Emma: Bears Keep Chopping To Be Better
By Chris Emma--
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- With the feeling of victory still fresh in the Arrowhead Stadium vistors' locker room Sunday, offensive lineman Kyle Long excitedly spoke of the Bears' new mantra.
Keep chopping wood.
Those words represent the demeanor of these Bears, who have won two straight games with fourth-quarter comebacks and resilient final drives.
Fellow offensive lineman Matt Slauson offered this message during a time of adversity, when the 0-2 Bears were in their hotel in Seattle awaiting the defending NFC champions. He offered the pregame speech that Saturday night, with the words inspired by the Pacific Northwest's logging industry.
The Bears were heavy underdogs entering one of the NFL's most hostile environments, and they were without their starting quarterback, Jay Cutler. Seattle served up a humbling 26-0 loss to Chicago, but Slauson's words remained fresh.
Even at 0-3, keep fighting.
"You can't chop down a tree with one swing," Slauson explained. "You don't know how many swings it's going to take, and if you try to swing harder, you're not going to gain anything. You just got to keep swinging -- over and over. The moral of it was, we can't get frustrated with what's being said outside. We can't be frustrated because of who's banged up, who's on the field, who's not. We just got to go out there and just continue to do our job, keep hacking away."
Responded Bears defensive end Jarvis Jenkins: "When he said it, the intensity he said it with, it was like, 'Oh, s--t. This is real.'"
From 2014 to Week 6 of the NFL season, the greatest difference in the Bears is their ability to bounce back. This team was picked to be a leading contender for the No. 1 overall pick and would be 0-5 without heart. The Bears handle adversity with fight, rather than folding.
In Week 4, Cutler led the Bears to a comeback victory over the Raiders, 22-20. Kicker Robbie Gould booted the game-winner in the waning seconds, earning Chicago its first victory. This past Sunday, Chicago overcame a 17-3 deficit in Kansas City, using key defensive stops, a blocked field goal and another Cutler comeback drive to win 18-17.
Bears players kept Slauson's words in mind, because they were inspiring. They were determined to end the losing.
"At that time, it was perfect," Bears running back Jeremy Langford said. "We were so close in so many games. Those first couple games, we just didn't pull it out. Just keep working, keep working."
With coach John Fox replacing Marc Trestman this past offseason, the Bears were looking to foster a healthier locker room. They hoped to rid influences that contributed to losing and bring in a new demeanor.
Fox has an approach that the Bears appreciate. He leads when it's necessary but knows when to step back and let his veterans take charge. This team has tremendous leadership, with players like Cutler, Matt Forte, Long, Pernell McPhee, Antrel Rolle and Slauson, among others.
"It's what you want in the NFL -- a player-driven locker room," Slauson said. "You don't want to police guys, you don't want to babysit guys. When you've got your veteran guys leading the team, that's when you know you got a good thing going.
"Fox is a players' coach, but he's also demanding. So, when he demands his veteran guys to keep everything going, I think that's the perfect setup as a pro."
When Langford first came in to OTAs in May, he could see that there was control. Fox was in charge, but there was also trust instilled in the veteran leaders. Rookie tackle Tayo Fabuluje spoke of how Fox's dynamic helped accelerate his comfort in the NFL, which can often be difficult for newcomers.
Many NFL coaches will use a my-way-or-the-highway demeanor in directing a team, seeking total control of every aspect. In Chicago, Trestman entered with good intentions in leadership -- using team-building interactions and even moving players' lockers to build bonds -- but the season and chemistry soured as negative influences prevailed.
The Bears could have begun to check out at 0-3, with struggles mounting, but they kept fighting. They battled through two straight tough deficits to earn wins and could go 3-3 into the bye week with a win at Detroit.
"Nobody panicked," Slauson said. "We just kept swinging the axe."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
