Jordan Howard guarantees a playoff spot for the 2018 Bears

The last time a Chicago Bears player made a guarantee was a little over a year ago and it was from wide receiver Alshon Jeffery: who was a few months away from leaving the Bears in free agency.

“I guarantee you we’ll win a Super Bowl next year,” Jeffery told a group of reporters that just got done covering Jeffery and his three win Bears. Jeffery ended up looking like a prophet when his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, did win Super Bowl LII.

The latest Bear to channel his inner-Joe-Namath is starting running back Jordan Howard, who when asked for a season prediction by NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, had this to say.

“The Bears are definitely going to have a winning season. We’re going to get to the playoffs, said Howard. "So I guarantee we get to the playoffs.”

You have to understand where Howard’s optimism comes from. He just went through two years being coached by a Dowell Loggains led offensive staff. He’s now set to be taught by head coach Matt Nagy, who comes from one of the most successful coaching trees in NFL history. Andy Reid's, of course.

“Football is football. We can compete with anybody,” Howard said. “We showed that in a lot of games last year. The Vikings, the first game they beat us by three points. The Lions beat us by three points. The Packers, we struggled with the first game; the second game we almost beat them. We can compete with anybody in the NFL. You’ve always got to be confident. If you’re playing the game, you might as well be confident. If you’re not confident there’s no reason to play.”

The Bears were competitive last year, so with their offense getting a makeover, this team will improve, right?

Second year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky working in a quarterback friendly system with a general manager in Ryan Pace expected to add playmakers can help make that a reality.

The Bears still have to make the correct moves on both sides of the ball this off-season. Howard had thoughts on that as well.

“We have to go after some receivers ... we definitely have to get some receivers in and help Mitch (Trubisky),” Howard said. “I feel like that’s the part that’s going to complete us because we got the run game down, but now we just got to get the passing game going. I feel like that will take us over the top.”

If Howard and "Joystick" Tarik Cohen can keep the running game plugging along, the passing game becomes “modernized,” and the play calling is less predictable, then the Bears should improve from their 5-11 record from 2017. Whether that means breaking a seven-year playoff drought remains to be seen.

At any rate, it's "no more Mr. Nice Guy" from the man they call "Rumble Pak".

Bears fans, get ready to book your postseason travel plans.