MACK RETURN THE RETURN OF THE MACK
Linebacker became his old disruptive self as he wreaked havoc on Bucs and Brady
The agitation on Tom Brady’s face said it all.
On a first-down red-zone play in the middle of the fourth quarter last Thursday night, Brady had barely finished his play fake to Ronald
Jones II when hewas submerged by awave of navy blue. The rush took only 2.2 seconds from snap to sack.
Before Brady could even set at the top of his drop, hewas smothered into the Soldier Field grass. The 43-year-old quarterback rolled over, looked to his right, then flipped his right palm upward in disgust. Therewas Khalil Mack. Again.
Mack got his hands on Brady a half-dozen times during the Bears’ 20-19 upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field. He had two sacks, three quarterback hits and another third-quarter sack thatwas wiped away by an unnecessary roughing penalty.
By night’s end, Mack also had the satisfaction of a big individual night in a big win for the team.
“I just know that we smelled a little blood in the water,” he said.
On the aforementioned sack— Mack’s second/third of the night, depending on how you’re counting — hewon with speed and savvy, bursting past left tackle Donovan Smith’s inside shoulder and engulfing Brady without much interference. Smith seemed to be expecting an outside rush and prepared to set accordingly. Mack, though, sawhis opening and shot through.
As Brady sighed, Bears outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino pumped his fist.
“Khalil took great advantage in a situation where a guy did something early in the down that he could take advantage of,” Monachino said. “He always has the freedom to do some of those things, and Iwas glad to see he did it on time.
“He didn’t have to think hisway through it.
It was just a natural reaction for him.”
The Bears took advantage of that 7-yard loss. With the Buccaneers on the verge of scoring a touchdown that would have provided a 23-17 lead, the defense stiffened and allowed only a chip-shot field goal.
Once again, Mack had disrupted a drive in a big way. That red-zone stop meant the Bears needed only a field goal to win.
“That’s just the mentality, man,” Mack said. “Whenever our backs are against the wall or there’s a lot of doubt out there, we believe in each other. And we know in those moments we can count on one another.”
Monachino sensed it early in last week’s game. He could feel Mack getting into a groove right away. And within that groove, Mack found a fuel tank for his confidence.
A pressure here. A run stop there. A well-timed pass deflection.
Little by little at first, Mack upset the rhythm for Brady and his offense. His presence made the Buccaneers uncomfortable.
Said Monachino: “You get to a point halfway through the first quarter there where you think, OK, he’s going to make every
“I just know that we smelled a little blood in the water.” — linebacker Khalil Mack, who had two sacks and three quarterback hits against Tampa Bay
play if they don’t hold him. … When he gains that kind of confidence, he’s pretty hard to handle because he does a lot of things well. He’s a big, strong man who runs fast and is precise with his hands and understands where the top of the pocket is.”
Mack’s first sack came early in the second half. That was the highlight-reel rush in which he beat right tackle Tristan Wirfs to the outside, shoved Brady down in the pocket, then flung the 320-pound rookie tackle over his shoulder with his right arm.
“I can’t explain that, man,” Mack said. “It just happened. I play the game very physical. And it just so happened he was holding on to me. I had to get him off.”
Mack hadn’t had a two-sack game since Week 3 of last season. The plays he made against the Bucs and the energy jolt they provided were a reminder of how much he can wreck a game when he’s really rolling.
Monachino continues to appreciate Mack’s versatility, noting that he can rush from the right or left edge, he can move inside when need be, he can use a wide array of moves to get to the quarterback and he can even drop into coverage when asked.
“When we can have some variety in what we ask Khalil to do and … when he has some options built into the plan, he’s pretty hard to handle,” Monachino said.
Monachino and the Bears hope the entire defensive front will continue to have success, keeping opponents honest with the ways they try to contain Mack.
Notably, neither Smith nor Wirfs had any help with Mack on the sacks allowed last week.
“When he has chances to be one-on-one and the ball doesn’t come out on time, it’s going to be a long day for the protector and for the quarterback,” Monachino said. “That’s the goal. That’s what we’re trying to create — as many opportunities as we can where we can get the quarterback to hold the ball and we can get our best rusher singled.”
In his typically reserved way, Mack didn’t provide much postgame boasting.
“It clicked tonight,” he said. “And it clicked at the right time.”
The Bears’ star defender didn’t need to say much more. The agitation on Tom Brady’s face said it all.