LIFE OF THE PARTY
Players enjoy seeing coach Fox revel with them
‘‘He’s with us for the ride, man, through the ups, through the downs. That was a good time during this season. That was a great victory. He’s down, and that’s what we love about him.”
Josh Bellamy, on coach Fox
Coach John Fox might not have realized what was he was doing, but some Bears insist they saw him ‘‘dabbing’’ while he celebrated the victory Thursday against the Packers with them at Lambeau Field.
‘‘Dabbing’’ is a dance craze that involves pressing one’s head to his or her elbow and more. Panthers quarterback Cam Newtown has taken it to viral levels with his touchdown celebrations.
‘‘He just started hanging out with us,’’ linebacker Christian Jones said of Fox. ‘‘It was cool.’’
Jones and receivers Alshon Jeffery and Josh Bellamy shared videos on social media of Fox celebrating with the players in the locker room after the Bears’ 17-13 victory.
It might not seem like much, considering how it has become typical behavior for college coaches, but it still was a break from the past. Could you imagine Lovie Smith or Marc Trestman dancing to rapper Young Jeezy’s ‘‘Win,’’ as Fox did?
In one clip, a player picks up Fox and dances about with others encircling them before quarterback Jay Cutler steps in to hand out a game ball. In another, Fox has his arms around Bellamy and jumps around with Jeffery and other receivers while chanting, ‘‘Hey!’’
‘‘When I walked in and saw him, he already was dancing it up,’’ said Bellamy, who mans the radio and refers to it as ‘‘Club 11,’’ a reference to his number. ‘‘We turned the music on, and we had a blast. And coach Fox, he ‘turnt up’ with us. . . . It was great.’’
The Bears (5-6) might have to win out and hope others falter to make the playoffs, but their buy-in to Fox’s approach is obvious. They are dancing with him.
‘‘Sometimes winning can be exciting,’’ Fox said.
Beating the Packers on Thanksgiving was special for the Bears on various levels. The game had a personal tone. It was emotional, and Fox fed into those feelings.
‘‘The quarterback [Aaron Rodgers] said he loved beating up on us,’’ outside linebacker Pernell McPhee said, referring to Rodgers’ comments after the Packers beat the Bears in Week 1. ‘‘Who does he think we are? We ain’t that team of last year or two years ago, three years ago. It’s 2015 Chicago.
‘‘A lot of guys took it personally. . . . We went in there, and we slapped them on their ass. They need to go ask them how that feels.’’
The Bears are respectable again. Since going 0-3 against the Packers, Cardinals and Seahawks to open the season, they have gone 5-3. The defense is resilient and ranks among the NFL’s best in some categories. Cutler is running the offense efficiently.
Through it all, Fox has a created a camaraderie.
‘‘We just know, man, that he’s with us,’’ Bellamy said. ‘‘He’s with us for the ride, man, through the ups, through the downs. That was a good time during this season. That was a great victory. He’s down, and that’s what we love about him.’’
Jones said players feed off Fox’s energy and approach.
‘‘He came in and said how things are going to be,’’ Jones said. ‘‘A lot of guys got in line with it. Having not been good the last few years, a lot of guys wanted a change and wanted to be around a guy who is used to winning.
‘‘It started to trickle down on us. We’re just trying to keep it going, so we can have more moments like that in the locker room.’’