WEBVTT - All Access: Nichols developing on defensive 0:00:01.160 --> 0:00:04.600 The following is a presentation of the Chicago Bears Network 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.640 and Chicago Bears dot Com. Download the Chicago Bears Official 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:11.640 mobile app for up to the minute Bears content every 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:16.319 day and now welcome to Bears All Access. Your all 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:20.759 access passing to Chicago Bears football. Bears All Access is 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:25.360 brought to you by IGS Energy and sponsored by CDW, 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:29.000 Miller Lite and Hulu. You gotta be talking Bears football 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:31.200 with you from Halla Saw, Jeff, Johnny Eck and Tom 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:33.360 Fair from News Radio seven eighty one to five point 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:37.560 m WBBM, the broadcast crew with Pause Oranger, Engineer Dan Billy, 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.519 Our producer and Herb Lawrence and Chris Dickens helping us 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:42.800 out at the score of studios. The three and one 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:44.560 Bears out of the bye week, and we are pleased 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.440 to be joined by one of the guys who is 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.599 making the most of his snaps, the rookie from Delaware, 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:54.280 Belal Nichols. Good evening, thanks for joining us. You're ready 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:56.480 for the next hour? Oh yes, I am. I would 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:58.600 like thank you guys for having It's been our it's 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:00.560 been our pleasure to have you. It's our pleasure to 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:02.000 talk to you, and it's been our pleasure to watch 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:04.640 you play. I know Tom loves the World's the way 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:06.920 you're playing too. You know, I want to talk about 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:09.160 your first name a little bit because I'm not familiar 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:10.680 with it, and I don't think a lot of people 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:13.440 are either, because you kind of burst out on the scene. Now. 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:17.080 I have a national broadcaster message me yesterday how do 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:22.199 I say your name? And it's kind of funny because blah, 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:24.400 and how do you say it to me? So? Yeah, 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:27.160 you said it right? Okay, Okay, It's It's interesting. I've 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:30.200 never seen the name, and I always admire Jeff because 0:01:30.240 --> 0:01:33.360 after being in the broadcasting for twenty years, the names 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:36.120 have changed so much in the difficulty of memorizing each 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:38.280 of them, but I do. I still find it amazing 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.760 that you burst out of the scene. Now national broadcasters 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:42.600 are trying to figure out how to say your name, 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:44.960 and you know, it's what happens when you make play. 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:47.520 Well blow, what happened to John and Jim and Joe? 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:50.600 We got blah, We got all kind of different names 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.520 out there right in the focus. Is there a background 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:56.200 to that name? Um? I'm not really not really sure 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:59.280 too much. I just know that it is a Muslim name. 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:03.280 I'm not Muslim, though. My mother just kind of liked 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:05.160 the name as she thought it was unique. She tried 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:07.280 to go for a unique name. And you know, I 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:10.880 actually have an older cousin name Balaoun. He's about ten 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:13.000 to fifteen years older than me, and she just, I 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:15.160 guess she just loved the name, and you know, decided 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:17.560 to say, so, is he still with us? Walking around 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:19.280 with a little bit of extra Priday because now you're 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.520 kind of making You're gonna make that first name famous 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:24.120 people across the country. The first time they'll hear that 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.000 name is when it comes across a national and broadcasting 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:30.440 football game. Yeah, so, you know, yeah, so I'm kind 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:32.040 of still in his shine a little bit. I guess 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.200 you could say, you know, before the start of the year, 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:39.560 watching your combine, watching your forty at the combine, before 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:42.799 you got into the blocks, the broadcasters I kind of talk, oh, 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:45.000 who is this guy? Where is he from? What? We 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:47.359 don't know much about him? All he looks good and stuff. 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:50.360 And then you're on a sub five forty. Now all 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:52.720 of a sudden you're on the radar. Did that four 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:57.320 point whatever seconds change the outlook of the way people 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:00.320 reacted to you, Oh, yeah, I definitely think it did. Um, 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:02.200 you know, I knew a lot of people didn't really 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:04.160 know about me, you know, coming from you know, the 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:06.839 University of Delaware, which is considered the small school, which 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:09.080 I don't consider the small school, but you know it's 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.359 the FCS school, and you know it's it doesn't get 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.120 the attention that those FBS schools get. And you know 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:16.280 that was something I had that I had to battle with. 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:18.799 And um, you know, I knew my athletic abilities, I 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.760 knew my strengths and things like that, so you know 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:23.400 I knew once I got to the Combine, now I 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:26.080 will open up a lot of eyes. Um. I also 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:28.720 realized that, you know, I was a lot more athletic 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:33.240 than you know I was showing on film. Just because 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:34.960 of the schemes that we played. You know, I was 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:37.200 asked to do certain things that you know, really didn't 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.920 complement my athletic abilities, but you know, anything to help 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:43.440 us win. What kind of crowds did your play in 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:44.840 front of it? And then when you were at the 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:48.000 Combine that that stadium seem enormous to you because I 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.520 just don't know what kind of stadiums you've you've been 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:52.680 through throughout your career. Yeah. So, um, you know, each 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:56.320 year in college we played a FBS program ACC school, Um, 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:58.480 you know, my my my freshman year we played pitt 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:01.920 at pit um So more year at University of North Carolina, 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:08.000 North Carolina, my junior year we played UM we played 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:09.880 Wake four s and then my senior year we played 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.080 Virginia Tech. So you know, I was I was kind 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:14.120 of familiar with playing in bigger stadium, so you know, 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.000 when I got to the combine, I embraced it. I 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:18.520 felt like I belonged, and you know, I felt like it. 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:21.120 You know, it was my time to show everybody, you know, 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:23.479 what I got. So you would have you played Mitch 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:25.720 and that's sophomore year I did, you know, you know, 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:28.120 it was funny. Um, I haven't had this conversation with 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:31.800 Mitch yet, but it was the first time that I 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:35.240 believe he got in like and I remember it was 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:37.680 like the second game of the year my junior season, 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:41.799 the twenty sixteen season. Um, the starting quarterback was actually 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:44.760 a guy named Marquis Williams. Um. You know he was 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:46.960 he was tearing it up and uh, you know it 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:48.960 was a close game. I think it was like it 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:51.400 was like tie like seven to seven between us and 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:54.240 like the first half, and he went down with the 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:58.719 injury and then they put Mitchen and h Mitchell let 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:02.040 us up like and that, And I think that's when 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:04.400 it really think it's really started to take off of Mitch. 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:06.760 Like he came in and he picked us apart. I 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:08.880 think he threw for like three hundred and something yards 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:11.280 and you know, he really picked us apart. So I 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.240 haven't had that conversation with him yet, so I think 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:15.360 he should think he should. Yeah, there, you did you 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:17.880 get a piece of him in that game. I gotta 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:19.760 I gotta pressure. I wasn't able to get a sack. 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.000 You know, you you referred to the scheme you played it? 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.760 What help? What did they ask you to do? And 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:27.600 what do you think what they asked you to do? 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:29.040 Because you're gonna do what they ask you to do. 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:31.720 Held you back a little bit and showing who who 0:05:31.800 --> 0:05:35.360 you truly are as an athletic defensive lineman. Yeah, well, um, 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:37.720 you know I played I played a lot of notes there. Um, 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:40.760 you know, I played every position there, but you know, 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:42.640 mainly I played notes because I was one of the 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.800 you know more bigger and more athletic guys. And you know, 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:48.440 I was better on taking double teams and blocked straight 0:05:48.520 --> 0:05:50.640 on and you know, I was really just asked it, 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:52.720 you know, just just take on blockers so that our 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:56.320 linebackers can rolling free, so you know, and then passing situations, 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:58.840 we always rushed three, so I never really got a 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:00.920 chance to show what I could do from like you know, 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.599 a three technique or well five five offensive lineman against 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.080 three rushing defensive linemen. Yeah. Wow, it's tough. And that 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:09.760 was difficult too because you know, you know, it's five 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:11.280 of them, three of us, and then it would be 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.360 times where you know they might keep six you know, 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:15.480 um six in the block. So you know, that was 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:18.320 kind of difficult to really show show you your pass 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:21.480 rushing abilities. Um, you know. And plus um, I really 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.000 didn't get the opportunity to rush a whole lot from 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.159 the edge, which I really wanted to do to show 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:28.440 how I could bend and show you know, my versatility. 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:31.000 So you know, when a combine came around and the 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:33.080 All Star Games came around, I really tried to make 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.240 that emphasis to show people that you know, I can 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:37.560 do these things. You know, I'm just doing what you know, 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:39.400 what was best for my team. You know, it's nice 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:41.760 to see them expand on your versatility because I think 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:44.080 playing a consistent diet a nose guard, you're always going 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:46.360 to be hit by at least two guys every play. 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.160 Now you stretch your versatility and why you can get 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.360 that one on one. We saw the results of it 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.159 last week where you get a one on one, an 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:56.760 inefficient step and you're in the backfield almost taking the handoff. 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.479 So it's it's nicely when you when you moved away 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:02.400 from the nose guard, because initially, when you came here 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:04.120 at the beginning of training camp, that's where you're playing. 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.600 Then you start expanding your role. Did it feel did 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:08.160 you feel like you're all of a sudden starting to 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:12.560 get more space to work within or did it change 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:14.920 the way you're feeling from noose ground outside? Yeah, that's 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:17.240 what I'm saying. Did you feel free to encumbered? Yeah, 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:19.800 it's it's a lot different when you and that nose 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:21.920 you have limited space. You have to be smart with 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.360 you know, the way you rush, you know, just the 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:26.880 way you go about things in there, because your space 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:28.440 is very limited and you have to be more of 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:31.200 a technician. When you're on the outside, you could get 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:32.680 away with a lot more things because you have a 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:35.120 lot more space to work with. So you know that 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:37.680 that was the biggest difference that I noticed. Um, and 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:40.520 you know, uh, you know, guys like a kam Eddie Goldman, 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.320 they really helped me with that understanding the difference between 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:45.880 you know, being inside, knowing how much space you have, 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:48.800 normal moves you can make, normal moves you can't make, 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.200 and then you know, going outside and you know, giving 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:53.240 you more lead way to you know, do your thing. 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:55.320 You're trying to make the tackle for loss against Taffa. 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:57.200 Did you even have time to think about it? Or 0:07:57.240 --> 0:07:59.880 did it happen so quickly you're just saying, okay, now, fundamental, 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.559 let's make the tackle. Yeah, it just happened so quickly. 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:04.920 Like um, like you know, I was able to get 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:08.680 a good step on the guard and you know, I 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:10.720 just you know, just try to make sure I made 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:13.640 a nice form tackle. Um. The worst thing is getting 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:15.440 there and not making the play. Well, that's what I'm saying. 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:18.360 Some of those there's there's years of footage of people 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:21.480 being in that opportunity, and you know, you think of 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:24.160 the play last in the playoffs when the dB got 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:27.520 his head down in the Minnesota games, you know, the 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:30.000 playoff game, and like I said, you you you burst 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:31.520 out and you don't have a time to think about it. 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:34.160 It is about just making sure you get the tackle. Yeah, 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:36.400 it's just about you know, just knowing your technique. You 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:38.800 know things we practice all the time. We always practice, 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:42.640 you know, tackling, fundamental, fundamentally tackling, so you know, just 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:44.880 trusting your technique and you know, just just trying to 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:46.959 make the play. I don't know if you know this 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:50.679 or not, but that guard you beat, Ali Marpett in 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:54.360 Tampa just got a fifty five million dollar extension yesterday. 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:58.640 I heard about that actually, and he was a good player. 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:02.560 He's a good player. But that you must take pride 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:05.520 in that that guy is considered one of the premier 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:08.400 guards in football. You smoked him. He got fifty five 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:11.960 million dollars extension. You're just from Delaware, don know him. 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:18.480 That is Nichols. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.600 players on this team. I love the way he plays. 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:25.040 He plays with a very specific mindset. And we'll talk 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:26.920 about that when we come back with Tom there. I'm 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:30.000 Jeff Joniac. This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:33.040 Radio six seventy The Score. Welcome back to Bears All 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:35.720 Access brought to you by IGS Energy, a proud partner 0:09:35.720 --> 0:09:38.600 of the Chicago Bears, providing electricity, natural gas, and home 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:41.400 warranty products to over one million customers across the country. 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.640 Learn more about IGS Energy at igs dot com. Jeff 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:47.040 and Tim with you, but All Nichols is our guest 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:50.280 heading into the break. I talked about mindset and just 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:53.480 listening to you from the moment you were drafted to 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:56.760 you sitting here right now. Is that that belief, that 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:59.160 sacrifice that you made over the course of your life 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:01.240 to get to where you are. It kind of makes 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:03.679 you who you are on the field, doesn't it. Yes, Yes, 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:05.679 it does. You know. I put a lot of hard 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:08.800 work into, you know, you know, my career and getting 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:10.840 better and better each each time I step out there 0:10:10.880 --> 0:10:13.880 on the field, And you know, I was just trying 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:15.800 to make sure that, you know, once I came here 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:18.319 to people understood that, you know, I'm always going to 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:20.760 make my best effort to get better. I'm never going 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:23.080 to be the same player each day. I'm gonna always 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.920 get better, you know. And you know, I just I 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:27.800 just work hard and just try to strive to be 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:31.200 the best. What made you different today at practice? Um? 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.760 Today I got better at technique. You know that's that's 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.160 something that you know, a king works with me with 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.679 you know, continuously he owes me to that standard. And 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:43.079 you know my other my other veteran D lineman and 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:45.880 my D line coach. You know, as as a defensive linement, 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:48.920 your technique can never be too perfect. You know you 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:51.520 could you could always work on that. Yeah, that positive 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:55.520 reinforcement every day for offense and defensive linement is so important. Um. 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.040 Jeff talked about the mindset. Ever, when we came back 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:01.680 from commercial, how did this week fit into you personally? 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:04.199 Because you're word talking to a rookie, a young guy. 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:06.680 This has really been a long season so far since 0:11:06.679 --> 0:11:08.280 you've been here, from July in the Hall of Fame 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:11.280 game all that kind of stuff and your mindset. Was 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:13.040 this a good time for you to have the buy? 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:16.920 Or Man, you're a young guy filled with energy. Could 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:21.079 you have gone, you know, gone the stretch? Yeah? I 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:23.040 could have kept going. Um, you know I could have 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.599 kept going, but it also was good to have the 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:28.280 buy just because you know, I'm a guy who likes 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:31.200 to reevaluate things, So you know, having this buy gave 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:34.319 me an opportunity to mentally and physically recharge and for 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:36.880 me to sit down and because I'm always looking at 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:38.640 things I could do better, for me to sit down 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:41.240 and say, Okay, you know I played in these games, 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:42.559 this is what I need to work on, this is 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:43.719 what I need to work on. This is what I 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:46.040 need to work on. And I'm a guy who likes 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.360 to turn my weaknesses into strengths. So you know, this 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:51.480 whole week in practice so far, the things that I 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:55.040 sat down and evaluated about myself, I made an extra effort, 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:57.440 you know, to try and correct and turn them into strength. 0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:00.160 Did you have the experience in college where they had 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:02.400 a fall break but you guys had to stay there 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:05.240 because you guys were still in the process of football season. 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:06.839 Because when I went to Notre Dame, there was a 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:09.280 fall break and it was kind of nice when dude, 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:11.880 we didn't have classes, there was no students on campus, 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:14.680 and it was just football kind of exclusive for that week. 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:17.760 And it's like, I just say, there's kind of similarities 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:20.439 to the bye week because you're not going to school Um, 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:23.080 you get a time off and it is just time 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.480 for self evaluation. Did you have that experience in college 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:29.560 or is this the first time you really experienced time 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:32.040 off in the middle of a season. Um. I mean 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.160 we had a buy in college, but you know, we 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:36.640 never had like a fall break. Um. You know, the 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:40.160 break that we did have would be like a winter break. Um, 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:42.520 you know, right at the spring ball in the spring. 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:45.319 So you know this this was like, uh you know, 0:12:45.440 --> 0:12:47.520 so it kind of had me used to it because 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:49.080 I did the same thing in college when we had 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:51.880 to buy um you know, but but you know, here 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:53.760 it's a little bit different because we actually had more 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:56.280 time time to ourselves. You know, in college, you might 0:12:56.320 --> 0:12:58.839 have like a day or two off and then you know, 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.679 all the other days you still on the end the facility. Um, 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.160 you know, but everything is just you know, limited, like 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:07.640 it's very light. Um, we're here. You know, we were 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:09.319 able to have the whole week off, so you know, 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:11.839 UM that that was different from me. But but I 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:14.160 enjoyed it just because I was able to really sit 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:17.319 down and pick apart like my whole game, you know, 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:19.760 And you know, I really enjoyed that because you know, 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.559 I'm always trying to get better. It's interesting to be 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:24.760 on a team. It's a young team, but it also 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:27.800 has a lot of veteran players. As a twenty just 0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:31.600 turned twenty two year old. Happy belated birthday in September, right, Yeah? 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:35.959 Is it? Is it an adjustment to come into a 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.280 locker room. I'm speaking more of off the field where 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.679 guys have families, wives, girlfriends, et cetera. And while you 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.480 got guys your age on the team, finding that time 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.880 to hang out. What's the challenge of that as a 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:52.120 young man. Yeah, it's definitely different. Um, you know, like 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.120 you said, like guys on the team have like kids 0:13:55.200 --> 0:13:58.400 and like whys Like it's like crazy, Like you know, 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:03.240 it's crazy because in college, uh, you know, the biggest 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.839 thing was like if somebody had had one child. You know, 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.400 Now you come here, you know, guys have family. So 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:10.720 that was kind of weird for me at first. Um, 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:12.719 you know, but after a while you kind of get 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:14.280 used to it. I think me and all all the 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:16.200 rookies kind of had to you know, you guys all 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.160 that the rookies hand together or is it unit specific 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.760 all the rookies hand together? Yeah? Yeah, we do a 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:26.560 lot together. We we stick real, real close to each other. 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:28.960 And you know, through this whole process we leaned on 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:30.840 each other to get each other through, you know, because 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:33.800 because everything is different, Um, you know, you had to 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.280 be uh, you know, you had to be mentally strong. 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:38.040 So you know, we were lean on each other, use 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.040 each other as crutches, you know, to make sure that 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:43.800 you know we were still here. You know, honestly, at 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:46.040 time would you say, I would say that it's maybe 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:49.000 the underrated aspect of the game. I mean, obviously what 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:51.520 happens between the White Lions would happen a practice every day. 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:56.280 It's paramount. But from a mental point of view, relaxation 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:59.760 or whatever, you know, having some time together with with 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.320 folks like minded and so forth. There's also an es 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:04.440 sessional part of this, because you have your work day 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.120 and then you have you know, your your downtime. But 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:10.280 you know, too is like when does a click for you? Okay? 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.720 You know, you come here from a bigger school, so 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:15.040 you have you've you've been around it all, you've seen 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:17.360 it all, and there are certain expectations. You come here 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:20.320 from a smaller school in the NFL, So when does 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.040 a click for you? Going? Okay, I'm an OTA's training 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:26.280 camp after a couple of months, saying, Okay, I belong here, 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.440 and I think that's a transition. You got rookies that 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:32.160 you can lean on, but it's about your job. It's 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:34.760 not about the rookie classes job. So when did it 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:38.680 click for you? Um? It really clicked for me when 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:41.960 training camp came. You know, you know, I always believed 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:43.960 in myself, but you know, once we put the paths 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.400 on and we really started to get outter it. Um, 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:48.840 you know I knew I belonged here. You know, it 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:50.560 was just it was just a question to me working 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.440 on things to make sure, you know, I have opportunity 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:55.760 to be able to stay here. Um. You know, so, 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:58.880 like like you said, it's not the rookie class jobs, 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:01.400 it's your job. You know, you gotta be honed into 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:03.720 the things that you know it's going to allow you 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:06.040 to stay on the field. What was a bigger transition 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:10.000 that your defensive responsibilities because they're multiple, or the way 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:13.200 what you are seeing in front of you from the offense, 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.720 you know, because the different speed that can the variations 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:19.000 of formations and everything. But now you're not one guy 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:21.000 that's lining up in the nose every play. And being 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.800 a big strong guy. You're you know three technique, five technique, 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:31.040 zero technique, Blitzer's next to you. Yeah, that's a tough 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:34.400 one because you know, learning the different positions. Uh, that 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:37.520 was definitely a challenge because you know, you want to 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:40.080 show everybody that you had a versatility, but you know 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:42.240 a lot comes with that mentally. You know, you gotta 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.680 be sharp on every play, and it's it's no time 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:46.880 to be out there second guessing yourself, you know, because 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.760 that's just slowing you down. But I would have to 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.600 say it would be um, you know, just just getting 0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:55.520 adjusted to the speed of the game. You know, that 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:57.960 was I would say that that was the biggest challenge. 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:00.840 You know, you know, I'll be blessing enough to go 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:05.040 against Kyle Longer every day, right, Um, you know, you 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:10.639 know Bobby, all those guys. So that was like a 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:13.960 you know the first time, it was like these these 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:16.439 guys good and you know, the two coaches there, they 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.720 got a little personality that they in put you know, 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:20.920 Rogers on one side of Harry he staid on the 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.800 other end. Yeah, they're willing to challenge eat of you guys. 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:25.919 You know, to do your best to work your hardest, 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:28.159 which is cool. Yeah, so that was that was the 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:30.240 biggest thing. You know, Kyle, Kyle helps me out of 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:32.879 him go at it. We make practice fund for each other. 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.760 A big strong guys. Oh yeah yeah. Can you feel 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:39.240 his strength? Oh yeah, most definitely. He's very very strong, 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:41.600 very physical. But it helps me out in so many 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:44.000 ways that you know, I only think he realizes, like, 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:46.399 you know, a lot of the plays that you know 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.639 I've been able to make, um, you know, it's a 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:52.359 compliment to him. Uh, just because you know he's working 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:55.159 me every day. You know, he's in my eyes, the 0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:58.080 best guard in NFL right now. So you know, me 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:01.040 younger guy being able to get the was reps against him, 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.159 it's just making me better and better each day. All Right, 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:06.199 we're gonna take a break here on Bears All Access, 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.720 but all Nichols kind enough to join us up until 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.159 seven o'clock tonight with Tom There. I'm Jeff Joniak, and 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:13.879