Speaker 1: Right justin middle of the field forty five fifteen bring
Speaker 1: Russ in front of a leading.
Speaker 2: Lions in his way.
Speaker 3: I am Jeff Jonihac, Whitz is not DONI houscur what was.
Speaker 4: Like playing for Coche?
Speaker 3: Good done.
Speaker 2: I don't want to answer any questions like that.
Speaker 4: Sixty one yards?
Speaker 2: What's Sunday stroll for? Justin field?
Speaker 5: Yes, Bears et Cetera, brought to you by Miller Lte
Speaker 5: with the voices of the Bears, Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer.
Speaker 2: We look and.
Speaker 3: Dealing in a crazy week over the NFL landscape, which
Speaker 3: includes right here in the great Midwest, where your Chicago
Speaker 3: Bears filled some key spots on both sides of the
Speaker 3: ball and locked up four of the ear starting cornerback
Speaker 3: Jalen Johnson on a long term deal as we get
Speaker 3: you said for the twenty twenty four season. Welcome into
Speaker 3: the Bears et Cetera Podcast. So much to discuss in
Speaker 3: episode fifty nine, and we begin with Super Bowl winning Bears.
Speaker 4: Guard Tom Fair.
Speaker 3: I'm Jeff Jonihac coming up my one on one interview
Speaker 3: with newly minted Jalen Johnson, and then Tom and I
Speaker 3: break down the deals that general manager Ryan Poles secured
Speaker 3: for the twenty twenty four Chicago Bears. They now are official,
Speaker 3: pending the passage of physicals, of course, but we're wide open, Tom,
Speaker 3: and I've always referred to Ryan Poles in the way
Speaker 3: that I've gotten to know him each week of the
Speaker 3: last two seasons, the quiet storm. He exudes so much confidence, calmness,
Speaker 3: but inside that motor runs hot. And he continues with
Speaker 3: a very measured approach to free agency. Tom has promised
Speaker 3: when he was hired.
Speaker 1: I've been impressed with Ryan since he's been here, and
Speaker 1: I hope with the signing of these guys, I'm continue
Speaker 1: to be.
Speaker 3: So this episode of Bears, It's Better Up, brought to
Speaker 3: you by Miller Lyte. So he really strikes, in my opinion,
Speaker 3: Tom when he feels the need to adjust the roster
Speaker 3: and get ahead of the pack, so to speak. So
Speaker 3: you think about last year, who was the first free
Speaker 3: agent to sign in the National Football League.
Speaker 4: It was TJ. Edwards at linebacker.
Speaker 3: So he did a deal that this year linebackers are
Speaker 3: getting a similar deal, no question about it. Free agent period.
Speaker 3: The first running back and in what has been a
Speaker 3: robust running back mark, the first running back to get
Speaker 3: off the board was DeAndre Swift. So he focuses and
Speaker 3: he strikes, and it's not about anything other than fit
Speaker 3: a deal similar to last year's deals of James Connor
Speaker 3: and also to Miles Sanders in twenty twenty two when
Speaker 3: he left Philadelphia.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he fits the system that Shane Waldron's gonna run.
Speaker 1: And I think that's the key ingredient here. When you
Speaker 1: have a chance and you make an early hire of
Speaker 1: Shane Waldron, you have a chance to have conversation of
Speaker 1: what he specifically is looking for out of certain positions.
Speaker 1: And when you go out there and you look at
Speaker 1: five nine two and fifteen pound dere Swift in some
Speaker 1: of the things he's done in the NFL so far,
Speaker 1: I think he's a, you know, a really perfect fit
Speaker 1: to compliment the other pieces that they have in place already.
Speaker 3: Explosive thirst thing. I think of his speed, terrific pass receiver.
Speaker 3: In his career, He's had a lot of targets in
Speaker 3: the passing game, and that is something that personally I
Speaker 3: was hoping for a player that can both run the
Speaker 3: ball in this outside zone but also be a threat
Speaker 3: in the passing game. And Khalil Herbert is also that,
Speaker 3: and Roshawn Johnson is also that. I mean, you really
Speaker 3: do right now have a complete backfield. Now you're throw
Speaker 3: in Travis Homer, who's in the backfield, but he's a
Speaker 3: special team's ace. He's still under contract, and of course,
Speaker 3: blasting game is your fullback still under contract.
Speaker 1: You know the thing about the passing game that involves
Speaker 1: a running back, you'd like to see some downfield spark plays.
Speaker 1: And you look at DeAndre Swift. He's got four catches
Speaker 1: of twenty yards or more. He's got eight receiving touchdowns.
Speaker 1: And the thing about the Bears since nineteen seventy, they've
Speaker 1: only had four running backs that have eight receiving touchdowns,
Speaker 1: and that's Walter Neil Anderson, Matt Fote, and Terie Cohen.
Speaker 1: So when you talk about what DeAndre Swift can contribute
Speaker 1: to the passing offense not only on third down, but
Speaker 1: first and second down, Jeff will possibly see the splash
Speaker 1: plays that we want to.
Speaker 2: See out of the running back position.
Speaker 3: All right, now, tight end, this is a position that
Speaker 3: the Bears definitely have tried in terms of backups, number
Speaker 3: twos and number threes behind Cole comet Gerald Everett comes aboard.
Speaker 3: He's going to have turned thirty in June. But the
Speaker 3: experience with the coordinator, Shane Waldern. He's been with him
Speaker 3: for five years and that included a stop in LA
Speaker 3: with the Rams where he was there for four years,
Speaker 3: and then with Seattle before he went over to the
Speaker 3: LA Chargers. But a two year, twelve million dollar deal.
Speaker 3: There's a lot to like about this particular athlete because
Speaker 3: of his athleticism and speed. Even at his age now,
Speaker 3: he's had some really good successful runs. But knowing that
Speaker 3: that offense and what you know all these years under
Speaker 3: cole Comet, I believe the math is twenty nine catches
Speaker 3: by the tight ends behind him total in those three years.
Speaker 3: So this is something you've been asking for as well.
Speaker 3: A player similar in style the Cole Comet.
Speaker 1: Yeah, when you look at two tight end formations, it's
Speaker 1: not going to be an obvious and a guessing game.
Speaker 1: You're going to see two tight ends that are quality
Speaker 1: pass catchers. And I think he can balance the offense.
Speaker 1: But to me, I like tight ends with the basketball background,
Speaker 1: and when you look at Everett in his high school years,
Speaker 1: he didn't play football till his senior year, but the
Speaker 1: thing that oppressed me most is he made the All
Speaker 1: conference team as a football player when he got into college,
Speaker 1: so that learning curve was quick. And so you develop
Speaker 1: that footwork, you develop that body control, you develop the
Speaker 1: understanding of using your body as a shield, and then
Speaker 1: all of a sudden you take that and bring it
Speaker 1: onto the football field and to have the success that
Speaker 1: he's had, I'm excited about that, and I think that
Speaker 1: it was really it was a position that needed to
Speaker 1: be compliment in a template similar to Cole And in.
Speaker 3: Addition to Waldern knowing him, Chris Beatty, the Bear's new
Speaker 3: wide receivers coach, certainly was in LA with the Chargers
Speaker 3: over the last couple of years, overlapping with him, so
Speaker 3: there is a knowledge there, but a dynamic threat in
Speaker 3: the passing game and certainly run after the catch as well.
Speaker 3: Also the addition we touched on Ryan Bates obviously last week.
Speaker 3: That was a move the Bears made on the interior.
Speaker 3: And then Matt Pryor on a one year deal coming
Speaker 3: out of the forty nine Ers organization entered the league
Speaker 3: in eighteen out of Philadelphia with the Eagles out of TCU.
Speaker 3: Really the only school that really was interested in him.
Speaker 3: He was a late qualifier coming out of college, but
Speaker 3: a huge guy. Tom six to six and three quarters
Speaker 3: three point thirty two. He's played a lot of guard,
Speaker 3: so you automaticlink he's just a tackle, but he's played
Speaker 3: a lot of guard. He had chances to start with
Speaker 3: the Colts. Matt Eberflusse was there during that twenty one season,
Speaker 3: so he has familiarity with him as well. Didn't start
Speaker 3: playing football until his freshman year in high school, so
Speaker 3: a lot of experience under his belt already as a
Speaker 3: seventh year player out of Long Beach, California.
Speaker 1: Jeff, So, if you have an opportunity, go back and
Speaker 1: look at the San Francisco Dallas game, because both offensive.
Speaker 2: Guards got hurt for San Francisco.
Speaker 1: Prior went into that game as an offensive guard left
Speaker 1: guard and was mauling people.
Speaker 2: And so when you say, yeah, you know, he's got
Speaker 2: that inviting size of an offensive tackle.
Speaker 1: However, if you want to increase the overall size of
Speaker 1: your offensive guard position, the power on the inside, the
Speaker 1: length of whatever side you put him at, you're talking
Speaker 1: about putting a massive human being in there that went
Speaker 1: and played against a Dallas defensive line that's pretty darn
Speaker 1: good and absolutely mauled them.
Speaker 3: We still don't know what the quarterback carousel is going
Speaker 3: to produce for the Bears with that number one pick,
Speaker 3: Justin Field still QB one here until further notice, and
Speaker 3: the addition, well inclusion of Tyson Baigen in there of course,
Speaker 3: but now the introduction of someone else familiar with Shane
Speaker 3: Waldron with a one year deal for a veteran, Brent
Speaker 3: RiPP And. He's twenty seven, a five year vet, undrafted
Speaker 3: out of Boise State in nineteen by Denver Or. He
Speaker 3: played for four years. He was on the Jets practice
Speaker 3: squad last year. He's been with Seattle the Rams as well,
Speaker 3: six two to two oh two, just four starts in
Speaker 3: his career. He is the nephew of the Super Bowl
Speaker 3: MVP quarterback Mark Rippin during the Washington Redskins slash now
Speaker 3: Commanders era Super Bowl twenty six. So another familiar face
Speaker 3: for Shane Waldron to install whatever offense he's going to
Speaker 3: install here for the Bears.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, Rippin's got bloodlines and he's been playing
Speaker 1: the quarterback position his whole career. He's had a lot
Speaker 1: of opportunities to learn and develop in different systems, different
Speaker 1: offensive coordinators, and I think when you are as committed
Speaker 1: to the game, you know he's at ten, like you said,
Speaker 1: ten appearances and four starts, but he still has a
Speaker 1: positive frame of mind about figuring out what his niche is.
Speaker 1: Is it that third quarterback Tyson Beagen is not going
Speaker 1: to be a pushover man, because I think Tyson Beagen
Speaker 1: is on his way to having a career in the
Speaker 1: NFL and we'll see how things work out. But when
Speaker 1: you talk about OTAs and you talk about training camp,
Speaker 1: and you talk about so many things that the quarterbacks
Speaker 1: need to do during the course of practice, you have
Speaker 1: to have multiple quarterbacks here to increase the competition.
Speaker 3: Played a lot of college football. So in addition to
Speaker 3: those bloodlines, forty nine games at Boise State where he
Speaker 3: was thirty seven and twelve ninety touchdowns, twenty nine picks,
Speaker 3: the Mountain West all time leader in passing yards, among
Speaker 3: other statistics, tastes like Miller Time celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Speaker 3: Ninety six calories and three point two carbs per twelve ounces.
Speaker 3: So that's on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2: So far.
Speaker 3: Let's go over to the defensive side of the ball,
Speaker 3: and something struck me real quick. In addition to Everett
Speaker 3: the tight end, he came out of South Alabama, You've
Speaker 3: got two players out of smaller schools. Kevin Byerd was
Speaker 3: not even invited to the scouting combine coming out of
Speaker 3: Middle Tennessee State, Yet Tennessee thought enough of him to
Speaker 3: pick him in the third round back in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 3: And he had been nothing but special in terms of
Speaker 3: what he did for the Tennessee Titans. A leader, a ballhawk,
Speaker 3: and a guy who did a ton of great things
Speaker 3: for this Tennessee team. Was traded at the deadline last
Speaker 3: year to Philadelphia. They used him more of a strong safety.
Speaker 3: He is a free safety by nature, but it really
Speaker 3: the fit wasn't great. Eagles deployed him in a different way.
Speaker 3: I think this will be a perfect fit for him,
Speaker 3: filling in that Eddie Jackson role in the back end.
Speaker 3: He's been an outstanding tackler. Pro Football Focus said he
Speaker 3: missed only four point seven percent of his tackles and
Speaker 3: over the course of his career has been steady in
Speaker 3: that regard. And so you gotta have a guy who's
Speaker 3: going to line people up. Want a ballhawk back there.
Speaker 3: Can he get off the hash and make plays with
Speaker 3: his feet, yes, but he also has to make tackles,
Speaker 3: and he can make tackle you know.
Speaker 1: I think he's got twenty eight career interceptions. Maybe, but
Speaker 1: he's a player. He's an on the field guy. When
Speaker 1: you go back and you look at the success he
Speaker 1: had in college, and why was he recognized as an
Speaker 1: NFL player Because he was a player. He was on
Speaker 1: the He's got a lot of examples of playing time
Speaker 1: in the same thing.
Speaker 2: In the pro game. He has been on the field
Speaker 2: type of guy.
Speaker 1: And I really like that type of mentality, that type
Speaker 1: of character, character and attitude, because you know, you get
Speaker 1: these guys that sometimes they want to be on the
Speaker 1: sideline holding the helmet. Then you get these guys that
Speaker 1: are committed to being on the field all times. And
Speaker 1: so when you look at a player like this at
Speaker 1: the safety position is such an important role because it
Speaker 1: organizes the entire defensive backfield and get him in place early,
Speaker 1: so he develops those communication skills with a couple of
Speaker 1: young defensive backs and an experienced guy like Jalen.
Speaker 3: To Tom's point, he hasn't missed the game in eight years.
Speaker 3: What's that kind of plays, that kind of player, and
Speaker 3: you know Ryan again, much like the DeAndre Swift, this
Speaker 3: is super targeted because the safety class of veterans bloated
Speaker 3: here in free agency upward of twenty twenty five players
Speaker 3: that you could say, yeah, you know, this group is
Speaker 3: significant in terms of volume, but thirty starts the last
Speaker 3: two years for another safety that's coming aboard by way
Speaker 3: of another smaller school. Jonathan Owens out of Missouri Western,
Speaker 3: was an undrafted player by the Arizona Cardinals back in
Speaker 3: twenty eighteen. He has really come on strong these last
Speaker 3: two years, not only for the Houston Texans, but also
Speaker 3: the Green Bay Packers, where he played seventy percent of
Speaker 3: his snaps last year on defense for that unit, setting
Speaker 3: career high in special team snaps by a big margin.
Speaker 3: He had never even hit a hunter special team stap.
Speaker 3: He played two hundred and thirty three special team snaps
Speaker 3: last year. So this is a twenty eight year old
Speaker 3: player five ten and three quarters two ten Tommy, and
Speaker 3: now the Bears have two veterans in that safety room
Speaker 3: to help out your Kwan Brisker.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, Coach high Tower is always looking for
Speaker 1: that guy. Who's gonna beat one of the captains of
Speaker 1: the special teams, who's going to be a core guy
Speaker 1: that takes part in every team in the fourth phase.
Speaker 1: In Owens is that type of guy. But he's got
Speaker 1: experience at the center position. He saw good, you know,
Speaker 1: time in the practice field up at Green Bay in Houston.
Speaker 1: So I'm excited to have him aboard. You know, at
Speaker 1: twenty eight years old, he's still a young guy and
Speaker 1: has a lot of career left. But you know, when
Speaker 1: you look at your Kwan Brisker and you look at
Speaker 1: Bayer and you look at the other defensive backs they
Speaker 1: have here, that core group of guys that we saw
Speaker 1: last year developing training camp, I think they're going to
Speaker 1: play it equally as important role.
Speaker 2: In the success of the defense this year.
Speaker 3: And Tom, you're certainly familiar with who the man is
Speaker 3: married to, don't you. Jonathan Owens third.
Speaker 1: Most of third most popular women in the NFL for
Speaker 1: try Vaccassie number one, Taylor Swift number two, Simone Biles
Speaker 1: number three.
Speaker 3: I love that Simone Biles will be trying to win
Speaker 3: more gold in Paris this summer for the US and
Speaker 3: she On X has been tweeting her her love of
Speaker 3: the city at Chicago. She's very excited about joining her husband.
Speaker 3: They just got married last April, and she no doubt
Speaker 3: will be a popular figure at Soldier Field over the
Speaker 3: course of the fall and winter as the season progresses.
Speaker 3: All right, let's take another look at that secondary of
Speaker 3: the time referred to We're brought to you by PNC
Speaker 3: Official Bank of the Bears because Jalen Johnson, a cornerstone
Speaker 3: piece for Ryan Poles and that defense for Matt Eberflus
Speaker 3: locking in on a four year, seventy six million dollar deal.
Speaker 3: I had a chance to sit down with him at
Speaker 3: his news conference afterwards at Hallis Hall on Monday. Here's
Speaker 3: that conversation. First of all, congratulations, appreciate it, and you
Speaker 3: know we'll get to the nitty gritty in a minute.
Speaker 3: But how does it feel?
Speaker 1: Man?
Speaker 6: Feel good? Definitely.
Speaker 5: It's our relief just have an opportunity to just I
Speaker 5: feel like, not only set my family up, but set
Speaker 5: my kids up and also just had my career. If
Speaker 5: I thought just having the contract that I have, I
Speaker 5: feel like it's very front loaded. I can make my
Speaker 5: money and then get back to the table as quick
Speaker 5: as possible.
Speaker 6: And that's the that's the goal.
Speaker 5: So I mean, I'm definitely happy and pleased with the structure,
Speaker 5: pleased with the opportunity to be back in the city.
Speaker 3: That, seriously is how Ryan Poles has kind of structured
Speaker 3: all the internal deals.
Speaker 4: You get another crack at it later. But it's funny.
Speaker 3: You know, players come into the league, they get the
Speaker 3: first contract and you know that second one is going
Speaker 3: to be juicy, and here's you already thinking about the
Speaker 3: third one. That crazy, But that's the way the league
Speaker 3: is now, isn't it.
Speaker 6: Yeah? I think for me as well.
Speaker 5: I was saying, it's like the rookie contract that was
Speaker 5: what you did based on what you did in college,
Speaker 5: and it's like second contract based on what you did
Speaker 5: on your rookie contract, And now the third contract is
Speaker 5: gonna be what I do in these next four years.
Speaker 6: So I'll be looking forward to that well a long.
Speaker 4: Time between then, yeah and now.
Speaker 3: And you know you've been talking really almost two years
Speaker 3: about the potential to get this deal. Did you ever
Speaker 3: grow weary because you were asked about it a lot
Speaker 3: and you were willing to discuss it. Some players I'm
Speaker 3: not going to talk about it, but you were open
Speaker 3: to talking about it with the media over time.
Speaker 4: It's not like you talked it in existence.
Speaker 3: You played it into it a stuff, but were you
Speaker 3: kind of weary of just talking about it.
Speaker 5: I mean, I feel like the facts is the facts
Speaker 5: of it, the situation, it is what it is, and
Speaker 5: I think for me, it was one of those things
Speaker 5: where it's like I didn't want to shy away from it.
Speaker 6: Like I mean, it is what it is at the
Speaker 6: end of the day.
Speaker 5: And I think too, there is a way that to
Speaker 5: tell the story without I feel like, giving too much
Speaker 5: detail and still keeping a professional soft fly. For me,
Speaker 5: it was always something that I was open to talk
Speaker 5: about and I think people should know the truth. I
Speaker 5: f like for me, I didn't want things to be
Speaker 5: left unspoken. So I mean just going out there and
Speaker 5: being able to tell tell my part, like I said,
Speaker 5: and I still being able to keep a professional something
Speaker 5: that I've always wanted to.
Speaker 4: Do from the moment you were drafted.
Speaker 3: I remember you were working out the day after your draft,
Speaker 3: like you went right to the gym right. That work
Speaker 3: has seriously paid off over the course. You worked really
Speaker 3: hard at this in the off season, in season to
Speaker 3: make and fine tune who you are as a corner
Speaker 3: and as a football player and as a man, when
Speaker 3: you reflect back on those moments, that excitement of getting
Speaker 3: into the league and then proving who you are and
Speaker 3: what you're where you're going, can you conceptualize that, put
Speaker 3: it in context.
Speaker 6: I mean, I think it's tough, just tough.
Speaker 5: I think I think for me, it's just being built
Speaker 5: on the right things, just building around the right foundation.
Speaker 5: I feel like even like my brother, like I said
Speaker 5: about my brother, like he's he's somebody that's always put
Speaker 5: a lot into me. He's always shown me and led
Speaker 5: by example, like what hard work looks like. So it's like,
Speaker 5: no matter what matter what's going on, there's always work
Speaker 5: to be done. And it's like, even coming in here
Speaker 5: this morning to talk about the contract, it's like, all right,
Speaker 5: now we know what we gotta do in the next
Speaker 5: three years, Like how we're gonna train, what we gotta do,
Speaker 5: the things that the thing that we got to accomplished
Speaker 5: on the field. So I feel like just staying true
Speaker 5: to that, just staying true to the work ethics, stand
Speaker 5: true to who I am, and just continue to get better.
Speaker 6: And I feel like that's what all this is about.
Speaker 5: It just continue to be committed to growth, and I
Speaker 5: think that that that's what gets you more deals and
Speaker 5: deals and deals iss just your growth, what you do
Speaker 5: of course on the football field, how you build the
Speaker 5: locker room, how you build as a leader.
Speaker 6: I think it's just about complete growth. And talked about him.
Speaker 3: You know when you look at how you have grown,
Speaker 3: where's been the biggest growth?
Speaker 5: Oh, definitely spiritually, definitely spiritually inside Just continue to I think,
Speaker 5: humble myself, just continue to I truly be a God's
Speaker 5: feelix submit to him because I feel like when you
Speaker 5: operate in a sense of pride, that's when you kind
Speaker 5: of block your blessings.
Speaker 6: That's when you don't let his life shine.
Speaker 5: I think for me, just acknowledging him and where I'm
Speaker 5: mad and everything, whether it's high, whether it's low, and
Speaker 5: just continuing to let him guide me, let him lead
Speaker 5: me because I know I've made some bad decisions when
Speaker 5: trying to operate on my own. But just continue to
Speaker 5: look to him and and things that I do. Just
Speaker 5: continue to ask him for peace, asking for discernment, just
Speaker 5: be able to make the right decision.
Speaker 3: So that maturity spiritually, emotionally, professionally. How does that translate
Speaker 3: to the locker room. How does that translate to Sundays
Speaker 3: for Jalen Johnson.
Speaker 5: I mean, it's all all one and the same. I
Speaker 5: feel like there's there's a certain process I fire.
Speaker 6: I just I go through.
Speaker 5: I feel like when I'm best spiritually, when I'm best
Speaker 5: in my inner man, I feel like there's nothing that
Speaker 5: I can't do physically, because I mean I feel like
Speaker 5: for me, like I told people, it's the hardest thing
Speaker 5: is to go home look your stuff in the mirror
Speaker 5: and to critique.
Speaker 6: Yourself is to be vulnerable.
Speaker 5: It's to go out there and not even go out there,
Speaker 5: but just to be be who you are and continue
Speaker 5: to look at yourself and just continue to want to grow.
Speaker 5: I think that's the hardest part, is doing that work
Speaker 5: on your inner self and the work that nobody really sees,
Speaker 5: and then going out there on Sundays. It's like that's
Speaker 5: the easy part. I mean, I played football and done
Speaker 5: it at a high level. I feel like since I
Speaker 5: was third grade, eight years old playing Pop Warner football,
Speaker 5: I've always been one of those guys that was always different.
Speaker 5: When it's like okay, like nah, he's gonna be somebody,
Speaker 5: So I fight for me, that part I've been blessed with.
Speaker 5: I've been blessed with that, And I think for me,
Speaker 5: it's just being able to win the mental warfare and
Speaker 5: go out there on Sundays and just play free, like nah,
Speaker 5: this is what I've always done. And it's like I
Speaker 5: put in me and while about like ten thousand hours
Speaker 5: like we put in our thousands and thousands of hours
Speaker 5: working out TRAINSS and my body's gonna my body's gonna
Speaker 5: do what it needs to do as far as the
Speaker 5: football sort ever goes.
Speaker 3: So with that being said, I said this on the radio.
Speaker 3: I think last week this is jailing Johnson's secondary right now.
Speaker 3: You know, out of respect of your experience, the way
Speaker 3: you're viewed league wide, you're a number one corner, You're
Speaker 3: one of the top corners in the National Football League.
Speaker 3: I know you feel you're the best corner in the
Speaker 3: National Football League. And that guidance now of helping what
Speaker 3: is man a great young secondary.
Speaker 4: These guys are hungry and feisty.
Speaker 3: They see you get paid their their next potentially guys
Speaker 3: on that secondary. Are you gonna are you gonna look
Speaker 3: at your approach to the locker room into that unit
Speaker 3: differently now that hey, you get that deal. That says
Speaker 3: a lot about what you're all about as a player,
Speaker 3: And now, how can I reinvest in this young group
Speaker 3: to make us the best secondary in the NFL.
Speaker 6: I would say yes and no.
Speaker 5: I think people, I think I'd be wrong if I
Speaker 5: change my approach and leadership because of a contract.
Speaker 6: So I fly for me.
Speaker 5: I've always been that later onfight because I didn't have
Speaker 5: the contract. Because of the things are up in the air,
Speaker 5: people kind of assume that I wasn't being a leader
Speaker 5: because I wasn't getting in the middle of the circle
Speaker 5: and breaking it down and telling guys, it's like, that's
Speaker 5: not you don't do that, not too much of that.
Speaker 6: That's not. That's not because to me, it's.
Speaker 5: Like, that's your wisdom. Yeah, yeah, no, that's not. I
Speaker 5: don't do that too much. I leave that up to
Speaker 5: certain people. I fly that up to certain people to do.
Speaker 6: But I fight.
Speaker 5: Guys that know me know how much I care, how
Speaker 5: much I talk to guys about building themselves up, how
Speaker 5: much I talk to check in with guys, how much
Speaker 5: I try to lead guys in life, because I mean,
Speaker 5: everything is just not about football and ex's and those
Speaker 5: But it's like, if I can build closure with my guys,
Speaker 5: my peers, the people around me, and people know that
Speaker 5: I have a genuine, loving heart, I think I can
Speaker 5: get guys to push themselves on the football side of
Speaker 5: it. And when I do speak up in a certain way,
Speaker 5: if I do get on somebody whose somebody accountable, they
Speaker 5: know where my heart is. So I fly for me
Speaker 5: I do. I wouldn't say I do a different type
Speaker 5: of leadership, but it's like, no, I'm just I just am, Yeah,
Speaker 5: I just I just am who I am. I go
Speaker 5: about things the right way. I show everybody love and respect.
Speaker 5: And when I do speak, it make it makes sense.
Speaker 5: Guys understand what I'm saying. Guys listen to what I'm saying.
Speaker 5: A lot of times people I asked the question that
Speaker 5: people don't want to ask. So it's like there's a
Speaker 5: former leadership and that because a lot of times people
Speaker 5: only want to ask certain questions or don't want to
Speaker 5: be looked at a certain way.
Speaker 6: But it's like, no, I don't mind. I'll ask tough questions.
Speaker 6: I'll get up in front.
Speaker 5: Of the team or the CULTU or whatever and speak
Speaker 5: my mind and say how I feel and people all
Speaker 5: who have like we needed that or I thought the
Speaker 5: same thing. So it's like, I don't I don't think
Speaker 5: my leadership started just going to change now because I
Speaker 5: have a contract. I think maybe now I'll turn it
Speaker 5: to the new eddy as far as having guys over
Speaker 5: having upgrading housing and things like that, so I'll be
Speaker 5: able to host a lot a lot more guys. I
Speaker 5: think maybe things like that, But that's fun stof I
Speaker 5: don't think that's leadership.
Speaker 6: That's just building camaraderie.
Speaker 3: So in your news conference with the local media this week,
Speaker 3: you did suggest that maybe you're not as respected by
Speaker 3: your peers on the offensive side of the ball around
Speaker 3: the league as you should be or will be moving forward.
Speaker 4: Can you drill deeper into that for me what you're
Speaker 4: trying to say?
Speaker 5: That's a lot there's always somebody that don't think you
Speaker 5: are who you are, and I think for me, it's
Speaker 5: just going out there and proving that. I mean, it's
Speaker 5: not proving anything different. I'm just going to prove to
Speaker 5: you that I know who I am, and I think
Speaker 5: a lot of people may not see me as how
Speaker 5: I see myself, and that's okay. But I know, hopefully
Speaker 5: you have to not even hopefully I know about the
Speaker 5: time the game is over, you you'll think the way
Speaker 5: that I think about myself.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: See, I look at it. It's unbelievable.
Speaker 3: Respect through your way too much, right, you know, and
Speaker 3: you know, maybe they'll start testing you a little more
Speaker 3: will mean more picks. Yeah, I mean, if there is
Speaker 3: an aspect of your game that you work on every year,
Speaker 3: I mean, continuing to take the ball away and shut
Speaker 3: down the best receivers in the game, they go hand
Speaker 3: in hand.
Speaker 5: Right, Yeah, No, for sure, I think I think for me,
Speaker 5: the taking the ball away, I think that comes with
Speaker 5: more so opportunities comes with getting getting those targets and
Speaker 5: certain targets too.
Speaker 6: So I like just only just learning. I like being sticking.
Speaker 5: Coverage is something that I've been able to do for
Speaker 5: a long time, but I think now find it finding
Speaker 5: ways to take the ball away, trying to get creative
Speaker 5: of trying to really study film a little differently. The
Speaker 5: first it's like, Okay, what what routes can I jump?
Speaker 5: Or what's the favorite route concepts? And even taking a
Speaker 5: step further and it's like what to be aware of
Speaker 5: because I mean, you put it out there on film
Speaker 5: at your jumping certain routes. You're jumper certain routes, it's like,
Speaker 5: now they're going to give you what you think you
Speaker 5: were seeing and give you a double move off, And
Speaker 5: it's like I've seen that, but it's like I haven't
Speaker 5: been beating on a double move because I think about
Speaker 5: it already. So it's like kind of just playing playing
Speaker 5: a little bit of both playing cat and mouse, but
Speaker 5: trying to get them to do something and then also
Speaker 5: still thinking about how they can counter off what I'm doing,
Speaker 5: so kind of just expanding my IQ in.
Speaker 6: The game as well.
Speaker 3: Last one, Do you feel the surge of this organization
Speaker 3: right now of where it's.
Speaker 5: As Yeah, I think for me it's one of those
Speaker 5: things it's like I've been I've been here, I've been
Speaker 5: here a while. I think I've been around a long
Speaker 5: enough time.
Speaker 6: To really be able to see it.
Speaker 5: But I think now for me, it's one of those
Speaker 5: things where it's like I I wanted to translate on
Speaker 5: Sunday because I've had into a few off seasons.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I've had in to a few seasons. After the
Speaker 6: off seas, Oh yeah, we got all these guys, We
Speaker 6: got these guys and.
Speaker 5: We pull a egg man. Nah, we can't. We can't
Speaker 5: keep doing that. I think for me, it's one of
Speaker 5: those things where I want to I want to see
Speaker 5: that next step being taken. I want to take that
Speaker 5: next step. I don't want to plan and everybody.
Speaker 6: Be excited for all.
Speaker 5: I mean every offseason we come into it, Oh yeah,
Speaker 5: this are ye, this our year, and it's like it's
Speaker 5: not it.
Speaker 6: So it's like for me, I don't want to talk
Speaker 6: about it.
Speaker 5: I don't want people to keep saying, oh, yeah, well
Speaker 5: this our year, we got to do this. It's like, nah,
Speaker 5: let's go out here and show it. Like, let's go
Speaker 5: out here and be who we know we are. And
Speaker 5: I feel like that's how I live my life, That's
Speaker 5: how I go about doing my businesses. Just be who
Speaker 5: you are, be who you know you are, and I
Speaker 5: fly for us. I don't need, no want money out
Speaker 5: there on the table. I don't want us to get
Speaker 5: off to a slow start and oh we weren't healthy,
Speaker 5: or we weren't at this we didn't.
Speaker 6: No, we gotta go out here and ball.
Speaker 5: And I think that's the biggest thing that I'm focused
Speaker 5: on this year is just going out there and winning.
Speaker 5: I mean, I haven't won too many games since I've
Speaker 5: been here, so I think I mean.
Speaker 6: The contract cool.
Speaker 4: I want to win from one j the other.
Speaker 3: Great buddy, appreciate you, thank you what I pull away
Speaker 3: from this thing. And we mentioned this, I think on
Speaker 3: the Varius Weekly Show, which will here again on Thursday
Speaker 3: night coming up this week with Jim Miller, is that Yes,
Speaker 3: you got Kevin Byern back there in the back end,
Speaker 3: but I'm looking at Jalen Johnson to be the leader
Speaker 3: of the secondary. He's been here the longest, He's got
Speaker 3: some pelts on the wall. He had a terrific season
Speaker 3: last year, his best season as an NFL player. He
Speaker 3: bet on himself, he cashed in big, and he's thinking
Speaker 3: big about where he's at. He's still a young player
Speaker 3: with a secondary. I'm telling you they will be popping.
Speaker 3: They will be popping. Kyler Gordon Tyreek Stevens and Terrell Smith,
Speaker 3: Jawalm brisk or Kevin Byern, Jonathan Knowings, Elijah Hicks. I mean,
Speaker 3: we got names back there that are growing together, and
Speaker 3: the influence of that veteran leadership will be significant.
Speaker 2: You know, that's one group that can never do it
Speaker 2: by themselves.
Speaker 1: So you you say all the names of all the
Speaker 1: defensive backs that are going to come and contribute and
Speaker 1: be playmakers and ballhawks. Then you think of the second
Speaker 1: level of the linebacker position here and how much effective
Speaker 1: they are and how much they complement the defensive backfield.
Speaker 2: And then you move at one level up and you
Speaker 2: go to the defensive line.
Speaker 1: And how quickly they can put pressure on the opponent's
Speaker 1: quarterback that results in those touchdowns.
Speaker 2: But the thing are the interceptions.
Speaker 1: But the thing that I like about Jalen I think
Speaker 1: it's sent such a positive message to the locker room.
Speaker 1: You're a home pick guy, which I mean you were
Speaker 1: drafted by the Bears, and you grow your mature, you productive,
Speaker 1: the Bears are going to reward you with the contract.
Speaker 1: And I like to see that because I think it
Speaker 1: creates a lot of incentive in the locker room when
Speaker 1: you see what Cole Kmet is able to do. Now
Speaker 1: Jalen Johnson, what he's able to do, and you see
Speaker 1: these types of guys that do everything that the Bears
Speaker 1: ask them to do, improve and show leadership. You know,
Speaker 1: this is what everybody looks for in the second contract,
Speaker 1: in anybody's course.
Speaker 3: Well, you talking about chemistry and the locker room and
Speaker 3: the mood in there and culture and all that, and
Speaker 3: it is set by the players. Yes, it comes down
Speaker 3: from the coach how he wants things to be in
Speaker 3: terms of character and how you operate every day, how
Speaker 3: you work, how hard you work, are you first in,
Speaker 3: last out type of guy? All that stuff and just
Speaker 3: being a good teammate, helping your fellow teammate out.
Speaker 4: But when you get.
Speaker 3: Rewarded, now there's a responsibility with that. So the types
Speaker 3: of contracts that Ryan Poles and Matt Feinstein, the chief
Speaker 3: negotiator up at halisaul is, they're not like they're four
Speaker 3: year deals. Well a chance if you do it well,
Speaker 3: you got a chance to do it again with the Bears.
Speaker 3: So we're talking about Cole come out. We're talking about
Speaker 3: Tremaine Edmonds, We're talking about Jalen Johnson, We're talking about
Speaker 3: Montes sweats deal. These are all four year deals. I
Speaker 3: know I'm missing a couple, but it's in that wheelhouse
Speaker 3: for these guys. They stay hungry that way. In my opinion.
Speaker 1: You know what's in neat about it too, is when
Speaker 1: you look at I think it's pro football focused.
Speaker 2: The top one hundred and one players in the NFL.
Speaker 2: You have TJ.
Speaker 1: Edwards, you have DJ Moore, and you have Jalen Johnson
Speaker 1: I think at number thirty. So when you look at
Speaker 1: Ryan Pauls targeting these free agents, he brings them in
Speaker 1: and then they climbed to the top of the ladder
Speaker 1: in respect of their position and all around the NFL.
Speaker 1: And then you have Jalen Johnson, who you know, had
Speaker 1: the opportunity to earn another contract with the Bears. And
Speaker 1: just look at where how they're thought of in the
Speaker 1: in the Land and the NFL and all the players
Speaker 1: are out that are out there.
Speaker 3: Steinhoffels is an employee owned furniture and mattress stove. Is
Speaker 3: it any of their for Chicago Land locations in Vernon Hills,
Speaker 3: Crystal Lake, Downers Grove, and Harwood Heights or shop online
Speaker 3: at Steinhoffels dot com. Jeff and Tom on the Bears,
Speaker 3: et cetera podcast. We're brought to you by Miller Lyte.
Speaker 3: So the Bears did lead the NFL in interceptions over
Speaker 3: the final ten weeks, and it kind of tied into
Speaker 3: the arrival and the uptick on the defensive line with
Speaker 3: Montese Sweat and how it impacted everybody along the defensive line.
Speaker 3: All right, one shout out to special teams because a
Speaker 3: re signing as well for long snapper Patrick Scales.
Speaker 4: I think that's his eighth one year contract.
Speaker 2: He keep betting on a himself.
Speaker 1: I have it written down on my wrote my notes,
Speaker 1: and I think he says that he was a high
Speaker 1: school All American tight end as well, so just capitalizing
Speaker 1: on his overall athleticism.
Speaker 2: He does a great job. I mean, there's no secret
Speaker 2: behind it.
Speaker 1: When you look at how well Cairo is doing, how
Speaker 1: well the punting game is doing, how efficient that the
Speaker 1: timing of that game is.
Speaker 2: The kicking game, Patrick Scales is a huge, huge part
Speaker 2: of that.
Speaker 3: All right, Now, let's talk about what is still yet
Speaker 3: to come, and there is still plenty yet to come.
Speaker 3: So I took a look at this and just penciled in,
Speaker 3: let's start with defense to two be determined. Okay, Because
Speaker 3: we always use the QB one to describe the starting quarterback,
Speaker 3: I'm going to do the same with all the position groups. Tommy,
Speaker 3: So you know who the defensive end one is, it's
Speaker 3: Montese Sweat. We don't know yet who defensive end two is.
Speaker 3: We got defensive end three at a minimum in DeMarcus
Speaker 3: Walker still on the roster, Khalid Kareem and domra Ubinson
Speaker 3: four and five, five and for whatever you want, that's
Speaker 3: your deal. So the need for another edge rusher, there
Speaker 3: was all sorts of talk about Daniel Hunter landed a
Speaker 3: whopper with the Houston Texans and clearly it's where he
Speaker 3: wanted to go as well. A lot of players are
Speaker 3: wanting to go to Houston right now. He got a
Speaker 3: forty nine million over two years at the age of
Speaker 3: twenty nine, and and God bless him because you know,
Speaker 3: he came off a serious, serious injury and managed to
Speaker 3: put together sixteen sacks for the Vikings last year.
Speaker 2: So edge, edge.
Speaker 3: Rusher, defensive end that that is a big one yet
Speaker 3: to fill, and it's likely going to come in the draft.
Speaker 1: I would think, well, you know, the thing about it
Speaker 1: is Matt Bieberfluss always says he likes playing young guys.
Speaker 1: So there's some young guys in this draft that have
Speaker 1: showed some explosiveness in the combine that you're going to
Speaker 1: have an opportunity to pick them if they're where you
Speaker 1: need them. But you know, I like some exploration also,
Speaker 1: I would like to see a guy like Jervon Dexter
Speaker 1: be able to use his length and get a couple
Speaker 1: of rush from the outside, because I think he would
Speaker 1: be an interesting candidate at that position and throughout my
Speaker 1: time when they started playing bigger bodies at the defensive
Speaker 1: end position. Givon Dexter has the athleticism, he has, the length,
Speaker 1: he has the arm contact where hey, if you get
Speaker 1: a couple of extra reps during the course of a
Speaker 1: pre season, why not try him out there see what
Speaker 1: he does. But I also want DeMarcus Walker to stay
Speaker 1: healthy during training camp because I like the his attitude,
Speaker 1: I like his enthusiasm, I like would like to see
Speaker 1: him getting a chance to develop a nice repertoire with
Speaker 1: the rest of the defensive linemen that are going to
Speaker 1: be out there. And uh, and you you mentioned the
Speaker 1: other candidates as well, but one guy that would interest
Speaker 1: me out there would be, uh, Javon Dexter Junior.
Speaker 3: So at a minimum, we're talking about three technique for
Speaker 3: Javon Dexter right now. That that you know that that
Speaker 3: is where I have him penciled in at at the
Speaker 3: moment as that position. And then the nose tackle, you know,
Speaker 3: that's that's locked up with Andrew Bildings and Zach Pickens
Speaker 3: right now as the roster currently stands, uh free safety.
Speaker 3: We realize that now in terms of Buyerd also the
Speaker 3: addition of Owens Nickel locked up with Kyler Gordon, who
Speaker 3: competes for that second spot in there. Jalen Jones still
Speaker 3: on the roster as well. All right, not a offense
Speaker 3: because the linebackers are set as well. Edward Samborn and
Speaker 3: Noah suwell in there. Michael Baskerville is somebody they liked,
Speaker 3: but you know they can always add their to offense
Speaker 3: though to be determined. The quarterback position obviously, Uh, if
Speaker 3: you're if you're fine on the offensive line the way
Speaker 3: it was constituted at the end of the year, then uh,
Speaker 3: you know who will be competing for that swing tackle now?
Speaker 3: Is it going to be Matt pryor with Larry Borum
Speaker 3: offensive center? Is it gonna be Bates or is that
Speaker 3: still yet to determined? And then you know you got
Speaker 3: Dj Moorett receiver, and then numbers two, three, four, and
Speaker 3: five to me are all up in the air.
Speaker 2: I agree, you know, you would like to see.
Speaker 1: Some of the young guys come aboard and maybe upgrade
Speaker 1: what they started last year. But you're gonna have to
Speaker 1: go out there and you're gonna have to find a
Speaker 1: veteran that brings experience and leadership to compliment DJ Moore
Speaker 1: because you need someone across the field from DJ Moore
Speaker 1: to keep him a realistic target. And so you don't
Speaker 1: want to be just a one, you know, a one
Speaker 1: A team with just one quality wide receiver.
Speaker 2: You want to have probably three inside your Arsenal.
Speaker 3: Tyler, Scott Vaalis, Jones among those young players at times
Speaker 3: referring to right now, tight end one Cole Comet with
Speaker 3: Gerald Effort. Stephen Carlson is still on the roster at
Speaker 3: tight end. Now we mentioned the running back position. To me,
Speaker 3: it's pretty locked up. It's pretty locked up right there,
Speaker 3: with some room for competition as well with those top
Speaker 3: three in terms of snaps, and it'll be interesting. Obviously
Speaker 3: DeAndre Swift has been a back by committee until last
Speaker 3: year in Philadelphia had the most carries in his NFL career.
Speaker 3: Let's see what the plan is for Shan Waldron And
Speaker 3: do you have any other thoughts in particularly about the
Speaker 3: offensive line.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I just don't want it so drama filled and
Speaker 1: I think you know, last year, we never really got
Speaker 1: to be introduced to Nate Davis until the eve of
Speaker 1: the regular season, and then you know that also slows
Speaker 1: down the process of the development of Darnell Right, the
Speaker 1: new the drafted right tackle, and then we didn't know
Speaker 1: who this what the center position was going to be
Speaker 1: because there was competition going out on there between Cody
Speaker 1: and Lucas. And then Tevin Jenkins had some injury interruptions
Speaker 1: during the course of the season and he pulled his
Speaker 1: calves at the end of training camp. That was a
Speaker 1: setback to him, and brax and Jones missed some time
Speaker 1: during the course of the season with the neck injury.
Speaker 1: When you look at the two offensive tackles, you have length,
Speaker 1: you have athleticism, you have intelligence. To me, if brax
Speaker 1: and Jones invests a considerable amount of time in the
Speaker 1: weight room and he can go out there and be
Speaker 1: a guy that can be a more formidable one on
Speaker 1: one pass blocker, maybe you have your two offensive tackles
Speaker 1: already set and then it's up to Chris Morgan to
Speaker 1: figure out how your middle three.
Speaker 2: Fit the best.
Speaker 1: But listen, if Tevin Jenkins could stick a couple of
Speaker 1: years in a row together and to be out there
Speaker 1: every game.
Speaker 2: He has an opportunity to be bet.
Speaker 1: One of the better, maybe one of the better offensive
Speaker 1: guards in the division, and a highly thought of offensive
Speaker 1: guard in the league. And I like what Nate how
Speaker 1: Nate Davis plays, but I need I need Nate Nate
Speaker 1: Davis to play, and I need him to be more
Speaker 1: of a of a leader by excitement, enthusiasm and example.
Speaker 1: And if you could get that out of those two
Speaker 1: offensive guards, you would have a solid offensive line and
Speaker 1: then figure out how your center position is gonna work
Speaker 1: itself out. And there are draftable guys out there that
Speaker 1: can come in and be day one starters.
Speaker 3: Busy Heart, Seltzer Flavors for every Vibe, Celebrate Responsibly, Molten
Speaker 3: Cores Beverage Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Episode fifty nine of The Bears, Etc.
Speaker 4: Podcast.
Speaker 3: All Right, so let's look around the league at what's
Speaker 3: going on. So when the Patriots dealt Mac Jones to
Speaker 3: Jacksonville to back up Trevor Lawrence for a sixth round pick,
Speaker 3: that was significant apparently in the quarterback math and the
Speaker 3: musical chairs that are going on. Obviously, Kirk Cousins going
Speaker 3: to Atlanta as well, which opened things up for Minnesota
Speaker 3: to go and get Sam down to We're not gonna
Speaker 3: go through every quarterback, but it does kind of set
Speaker 3: the draft board. You kind of know what teams are
Speaker 3: for sure, barring trades up, are going for quarterbacks. It's
Speaker 3: likely the top three, and then I'm certain that there's
Speaker 3: gonna be a couple guys that will sneak in the
Speaker 3: top ten as well. What has been your analysis? And
Speaker 3: Makefield a striking it rich and.
Speaker 4: A hundred million dollar deal.
Speaker 3: He's got a different outlook on life right now and
Speaker 3: things have changed for him significantly, and certainly Kirk Cousins
Speaker 3: has taken advantage of every opportunity to earn a maximum
Speaker 3: amount of dollars in his NFL career.
Speaker 1: Well, you think about the money that Baker Mayfield season
Speaker 1: made for Mike Evans, and now you got Evans on
Speaker 1: a two year deal at twenty five million dollars per
Speaker 1: season and Baker Mayfield gets hit his one hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2: I always like Baker. He's a gutsy guy.
Speaker 1: He goes out there and he gets fully involved in
Speaker 1: his football team, and you know he earned that opportunity
Speaker 1: Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney.
Speaker 2: You're talking about two hundred and twenty million between the two.
Speaker 2: That's a lot of money.
Speaker 1: Over their period of time that they're going to be
Speaker 1: working together as a quarterback, receiver and the rest of
Speaker 1: the parts that the Atlanta Falcons have. And now, when
Speaker 1: you invest in a thirty plus year old guy coming
Speaker 1: off in a killer injury. Back during my time, achilles
Speaker 1: injuries were almost a career ender. Nowadays, it's miracle science.
Speaker 1: When you look at what's expected out of Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 1: and what's expected out of Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 2: You know these guys. When you're signed to that type
Speaker 2: of deal that Atlanta deal with Kirk Cousins, you need
Speaker 2: to be four year healthy when it's tech go out
Speaker 2: there and have an injury early.
Speaker 3: When it's time to tackle some game day deals. Then
Speaker 3: go with the grocer who's been a part of Chicago
Speaker 3: since eighteen ninety nine, jewel Osco, the official grocery store
Speaker 3: of the Chicago Bears. Other notes going back to the
Speaker 3: Daniel Hunter signing, it's additioned by subtraction in my opinion
Speaker 3: for the Bears in the division because seven and a
Speaker 3: half sacks, eleven quarterback hits in a farce fumble and
Speaker 3: injured Justin Fields last year. In his seven years against
Speaker 3: the Bears, he was a terror. So that's addition by
Speaker 3: subtraction in my opinion.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know it is.
Speaker 1: But the Minnesota what the grenard is that the guy
Speaker 1: who good run stock, Yeah, a run stopper and trying
Speaker 1: to you know, put these pieces back in place after
Speaker 1: you kind of probably they probably thought or knew they
Speaker 1: were going to lose Daniel Hunter and worked didn't want
Speaker 1: to pay him what he was demanding at that point.
Speaker 2: And so you know, Daniel Hunter, when you pay him
Speaker 2: that amount of money.
Speaker 1: At this type of age, you have to have, you know,
Speaker 1: everything work out perfectly, because there has been some issues
Speaker 1: with him that he you know, he missed some games.
Speaker 1: So he hoped perfect case scenario for him that he's
Speaker 1: healthy for the two seasons that he did sign for.
Speaker 3: And the Arizona Cardinals investing in both ex Bear defensive
Speaker 3: tackles Tommy Balil Nichols and Justin Jones.
Speaker 4: I'm happy for both of them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, good for them.
Speaker 1: You know, Blile is really, you know, kind of was
Speaker 1: an untapped potential when he came to the Bears, was
Speaker 1: able to increase his playing profile each year that he
Speaker 1: was here, got a free agent.
Speaker 2: Deal, and then you know, now in Arizona. Congratulations to him.
Speaker 1: I admired these guys that you really don't know a
Speaker 1: lot about them when they come from a smaller college
Speaker 1: program and they're able to develop into a quality football
Speaker 1: player who ended up getting an interception for a touchdown
Speaker 1: while he was a member of the Chicago Bear defensive line.
Speaker 3: Right leaves the Raiders and we'll be facing the Cardinals
Speaker 3: in Arizona this year, and we'll be facing the Texans
Speaker 3: in Houston, so we're not quite rid of Danil Hunter
Speaker 3: just yet. So I just I just had to do
Speaker 3: a quick gander, like, Okay, what are we dealing with
Speaker 3: here on the schedule, But.
Speaker 2: I'll put my money on Darnell right here too. There
Speaker 2: you go, There you go.
Speaker 4: I like the way you're thinking.
Speaker 3: They're also in terms of like a perfect fit in
Speaker 3: free agency. If you're closing your eyes right now, and
Speaker 3: I know I'm putting you on the spot, a perfect
Speaker 3: fit doesn't matter what team in free agency, And one
Speaker 3: just stuck out to me like a sore thumb. It's
Speaker 3: just it's a perfect fit.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: It is Derek Henry in Baltimore, a team six times
Speaker 3: in the AFC Championship Game when they built their you know,
Speaker 3: they're a running football team and they want to come
Speaker 3: downhill and smashing them off. Derrick Henry leaving Tennessee for Baltimore,
Speaker 3: that's one.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: Now, these guys, they all they tape themselves working out
Speaker 1: in the weight room, and you know me, Jeff, in
Speaker 1: the weight room, I don't want a guy that needs
Speaker 1: to be introduced to the weight room. But when you
Speaker 1: look at some of those YouTube videos of Derrick Henry
Speaker 1: working out, the dude is legit. And he's the type
Speaker 1: of guy that can carry that entire backfield in Baltimore
Speaker 1: when you have a quarterback as dynamic is Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 2: So it'll be interesting to see how that works out.
Speaker 1: And so yeah, I mean, Derrick Henry I think led
Speaker 1: the league or one of the top two in the
Speaker 1: rushing for out of the last five years.
Speaker 2: And now he goes to a team like Baltimore and
Speaker 2: see what happens with him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and a lot to happen yet in this offseason.
Speaker 3: We're a long way from the draft, although I think
Speaker 3: we're under fifty days now. More decisions to be made
Speaker 3: up at Hallas Hall, and we'll hear from some of
Speaker 3: these new editions later in the week. Bears Weekly on
Speaker 3: Thursday night at six thirty on a ESPN one thousand
Speaker 3: and the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 2: That's going to do it for us.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Miller Lite because it tastes like Miller Time.
Speaker 3: Go to millerlt dot com slash Bears Pod to find
Speaker 3: delivery options near you. Celebrate responsibly Midller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Speaker 3: Ninety six calories and three point two carbs per twelve
Speaker 3: ouncers for Tom Thayre, I'm Jeff Joniak, Thanks for listening.
Speaker 3: Please subscribe now the Bears Official app, Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
Speaker 3: or wherever get your podcast.
Speaker 2: Tom, do the honors bear down.
Speaker 1: But I was dedicating the number of the podcast. I
Speaker 1: was going to dedicate that one to Ron Revere, number
Speaker 1: fifty nine.
Speaker 2: You got it. That'll do it for us.
Speaker 3: Thanks for listening.