Bears' Akiem Hicks: Defense Must Set Tone
(CBS) While the Bears offense was abysmal in a 29-7 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks believe his unit could've done more.
And moving forward, he believes the defense must be the spark to lead the Bears to wins.
"I love you guys, but I'm not going sit up here and let you bash my offense," Hicks told Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley on 670 The Score on Monday morning. "What I will say is this: Defense sets the tone. I don't care what team you're on, whether you're playing for the top team in the NFL or the worst team in the NFL, your defense sets the tone. And however your defense plays, especially in your front seven, they really set the tone for your whole team. They get the energy up and get people going."
The Bears defense allowed 311 yards to the Bucs on Sunday and were put in a difficult position several times because of Chicago turnovers. That said, Hicks didn't believe the defense stood tall enough.
"Whether we're put in bad situations or not, our job is to keep them out of the end zone," Hicks said. "And we didn't do that enough yesterday.
"You get knocked down, but you get back up. Because the ground is no place for a champion. You take a lot of hits, you get put in bad situations. But you really got to to knuckle up and say, 'Hey, this is my circumstance, this is what I'm going to do with it. Watch me work.'"
Listen to Hicks' full interview below.
