Asked to assess his play this season and how he feels about returning to form after missing most of last year with an elbow injury, Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks purposely moved closer to the microphone.
“Fantastic,” he said.
He was joking around, but not really. Hicks has a tremendous amount of pride in himself, his ability, and his NFL journey as a third-round draft pick from the University of Regina to the Pro Bowl.
No matter how naturally some things come to him, he’s determined to not take anything for granted — neither his god-given ability to move like a dancing bear at 6-4, 352 pounds nor the good fortune of being at the right place at the right time with Vic Fangio and Chuck Pagano in the Bears’ defense. Everybody says they play with a chip on their shoulder, with something to prove — but Hicks plays with a verve that is the epitome of that cliche. He lives it.
So it has be extremely gratifying for Hicks that as he approaches his 31st birthday next month, he is playing as well as he ever has after missing 11 games last season. Hicks has 31⁄2 sacks, five tackles-for-loss, nine quarterback hits and pass break-up in five games — good numbers that don’t illustrate his impact. He’s still Akiem Hicks. He should feel fantastic.
“I think it’s a tough thing to have a good part of your season the previous year taken away from you,” Hicks said, elaborating. “It was something that stuck with me throughout my offseason.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a renewed feeling of appreciation for it and respect for the game. Once you lose respect for the game, you can pretty much hang up those cleats — because there’s so many tough situations that you’re put in during a game.
“Chuck [Pagano] has a saying — and a lot of defensive coordinators I’ve had have said this as well — in every situation, every play, somebody’s going to have a tough down, where there’s going to be a lot of responsibility put on you. And if you don’t have that respect for the game — that appreciation for the game — you’ll succumb to whatever adversity you’re experiencing.”
In four-plus seasons with the Bears, Hicks has been a player who embraces the challenge. He’s the guy who turned down Bill Belichick’s offer to stay with the Patriots and instead joined the Bears, who were coming off a 6-10 season.
Four years and one playoff berth later, Hicks still is working for the ultimate payoff. But after a difficult season in 2019, the Bears again appear headed in the right direction. And Hicks’ return to form is one of the biggest reasons.
“Playing these past few games … has been very enjoyable,” Hicks said. “It has been everything I missed last year and I would love nothing more [than] to continue to play at the level I’ve been playing and step up even more.
“So as far as the critique of my own play — I’m always going to think that I’m the best d-tackle in the game. If I don’t have that belief in myself, I don’t think I’ll succeed in a way that I plan to.”
The Bears defense is playing well, ranked ninth in yards per game (344) and fourth in points allowed (20.0). But it is still working toward regaining the bite it had in 2018.
“We want more,” Hicks said. “We want to be a high-level, elite team — when teams come to our stadium or we go to theirs, there’s a feeling in the air, a sense that we are about to play at our highest level and they’re going to have to compete with us.
“It’s a culture that has been growing and changing since I’ve been here in 2016 … to a team that should be respected and should be feared.”
