Lovie Smith was a popular coach in the Bears’ locker room, and when he was fired at the end of last season, many players were disappointed. So as the Bears open their first training camp under new coach Marc Trestman, how are the players responding?
According to quarterback Jay Cutler, some are buying in. But some are not.
“Guys are buying in,” Cutler told Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Not everybody’s bought in, but that’s OK. We still have a lot of time. Hopefully by the time the first game rolls around, we’ve got everyone on the same page.”
Of course, from Trestman’s perspective, getting everyone to buy in may be a simple matter of getting rid of the guys who aren’t on board with what he’s doing. There are 90 players on the roster now, and at least 37 of them will be sent packing before the regular season starts. Give Trestman reason to believe you’re one of those players who haven’t bought in yet, and you’re increasing your chances of being one of the 37 who’s told to visit Trestman’s office and bring your playbook.