Spice Adams talks Bears defense, Caleb Williams and Tide partnership
Former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Anthony "Spice" Adams knows a thing or two about getting messy on the football field. He also knows and understands the power of teamwork and a great partnership, that's why Adams has teamed with Tide as they travel the country checking out the best NFL tailgates.
Already having traveled to Kansas City, New Orleans, and Buffalo, Adams has been in some of the best NFL cities when it comes to tailgating. Learning tricks of the trade, Adams spoke to Bears Wire about his top rules for tailgating, and the state of the 2024 Bears. When it comes tailgating, Adams says besides the top rule of always making sure you have Tide available to clean any messes, there's three other big rules when it comes to tailgating.
"I would say, show love to your team, have fun, and take pictures," Adams said. "It's dope, man. I've been talking about how as a player, you pass by all the fun. You see everybody tailgating, they're throwing the ball, they're running plays, they're eating the best food. You pass that on the way to the stadium but you never get to be a part of it. So now, Tide is tackling stains at all of these tailgates. I got a chance to travel to Buffalo, Kansas City, and New Orleans, and nobody does game days like those cities, and no one cleans better than Tide."
As a longtime member of the Bears defense (2007-11), Adams enjoys what he's seeing from the 2024 Bears defense, a unit that he says is not filled with household names, but fits the city of Chicago because of their hard work ethic.
"It's great. It's great when you hold a team to under 21 points, and you're able to take the ball, and create plays that can setup your offense," Adams said. "It's a great thing to be part of especially when you're doing it in the fashion that we're doing it. The old school way, everybody is grinding and running. A lot of these names are not household names and they're just coming to work. It's great to see some blue-collar work in the city of Chicago."
One big name who has broken through for the Bears this season is defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., who plays the same position as Adams once did in Chicago. When asked about Dexter, Adams says he sees a guy who wants to be the man on defense, but also praises defensive coordinator Eric Washington for the job he's done as well.
"He's a hard worker and he wants to be the man here," Adams said of Dexter and believes it's a big credit to Washington and the work he's done. "It's also a testament to Eric Washington, I was with Coach Washington when he was here [in Chicago] with Rod Marinelli and I think the [good] job he's doing with the defensive line, I saw that in preseason. These guys come in and there's no dropoff, I think you got a bunch of unselfish players who go out there and play within the scheme of the defense, and they have fun doing it."
Giving credit where it's due to the Bears top defense, Adams also discussed the growth of the offense, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. While the first few games were a tough watch, he believes getting everything together early in the season will play a major beneficial factor to when the second half of the season when they face the entire NFC North division twice.
"These games are equivalent for him [Caleb] to playing like a UCLA [in college] or somebody like that," Adams said. "These games are really important because it doesn't matter what your record is, as long as you beat everybody in your division, you can go to the playoffs. You got to put an extra onus on the teams that you play in your division, you want to have something to play for, that's when it's fun.
"When you're just playing and you know you're not getting to the playoffs, it takes the sting out of everything. But when you know, you win this game, there's potential to go to the playoffs, you play with a little bit more grind. These are all important games. That's one of the goals to win the NFC North, because it's tough with the Vikings, Packers, and Lions, and all those teams are playing well."
It's fun when the Bears have a good defense, it's fun when the Bears are playing for a chance to play in the 2024 Playoffs, and it's also the best fun when tailgating at your favorite NFL stadium.
Just like Spice Adams does, it's always best to have Tide on deck to tackle any stains that may come to fans' clothing.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Spice Adams talks Bears defense, Caleb Williams and Tide partnership