LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Four days before he hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in his career, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo offered perspective on why he had finally reached the NBA's championship stage.
"When you focus on the past," Antetokounmpo said, "that's your ego ... Like, you're right here. I kind of try to focus on the moment, the present. That's humility. That's being humble. That's not setting (any) expectations."
Bears coach Matt Nagy was struck by those words. Now set to enter the fourth season of a tenure in Chicago marked by triumphs and tribulations, Nagy is facing great pressure to produce progress for the organization. Nagy was the NFL's Coach of the Year in his first year on the job in 2018 but landed on the hot seat during the 2020 season, in which his Bears went 8-8 in the regular season and exited in the wild-card round.
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As he arrived to Halas Hall for training camp, Nagy was still thinking about Antetokounmpo's words. It's a message he wants to spread around the Bears' locker room -- and even in his own home.
"That's going up in all four of my kids' bedrooms," Nagy said. "You can't worry about the past. You can't worry about the future. We're going to worry about right now, today. That's all we can do."
For Nagy and the Bears, the present is seemingly all they can control. He and general manager Ryan Pace are under uncertain demands from Bears ownership if they want to save their jobs beyond this season, only knowing that "you've got to win," as Nagy put it. Chicago welcomed a new starting quarterback in Andy Dalton and is also eager for the development of a prized quarterback prospect in Justin Fields, though it's unclear when or how a transition will take place between the two. The once-vaunted Bears defense is another year older and hoping rookie coordinator Sean Desai can salvage something more from the group.
The Bears aren't being picked to win the NFC North or reach the playoffs by nearly anybody outside of Halas Hall. This is largely considered a season of transition in Chicago, not one filled with Super Bowl dreams.
"It doesn't matter what anything that's gone on before you got there or anything like that," Dalton said. "It's what I learned. In Cincinnati when I got there (as a rookie in 2011), everybody predicted us to not win a game and we ended up making the playoffs that year. So don't worry about what went on before you. Put your head down and focus on what you can control."
Perhaps the uncertainty can be a positive force for the Bears. The 11-year veteran Dalton is out to prove he's still an NFL starter and hopeful that he can stick in Chicago or earn his way to a role elsewhere after 2021. Top receiver Allen Robinson is looking to show he's worthy of a lucrative contract extension. The same goes for linebacker Roquan Smith, who was snubbed of Pro Bowl honors last season.
Inside Halas Hall, there are individuals and a team that believe better is in store this season.
"All of the motivation in the world that we need is that right there," Robinson said.
When the Bears break the huddle for their first practice of training camp Wednesday afternoon, it will be Nagy who set the tone. He's just one of many inside this organization with wounds from the last couple seasons and something to prove in 2021.
Nagy and the Bears believe something promising could be in store, but they're not getting ahead of themselves.
"If we just do what we're supposed to do right now," Nagy said, "and not worry about what happened in the past, let's not worry about what could happen in the future, then I think with what we've built here -- from Ryan bringing in the type of players we have whether it's physically or mentally, bringing this group together, building this culture -- I think we're in a really good place right now to handle a lot of different things, success and failure.
"Let's go play games, let's go win football games and let the chips fall where they may."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
