GM Ryan Poles knew one thing when he watched the Chicago Bears offensive line last year. It was way too passive—too many guys who were willing to take punishment and less inclined to dish it out. There was no sense of violence with them. No nastiness save for rookie Teven Jenkins. That was not going to sit well with Poles. So he made it his offseason goal to change that mentality. His first major addition came in the form of Lucas Patrick.
He was a former undrafted free agent and had to work his way up the Green Bay Packers depth chart until he became a capable starter at center last season in place of the injured Josh Meyers. During that time, teams got a taste of his mean streak and violence. The guy loves to finish blocks and isn't afraid to get into scraps. This was exactly what Poles wanted. No more boy scouts. He wanted bullies.
Guys other teams would hate. He even had a specific word to describe Patrick.
[video width="1280" height="640" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/A-Football-Life-Matt-Millen-HD-Biography-Channel2022_03_28_21_18_50.mp4"][/video] There is a common saying in professional wrestling. "It ain't ballet." The same can be said for football. These are grown men throwing their bodies at each other in violent collisions on every play. There is no room for nice guys in a sport like this. Especially not up front. You must be ready and willing to impose your will on another human being. That takes a certain animalistic tendency—an eat-or-be-eaten mentality. Lucas Patrick knows this and embraces it. He doesn't care if opposing players or fans don't like him. That doesn't matter. What matters is protecting his quarterback, getting lanes open for his running backs, and making the other team submit. If that means he has to be a prick, fine. Somebody has to wear the black hat. Poles seems to want an offensive line full of those types. When he has them, opponents will grow to fear playing the Bears. It was similar to what it was like back in the 1980s with guys like Jimbo Covert, Jay Hilgenberg, Mark Bortz, and Keith Van Horne.
