The Chicago Bears are hoping their pre-season training pays off as they get ready to kick off the regular season Sunday. In meeting with reporters earlier this week, veteran linebacker Brian Urlacher said the Bears aren’t the top seed this year and that’s fine with him.

“We stand up here every year at this time and say the same thing: we’re the underdogs again,” he said. “That’s the way it is every year and we seem to do decent at that role.”

Urlacher said the team has improved on both its defensive and offensive line. The Bears have struggled in the past protecting Quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler said he agrees with Urlacher; that the O-Line is something the team has improved on, which will help him work on his own personal goals.

“Keep the interceptions down, keep the completion percentage high and hopefully everything else will take care of itself and win some football games,” Cutler said.

The Bears have a challenging start to their season. First up is the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field. Kickoff is at noon on Sunday.