Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen promised that he would make a huge splash when he arrived in Bourbonnais for training camp on Thursday, and he lived up to the hype both with his car and with his comments.
Cohen, entering his third NFL season with the Bears, showed up for camp wearing a Walter Payton jersey and driving an exotic three-wheeled Slingshot vehicle, and he wasted no time in telling fans what his expectations are for the coming season, as he spoke about wanting to start a Bears “dynasty” with a title this season.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Cohen said when he was asked whether he meant to use the term ‘dynasty’ in his comments. “After we win one, you know that’s not going to be our goal to win just one. We’re trying to win multiple (championships).”
After their Wild Card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season, Cohen and the Bears have plenty to prove in the coming year. The team is the defending NFC North champion after all, and Cohen knows that the target on their backs will be a whole lot bigger after a 12-win season a year ago.
“Coach Nagy said it: we’re the hunted now,” he said. “We have to focus on ourselves now and fine tune things, and know that everyone is going to put their best foot forward against us.”
Cohen, who racked up 444 rushing yards and 725 receiving yards for the Bears last season, is going to get some help in the backfield, as the team invested a third-round draft pick in David Montgomery and signed free agent running back Mike Davis during the offseason.
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With a plethora of new weapons for Mitchell Trubisky and Matt Nagy to use on Sunday afternoons, Cohen knows that the team’s attitude will go a long way toward determining their success in the coming season.
“It’s not about what they say on the outside,” he said. “It’s about our expectations, which are higher than anybody else’s. When we motivate ourselves, that’s when we get the best out of ourselves.”
Cohen and the Bears will conduct their first practice in Bourbonnais on Friday afternoon, with their first public practice set for Saturday morning.
