NEWSLETTER
As someone with a history of needing to learn things the hard way, I can relate to this Tyrique Stevenson story.
In a sit-down conversation with Flo Factory, Stevenson tells a tale (h/t @ImBearingDown) of how he lost practice reps for loafing. This feels like a good story to pass on to the young football players in your life, so check it out:
#Bears Tyrique Stevenson talking about losing all of his practice reps last year for not running to the ball.
“I get to the league, don’t run to the ball like 3 practices in a row, I lose all of my reps for like the next four practices” pic.twitter.com/vmDFefTTZp— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) May 26, 2024
“I get to the league, don’t run to the ball like three practices in a row, I lose all my reps for like the next four practices. And I’m sitting here like “wait, what the hell is going on?” I finally asked the question why I’m losing reps. ‘Oh, you don’t run to the ball.’ You couldn’t tell me that four days ago? I haven’t been practicing for four days because of that? Yeah, you don’t run to the ball. We told you the one time. We weren’t going to tell you again.'”
WOW! Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus is *NOT* playing around when it comes to loafing. The H.I.T.S. principle is real. Listening to this story reminds me so much of growing up with my parents, who had the same “I’ll tell you once, that’s it” mantra when raising me. Credit to Tyrique Stevenson for learning the lesson quickly, then applying it to the point where he says he runs to the ball instinctively now.
CHECK IT OUT: How Tyrique Stevenson Won the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week Award in Week 17
I have a good feeling about Tyrique Stevenson as we head into the 2024 Bears season
Stevenson played in 16 of the Bears’ 17 games last year. He finished with four interceptions, 16 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, 86 total tackles (65 solo), and 1 tackle-for-loss. Like many rookie cornerbacks, Stevenson had a tough learning curve to handle and there were some rough moments in his development. But the University of Miami product played his best ball down the stretch. And while I had high hopes for Stevenson as a rookie (I thought he could be a Week 1 starter), they’re even higher as he enters his second season as a pro.
Why shouldn’t we set a high bar for Tyrique Stevenson in 2024? Pro Football Focus sees the 24-year-old cornerback as a potential breakout candidate. Stevenson was solid as a rookie, but seeing that his four highest-graded games came in Week 11 or later serves as a sign that he was gettin better as the year progressed. Ideally, Stevenson will carry that momentum from the end of Year 1 and bring it to Year 2.
For what it’s worth, I think the Bears are thinking Tyrique Stevenson has big things ahead of him, too. The team clearly thinks highly of their 2023 second-round cornerback — especially since they had him as part of the welcoming party at Caleb Williams’ dinner during his pre-draft visit to Halas Hall. Given Stevenson’s experience as a rookie, he seems like a good fit to let Caleb know the do’s and don’ts of coming to Halas Hall. At a minimum, Stevenson can fill Williams in on the punishments that come with loafing.
For more from Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and his interview with the Flo Factory, check out the video:
