil Mack on our team and Im forever grateful to Ryan Pace for this 🥺 pic.twitter.com/hXGkiJw8XU

— 💎 (@HakunaMoncada__) July 26, 2019

The Bears are one of the biggest favorites for winning the Super Bowl. One of the greatest franchises in the history of the NFL finally has everything needed to go all the way. A fantastic defense, excellent QB, solid offense, and an elite coach who received the COY award at the end of the 2018 season, Matt Nagy.

This team is determined to erase all the bad memories, especially Corey Parker’s unsuccessful field-goal attempt, the famous “Double-Doink.”

In order to do so, they will need Khalil Mack at his best.