The Bears officially reported to training camp Wednesday at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, settling in for the start of their 2017 season.

Coming off three consecutive last-place finishes in the NFC North, expectations and outside excitement remain low. But the Bears believe they can be much more competitive in the season ahead and arrived on campus Wednesday with a predictable level of optimism.

General manager Ryan Pace and John Fox met with the media first. A handful of players also spoke. Here are highlights from those interview sessions.

Ryan Pace

On what separated Mike Glennon from Mitch Trubisky during the spring portion of organized team activities and minicamp

I think you lean on Mike’s experience a lot. You can tell. He’s been in the league for four years with different coordnaitors. And you can feel that. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. But I think really right now you really lean on Mike’s experience and some of the things he’s been through. That’s the reason why he’s here and that’s the reason he’s our starting quarterback. You can feel (his experience) in the huddle and in the meeting rooms and on the field. And that’s natural. That’s what you’d expect for a veteran quarterback when compared to a rookie quarterback.

On how he will be evaluating Trubisky in the weeks and months ahead

It’s all of the things we evaluate at quarterback that we’ll watch. We’re going to be paying attention to his accuracy and his ball placement and his ability to get in and out of the huddle and connect with his teammates and go through his progressions. And it’s learning the playbook. It’s pretty substantial what he’s going through and he’s doing a great job. … It’s just going to be exciting to see that process.

On his expectations for third-year receiver Kevin White

He’s ready to go. He’s had a great summer, a great offseason. You can just feel his confidence building, (greater) knowledge of the offense and just being comfortable with his body. He’s pretty much unleashed. We expect him to be rolling.

John Fox

On his overview of the team he has arriving to camp

I know our coaching staff is really excited. I think this is the deepest, most competitive team we’ve fielded so far. I think there are going to be some hard (roster) decisions. … We’re excited to get start.

On what he views as his strengths as he tries to put a charge into a young team

You can only speak to what you’ve done in the past. I know here recently the last few years have not been very productive. I can see that. I think most people, in general, can. But I think our roster’s at the point now where I think it is competitive. ... One of the things I was probably impressed with was how our guys hung together when dealt a tough set of cards a year ago. It was impressive. Some of those guys are going be able to make our football team this year. And hopefully we’ve even improved with more depth than that.

On whether he feels increased pressure as he enters Year 3 as Bears coach with only nine wins in the previous two seasons

It’s really like Year 28 for me. I’m beyond the feeling-the-pressure part of it. As a coach, you put pressure on yourself. I think there’s a lot of people in that building, in those stands on Sundays, who want to see a winner bad. Every year, whether it’s this year or the last two years, that’s been the main focus and main objective for myself.

Mike Glennon

On how his approach has changed as he reports to training camp as the announced starting quarterback for the first time in his career

When I signed here, I already had my mind set on that. So it is a different approach when you go into the season as the starter rather than as the backup. When you’re the backup, you want to prepare like you’re the starter. It’s just not the same. You can try to trick your mind into that as much as you want. But when you are the starter, it’s different. I don’t know that I’ve prepared that much differently. I just think it’s a different mental approach to know what’s coming.

On the importance of having a bond and a trust with his other offensive teammates

That’s a big part of what being a quarterback is. It’s making those other 10 guys in the huddle better. I think we really have a good group of guys, starting with those guys up front. They’re kind of the backbone of our offense and a big part of Jordan (Howard’s) success last year. We’re lucky enough to have a guy as talented as him. But without that offensive line, I don’t think he would have had those kinds of yards. That’s kind of the foundation of where we are. I think I’ve gotten to know those guys, built relationships with them. I want to play for them. I don’t want to let them down, and I don’t think they want to let me down, either. I think there’s just kind of an unwritten (rule). What you do for your teammates is you don’t want to let them down, and you want to have their back.

On the culture and vibe he feels as training camp gets underway

Everyone is buying-in. We’re wanting a culture of buying in, trusting, understanding, being competitive. Guys understand that three wins is not acceptable. It’s not acceptable to us, to the fans. Fans definitely deserve better than that. I think everybody’s on the same page as far as culture and wanting to bring winning back to Chicago.

On his openness to escalating talks for a contract extension

I love the city, man. It’s funny because, I was coming to Chicago long before I played for the Bears. My mother’s from here. ... I’m a momma’s boy, obviously. And when my mom found out Chicago was a team that was interested in me (during free agency in 2016), she was ecstatic. She was excited. She wanted me to be here. She wanted to be able to come here and see her son play in her home city. In living here, I’ve grown to love it. Go Cubs! I’ve just enjoyed my time here and I’m completely open to ending my career here.