Mum's the Word

The Bears’ Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith were supposed to address the media Friday, which is to say they didn’t.  This is pretty much par for the course up at Halas Hall.  Other teams, not so much.

I open the Tribune sports’ section yesterday, and Blackhawks’ coach Jeremy Colliton is questioning his team’s work ethic, a sure way to get his players’ attention to say nothing of making it hard for them to hide from the media asking if they agree.  With the Bulls, “can this guy be for real?” coach Jim Boylan is forever touching on the subject of accountability.  With the Bears, coach Matt Nagy wants everyone to pull together, as if his Monsters were a bunch of easily disheartened middle schoolers in need of constant encouragement.

The Saturday Tribune also had a comment by Mack from back in December on why he doesn’t like talking in public.  “If you get caught up in people saying you’re good and people saying this or that, good or bad, it can kind of wear on you,” Mack said.  “Or it’ll make you feel like you’re better than what you are.”

In that case I have to wonder how Mack came to the conclusion he was better than what the Raiders were willing to offer him in a contract extension.  Did someone tell him he was that good, or did he come to that conclusion on his own?  If only our star linebacker could come down from Mt. Khalil to tell us.

As for Smith, he simply plays in a fog while teammates and coaches cover for him.  Does he have an injury?  Is his poor play related to that mysterious “personal issue” that no one, least of all Smith, dares talk about?  Mum’s the word.