Speaker 1: Welcome back into Bears All Access, everybody, another round of
Speaker 1: Bears conversation here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the score.
Speaker 1: This time, we're coming to you from Hallis Hall, winding
Speaker 1: down the final days of the Bourbon, a portion of
Speaker 1: training camp, and a night before the Bears meet the
Speaker 1: Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. Jeff, Joni Act, Tom there
Speaker 1: with you, and our guest this week is Cody Whitehair,
Speaker 1: the left guard of the Chicago Bears. I almost set center. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we could have sent a rat guard. Could have been
Speaker 1: a left tackle in college, where you were a left
Speaker 1: tackle in college. So the man of many talents is
Speaker 1: kind enough to give up some of his afternoons here
Speaker 1: before he hits downtown as the Bears get ready to
Speaker 1: check in a little walk through today and now ready
Speaker 1: to go. And you know, I don't know if you're
Speaker 1: gonna play at all, but you got to get your
Speaker 1: mental self all ready to go just in case. Right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: you bet, And it's going to be exciting to go
Speaker 1: against somebody else than our own teammates for the first
Speaker 1: time in this year. So you know, we're really looking
Speaker 1: forward to that. And you know, getting back into the
Speaker 1: swing of the season. That's so cliche, but against what's
Speaker 1: been going on with that defense, it feels pretty good, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it does it does you know what? It turned back
Speaker 1: to dial a little bit because I don't know if
Speaker 1: you're gonna play at all. I'd rather put your mind
Speaker 1: in the head of these young guys that are getting prepared.
Speaker 1: First game that you played, were you prepared? I was Secondly,
Speaker 1: what was more difficult the mental part of it or
Speaker 1: the physical part of it, because you know, Cody, when
Speaker 1: you break the huddle in your coachesn't standing here and
Speaker 1: you don't have all the comfort zone of training camp. Now,
Speaker 1: it's for real, the mental, mental or physical part of
Speaker 1: it more challenging. I think it's more mental. Obviously it's
Speaker 1: the first game of the season two, so they could
Speaker 1: potentially throw some matu that hasn't been scouted. You know,
Speaker 1: they have all this time to prepare for us, and
Speaker 1: you know, you get a lot of that physical contact
Speaker 1: in training camp, so you just got to carry over
Speaker 1: what you didn't practice to the game. Where did you
Speaker 1: take your first snap in the NFO, Yeah at left guard?
Speaker 1: Left guard? You know, because what I've seen out of
Speaker 1: you throughout training camp up into this point. Wow. I
Speaker 1: mean it's kind of your kind of you're everything that
Speaker 1: you are built for the NFL to be. Even though
Speaker 1: you succeeded at center, you have the ability to play tackle,
Speaker 1: you know, your power, your ability to work with Charles
Speaker 1: Leno Junior, your ability to work with James Daniels, first level,
Speaker 1: second level. It's got to be exciting for you in
Speaker 1: terms of everything you got going on in your life.
Speaker 1: You're about to be a father for the first time,
Speaker 1: you're change in position, and you're probably at the best
Speaker 1: part of your early career. Yeah. Absolutely, And you know,
Speaker 1: I'm just taking a day by day. Obviously, it's a
Speaker 1: new position and I haven't played it in you know,
Speaker 1: three or four years live in a game, so you know,
Speaker 1: I've really embraced it and just try to get better
Speaker 1: every day and I'm going to carry it over to
Speaker 1: the game. You know, it's kind of weird that you're
Speaker 1: still on your first contract. You have so much experience.
Speaker 1: We expect Cody to be a ten year VET right now,
Speaker 1: but you're still on your first gray hair and the beard.
Speaker 1: Yet don't rush him. Well, that's why he's shaving his head,
Speaker 1: So that's right. Don't rush him yet, but you know,
Speaker 1: you're just so accommodating of a guy. I mean, it's
Speaker 1: got to be the way you were brought up. Whatever's
Speaker 1: best for the team, there's no complaining that. I'm sure
Speaker 1: you have your own anxieties from time to time over
Speaker 1: the course of your young career, but why why are
Speaker 1: you that way? I think that everybody's built and wired
Speaker 1: that way, right, I think you know, as a growing up,
Speaker 1: it's always a dream to you know, fulfill and play
Speaker 1: in the NFL. So every opportunity you get, you just
Speaker 1: have to embrace it, even though it can be challenging.
Speaker 1: It can you know, you it can be uncomfortable at times,
Speaker 1: but you just got embrace it and take it, take
Speaker 1: it day by day and just try and get better
Speaker 1: every day. Who are the elder Statesman when you first
Speaker 1: got here and did they give you any any advice?
Speaker 1: And what advice would you give these young guys getting
Speaker 1: ready to play? Yeah, it was mainly Kylin Charles Um.
Speaker 1: You know that that really helped me through my rookie year,
Speaker 1: and and Bobby too. You know a lot of the
Speaker 1: guys that were here when I first got here are
Speaker 1: still here. So you know, we're really fortunate to have
Speaker 1: most of our rooms still here, um, you know, but
Speaker 1: I think that the biggest thing for the younger guy.
Speaker 1: It's just, you know, embrace every every opportunity, every rep
Speaker 1: you get, because everyone knows there's a ninety man roster
Speaker 1: right now and we cut it in half in about
Speaker 1: two or three weeks. So what you put on tape
Speaker 1: is what you're graded by, um, you know, and other
Speaker 1: teams are going to see that as well. So just
Speaker 1: go out there and play your best, and you know,
Speaker 1: embrace every opportunity you've got. You've got two offensive line
Speaker 1: coaches since you've been here three this is my third
Speaker 1: one really well, you know, Magazoo and Harry Houston. They
Speaker 1: can get pretty heated pretty quick. You know. We sit
Speaker 1: off to the side and we watch these drills and
Speaker 1: Harry's a no nonsense guy. So it's kind of weird
Speaker 1: how veteran handles it or how a rookie has to
Speaker 1: accept it, you know. And I think we all lived
Speaker 1: through that in the course of our careers. Yeah. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: And Harry's just very passionate and wants you to be
Speaker 1: the best player you can be, and um, you know,
Speaker 1: he's going to obviously hope you get to that potential.
Speaker 1: You have Cody White Harr guest here on Bears All Access.
Speaker 1: It's brought to you by IGS Energy along with Paul's
Speaker 1: ring Or Engineering, Greg Miller producing today, I'm Jeff Joniak
Speaker 1: along with Tom Thare, and I want to go back
Speaker 1: to you know, that versatility that you bring to the table,
Speaker 1: because if I'm not mistaken, Bill Snyder at Kansas State
Speaker 1: say hey, we need you to play tackle. You just
Speaker 1: threw you in there. Boom, you're in there. Bears say, hey,
Speaker 1: when you we throw you in there, ye hadn't snapped
Speaker 1: maybe a couple of times at the Senior Bowl, but
Speaker 1: never in your life. I mean the view from the
Speaker 1: top looking at a guy like yourself. They wouldn't ask
Speaker 1: you to do it if they didn't think you could
Speaker 1: handle it. Right. So that's that, I guess is the
Speaker 1: silver lining of the story, right absolutely. And you know
Speaker 1: it all started too when I when I got to
Speaker 1: k State, I mean my retchirt freshman year, they threw
Speaker 1: me in at right tackle and then you know, as
Speaker 1: you're red shirt and they're obviously trying to see where
Speaker 1: you're you're gonna fit best, and play best. But you know,
Speaker 1: I played everywhere along the line at k State other
Speaker 1: than center. Um, you know, so I think that just
Speaker 1: carries over, and you know it prepares you to be
Speaker 1: versatile in the NFL as well. So do you do
Speaker 1: you lay there in bed at night and say, oh
Speaker 1: my god, they're gonna bring me a tackle, oh my god,
Speaker 1: they're gonna mark me a center, and you know, you
Speaker 1: just don't get to sleep. I mean, honestly, you're human. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, it's obviously something in the back of your head,
Speaker 1: especially on game days. You really have to be prepared
Speaker 1: for for every position in every situation that could happen
Speaker 1: due to you know, the amount of guys that shot up.
Speaker 1: So um, you know, you definitely have to prepare yourself.
Speaker 1: But I don't think it's really much of a worry.
Speaker 1: You just it's more of like a mindset in a
Speaker 1: preparation standpoint. So you're kind of an old man. Oh man, Well,
Speaker 1: let's no. I mean, this is kind of fun I'm
Speaker 1: having with this question. Duke Shelley, rookie draft choice from
Speaker 1: the Bears, is from K State. Does he know you?
Speaker 1: He does? I played one year with him, you did, Yeah,
Speaker 1: So there was no really, so there's just a reintroduction
Speaker 1: because you know, here's a guy, because you know, it's
Speaker 1: it's kind of neat when you get a guy from
Speaker 1: your same college. You know, you got two rookie offensive
Speaker 1: lineman from Notre Dame that it can kind of you know,
Speaker 1: continue their friendship that they started in college. Now you
Speaker 1: have a guy that you met a few years ago
Speaker 1: comes on board. Yeah, it's it's pretty cool to play
Speaker 1: with your means that you know, you played within college. Also,
Speaker 1: one of our linement, Cornelius Lucas, is also from k State,
Speaker 1: And it's kind of funny too because when I got
Speaker 1: to k State and he was there, Um, obviously I
Speaker 1: kind of tried to see where I fit best, but
Speaker 1: they ended up putting me a left guard for my
Speaker 1: first two years in college before I moved to left tackle.
Speaker 1: But Cornelius was a left tackle in college too, So
Speaker 1: it's just a big guy. He is a big guy. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so it's kind of crazy how you know, um, you
Speaker 1: end up meeting later down the road as well. It'll
Speaker 1: be interesting to see if his talent convert, you know,
Speaker 1: can play left tackle in the NFL because he's got
Speaker 1: the length of Bobby Massey. He's got good feet, he's
Speaker 1: got he's he has bendability in him, and you know,
Speaker 1: he's one of the guys that's going to be an
Speaker 1: interesting guy to watch in the first preseason game. Yeah absolutely,
Speaker 1: And you know he's come in and done a great
Speaker 1: job and um, you know, Harry's worked with him really
Speaker 1: good and we're just really excited to see what he
Speaker 1: can do. It's a great competition going on. The depth
Speaker 1: chart is different now at all positions, but in the
Speaker 1: offensive line situation, you got your your five blocks of
Speaker 1: granite right now, and the pieces may move around. But
Speaker 1: those young guys have learned a lot too. I mean
Speaker 1: we could we can go down the list, but the
Speaker 1: guy that really is impressive to me because of the
Speaker 1: switch is Rashod Yeah, Rashod Kaward trying to make this
Speaker 1: move to right tackle. Yeah absolutely. You know, he played
Speaker 1: defensive line my second or third year, his rookie year.
Speaker 1: I guess it was my second year, you know, and
Speaker 1: then he was asked to come play offensive line, and
Speaker 1: you know that can be you know, have its own challenges,
Speaker 1: of course, you know, but he's done a great job
Speaker 1: and really embrace that role as the Bears get ready
Speaker 1: to meet the Carolina Panthers. Were with Cody Whitehair as
Speaker 1: we continue on here on Bears All Access with Tom There,
Speaker 1: I'm Jeff Joni Ek. Let's take our first break. This
Speaker 1: is Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. Welcome back
Speaker 1: to Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy,
Speaker 1: a proud partner of the Chicago Bears, providing electricity, natural gas,
Speaker 1: and home warranty products to over one million customers across
Speaker 1: the country. Learn more about IGS Energy at IGS. Tom
Speaker 1: Cody white Hair our guest here on Chicago Sports Radio
Speaker 1: six seventy the Score with Jeff and Tom talking Bears
Speaker 1: Panthers in town tomorrow at the start of the preseason.
Speaker 1: You know, in the offseason and and the more you're here,
Speaker 1: you get asked to do things, whether this this show
Speaker 1: for example, or more interviews and being out there in
Speaker 1: public and so forth. Um. Not everybody loves it, not
Speaker 1: everybody is engaging, but you have embraced it. You're starting
Speaker 1: to do a lot more. Is this something you are
Speaker 1: trying to challenge yourself to do more of that too?
Speaker 1: I know you did some stuff back in Kansas too. Yeah. Um,
Speaker 1: you know it's it's kind of like the offensive line
Speaker 1: really aren't in the spotlight. So when, um, you know,
Speaker 1: the opportunities come, you're just taking embrace it. And it's
Speaker 1: also an opportunity to talk about guys in your room
Speaker 1: and and your other teammates across um, you know, the
Speaker 1: team to really um, you know, get a one on
Speaker 1: one with somebody and really talk about how they're doing
Speaker 1: both you know, on the field. And there's also a
Speaker 1: business component too though too. You're you're you're marketing your
Speaker 1: brand a little bit too. Have you opened some doors
Speaker 1: for yourself in future? You know, I've you obviously meet
Speaker 1: people along the way and it's good networking as well.
Speaker 1: But you know, I've just been focusing on football and
Speaker 1: you know, hopefully that'll all work out well. You know.
Speaker 1: It's it's like the Bear schedule this year. It's all
Speaker 1: over the place because, like Matt Seton, Aggie says, you
Speaker 1: guys are a good team and people want to see
Speaker 1: you four and twelve. Nobody wants to interview twelve and four.
Speaker 1: Everybody wants it. It's amazing as you lift threose times. Look,
Speaker 1: I've been through a five and ten, five and eleven season,
Speaker 1: the whole deal. And you see the media room empty
Speaker 1: at the end of the year as opposed to last
Speaker 1: year when you see a double digit amount of credentials requested.
Speaker 1: So it is the benefit of being on a good team.
Speaker 1: But it's also a lot of fun. Yeah it is.
Speaker 1: And you know, obviously when you win, it brings more
Speaker 1: attention to you, like you should. But you know that
Speaker 1: attention is good, especially when you're winning. It's always good
Speaker 1: to talk to the media when you're winning. Cody White here,
Speaker 1: our guest here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the score.
Speaker 1: You are a nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
Speaker 1: last year. I would then mean to you, and what
Speaker 1: what does that say about you? Yeah, that means a
Speaker 1: lot um you know obviously that's voted on your your
Speaker 1: players and coaches throughout you know, our office, and so
Speaker 1: it's really cool. It just reassures you that you're you're
Speaker 1: you know, you fit this locker room and you fit
Speaker 1: the culture that this organization is trying to bring. And
Speaker 1: I know because Ryan is as referred to you in
Speaker 1: public about this. For example, t J. Clemings comes aboard,
Speaker 1: you know, uh, does he fit the culture? And coming
Speaker 1: from you says a lot, because yes, you're you're very
Speaker 1: mild mannered and calm, and you do your interviews in
Speaker 1: your own way, but you know you're one of the
Speaker 1: heartbeats of that locker room. And so to have a
Speaker 1: pillar asked that question, first of all, is rare, I think,
Speaker 1: And but it does feed into what Matt is, Matt
Speaker 1: and Ryan have tried to put together here. They're they're
Speaker 1: not budging from those core principles. And what how does
Speaker 1: that reassure you here for not only today but tomorrow. Yeah? Absolutely, Um, obviously,
Speaker 1: you know, and you always want good guys in here
Speaker 1: that because you know, the better the culture is, the
Speaker 1: better you're gonna be on the field, the closer you're
Speaker 1: going to be, you know, and you're going to be
Speaker 1: more disciplined on the field if you if you bring
Speaker 1: in great guys and guys with good characters. So I
Speaker 1: think you know, that's where it all started, and that's
Speaker 1: how we turn this thing around. It's amazing though, you
Speaker 1: guys that's got character all over the board. You know,
Speaker 1: you got his high character guys, hard working guys on
Speaker 1: the defensive side of the ball, and it's important, you know,
Speaker 1: just just to analogize a little bit in nineteen eighty
Speaker 1: five when we used to go to practice. There are
Speaker 1: times that I was intimidated and also apprehensive because of
Speaker 1: the talent that we are practicing against. And I kind
Speaker 1: of see it out here too. That's a talented group
Speaker 1: of guys. And so you can't go out there lethargically
Speaker 1: and go, oh, I'm just gonna walk my way through practice.
Speaker 1: It's not happening. If you got the inside big guys,
Speaker 1: you got outside talent, you got second level, third level.
Speaker 1: But it really benefits you guys in the long run,
Speaker 1: doesn't it. Yeah, absolutely, And you've got to be on
Speaker 1: your you know, especially with our defense, there's no days off.
Speaker 1: You got to be on your game at all times.
Speaker 1: But you know, it'll definitely help us for the season,
Speaker 1: you know, going against that defense and you know, the
Speaker 1: high caliber guys that we're going up against, it only
Speaker 1: makes us better. You know, when we used to be
Speaker 1: have double days, we used to have run concentration in
Speaker 1: the morning, pass concentration in the afternoon. So you go
Speaker 1: to the afternoon practice and those guys had it cranked
Speaker 1: up because they knew that we were throwing the ball
Speaker 1: a majority of the time. Sometimes it was hard to
Speaker 1: complete a pass because they were such good rushers. Now
Speaker 1: in this new collective bargaining agreement where you go through
Speaker 1: everything in a daily practice, do you like it that
Speaker 1: way that they're kind of off guard and they really
Speaker 1: don't know what you're doing rather than having run pass
Speaker 1: And yeah, it definitely makes our job a lot easier
Speaker 1: for sure, because it keeps them honest. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: they're not going to tee off unless you know it's
Speaker 1: a situation where you're fourth in one or third and
Speaker 1: one and you're you're obviously more than likely going to
Speaker 1: run the ball. But you know, it's it definitely gets
Speaker 1: heated out there and it's a good competition, but it
Speaker 1: also keeps um you know, them on their toes as well. Fighting. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: he did. Yeah, but no, no, it's not spilled over
Speaker 1: knock out wood. No, it hasn't, you know. And that's
Speaker 1: that comes back to the character too, and keeping poise
Speaker 1: and that kind of deal, because you know that that
Speaker 1: stuff could carry over in the game and then you
Speaker 1: end up costing your team a fifteen yard penalty and
Speaker 1: then it sets your team back. There's a hefty fine
Speaker 1: that goes along with fight nowadays because it's across the
Speaker 1: landscape of the NFL, not only the Bears, but I
Speaker 1: think everybody has that, you know, that fine sheet in
Speaker 1: their playbook on look some ridiculous fight that we don't
Speaker 1: need to happen, right, Yeah, But the funny thing is
Speaker 1: everybody's waiting for that training campbell. But like what Ted
Speaker 1: Larson was resigned first thing out of his mouth. Oh boy,
Speaker 1: training camp is gonna be. But you know, maybe you
Speaker 1: know he's he's one of only three ten year vets
Speaker 1: on the team, so maybe he's calming down right. You know,
Speaker 1: Ted was a good addition for us, a good veteran um,
Speaker 1: you know, a good person for a room, and you
Speaker 1: know he's definitely making us better. Can you name the
Speaker 1: other two ten year guys, let's see, Chase Daniel, Yes,
Speaker 1: Ted Lorshon and too much Day Jack McManus. You know,
Speaker 1: And it's kind of funny because we are talking about
Speaker 1: this and talking about those guys. They're the three guys
Speaker 1: that have gone through double day sessions in a training camp.
Speaker 1: You know, luckily that you guys weren't cursed to have
Speaker 1: to have to go through that. But you know, it's
Speaker 1: just made a man out of you. Hey, I envy
Speaker 1: the players and what they go through, but you know,
Speaker 1: the day is just divided differently. It would have been fun.
Speaker 1: But you know, also we always talk about we went
Speaker 1: to training camp with an unlimited roster, so you could
Speaker 1: have one hundred and thirty guys. There's a lot more
Speaker 1: guys competing for your position, but there's also you know,
Speaker 1: probably a third less reps you're taking when you have
Speaker 1: four complete offensive lines or three complete defensive four to
Speaker 1: complete defensive lines. Right, when when did you have When's
Speaker 1: the last time you had two days in your in
Speaker 1: your life? Probably college? Yeah, but they weren't like padded
Speaker 1: both both times. You know, the the early practice would
Speaker 1: be your heavier contact, your more padded days, and then
Speaker 1: you know that next practice would not be a walkthrough.
Speaker 1: You may have shoulder pads on, but it wouldn't be
Speaker 1: a full pad, live contact and all that. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, once you got shoulder pads and a helmet on,
Speaker 1: it's yeah, it's kind of hard to dial it down
Speaker 1: because I always when I see I hate no pad football,
Speaker 1: and when I go out there, you guys are no pads,
Speaker 1: because it really makes you secure or insecure depending upon
Speaker 1: the position you play, because you don't really have that
Speaker 1: collision to the whistle type of feel that you know,
Speaker 1: if you have the right block or the good for sure,
Speaker 1: you definitely scale it back a little bit when you're
Speaker 1: not in pads. But you know, I think the biggest
Speaker 1: thing for us when we're not in pads is just
Speaker 1: working fits and footwork and hands and just making sure
Speaker 1: technically we're sound, so you're still getting something accomplished. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's not like it's just a wasted day or no
Speaker 1: moving around, not at all. You know, we're still trying
Speaker 1: to work and obviously you know it's it's not as
Speaker 1: physical and you know, as hard as pads, but um,
Speaker 1: you know, they're definitely some some technical things you can
Speaker 1: work when you're not in Padget what did'll helpless? The
Speaker 1: speed of the talented guys, they're still going full speed
Speaker 1: and the receivers bas linebackers and stuff. Absolutely, and we
Speaker 1: are two for that first you know, three or four steps.
Speaker 1: It's that you know, that initial contact and stuff like
Speaker 1: that that we try and scale back. How about the
Speaker 1: how about the fan support this year? Because I was
Speaker 1: going to bring it up at the Family Night. You know,
Speaker 1: you guys went through a two hour and forty minute
Speaker 1: full practice there. But between the fan support at Soldier
Speaker 1: Field the fans support down at bourbon A pretty impressive. Yeah,
Speaker 1: our fans have been great. Um, you know, it's it's
Speaker 1: it's really cool to come out and see it at
Speaker 1: eight fifteen in the morning, eight to ten thousand people
Speaker 1: out there at bourbon A and then we come to
Speaker 1: Soldier Field and it's just, you know, a packed house
Speaker 1: and they're loud and everything. So we definitely have our
Speaker 1: fans behind us and that's a good feeling to have
Speaker 1: for sure. Cody white Hair, our guest here on Bears
Speaker 1: All Access. Let's step away for another break here on
Speaker 1: Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. The Chicago Bears
Speaker 1: Network presents Inside the Bears, brought to you by Verizon,
Speaker 1: Anthony Adams and the n Screeden cover the world of
Speaker 1: Bears football, on and off the field every Sunday night
Speaker 1: at ten thirty five pm on Fox thirty two Chicago,
Speaker 1: or watch anytime at Chicago Bears dot com or on
Speaker 1: the Bears official app. Tom There, Jeff Joni At Cody
Speaker 1: white Hair, our guest starting left guard, for the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 1: Is the gulated to meet the Carolina Panthers tomorrow night
Speaker 1: at Soldier Field, the first of their four preseason games.
Speaker 1: And don't know what the snaps are going to be,
Speaker 1: but we do know the younger guys are going to
Speaker 1: definitely be on the field. The guys that are trying
Speaker 1: to win roster spots are not all younger guys. Sometimes
Speaker 1: how you know, he's assumed that, But it is a
Speaker 1: young team buying large with some sprinkling of veterans. As
Speaker 1: you have gone through practice and you're watching tape, you're
Speaker 1: going through your meetings, have you sat there for a
Speaker 1: moment and thought, wow, our talent level has definitely changed
Speaker 1: since you got here. Yeah? Absolutely, Um. You know, the
Speaker 1: good thing about our team is we have great depth,
Speaker 1: and that's what makes you know, team collectively better. It
Speaker 1: pushes your starters a little bit, It pushes you know,
Speaker 1: everyone from every every side of the ball and even
Speaker 1: you know, first string, second string, and third strings. So
Speaker 1: I think, you know, good young players is obviously good
Speaker 1: to have. It's kind of fun too, the depth on
Speaker 1: the other side of the ball, because you know, I
Speaker 1: always talk about the Bears have the luxury of having
Speaker 1: experience backup quarterbacks and really helps develop young backs and
Speaker 1: receivers because they know the offense so well. But it
Speaker 1: also benefits you guys. No matter if you're going through
Speaker 1: the first unit, second or some of the third group, guys,
Speaker 1: you're always going against the talented, fast group. You know,
Speaker 1: whether you're going, you know, against the backup linebackers, and
Speaker 1: you know they run well. The big the defensive linemen
Speaker 1: on the second team are big and strong themselves. So
Speaker 1: it's got to benefit you guys. Yeah, absolutely, And like
Speaker 1: I said, the organization has done a great job at
Speaker 1: creating that depth and making this training camp really competitive. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, it keeps guys hungry and keeps you guys,
Speaker 1: you know, coming out to work really hard every day.
Speaker 1: Crazy thing is with Chase and Tyler, they have seven
Speaker 1: years each of experience in this system. I mean you're
Speaker 1: not getting that on the other thirty one teams, right,
Speaker 1: not from your backup Yeah, there's no way the dividends
Speaker 1: for the guys trying to make the roster is the
Speaker 1: sixth or seventh whatever on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 1: He's got to feel like, Wow, I'm lucky here because
Speaker 1: those guys know what they're doing absolutely, and I think
Speaker 1: it helps us up front too, just you know, those
Speaker 1: quarterbacks being able to see certain things in changing protection too,
Speaker 1: that some things, you know, sometimes those rookie guys come
Speaker 1: in and they don't quite see the field from her
Speaker 1: perspective to the quarterback seas, So it's obviously nice to
Speaker 1: have that helping protection calls as well. So my first
Speaker 1: year with the Bears, I never got into a preseason
Speaker 1: game until the second half of the last preseason game
Speaker 1: because the starters played the whole game and I sat
Speaker 1: there and just wind about it on the bench. So
Speaker 1: you and now it's kind of reversal here. The veterans
Speaker 1: really don't play a lot in the preseason, but the
Speaker 1: practices mean a lot when you get into the first
Speaker 1: game of the season. Are does it Does it take
Speaker 1: a series or two series that kind of fall into place,
Speaker 1: or because you guys go through a pretty quick pace
Speaker 1: practice against the talent to defense, are you ready to
Speaker 1: go from play one? Yeah? I think our defense will
Speaker 1: help us obviously, you know, get those reps and get
Speaker 1: you know, to feeling good on game day. But obviously
Speaker 1: there's some jitters, you know, going against a new a
Speaker 1: new defense, New people that you know may kind of
Speaker 1: throw a little loop in you for a little bit,
Speaker 1: but usually after the first series you're kind of backing
Speaker 1: and comfortable and ready to go. Now that you're playing guard.
Speaker 1: Have you ever gone on the line of scrimmage and
Speaker 1: forgot the snap count, because you know, as a center man,
Speaker 1: you can't. You you got to be the leader of
Speaker 1: the snap count, direction responsibilities. A lot of stuff running
Speaker 1: through your head. Now your offensive guard boom, go to
Speaker 1: the line of scrimmage. Yeah, you're just worried about mull
Speaker 1: and a guy, and you might forget about that snap count. Yeah,
Speaker 1: There's definitely been a time or two where I have,
Speaker 1: But you know, you obviously lean on those guys to
Speaker 1: help you out. You know, I taught Jeff and I
Speaker 1: talk about a lot. If our offensive line got together
Speaker 1: right now, we could use our whole communication that we
Speaker 1: used as an offensive line and no one would know
Speaker 1: what we are saying, but we could still communicate with
Speaker 1: each other. Have you guys achieved that status yet where
Speaker 1: you you're full communicated with each other without ever saying
Speaker 1: a word or maybe even a language that you have
Speaker 1: of your own. Yeah, there's definitely. Obviously certain looks you
Speaker 1: have to communicate a little bit more. But if it's
Speaker 1: we go out there and it's a base look, we
Speaker 1: pretty much know what we're doing. Cody Whitehair our guest
Speaker 1: here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six
Speaker 1: seventeenth score. It's brought to you by IGS Energy, Jeff
Speaker 1: Jonny k Tom there as well with Cody Whitehair, the
Speaker 1: Bears pro bowler last year at center. Look at the grin. Yeah,
Speaker 1: all right. You don't like talking about yourself, so I know,
Speaker 1: but you know, that had to be pretty darn cool. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was. It was really cool. And another cool thing too,
Speaker 1: is there was eight other Chicago Bears. There are seven
Speaker 1: or eight guys, you know, which really says a lot
Speaker 1: about the success that we had last year and the support,
Speaker 1: you know, from our fans and other people around our
Speaker 1: organizations to help us get get to that spot. This
Speaker 1: may be dumb question from a guy who never played
Speaker 1: certainly never played offensive line. Do you have to think
Speaker 1: the game differently a guard versus center or do you
Speaker 1: just think the game like a center to benefit you
Speaker 1: at guard? I honestly think you know through the years
Speaker 1: that I played center it's obviously helping me see the
Speaker 1: field a little bit better at guard, um, you know,
Speaker 1: being able to see certain pressures and see it a
Speaker 1: little bit faster than I would if I hadn't played center,
Speaker 1: because you're constantly looking at certain things when you play center. Um,
Speaker 1: you know. So I think it's definitely helped me out
Speaker 1: of playing guard, just seeing from different perspectives the pressure
Speaker 1: of a snap for anybody where they're they're been doing
Speaker 1: it forever or that's gone. Yes, and I definitely had
Speaker 1: my fair share of hiccups there, but hey, you know,
Speaker 1: everybody's learning, right. I mean you never did it before,
Speaker 1: you know, so, But is that is that relax you
Speaker 1: a little differently? You know mentally? Yeah, it's definitely. You know,
Speaker 1: one last thing you have to worry about. Now you
Speaker 1: can just you know, line up at the guard position
Speaker 1: and just worry about your assignment, you know, and just
Speaker 1: kind of fire off the ball and be physical and
Speaker 1: not have to you know, slow down and worry about
Speaker 1: a snap. So that's that's nice. Yes, I'll let the
Speaker 1: experts handle it here, the two of you who've done both.
Speaker 1: But um, for a guy, and I think I know
Speaker 1: you this way. Little things would irritate you. Right, So
Speaker 1: how much of that experience last training camp and in
Speaker 1: Denver and you know that did those things haunt you
Speaker 1: a little bit? Yeah, it definitely ate me up. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, you never want to be that guy to
Speaker 1: let your team down, and as a center, it all
Speaker 1: starts right there to get the ball to the quarterbacks.
Speaker 1: So um, you know, it definitely eated me up. But
Speaker 1: you know, I just went back to the drawing board
Speaker 1: and figured out, you know the basics of just snapping
Speaker 1: the ball, and um, you know, it really helped me
Speaker 1: out and I cleared my mind a little bit because
Speaker 1: because kind of after you have a few, it then
Speaker 1: kind of becomes mental and you kind of, um, you know,
Speaker 1: got to work through that. But I went back to
Speaker 1: the basics and then, um, you know, try to new
Speaker 1: snapping technique that you know, the coaches believed and thought
Speaker 1: it would help me out. And it did. And you
Speaker 1: know I had very minimal, if any, you know, snapping
Speaker 1: issues last year, So that was great. You know, it's
Speaker 1: amazing about professional athletes a picture as good as John
Speaker 1: Lester for the Cubs. He has a hard time throwing
Speaker 1: at overhand to first base, and I'm just the small
Speaker 1: things in terms of sports. So what conversations James Daniels
Speaker 1: the new Center. You know, is he an introverted guy,
Speaker 1: because we kind of see an introverted side of him
Speaker 1: is in the huddle. Is he more talkative to you
Speaker 1: guys than what we see from him. Yeah. I think
Speaker 1: obviously to the outside world he comes off as an introvert.
Speaker 1: But you know, once you really get to know him
Speaker 1: and he gets to know you, he really opens up.
Speaker 1: But you know, him getting being in that center role, um,
Speaker 1: you know, he's had to obviously talk a little bit more,
Speaker 1: but he's done a great job in communicating with the
Speaker 1: whole line, so that hasn't been an issue here. He's
Speaker 1: pretty funny, he's hilarious. He's a cut up, a little
Speaker 1: bit hilarious. You just gotta get get past that introvert
Speaker 1: side of him and then he's hilarious. So take us
Speaker 1: into when all you guys go hang out, Well, is
Speaker 1: it just one, you know, funny moment after the next.
Speaker 1: I mean, how would you characterize your guys? Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, the offensive line is a pretty tight group.
Speaker 1: We hang out a lot both you know, in the building,
Speaker 1: out of the building. Stuff. Like that. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: and we got some characters in the room that make
Speaker 1: you laugh all the time. Um, you know. But I
Speaker 1: think that the cool thing about us and the thing
Speaker 1: that's really helped us take the next step in our plays.
Speaker 1: We know when to turn the switch on, um, you know,
Speaker 1: and there's a there's a time and a place to
Speaker 1: have a good time joke around, but there's also a
Speaker 1: time and a place you got to come in focused
Speaker 1: and ready to work. So I think that's that's really
Speaker 1: been good for us. We are always a lot funnier
Speaker 1: in our room on our offensive line. Coach wasn't in
Speaker 1: there yet. It's kind of it's got to be the
Speaker 1: same thing for you guys, because the camaraderie is like
Speaker 1: no other. But you know, as soon as that guy
Speaker 1: comes in the door for us, Dick Stanfell for you,
Speaker 1: Harry's right, Yeah. Yeah, do you make Harry laugh? Yeah,
Speaker 1: we we make him laugh, and you know, we joke
Speaker 1: around and let he does. Yeah. We have a good
Speaker 1: time in our meeting rooms and um, you know, like
Speaker 1: you said, obviously, when the coach comes in, it's more business,
Speaker 1: but there's a these times where we're you know, working
Speaker 1: together and all having a good time and laughing it out.
Speaker 1: Cody white Hair, our guest here on Bears All Access.
Speaker 1: Let's step away another break here on Chicago Sports Radio
Speaker 1: six seventy the score. Get up close to the twenty
Speaker 1: nineteen Chicago Bears at Enjoy Illinois Bears training Camp now
Speaker 1: through August tenth in bourbon at Get free tickets at
Speaker 1: Chicago Bears dot com. Yeah, it's winding down, just a
Speaker 1: couple of more practices, I think, one more open to
Speaker 1: the public, and they'll put the rap on the training
Speaker 1: camp portion of the offseason. Here preseason, i should say,
Speaker 1: because it really doesn't stop in any way, shape or form.
Speaker 1: The competition. The practice is really kicking to high gear
Speaker 1: at this palace we now call Hallis Hall, the new
Speaker 1: renovated Hallis Hall. And just walking around here today I
Speaker 1: was up in Coach Naggi's office and just saw all
Speaker 1: the new stuff that you guys have already seen. They're
Speaker 1: putting the finishing touches on it. It words do not
Speaker 1: do it justice. I just got to say it. I'm
Speaker 1: not exaggerating us players. How are you viewing this? Because
Speaker 1: it is something? Yeah, it's it's a beautiful place. We're
Speaker 1: very lucky. Um, you know, to be in the the
Speaker 1: wonderful palace that it is. You know that we have here, Um,
Speaker 1: you know, so we're very fortunate, and you know what
Speaker 1: a nice place it is. You know, a hall is
Speaker 1: just kind of reserved for wedding and receptions. That word alas,
Speaker 1: this is a campus because there's multiple buildings. There's areas
Speaker 1: that if you're at one practice field the farthest away,
Speaker 1: I mean it's a it takes you a cant like
Speaker 1: you're crossing a campus in between classes. That's how big
Speaker 1: it is here nowadays. Yeah, for sure, it's it's definitely, um,
Speaker 1: you know, pretty big. But what a wonderful place it is. Well.
Speaker 1: And also you know, the aesthetics are obvious. I mean
Speaker 1: it is like a museum up there. I mean they've
Speaker 1: they've got, you know, all the history that you would
Speaker 1: expect from a team in the league for the one
Speaker 1: we're celebrating for a hundred years. But uh, there's some
Speaker 1: quiet places there for the whole building. I mean it's
Speaker 1: just not football operations, but the football operations side. From
Speaker 1: a health point of view, there are benefits to what
Speaker 1: is here. The different types of ways for you guys
Speaker 1: to stay healthy or get healthy if you're banged up.
Speaker 1: You know that you wouldn't get say a training camp
Speaker 1: or whatever. Um. So now that you're back here and
Speaker 1: you will be back here next week. Uh, those things
Speaker 1: important now to us players. You take advantage of everything
Speaker 1: you possibly can. I'm assuming yeah, absolutely, And those are
Speaker 1: the little things we're talking about that you know, they're
Speaker 1: taking care of your body, making sure you're fresh each
Speaker 1: and every day to to help you perform at the
Speaker 1: highest level in practice and um for whatever you're doing,
Speaker 1: whether you're sitting in meetings, practice, whatever you're doing. Um.
Speaker 1: You know. So they've done a nice job with with
Speaker 1: getting us those recovery tools and and everything we can use.
Speaker 1: I like that weight room. It's wonderful. Is that's where
Speaker 1: you live? Absolute clearly right. You don't look like me.
Speaker 1: It looks like you know Tom Benny play. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: it's it's a beautiful place. Um, you know, wonderful equipment, UM,
Speaker 1: beautiful view. Um. You know they just did well. You're
Speaker 1: an outdoors guy, so yeah, you're looking for things out actually,
Speaker 1: so you know it's just a beautiful place and room
Speaker 1: to work. You know. The camaraderie is built in the
Speaker 1: weight room also built in the locker room. Are you
Speaker 1: still locker and next to the same people you did
Speaker 1: in the old locker room? Does it seem more expansive
Speaker 1: where you guys have Is there more room in the
Speaker 1: locker room? Because you know that, you know, you go
Speaker 1: through the original locker room back at old Hollis Hall
Speaker 1: and that's all you had. You didn't have a dining hall,
Speaker 1: you didn't have it. That's where everything took place. Now
Speaker 1: you have a locker room where those types of conversations
Speaker 1: during the downtime take place and stuff. So you like
Speaker 1: where you're how that's going. Yeah, it is. And you
Speaker 1: know the cool thing I think that the coach Nagie's
Speaker 1: done and this organization is they've kind of intermixed people
Speaker 1: throughout the locker You're not just sitting with your your
Speaker 1: own position group because you talk to them all the
Speaker 1: day throughout the day. So it's pretty cool they they
Speaker 1: intermixed different positions. Next he got right and left. To
Speaker 1: to my right, I got a keym right and then
Speaker 1: to my left I have Danny so um So it's
Speaker 1: loud ones bellowing, the infectious laugh of a big bad
Speaker 1: to Kim Hicks and Danny Travathan's like he's like a preacher,
Speaker 1: like he is just spouting right now, you know. But
Speaker 1: I think it's so cool too because you get to,
Speaker 1: you know, interact with them in the locker room when
Speaker 1: you're sitting there for ten minutes that you know, if
Speaker 1: you weren't sitting next to them, you may you may
Speaker 1: not get to talk um, you know, and figure out
Speaker 1: a little bit about their life as well. So that's
Speaker 1: pretty cool to really get to know them on a
Speaker 1: personal level. A couple of the team leaders there too.
Speaker 1: You know. It really impressed me. The other day I practice.
Speaker 1: Alex bar is one of the free agent offensive guards
Speaker 1: that's trying to make the team. He dinged up his
Speaker 1: knee a little bit, so he was walking off and
Speaker 1: Danny went over to him to check up on him,
Speaker 1: and I said it. Dan said, man, that's that's nice
Speaker 1: to see how much that means to you because this
Speaker 1: he's a seasoned vettery, he's got great experience, he's a
Speaker 1: hell of a player, and now you have this guy
Speaker 1: that he goes and checks up and it means a
Speaker 1: lot to the play at the free agent too. It
Speaker 1: means a lot to the player that this veteran is
Speaker 1: coming to see me, and the next day he was
Speaker 1: back on the practice field. So you know, just those
Speaker 1: little things by veterans mean a lot to the young guys. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it definitely makes him feel welcomed. Um. You know, I
Speaker 1: think that's the biggest thing is you're gaining trust of
Speaker 1: the veterans and respect from the veterans as well. So
Speaker 1: anytime you get that chance, and you know, Alex has
Speaker 1: done a great job and he's a tough kid, so
Speaker 1: that didn't surprise me that he was back out there
Speaker 1: the next day. Last year, we did a show with
Speaker 1: you at training camp. It was spur the moment. We
Speaker 1: didn't know we were having. You walks in, there's courty
Speaker 1: white hair, and we knocked out a show. But at
Speaker 1: that time, you didn't have Kalel Mack or Roquine Smith.
Speaker 1: So this training can't feel different with the two of
Speaker 1: them there. Do you feel their presence? Yeah, you definitely do. Um,
Speaker 1: those are two great players that that make us better
Speaker 1: each and every day. Um. You know, both Kalil on
Speaker 1: the outside and Roquan their linebacker. Um. You know, so
Speaker 1: those were those were great additions to our team for sure.
Speaker 1: Same thing with Kyle. You know, Kyle Long, here's a
Speaker 1: guy that had a healthy offseason. He's able to be
Speaker 1: around you guys, not in a rehab manner, but in
Speaker 1: a in a manner that you guys are all in
Speaker 1: the weight room together, and it benefits it benefits him
Speaker 1: to see all you guys working together, and that it
Speaker 1: benefits you guys to see him working along side you guys. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it definitely helps both both of us, both collectively as
Speaker 1: an offensive line and and him personally. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: he's he's the type of guy that's that's ball is everything. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, so it's it's hard for him to be
Speaker 1: away from ball, but you know, we're really happy that
Speaker 1: he had a great offseason and he's back healthy and
Speaker 1: back on the line with us. A line extremely talented
Speaker 1: as a group. Three of you now been to the
Speaker 1: Pro Bowl, and James Daniels has that type of talent
Speaker 1: to get to the Pro Bowl. Indeed, so and Bobby Massey,
Speaker 1: you know, he's he's not he's not retracting. He's getting
Speaker 1: better in his career as a group. You guys didn't
Speaker 1: hold anybody last year. It's a it's an amazingly lone
Speaker 1: number with an offense that likes to throw the ball.
Speaker 1: You guys had five holding penalty he's as an offensive
Speaker 1: line last year, the fewest in the National Football League.
Speaker 1: How did that happen? And why? Yeah, we take a
Speaker 1: lot of pride in it. And obviously we preach about
Speaker 1: you know, not not hurting ourselves, and obviously penalties or
Speaker 1: something you can control, um for the most part, especially
Speaker 1: those those certain type of penalties, um, you know. And
Speaker 1: I think it all comes back to the to the
Speaker 1: techniques and everything that coach Erry hoastand teaches us, um,
Speaker 1: you know, to to move our feet and to be
Speaker 1: good with our hands. That way, we're not putting those
Speaker 1: situations where we tend to grab or or you know,
Speaker 1: reach and hold, um you know. So I think a
Speaker 1: lot of it goes, you know, to coach Cherry and
Speaker 1: his techniques and also just all the guys working at
Speaker 1: it and trusting and believing in those techniques that that
Speaker 1: they that they carry over to the game and um,
Speaker 1: you know, we don't have those problems. Harry does a
Speaker 1: great job of the positive reinforcements of proper technique because
Speaker 1: you can hear him one year going through one on ones.
Speaker 1: How he talks about the importance of the hand placement
Speaker 1: and the direct result is when you get five Haulding
Speaker 1: calls in the amount of time to throw the ball
Speaker 1: in these days. But you know, all it's also the
Speaker 1: versatility of your offensive line too. You guys got athletes
Speaker 1: that can have assignments that are outside the box that
Speaker 1: also keep the defense off guard. Absolutely, And it's not
Speaker 1: it's not just us, it's every buddy, you know. It's
Speaker 1: it's Mitch's drops, it's you know, the receiver's timing, it's everything.
Speaker 1: That everything was working so well and we were, you know,
Speaker 1: so in sync last year that you know, that definitely
Speaker 1: helped us out as well. Yeah, we talked about this too.
Speaker 1: You know, you had as a center, you have to
Speaker 1: think like your quarterback and you still do, probably not
Speaker 1: to the level that I did last year, you know,
Speaker 1: but I definitely feel like I still have some of
Speaker 1: that that center blood in me. Um. You know, so
Speaker 1: I do kind of think a little bit like the quarterback,
Speaker 1: but not as much as I would last year. And
Speaker 1: how's he doing? How's he doing? Because you know, even
Speaker 1: admitted it could be a little frustrating at times going
Speaker 1: up against that d and working through that typically. And
Speaker 1: I just I was just listening about this from several
Speaker 1: other teams hearing, well, the defense is always ahead of
Speaker 1: the offense at this time of year, And maybe that
Speaker 1: is cliche, maybe it's reality, but a little bit maybe
Speaker 1: that these guys have been together for a while. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Mitchell has done a great job, you know, just the
Speaker 1: level of confidence he's playing at and his leadership in
Speaker 1: the way he's taking over this offense, and you know,
Speaker 1: the level of knowledge that he has of this offense.
Speaker 1: Being in his second year. You know, you just see him,
Speaker 1: you know, moving a lot faster and not thinking as much,
Speaker 1: and you know, he's just really done a great job
Speaker 1: of conducting himself both on and off the field. Hey,
Speaker 1: he throws against a confident group of guys led by
Speaker 1: Eddie Jackson haha, Clinton Dicks, Prince of Mukamara, Kyle Fuller
Speaker 1: and the different Slottery Nickel guys that you know, they're
Speaker 1: they're confident group of guys also. Yeah, absolutely, And like
Speaker 1: I said, the competition on our defense is only going
Speaker 1: to make us better and you know, help us later
Speaker 1: on the season. That's Cody Whitehair Bears starting left guard
Speaker 1: with Tom There I'm Jeff Joniac. Another segment to go
Speaker 1: to wrap us up. It's brought to you by IGS Energy.
Speaker 1: This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy.
Speaker 1: The score coming at you from PNC Studio at hallis Hab.
Speaker 1: Bears back at it before they get the Carol Lada
Speaker 1: Panthers on the field tomorrow night. This is Bears All Access.
Speaker 1: Jeff Joniac, tomp there and Cody Whitehair. Now you're getting
Speaker 1: back into your routine. What's your game day routine? You know,
Speaker 1: you gotta go to the team hotel. You know, I'm
Speaker 1: talking about home games, and then what do you know,
Speaker 1: what do you get yourself at? You know, do you
Speaker 1: you know Ottawa Goonly used to take three showers before game?
Speaker 1: You know, I mean there's all sorts of things that
Speaker 1: go on. And then what you're after the game? Rich
Speaker 1: or what? Tell us what you do? Now? You're you're in,
Speaker 1: you're you know, you've played forty eight NFL games. You
Speaker 1: got you got some you got a big, a big
Speaker 1: part of this thing down. Yeah, obviously the night before
Speaker 1: we go to the hotel. Um, that's that's pretty typical
Speaker 1: every night. But I think the biggest thing is is
Speaker 1: it the morning of or the day of. It all
Speaker 1: depends on what time the game's at. You know, if
Speaker 1: it's a later game, you know, things maybe started a
Speaker 1: little bit later. As if it's an early game and
Speaker 1: noon game, you know, everything's pretty pushed up. But you know,
Speaker 1: my my biggest ritual is you know, I've always been
Speaker 1: the guy to get there four and a half five
Speaker 1: hours early. Um. You guys, you know, go over you know,
Speaker 1: any last minute notes that I have before the game,
Speaker 1: or you know, if I didn't feel very good on something, um,
Speaker 1: you know throughout the week, I may work that in
Speaker 1: in the morning, just so I have one last time
Speaker 1: to make sure that I'm not gonna have any regrets, um,
Speaker 1: you know, and then I just go out there and
Speaker 1: play free. Um, you know, try not to think so
Speaker 1: much and just you know, fall back on the techniques
Speaker 1: and everything that I've learned throughout the week. How about
Speaker 1: after a game home game, usually I have family in town,
Speaker 1: so um, you know, we'll we'll either go grab a
Speaker 1: bite to eat or um, you know whatever, and sometimes
Speaker 1: we'll just go home and order some lu Mount out
Speaker 1: East pizza or something. That's your jam, that's my jam. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So what's your what's your pizza of choice? The Chicago
Speaker 1: classic Deep Dish one hole one. Right. So Jeff's talking
Speaker 1: about your routine and your post game routine. So there's
Speaker 1: times that you've played a game and there's plays that
Speaker 1: stick in your mind that are absolutely haunting. And the
Speaker 1: whole idea is getting through tape the next day, is
Speaker 1: just getting through that tape. Do you have any like
Speaker 1: recall of any plays like that, because Cody, I can
Speaker 1: sit here thirty years after the fact and I can
Speaker 1: tell you some plays. I remember giving up a sack
Speaker 1: the first regular season game of the year, and I
Speaker 1: said to myself immediately, I go, oh my god, I
Speaker 1: want Pace to give up sixteen sacks this year. And I,
Speaker 1: you know, luckily didn't give up one for a while.
Speaker 1: But there's haunting plays that stick in your memory. Yeah, obviously,
Speaker 1: I think the ones that that obviously haunt you the most.
Speaker 1: Or a quarterback sack is obviously the you hate to
Speaker 1: get your quarterback hurt, you hate to let your team
Speaker 1: down and take a loss. And um, you know the
Speaker 1: other thing that really each me up to is if
Speaker 1: if I'm out there and you know it's it's a
Speaker 1: scoring play and it's my guy that makes the tackle
Speaker 1: that doesn't allow the score. Um, you know that each
Speaker 1: me up. And then obviously penalties that you have total
Speaker 1: control over, those those eat you up as well. But
Speaker 1: you know, it's a fun last year when you were
Speaker 1: able to lead up tree cone into the end zone
Speaker 1: and it's a dB standing between you and pay dirt.
Speaker 1: That's that's everything we live for. Yeah, that was a
Speaker 1: new England. It was New England. Okay. Yeah, those are
Speaker 1: the blocks that you just flick your chops and um,
Speaker 1: you know, you see a little bit small all our
Speaker 1: guy corner safety right there, and that's just a great
Speaker 1: opportunity for you to get a nice pancake and blow
Speaker 1: guy up. Yeah, they're going to present themselves more this
Speaker 1: year at the guard position. You'll have more pulling responsibilities,
Speaker 1: trapping and different things on the offensive line away from
Speaker 1: your actual position, which it's gonna be fun to use
Speaker 1: all that strength you build up in the offseason. Yeah, absolutely,
Speaker 1: and those those are always the fun blocks. You know,
Speaker 1: they kept track of your pancake blocks in college. I
Speaker 1: think you know what it was, I don't remember. I
Speaker 1: think it was one hundred and forty maybe in one season.
Speaker 1: I don't know, it's I think I saw that stat
Speaker 1: about pancake blocks. But those are the ones that we
Speaker 1: as announcers go, that's that's a while. Like we know
Speaker 1: when when you're out there running full steam, you're getting
Speaker 1: a recognition whether you lagging that because I love calling
Speaker 1: those when the big guys out front. Yeah, and those
Speaker 1: are always the ones that you know as big guys.
Speaker 1: We don't make the highlight reel too many times, but
Speaker 1: those are the ones that you'll see, um, you know,
Speaker 1: make the highlight reel and those are really pumping. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I like I like the tackle sweeps that you know
Speaker 1: in the tax goes out front leading the way. That's
Speaker 1: old time football, right, that is you know, I love it.
Speaker 1: So when you change transition from senator guard, what's your
Speaker 1: weight difference and where were we able to gain strength
Speaker 1: because of the weight you were able to gain Yeah, um,
Speaker 1: you know I put a little bit on. I think
Speaker 1: I was playing it, you know, between three hundred and
Speaker 1: three or three last year and I'm I'm between three
Speaker 1: ten and three thirteen right now. So um, you know,
Speaker 1: I just try to say heavy as you've ever been.
Speaker 1: Uh No, I think I was a little heavy. One
Speaker 1: year in college. I think I may have been around
Speaker 1: three fifteen, but uh yeah, it obviously wasn't as good
Speaker 1: and solid as I am now. But uh, you know,
Speaker 1: I think a lot of it has to do with,
Speaker 1: you know, my work in the off season, and you know,
Speaker 1: our strength coach Jason Lascalzo puts us through, puts us
Speaker 1: through a great a great workout and really helps us
Speaker 1: gain the strength that we need. And in pushing prowlers
Speaker 1: and all this and you know, dieting and protein intake
Speaker 1: and stuff like that really you know, helped me. But
Speaker 1: I feel like I focused on a little bit more
Speaker 1: of this offseason because I wanted to put on the
Speaker 1: quote unquote good waight. Um, you know, because I wanted
Speaker 1: to be a little bit heavier playing guard. But uh,
Speaker 1: you know, try to stay away from from the foods
Speaker 1: that can make me gain that bad weight. Yeah, do
Speaker 1: you are you prone to some of those, uh those
Speaker 1: lures of those types of like what besides, I was
Speaker 1: gonna say, the pizza manet this pizza that that'll give
Speaker 1: me every time? What do you do to relax? I'm
Speaker 1: a big outdoorsy guy. Um, you know, every chance I get,
Speaker 1: especially when the weather's nice. I like to you know,
Speaker 1: grill outside and do that kind of thing. And um,
Speaker 1: you know, big country music guy. That's kind of, you know,
Speaker 1: my go to on game days. It sounds kind of
Speaker 1: kind of interesting because it's really not the pumping up
Speaker 1: you know kind of music that that uh that you're
Speaker 1: here in camp. Yeah, this this stereotypical pump up music
Speaker 1: or whatever it is. But uh yeah, I'm a big
Speaker 1: outdoorsy guy and listening to music comedy. We had Roquine
Speaker 1: on last week and he's also a country guy, so
Speaker 1: you guys might you're the same tae. He likes he
Speaker 1: likes the newer country. You newer you like the old stuff.
Speaker 1: I like both. Yeah, you know, I saw roquant a
Speaker 1: country concert actually over this where at Windy City smokeout
Speaker 1: really really really and who was there that you really
Speaker 1: wanted to see? It's a whole bunch of groups. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a it's a bunch. There's what is there five
Speaker 1: or six concerts a day or something and it's a
Speaker 1: three day festival. You know. I really liked Cole Swindell.
Speaker 1: I enjoyed him. That's the guy I saw Roquan with, um,
Speaker 1: you know, and also uh, you know Chris Young is
Speaker 1: he he's kind of It's kind of a cool story
Speaker 1: because me and my wife's first dance and our wedding
Speaker 1: is sung by him, so we got to hear that
Speaker 1: around you know, our anniversary live too, So that was
Speaker 1: pretty cool. So when Jeff was talking about your weight
Speaker 1: and stuff with this, you have a new baby coming
Speaker 1: and we always see that. Fathers talk about how they
Speaker 1: have a tendency to gain a little bit with the
Speaker 1: birth of their first child and stuff. Right, well, pathy,
Speaker 1: wait right, I mean obviously you know, you go through
Speaker 1: wig ends, you're gonna be able to avoid that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think so, just because I'm gonna be in you know,
Speaker 1: the heat of the season. You know, obviously the baby's
Speaker 1: coming here soon, you know, So hopefully I'll be able
Speaker 1: to stay away from that, which, you know what I
Speaker 1: think with the football and in the activity that we
Speaker 1: have there, I'll stay away from. It's a cool thing.
Speaker 1: The other aspect of being a pro football player and
Speaker 1: be young and you're and you're with an organization that
Speaker 1: believes in you and made you. One of their core
Speaker 1: pieces is that you grow with the other guys around you,
Speaker 1: and so things like marriage, for Bobby Massey, things like
Speaker 1: a baby for you and your wife, Hannah, or just
Speaker 1: a young guy getting his feet wet at the age
Speaker 1: of twenty now twenty one, soon to be twenty two.
Speaker 1: You're center, Daniels. I mean, you guys are sharing a
Speaker 1: lot of life moments too outside of football, right, you
Speaker 1: know how and the wives meet each other and you're
Speaker 1: growing up together. Yeah. And that's the cool thing too,
Speaker 1: is like when I came in here, there there was
Speaker 1: you know, a core here that you know, I kind
Speaker 1: of involved into and kind of really followed their ways.
Speaker 1: And you know, Charles Leno and Bobby Masky and Kyle
Speaker 1: Long and now you know, we're still pretty much together, um,
Speaker 1: you know, when adding new pieces that fit this culture
Speaker 1: as well. So um, you know, and we've got a
Speaker 1: lot of good young talent here, um, you know, and
Speaker 1: some some good veteran leaders to lead us along the way.
Speaker 1: So you know, that's definitely something to it's it's definitely
Speaker 1: something fun to be a part of. That's for sure.
Speaker 1: It's a team of believers, isn't. I mean, you guys
Speaker 1: believe where you're headed. We do. Yeah, absolutely, Well, good luck,
Speaker 1: thank good luck, have fun. Thank you for your giving
Speaker 1: up your time. You appreciate. Cody White here Bears pro
Speaker 1: bowler and starting left guard, get ready to meet the
Speaker 1: Carolina Panthers tomorrow night. That's gonna do it for our
Speaker 1: show for Cody Top there and Paul's ranger engineer and
Speaker 1: Greg Miller aren't producer. I'm Jeff Joniac coming to you
Speaker 1: from P and C Studios at Hallis Hall on Chicago
Speaker 1: Sports Radio six seventy of the Score. Good night, everybody,