USA Today
Khalil Mack Labels 2018 a "Special Time"
Khalil Mack left Chicago in an unexpected trade the same way he arrived.
He also left with a good deal of class, making certain to thank Chicago for his four years with the Bears when he met Wednesday for the first time with Los Angeles Chargers media.
At the same time, Mack seemed to indicate he has something to prove in general, after winding up on injured reserve last year with a foot injury that required surgery to repair.
"It was four years I'll never forget and I think that organization for taking a chance on me, you know what I mean?" Mack told L.A. reporters. "And it's no different here with this organization taking another chance, understanding what I'm dealing with but also knowing what I'm capable of."
Mack did say he is fine after the surgery. His season ended following Week 7 last year.
The success of the 2018 defense with the Bears is something he'll carry along to L.A., where he'll be on a line with premiere pass rusher Joey Bosa and playing for his former Bears position coach, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
"That first year there, having all the pieces, and all the coaching staff together and everything like that, having the players, Kyle Fuller, Prince (Amukamara), to Eddie (Jackson), to (Adrian) Amos, to Akiem (Hicks), to Eddie Goldman, to Leonard Floyd, Danny Trevathan, Roquan (Smith), I could go on and on," Mack said. "Just knowing what that felt like out there playing with those guys, it was a special time, a special moment in my life."'
Mack recalled his first week in Chicago, when he arrived, had to learn Vic Fangio's playbook and face Green Bay in the opener on less than a week of preparation time. He called Staley key to learning the defense so quickly.
It was typical of the way he felt both Fangio and Staley handled players, according to Mack
"I feel like it was a mix of him and Vic at the time," Mack said. "They listened to the input of the players, understanding what positions, what to put them in, and how to make them their best self throughout the game. I feel like that's key."
Staley left with Fangio for Denver in 2019 and Chuck Pagano took over the Bears defense for two years, before new Seahawks defensive coordinator Sean Desai took over the Bears defense last year.
Mack was told about the move not by GM Ryan Poles but by his agent, Joel Segal.
"I got a call from Ryan, after the fact," said Mack .
Mack wasn't totally shocked to be sent to L.A. by Poles.
"But, you know different GM, not the GM that traded for me," Mack said. "So you never know what can happen in this situation."
It wasn't so much the Bears Mack seemed to hold a grudge against as possibly television analysts who might be suggesting he is past his prime in his 30s now.
"You turn on the TV. You hear what they're saying," he said. "It's like, 'OK, I'll bet on myself any day.'"
Not only is the move reuniting him Staley and former Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, but it's also putting him in the same division with his good friend and former teammate Derek Carr. He'll be facing the Raiders twice a year now in a division full of top quarterbacks, with Russell Wilson joining it now in Denver.
'There's a lot of quarterbacks, right, a lot of good quarterbacks. a lot of great quarterback play and a lot of schemes when you talk about Andy (Reid) and all these different coaches as well," he said. "It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it."
As for Carr, they're 1-1 since he left the Raiders.
"It's going to be fun, man,'" Mack said. "Every time I play against that guy it's going to be fun. He's a special guy, as well. But it's going to be fun to see him twice a year."
Mack had the win last year, 20-9 in Vegas in what was easily his best game of the 2021 season. The Bears were flying high then, 3-2 and hitting the tough part of the schedule under Matt Nagy.
Now they're rebuilding.
And Mack is in L.A. enjoying the sunshine and the new surroundings.
"It's nice and warm out here right now, feels good, feels good," he said. "You can kind of feel the energy in the building, a lot of excitement."
It's something like when he joined his last team.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
