New Chicago Bears safety Gipson in awe of Jackson's instincts
New Bears safety Tashaun Gipson was effusive in his praise for teammate Eddie Jackson, to say the least.
"I think his instincts kind of jump off," Gipson said Wednesday in a Zoom call with reporters. "He sees things the average player can't see. He sees things that not many safeties can see. He just does things you can't teach, you just can't coach.
"Sometimes, I just say, 'Man, why did you see that? How did you see that?' I don't know, but it was crazy. Being able to play with a guy like that, it's going to elevate the room. It's going to elevate my game. It's going to help everybody around him having a guy like that."
The defensive backfield will be a spot to watch in Sunday's season opener at Detroit. The Bears replaced 50 percent of last year's starters, with Gipson stepping in for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, while rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson takes over for Prince Amukamara. Jackson and cornerback Kyle Fuller are the returning starters, along with nickel back Buster Skrine.
Gipson, 30, is beginning his ninth NFL season. He played for Houston last season and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 with Cleveland.
"I hope that people shy away from him (Jackson)," Gipson said. "They should. That gives me more opportunities. So that's a plus playing with a guy like him."
Despite some new faces in the backfield and defensive line, expectations for the Bears' defense remain high, as head coach Matt Nagy confirmed Wednesday.
"I get the chance to see that defense every day in practice," Nagy said. "We're there offensively going against what we feel is the best defense in the NFL.
"There's a mentality to defense where it's just this chaos. We're going after the football, physicality, domination. Just a swag with it, a controlling energy where you're just all the time in control of the aggressiveness.
"But it's calculated, it's smart. It's ruthless, not reckless. So when you have leaders like we have on this defense - and we have a lot of guys that don't say a whole lot, they're just ready to go cut it loose - that's what's pretty cool."