Speaker 1: Welcome in Tom Bears Weekly, a Chicago Bears Network production
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Speaker 1: brought to you by Advocate Healthcare, Beth Rivers, Cdwing, Connie's Pizza.
Speaker 2: And Miller Liked.
Speaker 1: Here are your hosts, Jeff chi aka the Merrow, Bearsville
Speaker 1: is sidekick Tom the Surfmaster.
Speaker 3: There, good to be back.
Speaker 4: Rookies reporting this week Friday, Veterans next Tuesday.
Speaker 3: It's time we are ready to go.
Speaker 4: Training Camp twenty twenty three upon us and we welcome
Speaker 4: in to Bears Weekly. I am Jeff Choniyak with the
Speaker 4: Super Bowl Star Guard, Tom There and Jim Miller from
Speaker 4: Serious X NFL Radios moving the chains. Good evening, everybody.
Speaker 4: Did you miss me last week? Tom Well?
Speaker 5: I noticed that you started by saying it's good to
Speaker 5: be back, and I met thought, did you mean that
Speaker 5: selfishly that you're happy to be back from your extravagant
Speaker 5: world win, multi multiple country vacation or are you talking
Speaker 5: about the start of the NFL season.
Speaker 4: Jim Miller, I was talking about the start of the
Speaker 4: training camp, but I am also glad to be back
Speaker 4: with my boys here, So I hope you guys are
Speaker 4: happy to have me back.
Speaker 6: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. But you know, Tom
Speaker 6: and I are much like Bill Belichick. No days off,
Speaker 6: no days off.
Speaker 7: We just play out through.
Speaker 6: That's what we do here.
Speaker 3: Jeff. You know, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 4: I don't know that you ever have taken a vacation, Jim,
Speaker 4: And if I ever ever ever even insinuate the Tom
Speaker 4: when he goes to Maui for three weeks, are you
Speaker 4: ready for your vacation? He turns beat red, angry and says, dude,
Speaker 4: I don't go on. I go to surf man.
Speaker 3: That's not a vacation.
Speaker 4: The beauty of Maui and the beaches and whatever else
Speaker 4: comes along. But anyway, we'll wrap on all that another time.
Speaker 4: We got NFL football. We're gonna be breaking down the
Speaker 4: NFC North today, the old NFC Central, the Black and
Speaker 4: Blue Division. We've got a couple of great guests. Are
Speaker 4: good pal Pete Bercich from the Bankings Radio Network to
Speaker 4: join us here coming up in moments. And then at
Speaker 4: the bottom of the hour, our old pal Wayne Leravy,
Speaker 4: the voice of the Green Bay Packers, so an NFC
Speaker 4: North preview tonight. We'll try to do Detroit on Monday
Speaker 4: of next week. That's another show here on Bears Weekly.
Speaker 4: Glad to have you alongside with Jordan truad Up and
Speaker 4: Dan Brilly are producers. Thank you as well to Charlie
Speaker 4: Bevins and Tyler Rocky as well. While we're talking about
Speaker 4: the division, I got asked on a couple of radio
Speaker 4: shows on our radio network, Jim here, just in the
Speaker 4: last couple of days, and everybody's wanting to know what
Speaker 4: you know. Everybody's just going to sleepy by the Green
Speaker 4: Bay Packers and thinking that the Detroit Lions are the
Speaker 4: next best thing, but acknowledging at the same time that
Speaker 4: the division is wide open.
Speaker 3: Are they off base?
Speaker 7: No?
Speaker 6: I don't think they're off base. I think when you
Speaker 6: look at Aaron you know, think of Aaron Rodgers when
Speaker 6: he got his first year as a starter. They were
Speaker 6: a six and ten football team, you know, and people
Speaker 6: forget about that. And there is a lot of young
Speaker 6: players that are surrounding Jordan Love. We know that the
Speaker 6: receivers like Dobbs and Watson, they're only going on their
Speaker 6: second year. They draft obviously a tight end, they're young there. Defensively,
Speaker 6: they weren't as they haven't been as good as what
Speaker 6: everybody has suggested that where they were like twenty six
Speaker 6: in the league get stop on the run. So they
Speaker 6: have to play much better defensively in my opinion, because
Speaker 6: for me, it's gonna take a little while for that
Speaker 6: offense to catch up. And plus I think it's going
Speaker 6: to put more pressure on the play caller, you know
Speaker 6: when you look at coach Lafleur, because they won't have
Speaker 6: the flexibility at the line of scrimmage like they had
Speaker 6: with Aaron Rodgers. Right, remember when coach Lafleur got the
Speaker 6: job and he was like, Wow, I don't know if
Speaker 6: I'm gonna let Aaron Rodgers check at the line of scrimmage,
Speaker 6: Like what what are you talking about?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 6: So you know there's a lot of things that he's
Speaker 6: gonna have to be really that he's putting on himself
Speaker 6: pressure wise, to be a good play caller, because I
Speaker 6: don't think Jordan Love will be going in and out
Speaker 6: of plays like what Aaron Rodgers was.
Speaker 8: Doing with ease.
Speaker 6: So I do see that team, you know, taking a
Speaker 6: step back. They're kind of going younger right now. I
Speaker 6: think everybody knows that, not that that's not an exciting
Speaker 6: thing for green Bay Packer fans. There are a lot
Speaker 6: of people that even called into moving the chains, that
Speaker 6: are excited about it. They're ready to move on from
Speaker 6: Aaron Rodgers, and some are still disgruntled about it. So
Speaker 6: I do think, you know, they need to grow as
Speaker 6: a team. And I think really the best guy who
Speaker 6: said it was David Baktieri. He said, we just need
Speaker 6: to admit what we're doing here, and they're rebuilding. That's
Speaker 6: what Green Bay's doing.
Speaker 5: You know, one thing about Aaron Rodgers in this division,
Speaker 5: I think for the last ten years, whenever they called
Speaker 5: to play into his headset, it was merely a suggestion
Speaker 5: and if he liked it well enough and they ran,
Speaker 5: and if he didn't, then he made a change either
Speaker 5: in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage, and
Speaker 5: he could deal with the vulnerabilities that he saw against
Speaker 5: the defense he was going to face when he broke
Speaker 5: the huddle. But I think when you look at the
Speaker 5: overall division this year, I do think it's a wide
Speaker 5: open division. However, I think Detroit has finally been able
Speaker 5: to take it into our stadium and turn it in
Speaker 5: to the loudest weapon.
Speaker 7: In our division.
Speaker 3: And I know that they have.
Speaker 7: A good outdoor crowd in Green.
Speaker 5: Bay and Minnesota. You know, does a nice job inside.
Speaker 5: But you know, having the you know, the opportunity to
Speaker 5: go to Detroit and play there.
Speaker 7: Late in the year when they were on a little
Speaker 7: bit of a run.
Speaker 5: It was an atmosphere that you better take control of
Speaker 5: quickly in the game or else it's just gonna I
Speaker 5: think it'll impact your offensive communication ability.
Speaker 3: All right.
Speaker 4: I want to touch on something. Justin Fields has been
Speaker 4: out and about. He's had a camp with young kids
Speaker 4: and invited all those folks and he had a good
Speaker 4: time doing that. Those youngsters all showed up and enjoyed
Speaker 4: it as well. He's been on a couple podcasts, I believe,
Speaker 4: and one of them he was asked about his play
Speaker 4: and you know, basically says, right now, his knowledge of
Speaker 4: the offense, Tom is such that he feels he can
Speaker 4: do anything he wants on the field right now, and
Speaker 4: that is a great sign for when we actually start
Speaker 4: going here because that kind of confidence coming from Justin
Speaker 4: is significant.
Speaker 3: Well, you know, the thing.
Speaker 5: That Lukeketzi said at the podium when he was leaving
Speaker 5: the OTAs and mandatory mini camp. They want to be
Speaker 5: able to hit the ground running when training camp begins.
Speaker 5: They don't want to have to go over and rehash
Speaker 5: what they've already installed inside this offense over the next
Speaker 5: two weeks. They need to hit the ground running where
Speaker 5: they pick up where they left off, and they just
Speaker 5: continue to refine everything. And as they refine everything and
Speaker 5: becomes more familiar in terms of terminology to Justin, I
Speaker 5: think he can play more freely in more to these
Speaker 5: to his athleticism ability he has.
Speaker 3: Jim.
Speaker 4: He also has asked on a show here for CBS
Speaker 4: Sports I believe to name the five top running quarterbacks
Speaker 4: in NFL history, and he said he could include himself
Speaker 4: if he's so desired, and he did, along with Steve Young,
Speaker 4: Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, and Cam Newton. It's got a
Speaker 4: lot of attention, but last year was dynamic, no question.
Speaker 6: Yeah, well he is. He's a tremendous athlete. You know,
Speaker 6: sometimes I wish, you know, there's kind of no upside
Speaker 6: to respond to questions like that, you know, because you're
Speaker 6: kind of putting him in a pickle. Because for me, personally,
Speaker 6: I do not want him to be a top five
Speaker 6: running back, right because out of all those quarterbacks you
Speaker 6: just mentioned, there's not a lot of Super Bowl wins.
Speaker 6: Cam Newton, Yeah, he was a great running quarterback, but
Speaker 6: he got beat up and he's out of the league
Speaker 6: right now. I think it's how you run and how
Speaker 6: smart you are as a runner where you can really
Speaker 6: preserve your body. And if he comes along as the
Speaker 6: passer that we think he can be, this team's going
Speaker 6: to be much more balanced and they'll have a better
Speaker 6: ability to go further in the pro season, is my
Speaker 6: take on it. But again, it's just it's a lot
Speaker 6: of talk, you know, and excitement before training camp and
Speaker 6: things like that, and you know, if that's a goal
Speaker 6: of his, I wish him good luck on his journey
Speaker 6: to get that. But you know, I think we want
Speaker 6: to see this team a more balanced team and throwing
Speaker 6: the football. I want him to be a top five
Speaker 6: passer because guys like you know, Jim Mahomes and those guys,
Speaker 6: that's how they're winning Super Bowls.
Speaker 7: I'm sorry, Jim. You know, part of running is what
Speaker 7: are you doing?
Speaker 5: Are you running beyond the line of scrimmage or you're
Speaker 5: running to stay open, because when you look at guys
Speaker 5: like John Elway, even Doug Fluti or fran Tarkington, they
Speaker 5: stayed behind the line of scrimmage to get the ball
Speaker 5: out of their hands and create some big plays.
Speaker 7: And that's what those guys were able to do.
Speaker 5: If we're talking about quarterbacks that have to break the
Speaker 5: line of scrimmage and run down field, then you know
Speaker 5: that's when the fear of injury comes in. Where I'd
Speaker 5: rather see a quarterback extend the pocket, fatigue the defense,
Speaker 5: and get a completion downfield.
Speaker 4: He also says he's gonna be the first Bears quarterback
Speaker 4: in history to throw for more than four thousand yards,
Speaker 4: something that has not happened in Bear's history. We'll talk
Speaker 4: all about that and more on the Bear's confidence from
Speaker 4: the quarterback sounds good on the basically, the eve of
Speaker 4: training camp is the Bears get ready for the twenty
Speaker 4: twenty three season.
Speaker 3: When we come back.
Speaker 4: We'll be joined by Pete Bersich, the radio analyst Chicago Rodic,
Speaker 4: Notre damer football player and coach with the Vikings.
Speaker 3: He's next year on he ESP in Chicago with the
Speaker 3: Bears Radio.
Speaker 1: NETWORKSCUS Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for
Speaker 1: twenty three years, Jeff Juniat on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 4: This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by
Speaker 4: Athletic Go Physical thereaphe visit that you got to go
Speaker 4: dot com to request an in clinic Gore virtual the
Speaker 4: appointment to start feeling better tomorrow. Always feeling great when
Speaker 4: we get to talk to that. Yes tonight, Pete Bursich
Speaker 4: born and bred. You know, I didn't know he was
Speaker 4: born in Joliet. I know he went to Providence Catholic,
Speaker 4: but he was born in Joliet. Tom Thayer, the color
Speaker 4: analysts of the Vikings Radio Network. Pete, how are you
Speaker 4: feeling tonight, buddy?
Speaker 3: Thanks for taking that good.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean I have to declare I grew up
Speaker 2: in New Lenox Township, so I didn't. I didn't grow
Speaker 2: up in Jaytown like Fate.
Speaker 3: You were born in Joliet.
Speaker 2: I was born there. Yes, I was born there, so
Speaker 2: I you know, it's the main thing. I've been in
Speaker 2: Minnesota for thirty year. If no one knows where the
Speaker 2: help we want, so I just say Joliet and maybe
Speaker 2: sometimes they know. It's just you know, makes it easier,
Speaker 2: makes it.
Speaker 3: Well, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4: With camp coming up here next week, I know you're
Speaker 4: getting ready. But the number one question I have for you,
Speaker 4: just right out of the gate, because we're going to
Speaker 4: talk about this later Jim Miller and Tommy and I
Speaker 4: about the whole running back situation. I know it's about
Speaker 4: cap I know it's about money, But why did the
Speaker 4: Vikings move on from Dalvin Cook?
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's a That's a good question, I think,
Speaker 2: is it? You know, obviously, is there is there more
Speaker 2: to it than that? I think, yes, Dalvin did eat
Speaker 2: up a lot of cap space, but there's no question
Speaker 2: he was a he was a pretty big shot in
Speaker 2: here at the offense. You know, does our offense about
Speaker 2: you know, the scheme value that position as much as
Speaker 2: it did before. I mean, you looked at when when
Speaker 2: Zimmer was there. You know, Cook was around forty percent
Speaker 2: of the offense. I think forty percent of the yards
Speaker 2: went through him, and you know, so he was a huge,
Speaker 2: huge part of the offense. And uh, you know those
Speaker 2: numbers are coming down. But we needed him in the
Speaker 2: Buffalo game, we needed them in a couple other situations.
Speaker 2: He's a very good blocking running back now as a
Speaker 2: route runner. I mean's he made a couple of really
Speaker 2: nice catches in the end zone this year. So my
Speaker 2: I just can't see a way in which management coaches
Speaker 2: didn't want him back. I think it was just a
Speaker 2: matter of it really was just a matter of money.
Speaker 2: He's a great leader, and he's kind of the heart
Speaker 2: and soul of the offense, kind of like Zadarius Smith
Speaker 2: I think was for the defense. He was a guy
Speaker 2: that the one guy we had to had a lot to,
Speaker 2: had some attitude, stayed out there even when he was injured,
Speaker 2: kept playing. And so we've lost that guy on both
Speaker 2: the offensive side and defensive side.
Speaker 8: Of the of the field.
Speaker 2: So there's a we got a lot of question marks
Speaker 2: coming into this year. So it's gonna be interesting to
Speaker 2: see how camp plays out.
Speaker 3: Well. Pete.
Speaker 5: Before the start of the season, when you look at
Speaker 5: the Bears and you think of Tremade Edmonds and TJ.
Speaker 5: Edwards and you look at DJ Moore, you think of
Speaker 5: immediately the linebacker position for the Bears got better. Include
Speaker 5: Jack Sanborn and that and the rest of the fellas.
Speaker 5: But now they have a little, you know, veteran leadership
Speaker 5: and they got some young guys coming up right now
Speaker 5: sense of conclusion of the season to today, where are
Speaker 5: the Minnesota Vikings a better football team?
Speaker 2: Well, you would assume the offensive line is going to
Speaker 2: be better because they're spending two years in a row,
Speaker 2: same group. You hope at Ingram continues to improve. I mean,
Speaker 2: you know, he was eighteen years old and started I believe,
Speaker 2: eleven games for LSU as an eighteen year old in
Speaker 2: the SEC. He started every game last year for the Vikings.
Speaker 2: He had some ups and he had some downs. He's
Speaker 2: the guy that I think really really needs to improve.
Speaker 2: Interesting with Bradberry since the Vikings didn't pick up their
Speaker 2: fifty year option, his fifth year option, but yet they
Speaker 2: decided to re sign him anyway, So you know, that
Speaker 2: offensive line group is really the one group that's sticking together.
Speaker 2: I think wide receiver wise, you know, I think Justin
Speaker 2: Jefferson has every chance to get into two thousand if
Speaker 2: they can protect Cousins for a fraction of a second longer.
Speaker 2: I went watched all the passing plays from last year,
Speaker 2: and I mean JJ should have he really should have
Speaker 2: hit two thousand last year, but he was, you know,
Speaker 2: just short. So I think offensively, you know, the line
Speaker 2: in the receiving corps. Tight end group should be good too, Hockinson.
Speaker 2: I mean, you should always have a good group there.
Speaker 2: Outside of that, it's gonna be tough. The safety group
Speaker 2: has the same guys coming back. Lewis seen our first
Speaker 2: round draft picks from last year. Broke his leg. He
Speaker 2: should be back. You know. Byron Murphy at corner was
Speaker 2: a good sign. He's a very very very good man
Speaker 2: to man guy. I think that's what you're gonna see
Speaker 2: a little bit more out of this floor as defense
Speaker 2: is some challenging on the outside, a little more mando
Speaker 2: man h and he's the guy to do it. But
Speaker 2: you know, the rest of them, the rest of the groups,
Speaker 2: we've we've got some big question marks, Tom, and that's
Speaker 2: you know, that's the thing. We go into this, We
Speaker 2: go into the season with with a lot of personnel
Speaker 2: question marks, and we're gonna need a lot of young
Speaker 2: players to finally step up and and you know, rookies
Speaker 2: and young guys to play. We know, we know about
Speaker 2: Alexander Madison, but can he replicate what Cook did? He
Speaker 2: had a really good game against Arizona last year, but
Speaker 2: can we get that out of him for fifteen sixteen weeks.
Speaker 2: You know, it's it's just there's a ton of question marks,
Speaker 2: and that's that's what concerns me the most. I don't
Speaker 2: think this is going to be a losing season by
Speaker 2: any means, but I think with the success they had
Speaker 2: last year, now you're playing all the you know, the
Speaker 2: teams that won the division. You know, we we we
Speaker 2: need a lot of guys to really pay him out
Speaker 2: for this team to try to replicate that thirteen and
Speaker 2: four record.
Speaker 6: Yeah, Pete for me, Jim Miller, good to talk to you.
Speaker 6: As an outsider, I'm trying to see what the plan
Speaker 6: is here, because you know, they could have extended Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 6: Maybe they could have cleared up cap space because you
Speaker 6: got Hendricks who left. He was the leading tackler. You
Speaker 6: just mentioned Sadarius Smith and Cook and we could go on.
Speaker 6: There's other players that have gone here, and the windows
Speaker 6: kind of right now. You know when you look at
Speaker 6: the exodus of Aaron Rodgers and I'm saying, am I, so,
Speaker 6: why is in Minnesota doubling down because they won the
Speaker 6: division last year?
Speaker 2: You know that's that's a that's a very good point,
Speaker 2: and my condolences for having to deal with those other
Speaker 2: two most of the time. You know, it's it's a
Speaker 2: you know, Fayer and Joni act having to sit in
Speaker 2: between those two. And I don't know, I don't know
Speaker 2: how you do it. Whatever the pain, they should double it.
Speaker 2: Very very good point, you know. I think the focus
Speaker 2: is really to keep Justin Jefferson around and what you
Speaker 2: can't do is pay a receiver, you know, maybe a
Speaker 2: record breaking salary or somewhere up there, and then not
Speaker 2: have a quarterback to throw the ball to him. So
Speaker 2: I think, you know, for Kirk Cousins, you know, he's
Speaker 2: getting older, and we got to keep an arm of
Speaker 2: eye in his arm strength big time, because he doesn't
Speaker 2: he doesn't scramble, he doesn't move around, and he has
Speaker 2: that accuracy in arm strength. And if that starts the
Speaker 2: wayne his I think his productivity and his game will
Speaker 2: fall up pretty quickly. Now whether or not that'll be
Speaker 2: the case, I don't know, But I don't know if
Speaker 2: the Vikings are concerned about him, you know, let's say
Speaker 2: next season testing the free agent market, I think what
Speaker 2: they may have had to do to extend him would
Speaker 2: be more than what they wanted or what they wanted
Speaker 2: to pay him, and they're not afraid of, you know,
Speaker 2: of just letting him go ahead and do that. Now,
Speaker 2: well you ever get there, I don't know, but they
Speaker 2: have those.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: It's a big combination there that they have to reshginn
Speaker 2: and figure out, which is one of the reasons why
Speaker 2: he saw the departure of a gal like Eric Hendricks.
Speaker 2: And you know, I think I don't think Eric was
Speaker 2: a fit for the scheme that we were trying to run,
Speaker 2: and really don't. Dallas ran the ball forty times against us,
Speaker 2: and he came away with a game with three combined tackles. Now,
Speaker 2: I don't know any linebacker when he faced forty runs
Speaker 2: and come up with three tackles, there's something going on there.
Speaker 2: I think he was nicked up. But if it's about
Speaker 2: the year, so you know, losing Dalvin Tomlinson was a
Speaker 2: big loss too. I think losing Zadarius Smith and Dalvin
Speaker 2: Thomlinson with big losses the line, you know, and we
Speaker 2: didn't really draft or sign anyone to fill that other spot.
Speaker 2: So maybe if Brian Ausamol will step up. You know,
Speaker 2: we got this this undrafted free agent kid from Cincinnati's
Speaker 2: name is Ivan Pace. Now, I just hope the kid
Speaker 2: makes the team. But he'll knock your eyeballs cross he's
Speaker 2: about five 't ten, about two forty. He's like London
Speaker 2: Fletcher all over again. You know, I'm hope I'm just
Speaker 2: got my fingers crossed this kid finally it makes this
Speaker 2: team because I think he gets the potential of being
Speaker 2: you know, I know, like I said, an old school
Speaker 2: type of linebacker. And so but again, those these are
Speaker 2: the question marks I'm talking about, right, We're these are
Speaker 2: the guys that we need to step up and figure
Speaker 2: it out and not just be starters, but be productive starters.
Speaker 2: So it's uh, you know, I'm I'm I'm. I'm the
Speaker 2: closer we get the camp, the more of a kind
Speaker 2: of wait and see attitude, I'm I'm getting. I do
Speaker 2: think again, the Vikings will be successful. But you're right
Speaker 2: without Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay Detroit, I mean, the
Speaker 2: only the way they finished last year, and I don't
Speaker 2: care what they did in the draft and all if
Speaker 2: people don't like what they did in the draft, they're
Speaker 2: still gonna be a damn with football team coming in
Speaker 2: this fall. You guys are vastly improved, no question, about it.
Speaker 2: And so you know, hopefully all three of us can
Speaker 2: beat up on Green Bay twice and you know that'll
Speaker 2: be my that'll be the end, and that's the that's
Speaker 2: that'd be the best NFC North season I could think of.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that sounds good. Pit six losses on him right
Speaker 4: out of the gate. One last question, we'll let you go. Yeah,
Speaker 4: you know you told me you're going to football practice today, right,
Speaker 4: what are you doing now?
Speaker 2: Well, I'm helping out. I'm helping out with my steps son.
Speaker 2: He's an eleven U at the Hinsdale Falcons. You know,
Speaker 2: I'm helping him out. You know, I've been trying to
Speaker 2: get you know, some people out to eat dinner, but
Speaker 2: they just don't you know, they never returned phone calls
Speaker 2: and stuff. So yeah, that's been.
Speaker 3: Our name on it. We're going Tom would love to Colm,
Speaker 3: Jim will.
Speaker 2: Fly him in eight were eight. I'm I'm like two
Speaker 2: blocks away right well right now I'm about eight blocks away.
Speaker 2: But yeah, just it's just, you know, it's this time
Speaker 2: of year. I'm helping out with the Hinsdale Central team,
Speaker 2: you know, the high school team. We got a big
Speaker 2: scrimmage tomorrow night. Uh, you know, it's I love this
Speaker 2: time of year. Kids need football now more than ever,
Speaker 2: and the game's changed. Yeah, but you know, I still
Speaker 2: love passing it on and getting these guys excited to
Speaker 2: go out there and run around.
Speaker 4: I think all four of us would certainly agree with that.
Speaker 4: That is so important. Pete, I would love talking to I.
Speaker 2: Just want to see theayer out there with the tight
Speaker 2: polyester shorts with sock pulled up and the whistle around
Speaker 2: the second, you know what I mean, Just the old school.
Speaker 3: Old Yeah, maybe wearing flip flops with that look too though, on.
Speaker 2: The back of his shorts, the whole thing. I'd pay
Speaker 2: money to see that.
Speaker 7: A ball guy with advisor on there's.
Speaker 8: I love the look. It's the best ever.
Speaker 3: Oh anyways, all right, Pete and Joy, we'll talk to
Speaker 3: you down the road. Here we'll see my persage outstanding.
Speaker 3: Love talking to Pete.
Speaker 4: He still lives in the Chicago area and commutes to
Speaker 4: Minnesota for the season and.
Speaker 3: Doing a great job there. When we come back, we're gonna.
Speaker 4: Talk more about the running back position from a league
Speaker 4: wide perspective. It's gaining a lot of attraction obviously, the
Speaker 4: discussion and the franchise tag players who are not signed
Speaker 4: to long term deals at this point. We'll get in
Speaker 4: all that with Jim Miller and Tom There. I'm Jeff Joningact.
Speaker 4: This is Bears Weekly on ESPN Chicago and the Bears
Speaker 4: Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears Weekly with a Voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff Jonyak on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 3: So you got vi idys to every Bears.
Speaker 4: Home game, exclusive Seaton Sideline credentials and more now available.
Speaker 4: So we'll get the ultimate VIP fan package this season
Speaker 4: by visiting Chicago Bears vip dot Com. Jim Miller, Tom There,
Speaker 4: Jeff Joniac with you. In a short while, Wayne Larviy,
Speaker 4: the Voice of the Packers, will join us. Take a
Speaker 4: look at the Green Bay Packers of twenty twenty three.
Speaker 4: All right, I touched on this. I want to talk
Speaker 4: about it at the running back position. I know Tommy
Speaker 4: and I are big running back guys, Jim Miller.
Speaker 3: We are we always will be. Love the running game.
Speaker 4: But the discussion and the outrage right now at that
Speaker 4: position among the backs themselves, from Saquon Barkley to Josh
Speaker 4: Jacobs and Tony Potterard and anyone else who's chying in
Speaker 4: on it.
Speaker 3: What is your take on it?
Speaker 4: Because the teams still like running the football and there's
Speaker 4: value in addition, when you think of Boston Eckler as
Speaker 4: a pass receiver and the pass protection. You know, what's
Speaker 4: your take on what's happening here and how do you
Speaker 4: feel about it as a veteran quarterback.
Speaker 6: Well, one, I think guys miscalculated the market, clearly. Saquon
Speaker 6: Barkley miscalculated it. He's not the first one to do it.
Speaker 6: Le'Veon Bell did it and paid dearly, and he recently
Speaker 6: came out and apologized for that. But you know, he
Speaker 6: basically cost himself Saquon Barkley probably about four million dollars,
Speaker 6: you know, because the Giants had offered him a two year,
Speaker 6: thirteen million dollar deal, so he would have got twenty
Speaker 6: six million dollars guaranteed over the next two years. And
Speaker 6: now if he plays this year out with the tag,
Speaker 6: we know he's going to hold out, but he'll come
Speaker 6: in and play and it's ten million dollars. But the
Speaker 6: issue is that market is going to go down because
Speaker 6: that tag next year may go down. I mean, look
Speaker 6: at the guys who have taken paycuts, right Delvin Cook.
Speaker 6: They asked him to take a paycut. Aaron Jones, he
Speaker 6: took a nine million dollar pay cut. And they're not
Speaker 6: the only one, you know, so I think they miscalculated
Speaker 6: the market. The position is different nowadays, I think, and
Speaker 6: teams want to do this back by committee, and very
Speaker 6: few teams, unlike the Giants and unlike the Raiders, a
Speaker 6: lot of teams do running back by committee. We know
Speaker 6: Jacobs is a bellcout, Sakuon Barkley is a bellcow Derreck
Speaker 6: Henry is a bellcou and Nick Chubbs a bellcout. But
Speaker 6: those teams that those are few and far between right now.
Speaker 6: Everybody wants to go by committee, I think.
Speaker 7: And why that.
Speaker 6: Position has changed right now? Rather plus quarterbacks are taking
Speaker 6: away carries two from the running back cuts.
Speaker 7: Sorry, help me to cut you off.
Speaker 3: Yeah no, that's that's a great point.
Speaker 4: But you know, when you stack up the cash, would
Speaker 4: you rather pay a wide receiver? There are wide receivers
Speaker 4: that are the twos or threes on their teams that
Speaker 4: are making a significant amount more money and projected to
Speaker 4: than your number one running back to me?
Speaker 5: You know, but you know analytics analytically, what is their contribution,
Speaker 5: because if you're a running back and you're a first
Speaker 5: down running back, then if you get into a second, long,
Speaker 5: or third down, they got to take you out because
Speaker 5: you can't block. You know, that's just part of the
Speaker 5: that's part of the running back why you're not being
Speaker 5: paid as a first, second, third down back. And Jim
Speaker 5: mentioned the guys that in this league that are considered for,
Speaker 5: you know, three down backs, and there's not very many
Speaker 5: of them. So when you're talking about how many reps
Speaker 5: are you going to contribute a game, how many control
Speaker 5: how many reps are you going to contribute against the
Speaker 5: team that is more likely to get the ball thrown
Speaker 5: against them more then you're gonna run the ball. So
Speaker 5: there's a lot of different that you have to take
Speaker 5: into account when you're talking about the running back position,
Speaker 5: and when you're talking about the receiver position, a special receiver,
Speaker 5: a special special guy at Chase and Jefferson from Minnesota,
Speaker 5: they're gonna get paid a.
Speaker 7: Lot of money.
Speaker 5: That's just the way they advance the football and that's
Speaker 5: the big plays they make. But if you're talking about
Speaker 5: a running game that is averaging four yards of carry
Speaker 5: and you don't have an offensive coordinator that wants to
Speaker 5: run the ball with that much. Then analytically they're you know,
Speaker 5: they're gonna determine that you shouldn't make as much as
Speaker 5: some of the other big play players are making.
Speaker 4: And you've blocked for the greatest, Well, you just blocked
Speaker 4: for the greatest Walter Payton. Okay, I mean would you
Speaker 4: be paying him?
Speaker 5: Yeah, because you don't have to take him out of
Speaker 5: the game. He doesn't miss games. He's there for seventeen
Speaker 5: sixteen games a year. There's not a play that you
Speaker 5: you need to take out of the playbook against any opponent.
Speaker 7: Do you want?
Speaker 5: You have the opponents and they get prepared for Walter Payton.
Speaker 7: There's guys that are nervous to tackle them.
Speaker 5: So when you take you take into account with Walter contributes, Yes,
Speaker 5: I would.
Speaker 3: Jim, will this cycle back at any point my backs
Speaker 3: will feel.
Speaker 7: A little love. Yeah.
Speaker 6: I think it's just a market correction right now. I mean, realistically,
Speaker 6: would Christian McCaffrey have got his deal now in today's
Speaker 6: current market? I would say no. I don't think the
Speaker 6: forty nine ers and he's he's a very special player,
Speaker 6: don't get me wrong. I just think it's a market correction.
Speaker 6: You know, you look at the backs, say good luck
Speaker 6: to David Montgomery. He gets basically seven million bucks a year.
Speaker 6: You look at Miles Sanders, his deals for twenty four million,
Speaker 6: so he's grayed around seven million dollars a year. So
Speaker 6: ten to fifteen million dollar backs is just taking a
Speaker 6: step back. It'll cycle back, in my opinion, and it'll
Speaker 6: it'll happen, but it just you know, that's just where
Speaker 6: it's at right now. And look at all these backs
Speaker 6: coming out. I mean, look what Bryce Hall was doing
Speaker 6: last year for the Jets. Look what Damian Pierce did
Speaker 6: last year for Houston. You know, you got this inventory
Speaker 6: of backs.
Speaker 3: Or Isaiah Bchecko, you know in the Super Bowl. And
Speaker 3: I think that's part of this discussion.
Speaker 4: Hey, we're gonna cycle through here now and bring in
Speaker 4: Wayne Levy, our good friend, the voice of the Green
Speaker 4: Bay Packers. Welcome into ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network. Hey,
Speaker 4: we can hand you the baton and talk about backs
Speaker 4: because yours, Aaron Jones, took a mighty big pay cut
Speaker 4: to stay there. And that's that's a big point of
Speaker 4: my discussion about the division.
Speaker 3: Wayne, And it is.
Speaker 4: Good to talk to you again that the Green Bay Packers,
Speaker 4: despite the change of quarterbacks to us two good, very
Speaker 4: good running backs that can carry the baton and help
Speaker 4: things out there, along with a bunch of really good
Speaker 4: defensive players. What is your take on this whole running
Speaker 4: back conversation throughout the league right now?
Speaker 8: Yeah, it's very interesting, Jeff. And you know, some of
Speaker 8: these guys are like twenty seven, twenty eight, you know,
Speaker 8: I think Dalvin Cook is around twenty eight years old,
Speaker 8: and the Vikings don't want them, and you know, it's
Speaker 8: very interesting to see how that all plays out. Yes,
Speaker 8: it's the wear and tear the running back position. It's
Speaker 8: the fact that if you rep that running game, if
Speaker 8: you invest in it, and you're going to get positive
Speaker 8: yardage anyway, there's that factor to it. Maybe it has
Speaker 8: something to do with remember the old zone blocking scheme
Speaker 8: they ran under Shanahan in Denver and how any they
Speaker 8: pick up a guy off the street and he'd rush
Speaker 8: for a thousand yards. So I don't know if that's
Speaker 8: what it's all about, but I do know this. There
Speaker 8: is value to the running game, There's no question about that.
Speaker 8: But it does seem to me like it's really hard
Speaker 8: for running back to get a second contract. Darn near
Speaker 8: impossible in this league for a running back to get
Speaker 8: a third contract.
Speaker 5: Hey, Wayne, I kind of wanted to ask you a
Speaker 5: question staying with the Green Bay Packers because I'm really
Speaker 5: interested in them, because there's lots that's been said about
Speaker 5: them throughout all last.
Speaker 7: Season and even this season.
Speaker 5: And it's the same question I just asked Pete Persus,
Speaker 5: because when you look at the Bears and you look
Speaker 5: at a couple positions that they've improved on paper during
Speaker 5: the offseason, where are the Green Bay Packers better right
Speaker 5: now than they concluded the season last year?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 8: Boy, good question, Tom. They're better because they're healthier on
Speaker 8: the offensive line. I think they started to figure it
Speaker 8: out on defense in terms of not only how they
Speaker 8: played the defense, but you know what they would do
Speaker 8: in terms of pressure in terms of coverage especially. They
Speaker 8: feel like they made some strides there down the stretch
Speaker 8: defensively last year, and certainly the numbers would say that.
Speaker 8: But you know, are they better at quarterback?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 8: Are they better at wide receiver. They're a little bit
Speaker 8: more experienced at wide receiver. I think they have potential
Speaker 8: to be better at wide receiver. But it's really hard
Speaker 8: for me to sit here and tell you that, Okay,
Speaker 8: this team is better in this area, this area, this area,
Speaker 8: even without Aaron Rodgers, because as you know, a quarterback
Speaker 8: like that, he's an a racer. He gets you out
Speaker 8: of a band play into a good play. He can
Speaker 8: make a bust to play into a big play. So
Speaker 8: those are the things that we're hopefully going to see
Speaker 8: from Ordan Love, but probably not right away in all honesty,
Speaker 8: because young quarterbacks take time.
Speaker 6: Wayne Good to talk to you. Jim Miller here, and
Speaker 6: that's where I'm going. The skill position players around him
Speaker 6: are very young. You draft Luke Musgrave, Tucker Craft's another
Speaker 6: tight end they drafted. You mentioned Watson and Dobbs are
Speaker 6: going in on their second year, but those other guys
Speaker 6: are just kids and where.
Speaker 8: Yeah, you know, Jim, you're so right. I mean, their
Speaker 8: most experienced receivers are in their second year, right, I
Speaker 8: mean Christian Watson, Romeo Dobbs, Samari two Ray. Now they've
Speaker 8: got a couple of experienced tight ends Josiety Goora, but
Speaker 8: he's more of an h BAC type. Tyler Davis had
Speaker 8: an opportunity last year caught four balls. You know, that's
Speaker 8: not the kind of production they were looking for. You know,
Speaker 8: when I look at some of these guys, the thing
Speaker 8: about the skill position is this, You're exactly right, inexperience.
Speaker 8: Jordan loves throwing eighty three passes in NFL games as
Speaker 8: a quarterback. Okay, that's the most important position. You're right
Speaker 8: about wide receivers little experience. There even less experience a
Speaker 8: tight end. When you figure that, Musgrave and Craft are
Speaker 8: probably going to be one and two at tight end
Speaker 8: for the Packers. However, the one thing I would caution
Speaker 8: you on we're saying inexperience. We're not saying talent. They
Speaker 8: have talent. These guys are talented. They can be really
Speaker 8: good players. They really like Jayden Reed think he can
Speaker 8: make a big difference in the slot. There's a lot
Speaker 8: going for these young guys, but they are young and inexperienced.
Speaker 8: And in Jim and Tom and Jeff, you guys know,
Speaker 8: youth doesn't win in the NFL anymore. It's a man's game,
Speaker 8: which means it's an experienced kind of game. So that's
Speaker 8: what the Packers are up against with this team. Here.
Speaker 6: Let me follow up with this, Wayne, what have you
Speaker 6: seen from the maturity factor of Jordan Love to bring
Speaker 6: those guys along, because there's going to be moments where
Speaker 6: he's got to tell these guys what to do. Let's
Speaker 6: be honest, and he's got to be able to step
Speaker 6: in there and say, hey, we need this done this
Speaker 6: way and get these young players. Because I remember even
Speaker 6: when Anthony Thomas was our running was our running back,
Speaker 6: he was rookie of the Year, I had to tell
Speaker 6: him sometimes, hey, man, if the will Becker comes block him,
Speaker 6: if he doesn't get out, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6: Where That's why I want to know about the maturity
Speaker 6: level of Jordan Love to really make that happen if
Speaker 6: that needs to happen in games.
Speaker 8: Well, Jim, you know the thing about Jordan Love. We've
Speaker 8: seen all we need to see of Jordan Love. Okay,
Speaker 8: it would do us no good to see him spend
Speaker 8: another year behind Aaron Rodgers, another year where he plays
Speaker 8: the majority of the preseason, another year where he runs
Speaker 8: the first team offense for the majority of the offseason. Program.
Speaker 8: That's he's done all of that, and he's improved each year.
Speaker 8: From a maturity standpoint, He's probably a little bit different
Speaker 8: leader than Aaron Rodgers. Maybe not quite as Demonstraus. He
Speaker 8: seems to me to be. His body language is a
Speaker 8: little more toned down than that of an Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 8: or even a Brett Fire. But I do think he
Speaker 8: has he has the support of that locker room and
Speaker 8: the people around him. And you're exactly right. He's leading
Speaker 8: very young guys. I mean he's going into his fourth year,
Speaker 8: guys like Christian Watson is number one receiver going to
Speaker 8: his secutary or same thing with Dobbs musgraven Craft or rookies.
Speaker 8: Now you've got some experience in Aaron Jones and aj Dillon.
Speaker 8: The offensive line is solid and very experienced. But no,
Speaker 8: I think Jordan loves to me from what we've seen
Speaker 8: in practice, from what we've seen briefly in his appearances
Speaker 8: and games. And I go back to not last year
Speaker 8: of Philadelphia, but the year before Kansas City, where he
Speaker 8: had a terrible situation that he stepped into. Jordan had
Speaker 8: to play because Aaron had COVID that week in Kansas
Speaker 8: City against the Chiefs, they brought the house against them
Speaker 8: all all game, and he hung in there. Well, he
Speaker 8: really did. Didn't win the game, but had the Packers
Speaker 8: in the game and threw a touchdown pass late that
Speaker 8: made it a closer game. But I think the guy
Speaker 8: has those leadership in tangibles. Now, the thing we're waiting
Speaker 8: to see is what is he going to do with
Speaker 8: the snap of the football, reading the defense, understanding what
Speaker 8: the defense is trying to do, and where he has
Speaker 8: to go with the ball. And that's something Jim that
Speaker 8: only to do it at the level of Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 8: or some of these other guys, Mahomes, you know those guys.
Speaker 8: That's a God given gift, and we don't know if
Speaker 8: Jordan Love has that because we haven't seen him over
Speaker 8: the course of a season.
Speaker 4: Waen Larvy our guest here on Bears Weekly with Tom Bayer, Jimiler,
Speaker 4: Jeff Joniak. Final question before we let you go. We
Speaker 4: appreciate taking the time. I keep talking about the defense too,
Speaker 4: obviously it's all been well written and well documented. How
Speaker 4: many first round picks since twenty twelve have been dedicated
Speaker 4: to defense and that is eleven eleven players. So you
Speaker 4: got a bunch of first round pedigree guys on there,
Speaker 4: and a new one in Lucas van Ness in that
Speaker 4: rotation with Rashaun Gary and Prestott Smith, can that defense
Speaker 4: and your running game kind of spread, spread things out
Speaker 4: and kind of carry the day for a while until
Speaker 4: we find out what your new.
Speaker 3: Quarter is all about.
Speaker 8: Well, Jeff, as you guys know, they have invested heavily
Speaker 8: in this defense. They really have with free agent dollars
Speaker 8: over the years. With first round raft choices. They have
Speaker 8: eight of them on this defense that'll be playing this year.
Speaker 8: They've done all they could to try to build this defense.
Speaker 8: It now has to happen. I mentioned earlier that I
Speaker 8: thought they started to find their stride down the stretch
Speaker 8: last year. You know, they were gave up twenty points
Speaker 8: or fewer in each of the final five games of
Speaker 8: the season, you know, and that's a big factor for
Speaker 8: the Packers. Now the rush defense has to be better,
Speaker 8: and the key there is going to be TJ. Slayton,
Speaker 8: going into his third year out of Florida. This is
Speaker 8: a big kid who's got all the talent in the world.
Speaker 8: But like a lot of these big interior linemen, they
Speaker 8: turn it on and turn it off. They need TJ.
Speaker 8: Slayton to turn it on and leave it on, you
Speaker 8: know what I mean that kind of thing. This defense
Speaker 8: is going to be counted on. There's no question, so
Speaker 8: is the running game. But here's something about the defense
Speaker 8: that was interesting to me, and it gets back to
Speaker 8: the consistency that Joe Berry, the defensive coordinators talked about.
Speaker 8: This defense gave up an average of six yards per
Speaker 8: play on first down plays by their opponents. How and
Speaker 8: that was twenty that was thirtieth in the league. However,
Speaker 8: on third down conversions thirty seven point six percent, eighth
Speaker 8: in the league on third down conversion. So it shows
Speaker 8: you that number one, they're inconsistent, but number two they
Speaker 8: have the ability to stop people.
Speaker 4: Well, it won't be long now to the opening kickoff
Speaker 4: Week one Bears Packers. You can't you can't get better
Speaker 4: than that to start a season. Weno, how about it.
Speaker 8: Should be Oh no, looking forward to seeing you guys
Speaker 8: as always, Jeff and all the best. Jim Miller, good
Speaker 8: to talk to you. Enjoy your work on sirious and
Speaker 8: Tom Thayer always the best.
Speaker 3: Thanks you all right, Thanks appreciated. Wayne. We will talk
Speaker 3: to you down the road.
Speaker 4: We'll take a break, we'll return and pick up more
Speaker 4: conversation about what's the head for the Bears. A training
Speaker 4: camp with Jim and Tom I'm Jeff Joniyak here on
Speaker 4: ESPN and the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: Excuse Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for
Speaker 1: twenty three years Jeff on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 4: The second of Bears Weekly is brought to you by CDW.
Speaker 4: If you got to get it, Jeff, Tom and Jim
Speaker 4: Miller with you.
Speaker 3: Jim from Serious x MNFL Radio is moving chain. So
Speaker 3: my takeaway on the interviews.
Speaker 4: Of Peat, Burstitch and Wayne there Ivy fell as his
Speaker 4: and there's a lot of great players on both teams still,
Speaker 4: but there's still a lot of uncertainty Jim and Tom.
Speaker 4: And that's going to be true for the whole division
Speaker 4: and in large part the whole NFL, with the exception
Speaker 4: of a few teams that are built to try to
Speaker 4: win the bundle right away.
Speaker 3: But I guess that's how we start every season Jimbo.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean yeah, because you're always bringing along young
Speaker 6: players and you want them to take big jumps. The
Speaker 6: Bears did that last year. I do think the Bears
Speaker 6: have a shot in this division. I do think they
Speaker 6: need to add a little bit more pass rush. They'll
Speaker 6: see where it is at the valuation at the beginning
Speaker 6: of camp. But all those young players that played those
Speaker 6: rookie season, that's money in the b and there's more
Speaker 6: young players that are gonna play for the Chicago Beers.
Speaker 6: There should be much more offensive accountability by this group.
Speaker 6: Do think the defense can take a jump with the
Speaker 6: players that they played, that they signed here in free agency,
Speaker 6: and we'll see where it goes. But they've got a
Speaker 6: good shot as any.
Speaker 3: In my opinion.
Speaker 5: You know, Jim and Jeff one, you look at this
Speaker 5: division and we talk about all the marquee players within
Speaker 5: this division. I think the coaches have as much pressure
Speaker 5: on themselves as the players do. Because when you talk
Speaker 5: about the transition of quarterback in Green Bay, you talk
Speaker 5: about what's expected out of the quarterback position here in Chicago,
Speaker 5: the uncertainty of the future of the quarterback position in Minnesota,
Speaker 5: and the uncertainty of the quarterback position in Detroit in
Speaker 5: terms of health and the ability to make it through
Speaker 5: seventeen games. All that, I think the coaches on both teams,
Speaker 5: no matter what position they're coaching, they have pressure on
Speaker 5: them too to make sure that they allow their team,
Speaker 5: their position to grow. The Bears linebacker position is you know,
Speaker 5: you have two experienced veterans that come from two different
Speaker 5: football teams. Now they come into and they play a
Speaker 5: similar style defense here at Chicago, but they got to
Speaker 5: get acclimated to everything the defensive backs behind them in
Speaker 5: the safety position and how they move around, plus on
Speaker 5: how active the defensive line in front of him.
Speaker 3: So I think this is.
Speaker 5: Gonna be as an interesting coaching year as it is
Speaker 5: some of the marquee players that we've been talking about.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we're gonna learn a few things, that's for sure.
Speaker 4: I you know, am i Off the best player in
Speaker 4: the division regardless of position?
Speaker 3: Justin Jefferson Jim.
Speaker 6: Uh Yeah, I'd say that definitely. I definitely say that
Speaker 6: he is. He is extremely talented. I mean, I mean,
Speaker 6: if he keeps on going on the pace that he's going,
Speaker 6: I mean he's getting in you know, he'll go into
Speaker 6: Randy Moss stratosphere. I mean, let's be honest. He will
Speaker 6: be the highest paid receiver when it's all said and done, when.
Speaker 7: They do his cont track.
Speaker 5: So you have a receiver who can touch it so
Speaker 5: many times a game. To me, I think the most
Speaker 5: explosive player in the division is Justin because he gets
Speaker 5: the ball handed to him. Every game. Now, the decision
Speaker 5: process he goes through after he calls a play in
Speaker 5: the huddle and if he's not confident with the pass
Speaker 5: or an open receiver, and then he turns into a
Speaker 5: running back. He's the best running back in the league,
Speaker 5: in the division. And so if he does become more
Speaker 5: comfortable in the passing in the NFL and with his
Speaker 5: teammates and the development of DJ Moore, Cole and Tunyan
Speaker 5: at the court at the tight end position, I think
Speaker 5: as much as Justin can have a two thousand yard season,
Speaker 5: Justin Jefferson, I think Justin Fields is talking about a
Speaker 5: four thousand yard passing season when he could still rush
Speaker 5: for a thousand yards.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, that's a heck of a point.
Speaker 4: Interesting how Wayne who was the voice of the Bears
Speaker 4: during the eighty five championship team that was the youngest
Speaker 4: in the NFL that he said, this is a big
Speaker 4: man's game and an experienced man's game.
Speaker 3: And to Jim's point, this is a young Bears team.
Speaker 4: That could get younger depending on who makes the final
Speaker 4: fifty three. But just quick, Matt, there are sixteen making
Speaker 4: eighteen guys that are twenty six or younger on this
Speaker 4: team right now that are key players if you put
Speaker 4: them on the depth chart and say who's starting, who's
Speaker 4: going to make impact? And then Walker the new addition
Speaker 4: on the defensive line in Eddie Jackson at twenty nine.
Speaker 4: So it's a big number of players under thirty years
Speaker 4: of age. And I love it. I personally love it.
Speaker 5: You know, I see I kind of disagree with Wayne
Speaker 5: a little bit because I think it's a young man's game.
Speaker 7: You know, it's the young.
Speaker 5: Guys that you got to get these guys playing within
Speaker 5: their first contract. So you when you were at the
Speaker 5: crossroads of that financial decision, you know exactly what you're
Speaker 5: going to invest in or you're not going to invest in.
Speaker 5: And Matt Eberflu said it last year that he's not
Speaker 5: opposed to playing young men. And when you look at
Speaker 5: the Jalen Carters or the Darnell Rights or the other
Speaker 5: young men that have come into the league this year, uh,
Speaker 5: you know, quarterbacks at the top of the draft. You know,
Speaker 5: it's it's gonna be interesting to see, you know, what
Speaker 5: what the young guys do in the in the NFL.
Speaker 4: Jim where you stand on that topic, because you you
Speaker 4: you've eloquently pointed out some of the things you dealt
Speaker 4: with in one with that team with a rookie running
Speaker 4: back and Anthony Thomas and a rookie receiver David Terrell.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and that's where I think it. You know, just
Speaker 6: talking to Wayne, that's gonna be the challenge for Jordan Love,
Speaker 6: you know, ken he guide those guys and can he
Speaker 6: bring them along? You know, how much knowledge base does
Speaker 6: he have? And are we already mentioned And even Wayne
Speaker 6: kind of you know, doubled down on what I said
Speaker 6: that it's gonna put a lot more pressure on the
Speaker 6: head coach because typically when you have young skill position players,
Speaker 6: you want a veteran quarterback. And if you've got a
Speaker 6: young quarterback, you want skilled players that have experience.
Speaker 7: That's that's how.
Speaker 6: It's always kind of in the NFL to what bring
Speaker 6: the young quarterback along? So so that'll be an interesting experience.
Speaker 6: I mean, look at Patrick Mahomes now they move on
Speaker 6: from Tyreek Hill. He's bringing all those guys along. He's
Speaker 6: a veteran now, you know, and he's a leader with
Speaker 6: all this experience. And Andy Reid knows, hey, man, my
Speaker 6: quarterbacks got this. You know, look at the Aaron Rodgers,
Speaker 6: he probably went through three sets of receivers there. Tom Brady,
Speaker 6: he went through three sets of receivers in New England,
Speaker 6: and so you count on your veteran to bring them along.
Speaker 6: So I think that's an interesting experiment of how they're
Speaker 6: doing it there in Green Bay.
Speaker 4: All right, we're gonna take our last break and have
Speaker 4: one more whip around the league. The latest news of
Speaker 4: the day as we checked down towards training camp in
Speaker 4: twenty twenty three. This is Bears Weekly on ESPN and
Speaker 4: the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff jon on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 4: This segment of Bears Weekly and brought to you by
Speaker 4: I've got to go physical therapy because of that letic
Speaker 4: for dot com or a quest and in clinic or
Speaker 4: a virtual appointment and start feeling better. Tomorrow Jeff and
Speaker 4: Tom Jim Miller wrapping things up on tonight show. Will
Speaker 4: be back with you next Monday, the night before training
Speaker 4: camp opens, We'll hear from all the important players on
Speaker 4: this team heading into the twenty twenty three season training
Speaker 4: camp to get started.
Speaker 3: We'll hear from the.
Speaker 4: Top of the organization of Ryan Poles and head coach
Speaker 4: Matty Reflues, as well.
Speaker 3: A couple things fellas. Let's start with Jim.
Speaker 4: So there are now twenty seven teams scheduling joint practices
Speaker 4: with other teams.
Speaker 3: This camp bears included.
Speaker 4: They'll be going in week two to Indianapolis before they
Speaker 4: play the Colts. I always think this is a tremendous,
Speaker 4: tremendous bonus for a team that does this, and I'm
Speaker 4: certain you agree with me and tell us why.
Speaker 6: Well, it's because you sometimes can't script. You know, certain
Speaker 6: things don't unfold in the preseason game, say your goal
Speaker 6: line offense or short yardage maybe that doesn't or maybe
Speaker 6: even a two minute drill depending on how the spring
Speaker 6: or how the preseason games unfold. But in a controlled scrimmage,
Speaker 6: you can script all those things where you script the
Speaker 6: goal line period, you script a short yardage period, and
Speaker 6: you work on the things against a different opponent that
Speaker 6: you may necessarily not necessarily get an opportunity to do
Speaker 6: in a preseason game. It's controlled. They will have some
Speaker 6: live periods, there's no doubt about that, in terms of
Speaker 6: the blitz periods and things like that, and it's just
Speaker 6: better work because it scripts situations that may not unfold
Speaker 6: in preseason games.
Speaker 7: For me, you know, I just like the players.
Speaker 5: They get to see other players, but you better get
Speaker 5: the two coaches in agreement upon what the tempo of
Speaker 5: the practice is because I've been a part of too
Speaker 5: many joint practices that our tempo is a little bit
Speaker 5: more aggressive than our opponents, and alls it did is
Speaker 5: end up being fights. I know they don't have that
Speaker 5: anymore in the NFL, but you have to understand tempo
Speaker 5: if you're going to get something out of it.
Speaker 4: All right, we got about two minutes here jim DeAndre
Speaker 4: Hopkins to Tennessee with offensive coordinator Tim Kelly with him
Speaker 4: in Houston, he had a humongo year one hundred and
Speaker 4: fifteen fifteen to twenty seven and eleven touchdowns.
Speaker 3: That good signing for him.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think so that's a big boost for They
Speaker 6: needed somebody to go opposite and take some pressure off
Speaker 6: a Trey Lion Burks there. That they did offer the
Speaker 6: most money. You know, it's basically a two year, twenty
Speaker 6: six million dollar deal, but they'll have the out after
Speaker 6: this year, I would think, and for Tennessee, it really
Speaker 6: for them, it's a sign that they're not giving up
Speaker 6: on that division. You know a lot of people just
Speaker 6: think Jacksonville's is going to walk away with it. Indianapolis
Speaker 6: are coming along and we'll see what happens down in Houston.
Speaker 6: But it tells you Tennessee they're all in. They feel
Speaker 6: they can win that division. I think with that signing.
Speaker 4: Tom Cole comet you're not on Twitter, but he was
Speaker 4: trending a little bit this weekend today because Jacksonville signed
Speaker 4: Evan Ingram to a three year, forty one million dollar
Speaker 4: contract and he got a pretty good Madden rating apparently.
Speaker 4: So getting ready for the year, are you hoping for
Speaker 4: some long term extensions not only with Cole here before
Speaker 4: the season gets going, Maybe you.
Speaker 5: Know, play put up the numbers and you're gonna get
Speaker 5: re ward. This is not something that you're gonna get
Speaker 5: a big cash heyday if you don't improve and get
Speaker 5: more value out of your ability in the red zone.
Speaker 4: And final minute, Jim, the sale is complete of the
Speaker 4: Washington Commanders, that Josh Harris's group that also includes Magic Johnson.
Speaker 3: This is a breath of fresh air for the NFL.
Speaker 6: I would assume, yeah, you just see, you know, you
Speaker 6: hope that Josh Harris, doesn't go in there and just
Speaker 6: try to shake up everything right away. Just take your time,
Speaker 6: learn how to own. I know he owns other sports franchises,
Speaker 6: so I'm sure he's got a good idea, but just
Speaker 6: to evaluate and make the changes that are necessary. I mean,
Speaker 6: this could be a total brand change when it's all
Speaker 6: said and done, and so.
Speaker 7: I think it's a breath of fresh air.
Speaker 6: And I think if he reaches out to the fans,
Speaker 6: he'll provide hope and hopefully a fan base that'll come
Speaker 6: back to the Commanders.
Speaker 3: That's gonna do it for us.
Speaker 4: We'll talk to you Monday, Jim, Thank you so much,
Speaker 4: Tom Thare, Jim Miller, Jeff Joniac. Thanks to Wayne Larvy
Speaker 4: and Pete Bursis from the Packers and Vikings Radio Networks.
Speaker 4: Our executive producer the Bears Radio Network is Eric Ostrowski.
Speaker 4: Thank you to Charlie Bevins. Coming up next, Tyler Aki.
Speaker 4: Enjoy his show. We'll talk to you Monday as we
Speaker 4: tick towards training camp here on ESPN Chicago and the
Speaker 4: Bears Radio Network.
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