John Fox owns a record of 9-23 in two years with the Chicago Bears. The coach enters his third season finally believing he has a roster that can compete for wins.
"This is the first time I can look at a depth chart and say, 'You know, I like all these guys,'" Fox said, via the Chicago Tribune. "Now, whether we can make improvements moving forward or not, I'm not into predicting news. I'd rather report it.''
Surely Jay Cutler, Alshon Jeffery, et al. appreciate the sentiment from their former coach.
The Bears did upgrade their depth on defense and at receiver and have a solid interior offensive line.
It's a team, however, that lacks the obvious high-end talent. Who knows how much they will get from their past three first-round picks? Receiver Kevin White owns talent but can't stay on the field. Pass rusher Leonard Floyd likewise could be a beast but has dealt with injury and needs to improve his technique. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky starts camp as No. 3 on the depth chart and could redshirt the season.
Despite the anemic record entering what is surely a pivotal season, Fox isn't sweating.
"It's really like Year 28 for me,'' Fox said. "I'm beyond the feeling-the-pressure part of it. As a coach, you put pressure on yourself. There are a lot of people in that building, in those stands on Sundays, they want to see a winner bad.''
If those people don't see a winner soon, they'll see a new coach at the helm.