General manager Ryan Poles spoke with Jeff Joniak Sunday on the Bears pregame radio show on ESPN 1000 AM and 100.3 HD2 FM.
Poles discussed the historic rivalry and acknowledged both the heightened excitement around the Week 1 game and starting off the season with a division opponent. He added that the players feel the extra layer of intensity.
"Regardless of where you came from, when you walk in this building, you become a Chicago Bear," Poles said. "You know what this rivalry means to this fanbase and to this city. The guys are excited as well which is really cool to see. We have some [former Packers] that are really pumped to show what they got. So you can feel it. We're embracing the challenge. We're embracing the mindset of taking this division and this would be a great start in terms of achieving that goal."
As Justin Fields gears up for his third NFL season, Poles feels good about how the quarterback developed this offseason. Poles thought the offense had a "really good offseason," and "looked good" during their preparations for Green Bay.
"You can see the sparks," Poles said. "Obviously we're ready to see that when we go live and kick this thing off in a real regular season game. Justin's in a really good place. I love his body language and how loose and comfortable he looks. Obviously like any season, there's going to be ups and downs, but really excited to see where he goes."
Listen to the full interview below.
