In their own words, here are five Bears and five Buccaneers to watch during the “Lovie Bowl” at Soldier Field on Sunday.
BEARS
QB Jay Cutler
“If you look at some really good offenses, they’re mixing it up, a lot of screens, moving the pocket, they’re running the ball, being unpredictable, we got to keep incorporating all of those different phases of the offense for us to keep rolling.”
RB Matt Forte
“When you get 20-plus [carries], it’s how you really start establishing you’re kind of wearing the defense down that way.”
TE Martellus Bennett
“He’ll definitively get his opportunities. It’s an ebb and flow in football by coverage or by just the way the game goes sometimes.” – offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer
LB Lance Briggs
“Lance Briggs getting back on the football field makes any defense a lot better.” – Bucs coach Lovie Smith
CB Kyle Fuller
“He’s still more than capable of making those [splash] plays and at some point I think that he’ll get those.” – defensive coordinator Mel Tucker
BUCCANEERS
QB Josh McCown
“I have so much love for all those guys up there, and anytime you get to do that, when you’re growing up and you compete in the neighborhood against guys you know, or growing up and playing against your brothers, it just makes it more fun.”
WR Mike Evans
“I just know I’m getting better every week. I started slow, wasn’t playing as fast as I could, wasn’t playing as good as I could. But I made strides and I’m playing better.”
WR Vincent Jackson
“You don’t ever want to get overwhelmed by someone else’s size or talent. Just know you’re not the only guy out there.” — Tucker
DT Gerald McCoy
“He’s a penetrator in the run game, he’s a penetrator in the pass game. He’s the focal point.” – coach Marc Trestman
LB Lavonte David
“Good linebackers. Always running to the ball. … We’ve got to stay out of harm’s way with that.”—Forte
