So when they signed him to a six-year deal worth potentially $91.5 million, the stakes went about as high as his salary.

Opposing quarterbacks figure to be under more pressure. The Bears, meanwhile, were under a microscope as they opened training camp on Friday.

After three straight playoff misses, patience is running thin. Coach Lovie Smith is under a win-or-else mandate from above, as is general manager Jerry Angelo, and he's pulling out motivational tricks, drawing on the past to bring out the beast in the Bears' defense.

Players found "Monsters of the Midway" T-shirts when they arrived at camp.