Despite low expectations for team, Bears players express confidence ahead of season opener
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Bears open the 2022 season at home against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but questions remain about the starting lineup.
Offensive lineman Lucas Patrick is not on the Bears injury report but head coach Matt Eberflus still won't say if he's starting at center or guard, or even playing against the 49ers.
Rookie wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. is doubtful, while tight end George Kittle is questionable for San Francisco.
The Bears enter this season opener with not much expected of them.
Quarterback Justin Fields said it's not the outside noise that motivates him, but rather his teammates.
"The guys in my locker room, I just seen the work we put in," Fields said. "You know coach says all the time, 'It's about us. It's not about the 49ers this week. It's about us, how we play, how we execute.' So [I'm] playing for my teammates, playing for my coaches and going out there executing to the best of my abilities."
Tight end Cole Kmet added, "You don't want to get confidence from others. I get all my confidence from myself and my teammates. You don't want to get it from other people, if someone writes something good about you, that shouldn't feed into your confidence, because when they write something bad, that's also going to affect you as well. You can't be focused on that stuff."
"I'm super confident," said running back David Montgomery. "I'm sure everybody else around the building is pretty confident too. We just want to go out and play and prove ourselves to ourselves, that we are capable what we are capable of. So, we're just ready to go really."