Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2018 9:48:51 GMT -6
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-cornerbacks-prince-amukamara-kyle-fuller-20180711-story.html
Prince Amukamara 'reaching for the stars' with his 10-interception goal this season
Dan Wiederer Contact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
, July 11, 2018
As the Bears prepare to report July 19 for training camp at Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais, the Tribune is taking a look at each position group. Today: cornerbacks.
Currently on roster: 13.
Projected on final roster: 6-7.
Roster locks: Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara.
Good bet: Bryce Callahan.
On the bubble: Sherrick McManis, Marcus Cooper, Cre’Von LeBlanc, John Franklin.
Practice squad candidates: Kevin Toliver, Doran Grant, Michael Joseph, Rashard Fant.
Camp depth: Jonathon Mincy, Nick Orr.
Biggest offseason developments: The Bears re-signed Kyle Fuller to a four-year, $56 million deal with $18 million guaranteed. … Prince Amukamara returned on a three-year contract worth up to $27 million, also with $18 million guaranteed. … After releasing Marcus Cooper in March, the Bears brought the veteran back two weeks later on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
What to like: Continuity has been the buzzword all offseason for the Bears defense. And that’s certainly a key element at cornerback, where incumbent starters Fuller and Amukamara will both look to build off promising 2017 campaigns.
Fuller, whose roster spot seemed to be in jeopardy at this time a year ago, turned in an encouraging performance in his contract season. He had 22 passes defensed, second most in the league, and had interceptions off Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 and DeShone Kizer three weeks later.
Fuller’s reward? That hefty four-year contract and the full confidence of his teammates and coaching staff.
“He’s a great example of a Bear, how you want a guy to represent our team, play hard and be a good teammate,” defensive backs coach Ed Donatell said. “I’m very, very pleased that he’s back. He’s better now. He’s more of a leader. His confidence is up.”
Added Amukamara: “Let’s be frank. He was on the edge going into training camp last year. And it says a lot about his character that when his back was against the wall, when his (fifth-year contract) option wasn’t picked up, when he was dealing with coming back from injuries, he kept his head down and bounced back. And even when he started playing great, he didn’t let that go to his head. He continued to work.”
Amukamara himself turned in a solid first year with the Bears, even if his statistics (48 tackles, seven pass breakups, zero interceptions) were far from attention-grabbing. His consistency and reliability was much appreciated by Donatell and coordinator Vic Fangio. His strength and confidence in press coverage has been an underrated plus. And with full comfort in Fangio’s system, both Amukamara and Fuller should be ready to hit the ground running when camp begins.
Biggest question: Is Amukamara serious?
Heading into his eighth NFL season, the 29-year-old veteran has set a lofty individual goal for 2018. Ready for it? “I’m really looking for a 10-pick season,” Amukamara said last month.
This from a corner who has seven career picks and none since intercepting Kirk Cousins in September 2015. For Amukamara, that was 37 games and two teams ago.
Needless to say, if Amukamara makes it halfway to his 2018 goal, it will be considered a terrific season. But he also makes no apologies for thinking big.
“I’m reaching for the stars, right?” he said. “But at the same time, I know what I’m capable of. I know how hard I’ve worked. And every year I keep putting those goals out there. Because when it finally does happen, I can circle back to the time that I said it.”
Fresh face: Kevin Toliver left LSU after his junior season but then went undrafted in April. Now the 22-year-old defensive back must prove to Fangio and Bears coach Matt Nagy that his upside is worth a roll of the dice.
Toliver was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and has prototypical size at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds. But he also had injury setbacks at LSU — most notably shoulder surgery after his freshman year — and was suspended on two occasions for violating team rules.
Now it’ll be up to the undrafted rookie to seize his NFL opportunity with a strong training camp.
You should know: The Bears continue to have high hopes for third-year slot cornerback Bryce Callahan. Since making the team as an undrafted rookie in 2015, Callahan has impressed the coaching staff with his natural cover ability, ball skills and understanding of the defense. He’s also a sound tackler.
The knock to this point has been his durability with an array of bumps and bruises limiting him to 32 games over three seasons.
The first step toward a productive 2018 will require surviving training camp and the preseason without any injury setbacks. “With all athletes there’s a little bit of a puzzle to get them through there,” Donatell said. “Now I know him well. We’re going to get him there clean and then through all the games. That’s the goal.”
Quote of note: “It is a big investment in a player. So we obviously feel good about it. With us retaining our defensive staff, we have a lot of intimate knowledge of him and where he’s heading. There’s a lot of internal excitement about the trajectory he’s on.” — general manager Ryan Pace, on moving quickly to match the offer sheet the Packers gave Fuller after the Bears applied the transition tag to him in March.
Big number: 14 — Interceptions by Bears cornerbacks over the last three seasons with Fangio as coordinator. The team leader in that span is Fuller with four picks.
Prince Amukamara 'reaching for the stars' with his 10-interception goal this season
Dan Wiederer Contact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
, July 11, 2018
As the Bears prepare to report July 19 for training camp at Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais, the Tribune is taking a look at each position group. Today: cornerbacks.
Currently on roster: 13.
Projected on final roster: 6-7.
Roster locks: Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara.
Good bet: Bryce Callahan.
On the bubble: Sherrick McManis, Marcus Cooper, Cre’Von LeBlanc, John Franklin.
Practice squad candidates: Kevin Toliver, Doran Grant, Michael Joseph, Rashard Fant.
Camp depth: Jonathon Mincy, Nick Orr.
Biggest offseason developments: The Bears re-signed Kyle Fuller to a four-year, $56 million deal with $18 million guaranteed. … Prince Amukamara returned on a three-year contract worth up to $27 million, also with $18 million guaranteed. … After releasing Marcus Cooper in March, the Bears brought the veteran back two weeks later on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
What to like: Continuity has been the buzzword all offseason for the Bears defense. And that’s certainly a key element at cornerback, where incumbent starters Fuller and Amukamara will both look to build off promising 2017 campaigns.
Fuller, whose roster spot seemed to be in jeopardy at this time a year ago, turned in an encouraging performance in his contract season. He had 22 passes defensed, second most in the league, and had interceptions off Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 and DeShone Kizer three weeks later.
Fuller’s reward? That hefty four-year contract and the full confidence of his teammates and coaching staff.
“He’s a great example of a Bear, how you want a guy to represent our team, play hard and be a good teammate,” defensive backs coach Ed Donatell said. “I’m very, very pleased that he’s back. He’s better now. He’s more of a leader. His confidence is up.”
Added Amukamara: “Let’s be frank. He was on the edge going into training camp last year. And it says a lot about his character that when his back was against the wall, when his (fifth-year contract) option wasn’t picked up, when he was dealing with coming back from injuries, he kept his head down and bounced back. And even when he started playing great, he didn’t let that go to his head. He continued to work.”
Amukamara himself turned in a solid first year with the Bears, even if his statistics (48 tackles, seven pass breakups, zero interceptions) were far from attention-grabbing. His consistency and reliability was much appreciated by Donatell and coordinator Vic Fangio. His strength and confidence in press coverage has been an underrated plus. And with full comfort in Fangio’s system, both Amukamara and Fuller should be ready to hit the ground running when camp begins.
Biggest question: Is Amukamara serious?
Heading into his eighth NFL season, the 29-year-old veteran has set a lofty individual goal for 2018. Ready for it? “I’m really looking for a 10-pick season,” Amukamara said last month.
This from a corner who has seven career picks and none since intercepting Kirk Cousins in September 2015. For Amukamara, that was 37 games and two teams ago.
Needless to say, if Amukamara makes it halfway to his 2018 goal, it will be considered a terrific season. But he also makes no apologies for thinking big.
“I’m reaching for the stars, right?” he said. “But at the same time, I know what I’m capable of. I know how hard I’ve worked. And every year I keep putting those goals out there. Because when it finally does happen, I can circle back to the time that I said it.”
Fresh face: Kevin Toliver left LSU after his junior season but then went undrafted in April. Now the 22-year-old defensive back must prove to Fangio and Bears coach Matt Nagy that his upside is worth a roll of the dice.
Toliver was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and has prototypical size at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds. But he also had injury setbacks at LSU — most notably shoulder surgery after his freshman year — and was suspended on two occasions for violating team rules.
Now it’ll be up to the undrafted rookie to seize his NFL opportunity with a strong training camp.
You should know: The Bears continue to have high hopes for third-year slot cornerback Bryce Callahan. Since making the team as an undrafted rookie in 2015, Callahan has impressed the coaching staff with his natural cover ability, ball skills and understanding of the defense. He’s also a sound tackler.
The knock to this point has been his durability with an array of bumps and bruises limiting him to 32 games over three seasons.
The first step toward a productive 2018 will require surviving training camp and the preseason without any injury setbacks. “With all athletes there’s a little bit of a puzzle to get them through there,” Donatell said. “Now I know him well. We’re going to get him there clean and then through all the games. That’s the goal.”
Quote of note: “It is a big investment in a player. So we obviously feel good about it. With us retaining our defensive staff, we have a lot of intimate knowledge of him and where he’s heading. There’s a lot of internal excitement about the trajectory he’s on.” — general manager Ryan Pace, on moving quickly to match the offer sheet the Packers gave Fuller after the Bears applied the transition tag to him in March.
Big number: 14 — Interceptions by Bears cornerbacks over the last three seasons with Fangio as coordinator. The team leader in that span is Fuller with four picks.
