Emma: Leader Pernell McPhee Making Major Impact For Bears
By Chris Emma--
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- What truly makes a leader?
The concept of leadership is written in books, discussed in lectures and fancied by those who aspire to lead. Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee was asked about leadership on Wednesday, and he took a moment to ponder it.
"It's hard work," McPhee said. "When you put in hard work, automatically, you're a leader. When you do everything you need to do and be on time, you're a leader. That's the best way to explain it."
McPhee is the Bears' gold standard of leading by example. His work ethic is tireless and passion is palpable. It didn't take long for teammates to take notice, and the newcomer was named a team captain in his first season with Chicago.
What McPhee sees of himself is what he hopes others do, too.
"I'm just a guy who comes to work, goes hard and guys just feed off of that," McPhee said. "They see it and just do the same thing."
Leadership is something the Bears were desperately missing in 2014, when their 5-11 season went into a spiral. It can often be a concept wrongly placed in sports, but the Bears lost their locker room when leadership failed around Marc Trestman's regime. The puzzle was dismantled, so Chicago began to rebuild.
When rookie general manager Ryan Pace brought in McPhee from Baltimore, he knew the linebacker was a physical freak and terrific talent, but the traits that came along were just what the Bears needed. Through five games, McPhee has 26 tackles, which is one shy of a career-high, plus three sacks and an interception. He never was allowed a chance to make an every-down impact with the Ravens, so coming to Chicago brought a new opportunity.
While McPhee is a vocal guy, his words are met with actions on the field. Before he blocked a field goal in Sunday's win over Kansas City, McPhee pulled Kyle Long aside and vowed to make a big play.
"He grabbed me," Long said. "He looked me in the eyes and was like, 'We're (going to) get this ball back. You just get your boys ready.' I was like, 'You heard the man. Get ready, guys, stay loose, Pernell's going to get the ball back.' And, sure enough."
It was McPhee who helped change the game in Chicago's come-from-behind 18-17 win, the same way his stop on third-and-2 against the Raiders a week prior gave the Bears a chance for a fourth-quarter comeback on the final drive.
At 6-foot-3 and 275 pounds, McPhee is an intimidating presence who vows to be "violent" -- his word --and then brings it to Vic Fangio's defense.
"He's physical, he's tough," Fangio said. "He has some emotional energy to him."
The night before the Bears' win over Oakland, McPhee rallied his teammates with a passionate speech. He had the players lock arms and spoke of sharing a belief. McPhee felt their 0-3 start to the season was something they could overcome, then he went out and changed the game.
What makes McPhee so important for the Bears is the way he works in practice, in the weight room, in the film room and anywhere else that can make his team better. He spent time helping linebacker LaRoy Reynolds learn the playbook after he joined the team on Sept. 29. Two games later, Reynolds was called upon to play middle linebacker against the Chiefs and filled in well. He then credited McPhee for his guidance.
McPhee is just being himself, with his example serving as something that leads the Bears. He quickly became the Bears' rock -- the kind of teammate they cherish.
"I don't want to let anybody down in my life," he said. "When I let them down, I let myself down. When it comes to football, I choose not to let nobody down."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.