WEBVTT - Preparing for MNF, Vikings | All Access 0:00:00.000 --> 0:00:02.320 It's time to talk Bears football with Tom Thayer Jeff 0:00:02.360 --> 0:00:05.040 Jona Yak, a Thursday edition of Bears All Access brought 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:07.600 to you by IGS Energy. I producers are Jordan trut Up, 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:09.959 Brian Bosik and Dan Brilliant. Thanks for the folks here 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:11.959 at the score with the great job they do, and 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:15.040 thank you all for listening. Tom. All I gotta say 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:17.320 is wow. I said wow when jackim Grant went ninety 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:19.640 seven at Lambeau for the punt return touchdown, the only 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:22.040 one in the NFL this season. And wow in the 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:26.320 situation the Bears are in overall today, as folks may 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.720 have heard by now, nineteen players not practicing, eight with 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:33.320 an illness, five with injury, and then six more added 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:36.320 to the reserve COVID list. That includes guys like Allen Robinson, 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.760 Jesse James, Joe Ea, Booney Way, Eddie Jackson, and Ryan 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:43.200 Noah and practice squadwide receiver Isaiah Coulter added to the list. 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:46.920 That's Eddie Goldman, Maury Edwards, Junior, Larry Boram, and then 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:50.280 the three coordinators Sean decided Chris Tabor and Bill Laser 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:54.640 on the COVID list as well. A real big impact 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:56.959 on the offense with the illnesses. That's not to say 0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:59.040 those guys won't be ready to play in four days, 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.640 but the clock is ticking. How do you size all 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:04.400 of this up? You just gotta be as mentally prepared 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:07.679 as you possibly can given the circumstances. Yeah, there's some 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.720 things at this late stage of the season you're not 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:12.840 going to be able to get out there and physically do. 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:15.480 But when it comes time for Monday, you got to 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:18.920 be mentally prepared to play, no matter if your name 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:22.440 is called in the last seconds before the game or 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:25.160 if you recover from the COVID list and you get 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:28.560 your opportunity to get on the field. They're kind of 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:31.639 fortunate they've been through these circumstances all throughout the last 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:34.720 year and a half to get a better understanding of it. 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:39.000 But you can never be prepared for a situation what's 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:42.959 going on frustration indeed from head coach Matt Neeggie, well, 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:45.680 you never know going I can remember going into last 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:48.120 year thinking, man, this is you know, are we gonna 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:49.960 be able to get through this? And we did, and 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:51.920 then you get into this summer and you say, Okay, 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:53.640 now we're past it. We're gonna we got you know, 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:57.960 vaccinations and these are this is what's going on. We've 0:01:58.000 --> 0:01:59.720 been there, done that, we know how to do it, 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.280 and here we are and and all of a sudden, 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.440 here what you see as a spike in numbers and 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:07.440 for different reasons and and uh, but what you have 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:11.079 to do is you have to understand that again that 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:13.799 you have to what we say last year, expect the unexpected, 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:17.119 that this is the unexpected. It's here. Uh. And so 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:19.000 what we got to make sure that we do and 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.720 maintain as leaders in this building. And what these leaders, 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:24.040 the players that we have, is make sure that they 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.080 stay focused. Sometimes as hard as that can be. You 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:28.240 have to do it. That's our obligation. And that's why 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:30.320 we're here. And so the teams that do that the 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.560 best will work through it. And uh, you know, you 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:36.720 got to look for where's the Where's where's the positive 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:39.720 out of this? I don't know, but maybe maybe there's 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:41.600 a player that ends up playing that wasn't going to 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:44.400 play that that does something I don't. I don't know that, 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:47.079 but maybe there is. And uh, I think that's that's 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:49.600 how you got to approach it. Well, it's a fair 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.800 question to ask, you know, because first of all, we 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.320 don't know if more will be at it throughout the 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.080 course of the week, if if something spreading, it's uh, 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:01.160 it's wise to do what they're doing remote meetings now 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:05.720 on zoom and whatnot. But there's only walkthroughs, there's no 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:07.920 practice throughout the course of the week, and you really 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:11.359 don't know. You can't count on anyone right now. Do 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.960 they have enough players to play? They you know, they 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:17.320 will buy money. But but you know, Jeff, we were 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:21.000 just you know, have this example of Tevin Jenkins from 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:24.359 last Sunday night. He didn't think he was gonna play. 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:27.360 All of a sudden, at a moment's notice, Jason Peters 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:31.160 gets fell on boom. You're in Tevin Jenkins and there's 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:34.280 no looking back. I think that's the same mentality that 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:36.920 a lot of these guys are raised with since the 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:39.400 time they get into the NFL. A lot of these 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:42.200 guys were stars in their college team and they played 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.960 every day and every down. But then you get into 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:47.400 a backup role on the NFL and you never know 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:49.520 when your name is going to be called. Some of 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.200 these guys can go through a full career and never 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:56.200 get that opportunity. But again, that's why these guys are 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.480 in the profession they're in not you know, you never 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:02.320 knew it was going to hit. But you also have 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:04.600 to you have to be prepared for the role that 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:08.080 these coaches that put you in, they have trust, faith 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:12.840 in understanding that when their time comes, you're going to 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:16.440 be ready. Where are your concerns league wide right now? 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:20.080 Because it's not just Chicago, it's Washington, it's Cleveland, it's 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:23.320 the LA RAM shutting down their facility over a hundred 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:26.440 new COVID cases this week throughout the league in the 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:29.560 last couple of days. Just from your perspective as an 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:33.120 announcer right now calling these games, what are your concerns? 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:37.120 I have more world concerns than I do NFL concerns, 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:39.440 because if they had to shut the NFL down for 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:42.680 one week and get everything cleaned up and try to 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:47.920 get control, get back into every day testing, have separation 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:50.880 in the work atmosphere, and try to get this thing 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:54.599 back on track until the end of the season and 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.039 through the Super Bowl, then that's what they would have 0:04:57.080 --> 0:05:01.120 to do. To me, it's hard ignore what the big 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:04.240 picture of the world is, and so m I don't 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.239 want to minimalize and only thinking about the NFL because 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:10.440 they can work things out. They showed last year that 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:14.159 they were capable of doing this when there wasn't a vaccine, 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:20.400 when circumstances were affecting people, you know, in a more 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:24.200 destructive way. So now it's about making sure you get 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:28.719 everybody on track, understand the testing procedures, and possibly get 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:32.919 back into the everyday testing profile. Justin fields full go 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:35.640 today says he's been better ninety percent after the game 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:38.520 against Green Bay, admits some soreness after that game took 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:40.640 some pops in that one. Tried to limit as many 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:43.480 as he could, but his focus is exactly where you 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:45.640 had put it, Tommy. I mean, we've done this before, 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:49.240 so it's not new. You know, we had it week, 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:51.800 we played Detroit on Thanksgiving, so it's not like some 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:53.839 new to us. So um, I mean, at the end 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:55.560 of the day, we're all grown in. We all are 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:57.320 here for one reason and that's to win game. So 0:05:57.360 --> 0:05:59.240 if you guys can't lock in for a walk, dude, 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:00.920 and you know that's on him at the unit of 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.120 the day, and you know it's no part partly my 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:04.720 job to make sure that the other guys around me 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:07.080 are locked in and you know, you know, taking the 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:10.360 Walterrough seriously, he has proved many times that he's got 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:14.880 a really, really fierce determination no matter what the circumstances. 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:19.800 And if it were tomorrow, he'd have a potentially you know, 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:23.400 four new starters on the offensive line. Yeah, but his 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:25.880 role is will be a quarterback. It's not to go 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.279 up in the line of scrimmage, block as a tackle, 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:30.880 go back, catch the snap and then throw the ball 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:34.200 down field. Just do your own job. And we hear 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.920 that preach by coaches all around the NFL. So Justin 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:41.120 has to, you know, take stock and the fact that 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.520 there will be five guys in front of them that 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:46.719 Juanca still is going to get these guys mentally prepared 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:49.680 and you have to shift positions around to make sure 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:52.800 that you got five healthy guys up there. It's the 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:56.440 same circumstances every NFL team is facing time three week 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.960 window to come off ir for Duke Shelley and jermainea 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:02.240 Fetty Germaine's been out for quite some time. Maybe they're 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.320 ready to go. How would you feel about that? It 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:08.320 would certainly help out because the defensive secondary hurting right 0:07:08.360 --> 0:07:10.880 now as well, with Eddie Jackson now on the COVID list. 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:12.760 He was playing Nickel for crying out loud in the 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:17.240 LAMBA game on Sunday nights. Xavier Crawford out today with 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.400 that concussion, So a lot up in the air in 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:22.560 that regard too. Yeah, but you know, listen, man, if 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:26.400 your numbers called, Jeff, you gotta be ready no matter 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:28.920 what the situation is. And this is the most most 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:32.400 unique situation that we've ever been through in our lifetime 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.239 in the NFL. Is you got to be ready to play, 0:07:35.640 --> 0:07:40.000 whether you're coming off of an injured an injury list, 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.960 or you're in a backup role and you're ready to 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.600 go out there and get a starting opportunity. This is a 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.960 a situation too. You're you're hoping for guys to stick 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:49.560 their hand up in the air. Hey, I may not 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:52.400 be close to being one hundred percent, but we are 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:55.200 in an acute situation here. Yeah, we're four and nine, 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:58.760 But you know, is this is important. This is our family. Yeah, No, 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:01.720 one's one hundred percent. And that's the That's every NFL 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.960 player will say that every single time. You know, I 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:07.800 can't remember who it was a couple of weeks ago, 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.240 they were talking to one of the receivers and saying, look, 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:12.800 after the first day of training camp, you never feel 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:15.840 good until a month after training camp is over and 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.240 Marquis Goodwin, yes, there you go. So I mean it's 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.040 you know, whether you're a big guy as an offensive 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.760 lineman or a smaller guy at the wide receiver position, 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:27.400 you're never gonna be one hundred percent healthy man Naggie. 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:30.280 Putting all this in perspective, you have to make sure that, 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:33.840 like for the coordinators there, they have to zoom, which 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:35.840 is what I did, and you have to make sure 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.000 that when you're zooming, the only difference is that they're 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.040 they're not there in person. I mean, that's really the 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.360 biggest difference. And then when you got to practice, they're 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:45.720 not there, so you have to It just creates a 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.640 little bit more for you to for the backup plan 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:51.160 of however that is, whether it's game day or whether 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:53.199 it's the day of practice, or whether it's in meetings. 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:56.199 You know, it's there's some things that you got to 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:58.880 work through. But when you keep, you know, a mindset 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:01.040 of understanding that we're not the only team right now 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.200 in the NFL that's going through this, or really any 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.240 league sports league. There's other teams that are going through this. 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:10.040 When you keep that mindset, you understand it. You try 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:11.960 to stay as positive as you can real quick. On 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:16.600 the coordinators, they've got some experience on the staff obviously, 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:19.800 and Matt mentioned it earlier today throughout the name of 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:22.680 Mike Petton that to me would make sense on the 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:24.760 defensive side of the ball. And they have Tom Herman, 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:26.600 who has been a head coach, has helped out the 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.080 offense and special teams. That could be a guy that 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:32.000 also could be leaned on here, right, You know, everybody's 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:35.760 role has to be elevated. I've never seen a situation 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.480 like this where a team is facing a Monday night 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:42.880 football game and there without their three coordinators in the 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:47.000 week's preparation. Like I said, they're fortunate they have been 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:50.360 through this zoom process before going through the meetings and 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:52.560 if the coaches are healthy and now they can be 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:55.640 on the opposite side of the screen and leading every 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.400 one of the meetings just like we're doing now this 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:00.960 segment of bears One access is to you by athletical 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:04.000 physical therapy. Visit Athletico dot com to requested appointment in 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.839 clinic or virtually and start feeling better tomorrow back here 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.920 on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score Jeff Joniak 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.080 and Tom Thayer. Coming up later in the program will 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:14.920 be joined by Pete Bersich, the radio analyst for the 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.000 Minnesota Vikings. Tom As we look at what the impact 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:20.040 of certain players are this year, we're looking at a 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:22.400 lot of young players as we look to the future here, 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:24.680 a lot of growth potential. Obviously, we can talk about 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.320 Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney and David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert. 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.439 But the one guy, the guy who's already made a 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:33.800 name for himself and is rising, is Roquan Smith. What 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:35.880 are your thoughts on where he's come. We're gonna listen 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:37.960 to him a little bit here in a minute. What 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:41.320 is your overall view of what Roquan's impact is now 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:43.880 will be in the future. Still a young man. Well, 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:46.840 when you talk about impact, Jeff, it's what can you 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:50.160 do for your teammates and a leadership role, both by 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:53.920 example in the off season, throughout OTA's training camp and 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:57.600 then during the regular season into the games. I think 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:01.040 Roquan Smith has developed enough of a voice in that 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:04.199 locker room where if something needs to be said behind 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:08.440 closed doors or words of encouragement before or after a game. 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:12.480 Roquan Smith has earned that right. And I think that's 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.640 the best thing that you can say about a football player, 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:20.400 is that, amongst sixty seventy a type of personalities, that 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.720 Roquan Smith is one of the leaders of the entire room. 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.439 So let's listen in this is our avocant healthcare player 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:31.120 profile Roquan Smith, Sunday morning, ten thirty on Fox thirty 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:34.120 two Chicago and Bears Game Day Live. All right, a 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.560 ro KANDAM gonna start out with a quote from Matt Naggie, 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:37.800 And I don't know if you ever heard it, but 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:40.720 he practices how he plays, and he plays how he practices. 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:44.520 This guy is extremely motivated. He's a football player high 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:48.880 iq Missiuana Field. He's out the show everybody why he's 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:52.800 the best middle linebacker in the National Football League. Does 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.960 Matt Naggy have the pulse of Rokuan Smith? Hey, that's 0:11:57.000 --> 0:11:59.360 exactly it. You know, I feel like I'm the guy, 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:02.200 you know, bost my tail day in and day out, 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:04.800 and the same thing on Sunday, give it my all 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:06.840 every single second I'm out there, and I just always 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.600 remind myself Hey, this could be your last play. So 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:11.960 that's why I go as hard as I do. Why 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:14.079 is it important to you to be the best middle 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.360 linebacker in the NFL? I feel like that's just pay 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:22.000 back to myself, my community, everyone that's instilled a lot 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.920 of great things in me, and just all the hard 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:27.520 work that I put in a year in and year out, 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:29.520 day in and day out, and it's just like, hey, 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:31.839 I want to be the best, so I gotta show 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:34.040 that each and every day. You know, you're the leader 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.640 of the team right definitely one of the leaders of 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.000 the team. Now. I didn't say one. I mean you're 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:42.000 the man right now. This team is about Roe quant 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:44.120 Smith And I know you're humble and I'm putting words 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.160 in your mouth, but the fact of the matter is 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:49.680 the leadership void has to be filled and it's the 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:51.520 younger guys that are going to pave the way for 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:53.520 the future. And you're one of those guys right now. 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:57.560 I know it's important to you to stay humble and 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:00.680 just lead by your actions, but your voice is louder 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:03.360 it is, but you break down the team before games. 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.559 People are turning to you. Now, how does that feel? 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:08.240 And are you okay? Do you have shoulders for that. 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:11.559 Oh absolutely, It's a tremendous on the first and foremost 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:15.400 to be consider one of the leaders of this amazing team, 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.400 amazing brotherhood of guys and knowing that a lot of 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:22.320 guys depend on you in tough moments and when time's 0:13:22.360 --> 0:13:24.200 get tough. So I just try to be that guy 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:27.199 everyone can depend on, and no regardless of the situation 0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:30.600 or the circumstances, I'm always be me and I'm always 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:33.040 give it everything that I have. And I think guys 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:36.439 have no choice but to respect that. What triggered this 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:41.000 because you made many comments intimated often publicly and on 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:45.160 social media that you're driven by something. What is that something? 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:47.880 And what is the criticism that kind of put a 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.320 bird in your saddle that got you to think, you 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:55.760 know what? People don't People didn't always believe in me. Yeah, absolutely, 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:58.559 and that's always there, always been a lot of naysayers 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.720 and people saying you can't do this, do that. So 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:02.640 it's a lot of time just the daughter is just 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:06.000 like proving those people wrong and then just proving the 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:09.560 individuals and the people my family and others that believe 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:12.200 in me. Just proving those people right. And I think 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.760 that's kind of a thing that's just deep inside of 0:14:14.800 --> 0:14:17.040 me and just like, hey, I'm not gonna let myself down, 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.560 nor am I gonna let my people down. So I 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:21.960 think when I'm thinking about that day in and day out, 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.480 is just like it's a tremendous feeling. And then I'll 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:26.720 just be like, hey, I gotta do it whatever it 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:28.960 takes to make sure I don't let anyone down and 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:32.680 prove those other cats wrong. Do you know who those 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:35.360 cats are? There's a lot of them, So I don't 0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:38.680 really get into life a lot of them. You really 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.080 think there were a lot? Yeah, I think there's a lot, 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.840 man for sure. And at least I'll keep telling myself that. 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:47.000 So that is just keep extra motivation on me and 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:48.800 just keep this chip on my shoulder and that I 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:53.080 always forever have. Now that's funny to me, he admitted. Yeah, 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:55.600 maybe it's contrived because he wants to think that that, 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:57.640 you know, but that's been this thing here for the 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:00.280 last year and a half. When he does go on 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:06.120 social media time, it's brief, but it's very focused on 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:08.920 those who don't believe in what he's doing or what 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:10.960 this team can do down the road. For one. It's 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:14.760 most important to develop belief in yourself because I still 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.800 remember high school kids Jeff saying negative things to me 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:21.280 when I decided to go to Notre Dame. They told 0:15:21.320 --> 0:15:25.040 me to my face, I was not academically qualified athletically, 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:27.160 I would never make it. And I still know who 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.560 they are. But when you look at Roquan Smith and 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:32.040 you look at the level he's at in the belief 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:34.840 that he's developed in himself, and then you go back 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.160 and you look at what he's put on display the 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:40.160 first game, first play of the Cleveland game, he was 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:44.000 covering Odell Beckham Junior out of the slot Sunday night. 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:46.440 He read the left guard pulling it was in the 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:50.080 backfield for a tackle for loss before the play got started. 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:53.360 He's made sacks from the outside, He's made sacks from 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:55.960 the inside, and he puts it on display week in 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:59.480 and week out. That shows you his commitment to work ethic, 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.840 but also shows you the belief that he's developed within 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:06.680 himself to know that he's capable of doing and going 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:10.720 beyond everything that's asked of most football players. He's in 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:12.640 a great place. You could hear it in his voice. 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.240 Time things aren't going well, bears are four and nine. 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:17.960 You've got COVID cases popping up left and right. You've 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:21.760 got all kinds of issues going on. Uncertainty rules the 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.240 day right now. But ro Quant Smith is in a 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:27.160 very good place. Is that very good for the organization 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:30.960 foundationally moving forward? It's unbelievable because he's setting an example 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:33.480 for the other guys to pay attention to. There's a 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.080 lot of that outside noise they often talk about that 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:38.680 you have to ignore, and it's about how you get 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:42.920 yourself prepared physically and mentally year round. This is not 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:47.600 something that's the seventeen time year job for Roquant Smith. 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:50.560 This is three hundred and sixty five days a year, 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:56.240 and you know, throughout the offseason, throughout OTA, throughout training camp, 0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:59.520 throughout the regular season. We've never seen a decline in 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:02.600 ro On Smith at any element of his job since 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:05.160 the day he's got here. And I think that's what's 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:09.399 elevated our expectations for him because what he's put on 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:12.040 display to us. Yeah, he was there every day during 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.919 the offseason. That was something we heard about. We weren't 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:17.440 able to see it personally, but we know we heard 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.960 about it. He was there every single day, and that 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:23.439 really bodes well for the future as well, as I say, 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:26.159 somebody that can shoulder that kind of demand and that 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:29.399 kind of load. What's next for him? What do you 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:33.480 want to see from him as a next level to reach? 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.920 Because you're never satisfied. So you know, is it more 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.679 splashed plays? It is it being deployed in a different 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:41.760 way to use his unique skill set? What is it? 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:44.600 You know, Jeff? Eventually he's going to be rewarded with 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:48.200 a new contract, and then that changes the perception of 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:50.760 every other guy that's looking at you in the locker room. 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:53.760 How does Roquan Smith, How does every player around the 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.480 NFL react when they get that second contract? But that's 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:01.080 what we need to see, the void, the voice of 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:04.919 rod Quand Smith become louder in the locker room. He 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.920 needs to prepare at the same level he's been preparing 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.359 at an improving year in and year out, because once 0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:14.639 you get rewarded that money, once you earn that money, 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.560 every other guy is looking how can I do that? 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:21.160 And why did ro Quand Smith? Why was he able 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.600 to do it at such a high level? All right, 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:26.040 coming up next, we're gonna step away. We'll be hearing 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:28.800 from Sam Musta for analyzing not only the Vikings, but 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:31.439 his own play and how the Bears will move forward 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:33.119 on their offensive line. Is they get ready to meet 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:37.200 the Minnesota Vikings Monday night football at Soldier Field for 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.119 the seven fifteen kickoff. This is Bears All Access on 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:43.080 Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The Score back in a minute. 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:45.640 Welcome back to Bears All Access, brought to you by 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:48.320 IGS Energy. Choose clean energy for your home at IGS 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:50.399 dot com because every good choice adds up to a 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:53.200 better world. With Tom there Jeff Joniak here on Chicago 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:56.919 Sports Radio six seventy the score as we ventured into 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.080 the deep deep waters of Bears Vikings coming up on 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:04.520 Monday Night. Tommy Sam Mustifer talk this week. Haven't heard 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:06.800 from him in a bit during the regular week, but 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:09.159 you know, digging out of four and nine, that was 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:12.159 one of the topics here earlier this week. Anytime you 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:14.720 sit in this situation where you're you're four and nine, 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:18.280 you're you gotta find solutions. However, you know, I can 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:21.680 be better for this team, better for this franchise. That's 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:23.680 all I'm looking at. How can I be the best 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.280 center to help you know the Chicago Bears win. That 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:29.159 that's what matters to me personally. There are things that 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:31.440 are out of my control and to put my energy 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:34.159 and effort into things that are you know, above me 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.240 or out of my control, that that's not going to 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:38.840 help the Bears win. What helps the Bears win is 0:19:38.880 --> 0:19:42.240 if I come up Sundays, Thursday, Monday nights to perform 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:44.399 to the best of my ability. He always has the 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:47.480 right mindset, no matter what the performance, no matter what 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.399 the outcome. Sam Mustifer's got his head screw down right, 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:53.200