Speaker 1: Welcome into another edition of Bears All Access, brought to
Speaker 1: you by IGS Energy When that broadcast partner from News
Speaker 1: Radio seven eighty and one oh five point out at
Speaker 1: m w BBM, mister Tom there and Jim Miller from
Speaker 1: sirius XM NFL Radio moving the chains with Pat Kerwin
Speaker 1: also joining us today. Coming up at our next segment,
Speaker 1: be joined by the analyst for the Minnesota Vikings, our
Speaker 1: good friend Pete Bursich. Thanks to our producers Jordan Trdup,
Speaker 1: Dan Billy and folks at the Score Chicago's Sports Radio
Speaker 1: six seventy. Good to talk to you guys, a lot
Speaker 1: to discuss. The best news of all Tom and Jim
Speaker 1: is that every stadium has been cleared now for one
Speaker 1: hundred percent capacity. The cults for the last one to
Speaker 1: come through, and so boy, we are tapping on the
Speaker 1: door of normalcy, Big Tom and Jim. Yeah, how happy
Speaker 1: does that make every owner in the NFL? Because when
Speaker 1: you talk about how much that means to what the
Speaker 1: team can do in the future, they need season ticket
Speaker 1: holders in the seat. But then when you look at
Speaker 1: it from the fan respective you love the anticipation of
Speaker 1: the crowd fill in the stadium. Whether you're home or away,
Speaker 1: you like to see how important their role is to
Speaker 1: the NFL. So I'm excited the seats and the stands
Speaker 1: are going to be filled and it's going to be
Speaker 1: an exciting year in the NFL. Yeah, I think everybody's
Speaker 1: looking to get back to their traditions, whether it's going
Speaker 1: down to Soldier Field and tailgating, going in and sitting
Speaker 1: in their seat, and they know the people right next
Speaker 1: to them that probably been season ticket holders for so
Speaker 1: many years and they just want to connect again and
Speaker 1: rout and cheer for their football team. So it's good
Speaker 1: to see. I'm glad the Colts finally were able to
Speaker 1: make that happen, and I think every fan in the
Speaker 1: NFL is excited to get this season going. Night, jem
Speaker 1: I stick with you. We didn't get a chance to
Speaker 1: talk to you last week. You at the Senior Ball
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame, which was outstanding by the way to
Speaker 1: listen to all the different guys and listening to their
Speaker 1: perspectives on life right now in football from their day's
Speaker 1: playing it and what's going on and who wants to
Speaker 1: be in the big Hall of Fame and can't in Ohio, etc.
Speaker 1: But the news regarding the Bears over the past couple
Speaker 1: of weeks. Obviously the big news was the anticipation of
Speaker 1: putting an offer in to the Arlington Park site and
Speaker 1: how you feel about that as an ex Bear who
Speaker 1: played at Soldier Field and just what that due diligence means. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know from my perspective, and I obviously was playing
Speaker 1: for the Bears when they toured out Soldier Field and
Speaker 1: we had to play a couple of years in Champagne,
Speaker 1: and I always felt the stadium meaning news Soldier Field,
Speaker 1: it was shortsighted. You know, they can't even host a
Speaker 1: super Bowl. They can't even you know minimum you have
Speaker 1: to have seventy thousand fans to host a Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: Bears only seat sixty one thousand and Soldier Field. So
Speaker 1: to me, it just it makes a lot of sense
Speaker 1: to really do it right this time. And what I
Speaker 1: mean by that, if you do a domed stadium in Arlington,
Speaker 1: You're able to host the Big Ten Championship game, You're
Speaker 1: able to host a Final Fours, You're able to host
Speaker 1: all kinds of events. I think, what more, what city
Speaker 1: is more perfect for hosting the Super Bowl than Chicago.
Speaker 1: You've got all the accommodations there. You've got great restaurants,
Speaker 1: you've got great hotels. That was the concern in Indianapolis.
Speaker 1: They had to build that Jwmryott Hotel in order to
Speaker 1: really get it approved. The Bears in the city of
Speaker 1: Chicago already have that infrastructure in place. So to me,
Speaker 1: it makes all the sense in the world for the
Speaker 1: Bears to want to pursue this, and Tom you've you've
Speaker 1: felt similarly, and again it's all about assets. So whether
Speaker 1: or not it happens or it doesn't, the investigation is
Speaker 1: worth the squeeze, no question. Yeah. I mean they could
Speaker 1: build an on site practice facility that are Arlington you
Speaker 1: know one thing, living downtown and you drive by Soldier
Speaker 1: Field from the end of the football season till when
Speaker 1: the weather returns, it sits there dormant. There's no activities.
Speaker 1: And when you talk about what dome stadium retractable roof
Speaker 1: could house during those dormant for a stadium you're talking
Speaker 1: about everybody's going to be able to capitalize on that.
Speaker 1: And it's not an egregious drive from the city of
Speaker 1: Chicago out to Arlington Park. So if they were able
Speaker 1: to host that big ten Championship Game, the Final Four,
Speaker 1: a super Bowl, all those wintertime events. Everybody's going to
Speaker 1: benefit from it. It's not going to be people within
Speaker 1: a three block radius of the Arlington facility. So I
Speaker 1: think from all of us, we're all of UI and Jim,
Speaker 1: we're all fortunate to see every stadium that's been built
Speaker 1: in the NFL, and you see what the possibilities could
Speaker 1: be here in the Chicago land area. I think they
Speaker 1: have to investigate the opportunity and we'll be headed to
Speaker 1: La to see so far which we were not able
Speaker 1: to go last year, called the game from the studio
Speaker 1: at WBBM, and then also the Vegas facility. We're gonna
Speaker 1: check that out as well. Jim, you'll be touring training
Speaker 1: camps again. I am assuming so that'll be a recharge
Speaker 1: for you as well to get out of the office
Speaker 1: and get out of the studio, get out of your
Speaker 1: home a little bit, because you do learn a heck
Speaker 1: of a lot. Where are you scheduled to see? Who
Speaker 1: are you scheduled to see this summer? Yeah, we're gonna
Speaker 1: hit the Jets, We're gonna hit the Patriots, We'll hit
Speaker 1: the Buffalo Bills, we'll hit the Pittsburgh Steelers, will head
Speaker 1: south and hit the all the Florida teams. We'll head
Speaker 1: out west, hit the San Francisco forty nine Ers in Seattle, Seahawks,
Speaker 1: in Denver, Broncos. So we've got a big slate of
Speaker 1: camps that we're going to. When we always try to
Speaker 1: go when they're in pads, I think you get a
Speaker 1: really good indicator of what a team is when they're
Speaker 1: in pads, when they're actually hitting. I think you get
Speaker 1: a sense of their toughness. I think you get a
Speaker 1: sense of their identity and what they're going to materialize
Speaker 1: and ultimately be here this upcoming season. You know, Tim
Speaker 1: everybody asks the same question and it usually comes with
Speaker 1: an answer before you can get your answer out. Okay
Speaker 1: they Okay, you meet some fans like I did last
Speaker 1: weekend downtown Chicago, Hey, what are you looking forward to
Speaker 1: the most of training camp? You know? And then they
Speaker 1: say it's got to be justin fields, right, And you know,
Speaker 1: I look at the broader scope on so signaturely looking
Speaker 1: at just the quarterback position, but I think it's inescapable.
Speaker 1: That's what everybody wants to see is the young quarterback.
Speaker 1: But there's still a lot of other things to see.
Speaker 1: So beyond justin, what else would you say are on
Speaker 1: your list of on your checklist of things you've got
Speaker 1: to see you want to see a training camp Listen,
Speaker 1: if the Chicago Bears fans completely ignore full pad contact drills,
Speaker 1: one on ones and nine on seven team work of
Speaker 1: Tevin Jenkins, I think you're ignoring a bigger factor going
Speaker 1: into the state into the season than justin fields, because, look,
Speaker 1: you've got to solidify that left tackle position, and when
Speaker 1: we have a chance to talk to people around the league,
Speaker 1: they understand how important that role is to the overall
Speaker 1: success of the offense. If you have versatility and athleticism
Speaker 1: at the quarterback position, you can kind of, you know,
Speaker 1: have a plan of attack and how you're gonna you know,
Speaker 1: figure out where are you vulnerable up in the offensive line,
Speaker 1: and you can make adjustments accordingly. But you have to
Speaker 1: see Tevin Jenkins and how he fits in against all
Speaker 1: those different types of drills that you're going to see
Speaker 1: him face. I think it's enormous to see. And I
Speaker 1: also think you're gonna have to pay attention to the
Speaker 1: cornerback position opposite of Jalen Johnson, You're gonna have a
Speaker 1: line there of guys that are looking to fulfill the
Speaker 1: obligations to that position. In that role. The cornerback position
Speaker 1: has an equally important role as the left tackle position
Speaker 1: in overall offensive defensive success. Jim, as you look at
Speaker 1: the roster, what are you what are you looking forward
Speaker 1: to seeing? Yeah, I'm with Tom Left tackles important, Desmond
Speaker 1: Truffont does he still have it? The gas left in
Speaker 1: the tank? Op scorer? Hey, I want to see Eddie Goldman.
Speaker 1: He's been away from football for a year. Can he
Speaker 1: solidify the defensive front and be stout up front? That's
Speaker 1: going to be a key component to the Bears defense
Speaker 1: and stop of the run. I want to see Sean
Speaker 1: decide how was he going to be as a play caller.
Speaker 1: You've got a new play caller at the defensive coordinating position.
Speaker 1: I think all Bears fans should want to keep their
Speaker 1: eye on that as well. And NFL players have until
Speaker 1: tomorrow to opt out of the seasons or my second
Speaker 1: so that'll be interesting if anybody does. And of course,
Speaker 1: the angle gym of Aaron Rodgers taking that chance, because
Speaker 1: he'd still preserve a big chunk of his money if
Speaker 1: he chose to do that, he may mysteriously come down
Speaker 1: with diabetes and opt out. I don't know. You know,
Speaker 1: anything can happen in these times that we're in right now.
Speaker 1: So you know, someone tells me he's gonna show up.
Speaker 1: He seems to have a really, really affection for his
Speaker 1: teammates and has affection for his coaches. It's really more
Speaker 1: geared towards the front office. So something tells me he's
Speaker 1: going to be there. All right. More to come, including
Speaker 1: our annual visit with the analysts of the Minnesota Bankings
Speaker 1: that would be in our tour through the NFC North.
Speaker 1: Pete Versage that's coming up next here on Bears All Access,
Speaker 1: don't caago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. Welcome back
Speaker 1: to Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy.
Speaker 1: Choose clean energy for your home at IGS dot com
Speaker 1: because every good choice adds up to a better world.
Speaker 1: With Tom there, Jeff, Joni, Jim Miller from Serious XM
Speaker 1: NFL Radios moving the chains and please for our now
Speaker 1: annual excursion through the NFC North. We stop first to
Speaker 1: the Minnesota Vikings and do reason not because we don't
Speaker 1: want to talk about green Bear Detroit, but we got
Speaker 1: a Chicago area guy in the mix here, Pete Bursitch,
Speaker 1: the veteran analyst for the Minnesota Vikings radio network, the
Speaker 1: former Vikings player, the former coach, and Providence New Lennox
Speaker 1: star along with the Golden domer. Pete, how are you
Speaker 1: doing this summer? I'm doing great. How are you guys? Fantastic?
Speaker 1: Trying to work our way through normalcy. That's the number
Speaker 1: one thing. We're gonna have people at training camp at
Speaker 1: ha us Off for the first time ever. I don't
Speaker 1: know what your team's plans are for training camp, but
Speaker 1: that's the most exciting part from Yeah, we want to
Speaker 1: see these guys on the grass, but it's the fans
Speaker 1: getting to see them up close and personal for the
Speaker 1: first time in a long time. Yeah, the Vikings will
Speaker 1: they will have fans in the seats for training camp,
Speaker 1: So I know they have announced that. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: for the media and for us the people that are dealing,
Speaker 1: you know, with the players a little more closely, that
Speaker 1: is Yeah, that's gonna get back to normal. I mean,
Speaker 1: with everybody you know getting vaccinated, it's it is going
Speaker 1: to feel a little bit a little bit more like
Speaker 1: the old school training camp instead of unstand what we
Speaker 1: had to do with last year. You know, Pete, you
Speaker 1: got the longest ten year coach in the NFL that
Speaker 1: hasn't won a championship, Mike Zimmer after eight years. But
Speaker 1: you also have Kirk Cousins. So when you get those
Speaker 1: fans this around the practice field, who's going to have
Speaker 1: more pressure when their feet get on the field. Is
Speaker 1: it going to be Zimmer or is it going to
Speaker 1: be the quarterback Cousins. That's a great question. We're one
Speaker 1: of the longest franchises without a uper Bowl win. You know,
Speaker 1: we've never you know, we've never had one either. So, um,
Speaker 1: you know, I think that's a great question, only because
Speaker 1: I think Zimmers is secure in his position, because you
Speaker 1: put Zimmer, you know, and Rick Spielman kind of together. Um,
Speaker 1: but I think he's pretty secure in his position. The
Speaker 1: only thing that's been changing a lot on his assistant coaches,
Speaker 1: the guys that are underneath him. That's kind of the
Speaker 1: only thing where if you take it take a step back,
Speaker 1: you kind of you know, scratch your head, especially on
Speaker 1: offense with you know, with the Kobi Accs and with
Speaker 1: all these guys that have been rolling through. Um, But
Speaker 1: I do think Cousins. Now, yeah, with Kellen Mond, you
Speaker 1: know people, we have him kind of in the background
Speaker 1: a little bit. Um. I think it. I think the
Speaker 1: it's gonna fall on the shoulders of Cousins, and I
Speaker 1: think a lot of the most of the fans are
Speaker 1: gonna put it on the shoulders of Cousins this year. Well, Pete,
Speaker 1: Jim Miller here, I come from Detroit, so Lions fans
Speaker 1: take offense to what you just said at least four times.
Speaker 1: But I talked to you a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1: When you look at this Minnesota Vikings roster, to me,
Speaker 1: it's one of the best zimmers ever built. We talked
Speaker 1: to you a couple of weeks ago on Sirius Sheldon Richardson.
Speaker 1: You get Daniel hunterback, Anthony bars back, Kendricks is healthy,
Speaker 1: this defense could be something special for the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 1: You're absolutely right. I think you take a look at
Speaker 1: the guys that you bring in inside, and we have
Speaker 1: a couple of younger guys, guys like Genarius Robinson, who
Speaker 1: was a fourth round draft pick kid from Florida State
Speaker 1: whom did a film study on him and loved the kid.
Speaker 1: But we got better up front, you know, we definitely
Speaker 1: got better with the D lineman and that's where it
Speaker 1: all begins. And when you get Anthony barback healthy and
Speaker 1: you have Eric you know, Eric Kendricks, if those guys
Speaker 1: can move to the football, I mean, really, what we
Speaker 1: want to do is play too deep safety and we
Speaker 1: want to play gain to have a gap and a
Speaker 1: half type of thing up front, and you can't do
Speaker 1: that with backup lineman. You know, you need you need
Speaker 1: to have guys up front, you know that can that
Speaker 1: can play a gap and a half. And I think
Speaker 1: we've brought some of those guys in and and defensively,
Speaker 1: we're we're gonna be heading in the right direction, no
Speaker 1: question about it. Yeah, throwing Dalvin Tamlinson, Stephen Weatherly, and
Speaker 1: then the back end. We always seem to talk about
Speaker 1: your secondary because it changes fairly frequently except for for
Speaker 1: Harrison Smith there, but Patrick Peterson at thirty one, as
Speaker 1: you look at him and where he's at in his career,
Speaker 1: how big of an impact will he make at the
Speaker 1: corner position. And then uh, pairing Harrison with Xavier Woods
Speaker 1: now at safety, Yeah, I think you know Xavier Woods
Speaker 1: is kind of a poor man's Harrison Smith. And you
Speaker 1: know what do I mean by that? Exist? You know
Speaker 1: Xavier Woods when you watch him on film, he can
Speaker 1: he can do a little bit of everything. He's versatile, right,
Speaker 1: um not you know, he's he's down in the paint.
Speaker 1: He blitz u, he's covering a little bit of man
Speaker 1: to man. He's playing some deep half, some you know,
Speaker 1: deep quarters. So you saw the Dallas Cowboys use him
Speaker 1: kind of in every way, and that that's really the
Speaker 1: strength of Harrison Smith is that when he walks up
Speaker 1: to the line of scrimmage, the quarterback has to respect
Speaker 1: him because he's a good blitzer. He's also a pretty
Speaker 1: good and run support, you know, and and he's and
Speaker 1: he's really he's good in coverage. He's not the best
Speaker 1: at his position, I think in any one of these categories, um,
Speaker 1: but he definitely is probably the most all around safety
Speaker 1: there is. And your parent and with another guy in
Speaker 1: Xavier Woods, that's kind of the same way. I don't
Speaker 1: think he's as good as Harrison Smith, but he's he
Speaker 1: can do all those things. So you can blitz and
Speaker 1: you can walk him down. And so that's gonna allow
Speaker 1: Zimmer in the defense to play some games with those safeties, right,
Speaker 1: you know, one of Woods a walk up, Harrison Smith
Speaker 1: will walk up. So it's going to give him a
Speaker 1: lot of versatility. Patrick Peterson is just going to give
Speaker 1: us some time, you know, at least give us a
Speaker 1: stabilizing force out at the corner position. It's been you know,
Speaker 1: it's been musical chairs with guys coming in and out,
Speaker 1: guys getting hurt um and you know, watching Peterson last year,
Speaker 1: you know, he got he got guys behind him some times.
Speaker 1: I think those were issues that he had with Buddha
Speaker 1: Baker and communication. But I think if you you know,
Speaker 1: he faced the number one receiver for the Arizona Cardinals
Speaker 1: last year weekend and week out, and if he doesn't
Speaker 1: have to do that with the Vikings, and we could
Speaker 1: just sprinkle him in or give him a break and
Speaker 1: not put so much on those thirty some year old legs,
Speaker 1: I think you can get a good year out of him.
Speaker 1: Pete at the end of the season, Minnesota MVP Dalvin
Speaker 1: Cook or Justin Jefferson. Um, you know, I I think
Speaker 1: Dalvin Cook still still is going to be the MVP,
Speaker 1: and mainly because so much of what our offense does
Speaker 1: is based on him. You know, you with the play
Speaker 1: action passed in game, with the way Dalvin can pass block,
Speaker 1: and again his explosiveness in the running game. I think
Speaker 1: he is and this is not this is not the
Speaker 1: takeaway from from the you know, from the from the
Speaker 1: young man, but Dalvin Cook is what makes his offense go.
Speaker 1: He does justin Jefferson, Um, he fits this thing perfectly
Speaker 1: in what Cousins wants to do with the play action
Speaker 1: and you know, and getting the ball deep down the
Speaker 1: field when you're trying to cover him one on one
Speaker 1: of eight guys in the box to stop Dalvin Cook. Yeah,
Speaker 1: then you know, then we're gonna get you with their
Speaker 1: wide receivers. But it all starts and stops. I think
Speaker 1: with with Dalvin Cook, Well, he's our MVP right now,
Speaker 1: all right. You know, well, key spot up front is
Speaker 1: going to be that left tackle position. And much like
Speaker 1: the Chicago Bears that have Tevin Jenkins who they drafted
Speaker 1: Christian Darsau, by all indicators, he's he's the real deal.
Speaker 1: What are the early indicators that you see Pete, Well,
Speaker 1: he missed a little bit of time because he had
Speaker 1: a he had a abdominal injury. In college that flared
Speaker 1: up on him. Um, Christian Darisaw is gonna be as
Speaker 1: good as he wants to be. And and and I
Speaker 1: think I kind of look at Tom in this respect.
Speaker 1: And you see these guys that are so big and
Speaker 1: they're so athletic, they get drafted in the first round.
Speaker 1: It's just because of their height, weight, speed. They're immeasurable.
Speaker 1: They're they're measurables. Excuse me, but it's the it's the
Speaker 1: immeasurables that are gonna make this kid if you can
Speaker 1: stay healthy and if he will, you know, if if
Speaker 1: he works hard, and it's it's it's hard to it's
Speaker 1: hard to even speak those words to say, yeah, this
Speaker 1: guy comes in and just works hard, he's gonna be
Speaker 1: a great pro. But that's the case. I mean, he's
Speaker 1: in a monster of a kid. Um, great feet, can recover,
Speaker 1: can do all those things the scouts talk about it.
Speaker 1: It's just a matter of him putting it all together.
Speaker 1: So our you know, you got your fingers crossed. And
Speaker 1: we know that with the way spring ball is in
Speaker 1: college and with the way these college kids come out,
Speaker 1: they're less and less refined. There's more and more for
Speaker 1: them to learn. From a technique standpoint, UM, mentally, tackles
Speaker 1: not as hard as most positions. You know, you block
Speaker 1: the defensive end ninety percent of the time, You're gonna
Speaker 1: be right, you know what I'm saying that Mentally, it's
Speaker 1: not that much of a challenge. Um, it's the physical challenge.
Speaker 1: And he's gonna be going against the best defensive players
Speaker 1: in the world week after week after week at that position.
Speaker 1: It does he have the mental toughness to compete. You
Speaker 1: can't take a snap off, you can't have a bad quarter,
Speaker 1: you can't have a bad series, you can't. So um,
Speaker 1: that's just that's the only question with him. And you know, uh,
Speaker 1: fingers crossed. He's you know, he's gonna be the left
Speaker 1: tackle for the next four or five ten years. I guess, well, Pete,
Speaker 1: you know the one thing, Pete Versus analysts for the
Speaker 1: Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Area product joining us here on
Speaker 1: Bears All Access with Tom There, Jeff Joniac, Jim Miller.
Speaker 1: One more round of questions from us that you also
Speaker 1: left out the one important thing. You know, you alluded
Speaker 1: to Tom as one of those big guys coming out
Speaker 1: of college, but he also has the Neanderthal gene, you know,
Speaker 1: and so he comes in. It's as well, that's never
Speaker 1: gonna change, right that he's still that way right now. Right,
Speaker 1: if you look, if you look in a you know,
Speaker 1: a scout, the scouting Bible, there's a definite personality difference
Speaker 1: between guard and tackle. Right. The guard is the guy
Speaker 1: that's going to try to date your sister and take
Speaker 1: her out, right, the guard, the guard is the guy
Speaker 1: that you got to keep an eye on. They're the
Speaker 1: dirty ones, they're the mean ones. And you know, the
Speaker 1: tackles are the tackles are just they're a little more calm,
Speaker 1: and you know, it's kind of flowing or whatever. But
Speaker 1: it you gotta you gotta be to be an offensive guard.
Speaker 1: You gotta have a little you know what in your neck.
Speaker 1: And so I don't, I don't. I don't trust them
Speaker 1: as far as I can throw them. Pete, what about
Speaker 1: your once in a decade transition at the tight end position.
Speaker 1: You got rid of Kyle rode off, and now you know,
Speaker 1: there's there's still a lot of high expectations for that position.
Speaker 1: Because what it means the Dalvin Cook in the running game,
Speaker 1: what it means of the passing game, but how is
Speaker 1: that going to transition at that position? Yeah, that's I
Speaker 1: think that's a great question. And I think in this
Speaker 1: day and age, with all the with all the five
Speaker 1: man fronts, the bear fronts and things that you see, UM,
Speaker 1: a good run blocking tight end is you know, is
Speaker 1: UH is a necessity. I did a study on all
Speaker 1: of Dalvin Cook's big runs from last year and amazingly,
Speaker 1: Kyle Rudolph was in for quite in quite a bit
Speaker 1: of those. And that Kyle Rudolph was in. What I'm
Speaker 1: saying is Kyle's not the guy pile drive and these
Speaker 1: defensive ends and moving bodies. It's the threat of the
Speaker 1: pass and then the threat of the you know, the
Speaker 1: threat of the past. At the same time, Um, Kyle,
Speaker 1: he was a good blocker at best IERF. Smith Junior
Speaker 1: UH is a little bit more of a fullback type
Speaker 1: of a body now as tall and long um and
Speaker 1: ERF Smith Junior was in for quite of those plays
Speaker 1: and a lot of those were him coming out of
Speaker 1: the backfield some misdirection things. UM. So with her, we
Speaker 1: have another guy, Tyler Conklin, who we really thought was
Speaker 1: more of a rum locker, but he wasn't on the
Speaker 1: field much for these runs he's gonna be. He's more
Speaker 1: of a receiving tight end. But it's Ierf Smith Junior show.
Speaker 1: We've seen it with tight ends in your guy that
Speaker 1: you guys have is I would love to have him.
Speaker 1: What's he notre dame guy? Forget his name off top
Speaker 1: of my head, but come out. Yeah, a comet. And
Speaker 1: the reason why is because he can do both right.
Speaker 1: He's a good blocker and he's a good receiver. But
Speaker 1: Commet would be I think a perfect fit for us.
Speaker 1: But it takes a while. It takes it takes a
Speaker 1: couple of years for tight ends to develop. I mean,
Speaker 1: they got to learn the run game. They gotta learn
Speaker 1: all the fundamentals of run blocking. They gotta do it
Speaker 1: from the left side the right side, and then they
Speaker 1: got to learn how to run routes and memorize the
Speaker 1: pasttory and do all those other things. So um IERF
Speaker 1: Smith Junior is kind of, I think a quiet little
Speaker 1: key for our offense if he can really take it
Speaker 1: to that next level and be a threat. Because I
Speaker 1: don't know who are number three receiver is gonna be?
Speaker 1: You guys, that's a you know, you guys probably wondering
Speaker 1: two maybe not maybe don't care. I don't. I don't
Speaker 1: blame you. But you know who's who's that number three
Speaker 1: receiving threat and right now or Smith might be our
Speaker 1: number three receiver too. Well, it's interesting Zimmer put his
Speaker 1: number on Prole just to motivate Olabes and the other
Speaker 1: guys that are behind him BB as well. I thought
Speaker 1: that was pretty interesting. Right before you guys leave for
Speaker 1: training camp. Last one for me, Pete, and always appreciate
Speaker 1: your time. When you look at Mike Zimmer as a coach,
Speaker 1: typically he's been a pretty conservative coach. But all the
Speaker 1: pieces look to be in place that you just explained.
Speaker 1: Do you think he's more aggressive this year in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty one, knowing the roster that he has in place. Um,
Speaker 1: maybe aggressive? Maybe aggressive in play calling? You know, I
Speaker 1: don't think with with Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson. You know,
Speaker 1: at six hundred and fifty pounds of bodies in the middle,
Speaker 1: I think when our defense is playing at its best,
Speaker 1: it's a little more conservative, you know, it's a little
Speaker 1: bit more of the two you know, two deep show
Speaker 1: type of a game that he plays. Um, that's when
Speaker 1: our that's when our defense is at its best. It's
Speaker 1: not a it's not a pin your ears back and
Speaker 1: blitz and get after him. Uh So, from a play
Speaker 1: calling standpoint, I think defensively he might get a little
Speaker 1: bit more conservative. I think offensively is where uh you're
Speaker 1: gonna see. I think maybe hopefully a little bit more
Speaker 1: none I would say explosivity, but just some more chances
Speaker 1: I guess being taken. You know, yeah, and and and
Speaker 1: you know, here's another thing too, with fans in the
Speaker 1: stands again for the first time you have you have
Speaker 1: a whole pile of rookies from last year. They have
Speaker 1: no idea what crowd noise is all about. They have
Speaker 1: no idea what it's like. Uh. You know, when you're
Speaker 1: when you're playing defense and it's third and one or
Speaker 1: fourth and you know, fourth and inches and you're at home,
Speaker 1: you have the crowd noise. You know, the coaches get
Speaker 1: to kind of get used to that too. You know,
Speaker 1: the coaches are gonna have to go back and say,
Speaker 1: all right, yeah, we we couldn't do this, We couldn't
Speaker 1: hard count all the time, we couldn't do all these
Speaker 1: different things because we're on the road and in the
Speaker 1: crowd noise, and that's all coming back as well too.
Speaker 1: So but you know, Zimmers is definitely methodical. He's not
Speaker 1: a gambler by nature on defense as a play caller.
Speaker 1: But again, and I think the other part of it
Speaker 1: too is special team. Special teams have been a bit
Speaker 1: of a thorn on our side. We don't know who
Speaker 1: our punt returner is going to be. We don't know
Speaker 1: who our kick returner is going to be. Not that
Speaker 1: that's as important as it used to be, but I'd
Speaker 1: like to see him get a little bit more you know,
Speaker 1: some fakes. It's just I think he might get a
Speaker 1: little more aggressive that way, only because he's going to
Speaker 1: have I think a lot more confidence in his defense. Well,
Speaker 1: you mentioned thorn in the side. The Bears have been
Speaker 1: to the Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins one and four
Speaker 1: record for Cousins at quarterback against beloved Navy Blue and orange,
Speaker 1: you know, and now not gonna stay for six months.
Speaker 1: We don't play the Vikings until Monday night at Soldier
Speaker 1: Field December twentieth, and that your place to wrap things
Speaker 1: up as we always do on January night. So, Pete,
Speaker 1: it's been nice knowing you until then. Well, you know,
Speaker 1: and that's I have a question for you guys. Is
Speaker 1: your you know the schedule, you take a look at
Speaker 1: its seventeen games. You know it's a bit of but
Speaker 1: it's all division heavy in the second half. I think
Speaker 1: all of our division games at the last eight weeks
Speaker 1: of the season. I don't know if that's just a
Speaker 1: Viking specific thing or is that something the league is
Speaker 1: doing now, trying to get all those division games, Because
Speaker 1: if you know, with that being the case, you can
Speaker 1: almost look at it and say, hey, if we start slowly,
Speaker 1: not too worried about it, because the real games, the
Speaker 1: important games, are all in the second half of the season.
Speaker 1: Well that's a fair point because you know, also it's
Speaker 1: survival of the fittest by then two roster erosion due
Speaker 1: to injury and whatnot that could come into play in
Speaker 1: the division, and so many wildcard stories. You can't really
Speaker 1: predict what's gonna happen, and Ian ever can. That's why
Speaker 1: I always laugh when the writers start to, oh, this
Speaker 1: is what the record is going to be when the
Speaker 1: schedule comes out in April. Never works out that way. Pete,
Speaker 1: we gotta run. Thank you so much. Always good to
Speaker 1: talk to you. Bear's All Access with Tom There Jim.
Speaker 1: I'm Jeff Joniac on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score.
Speaker 1: The Chicago Bears Network presents Inside the Bears, brought to
Speaker 1: you by Verizon At Anthony Adams and Lauren Screeden cover
Speaker 1: the world of Bears football on and off the field
Speaker 1: every Sunday night at ten thirty five pm on Fox
Speaker 1: thirty two Chicago, or watch anytime at Chicago Bears dot
Speaker 1: Com around the Bears Official app. Welcome back to our
Speaker 1: program tonight, Bears All Access brought to you by IGS
Speaker 1: Energy with Tom There and Jim Moller. I'm Jeff Joniac.
Speaker 1: Just heard from Pete Bursitch, the longtime analyst for the Vikings.
Speaker 1: There were so many things fellas that we didn't get
Speaker 1: to talk about because the interesting aspect of Gary Kubiak
Speaker 1: no longer there, but son Clint Jim as the offensive coordinator.
Speaker 1: Now they keep it in the family up there with
Speaker 1: Mike Zimmer's kid Adam as the co defensive coordinator. They're
Speaker 1: running out, they're running out of siblings and so forth.
Speaker 1: Up there. Yeah, well will you look at it? Obviously,
Speaker 1: Kevin Stefanski was a really good play caller. He moves
Speaker 1: on to the Cleveland Browns. But really, Kevin and Clint
Speaker 1: grew up together. They were always under Gary Kubiak, and
Speaker 1: he kind of took them under his wing, and you know,
Speaker 1: I think they're both fantastic coaches, and I think Clint
Speaker 1: really isn't going to stray away from what his dad
Speaker 1: has really wanted to do. It's really about the outside
Speaker 1: zone run, and it's about the play action pass off
Speaker 1: that they do a lot of bootlegs. They do a
Speaker 1: lot of play action. They've got two fantastic receivers. Plus
Speaker 1: I believe IRF Smith is a pretty strong tight end.
Speaker 1: So I don't think Clint is gonna stray from the script.
Speaker 1: He knows what they do well, and they're gonna stick
Speaker 1: with their bread and butter, and they've got a good
Speaker 1: defense to back it up in time. When you look
Speaker 1: now at the Vikings depth chart and you hear all
Speaker 1: those names, especially the big beef upfront defensively, how it
Speaker 1: matches up with what the Bears are going to want
Speaker 1: to be in twenty twenty one. Offensive believe with Andy
Speaker 1: Dalton getting into the ball quick, getting into the guys
Speaker 1: in the right areas, at the right moment. He's a
Speaker 1: confident quarterback in the pocket and he knows how to trigger.
Speaker 1: He's got poison there. But the guy's up front. As
Speaker 1: you alluded to in the first segment tonight about Tevin
Speaker 1: j it's the entire offensive land in general. Now to
Speaker 1: deal with that, how do you see the Bears matching
Speaker 1: up with the Bikes? You know what's weird, Jeff, And
Speaker 1: you brought it up with Pete the first time the
Speaker 1: Vikings play the Bears. It's it's beyond the halfway point
Speaker 1: of the season. So what we're dreaming of and talking about?
Speaker 1: And I know all these people said, all the Minnesota
Speaker 1: Vikings have one of the top ten rosters in the NFL,
Speaker 1: And what do we July first? What does I mean?
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. It's because what team are they going
Speaker 1: to be facing when they you know, they face each
Speaker 1: other the first time. So, yeah, if Minnesota stays healthy
Speaker 1: on the defensive side of the ball, and Mike Zimmer
Speaker 1: gets some consistency in his line up and some of
Speaker 1: these guys that they sign that thirty plus years old
Speaker 1: can hold together for the entirety of the season, that's
Speaker 1: exactly what Mike Zimmer is looking for He's gonna let
Speaker 1: the offensive coaches coach the offense. But now you got
Speaker 1: to talk about Kirk Cousins. Is he going to be
Speaker 1: the efficient quarterback in which they dreamed of when they
Speaker 1: signed him a couple of years ago from Washington? Is
Speaker 1: Dalvin Cook gonna be the running back who's capable of
Speaker 1: being one of the best in the NFL at that position?
Speaker 1: And is Justin Jefferson going to be able to answer
Speaker 1: the bell in the year two because he's not gonna
Speaker 1: become He's not gonna start as an unknown. He's gonna
Speaker 1: be known as their star quality football player. And every
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator is gonna try to put together packages how
Speaker 1: to take him off, not off of the field, but
Speaker 1: out of the game to limit his impact. So there
Speaker 1: are so much that is gonna change in between now
Speaker 1: and the first time to bear see the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 1: All true, Jim, But you know this is what football
Speaker 1: brings to the table. This is why the NFL is
Speaker 1: so great. We can talk about this stuff July first
Speaker 1: and dream about the matchups all the way coming up.
Speaker 1: In our next segment, we're gonna preview our next position group.
Speaker 1: Last week Jim, you missed a missed out on the
Speaker 1: offensive line. We're going to tackle the receivers in our
Speaker 1: next next segment. But you know the thing about Zimmer
Speaker 1: that I respect, They're going to be competitive no matter what.
Speaker 1: He's never lost, He's never had less than seven wins.
Speaker 1: He took his team to the NFC title game just
Speaker 1: a few years ago in seventeen. The Bears were great
Speaker 1: and eighteen. So you know the rebound is expected for
Speaker 1: both because of the types of star quality they have
Speaker 1: on both sides of the field. Look at Dalvin Cook.
Speaker 1: You take Aaron Rodgers out of the mix, he might
Speaker 1: be the best player overall in the division. If it's
Speaker 1: not Aaron Rodgers in terms of his impact. Well, here's
Speaker 1: what I think of Zimmer, right, he's a defensive coordinator
Speaker 1: by trade. Let me just give you their defensive statistics
Speaker 1: from last year. They finished twenty seventh overall in the NFL.
Speaker 1: They were twenty ninth in stopping team scoring. They were
Speaker 1: twenty seventh against the run, They were twenty fifth against
Speaker 1: the past. There were twenty eighth in sacks. These things
Speaker 1: do not sit well when you're a head coach and
Speaker 1: you're a defensive coordinator. That has to be corrected. That's
Speaker 1: where they directed all their attention here this offseason, and
Speaker 1: Zimmer will not let that. I can guarantee you every
Speaker 1: week he gets in front of that defense, he's going
Speaker 1: to tell them how bad they sucked last year defensively,
Speaker 1: because that's where his stamp is. It's on defense, and
Speaker 1: he wants that to emerge again in time. I feel
Speaker 1: the same way about Matt Naggie in front of his offense. Yes,
Speaker 1: you don't think that sits well with him. What's happened
Speaker 1: the last couple of years. I think that is as
Speaker 1: big a story as Zimmer's defense in Minnesota, Oh, no
Speaker 1: doubt about it. And you know you always have to
Speaker 1: have that caveat that asterisk if Aaron Rodgers, whatever, however
Speaker 1: you want to finish that sentence, because I think it
Speaker 1: elevates the role of each of these head coaches. Because
Speaker 1: they've been around their teams for a period of time,
Speaker 1: they have a real confidence that if Zimmer's defense stays healthy,
Speaker 1: he can provide a spar for the team. If Andy
Speaker 1: Dalton continues to emerge as the starting quarterback in the
Speaker 1: development of justin fields, this offense has potential ahead of it,
Speaker 1: and so yeah, both of these coaches they have a
Speaker 1: lot of I think they have it's not pressure. I
Speaker 1: think they have a lot of confidence and they can
Speaker 1: bring to the table what's needed from their from their
Speaker 1: football team and their players. And I think there's a
Speaker 1: more weaponry on the skill set that Fitz Matt Naggie's
Speaker 1: scheme and what he wants to do will broach that
Speaker 1: the receivers. Coming up next as we do our camp
Speaker 1: breakdown ahead of the July twenty seventh start at Hatisall
Speaker 1: with Jim Miller and Tom There. I'm Jeff Joni Aac
Speaker 1: on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the score. This segment
Speaker 1: of Bears All Access is brought to you by Athletico
Speaker 1: Physical Therapy. Visit Athletico dot com to request an appoyment
Speaker 1: in clinic or virtually and start feeling better tomorrow. I
Speaker 1: got two guys, two x NFL players with significant NFL
Speaker 1: experience that gets through the rehab with hip replacements, knee replacements. Guys,
Speaker 1: you guys can speak to all this. Tom just had one,
Speaker 1: how's that been and what advice would you give to
Speaker 1: other NFL players that put in the time You did
Speaker 1: a decade plus in the league, not to mention your
Speaker 1: experience at the high school and college level to prepare
Speaker 1: for what's next and how to stay active and stay
Speaker 1: stay ready for anything, because you just don't. You're not
Speaker 1: a guy that's not going to sit around neither as
Speaker 1: Jim right. I mean, I just think you got to
Speaker 1: be diligent about any type of rehab you ever go
Speaker 1: throughout the course of your career. If you're a young
Speaker 1: high school kid that has an injury and then you
Speaker 1: have to go to physical be diligent about it because
Speaker 1: it's going to help you in the long run. It's
Speaker 1: the same thing after hip replacement. The process of going
Speaker 1: through the physical therapy is the reason why I feel
Speaker 1: as good as I do right now. I don't feel
Speaker 1: like I'm any more inhibited than anything I can do.
Speaker 1: The first thing I asked the doctor, can I surf
Speaker 1: after I get this thing done? He goes, I've never
Speaker 1: had that question ask to me, but we'll see as
Speaker 1: the process go. And so I went to see him
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago, and he says, I wouldn't
Speaker 1: stop you from doing anything you want, So listen, Matt,
Speaker 1: it's we're super fortunate in the world today that we
Speaker 1: have procedures that we can have in order to get
Speaker 1: back on our feet. You know, I feel just as
Speaker 1: good today as as as I ever have. Jim, what's
Speaker 1: the checklist on you? You've had a lot done on
Speaker 1: that battered body NFL quarterback, but you know you got
Speaker 1: a smile on your face. You're still doing what you love.
Speaker 1: But did you handle your rehab for all the different
Speaker 1: surgeries and then replacements that you've had, and did you
Speaker 1: did you do it according to plan or did you
Speaker 1: Are you one of those guys that said, ah, you know,
Speaker 1: like most people, they don't do exactly what they're told
Speaker 1: to do, right. No, I'm like Tom, you got to
Speaker 1: attack it, you know, because uh, you know, you want
Speaker 1: to live life. You know, for Tom, whether it's surfing
Speaker 1: and getting back to things that he enjoys. For me,
Speaker 1: it was about playing with my kids. You know. I
Speaker 1: want to be able to go out and throw football
Speaker 1: with my sons, teach them sports, whether it's baseball, football, basketball,
Speaker 1: you name it, and I want to show them how
Speaker 1: to compete. And so much like your rehab, you gotta compete,
Speaker 1: you gotta attack it, you gotta get after it. If
Speaker 1: those are the things that you want to be able
Speaker 1: to do, and so I took it pretty serious, just
Speaker 1: like Tom, and everything worked out just fine. So I've
Speaker 1: went through that surgery a couple of times. It's not fun,
Speaker 1: but I'm glad I did it because I'm able to
Speaker 1: live and enjoy all the things that I want to
Speaker 1: do in order to teach my kids how to compete
Speaker 1: and play sports as well. All right, let's tackle the
Speaker 1: wide receiver position for the Bears in the twenty twenty
Speaker 1: one camp. I'm gonna throw you guys this right out
Speaker 1: of the gate because I feel it's extremely important, as
Speaker 1: is the slot corner on the other side. The best
Speaker 1: slot receiver on the Bears the guy who can sink
Speaker 1: into his cuts and find those openings in very tight
Speaker 1: bone booth areas and move the sticks and threaten a
Speaker 1: defense from that position. Tom, let's start with you and
Speaker 1: go to Jim. There many candidates, and you could even
Speaker 1: throw you know, the top receiver on the team and
Speaker 1: that mix. He's good at that. But how important is
Speaker 1: that for the ice sight of the quarterback and just
Speaker 1: the overall effectiveness of the offense. If you have a
Speaker 1: slot receiver that can really be dangerous and in the
Speaker 1: middle of the field. God, I think it kind of
Speaker 1: goes hand in hand with the tight end position, whether
Speaker 1: it's Jimmy Gramm or Cole Commet, because the tight end
Speaker 1: is going to be a big interior pass catching athlete
Speaker 1: that can attract him a lot of attention, especially if
Speaker 1: he becomes featured in this offense. And then you think
Speaker 1: about some of the speed they brought in to compete
Speaker 1: at that slot receiver. Now, if they can have the
Speaker 1: element of speed and concern on the other side, it
Speaker 1: is going to continue to open up opportunities for the
Speaker 1: outside guy, but it's going to provide a bigger window
Speaker 1: of opportunity for the quarterback in the interior of the field,
Speaker 1: you know. And I'm interested to see what is the
Speaker 1: future of a guy like Terie Cohen because I do
Speaker 1: still believe that he's a type of guy with his
Speaker 1: skills in his open field kind of threatening ability that
Speaker 1: he could kind of morph into that slot receiver. So
Speaker 1: now you're talking about the development of depth. You can
Speaker 1: keep Darnell Mooney on the outside with Alan Robinson. Now,
Speaker 1: when you got Bird and Goodwin and Tariq calling and stuff,
Speaker 1: you have a variety of guys and styles that you
Speaker 1: can put in that position. Yeah, I think for me,
Speaker 1: I think clearly the Bears wanted to be Miller. They
Speaker 1: wanted to be Anthony Miller. He's had forty nine receptions
Speaker 1: last year, but clearly the message has been sent right,
Speaker 1: he's been on the trade block. They brought in competition
Speaker 1: to challenge him. He to me, has to take the
Speaker 1: next step. When you look at Anthony Miller, So whether
Speaker 1: it's maturity, whether it's more polished, he should have been
Speaker 1: working his fannie off this whole offseason because everything, every
Speaker 1: message for him to get the light bulb to go off,
Speaker 1: has been sent to motivate him. So to me, Anthony
Speaker 1: Miller is really a guy in the spotlight, right, I feel,
Speaker 1: you know, And I've banged the table for this guy
Speaker 1: forever for the time again. I just felt he'd be
Speaker 1: an excellent slot receiver because he's got the quickness to
Speaker 1: get away after the catch. He's got some physicality to him.
Speaker 1: But you got to be in the right place to
Speaker 1: the right time, and that's the message sent down. So
Speaker 1: that brings us to demere Bird. I'll start with you, Jim,
Speaker 1: because he did have an excellent season with New England
Speaker 1: last year, and he's got all that speed to play
Speaker 1: that position. Yeah, I'd like demere Bird. I think he's
Speaker 1: a solid guy that you can count on. He has
Speaker 1: the size that you're looking for from that standpoint, and
Speaker 1: you know he's got the quick the quick judes that
Speaker 1: to get to where you need. He's just a little
Speaker 1: jitterbug that he's going to compete at that position. So
Speaker 1: another opportunity or an opportunity for him, I said, I
Speaker 1: should say to really overtake Anthony Millard. So I think
Speaker 1: really it's up to him and what he comes to
Speaker 1: to do. But I think he's a steady guy that
Speaker 1: you can count on and that's what he brings to
Speaker 1: the table coming from New England. Tom, what are your
Speaker 1: expectations for Darnell Mooney, because Alan Robinson now is taking
Speaker 1: him under his wing. I think he's looking up to Alan.
Speaker 1: They're working out together and Alan gave him the blessing
Speaker 1: last week of this is the watch out for what
Speaker 1: this guy is capable of doing well. I think it
Speaker 1: goes back to a message Matt and Naggie delivered in
Speaker 1: the course of OTAs at Mandatory Minicamp that because of
Speaker 1: what Andy Dalton is going to deliver. You better be
Speaker 1: in the right spot. You better be in the right place,
Speaker 1: and you better have immediate expectations that the ball is
Speaker 1: going to be in your face. It's not going to
Speaker 1: be something where the quarterback's gonna sit there and wait
Speaker 1: and see you open and then throw the ball. He's
Speaker 1: gonna put the ball in the position like the play
Speaker 1: is drawn up. So I think, whether it's Darnell Mooney
Speaker 1: or Anthony Miller, any one of these receivers, you better
Speaker 1: be in the right spot. And I like that message
Speaker 1: that was delivered early by Matt and Aggie about the
Speaker 1: traits and the thinking process of Andy Dalton, because it's
Speaker 1: not gonna be be in a general vicinity. Now, it's
Speaker 1: gonna be where you're expected to be. If it's all
Speaker 1: of yards, an end, be twelve yards an end, don't
Speaker 1: be ten and a half yards, don't be fourteen yards.
Speaker 1: So I like the exact science to the offense because
Speaker 1: I think you can be more threatening if everybody understands
Speaker 1: their exact role in not the general concept of the offense.
Speaker 1: All right, tell you well, we're gonna continue the conversation
Speaker 1: because there are many more receivers to discuss our final
Speaker 1: segment just ahead here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy
Speaker 1: to score. This segment of Bears All Access is brought
Speaker 1: to you by CDW people to get it one more
Speaker 1: to go, Our final segment with Tom Thayre and Jim
Speaker 1: Miller from Serious XM NFL Radio. Moving the chains with
Speaker 1: Pat Kerwin Jim. July fifteenth the deadline to get any
Speaker 1: deal done with franchise players in the league, and that
Speaker 1: includes Alan Robinson. Do you have any inclination that there
Speaker 1: could be an agreement or will this just carry on through? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I think it'll just carry on through. I think Allen
Speaker 1: Robinson will play under the franchise tad. He is the
Speaker 1: bears number one wide receiver, and I think he'll be
Speaker 1: a true pro like he's always been a pro. I
Speaker 1: don't think he's happy about it. I'm sure he did
Speaker 1: want to get a long term deal, but the Bears
Speaker 1: have to you know, they have every right to place
Speaker 1: the franchise tag on it and let this play out,
Speaker 1: and so another year will pass. I think Allen Robinson
Speaker 1: will prove to be who he is and then the
Speaker 1: Bears will have another decision to make you know. The
Speaker 1: key after that is you know who's going to emerge.
Speaker 1: Because the Bears have drafted the young receivers like a
Speaker 1: Riley Ridley, Anthony Miller still needs to prove himself. And
Speaker 1: you look at Javon Wims, who will have an opportunity.
Speaker 1: Can he can any of these players step up and
Speaker 1: really replicate what Alan Robinson has done. So that's why
Speaker 1: the Bears drafted him. And who knows he might be
Speaker 1: leaving in free agency next year or the Bears will
Speaker 1: have a decision to slap another franchise tag or really
Speaker 1: extend him and really income to a lucrative contract. I
Speaker 1: think he'll be a pro's pro about it, though, and
Speaker 1: he understands the position he's in and he's got an
Speaker 1: opportunity to prove himself and show his work to the
Speaker 1: entire NFL. Two hundred receptions and nearly twenty four hundred
Speaker 1: yards time over the last two years with the Bears,
Speaker 1: and you know, he said all the right things at
Speaker 1: the veteran mandatory Minicamp about what he is planning to do.
Speaker 1: He sees great potential still for himself as a player.
Speaker 1: He's not hit his ceiling yet and he's working hard
Speaker 1: to deliver on an addition of speed with a ball
Speaker 1: in his hands after the catch, which you know in
Speaker 1: this day and age in the NFL, you can't get
Speaker 1: everything with long bombs down the field. You gotta get
Speaker 1: guys with a ball in the hands and get them
Speaker 1: yards after the catch to move those sticks. And he
Speaker 1: has that capability. You know, yards after the catch sometimes
Speaker 1: are because of the quarterback of soul efficient and where
Speaker 1: he's placing the football in terms of how close the
Speaker 1: coverage is to him. And he said, look, I like
Speaker 1: to tell I would like to turn an eight yard
Speaker 1: catch into a twelve yard catch. So he's not looking
Speaker 1: at things unrealistically. But when we look at things, we
Speaker 1: have to look at things from a business standpoint and
Speaker 1: then a player standpoint, because I admire everything Alan Robinson
Speaker 1: has ever shown to the Bears fans, the organization, what
Speaker 1: he's willing to do, and the type of influence in
Speaker 1: the cloud he carries inside the locker room. And then
Speaker 1: you have to look at it from a business standpoint.
Speaker 1: When you look at what the salary command demand is
Speaker 1: excuse me, for those top couple receivers in the league,
Speaker 1: that's when you have to start weighing the player against
Speaker 1: the pay. Alan Robinson love the guy. I think he
Speaker 1: demands and he commands the respect he gets, but then
Speaker 1: you have to start looking at it financially. All right. Lastly,
Speaker 1: before we go, Marquise good one, he will be a
Speaker 1: training camp because he did participate in the long jump
Speaker 1: at the Olympic Trials and Eugene did not become a
Speaker 1: member of that unit headed to Japan. And I think
Speaker 1: after an opt out season, Jim his body feels fresh.
Speaker 1: If he can stay healthy, you're adding a lot of
Speaker 1: speed eat again to this mix. But the health is
Speaker 1: always a concern. Yeah, it certainly is. And you know,
Speaker 1: for him, I think he's a he's a veteran player
Speaker 1: that really that they're going to be able to count on.
Speaker 1: I think he's hungry to return to the resport. He's
Speaker 1: obviously very competitive, as you mentioned, trying to train for
Speaker 1: the for the Olympics. So I think he brings a
Speaker 1: lot to the table. And I think again he's going
Speaker 1: to be a message center to all those young receivers,
Speaker 1: whether it's Anthony Miller, whether it's Jamre Byrd, whether it's
Speaker 1: Javon Wims. This is what it takes to be a pro,
Speaker 1: and he's been a pro for for a long time
Speaker 1: and he'll definitely add something to the to the mix
Speaker 1: for the Bears at wide receiver. He's a guy you
Speaker 1: can count on, you know, real quick, real quickly. Jeff,
Speaker 1: I don't think we we can't underscore the important role
Speaker 1: that these guys are going to take on special teams.
Speaker 1: Who are these speedsters are going to be able to
Speaker 1: handle that role because it means a lot to feel
Speaker 1: positioned success for the Bears. That's sound Bear Jim Miller. Jim, thanks,
Speaker 1: We'll talk to you next week and I'll do it
Speaker 1: for Bears on Access brought to you by IGS Energy.
Speaker 1: Have a good night, everybody. This is Chicago Sports Radio
Speaker 1: six seventy The Score.