Lovie Draws Inspiration from Bears of Yesteryear
NBCChicago.com
Day One of Bears training camp in Bourbonnais had coach Lovie Smith drawing inspiration from a team of a bygone era.
In a sign that Smith wanted the team to go old school, he embraced a style from the past and handed out t-shirts that read "Monsters of the Midway."
"Back in the day when they had the Monsters of the Midway, they were a force to be reckoned with," said cornerback Charles Tillman, explaining how Lovie Smith showed video clips of the Bears from the 80s before passing out the t-shirts.
"I'm sure the style of football they played is somewhat illegal nowadays with the forearms, but we'll try to get as close to that as we can," Tillman said.
Perhaps the move is inspired by their newest Bear, Julius Peppers, who could be a monster on the defensive line.
"It's something to shoot for, said Peppers, who was born five years before the Bears last won a Super Bowl. "We got a long way to go and a lot of work to do before we reach that level, but it's definitely something to strive for."
While Bears players walked to and from the dining hall in their new shirts, the defensive line sported t-shirts under their practice shells that said "Rush Men" in big bold letters.
That's how Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli refers to the D-linemen.
Posted Friday, Jul 30, 2010 - 8:53 PM CST
