Acho ecstatic to be a Bear

BOURBONNAIS - Free agency was not going the way Sam Acho anticipated as winter turned to spring this past off-season.

The first wave of big-money signings came and went without the veteran linebacker getting a nibble.

"I remember going through that process," he said, "thinking I'd have offers way earlier than I did or for a larger amount, and that just wasn't the case."

His original team, the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2011, had not expressed much interest in re-signing him after his rookie contract expired following the 2014 season.

And the other NFL teams weren't tripping over themselves to lavish money on the 6-foot-3, 257-pounder, even though he had started 32 games for the Cardinals and had 7 sacks as a rookie.

But then, as he was sitting in a classroom working toward his MBA, Acho got a call from a number he didn't recognize.

"It was during free agency; I had to pick it up," Acho said. "So I step out of class, I pick up and it's John Fox. I kind of freaked out then and there.

"In my mind, John Fox was a legend because, growing up, playing (the video game, John) Madden (Football), I used to love playing with the Panthers, and he was the coach. So, for me to get a call from John Fox, my mind was blown."

It took a little more than one call from Fox to get Acho in a Bears uniform - but not much more.

"I wouldn't say it was a done deal as soon as he called, but that definitely helped," Acho said. "It was an answered prayer more than anything. It's just one of those things where you always want to be wanted.

"Then I got a chance to talk to (defensive coordinator) Vic Fangio and (outside linebackers coach) Clint Hurtt. It felt good, and it felt right."

Acho agreed to a one-year, veteran-benefit-minimum $825,000 contract that included a modest $80,000 bonus.

He's been running with the second team in training camp and played with the backups in the preseason opener. But his play in that game may have earned Acho some time with the ones in Saturday's second preseason game.

He had the Bears' only sack and then picked off a pass on the second play of the fourth quarter.

At that point in the game, many of the players who were on the field won't be on the final 53-man roster.

But don't call it garbage time to Acho. He considers any playing time quality time and necessary time if he's to prove his value in a new environment.

"I'm on a new team, a new coaching staff, new city, and nobody here really knows me," Acho said. "I was excited about the opportunity to prove myself.

"Those games don't count (in the standings), but they're confidence builders. Everything you put on tape, that's your resume."

Hours before the preseason opener, Acho said he was still as fired up as when Fox first called him.

"In the locker room, one of the coaches said: 'Hey, Sam, are you still excited to be a Bear?' I said, 'Coach, there's nothing that'll change my excitement. I know I'm here for a reason, and there's nothing that will change that.'

"It was great to go out in my first game as a Bear and play well."

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