WEBVTT - Early observations from OTAs | Bears Weekly 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:05.080 Welcome in Tough Bears Weekly powered by IGS Energy. 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:07.080 By Chicago Bears Network production. 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:12.360 Bears Weekly is brought you by Advocate Healthcare, Athletico Physical afferently, 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:17.800 cd Jallad, Connie's Pizza, IGS Energy, and Meller Liked. 0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:21.720 Here are your hosts, Jeff Chilney at aka the Mayor 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:25.520 of Bearsville and his sidekick Tom the Surfmaster Thayer. 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:27.480 Hey are we doing, everybody? 0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:29.960 We're learning more and more about twenty twenty five Bears 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.720 with each passing day during the OTA portion of the offseason, 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:35.519 with mandatory mini camp set to open next Tuesday. Here 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:38.839 at halisaw Welcome into Bears Weekly on a SPN one 0:00:38.840 --> 0:00:41.519 thousand and the Chicago Bears Radio Network with Super Bowl 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:44.519 winning Bears guard Tom Thayre. I'm Jeff joniak along in 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.360 a moment Bear's former Bears quarterback Jim Miller from Serious 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:50.440 x MNFL Radio guest free tonight, but we'll hear from 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:54.080 Bears head coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Cato Williams, defensive end 0:00:54.080 --> 0:00:57.560 Montes Sweat, and the new veteran quarterback case Keenum. From 0:00:57.600 --> 0:00:59.640 the week that was up here at Halis saw Tommy 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:01.520 good evening. I think Dan Barilli and Jordan treadep our 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.920 producers spending the dials at ESPN is Jack McGrath, their 0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:08.240 executive producer, Eric Ostrotski of the Bears Radio Network. 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:09.759 A lot going on. 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.840 We got the next week's gonna be big, Gonna love that, 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:15.600 But hey, what have we learned this week? What have 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:17.720 we learned about the Bears that has caught your attention? 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.360 It's almost my weekly question to you out of the gate. 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:23.319 But with a few more OTA's in the books and 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:27.080 the Caleb Williams podium experience, we'll here's some of that tonight. 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:27.920 So a lot of things. 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:30.959 You know, they're playing a faster brand of football. 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:33.440 There's a lot of encouragement and coaching going on from 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:37.319 the coaching staff. I think that they're trying to identify 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:40.080 who fits where. We often talk about and I talk 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.160 about with the depth chart, and everybody's trying to get 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:47.160 their name on that depth chart because that's a key ingredient. 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:48.800 When you move into training camp. 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:51.960 What I'm excited about going forward is next Tuesday, all 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.200 the alumni are invited to the practice, and I think 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:59.080 that the way you monitor social media, I think you'll 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.840 see you'll be able to read a lot more about 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.600 what the alumni that come to the practice for the 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:09.720 first time, what their reflection is of the atmosphere. And 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.519 I think because these guys have so much experience in 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:16.320 their football life, they understand how to listen to coach, 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:20.080 and they understand how to watch their position. They understand 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:25.080 how this stage of development is really important part but 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:29.760 stage with the next stage of the whole process in 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:33.200 the football team development is that's when the real stuff starts. 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:36.440 And so I'd be excited to talk to a lot 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:39.600 of those guys at practice, but I'm super encouraged by 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:42.960 what I see at practice. I'm super encouraged at the 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:46.560 speed of at which they're playing and the requirements of 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:48.560 Ben Johnson and all of his staff. 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:50.640 Hey, big Jim Miller joining us now. Jim will be 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:53.160 here at training camp. He'll do his Syrio x NFL 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:56.119 training camp tour, and his stop will be here in Chicago, 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:58.680 hopefully with yours. Truly, we'll be breaking things down. But 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:00.720 I know you're going to be excited to all this too. 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:03.240 You're an alumni, it matters to you. I know you've 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:05.560 played for several teams, but I'm wondering for both of 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:07.560 you and Jim, welcome and good evening. I hope you're 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.280 doing well. Did you guys have a lot of alumni 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:13.920 hanging around when you guys were at these guys' age 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:17.240 right now, you know, for the the eighty five Bears, Tommy, 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:19.320 that was your first year, but Jim, I mean there 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.600 were plenty of eighty five Bears around. Certainly Tom was 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:23.640 one of them calling the games that you worked in 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:24.080 for us. 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:28.799 Yeah, like you know, guys would would show up periodically 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:32.720 and also at training camp, and yeah, it was important, 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:35.920 you know, and you'd have different staffs that come into, 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:38.680 like college football staffs that come in. This is typically 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:42.440 the springtime where staffs want to see what you're doing offensively, 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:45.080 and certainly Ben Johnson, he'll have a couple of staffs 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.120 that roll through there that are interested to see what 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:53.040 he's doing offensively and how we install things, how they 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:56.840 coach certain positions, all those type of things. So there's 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.320 actually a lot going on in the spring, and it 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:04.320 is more team team, It isn't installed. You're teaching guys 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:08.320 the basics of what you want to accomplish and all 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:12.000 the discipline and the techniques and all those type of things. 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:14.320 So it's very thorough, and it has to be very 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:18.560 thorough for a reason, and these are building blocks of 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:20.320 what they want to press on to and that things 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.919 are gonna come a lot faster come training camp. But 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:25.600 it was always good to have the older players come by, 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:28.279 stop by, you know, just to see them. You know 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:30.359 that they've been through it. They've gone going through the 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:33.000 same things you're going through as a curtain player, and 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:34.880 they had a lot of success, so you try to 0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:37.920 tap their brains. Guys like Tom Thayer, Hey man, what 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.200 was so different about your team? Why were you guys 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.359 so tight? What made you guys so close knit? You know, 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:47.200 we knew they were talented, But I think if you're 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:51.520 a very good team, typically you're gonna have guys that 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.320 work hard, that are self starters, like a Tom Thayer, 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.279 like that whole eighty five Bears team, And there's a 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:00.560 reason why they were so close knit. They knew that 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:02.560 they were going to be good, and they believed in 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:06.880 one another, and they counted on one another, you know. 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:10.440 Jeff, Because we didn't have OTAs and we led us 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:13.600 right into mandatory mini camp. We didn't have a lot 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:17.160 of alumni hanging around at a mandatory Mini camp, and 0:05:17.240 --> 0:05:20.520 it was a three day mandatory process that you know, 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:22.960 Dick had kind of dangled that carrot in front of 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.919 the horse, where Okay, the last day of mini camp, 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:28.320 we'll either have one practice or two practices. 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:29.960 But it was more training. 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:32.960 Camp when the guys came to Platteville, and that's when 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.680 you know, either it was a destination to drive to 0:05:35.800 --> 0:05:39.000 with their family for a day or even a couple days. 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.400 There's nice surrounding areas up there in Platteville, and so 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.040 if you had that chance for fifteen to twenty minutes 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:50.320 in between practices while we were in the weight room, 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:52.480 they would come and visit the weight room in Clyde 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:56.040 Emerck or even at night when we had our fifteen 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:58.839 minutes of free time at the end of meetings and 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:01.400 guys would go to different places and have a beer 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:04.360 and and they would be there as well. So for us, 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:08.840 it was more catching up with the alumni at training 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:11.119 camp more so than Mini camp. 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:12.760 Do you do you remember who showed up? 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:16.039 Oh, there there was a lot of guys like Mike Pyle, 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:22.040 ed Obradovich, Roland Harper, Jim Osborne, Danny. 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:29.479 Neil, Doug Yeah, Doug Buffone, Doug Plank, you know, Terry Schmidt. Uh, 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.159 you know, there's a plenty of guys. 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:34.920 You know, you still had your Bob Avellini's and stuff, 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.520 So there was plenty of guys that showed up for 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:38.839 one reason or the other. 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:40.000 Yeah, I get a kick out of that. 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:43.640 Actually, when I see all that they it's I think 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:47.240 it's important to keep that. The alumni close to the 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:49.680 organization of the Bears do a really good job of 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.960 trying to make that happen. So they'll continue to do 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:55.000 that next week. So guys like Kyler Gordon, T J. 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:58.120 Edwards dealing with some soft tissue injuries, Luther Burden the 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:00.839 third as well, and we'll learn more about this during 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:04.200 the next week with the mini camp. Who's available, but 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:08.520 Ben Johnson saying yesterday that everybody should be in the 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.520 building at least it is mandatory, so even if you 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:15.440 are injured. With that said, let's listen in to some 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:20.480 Ben Johnson yesterday at the podium. He was talking about 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.880 the specifics that he needs from his players. No detail 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.120 too small, and one is they start defining what a snap, 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:30.400 a rep a play looks like at the finish from 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:32.760 defense right through to the offense. 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:39.960 The ball, the momentum of the ball running through the 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:43.280 defense in practice, even without pads on, and so it's 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:45.520 a learning experience of what that looks like and what 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.440 we're going to be about. And then offensively, we talk 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:51.160 about the finishing aspect of getting connected down the field 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:52.280 and blocking for our buddies. 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:55.240 So finishing is a huge deal about. 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:55.559 What we're doing. 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:59.160 We're very much rooted in the fundamentals and the techniques 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:02.160 of what we're asking our guys to do. And so 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:05.200 we saw growth last week in that way, and that's 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:07.400 the expectation for us going forward. 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:09.480 I saw you guys make him go back in the 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:11.680 huddle several times. What exactly are you looking forward in 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:12.880 the huddle and as they come out. 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:15.640 Of Yeah, there's a certain way that the play needs 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:17.800 to get communicated in the huddle. There's a certain way 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:20.680 that the break should sound to us around us. That 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:23.400 means that that we're ready for business and we're ready 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:25.040 to get going. And if it doesn't sound that way, 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:28.280 then we're just not going to allow the practice to 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:32.000 go south. Fatigue is something that we're gonna combat. The 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:34.920 longer practice goes, the more fatigue guys get and the 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:36.880 mental toughness has to come through of still doing the 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:37.840 little things correctly. 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:38.640 So that's a part of it. 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:41.480 I saw I'm gaji left tackled last week when we 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:43.719 were here and today it was Ozzie. Is it a 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:45.760 is it one day on, one day off for each 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:47.680 guy or is it based on how they're. 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:49.840 We're moving guys around. Yeah, we want to give everyone 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:53.880 an opportunity. So you know, Darnell woul feel pretty comfortable 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:55.680 keeping him at the right side right now, so the 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:57.840 left the left side until we get bracting back in 0:08:57.840 --> 0:08:58.120 the mix. 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:00.319 It's gonna be a little bit of musical chairs. Consider 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:02.440 right tackles, settle them that he's not going to uk 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:04.360 to be determined. 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.679 Anything's on the table, and we're gonna let the plan 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:09.840 play out, which is keep them there for the time 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:11.599 being and let these guys battle it out on the 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:15.000 left side and we can decide to change course whenever 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:15.800 we need to. 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:18.160 And what have you been learning about what Caleb can 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:21.080 at this point as you're resetting for him. 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:22.760 It's been consistent throughout. 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:27.560 He's been very attentive, He's been very detailed in terms 0:09:27.640 --> 0:09:31.960 of the meetings. He's taking great notes, He's asking excellent questions. 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:35.000 The more we're out on the grass together, we're figuring 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.120 out what we can put in in the morning and 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.960 what we can execute later on in the afternoon. And 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:42.600 so that's that's been the fun part of it so far, 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:46.319 because there is for everybody, there's a saturation level that 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:48.559 we got to find what that point is so that 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:51.920 as coaches we don't ask too much out of any 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:54.000 player over the course of the season. We've got to 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:57.440 be able to download a game plan and and execute it. 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:01.400 And so it's been a health the process right now. 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:05.520 I think JT. Barrett's doing a phenomenal job. Deklan's a 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:08.080 big part of that as well, just figuring out how 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:10.439 much install we can push on these guys. And the 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:13.080 good news is we got the weekend that they can 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:17.200 get the plan and start ahead for the next week. 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:19.960 And you can really see guys separate, not just at 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:22.800 the quarterback position, but really all around on offensive defense. 0:10:23.000 --> 0:10:25.079 Who's in their book a little bit exer than the 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:25.520 next guy. 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:31.640 Keen of helping Caleb throughout the case has been phenomenal. 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:34.640 I haven't been with him in the past, but he 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:37.439 came highly recommended from a number of people that I trust. 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.120 He's got skins on the wall. I mean, he's been 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:42.959 to playoff games, He's won playoff games. He's done it 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:45.360 at a high level. He's been the number two quarterback 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:48.079 at a number of different places as well, so his 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.240 experience level is off the charts. He's seen a little 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:53.800 bit of everything that this league has to offer. And 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:56.599 I can say from my experience of being in the 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:59.600 room with him, he finds a good way to ask 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:02.679 questions that I might not or Deck Leonard JT we 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:05.319 might not have provided the answer to prior. So he 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:08.400 does a good job filling those gaps. And then, of 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:10.960 course we're constrained so much by the time limits in 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:14.199 the springtime that he's able to help the process when 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:15.760 we're not in there as coaches, and he. 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:18.160 Is battling for the number two job with Tyson Bag 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:20.840 and entering his third season. One thing out of this 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:22.920 that I'll throw in and then I want your reactions 0:11:23.160 --> 0:11:24.120 from both of you guys. 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:26.520 He is a first time head coach. 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:29.240 He has not had a regular season game just yet, 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.240 but he certainly sounds like he's been here before. He 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:37.120 sounds like a head coach and everything he's saying makes sense. 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:40.000 That that's the number one thing for me. Everything Ben 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.160 Johnson is saying makes sense. 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:45.000 You Know one thing I kind of giggle at is 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.080 when I listened to Ben Johnson, if you didn't know 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:50.160 he was a first time head coach, you really wouldn't 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:53.319 know it because he's prepared and he's concise about all 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:55.880 of his answers. However, when I listened to him, he 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.960 reminds me so much of George Allen talking at the podium, 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.240 because George Allen was a stickler for breaking the huddle, 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:04.959 and he says the breaking the huddle that was a 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:09.320 big part of the influence of practice because he kind 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:12.000 of got a feel that everybody was on the same page, 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:15.360 the sound of the break, the way you went to 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:18.280 the line of scrimmage. And when I think about my 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:21.400 past experiences of football and all the quality coaches that 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:24.520 I had a chance to play for, it already kind 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:27.440 of makes me think about a guy that we're all 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:30.600 waiting to see how his first experience goes at head coach, 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.360 but he sounds like a seasoned head coach and it's 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:38.280 super encouraging to me because it's things I've heard. I've 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.840 heard before from coaches with a great deal of experience. 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:43.440 Yeah. 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.599 I like the part of if we don't allow things. 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.200 That was the problem last year, and it was veteran 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:51.920 players saying, well, we just kind of skipped over things 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:56.560 and if something wasn't run right, they just let it go. Okay, 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:00.600 you can't allow that. That's why you're dead last in offense, 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:04.520 dead last in sacks. I literally would put up every 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.480 statistic of what the Bears did last year in that 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.120 locker room to let them know how bad they were. 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:13.400 And if I were Ben Johnson, I'd say when a 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:16.000 player says, oh, I got it, coach, don't worry, I 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.959 got it. The only thing you're gonna get is me fired. 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:21.840 I'm not gonna be the guy that gets fired over 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:26.120 you not knowing your job. Okay, So don't allow it. 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.960 Don't allow it at all on any single play. And 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:32.640 it starts with breaking the huddle. Like Tom just said, 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:35.600 don't allow any of it because they haven't earned that 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:38.000 right as any player in that locker room. 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:40.600 Well, by watching practice, I can tell you it's fast, 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.040 it's furious, it's aggressive on both sides of the ball, 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.640 and they are pushing the limits here just in short 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:47.760 pants and shirts and helmets, no pads. 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:49.199 It's going to be a great training camp when we 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:49.720 come back. 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.320 We'll be joined by Caleb Williams some of his press 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.200 conference yesterday here at HASAW. This is Bears Weekly on 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:58.160 ESPN one thousand and the Bears Radio Network. 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:02.319 You were listening to Bears Week on the Bears Radio Network. 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:06.439 Fiss Bears Weekly with the voice of the Bears for 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:12.000 twenty four years, Chef Chef on the Bears Radio Network. 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.240 This second of Bears Weekly is brought to you by 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:20.080 IGS editor Jeff and thom and Jim Miller from sirius 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:23.320 X and MNFL Radio, as we break down what has 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:25.720 been an interesting off season for the Bears leading into 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:30.320 next week's veteran medicamp. It was admittedly a distraction, frankly 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:33.880 the only one of this offseason distraction. Freeze good, that's 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:37.120 what teams want. But the ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham's 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.800 upcoming book, American King's, a Biography of the Quarterback, will 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.240 include some Caleb Williams in there. Some of what came 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:46.680 from Wickersham was discussed at length Wednesday, as the Bears 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:49.440 quarterback who did a very good job tackling some key points, 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:52.240 clarifying his thought process and what he wants to do 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.800 as a Bear moving forward. And this is about moving forward, 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.360 among other topics. Here's Caleb Williams. 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:03.320 The main goal and the main objective of being here 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.080 is to turn around. That's why I was selected number one. 0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:08.360 And so you know, that's what we're here to do. 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.840 That's what they brought you know, me here to do. 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:12.440 That's what they brought all these guys here to do, 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.480 Joe DJ, all these different guys, and that's why they 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.640 brought Ben here. And so, like I said, it's a 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.160 challenge and and we look at those challenges and you 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:21.880 know we you know, we don't laugh. We look at 0:15:21.960 --> 0:15:24.400 him really really seriously, and you know, we go attack him, 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:25.920 you know, to the best of our ability to go 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:26.760 and change it and turn. 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:27.960 Around about the new leadership. 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:30.720 Has has left an impression. 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:32.760 Yeah, no, it, Ben's uh. I think y'all have been 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:34.480 able to to see it. When he gets up here 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:36.880 and you get a little taste of of how he is. 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:42.240 He's he's always laser focused. He he encourages and he 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.040 pushes you and challenges you to be at your best 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.920 as a team, offense, defense, special teams, doesn't matter position, 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.040 uh sharp. And he's a he's a guy that wants 0:15:50.080 --> 0:15:52.400 to win. And so you know, being here being the 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:54.240 head guy, and he's and and to be honest, he's 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:57.920 consistent with it every day. So excuse me, uh so 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:00.040 him him being here and being the head guy and 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:01.960 and doing all those things and being consistent with it. 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:04.720 So far, it's been awesome, and I think everybody's been 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:05.280 enjoying what. 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:06.800 Has Ben taught about. 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.000 Those shortcuts are just things that maybe he sees that 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:10.400 he wants you to start seeing. 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:13.000 Like I said, I think Ben has been extremely detailed. 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:14.840 And so when he talks about the plays, when he 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:19.280 talks about you know, the past run screen play action, 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:21.640 he talks about him really in depth and and you know, 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:23.520 what we love him verse and what we don't love 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.120 him verse and things like that, and you know, just 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:29.640 have an idea going into practice, going into soon game 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:31.600 days and things like that, it's gonna be nice for 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.160 something that we've been repping and getting after. And you know, 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:37.520 I think I think that's been I think that's been 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:39.640 one of the things that's that's been really awesome. Is 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:41.840 the detail. And you know him him really been on 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:43.520 top of that. And I mean he's been in it 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:45.560 for six years, has been his offense for six years, 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:47.560 so you know, he's really on top of it. And 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.040 you know, we're only trying to catch up. I'm only 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:50.960 trying to catch up to him and be on top 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:58.680 of the details as much as possible. Curious, uh Na, honestly, 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:01.560 don't care. It's not it's not you know, like I said, 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:04.439 we're we're all those things were in the past, all 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:07.520 the things happened already, and so we're here focused on 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:10.040 the future. We're here focused on the present and and 0:17:10.040 --> 0:17:11.880 and really trying to, like I say, get this train going, 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:13.720 and and and you know, have this thing picking up 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:17.359 steam and and and chewt you and alone. 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:20.040 Being said when when you the past is the past? 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:22.280 You're hearing now Ben Johnson has made some tweets to 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:24.959 your game. Have you adjusted to the change and the stands? 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:26.920 How have you adjusted to being under centered a little bit more? 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.719 Yes, the Ben Johnson effect, right, I guess the Ben 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:30.399 Johnson effect. 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:30.640 Right. 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:32.199 He's gonna get a kick out of that when he 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.199 hears it. Yeah, No, I think I think uh, I 0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:36.919 think part of it is just you know, different coaches 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:41.480 have different philosophies, philosophies for things, and you know that's 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:44.199 one of his things, is left foot up. I've been 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:47.320 a right foot up guy for typically all of my career, 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:48.880 and I think I've I've done it once or twice 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:50.760 throughout my you know, throughout my time and playing QB. 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.240 So you know, it's just one of his things. And then, 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:56.159 like I said, the details been on top of it, huddle. 0:17:56.920 --> 0:17:59.440 We call it PSP, but preesting that procedure all these 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:04.639 different things, and especially in big games and big moments, 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:06.879 all the little things come up. And so you know, 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:09.080 I think, I think, you know, that's important to him, 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:10.600 and it's important to us, and we gotta, you know, 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:12.080 we gotta get on top of it and be on top 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.399 of it from from the head down. So like I said, 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:17.400 the Ben Johnson effect, I guess right. 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.760 Yeah, And and the Ben Johnson effect is permeating the 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:22.560 entire building in many different ways. 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:25.320 But okay, so that's a portion of it. Tommy, take 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:26.360 the floor, you know. 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:29.359 The thing about whether would put forward or you know, 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:33.240 and how things are changing, that is fundamentally done and 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:36.240 you're gonna do it a million times before the season start, 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:39.719 and it's gonna become second nature and that'll be an 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:42.919 easy transition. But when Ben Johnson was talking up at 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:46.439 the podium, he was talking about oversaturating these guys and 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:49.159 see how they absorbed that amount of information and then 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:50.680 how they carry it to. 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:52.200 The field in the afternoon. 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:56.879 And that's just the process of installing a playbook to 0:18:57.200 --> 0:18:59.920 all these guys because they're you know, they're all star 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:03.800 darting from ground zero because this is a new head coach. Fortunately, 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:06.480