WEBVTT - Ryan Poles on attacking 'places for improvement' | Bears, etc. 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:06.120 Cut over that DJ Moore episode Touchdown, Touchdown Paars, I 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:07.520 am Jeff Jonia. 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.760 Blitz Us on Donnie got. 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:13.680 What was like playing for coache goodgo. 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:16.439 I don't want to answer any questions like that pressure 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:18.800 coming is a big trouble, Donnie Goes. 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:28.040 Mottest Sweat Bears et Cetera brought to you by Miller 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:30.800 Light with the voices of the Bears, Jeff Joniac and 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:31.400 Tom Thayer. 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:34.800 Well, this is one of the best weeks on the 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:38.199 NFL calendar where we situated in downtown Indianapolis for the 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:41.920 annual NFL Scouting Combine with Super Bowl winning Bears Guard Town. There, 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.640 I'm Jeff Joniac. Episode one thirty four. The Bears et 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.640 Cetera podcast is brought to you by Miller Light. NFL 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:51.840 GM's head coaches go through the media car wash Tuesdays. 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:53.680 At the Combine and on the back end of. 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:57.160 His interviews scheduled today, we will hear from Bears General 0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:01.200 manager Ryan Poles on this show. Lots of interesting stuff, 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.240 Ben Johnson at the podium and Tom. Really, I want 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:07.560 to start with Ben because it's his real first introduction 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.160 to the national media as head coach of the Bears. 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:13.160 Had not done anything since his introduction as the Bears 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:16.880 head coach back in Chicago. I thought he handled himself terrifically, 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.600 had great optimism, great insight, and he's got me real 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:22.280 excited about twenty twenty five. 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:22.760 How about you. 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.160 Oh, you can feel the excitement. The excitement's out the roof, 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:30.280 the energy is palpable. And then when you think about 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:33.360 what the combine means to either a college football player 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:36.399 going there for the first time or an NFL head 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:38.840 coach going there for the first time, you got to 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.520 be prepared because you don't know what direction the questions 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.319 are going to come from, who they're going to come from, or. 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:45.800 What you're going to be asked about. 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:49.680 And I think Ben was as prepared as any first 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.120 time coach has ever been in my NFL lifetime. And 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.520 I was excited to hear it because I don't want 0:01:56.640 --> 0:01:59.680 him thinking about answers. I don't want him trying to 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:04.360 look for information that isn't realistic or isn't there. So 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.880 I felt super confident about the decisions that Ryan Poles 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:11.840 and his staff made. By the hiring of Ben Johnson 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:12.919 and his staff, I. 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:16.079 Was listening to one of his old teammates I'm speaking 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:18.560 of Ben Johnson in the coaching department. To Aaron Glenn, 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:20.800 the defensive coordinator, Int Trode, now head coach of the 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.840 New York Jets, was asked about Ben Johnson called him 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:27.200 very very smart. You hear that constantly about him. Understands 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.240 defense too and how to attack it. That's significant as 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:34.639 the play caller, especially how to maneuver, and that goes 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.239 with things like motion and how you can create your matchups, 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:41.280 the out of structure stuff, the off schedule stuff. So 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.560 that is going to be a very fun task to 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:46.840 figure out how he's going to pull all this together 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:49.520 to make it really interesting offensively. 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:49.560 For the Bears. 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:52.560 And what he said about Caleb Williams, you know, stripping 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.880 everything by position, but also with Caleb stripping it down 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:59.680 to the bear wire again down to the studs. 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:01.480 Stripping it down to the studs, and he's excited about 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:03.560 what he can do off schedule. And those are the 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.400 type of plays that I think encourage you a lot 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:10.080 about the quarterback that you're going to start working with soon. 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:13.200 And he kind of even made mention this is the 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:15.720 first time that he has a quarterback with those types 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:19.040 of qualities. And when you think of Ben Johnson. Think 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:23.000 about Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:26.480 He probably knows the defensive personnel of the Chicago Bears 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:29.120 better than he knows the offensive personnel of the Bears. 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:30.880 But he's going to come in here and he's going 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:33.000 to be the offensive coach and he's going to have 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:36.000 to learn about the offensive personnel of the Bears. And 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:39.320 it's kind of an interesting perspective when you are you 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:42.560 become a head coach of a divisional opponent, because you 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:46.960 spend so much time studying the infrastructure of your division, 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.800 but you you spend a lot of time studying the 0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:54.320 defensive personnel groupings. And now it's going to be interesting 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:56.240 to see how he puts all the parts. And I'm 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:58.440 glad that he brought up the fact that it's not 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:01.600 about five offensive line and it can be eight or nine. 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.960 And that is the reality of shortyards and goal line 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:07.760 offense and the different packages that we've seen out of 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.360 Detroit over the last couple of years. And we haven't 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:14.320 seen a team get through the season with five offensive 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:18.440 linemen in quite a while, and so you need a 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:22.280 significant package of offensive linemen to make your offense run efficiently. 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:25.360 The other part is because everybody has the assumption, and 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:27.840 I've been down that road as well, that you have 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.880 to hire a bunch of new bodies to create this 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:34.960 offensive line. He goes, one guy can change an offensive line. Now, 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:37.200 I think that won't be the case here. I think 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:40.599 you'll need more than that. But that's quite the statement too. 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.960 You get one guy that makes everybody better. Do you 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:44.520 agree with that? 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:48.760 I do, because if you bring that alpha in the building, 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:52.479 because the alpha in the building isn't only on seventeen 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.640 weeks on game day, It's about what are you doing 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:59.039 in the weight room, what attention to details are you paying. 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:00.680 In the eating rooms? 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:03.200 What are you doing in the commitment to come out 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:05.880 to practice when you feel less than one hundred percent. 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:09.159 You need that type of personality, that type of guy 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:13.760 that's inside the room that's elevating the desire, the willingness, 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.240 the ability of every other guy in that room. Then 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.000 all of a sudden, that becomes contagious. That one guy 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:21.880 starts to attach to two, and then that goes to three, 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:24.000 and then all of a sudden, it's the entire room. 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:25.800 So I do think. 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:28.680 That Ben was right on what he said but I 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:33.360 think that one guy can be important enough to attach 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:35.040 himself to the other ten or eleven. 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:37.520 This podcast is brought to you by the official beer 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:39.159 partner of your Chicago Bears. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:40.640 Tastes like Middle Time Chicago. 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:42.960 Go to millernine dot com slash Bears pod to find 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:48.000 delivery options near you. Celebrate responsibily Middle Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:51.440 Ninety six calories and three point two carbs per twelve ounces. 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:56.159 So let's listen in to the podium at Indianapolis at 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.640 the combine from head coach Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:05.400 My condolences to the McCaskey family. You know, only being 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:09.960 there for five weeks in Miss Virginia, passing like she did. 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:14.200 You talked about a powerful experience for your young coach 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.520 like myself. Just to see the level of support, respect, 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:21.839 love come from the community and her family was overwhelming. 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:25.560 So I want to start off with that. Listen, the 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:30.080 last five weeks have gone outstanding. Putting the staff together, 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:33.400 that was that was priority number one. Feel really strongly 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:38.280 about the quality of people that we brought in. Character, integrity, 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:40.919 those were the first things we were looking for. And 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:44.920 then great teachers, great work ethic, demanding on and off 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:47.920 the field. I think we checked those boxes with all 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:48.800 the coaches that we. 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:50.400 Brought on board. 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:54.360 And then as we've gotten going with the roster evals 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.440 of our current guys, the free agents coming up, as 0:06:57.440 --> 0:06:59.920 well as getting into the draft prospects here, it's been 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:03.680 it's been a great process. I can't speak highly enough 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:06.320 about Ryan Poles and his staff. 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:07.920 I've been able to sit in some. 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:12.120 Of their their draft eval so far and to see 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:14.800 how well that that machine's clicking. 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:16.400 It is, It's just rolling on along. 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:19.000 It's very impressive to see and so looking forward to 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:20.800 seeing that grow as we go through the springtime. 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.760 If you only get one opportunity to make that much 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:24.960 set the president Brian for. 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:25.720 How they'd amazing. 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:28.280 So you've got to be play oppositions. What you told him, 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:29.320 you got to have all out of the. 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.440 Draft and Grant well, we we as a coaching staff, 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:35.400 we sat down with the entire personnel department and we 0:07:35.440 --> 0:07:39.320 went through position by position what the ideal athlete would 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:43.640 look like for each spot. We're very flexible on both 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:48.480 sides of the ball. Coach Allen, myself, Declan, Richard Higetower, 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.120 big process everyone's going to be. 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:52.960 Heard in terms of what we're looking for, and. 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:58.160 We very clearly outlined what the ideal look would be 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:02.600 in terms of attributes, high weight, speed, in terms of makeup, 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:05.880 which is of critical importance for what we're looking for. 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:09.120 But at the same time, if it's a good football player, 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:11.360 we're going to make it work as a coaching staff. 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:14.200 So there's a balance going on with that, and I 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:23.720 think the dialogue has been very, very very healthy so far. Listen, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:26.560 everywhere is different, and this process is a little bit 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:27.920 different than what I've been a part of. 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:30.720 You know, it was different in Miami. 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:32.720 It's different when I first got to Detroit, it was 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:36.200 different when I when I left Detroit, and and so 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.280 whatever way you go with is is your way. And 0:08:39.320 --> 0:08:42.440 I feel really good about the voice that not only 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:44.160 I have, but the rest of the coaches are going 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:45.959 to have in terms of picking these players. 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:48.599 When I talked about the ovision of people establishing a 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:52.680 foundation of das steps of years, that kind when I 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:53.040 got out with. 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.480 Well the springtime, not just for Kleb but for the 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:58.680 entire team is we're going to go back to the basics, 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:03.640 and that's the fundamentals of each position, blocking, tackling, catching 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.640 the football, running after the catch, ball security. We're going 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:09.319 to break it down to the studs and work to 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:12.559 develop it from there. And so for Caleb, it's the 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.360 what are the important things about playing the quarterback position 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:16.319 at the NFL level. 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:18.200 It's as simple as the. 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:22.160 Procedure of the huddle, breaking the hull, using cadence, motion shifts, 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:25.760 all those things that can help attack a defense that 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:28.640 we feel like can take another step here in Chicago. 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:32.959 That'll be the starting point and we'll look to build 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:36.280 around him as well with the talent level and the 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:40.280 rest of the support staff. Yeah, Listen, talking with Da 0:09:40.480 --> 0:09:43.800 has been very enlightening because we share the same mindset 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.679 when it comes to defensive football, which is we want 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:48.640 to affect the passer and there's a lot of different 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.240 ways you can do that. Certainly up front, the pass 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.319 rush is the primary thing you think of, but also 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:57.640 on the back end it's challenging the receivers and disrupting 0:09:57.679 --> 0:09:58.160 the timing. 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:00.600 And so when we look get. 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.760 Guys that are available, absolutely we want to upgrade the 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:05.720 pass rush and we also want on the back end 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:08.200 to be able to come up and lock down receivers. 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:08.560 As well. 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:11.720 So it's that fine balance and marriage between the Russian 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:13.920 covers that we're looking to augment. 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:16.439 Your offensive background. 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.280 But you think it's quarterback, You think of those defensively 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:20.480 to what are some of the things. 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.520 That I don't want this on the other side of 0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:24.760 the line, ways the guys that I. 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:26.920 Don't want to waste to stand the foreign back and are. 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:27.760 Those kind of the guys here. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:29.360 Lost foreign big and most of those evans. 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.840 Yeah, but I understand where you're coming from with that. Yeah, 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:37.280 we we want playmakers all over the roster, doesn't matter offense, defense, 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:40.240 d line, secondary, we want them all over the place. 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:43.280 And uh yeah, as an offensive guy, I look on 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:45.920 at defensive players and if it's an issue for me 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:48.000 to game plan against, and absolutely we'd love to have 0:10:48.160 --> 0:10:51.400 them on our roster as a defensive player to go 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.760 after our opponents, but it's not always that easy, and 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:56.319 it really at the end of the day, it comes 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:58.040 down to eleven guys doing their job. 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.360 If you don't have that star, that's okay. You can 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:02.520 still be an effective unit. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:05.880 And so, uh yeah, we want as many playmakers and 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:08.800 stars as we possibly can. But at the same time, 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.120 we know that complimentary football wins in this league. We 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:14.839 know that eleven guys playing is one also wins in 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:15.360 this league. 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:17.760 Tries to look at hil Mary's. 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:19.600 Damer would have no more and one of the guy. 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:22.320 He's the most is to start to build the OOSUS in. 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.360 A round listen super talented uh. 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.520 I think Declann mentioned it when when he got interviewed 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:29.200 a few weeks ago. 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:35.760 The out of structure, the off schedule, the creation. 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.040 That's that's what stands out the most because that's really 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:41.160 the way that this league's going right now. It seems 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.240 like as much as you want to make it pure 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:47.959 progression one to two to three, there's just too much variety. 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.640 The pass rush is coming down and to have an 0:11:50.760 --> 0:11:54.599 athlete like Caleb extend to play and potentially find it 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:57.719 explosive down the field, that's what That's what gets me 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:00.199 going a little bit. I get excited thinking about that 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.880 because I haven't really been around that since I've been 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:05.280 in the in the in the league, but I've seen 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:06.959 I've been on the other side, and I have experience, 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:09.520 and it's demoralizing when you're on the other side and 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:11.240 you're watching that happen to your defense. 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:18.719 Have a lot of run games and plane and don't necessarily. 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:22.360 Curious. 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:28.440 Yeah, there is a marriage between the two, there's no doubt, 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.040 But I I would agree with what you just said. 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:33.200 You don't necessarily have to be a great running team 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:37.280 to get reaction in the play action game. I think 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.640 it all starts with what your line up front can do, 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:44.240 what your backs do well, and you take it from there. 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:48.520 And and listen to what's so beautiful about the coaching 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:51.880 staff that we put together is I didn't hire a 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:54.440 bunch of my friends. I went outside of my circle 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:58.160 on purpose because I wanted to collect a different mix 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:02.520 of experience, of energy, ideas, and we're all gonna make 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:04.520 it come together and it's gonna be the Chicago Bears 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:05.120 going forward. 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:07.880 And so uh, it can look a number of different ways. 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:10.679 Eric Biennemy's got a lot of experience in the in 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:12.720 the Gun Run game and what they did in Kansas 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.520 City obviously, and Declan has a lot of success from 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:18.559 the Sean Payton tree and Press Taylor has a lot 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.000 of success from the Chip Kelly all the way on. 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:24.360 And so we've got a lot of library, if you will, 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:26.600 to draw from and and we'll see it all come 0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:28.360 together once we get our hands on these guys. 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.880 You see DeAndre Swift season the. 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:36.679 Potential. 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:39.920 Yeah. 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:43.120 So I was with Swifty when when we first drafted 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.559 him in Detroit a number of years ago, and I 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.640 followed his career even after he left Detroit, and uh, 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.360 I think very highly of him. He's an explosive athlete. 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.120 There's a number of things that he can do, both 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:55.800 in the running game in the passing game. I do 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.920 think he can help ignite an offense because he's got 0:13:58.960 --> 0:13:59.960 that playmaking ability. 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:04.600 So it'll be fun to start to work together again 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:10.520 here this spring time with him. Why Chico how Park 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:18.280 like Antwine ran Hill to Chicago. Listen, L's a stud 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:20.720 and that's that's one of the reasons was Uh. 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.640 Not only will he help me out tremendously, but he's 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.400 gonna make this offense. He's gonna make this team. He's 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.040 gonna make that receiver room better. He's gonna leave it 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:31.840 better than when he found it. I know that for 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:34.560 for certain. And it helps that he's coming home too. 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.000 So I'm really excited about him being able to get 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:39.480 in the building be around these players because he does. 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:42.280 He's got a special energy and aura about him that 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:44.160 just rubs off on everybody. 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:51.720 Working. 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:55.840 Yeah, so I think Ryan talked about it this morning 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:59.040 a little bit. We feel really good about free agency 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:03.080 in the draft and and how the supply matches up 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:06.880 with our demand. And so it's, uh, we've we've been 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.080 able to dive into the film over the last few weeks. 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:12.560 But now we can verify the personality, the football intelligence, 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:14.840 and all those types of things that you wouldn't normally 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.240 have known just by watching the tape. So it's just 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:20.080 the next step in the process right now. And and uh, 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:28.400 we're just cooking on along. You want names, Is that 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:29.000 what you're looking for? 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:37.280 There's a listen. Yeah, we want a physical group, all right. 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:37.960 It starts with that. 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:40.400 And that's just not that's not just the offensive line, 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:42.760 that's the entire team. D A and I have been 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:45.520 talking about what that looks like on defense. Uh, it's 0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:48.640 gonna look that way on offense. Starts in the trenches 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:52.200 up front. Uh, we talk about finishing in a dominant position. 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:54.400 We want to be around the football. The best football 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:55.920 players they finish around the ball. 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:56.520 Uh. 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:58.280 And so that's what you're gonna see from our unit. 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.280 The five guys that that we roll in to and 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.560 it's not even just going to be five. Last few years, 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:07.200 it ends up being six, seven, eight, nine guys end 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:09.840 up playing significant number of snaps. So we've got to 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.560 find those five best guys, but we also have to 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:14.800 get a good bullpen. 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:17.160 If you will ready to go to go in at 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:19.400 a moment's notice, makes sense, you. 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:23.800 Ut frame, Is it realistic? 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:26.240 Flip that any offen? 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:31.920 Yeah, I think it's been done before, right, I mean, 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:33.480 I think there's a number of teams that did that 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:36.600 last year. The Panthers come to mind when they went 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:38.160 out in free agency and got a couple of top 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.040 guards and really changed the dynamic of their offense. And 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:43.400 you saw them clicking there in the second half of 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:46.280 the season once they started to really gel. So there's 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.000 no question that you can change the dynamic of a 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:52.800 room just like that, uh that particular room. It does 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.320 take a little bit of time for five guys to 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.360 come together, especially if you have to deal with the 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.360 attrition and the injuries. For five guys to be be 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:03.720 working on the same page. It's when you watch the 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:06.800 tape and you come away with I think I made 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:09.480 this statement in my opening press conference that that's an 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:13.600 area we have to get better. That doesn't necessarily need me, 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:16.359 and we need five new starters because all it takes 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.879 is one individual to blow up a play. And so 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:21.680 we're just identifying where we can get a little bit better, 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:25.000 and we're gonna continue to raise that floor and and 0:17:25.119 --> 0:17:28.360 we'll find the right mix of five to eight nine 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:29.440 ten guys. 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:37.720 Also saw that thanks getting yourself with the quarterback and 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:39.040 your staff to make sure that. 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:44.560 Clock management. Well, I'm not working with the quarterback right now, 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:46.520 but I will be soon enough. 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:49.280 So we are already we already have a plan in 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:53.560 place in terms of Uh, Harry Freed was already on staff. 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:56.120 He's someone I've got a relationship with from going back 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.159 to Miami. I think very highly of him, and uh, 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.280 I'm really looking forward to sitting down. We've already started 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.800 this process. We call it the breakfast Club. He and 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:06.960 I go thirty minutes every day right now, and he's 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.080 just taking I said, teach me like I'm a rookie 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:11.240 quarterback from the start to the finish. 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:13.520 And so we're about halfway through his program right now. 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:15.680 And so once we get through that, we'll make a 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:17.920 decision on where we want to go in terms of 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:20.879 when the players get in and educating them on how 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:23.639 we want to handle the situations that can pop up 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:25.560 and potentially win or lose ball games for us. 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:33.040 Declan so a great story about him. 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:36.119 I ended up calling John Morton, who took the OC 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.800 job at Detroit. He'd worked with Declan the last couple 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:39.919 of years, and. 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:43.639 I asked him. I said, Hey, how's Declan doing? Is 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:44.960 he ready to be a coordinator? 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:51.440 He said, Ben, listen, he's another Ben Johnson, which I 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.280 think that's a good thing. I'm banking on that being 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.240 a good thing, So listen. I think he and I 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:00.520 are a match made in heaven. He thinks very much 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:03.280 like me. It's been awesome getting him into the building 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:09.080 the last few weeks and extremely detailed, extremely organized. The 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:11.840 age does not matter. He is going to be respected 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:14.879 by not only the players, but also his fellow coaches 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:17.680 as well. I can already see that coming into place 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:20.399 with the coaching staff meetings that we're having right now. 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:22.840 He's very well informed. It's just like anybody. 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:25.320 If you can help make the people around you better, 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:28.160 they're going to find value in you. And so that's 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:30.159 what Declan's bringing to the table force right now. 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:33.640 Ye thank you a couple other big things that really 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:35.520 stuck out to me because we talk about this, you 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:38.760 and I all the time off the air. He wasn't 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:41.720 interested in hiring a whole staff of his friends, and 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:44.399 I thought wow, because I saw him beforehand. Tom, he 0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:47.280 was getting ready to walk over to the podium just 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:50.960 exchange pleasantries, and I said, Man, I'm really impressed with 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:53.760 the type of staff you brought together, the different experiences, 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:57.480 the older guys, the guys in their sixties to the 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:00.200 young guys. And he goes, Man, he goes, yeah, yeah, 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:03.960