Robert Quinn is confident about where the Bears defense is at ahead of Sunday's season opener. The veteran defensive end believes there is talent across the entire unit. He is ready for the offseason work to be tested by seeing if the defense can be consistent through four quarters and "come out with a win."
The Bears switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense in the offseason, implemented by coach Matt Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams. Key returners for the defense include Quinn, linebacker Roquan Smith, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Eddie Jackson.
General manager Ryan Poles also brought in a pair of top draft picks with cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker, while adding experienced newcomers like linebacker Nicholas Morrow and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad.
"I think we will be a great defense," Quinn said. "Again, we've got great players at every position. Like I said earlier, can we do it consistently and often? That will determine how great we really are because we've got great players. Now, can we collectively do it together?"
While Quinn has over a decade of NFL experience, many of his teammates have limited time in the pros or will play in their first regular season game this Sunday.
The team captain said the biggest challenge for those players will be adjusting to the pace of the game.
"Everything's gonna be a lot faster than what we've been seeing, or what anyone sees, in practice," Quinn said. "Game speed is a lot faster. Besides that, I guess the other main thing is these really count. This is your resume. So, make sure that you leave a good one."
Injury Report:The Bears only listed two players on the injury report Wednesday. Wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (hamstring) did not practice and defensive end Dominique Robinson (knee) was limited.
New Grass:Eberflus is no grass expert, but he may be the first Bears coach to request a change to Soldier Field's turf. On Monday, Carolina Green president Chad Price tweeted about installing Bermuda grass at the stadium.
Soldier Field previously used Kentucky bluegrass for the field, but Eberflus said the switch has been planned "for quite some time."
"We feel it's going to be a nice surface," Eberflus. "I think it's going to be a fast surface, which I think which lends to help us out. Ken Mrock, our grounds guy who has been here forever, is outstanding and I've been working with him, and he is just an outstanding man first of all, and he does an outstanding job here at Halas Hall. Obviously, you guys see our fields here have been sweet and we are trying to take that there and see what happens."
Eberflus said he wants a fast and athletic football team, which the Bermuda grass can better complement. The coach has experience with this type of grass as it's the same the Colts use for their practice field. Eberflus said the hybrid grass does well with cold weather.
