BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — Veteran guard Matt Slauson knew the Bears had something the first time he went against a then-rookie nose tackle Eddie Goldman. “He’s going to be really good,” Slauson said, then laughed. “He’s one of those guys that, when it’s your turn in pass-pro [practice], you suddenly notice you need to tie your shoe and tell somebody else to just go on ahead of you.”
Goldman has played up to the Slauson and Bears’ scouting reports and become nothing less than a force on an ascending defense that has kept its core personnel and coaching staff intact.