Speaker 1: Welcome in Tumble Bears Weekly, a Chicago Bears Network production
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Speaker 1: Your hosts Jeff Chioniak, aka the Mayor of Bearsville, and
Speaker 1: his sidekick Term the Surfmaster.
Speaker 2: There we're at the NFL Owners meetings in Orlando, Florida.
Speaker 2: Welcome into a Monday edition of Bears Weekly on ESPN
Speaker 2: one thousand of the Bears Radio Network with my broadcast
Speaker 2: partner Tom Pair, the Super Bowl winning Bears guard, and
Speaker 2: Jim Miller, the former Bears quarterback. He is serious x
Speaker 2: MNFL radios moving the chains. You can catch him every
Speaker 2: afternoon along with Pat Kerwin and he's he's I'm in
Speaker 2: a hotel Tom outside of the expensive zone where the
Speaker 2: the JW. Marriatt and the Ritz Carlton. I'm just you know,
Speaker 2: a little guy down the road. And Jim is right
Speaker 2: there on Radio Row in Orlando and kind enough to
Speaker 2: take some time today. So yeah, and Tom, you're you're
Speaker 2: at home.
Speaker 3: Well, yes, I'm at home. I'm still aware of everything.
Speaker 3: I'm not don't have the luxury of going to Splash
Speaker 3: Mountain later like you probably do. And Jim is he
Speaker 3: was worked seven days a week. So you know, it
Speaker 3: seems like this is when the NFL season starts, a
Speaker 3: serious kind of you know, rolling downhill towards the season,
Speaker 3: whether it's rule changes. You know that some of the
Speaker 3: pro days have already taken place. You kind of understand
Speaker 3: how what's happening in the draft and how it may
Speaker 3: unfold at the top part of it. So just another
Speaker 3: step in the NFL season.
Speaker 4: You see what what Jeff left out though, Tom, Yes,
Speaker 4: I am at the JW. Marriott. Jeff completely left out
Speaker 4: that he's at the Ritz Carlton is where he's at.
Speaker 2: I I'm not at the Rich Carlton. But I'll tell
Speaker 2: you what they do put on a great show, don't they.
Speaker 5: The NFL.
Speaker 2: I mean, the owners and their families are here obviously,
Speaker 2: and it's a lot of work going on, and of
Speaker 2: course the Bears are at the center of the universe
Speaker 2: again and Ryan Poles and high demand for interviews. I
Speaker 2: met with Matt eber Fluse. You'll hear that coming up
Speaker 2: on Bears Etc. This week with Tom and myself On Wednesday,
Speaker 2: the release of that episode number sixty one. Check it
Speaker 2: out on the Bears platforms or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2: But it's also a little time to get reacquainted with
Speaker 2: the other members of the NFL. And there's always some
Speaker 2: social aspects, golf, you name it, a lot of things
Speaker 2: going on here, but there's also the serious business of
Speaker 2: taking stock of your roster, taking stock and giving the
Speaker 2: opinions of what happened to the media, and then also
Speaker 2: looking ahead to rules changes, and we clearly focused on that.
Speaker 2: We're going to get into that as well as today
Speaker 2: with a one on one interview I was able to
Speaker 2: do with general manager Ryan Poles. We'll be hearing that
Speaker 2: on our next segment. Also thanks to Jack McGrath and
Speaker 2: Sean Grandy, our producers, our Bears producers Dan Burrilly and
Speaker 2: Jordan Tread up a lot of discussion about what the
Speaker 2: Bears did at quarterback. I'm going to start with Tom
Speaker 2: and move to Jim. The reasons why are many tiered,
Speaker 2: but not the least of which from Ryan Poles as well.
Speaker 2: Hear in our interview is that this was a business
Speaker 2: decision in terms of the cliche of resetting the clock
Speaker 2: on the quarterback, and that salary structure for five years
Speaker 2: gives them some runway to as their research has learned,
Speaker 2: this is when you can strike if you've got already
Speaker 2: good things in place, which the Bears do.
Speaker 5: This could be a monumental gold moment.
Speaker 2: For the Bears, leaning towards obviously Caleb Williams, but doing
Speaker 2: their due diligence now of the other quarterbacks, you know,
Speaker 2: I have a lot.
Speaker 3: Of respect for Ryan Poles and the work that he
Speaker 3: had to put in because you're talking more than just
Speaker 3: one quarterback and Caleb Williams or Daniels and Drake May
Speaker 3: So you know, Ryan had to do a lot of
Speaker 3: investigative work when you're talking about considering the most important
Speaker 3: position of all professional sports, and you you know, if
Speaker 3: you have the opportunity to make an organization changing play,
Speaker 3: you know, Ryan's got to do it. And it's unfortunate
Speaker 3: because I think we've all said how we feel about
Speaker 3: Justin Fields and the type of person he is. However,
Speaker 3: when you're looking at the ultimate goal for the Chicago Bears,
Speaker 3: and that's winning a.
Speaker 6: Division to go to the super Bowl.
Speaker 3: You have to take all that into consideration when you're
Speaker 3: making this difficult of a decision.
Speaker 4: I think the process is just starting. Obviously, he's had,
Speaker 4: you know, the three days that they spent with Caleb
Speaker 4: Williams out there at the USC Pro Day, and it's
Speaker 4: just a get to know process. I don't think it's
Speaker 4: set in stone yet. That is just anointed that'll be
Speaker 4: Caleb Williams. I think they're going to continue to do
Speaker 4: their due diligence on Jayden Daniels. He is a five
Speaker 4: year starter who's played better every single year that he's
Speaker 4: played in college, and I would think Drake may as well.
Speaker 4: They need to do their due diligence on him as well,
Speaker 4: not only just for this pick alone, but potentially a
Speaker 4: landscape in the future. I think we know quarterbacks. This
Speaker 4: quarterback carousel has moved pretty fluidly here this offseason. Justin
Speaker 4: was a part of that move as well, kind of
Speaker 4: cleared the deck for the Bears to make this selection
Speaker 4: at number one, and I think we all know they'd
Speaker 4: be not doing justice to themselves if they didn't do
Speaker 4: all their due diligence on all the top quarterbacks that
Speaker 4: are coming out. I know it looks like Caleb Williams
Speaker 4: is anointed, but I wouldn't ignore those other two quarterbacks either.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and that's the case.
Speaker 2: Tommy Ryan has headed right from here from Orlando to
Speaker 2: Baton Rouge to take a look at Jayden Daniels. And
Speaker 2: I know there's even a ton of talk at the
Speaker 2: AFC breakfast this morning, and those people don't know it.
Speaker 2: Every coach is available to the media all at one
Speaker 2: time on these big round tables and there's a lot
Speaker 2: of media here and Jim, I want you to talk
Speaker 2: about that in a second too. But Tommy, it's a
Speaker 2: lot of conversation about quarterbacks, the whole things about quarterbacks,
Speaker 2: and even Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin and man we respect
Speaker 2: said in his opinion, the reason they went and got
Speaker 2: justin Field they feel there's a lot of meat left
Speaker 2: on the bone. And that's a you know, only only
Speaker 2: the way Mike Tomlin can say it for him, and
Speaker 2: I think we'd all agree. But this is this is
Speaker 2: a continuing process and the entire conversation, the entire conversation
Speaker 2: is about quarterbacks.
Speaker 3: Want to think about it, you know, you think about it, Jeff.
Speaker 3: You think of you got two guys that are approaching
Speaker 3: one of you know, right, Aaron Rodgers Kirk Cousins. They
Speaker 3: both tear their achilles and look at the amount of
Speaker 3: money that they're going to make for each of their teams.
Speaker 3: You look at the amount of money that Russell Wilson's
Speaker 3: gonna make from the Denver Broncos, and he's not playing
Speaker 3: for the Denver Broncos. He's moved down to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 3: You have a guy that's twenty five years old, like
Speaker 3: Justin Fields, and he's moving on before he gets into
Speaker 3: his second contract. You talk about the success of Patrick
Speaker 3: Mahomes over the years, then you got your Josh Allen's
Speaker 3: and Justin Herberts. Why isn't the quarterback as much of
Speaker 3: a topic of conversation? And then you think what the
Speaker 3: Dallas Cowboys are going through with Dak Prescott. So it's
Speaker 3: a topic that's never going to lead the forefront of
Speaker 3: the NFL. And then you talk about the talent group
Speaker 3: that's coming in out of college. They have a first
Speaker 3: tier group of guys and then they have a second
Speaker 3: tier group of guys that could be equally as talented
Speaker 3: in the long run of their career. So I don't
Speaker 3: think this is a conversation that's ever going to go away.
Speaker 3: And no matter if you're asking a guy like Andy
Speaker 3: Reid to Mike Tomlin to Matt Eberflus, it's first on
Speaker 3: a lot of press people's minds, and that's the first
Speaker 3: question they get asked. You know.
Speaker 5: The fact is, and I think I mentioned this last week.
Speaker 2: Maybe I didn't, Jim, you were on the show late
Speaker 2: last week, but there are only six quarterbacks in the
Speaker 2: league that have won a Super Bowl. So that class
Speaker 2: of twenty one quarterbacks, of which Justin was a part of,
Speaker 2: they're all in different places except for the kid in Jacksonville, right,
Speaker 2: I mean, And then they're calling, there's talk and I
Speaker 2: don't know, Jim, can you even attach this as almost
Speaker 2: sacrilegious to say, the eighty three draft of quarterbacks, they're
Speaker 2: calling this crop of quarterbacks similar to that crop. You
Speaker 2: got some Hall of famers over there in eighty three.
Speaker 2: So I don't, I mean, are we leaping too far?
Speaker 4: Well, and think about that, Dan Marino was the last
Speaker 4: quarterback taken in that draft of that class of eighty three.
Speaker 4: You know, it's interesting that Jim Harball can make that
Speaker 4: statement because they've got Justin Herbert, so he can make
Speaker 4: a statement like that that he is, you know, trying
Speaker 4: to promote McCarthy, and we all get that and what
Speaker 4: he's trying to do. But they do. They drive drafts,
Speaker 4: and they wouldn't be shocked if a team takes a
Speaker 4: flyer on bo Nicks out of Oregon. You know, he's
Speaker 4: kind of shooting up as well that maybe he could
Speaker 4: be the last quarterback taken in this year's draft, potentially
Speaker 4: in the first round.
Speaker 2: He isn't looking feeling to me of a Denver guy
Speaker 2: because of Sean Payton.
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 2: Maybe, all right, we're gonna take our first break. Tom
Speaker 2: holds your thought. I know you got plenty coming, and
Speaker 2: so do we. We got the general manager of the
Speaker 2: Chicago Bears are exclusive one on one en if you're
Speaker 2: coming up next here on Bears Weekly on ESPN one
Speaker 2: thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears Weekly with the voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff Jonyak on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 7: Welcome back to Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand of
Speaker 7: the Bears Radio Network. Jeff Joniac with the general manager
Speaker 7: of the Chicago Bears, the very busy Ryan Poles. That's
Speaker 7: the case in every offseason, but this one I think
Speaker 7: probably tops it all.
Speaker 6: Would you agree, Yeah, I would agree.
Speaker 8: There's a lot going on, but it's been a fun
Speaker 8: ride so far.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Can you take us into that world, pull the curtain
Speaker 2: aside a little bit. What's it been like and how
Speaker 2: have you guys put everything into context into how you're
Speaker 2: going to attack this?
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 8: I think the big thing right now is we're just
Speaker 8: excited that we're adding some really good players football team
Speaker 8: using for agency trades, but also you know, even extended
Speaker 8: Jalen Johnson, who's a key member of our team and
Speaker 8: some we're going to look up to in terms of
Speaker 8: our leadership.
Speaker 2: So let's start with JJ because that secondary is popping
Speaker 2: right now.
Speaker 6: Yeah. I think we've been real clear.
Speaker 8: You know, the guys that we pay and extend to
Speaker 8: be here for a long period of time, we expect
Speaker 8: that leadership.
Speaker 6: Hard to be a part of their role. It's been
Speaker 6: really cool process.
Speaker 8: I've seen Jalen grow as a human being but also
Speaker 8: grow as a leadership along the way.
Speaker 6: So the timing's.
Speaker 8: Perfect and I know he'll continue to improve himself but
Speaker 8: also bring others along with him, which.
Speaker 6: You know I watched him do with with Hyerd Stevenson
Speaker 6: last year.
Speaker 2: All Right, tell us about free agency, because we know
Speaker 2: you're a draft driven general manager.
Speaker 9: You're you're trying.
Speaker 2: To stick to that, but there's players that are necessary
Speaker 2: at the time you continue to stack these years of
Speaker 2: building this football team. And so you went out and
Speaker 2: got a bunch of guys offensive lineman, safety, obviously, the
Speaker 2: running back DeAndre Swift and the trade of Keenant.
Speaker 9: There's a lot there.
Speaker 2: Kind of take it in pieces a little bit what
Speaker 2: your plan was and did.
Speaker 9: You did you get what you wanted?
Speaker 6: Yeah, we did, and probably even more.
Speaker 8: You know, we want to be opportunistic when when certain
Speaker 8: situations pop up.
Speaker 6: We always want to have the flexibility to be able
Speaker 6: to capitalize on it. And that really is because we've
Speaker 6: been disciplined along the way.
Speaker 8: So really kicking it off with you know, DeAndre Swift, Uh,
Speaker 8: some of that's going to allow us to be versatile,
Speaker 8: great mismatches all over the field.
Speaker 6: I'm really excited to add him.
Speaker 8: Gerald Everett Uh and Keenan Allen are two guys in
Speaker 8: the passing game. They're going to allow us to be
Speaker 8: dynamic and continue to improve our offense and put more
Speaker 8: points on the board, which we all know is is
Speaker 8: really important to win championships. And on the defensive side,
Speaker 8: you know, we talked about Kevin Byron. He's a guy
Speaker 8: that has had a ton of production on ball production
Speaker 8: and again, his leadership, his experience in this league is
Speaker 8: is really going to allow Brisker to improve himself.
Speaker 6: So these guys are going to be multipliers.
Speaker 8: That's what we were looking for, impact players that can
Speaker 8: multiply multipliers on our team and allow us to take
Speaker 8: the next step.
Speaker 9: Let's talk about the traded justin fields.
Speaker 2: So I was out and about on Saturday during Saint
Speaker 2: Patty's weekend and bam, it hits. Every Bears fan walking
Speaker 2: around had an opinion, you know, and that's that's kind
Speaker 2: of what you anticipated, right. The opinions are on either
Speaker 2: end of the spectrum, But what matters most is how
Speaker 2: you feel this helps the football team moving forward. How
Speaker 2: difficult was it and if you can explain how it
Speaker 2: all unfolded.
Speaker 8: Yeah, one of the more difficult things I've had to
Speaker 8: do here, and I think it makes it really really
Speaker 8: hard because of the type of man Justin Fields is.
Speaker 8: But I knew taking this job that when you're in
Speaker 8: position of leadership and you're in charge of getting this team.
Speaker 6: To where it needs to go, you got to make
Speaker 6: hard decisions.
Speaker 8: So that's what we had to do, and we felt
Speaker 8: was going to be right for the Chicago Bears to
Speaker 8: move forward. I think the narrative of Justin versus another
Speaker 8: person is a little bit off. It's more of the
Speaker 8: timeline that we had with Justin on a rookie contract
Speaker 8: that really enables us to continue to have resources.
Speaker 6: And grow as a football team is really the focal
Speaker 6: point there.
Speaker 8: But absolutely one of the hardest things I had to do,
Speaker 8: even going home and tell my son that was not
Speaker 8: an easy thing to do. Justin's jerseys on our wall
Speaker 8: framed in our home because of how I feel about
Speaker 8: about Justin, so really hard thing to do. But I
Speaker 8: truly believe this is the right thing for us and
Speaker 8: it's going to set us up to be really successful
Speaker 8: as we move forward.
Speaker 2: So when you make that call or I don't know
Speaker 2: how you did it, what's that conversation like with Justin
Speaker 2: And unless you want to keep that private between you,
Speaker 2: and him.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I'll keep the context of the private, but it
Speaker 8: was important for both Flus and I had to make
Speaker 8: that call together. I actually want to coach his house,
Speaker 8: and we made that phone call together.
Speaker 6: We just want to make sure he knew.
Speaker 8: How much we appreciated him and just give him some
Speaker 8: reasoning by behind it. And he has some very kind
Speaker 8: things to say about the organization and about the leadership
Speaker 8: and our building as well, and we wished him luck
Speaker 8: as he was moving forward. I think the key thing
Speaker 8: too is I said that at the combine, we want
Speaker 8: to do right by Justin, put him in a good situation,
Speaker 8: and I really believe we were able to do that.
Speaker 2: So I was one that said, hey, whe Apple, you know,
Speaker 2: just see how it all plays out.
Speaker 9: Have competition. Was that ever a consideration?
Speaker 8: Yeah, we really were through every situation because again, it
Speaker 8: wasn't easy to move on from Justin. I know the
Speaker 8: impact that it has in the locker room, I know
Speaker 8: the impact he has with our fan base.
Speaker 6: But as we talked through.
Speaker 8: It, we didn't think it was going to be a
Speaker 8: healthy situation for a young quarterback to get up and
Speaker 8: get started.
Speaker 6: We didn't think it would be fair to Justin so
Speaker 6: really to kind of have.
Speaker 8: A fresh start on both sides we thought was going
Speaker 8: to be best and allow whoever comes in here to
Speaker 8: be the quarterback that Chicago Bears allowed them to really
Speaker 8: have the opportunity, a true opportunity to win his teammates
Speaker 8: over and again, take the next step and grow.
Speaker 2: Well, the Bears are going to get a quarterback now,
Speaker 2: the question is who.
Speaker 9: And you know, the first.
Speaker 2: Step in the process, obviously was the USC pro day
Speaker 2: in Caleb Williams. What struck you about your conversations with
Speaker 2: him over the several days that you were there Forget
Speaker 2: about the on field work for a minute, because you know,
Speaker 2: those pro days are what they are, and he was fantastic.
Speaker 6: He was. He was very good.
Speaker 2: But just as you said, looking a guy in the
Speaker 2: eye and getting to know the guy and.
Speaker 8: What he's all about, Yeah, just his background, what he
Speaker 8: believes in, you know, all the way down to his hobbies,
Speaker 8: what does he enjoy doing, leadership style, good conversation to
Speaker 8: go through you know, adversity and.
Speaker 6: On the other side of that, have tremendous success at
Speaker 6: a young age. How did he deal with that?
Speaker 8: So we really wanted to get a full understanding of
Speaker 8: who he is and as a man, and who does
Speaker 8: he want to become and what what things does he
Speaker 8: want to achieve, both on an individual basis but also
Speaker 8: from a team perspective. So we continue to get information
Speaker 8: and again create clarity as we move forward, but very
Speaker 8: effective and productive visit out to l A.
Speaker 2: And I'm assuming he'll be at Hallis Saw soon And
Speaker 2: will you continue.
Speaker 9: To vet all the quarterbacks?
Speaker 8: Yeah, yep, So I'm actually gonna leave here from Orlando.
Speaker 8: We're gonna go to L s U to kind of
Speaker 8: finish up our pro day journey at least for for
Speaker 8: coach Flus and myself, and then we'll head back and
Speaker 8: continue to do film work on all the guys. And uh, yeah,
Speaker 8: we want to turn every every stone and make sure
Speaker 8: we're making the right decision on all the draft picks.
Speaker 8: But we're gonna do a thorough job of that and
Speaker 8: make sure we're we're on the right page.
Speaker 9: All right? So having one and nine, are you getting calls?
Speaker 6: It's uh, I.
Speaker 8: Have I've gotten I've had some conversations I have, but
Speaker 8: just not ready to kind of go there right now.
Speaker 2: Do you feel you're in a fantastic position though of
Speaker 2: strength now? I know, just four draft picks right now
Speaker 2: after all the moves, but you still feel that you
Speaker 2: can get outside from the quarterback some players here that
Speaker 2: will make instant impact based on your draft slots.
Speaker 8: I do, My entire scouting staff are our front office.
Speaker 6: We're really really excited about.
Speaker 8: The opportunity that we have and the type of players
Speaker 8: that we can add to our roster. The cool thing
Speaker 8: is is you look at our roster, it's going to
Speaker 8: become harder and harder for guys to make our team,
Speaker 8: and that that means we're getting better. That means our
Speaker 8: roster is getting more competitive. And I know the more
Speaker 8: competitive your roster is, the better team that you have.
Speaker 8: So we're excited about the opportunity we have. And again,
Speaker 8: you know, I just as I look forward, I get
Speaker 8: really excited about who.
Speaker 6: This team and become.
Speaker 2: You folks can't see it, but the man is smiling,
Speaker 2: So yes, he knows, he knows what he's got going on.
Speaker 9: Ask a couple of questions.
Speaker 2: Do you feel free agency for you is on pause?
Speaker 2: Will there be more things you're interested in potential?
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's on pause for right now.
Speaker 8: Obviously we're always gonna, you know, keep very to the
Speaker 8: ground and stay opportunistic. But from a spending side of things,
Speaker 8: you know that's gonna slow down significantly.
Speaker 6: You know we're gonna start shifting over to the draft
Speaker 6: and make sure that we make some really good decisions
Speaker 6: here In April.
Speaker 2: Got to go back to Keenan Allen had an opportunity
Speaker 2: to sit with him and talk and as blown away,
Speaker 2: I mean, the guy's done just about everything you can imagine.
Speaker 2: But it's a first time in a new new team,
Speaker 2: new city, and he shows up in Bear's gear. I
Speaker 2: don't know if that was planned. I don't know what
Speaker 2: the story is there. But were you surprised he was there?
Speaker 9: Number one? Or was he invited to be there? Number two?
Speaker 9: And what did that mean to you to see him
Speaker 9: there at you less?
Speaker 8: No, there was no request for him to be there.
Speaker 8: He knew we were going to be out there, He
Speaker 8: knew about the pro day on his own, and he
Speaker 8: made that decision, which he can speaks, you know, volumes
Speaker 8: on who he is as a person, how much he
Speaker 8: loves this game, and how how much he wants to
Speaker 8: be successful.
Speaker 6: So that blew me away as well.
Speaker 8: And I certainly didn't tell him what closed away either,
Speaker 8: And he came representing in the in the in.
Speaker 6: The blue and orange, which was which is cool to see, and.
Speaker 8: That got me excited that that just was confirmation I
Speaker 8: already knew, but I had an extra confirmation that he's
Speaker 8: exactly who we thought he was going to be again
Speaker 8: at leadership, the experience of wisdom that he has with
Speaker 8: his game. You know, we are we are going to
Speaker 8: have a young quarterback uh in the building, and he's
Speaker 8: a guy that can just really share a lot of
Speaker 8: really good information to allow that player to be successful.
Speaker 9: Third year, you have dudes on this team.
Speaker 2: Now, I agree, like this team is.
Speaker 9: Is coming together here.
Speaker 2: I know there's always going to be things you want
Speaker 2: to add, perceived holes, whatever the outside world may think.
Speaker 2: You may think different, the strengths of this team. You
Speaker 2: may think different as you look at this roster and
Speaker 2: penciling in in your mind who the quarterback will be.
Speaker 2: In addition to that, how would you put it into
Speaker 2: context for us?
Speaker 8: Because we've been really fortunate with some really unique situations
Speaker 8: with draft picks, because we've been disciplined with our spending,
Speaker 8: and you know, we kind of took it on the
Speaker 8: chin and you're one to clean that up for where
Speaker 8: we sit right now, I'll be honest with be succeeded
Speaker 8: by wild the streams in terms of really getting this
Speaker 8: roster into championship form.
Speaker 6: And I truly believe that.
Speaker 8: I mean, we push each other to make sure that
Speaker 8: we're doing right by the roster, right by the organization,
Speaker 8: and that we continue to have talent to win championships.
Speaker 8: So really proud of how far we've come. But at
Speaker 8: the same time, you know, I think I sid this
Speaker 8: last year. It's on paper. I know it's better, but
Speaker 8: it's on paper. It's got to come together. But this
Speaker 8: is a little bit different because I think we have
Speaker 8: continuity now and I think we have guys that are
Speaker 8: going to continue to make each other better. I mean,
Speaker 8: I got the linebackers and dbs flying out to LA
Speaker 8: to work out with each other.
Speaker 6: You know, you got offensive guys talking with each other.
Speaker 8: You got vets that are just traded showing up at
Speaker 8: college pro days.
Speaker 6: The character of this team is special. And again it's
Speaker 6: on paper.
Speaker 8: It's got to come together when we play games, and
Speaker 8: it's got a result in wins.
Speaker 6: But it's definitely something I'm proud of.
Speaker 2: One last obscure question, should the NFL Competition Committee pass
Speaker 2: the new kickoff rule?
Speaker 9: Will that alter how you.
Speaker 2: Now look again at special teams, coverage return, all of that?
Speaker 9: Does that factor in as you look forward here?
Speaker 8: Absolutely, you know, anything to make the game exciting as
Speaker 8: well as safe.
Speaker 6: I think it's important of the game. And you know,
Speaker 6: we'll see how the boats go and if it gets passed.
Speaker 6: But absolutely it's been on my mind.
Speaker 8: All day today is you know what changes we need
Speaker 8: to make to make sure that we're effective and efficient
Speaker 8: on the kickoff if it does change, So there are
Speaker 8: going to be some roster implications that we've got to
Speaker 8: plan for. And I kind of texted my guys earlier
Speaker 8: today just saying, if this goes by, we're gonna have
Speaker 8: to have some meetings and think of things a little
Speaker 8: bit differently again so that we are top notch on
Speaker 8: special teams as well.
Speaker 9: But thank you as always appreciate it absolutely.
Speaker 2: As Bears gentle manager Ryan pulls back with Tom There
Speaker 2: and Jamiller after this break on ESPN one thousand of
Speaker 2: the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: Excuse Bears Weekly with a point of the Bears for
Speaker 1: twenty three years Joy on the Bears Radio Network.
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Speaker 5: Moving that changed. It looks like you have something significant.
Speaker 3: Well it Jim started it. The eighty three draft was
Speaker 3: my draft, and so I went to the combine with
Speaker 3: all these guys, and you look at John Elway at
Speaker 3: number one. Then they decided Todd Blackledge was the next
Speaker 3: best quarterback at number seven, and then Jim Kelly fourteen,
Speaker 3: Tony Easton fifteen, Ken O'Brien twenty four, Dan Marino twenty seven.
Speaker 3: So if you think that this has become a more
Speaker 3: educated science since nineteen eighty three, it really hasn't. So
Speaker 3: I think this year's draft is equally as complicated in
Speaker 3: the decision making process as that eighty three. And that's
Speaker 3: just the first round, Cause you're going to have a
Speaker 3: good quarterback somewhere in this draft that's picked in the
Speaker 3: third or fourth round that's going to come out here
Speaker 3: and have a really good NFL career. So when I
Speaker 3: I just dwell on the eight three draft because I
Speaker 3: was there and I saw those guys at the Combines
Speaker 3: and I played in All Star Games with them, and
Speaker 3: then to shockingly see how these guys went out and
Speaker 3: did their evaluations were so specific about the different things
Speaker 3: that the criteria they were looking at behind the scenes,
Speaker 3: and that's and that's what happened. I just, uh, I
Speaker 3: think in two years when we're doing this show again,
Speaker 3: it'll be interesting to go over this year's draft and
Speaker 3: see what happens.
Speaker 5: Well.
Speaker 2: You know, the one thing the cautionary break is, and
Speaker 2: Ryan Polls indicated this this morning with the local Chicago media,
Speaker 2: is that you know, expectations are going to be zooming.
Speaker 2: Because everybody's saying, and Ryan is equally agrees, like the
Speaker 2: Bears have a unique setup going on. They've got talent,
Speaker 2: They're coming off a seven win season, not a one
Speaker 2: or two win season. They've got a culture established, they
Speaker 2: got continuity now and every year three they've been building
Speaker 2: to this. And just because you're going to draft a
Speaker 2: kid number one overall doesn't mean this team is ready
Speaker 2: to immediate. There's going to be bumps in the road.
Speaker 2: It's going to be a young quarterback. They're gonna have
Speaker 2: some things they got to work through and some adjustments.
Speaker 2: And the coaching staff has been put together in such
Speaker 2: a way that almost every base is covered here. I mean,
Speaker 2: they are putting all resources to make it as not
Speaker 2: easy as possible, but as comfortable as possible to learn
Speaker 2: this job, which is so difficult. And in a city
Speaker 2: like Chicago, where the media attention is insane and the
Speaker 2: expectation from a fan base that is thirsty, you know,
Speaker 2: they've made it as a nice a transition as you
Speaker 2: possible could imagine for a young quarterback. That doesn't mean
Speaker 2: it's going to be simple at all, right, Yeah.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's gonna take time. I think we know that
Speaker 4: none of these quarterbacks, you know, are you know, one
Speaker 4: hundred percent, you know, clear shots that they're going to
Speaker 4: be stars. They've all had flaws. It's going to take time.
Speaker 4: You got to be patient with them. But I agree
Speaker 4: with you, Jeff. I think they're they're trying to insulate
Speaker 4: a young quarterback as much as they can. When you
Speaker 4: make a trade for Keenan Allen typically when you've got
Speaker 4: a young quarterback, you put the veterans around the young
Speaker 4: quarterback to insulate them. You've got that with Dj Moore.
Speaker 4: Oh come at uh Keenan Allen who they just added.
Speaker 4: You just added a veteran running back in DeAndre Spliff.
Speaker 4: So I think they're they're trying to, you know, make
Speaker 4: the plate as full as it can to insulate a
Speaker 4: young quarterback. But there's always gonna be growing pains. I
Speaker 4: think we understand that it's another level of play. It's
Speaker 4: not college football anymore, and these young quarterbacks are gonna
Speaker 4: have to learn that and that that just takes time,
Speaker 4: and hopefully the the patients will be there, not only
Speaker 4: from the fan base, but I think from the organization
Speaker 4: to really bring along a young quarterback the right way.
Speaker 3: I think they get a bit an understanding of how
Speaker 3: much information that can put on the plate of a
Speaker 3: young quarterback when they go through meetings and take it
Speaker 3: out into OTAs. It'd be different if during that eighty
Speaker 3: three draft, when you went from the draft to live
Speaker 3: training camp. I don't think quarterbacks were really given the
Speaker 3: opportunity to really have a lot of that information sync
Speaker 3: in where they try to go and make use of
Speaker 3: it in full padded practices almost immediately. So I think
Speaker 3: Shane Waldron and his offensive staff and having the opportunity
Speaker 3: to mentally get these quarterbacks prepared so they can be
Speaker 3: at their most confidence confident when training camp begins. I
Speaker 3: think that'll be interesting for everybody to see because there's
Speaker 3: going to be an unbelievable group of press out there
Speaker 3: at every open opportunity Bears practice just to watch and
Speaker 3: see the development of an offense and how it fits
Speaker 3: a new quarterback.
Speaker 2: So, as you're heard in our interview Ryan, it was
Speaker 2: very difficult for him in the end to make the
Speaker 2: move because of the person Justin Fields is, and Justin
Speaker 2: was very gracious about it in his departure, also working
Speaker 2: with coach Eberflus closely on this getting players involved. They
Speaker 2: reached out to certain players to let them know what
Speaker 2: their plan was, and the players were flattered by that
Speaker 2: that they weren't, you know, informed of this just because
Speaker 2: of how they felt, guys like Cole Comett and some others.
Speaker 2: And then you know, now now the job is not done.
Speaker 2: Job is not done, but Ryan trying to do everything
Speaker 2: and not make make sure every stone is unturned. So
Speaker 2: there's no second second thought, you know, you just you're
Speaker 2: gonna whenever the decision's made. He said that he's not
Speaker 2: there yet, and you just got to keep grinding it
Speaker 2: out and making sure everybody takes a look at everything.
Speaker 2: And it's not just about the quarterback position. They have
Speaker 2: three other picks at the moment that they have to
Speaker 2: do the same due diligence on and they are you
Speaker 2: know what's interesting to me, guys. He talked a lot
Speaker 2: about so as they have scouts do their thing, and
Speaker 2: they've had the most eyes on these guys for the
Speaker 2: longest period of time. Now the coach is getting into it,
Speaker 2: and if something doesn't match up movement wise from the
Speaker 2: combine or a pro day workout, they're tasked now if
Speaker 2: they like a player to go back and figure out
Speaker 2: was that just a moment in time where something didn't
Speaker 2: look right, or is this something that can't be fixed,
Speaker 2: or can we work with a guy like this. The
Speaker 2: depth of this process is not just Okay, I love
Speaker 2: that player because I want to. You know, you always
Speaker 2: go to the game tape. The game tape tells the story, right,
Speaker 2: but there is more to it than that, and they're
Speaker 2: really going deep on this stuff because again, you have
Speaker 2: number nine. We can't forget they have the number nine pick.
Speaker 2: That's going to be the most important pick no matter
Speaker 2: what it is.
Speaker 3: You know, medical evaluation still is an important part of
Speaker 3: this because you have to make sure that if you're
Speaker 3: gonna go and take a quarterback or one or whomever
Speaker 3: you're considering at number nine, that these guys are healthy. Again,
Speaker 3: just a quick story. In nineteen eighty three, Don mosebar
Speaker 3: knew he needed a back operation, but he didn't tell anybody.
Speaker 3: So when teams would come to USC and meet with them,
Speaker 3: he would be sitting in a hot tub and he
Speaker 3: would have an interview there, not telling them the whole
Speaker 3: time that he already had his back operated on. So
Speaker 3: then the Raiders go and take him in the first round,
Speaker 3: and then after the draft he says, oh, by the way,
Speaker 3: I had my back operated on, so I'm not going
Speaker 3: to be ready to go. So that's just past examples
Speaker 3: of the history or that Jim and I have been around.
Speaker 3: But again, I still think you have to understand how
Speaker 3: important that part of the evaluation process is.
Speaker 4: Luke can Ellis is here the big loop. So I
Speaker 4: just thought I did the big wigs have come to
Speaker 4: town just to let you guys know you want to
Speaker 4: show your face.
Speaker 2: Look, yeah, he's interrupting our show. He's what he's doing.
Speaker 2: He's interrupted our show. He's killed on our flow right now.
Speaker 2: But Jim, you know that. Yeah, Tom's point is well taken,
Speaker 2: and you know expected that in one of the visits.
Speaker 2: Cable will be there first week of April up at
Speaker 2: house Althoy'll take care of that then, and they're not
Speaker 2: expected is to find anything out of the ordinary.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, yeah, because it is a big part of it.
Speaker 4: I mean, yeah, I think the only thing he's had
Speaker 4: is a hamstring in his past. But you know, you
Speaker 4: got to do your due diligence. You know, he didn't
Speaker 4: take the physical at the combine, and I think we
Speaker 4: know anybody that signs a contract, the first thing that
Speaker 4: you're going to have to do is go through a
Speaker 4: physical in order for it to have approval. And so
Speaker 4: all those things will happen in due course and over
Speaker 4: this process. Because I think you bring up a good point, Jeff,
Speaker 4: at that number nine spot that could be a coveted
Speaker 4: place for the Bears to potentially trade down for all
Speaker 4: the reasons we mentioned earlier that slot because if you
Speaker 4: look at the teams behind the Bears at ninth, Minnesota
Speaker 4: at eleven obviously could take a quarterback, they could trade up,
Speaker 4: and it could be a coveted spot where the Bears
Speaker 4: could trade down or stay. Denver maybe those two teams,
Speaker 4: because Denver selects right after Minnesota that those two teams
Speaker 4: could be jockey and with the Bears to get up
Speaker 4: to potentially take the quarterback, because I think that's about
Speaker 4: the right time frame that he could possibly go and
Speaker 4: the Bears could be in a good spot to get
Speaker 4: trade down, get a more haul of picks, and complete
Speaker 4: the process of what they're trying to do to fill
Speaker 4: out the.
Speaker 2: Roster with tamp there, I'm Jeff Joniak and Jim Miller
Speaker 2: Fact with more here on ESPN one thousand of the
Speaker 2: Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff Jonyadik on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 2: This segment of Bears Weekly brought to you by I
Speaker 2: bet to go visit a therapy visit. I thought I
Speaker 2: could not condar a question in clinic or virtual appointment
Speaker 2: and start feeling better tomorrow Jeff and Tom and Jim
Speaker 2: Miller from the NFL owners meetings in Orlando.
Speaker 5: Let's take a look at the roster.
Speaker 2: Some things that Ryan Poles says as well, you know,
Speaker 2: offensive line. I asked him about, you know, the the
Speaker 2: reasons for coming up with a bunch of veteran offensive linemen.
Speaker 2: He just felt that that's an area where he never
Speaker 2: felt comfortable and that Ryan Bates is going to start
Speaker 2: out at the center position, and that's where the competition
Speaker 2: would begin at the center position. Of course, they also
Speaker 2: have other options there the draft included, but Coleman Shelton,
Speaker 2: the veteran they got in seventh year man out of Washington,
Speaker 2: and compete for that position as well.
Speaker 5: And I know this is music to your ears, Tom as.
Speaker 2: Money offensive lineman, as you can get in there that
Speaker 2: can compete and get the best eight or nine guys
Speaker 2: that you're gonna go to war with every week.
Speaker 3: It is. You know, I'd like to see these new
Speaker 3: guys come aboard. You know, I think it's an upbrade
Speaker 3: on paper. We'll have to see those in performance. But
Speaker 3: you know, Jeff, I still have concerns about Nate Davis
Speaker 3: and Tevin Jenkins because as much as I think Nate
Speaker 3: Davis is a heck of a player and I think
Speaker 3: Tevin Jenkins has the ability to be one of the
Speaker 3: best guards in the division, it's about being there every day.
Speaker 3: When you think of the conclusion at training camp last
Speaker 3: year when Tevin Jenkins pulled his calves and then Nate
Speaker 3: Davis didn't practice at all in training camp, this group
Speaker 3: needs to be together for a thousand reps with a
Speaker 3: new quarterback and a new center. Before that, you think
Speaker 3: you're going to be ready for a week one of
Speaker 3: the regular season. So as much as we're enamored with
Speaker 3: some of the resumes of these new guys that are
Speaker 3: coming aboard, I have as much concern for the guys
Speaker 3: that are already there to make sure that they live
Speaker 3: up to their billing. Because they are they're highly thought of.
Speaker 3: But if they play up to their standards, Chris Morgan
Speaker 3: could develop one of the best offensive lines in the division.
Speaker 4: Again, I think that's at the position of nine, where
Speaker 4: if the Bears trade down, that's when the tackles are
Speaker 4: going to start to go. You know, if the Bears
Speaker 4: want to say, draft a left tackle and have bookend
Speaker 4: tackles with Darnell Wright or you've got two really good
Speaker 4: centers that are coming out. Obviously, you look at Jackson
Speaker 4: Powers Johnson out of Oregon and don't forget about Braham
Speaker 4: Barton out of Duke. This guy is a very versatile player.
Speaker 4: Everybody projects him as a center, but he's played both
Speaker 4: guard and he's played both tackle positions. And the guy
Speaker 4: stepped in right away at Duke as a true freshman
Speaker 4: and went against Alee McNeil from North Carolina. And this
Speaker 4: kid's a really good player if you do want to
Speaker 4: And it's I know, it's not a sexy pick when
Speaker 4: you take, say a center in the first round, but
Speaker 4: it's been a solid pick over time. Look at Travis
Speaker 4: Frederick when he was drafted first round by the Cowboys.
Speaker 4: He's an All Pro player, you know. You look at
Speaker 4: Nick Mangle when he was drafted first round out of
Speaker 4: Ohio State by the New York Jets. I mean, that
Speaker 4: guy is a borderline Hall of Famer. So I do
Speaker 4: think it's a you know, offensive line typically, as Tom mentioned,
Speaker 4: with the continuity, that's really if you're going to work
Speaker 4: in the trenches. That's where a team is really going
Speaker 4: to go. If they're big upfront and on the offensive line.
Speaker 3: You know, Jim and Jeff. I want a guy on
Speaker 3: the offensive line that drafted for what he is. I
Speaker 3: don't want to, oh, I think this guard can play tackle,
Speaker 3: or I think this right tackle can play left tackle,
Speaker 3: or you know, some type of an experiment player. I
Speaker 3: want a guy that has thousands of reps of evidence
Speaker 3: that the coaches and the scouts have already looked at
Speaker 3: to know that look, when he's inserted at that position,
Speaker 3: he's a ready to go type of guy. And kind
Speaker 3: of that's the unique things about an offensive lineman. It's
Speaker 3: not a three technique defensive tackle moving up and down
Speaker 3: the line of scrimmage, or a pass rushing capable defensive end.
Speaker 3: If you're a guard, you're a guard. If you're a center,
Speaker 3: your your skills show that. So when you go out
Speaker 3: and you evaluate these players, bring me what they are.
Speaker 3: Don't bring me an experiment during training camp to see
Speaker 3: if I can develop them to that position. And then
Speaker 3: if they don't, then you have a glut of players
Speaker 3: at one position. Now your glass is overfilled.
Speaker 2: What about the tweeners, Because last year so many tackles
Speaker 2: that were drafted, many moved to guard.
Speaker 5: I mean, I think a Scarronsky is one of them.
Speaker 2: I don't know if that's his permanent position, but if
Speaker 2: is that off the table for you, Tommy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it is, Jeff only because look, you know, Tevin
Speaker 3: Jenkins was brought in here to be an immediate starting
Speaker 3: left tackle at an NFL level, and he really didn't
Speaker 3: play there, but he is. He's a really good offensive guard.
Speaker 3: So if you're gonna bring me a tweener that all
Speaker 3: of a sudden doesn't have the length, the footwork, the
Speaker 3: balance to work out a tackle, and now we got
Speaker 3: seven guards in two tackles, you know, so bring me
Speaker 3: the guy that has that length that is specific to
Speaker 3: a tackle. Give me that guy that's lived in a
Speaker 3: left handed stance if he's gonna play left tackle. That's
Speaker 3: what I'm saying. Don't bring me in experiments, bring me
Speaker 3: a bona fide guy.
Speaker 5: Jim, where are you at on that?
Speaker 3: Well?
Speaker 4: I think you know you can play with certain players
Speaker 4: and you can move them around. I mean, that's Tom's
Speaker 4: point about Jenkins. You know, he's kind of had to
Speaker 4: bounce around and now he's found a home that guard.
Speaker 4: You know, I think when you go into this draft,
Speaker 4: like j C. Latham from Alabama. He's a right tackle.
Speaker 4: That's what he is going to be in the National
Speaker 4: Football League. Now look at Olu Fashionu out of Penn State.
Speaker 4: To me, he's strictly a left tackle. And if that's
Speaker 4: what you want to you know, these are plug and
Speaker 4: play players. Just how Darnell Wright was specifically targeted for
Speaker 4: right tackle. I think that's the direction Ryan Poles wants
Speaker 4: to go. And for all the reasons that Tom said
Speaker 4: they don't want an experiment, I think they want to
Speaker 4: plug and play player that they know will be at
Speaker 4: the position that they're going to sele ut don.
Speaker 2: This is why I could never ever even dream of
Speaker 2: being in this position of like, oh, if it's a
Speaker 2: I want to be a general manager on a billion
Speaker 2: dollar enterprise, because I'm at number nine and I've literally,
Speaker 2: in the last couple of weeks had a couple of
Speaker 2: nights thinking about what I would do, and I don't
Speaker 2: know what to do because the crop of tackles are
Speaker 2: so good and if you get the guy out of
Speaker 2: that bunch, Like, how do you pass on a ten
Speaker 2: year tackle? You know, the Bears haven't had one since
Speaker 2: Jimbo Covert. Uh, you man, But boy, I'll tell you
Speaker 2: these receivers man Roma Duneesa fit, he'd be an unbelievable fit.
Speaker 2: He's definitely gonna go in the top ten.
Speaker 5: Do I keep it? Or you know what, I gotta
Speaker 5: have an edge rusher.
Speaker 2: I gotta complete this defense somehow, because where am I
Speaker 2: getting this?
Speaker 3: So what do you like?
Speaker 4: What do you do?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 2: Have you guys gone through this exercise and think you
Speaker 2: got not just for fantasy football sakes or a mock draft,
Speaker 2: Like what is the absolute best decision for the Bears
Speaker 2: at number nine? Just saying they keep it? Like out
Speaker 2: of those three spots, like, what do you do?
Speaker 3: First? Thing? I would just take in consideration what position
Speaker 3: am I most desperate in need of? And is that
Speaker 3: a complimentary defensive end across from Montes sweep that helps
Speaker 3: the interior of your line play better, But now it
Speaker 3: gives you a lack of focal point for the opponent
Speaker 3: you're playing and give more one on ones to the outside.
Speaker 3: If you think that's your most vulnerable position and you
Speaker 3: need to get more sacks, then that's where you have
Speaker 3: to think. You gave up fifty sacks last year. If
Speaker 3: you think I have to get better at the offensive
Speaker 3: tackle position within this division, and you think there's that
Speaker 3: guy out there, and like Jim said, now you got
Speaker 3: book gund dedicated tackles the position they've been playing. You're
Speaker 3: talking about putting together an offensive line that could be
Speaker 3: as sturdy for the next eight nine years. However, many
Speaker 3: years they stay together and perform at a high level
Speaker 3: with a rookie quarterback. So I think, as if you
Speaker 3: are the general manager, you have to ask yourself where
Speaker 3: am I the most vulnerable, and then you have to
Speaker 3: fill that void. Look, I don't mind trading down out
Speaker 3: of nine because there's twenty six receivers in this draft.
Speaker 3: We have a top four grade on them, top four
Speaker 3: round grade on them. So maybe there's that guy. That
Speaker 3: man he took a little bit of notice when I
Speaker 3: was at the senior ball or I at the combine
Speaker 3: or something that can help me work out. But vulnerability,
Speaker 3: I think, is you got to fill. You have to
Speaker 3: fill that.
Speaker 2: All right, we'll pick it up and look at the rules,
Speaker 2: potential changes that will come down the pike here, hopefully
Speaker 2: tomorrow at least a head start on that. As we
Speaker 2: continue from Orlando, Florida, where Jim and I are and
Speaker 2: Tom is watching from AFAR.
Speaker 5: Love it every second.
Speaker 2: This is Bears Weekly on ESPN Radio and the Chicago
Speaker 2: Bears Radio Network is.
Speaker 1: Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty
Speaker 1: three years Jeff ju on the Bears Radio Network.
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Speaker 2: You are there all the royalties by Jim Miller's serious
Speaker 2: XMNFL radio site along radio row. Yes, there is a
Speaker 2: radio row here in Orlando at the owners meetings and
Speaker 2: for good reason. Everybody who's anybody in the NFL from
Speaker 2: the ownership, their families, general managers, and head coaches are here.
Speaker 2: And Jim, I don't know, did you dip in much
Speaker 2: to the AFC breakfast and listen any coaches today? And
Speaker 2: if you threw us a few nuggets at us, what
Speaker 2: did you learn?
Speaker 9: Well?
Speaker 4: I think yeah, I think the big talk has been
Speaker 4: about the new kickoff return. You know, it sounds like
Speaker 4: that is going to be tabled. They'll continue to address
Speaker 4: it obviously. Next month they'll have another owners meetings and
Speaker 4: they'll probably go over that scenario again, but kickoff return,
Speaker 4: because so much time is going to have to be
Speaker 4: dedicated to that, like in terms of your practice time,
Speaker 4: how it's going to look, how situations are going to unfold,
Speaker 4: and so I think that's something that they're going to
Speaker 4: push out into the future. Why they continue to discuss it,
Speaker 4: and I want the kick return back in kick return
Speaker 4: back in the games. I think for all the reasons
Speaker 4: that Bears fans just saw Devin Hester get elected to
Speaker 4: the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it's become an inconsequential
Speaker 4: play and they can still, you know, make it a
Speaker 4: safer play, There's no doubt about it. And I think
Speaker 4: they can make it a more exciting play with what
Speaker 4: they're discussing about it. You could have reverses, you know,
Speaker 4: put back in their throwback passes, all types of things
Speaker 4: that special teams coaches would make it less impactful in
Speaker 4: terms of the gunners that are coming down. And they
Speaker 4: can make it a safer play, and I think it'll
Speaker 4: be exciting for all the fans if they do, and
Speaker 4: they can come to a resolution to really, now, let's
Speaker 4: table address it again next month and hopefully it'll be
Speaker 4: back in the.
Speaker 2: Game, right good. I'm glad you put a timetable on it.
Speaker 2: It has to be done this year. You can't have
Speaker 2: a Super Bowl again of touch back, touch back, touch back,
Speaker 2: touch back, put me to sleep, go to the bathroom.
Speaker 5: Great, drink this plan, Tom, I love it.
Speaker 2: I know they made already an adjustment if a touchback
Speaker 2: flies into the end zone, the yard line will be
Speaker 2: the thirty not the thirty five. But the creativity and
Speaker 2: the strategy and more importantly, as you heard in the
Speaker 2: interview with Ryan Bulls earlier tonight, you do have to
Speaker 2: have a serious talk with your personnel department and coaches.
Speaker 2: What do you guys need now because body type type
Speaker 2: of players, this is now gonna We're gonna go back
Speaker 2: to building the third phase of the of the football team. Tommy,
Speaker 2: and we I think it's necessary. It's I talked to
Speaker 2: Chairman George McCaskey, George, please can we get a kickoff?
Speaker 2: And they definitely want is just that safety angle of
Speaker 2: it is critical, tom I think.
Speaker 3: It's ridiculous if they shelve it, because what you're doing
Speaker 3: is you're giving the special teams coordinator less time to
Speaker 3: get ready for it. They have plenty of video evidence
Speaker 3: that they can put a demonstration tape from the other
Speaker 3: leagues that have already used it, and I think it's
Speaker 3: a super transferable, exciting play that. Yeah, maybe you do
Speaker 3: do some different personnel groupings because you probably have to
Speaker 3: put better blockers in behalf of the receiving side of
Speaker 3: it than you do on the pursuit side of it.
Speaker 3: So I just wish that they would come to a
Speaker 3: clear cut decision and make the change and get that
Speaker 3: play back in football, which at one time they called
Speaker 3: the most exciting play in football.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and you're right, Jeff. I mean, think about players
Speaker 4: like Matt Slater from the New England Patriots. He was
Speaker 4: drafted specifically for special teams, you know, or kick returners
Speaker 4: like Corduall Patterson or Devin Hester. I mean, teams don't
Speaker 4: dedicate those draft picks anymore because it's become such an
Speaker 4: inconsequential play. And Tom, you're right about the personnel side
Speaker 4: of it too, Jeff, because now that you're taking that
Speaker 4: forty yard dash out of it, it's going to become
Speaker 4: a hand to hand combat. So I think you're gonna
Speaker 4: see bigger guys on the kickoff coverage teams and the
Speaker 4: kickoff return teams, and that you're going to dedicate draft
Speaker 4: picks for those specific purposes because now that forty yard
Speaker 4: dash is gone and it's going to be hand to
Speaker 4: hand combat up there because they're only five yards away
Speaker 4: from one another.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Amanmiga is already in the house, and he's an
Speaker 2: outstanding special teams player coming over from the Chargers. And
Speaker 2: that was a former fifth round pick as well in
Speaker 2: the National Football League. Excuse me, undrafted, my bad undrafted
Speaker 2: out of Oklahoma State by the LA Chargers.
Speaker 5: Jim.
Speaker 2: Anything else you're picked up from head coaches this morning
Speaker 2: from the AFC that have any carry any impact.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think when you look at the crackback block,
Speaker 4: or what they call basically a chop block, you know,
Speaker 4: if say a wing maybe an H is coming in
Speaker 4: motion behind the center and they're through running an emo block,
Speaker 4: which is a n man on the line of scrimmage,
Speaker 4: they don't want them to be able to go low.
Speaker 4: But to me, that's a football play. It's been in
Speaker 4: the game for a long time. It's why defensive thens
Speaker 4: and outside backers practice the ball drill. For anybody who's
Speaker 4: listening to this, they basically have to be able to
Speaker 4: use their arms to push a player who's coming in
Speaker 4: low to basically take their their legs out. You know.
Speaker 4: To me, it's it's it's not a typical crackback block.
Speaker 4: The young man on the line of scrimmage can see
Speaker 4: that it's coming, and the players are already coached, you know,
Speaker 4: to take on that particular block, and so I hope
Speaker 4: that's you know, I hope that doesn't pass. To me,
Speaker 4: it's just a football play. And but again, everything comes
Speaker 4: down to safety and if they deem it a you know,
Speaker 4: a play that is dangerous and then potentially it could pass.
Speaker 4: But the coaches that I talked to just think it's
Speaker 4: a typical play and that it's something that that shouldn't
Speaker 4: be passed, and I hope it doesn't go through and
Speaker 4: have approval.
Speaker 3: I agree, you know. I mean, we had a play
Speaker 3: that was called forty nine year g O wing crack.
Speaker 3: Dennis McKinnon was the most ferocious crackback blocker in the
Speaker 3: NFL at the time, and teams became aware of him
Speaker 3: and it was a factor because when he faked in
Speaker 3: motion that block and went on a pass route, it
Speaker 3: opened up big play opportunities. And then you go back.
Speaker 3: And you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Chicago
Speaker 3: Bears when Lewis Lifts came to crack back on Otis Wilson,
Speaker 3: and Otis Wilson dropped him with a forearm because he
Speaker 3: knew what the guy was gonna do. And so, I
Speaker 3: mean there's different factors that can help the offense or
Speaker 3: it can help the defense if they're aware of it.
Speaker 3: So it's been in the NFL for quite a while,
Speaker 3: and this is the first time that we're discussing it
Speaker 3: about a change.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so a lot of different things weeks, you know,
Speaker 2: going on here, and that is the major focus along
Speaker 2: with what's been done. And then I look forward to
Speaker 2: the draft. It's gonna be a fun ride up the
Speaker 2: draft day, Jimmy. I know you'll be in the thick
Speaker 2: of it for sure. Tommy's doing his homework and we'll
Speaker 2: keep blrowing it out for you each and every week
Speaker 2: here on Bears Weekly. All Right, that's gonna do it
Speaker 2: for us, Jim and enjoy the NFL part tonight.
Speaker 5: I know you'll be headed over there here after the show.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'll save a diet soda for you, Jeff.
Speaker 2: All Right, I appreciate it, Tom, We'll tell you how
Speaker 2: it all is and what happens here in Orlando.
Speaker 3: Flow number nine. See what they're gonna do it number nine.
Speaker 5: You got it.
Speaker 2: Thanks to Jack McGrath and Sean Graaney. Thanks always to
Speaker 2: my guys, Dan BURRELLI and Jordan tread Up. And we'll
Speaker 2: talk to you next week here on Bears Weekly. Coming
Speaker 2: up next Black and of Dalla. This has been Bears
Speaker 2: Weekly on ESPN one thousand and the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 5: Anight.
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