WEBVTT - All Access: Braunecker finding his NFL footing 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.920 The following is a presentation of the Chicago Bears Network 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:08.440 and Chicago Bears dot Com. Download the Chicago Bears official 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:11.520 mobile app for up to the minute Bears content every 0:00:11.600 --> 0:00:16.640 day and now welcome to Bears All Access, your all 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:21.200 access pass into Chicago Bears football. Bears All Access is 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:25.240 brought to you by IGS Energy and sponsored by Miller Litte, 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:30.920 CDW and four Welcome into another edition of Bears All Access, 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:34.240 presented by IGS Energy, Jeff Jonnick and Tom There my 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:36.760 broadcast partner from news Radio seven eighty one five point 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:40.320 fw BBM, and well please to be joined by veteran 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.519 tight end Ben Bronniker. I know that sounds weird, but 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.159 that sounds good. You're in the grind. You're you're grinding 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:49.760 boards along career in the National Football League. Good to 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:51.880 have you here, Thanks for being here. I know it's 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:55.920 a crazy time, short week for sure, Yes, and two 0:00:55.960 --> 0:00:58.120 games in five days, lots of meetings. While you're doing 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:00.000 one thing, other half of your brands are getting ready 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:02.440 for the regular season opener. How's it all been? How's 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:04.520 it all been for you? It's been quite a ride. 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:09.679 Now that I'm looking back on it, it's amazing. To 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:12.880 see the progress, not only the progress that I made, 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:17.280 but everything that players have done since we first got here. 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.640 We've got the sankest second longest preseason in the NFL, 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:22.880 second to the Ravens reported I think the day earlier 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:27.080 than us, But just like the amount of time that 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:32.800 we've all committed to this journey, it's it's pretty amazing 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:35.640 that it's almost over. But you know what, your whole 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:38.240 journey has increased because here you are. You come in, 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:40.200 you don't know a lot. Where's your place going to 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:43.160 fit in this offense? Number one? And then it fits 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:46.040 in multiple places on the offensive line of scrimmage, and 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:48.120 then you start playing a little bit in the backfield, 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:51.680 full back, h back. So Jeff says that you got 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:54.600 one side of your brain thinking about Buffalo, one of 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.480 it thinking about Green Bay. But then you got four 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:00.360 different assignments that you have to be alert too, and 0:02:00.480 --> 0:02:03.440 even even special teams duties. Yes, for sure, it's a 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:06.840 challenge something that I've really had to focus on and 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:10.320 work hard on since I got into the league because 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:15.280 the adjustment um coming from Harvard or coming from college 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:19.480 football in general. I was specifically an offensive player. I 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:23.600 think it maybe played kickoff return my senior year. But 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:28.480 to come into here and the circumstances be completely different, 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:31.239 and then your job list you pretty much have to 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:34.280 be a Swiss Army knife and do everything. It was. 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.600 It was quite stressful rookie year, but I think of 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:42.760 I think of managed well since then. So going back 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.080 to high school in Indiana, First of all, did you 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:48.040 have any Indiana colleges that you look, you liked, or 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.760 you grew up around or I guess because now it 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:53.400 would be an appropriate attempt to like throw shade to 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.920 all the Big ten schools that that passed up on me. 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:05.320 Uh No, I had a Big ten offers, no Division one, 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:11.400 Single A offers, just Southern Illinois, Illinois. But you had 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:14.560 all these impressive stats as a high school football player. 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:17.519 But then I read honorable mention. Also, what the heck 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.880 is that it says I'll stay and that has got parenthancies? 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:23.240 Honorable mention? Who when the heck was in front of you? 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:29.520 I don't really know. I know that, at least in 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:34.639 Indiana high school athletics, the opinion of the people that 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:38.000 determine all those ratings is that there's nothing south of Indianapolis, 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:41.840 which which I guess is kind of true if you 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.920 I mean, if if anybody's ever been in Indiana and 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:46.360 you can drive south of Indianapolis just a bunch of farmland, 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:49.880 that's that's where I'm from. Um. And so the competition 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:52.040 that I was facing and putting those big numbers up 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:57.480 against was less than stout, I guess, or less than impressive. 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.440 So I didn't, Well, you can only perform to what 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:03.760 your opportunity. And it's that's what the thing about it 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:05.400 was is that's kind of making a joke because you 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:08.000 had those oppressive high school stats, but you've always been 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:10.160 climbing the ladder because when you got here, we're talking 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:13.480 about the student from Harvard. That's no longer a part 0:04:13.520 --> 0:04:17.560 of your introduction. Now it's the multiple faceted football player 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:20.080 for the Bears. It's kind of neat how you've climbed 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:23.680 that ladder. Yeah, it's it's been really difficult, um, but 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.800 focus and determination has gotten me to where I am 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.119 what has been the most difficult aspect of it. And 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.480 you know you're in a place right now where other 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:38.200 guys in that ninety man locker room are are currently in. 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.839 I mean, you did get waved twice. They kept you 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:43.159 here though, So you did enough that they wanted to 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:46.359 keep you here. And now you know that this process 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:50.920 continues and you continually keep adding to your repertoire. You're 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:54.320 getting stronger, bigger, faster, better, you're getting smarter. At the 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:57.560 NFL level, you got a new system that hey, may 0:04:57.680 --> 0:04:59.880 you know, you're gonna tell us that you may fit 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:03.080 ideally in, you know, and so a lot of things 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.440 going in the right direction. But so when you put 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:08.560 all that together, it is a process, right, The whole 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:10.559 thing is a process when you come into this league. 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:13.720 But what was in what is maybe still to this day, 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:17.360 the most difficult aspect of it all. I guess the 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:20.840 biggest challenge that I faced work a year was really 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:27.479 coming to grips with how much pressure there was every 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:32.840 single game, every single opportunity. It was quite the realization 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:35.280 for me that I was no longer playing football for fun, 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:38.039 that this was a business, this was a job. This 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:42.200 is going to determine my future or my teammates future. 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.320 So there was there was a lot writing on that line. 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:51.320 I didn't really understand that coming into or making the 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:55.800 transition from college to when did it crystallize what moment 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:04.000 maybe we'll see. I got injured in a rookie preseason, 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.919 and they kept me around until I was until I 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:10.880 get active I think week three, so that then I 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.640 was without any like, without playing an NFL snap under 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:19.440 the lights. I was thrown out there on Sunday. I learned. 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:22.080 I learned really fast that I had to grow up. 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:25.599 So I tripped up a couple of times, but eventually 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:28.480 got on the right course. Well, Jeff just said, you're bigger, stronger, 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:30.640 faster better than when you got here. A lot of 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:32.920 guys when they come into the NFL, they probably never 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:35.159 achieved the numbers in the combine that they did at 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:38.320 that time. Are you bigger, stronger, faster better now? I 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:40.640 think you had twenty reps in the combine, So have 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:44.960 you elevated your strength, your size, your speed and those 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:48.800 types of things? Definitely. I kind of a lot has 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.520 been made about my combine numbers. I was on the 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:56.960 back of the Wall Street journals saying or something like that. 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:00.400 But to be honest, I was quite disappointed with my 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:04.719 performance because I was tired and ready to go home 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:08.480 by the end of the combine. I think every athlete 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.800 that goes through that to some extent it's ready for 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:13.480 it to be over because they keep you up late 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.200 and then you wake up early to do drug tests 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:20.720 or more meetings, and they really drag you around from 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:25.640 from from interview to interview there at night. But to 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:31.000 answer your question, yes, I've it's really important, or at 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.960 least in my case, it was important to adjust from 0:07:33.960 --> 0:07:37.480 playing ivy League football to NFL football. Like the defenders 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:39.920 on the other side of the ball are quite different, 0:07:40.960 --> 0:07:43.440 so I had to improve my body, improve my speed, 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:47.320 that sort of stuff, and to be more competitive. As 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:51.080 it is, it's time indicated and this is ancient history 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:54.040 now or once you get past the combine. But he was. 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.280 He had the fifth fastest forty time. He had the 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:01.400 third most bench reps among tight He had twenty Yeah, 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:03.400 and he had a vertical thirty five and a half, 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.000 which I'll take any day or the week, and that 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:10.000 was second among tight ends. Had half of Jeff's. Yeah, 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:12.880 And you say you should have done better, So we're 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:16.400 your pay workouts, yes, better or your workouts for the 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:19.320 d Yeah, I improved. I didn't do everything of my 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:21.760 protey because some of those numbers were just going to 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:26.120 be sufficient. But I think it jumped higher on the 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:29.360 on the verb and then ran faster. In my forty 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:32.720 I think that might have been the only two games 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.440 that it did in addition to Catchen Grounds. Yeah, we'll 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:37.320 get into the XS and host part of it and 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.520 football part of it, where you're better also because that's 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:43.560 one thing that you can control, is how you prepare 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:46.640 your body and so forth. And then you know, systems 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:49.040 change and things change, and now you got to recalibrate 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.480 on that aspect of well. Ben Bronicker is our guest 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:54.839 here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six 0:08:54.880 --> 0:09:00.680 seventy The Score. Welcome back to Bears All Access, brought 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:02.720 to you by IGS Energy at proud partner of the 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:06.000 Chicago Bears, providing electricity natural gas at home warranty products 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:08.640 to over one million customers across the country. Learn more 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:11.679 about IGS Energy at igs dot com. Jeff and Time 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:13.760 with You along with Pause Oranger engineer and Dan but 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.480 really producing the show for us and Ben Bronicker kind 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:18.439 enough to give up some of his day for us. 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.680 A veteran tight end out of Harvard making an impact 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.320 last week. I love the way you played last week. 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:26.960 You got you got us all excited, you got us excited. 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:29.160 The run after the catch was big with Chase Daniel. 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:31.480 Yes last week, much of the yards after the catch. 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:37.040 Is that a major component of this offense? The yards? Yuh, 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.720 for sure. I think that the scheme in general gets 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:43.679 everybody that's able to catch the ball in the right 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:47.800 spot or in spots that are able to guess the defense. Um. 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.760 So I'm really excited about playing in this offense and 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:55.560 scene for one, and secondly just seeing what it can 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:59.840 do against NFL defenses. So just a backtrack a little bit. 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.920 So you come out of college, if this offense was 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:05.720 presented to you, now, are you still Ben Bronnicker the 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:07.360 tight end that's going to block on the line of 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.240 scrimmage or would you be Ben Bronicker the you tight 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.840 end and kind of a Trey Burton role because you've 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:14.680 been able to I was looking at some of the 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:16.960 past tight ends you've played within your career, and there's 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:20.240 a lot of them. But you've also morphed into that position. 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.880 And there is two differences between the tight end here. Yes, 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:29.840 I would say probably the latter one because that's I 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:34.920 played in slot and out wide at Harvard, more comfortable 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:39.680 out there. And two, I played wide receiver in high school, 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.320 so a lot of the adjusting process or the adjustment 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:46.800 process for me the first two years of my career 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.480 was learning to play with my hand in the dirt 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:54.040 as an inline tight end. But I recognize that there 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:56.400 was going to be a little bit of a job 0:10:56.480 --> 0:11:00.720 change with the just the way that the the personnel 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.520 and the staff wanted me to play. So this offseason 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.320 that cut a little bit of weight, thought about or 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:13.839 focused more on running faster, improving agility to make way 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:17.480 for myself make transitioning to more as a U tight end. 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:22.079 You told everybody last week, and I was unable to 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:25.200 get it in the pregame show because we got guys on. 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:28.080 Jim Schwantz was a special teams guy with the Chicago 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:30.240 Bears and the San Francisco forty nine ers. Tom did 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:34.959 special teams his entire NFL career, And here Ben Brownicker 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:38.400 was talking talking about I mean, you're just really grab 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:41.000 my Attention's talking about how great special teams is, you know, 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:44.719 and that it's relaxing, and I'm like, whoa, whoa wa, 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.960 We'll back up a minute. Relaxing. I've never heard a 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.840 player in my twenty two years in this building or 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.360 covering the Bears, or back to eighty five, say, special 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:57.800 teams was relaxing, but he finds it relaxing. Will you 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:02.760 please explain to Tom why you it's relaxing relax Well, 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:06.640 I compared to offense, I find it to be more 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:10.080 freeing and in the same sense, in the same sense 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:14.079 relaxing to a certain extent. Uh, there are parts of 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.520 special teams that are not relaxing, like punt, for example, 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:22.479 you're put in a disadvantageous position and ask to run backwards, 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:24.839 stop a man's full charge, and then run down field 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:34.800 tackle AI. Yeah, exactly. But specifically offense asks you to 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:38.480 be at a certain spot in a certain amount of time. 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.400 There were all these rules. Who you're supposed to block, 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:45.360 who you're supposed to read. Special teams compared to that 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:48.880 is just like football for front for fun in high school. 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.719 Just run it down on kickoff with your with your 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.200 friends and everything like that. It's you know, it's really 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.520 I've found it really relaxed at this level. It's it's 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:59.200 really the first wrong of the ladder, because if you're 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.280 coming in here as a rookie and you're not one 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:03.720 of the high draft choices. That's going to be immediate 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:07.280 considered immediate starter for sure. You better contribute on one, two, 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:09.560 or as many special teams as you can. Then you're 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.080 gonna get that game day jersey, that game day activation. 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:14.840 It gets you more reps at your craft on the 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:18.560 practice field and now here you are. That's exactly what's 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.600 happened to me. Uh yeah, so I guess I'm really 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.880 fortunate and the lucky to enjoy special teams as much 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:27.719 as they do. Some can't stand it, some don't want 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.200 to ever do it, you know, rectly right, I hate 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:31.960 to do exactly. I hate to keep bringing it up, 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:34.400 but I did plan it from my first game in 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:37.440 the NFL to my last game and every year in between, 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:40.079 and I was on the wedge on kickoff return. But again, 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:42.640 it is it is a more of a sense of 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:46.240 belonging because when you go to the room and you 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:48.520 look at they always hang up whatever special team they're doing, 0:13:48.600 --> 0:13:50.880 they hang up the depth chart, and when your name 0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:52.920 is there on the top of the depth chart, it's 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.800 just another aspect and you kind of take pride in it. Yeah, 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.960 it shows that the special teams coordinator coach has face. 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:03.240 Thank you that the staff upstairs trusts you to do 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.640 something that's difficult, and they have a lot of voices 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.880 these days too, special teams coordinators that dictate. You know, 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:12.400 it's going to dictate in some cases not a grand 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:15.720 number of players, but it'll dictate who makes this football 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:19.360 team on Saturday afternoon and the cut to fifty three. 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:23.440 It reminds me of reading about Trey Burton's background because 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:26.760 special teams. He was a quarterback at Florida for crant Old. 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:30.000 He played multiple positions, but the special team. So apparently 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.560 he's in a meeting with Dave Phipp, who at that 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:35.440 time was the special team's coordinator still maybe in Philadelphia, 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:38.960 I don't recall, but Dave Phip, you know, he's Trey's 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:41.880 asking him questions about stuff, and that guy shines the 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:45.080 little pen light on the depth chart and treys like, 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:47.200 you know, the fifth tight end or sixth tight end, 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.960 so you know, don't focus on offense, focus on this. Well, 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:54.600 Trey turns out to be the NFL's on the NFL 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.560 All Rookie Team. As a special teams player, he was great. 0:14:57.680 --> 0:15:01.120 I remember. Yeah, so trades production was amazing first couple 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.520 of years in the league and that's the key, and 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:05.600 that's the key. And if everybody comes in the league 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:08.240 thinks the same way you do, I think they have 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.640 a greater shot at being somebody that can be here 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.040 and put together a five, eight, ten year career. It's 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.160 a humble pie, though, because for the first time in 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:19.360 some five star careers, you know they have to be 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:21.760 on special teams. You know, you're not a five star 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:24.560 high school kid going to whatever program. You're coming to 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:28.280 the National Football League and look, you're gonna play participate 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:31.440 on special teams. There is a big difference between special 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:35.280 teams coordinators. I think we've talked to people about this, 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:40.520 including yourself. What do you think about our friend right now, 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:44.720 because he's been here before. We love tabes and he's 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:46.720 he's got a lot of intensity. Yet he's just that. 0:15:46.840 --> 0:15:49.440 He comes off as being just you know, hey, old 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:53.760 golly gee. Yeah, but he's not. He's he's a character. 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:57.600 On one hand, he will if you're having a bad day, 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:02.520 he will give you five different jokes, one liners, knock knock, 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:04.680 whatever you need to get you to get you to 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:08.640 smiling and you like, have a better day. But on 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:13.760 the other hand, he's got this fire within him kind 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:18.080 of kind of crazy fire that comes up on game day. 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.880 If you watch him on the sidelines, it's it's like, 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.520 it's it's amazing. It's just like the craziness, the look 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:29.200 in his eye, it's it's unlike anything you've ever seen. Well, 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.080 the personalities you're dealing with on the special team, especially 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.160 when you have guys like Balami and stuff that have 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.920 made a career on a special team. Sherrick McManus. He 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:39.000 makes a huge play the other day on the punt, 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:43.800 perfect form tackle, you know, getting downfield, and you know, 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:45.880 I think when you see how important it is that 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:48.720 guys like that and it carries a lot of weight, 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.400 and then you see the personalities of some special teams coaches, 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:54.360 then you do you get an understanding what that room 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:56.720 is like. I think he's really been able to connect 0:16:57.000 --> 0:17:01.600 with the guys that have these big person like as 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:05.480 you were saying, So, I think just from sitting in 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:08.320 the room and being a part of special teams, I 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:11.480 feel like the group is more closely knit, it's working 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:15.560 better together as a result of his ability to use 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:17.960 the sense of humor to connect us. That's also the 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:20.400 feeling I get from talking everybody with Ben Brown are 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:22.600 the Bear's tight end. Here on Bears All Access on 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:25.000 Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The score brought to you 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:28.159 by Igs energy that Matt Neggi from the moment he 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:30.359 got in this building is set the tone for the 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.399 entire year, end for the immediate future of the Chicago Bears. 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:37.800 There's a great response and a great respect for Matt already, 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:42.680 and it's rare that a first time head coach can 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:47.119 absolutely get that from day one. That's just my experience 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.760 with it. Anyway, what is it a bottom that resonates 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:57.720 with those ninety guys, including yourself. I think one, he's younger. 0:17:58.200 --> 0:18:02.359 Two he was very specific about what he wanted from 0:18:02.440 --> 0:18:06.000 us as far as like a team culture goes in 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:09.439 from day one. Like you said, when he showed up 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.080 and we had our first team meeting, he was like, 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.960 be yourself, it's one of the most important things. But 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:18.119 also we need to be obsessed about this, this mission 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:21.000 to win the Super Bowl this year. So I thought 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.480 it was obviously this is my this is my first 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:30.359 NFL head coaching change that I've experienced, but it was 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:33.399 to me, it was very concise and specific as to 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:35.600 what he wanted and that was for us to be 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:39.800 a family, to be ourselves and to be obsessed about football. 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:42.199 Did he change your locker position because he wants to 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:44.520 be a family. I think that's part of the growth process. 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:48.480 I heard that was Tony Medlan, but could have been. 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.719 It goes along with Night's agenda. Yes, yeah, I'm mixing 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:57.160 and matching and you know, getting to know what he wants. Family. Yes, 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.480 can't get stronger than family's right. Can't get strong and 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:03.919 fen That's how you get through all the tough times 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:06.120 and work through all the great times as well, because 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:08.120 you got to deal with success as much as failure. 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:11.040 We'll continue our conversation with Ben Bronicker here on Chicago 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:18.760 Sports Radio six seventy. The score Cap the latest Bears news, 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:21.280 photos and videos delivered straight to your mobile device. Download 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:24.200 the Chicago Bears Official mobile app presented by Verizon. Jeff 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:26.359 Jonny back in top there with Ben Bronnicker or the 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:29.359 Bears tight end as he gets set to play some 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:31.640 snaps out are they going to play against the Buffalo 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:33.360 Bills and Thursday Night and get ready for the Green 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:37.480 Bay Packers on September ninth. It's it's very exciting to 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:40.560 know what's on the agenda coming up, a division battle 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:44.000 against the Green Bay Packers. Everybody's got to get through 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:47.600 the weekend, though it's probably made for a little nerve 0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:51.080 racking week maybe for a lot of guys who don't 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:53.520 know their future. You get that sense, do you feel that? 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:55.760 And you could speak to it better than anybody because 0:19:55.760 --> 0:20:01.240 you've been here, Yeah, and I've been cut. Yes, Yes, 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:05.959 I can. I can definitely feel a mood change from 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.040 pretty much everybody, especially the guys in the bubble. The 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.000 starters essentially know that they're going to be here, that 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:16.360 that you know, there's there's job security there. But everybody 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:20.119 else feel they pull back a little bit. The uncertainty 0:20:20.200 --> 0:20:24.119 gets to them, um, and pull back in terms of 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:29.360 the conversation, or they quiet in a sense, they get quieter. Um. 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:31.639 But that's just that's just part of the job and 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:35.080 the competitive nature of this business. How is Kevin Kilbride 0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:38.800 been your position coach, Kevin Gilbride Junior. First of all, 0:20:39.000 --> 0:20:42.880 he's the best drop foot or drop kicker I've ever seen. 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:44.760 I've been watching you know, you see you get through 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:48.040 these games. You can check them out. Left footed drop 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:51.960 kick from like forty yards away, with consistency. But anyways, 0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:54.320 how has he been able to manage a group of 0:20:54.480 --> 0:20:56.440 you know, there's a diverse group of guys in there. 0:20:56.480 --> 0:20:58.200 You guys are still a young group of tight ends. 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:01.120 You got Dan Sims with experience, But how is his 0:21:01.560 --> 0:21:03.960 transition bend through this system and to you as a 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:07.000 young player. Oh, he's been great. He's spent time to 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:11.119 really understand what Naggie wants from the tight end position 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:16.560 and convey that perfectly to us like he's he does 0:21:16.600 --> 0:21:19.120 a fantastic job of being an NFL coach and what 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:22.720 that means is allowing us to express ourselves and be 0:21:22.880 --> 0:21:26.119 professionals and handle our business, but then again being a 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:28.760 coach and making sure that we're doing the right thing 0:21:28.800 --> 0:21:30.800 in the system. Are all you tight ends in one 0:21:30.920 --> 0:21:34.400 room or is so Trey Burton as a you tight 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:36.359 end will be in there? Okay? Yeah, we're all together 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:38.960 and he coaches us all. Do you feel more comfortable 0:21:39.040 --> 0:21:43.119 now three years in too volunteer some information to your 0:21:43.160 --> 0:21:47.520 coach or in terms of hey what about this? Or 0:21:47.640 --> 0:21:53.520 not yet? Yes, But that's it's a difficult thing to do. 0:21:53.880 --> 0:21:56.280 I have a good enough relationship with Kevin that I 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:58.600 could do that that I'm confident enough to do that, 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:04.600 but it's not always the case, not always the case 0:22:04.640 --> 0:22:06.480 around the league that, yeah, anybody would be able to. 0:22:06.520 --> 0:22:08.560 Are you exposed to a lot more routes this year 0:22:08.560 --> 0:22:10.600 than you have with the last systems you've been in, 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:13.119 even going back to college? Because I think he had 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:16.199 a big midfield catching Denver at practice too. And I 0:22:16.200 --> 0:22:18.960 always thought you guys really benefited for having Chase as 0:22:19.000 --> 0:22:21.640 your quarterbacks sometimes with the second reps because he knows 0:22:21.640 --> 0:22:25.200 his system so well. But you know, is it still 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:28.480