Prince Amukamara Compares Khalil Mack Arrival to LeBron James

Superstars are rare in any sports. There's a noticeable difference between teams that have them and teams that don't. That's why there's always a mad scramble to get them. Winning is just so much easier when they're on the roster. Few athletes encapsulate this today more than LeBron James. Nobody has swung the balance of power in professional basketball more than him, and Bears corner Prince Amukamara sees that same sort of impact from Khalil Mack. The Cleveland Cavaliers were contenders when James was there, then he left for Miami and they became favorites for the #1 pick every year. The Heat went to the Finals every year he was there and won two NBA championships. Then he leaves and goes back to the Cavs. They go to the Finals every year and win a championship. That's the James effect. Is Mack really like that? Amukamara was pretty insistent to Dan Graziano of ESPN about it.

"It's like the LeBron effect," Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara told me of the Bears' preseason addition of Mack to an already-strong defense. "He just makes everybody better. When you see greatness like that up close, it just makes everyone else want to be great that much more."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-RPgZi9O9A

Khalil Mack effect is definitely hard not to notice in two cities

One merely has to examine the state of the two teams he's played on. The previous three years, the Oakland Raiders were a constant playoff contender. They were 7-9 in 2015 and reached the postseason in 2016. They were 6-6 going into December last year but an offensive collapse saw them lose four-straight. Their defense was ranked 20th in points allowed. Since leaving that ranking has dropped to 31st and the team is 1-3 through the first quarter of the season. The Bears? They were 5-11 last year with a defense that ranked 9th in points allowed. Through the first four games, they rank 3rd and are 3-1 leading the NFC North. Mack has five sacks, four forced fumbles, and an interception during that span. People love to say that defensive players never have that type of impact on a franchise. Ask the Packers about Reggie White. Ask the Ravens about Rod Woodson. Talk to the Raiders about Mike Haynes and the 49ers about Deion Sanders. Those guys transformed their teams into champions and then those teams weren't champions again or not until long after they were gone. Chicago has something special in their midst with Mack. They need to enjoy it while it's here.