Brisker on Bears defense: "It's just time to put it all together" |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - Safety Jaquan Brisker has spent the first two years of his career learning under safety Eddie Jackson, who just recently signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, Brisker is learning from two-time Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard. “His presence is felt every single day, especially his vet presence, especially in the meeting room. He’s very vocal. He’s talking. He’s trying to tell us what he sees and things like that. So, I feel like that’s very important, especially for us and DB (room) just so we see what he sees,” Brisker said. “To be honest, I feel like us together, it’s been great to be honest. I feel like we’ve been playing together for so long. We’ve been doing so many disguises, been playing off each other. It feels great to be honest. I’m glad he’s here and it’s going to be special.” Chicago’s defense finished the second half of last season strong, helping cornerback Jaylon Johnson earn his first Pro-Bowl honors and was named a second-team All-Pro. In addition to Byard, Johnson is another mentor Brisker will be able to learn from in his third season, including learning about his technique to generate turnovers. “His technique, the way he comes in every single day, the same. He’s a great man, great person on and off the field. So, really he’s been the same person every single day. He just attacked the ball last year even more than his other seasons and I think that’s what took him over and he’s really been the same person. So, I appreciate Jay every single day,” Brisker said. “He’s always locked in. So, what really stood out with just how he was the same person … Really consistent every single day. So, just looking at that, that was very important to me and everybody else just (because) he works hard. He doesn’t really say too much. He’s vocal, but he just lets his work do the talking. So, I feel like that was very important for us to see just because he wasn’t worried about the money or anything. He just put his head down and just worked. So, that’s what came out of it.” With Byard, Brisker, Johnson and others like cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon, the Bears are expected to have one of the best secondary groups in the league next season. Even though training camp is just beginning, this is a feeling that Brisker senses as well. “I feel like we got something special. We call ourselves The Avengers. We got a lot of superheroes out there as you can see,” Brisker said. “So, but really, we want to establish the physicality out there that we’re not going to (let) nobody mess with us and then show ball hawking or playmaking ability. That’s why we’re here. So, everybody has it and we’re really just trying to put our foot down this year and show them what we got.” When a team has a rookie quarterback, it is often the job of the defense to carry the team. “The Avengers” are more than up to the task. They want to help the Bears win the Super Bowl and they like the challenge of carrying the team on their backs. “I feel like the defense always has to carry the team. Defense wins championships. So, that’s not really nothing new,” Brisker said. “But, we like having that on our plate. That’s what we want this year and we got the talent to do it. We got the stars to do it. Now, it’s just time to put it all together.”
