Amos' hard work paying off for Chicago Bears
Had Chicago Bears safety Quintin Demps not suffered a fractured arm in Week 3, Adrian Amos probably wouldn't have been on the field Sunday to make the first interception of his three-year career and take it 90 yards for a touchdown.
And the Bears might not have defeated the Ravens in Baltimore 27-24 in overtime.
Because Demps was brought aboard in free agency, and safety Eddie Jackson was drafted in the fourth round, Amos lost his job after starting 30 games in his first two seasons.
But he didn't lose his desire to work.
“I had the mindset this year to grind it out,” he said. “I worked hard in the off-season. I put the work in. I'm confident in myself as a player, as I've always been.
“I didn't let certain stuff get into my head. I just tried to be the same person every day. I just kept coming in and giving good energy.”
Amos' touchdown energized his entire team and gave the Bears a 24-13 lead. He also led the Bears with 8 tackles, including 6 solos, 1 of which resulted in negative yardage.
He did it all in front of a hometown crowd that included more than 40 family and friends. Nice redemption for a guy who began the season on the bench.
“I don't really look at the demotion and where you are (on the depth chart),” coach John Fox said. “At that time (before the season), there was a guy playing better than him. At this time, he's playing the best in the group. He had a good day.”
Whether you call it a demotion, creative differences or going in a different direction, the bottom line is Amos was no longer in the starting lineup on opening day. But he kept a positive approach.
“It's a mindset thing, just staying focused,” he said. “Staying confident in my ability, being aggressive, just put my head down and work.
“That's all I know. Just making sure that when I get an opportunity again — because I'm going to get an opportunity to play ball — that I'm putting my best foot forward.”
Amos appeared hemmed in a couple of times during his return, the fourth longest by a Bear since 1960. But he showed impressive elusiveness and long speed along the way.
“I made a play on the ball,” he said. “Then I tried not to get tackled. (I thought) ‘Go score; make people miss.' I'm just happy I made a play to help the team win.
“For it to come here at home in Baltimore, it was a great feeling. My granny was up in the stands with the rest of my family, so it was a great moment.”
Amos grew up in Baltimore and played at the Ravens' stadium in high school. He said he envisioned such heroics on that field even before his high school days.
“There's a field under the bridge (nearby) where I watched my father play 7-on-7 games growing up, looking at the stadium,” he said. “This was a dream come true coming back to play in this stadium. It's a blessing in itself. Not a lot of people from Baltimore get the chance to be in this stadium.”
As satisfied as Amos was with his interception, his teammates seemed even more pleased for him.
“I'm very happy for Amos,” said defensive end Akiem Hicks, one of the team's leading jokers. “Sometimes, I call him ‘spatula hands” because he doesn't catch a lot of balls. He definitely got it (Sunday), and then he took it to the crib.”
Hicks made sure he told Amos about the comment before he heard it from someone else.
“Akiem's always got the jokes,” Amos said. “I just laugh. It ain't too much. That's him, he's going to throw the shots.”
Amos can take them, and he can bounce back from adversity, as he proved Sunday.
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