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Speaker 2: One of the most interesting staggers we've seen in recent
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Speaker 2: Jeff Joniac with Super Bowl winning Bears guard top there
Speaker 2: and from Sirius XM moving the chains on NFL Radio,
Speaker 2: the former Bears quarterback Jim Miller thanks to Dan Barrilli
Speaker 2: and Jordan's tread Up. Our producers on the ESPN studios
Speaker 2: Sean Graeney. The executive producer of the Bears Radio Network
Speaker 2: is Eric Ostrotski. Good Evening one and all. Later on
Speaker 2: of the show, we'll have a conversation with Bears fifth
Speaker 2: round defensive end Austin Booker out of Kansas, Tom, Jim,
Speaker 2: how we feeling a happy schedule? Happy schedule?
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I don't know where the Bears.
Speaker 4: Schedule ranks amongst the toughest wherever however they rank them.
Speaker 4: But you know, I know that you always have a
Speaker 4: little bit of anks talking about the schedule before the
Speaker 4: start of the season because you say, you never know
Speaker 4: what's going to be happen when you get to some
Speaker 4: of these teams. In the difference, last year we played
Speaker 4: Green Bay Week one and then week seventeen. This year
Speaker 4: again Green Bay Week seventeen, but we don't really get
Speaker 4: into the division until the second half of the season,
Speaker 4: which is really exciting for me. Yeah, because I like
Speaker 4: it coming down to the wire like that. I like
Speaker 4: the Bears to have some of these young guys get
Speaker 4: involved in this football team, whether it's anybody from Austin
Speaker 4: Booker to Caleb to Rome to Amagaji, whomever it could
Speaker 4: be to help this football team, and they're going to
Speaker 4: have a little bit of experience before they get into
Speaker 4: the division.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Jim, the carrots are going to be hanging there.
Speaker 2: I keep saying season doesn't begin to week eleven, and
Speaker 2: in most cases the season really doesn't begin until around
Speaker 2: Thanksgiving anyway. It's about the after Thanksgiving football if you
Speaker 2: want to finish the job I just mentioned I Wada
Speaker 2: and Sylvie. Look what happened to the Eagles last year.
Speaker 2: Look what happened at Jacksonville last year. Look what to
Speaker 2: happened there the Chargers. Things just deteriorated in a hurry
Speaker 2: despite good starts, and you got to take care of
Speaker 2: businesses home and you know, win hopefully half your games
Speaker 2: down the road.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's you know, you're right, there's so many ebbs
Speaker 5: and flows to the season. I think even last year
Speaker 5: you saw that with the Bears, Right, they came out
Speaker 5: of the gate and Nate Davis and some guys on
Speaker 5: the offensive line were a little bit banged up, and
Speaker 5: then they started to run the football well once they
Speaker 5: settled that in and then played start playing really well
Speaker 5: towards the second half of the season. And hopefully that
Speaker 5: can be the build up for that momentum, because I
Speaker 5: don't think that's the worst thing in the world that
Speaker 5: the division, like you said, is going to get started
Speaker 5: in Week ten. Guys will be able to settle in
Speaker 5: with the new scheme offensively and Hopefully by that time
Speaker 5: of the season, you're starting to click offensively, and again,
Speaker 5: injuries are going to play a part of it, but
Speaker 5: that's no excuse.
Speaker 6: Guys.
Speaker 5: If one guy goes down, guy's got to step up
Speaker 5: and play. I think we play well. I think we
Speaker 5: know that's not always the case, but I do think overall,
Speaker 5: the Bears schedule reminds me a lot of the Steelers
Speaker 5: because they're the same way. Yeah, that's a tough division.
Speaker 5: You look at that AFC North, you know that that
Speaker 5: division will be a bloodbath and probably decided the last week.
Speaker 5: So I think this how the Bears the structure is
Speaker 5: going to benefit them for the schedule this year.
Speaker 4: You know, Jeff and Jim, if you look at the
Speaker 4: schedule and you break down those first seven weeks and
Speaker 4: you look at there's three experienced quarterbacks within that first
Speaker 4: seven weeks, there's a lot of inexperience at the quarterback
Speaker 4: position and the rest of those games they play. So
Speaker 4: I think that really gives Caleb an opportunity to go
Speaker 4: out there and really battle, to help the Bears battle
Speaker 4: in these games because you know ten see I think
Speaker 4: you know it's still uncertainty. Houston obviously CJ. Stroud, Anthony
Speaker 4: Richardson and Indy. Then you have experience with the Rams,
Speaker 4: Bryce Young with Carolina, you got the Jackson Jacksonville quarterback,
Speaker 4: and then Washington. So it's really gonna be interesting to
Speaker 4: watch the quarterback position specifically within those first seven eight
Speaker 4: weeks of this season.
Speaker 2: Jim ifi Math's right. I mentioned this to Tom earlier today.
Speaker 2: I think they're I think are eleven games or eleven
Speaker 2: teams now, I can't remember which one I said that
Speaker 2: have that Shanahan McVeigh offensive scheme systems, the branches, all
Speaker 2: these coaches, and it's in the entire division, including the
Speaker 2: Bears with their new offensive coordinator. How has it just
Speaker 2: play with me a little bit on this, Do you
Speaker 2: care about that? Does that help a team over the
Speaker 2: course of a season, because everybody has nuances to it
Speaker 2: and does it a little different, But the gist of
Speaker 2: it is something clearly the Bears defense is going to
Speaker 2: get to know very very well.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Yeah, it's a scheme that it's a hot scheme
Speaker 5: right now. Why because it's quarterback friendly and look at
Speaker 5: the teams that have had success with it. You know
Speaker 5: obviously you know Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVeigh were in
Speaker 5: Washington together, okay, and so then it branched off from there.
Speaker 5: He gets the head coaching job San Francisco, McVeigh gets
Speaker 5: the head coaching or McVeigh gets the head coaching job
Speaker 5: of the Rams, and that's how it goes. And then
Speaker 5: Shane Waldron was a part of those staffs with the Rams.
Speaker 5: So he then goes up to Seattle because it's a
Speaker 5: quarterback friendly system. They want to get the Russell Wilson
Speaker 5: back on par and of course the development of Geno
Speaker 5: Smith and so. And then Dave Knellis who was under
Speaker 5: Shane Waldron, he goes to Tampa. He wants in because
Speaker 5: they were going to have a competition Baker Mayfield and
Speaker 5: Kyle Trask and wanted to get Kyle Trask up and running.
Speaker 5: Baker won that competition, and so it's a very quarterback friendly.
Speaker 5: You can get it up and running. It's the inside
Speaker 5: outside zone concepts. You've got a lot of crossing routes.
Speaker 5: Look at all the over routes that Matthew Stafford throws
Speaker 5: with McVeigh, and it really just puts it puts the
Speaker 5: defense in a bind because a lot of the plays,
Speaker 5: especially when you look at the Rams, and I would
Speaker 5: say that about Kyle Shanahan too. For the forty nine ers.
Speaker 5: Cayl Purty another example, young up and coming quarterback. Simple system.
Speaker 5: It's easy for the quarterback, but it puts the defense
Speaker 5: in a bind. They always have the play action off
Speaker 5: of the run run game, and everything looks the same,
Speaker 5: and it looks like a fast break because they play
Speaker 5: at a very fast tempo.
Speaker 2: So Tom can a defense settle in and I they
Speaker 2: can they pick up the signals over the course of
Speaker 2: the season here and get into a rhythm with some
Speaker 2: of these offenses to stop them.
Speaker 4: You know when I was listening to Jim talk and
Speaker 4: you know the quarterback position and how it affects them,
Speaker 4: the different types of.
Speaker 3: Passes you called the influence of the head coach.
Speaker 4: I look at all these teams and I start thinking
Speaker 4: about their offensive lines, because there's something to the system
Speaker 4: you run. But do these teams have the offensive line
Speaker 4: to protect against what the Bears have been able to
Speaker 4: offer you in that second half of the season. And
Speaker 4: if they do, kind of find either a diamond in
Speaker 4: the rough with Austin Booker and it has some pass
Speaker 4: rushing potential to go with Montes sweat and does Javon
Speaker 4: Dexter Senior take that next step forward along with Zach
Speaker 4: Pickens and the rest of the guys. And the linebacker
Speaker 4: position came on so well, and the defensive backfield is
Speaker 4: super versatile. I think it's yeah, I think the defense
Speaker 4: can get connected to this, but it's really about can
Speaker 4: what type of protection to the offensive lines give these young,
Speaker 4: inexperienced quarterbacks that they're going to face in the early
Speaker 4: part of the season and.
Speaker 2: To finish the season strong of those funs, you gotta
Speaker 2: be healthy. Healthiest team in the division is going to
Speaker 2: survive and compete for a playoff spots. That's how I
Speaker 2: feel about it, and I'm sure that'll be the case
Speaker 2: because it always is in the national football You gotta
Speaker 2: take our first break with Tom Thayer and Jim Miller.
Speaker 2: I'm Jeff Jonihac. This is Bears Weekly on ESPN one
Speaker 2: thousand and the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff Jonia on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 2: Leg The Bears Weekly is sponsored by IGS Energy, The
Speaker 2: Town Bear. Jeff Joniac, Jim Miller from Serious x MNFL
Speaker 2: Radio and the former Bears quarterback on the show. Coming
Speaker 2: up in a couple of segments, we'll be joined by
Speaker 2: rookie defensive end Austin Booker. Jim. I saw this, read
Speaker 2: this and heard some about the schedule preparation, and it
Speaker 2: is a literal quadrillion different possibilities every year, and I
Speaker 2: don't know how they pull it off, but they do.
Speaker 2: But you know, the primetime games is what everybody talks about,
Speaker 2: and you kind of gauged and rated based on how
Speaker 2: many of you getting The Jets of course with Aaron
Speaker 2: Rodgers healthy and are getting six and Houston's getting a lot,
Speaker 2: Bears with three. That could change with flex, but that
Speaker 2: three twenty five Central time spot is the most viewed
Speaker 2: game of the week. I didn't really look into that before,
Speaker 2: but that's the prime spot well.
Speaker 5: And plus it's it's going to be interesting because of
Speaker 5: all the streaming services too. How is that affecting how
Speaker 5: fans are viewing the game? I think it was Pat
Speaker 5: and I were talking about this today. It's something like
Speaker 5: if you were to sign up for all the streaming
Speaker 5: that it's going to be on, obviously Netflix this year,
Speaker 5: you got Amazon, just Apple, it's over like a thousand dollars,
Speaker 5: so you know, to me, it could affect a viewership.
Speaker 5: But you know, as for the primetime games, Dallas is
Speaker 5: always going to command it because they're a big, big market. Obviously,
Speaker 5: they're always minimum they get five primetime games every year. Jets.
Speaker 5: You know, according to the NFL, they just they feel
Speaker 5: that that team with Aaron Rodgers it command because they
Speaker 5: lost it out on it last year where they wanted
Speaker 5: to feature them. They're hoping that they're going to cash
Speaker 5: in on that this year. I think a lot of
Speaker 5: times they get it wrong because there's already some under
Speaker 5: the radar teams that I think are really gonna surprise,
Speaker 5: and one of those to me is Washington. I think
Speaker 5: Washington is a very strong team. I know it's a
Speaker 5: rookie quarterback, but you look what they've added here this offseason.
Speaker 5: Dan Quinn will get that team up and running very quickly.
Speaker 5: Tampa won the division last year and down on the
Speaker 5: NFC South, everybody thought that was a surprise. Well everybody's
Speaker 5: coming back and that is going to be a very
Speaker 5: good team that's underrated and kind of flying under the
Speaker 5: radar right now. That is going to be a good
Speaker 5: team move forward. I think the Rams everybody's got. San
Speaker 5: Francisco is the favorite every game out there in the West.
Speaker 5: I think the Rams are the team, believe it or not.
Speaker 5: And that's even with Aaron Donald retiring. Think about that.
Speaker 5: That offense is a fast break with Matthew Stafford and
Speaker 5: they're getting Cooper cutback on offense.
Speaker 2: It's gonna be interesting, Tom. I hope Jim thinks the
Speaker 2: Bears are also going to be one of those teams.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I do. I think the Bears are under the rate. Yeah,
Speaker 5: you know, you know, for the city of Chicago, they're
Speaker 5: as excited as all can be. You know, again, is
Speaker 5: this team ready to make a Super Bowl run? Well,
Speaker 5: I temper your enthusiasm a little bit. They've got a
Speaker 5: lot of work to do, but they'll be able to
Speaker 5: line up and compete. And they're a lot better than
Speaker 5: what people are talking about, that's for sure.
Speaker 4: Well, you think of some of the messages that have
Speaker 4: already started in this offseason, whether it's Jalen Johnson or
Speaker 4: Montes Wett talking about the importance of what they need
Speaker 4: to do within the division and who they need to
Speaker 4: beat with regularity. And I think that's important that that
Speaker 4: kind of spills in the into the entire locker room
Speaker 4: from the very beginning and pick up that intensity and
Speaker 4: training camp because I think you.
Speaker 3: Have realistic football at the practices in order to get
Speaker 3: Caleb ready as soon as possible.
Speaker 4: And then when you talk about all the other p is,
Speaker 4: you know still DJ and Keenan, Gerald Everett, with Cole Comet,
Speaker 4: DeAndre Swift and that whole group of guys, you have
Speaker 4: to formulate an offensive line that practices together during training
Speaker 4: camp be so they're ready for Week one of the
Speaker 4: regular season.
Speaker 3: And I think the Bears should.
Speaker 4: Have people want to call them unrealistic expectations, I think
Speaker 4: the Bears should have expectations that are as high as
Speaker 4: they've been in a long time. The question mark for
Speaker 4: me of any teams in the NFL is of Dallas
Speaker 4: Cowboys because the last time that they were on TV,
Speaker 4: they were getting beat pretty convincingly by one of the
Speaker 4: teams in our division. And they did nothing in the offseason,
Speaker 4: and they have a quarterback that is accounting for so
Speaker 4: much of their salary cap. It's going to be interesting
Speaker 4: to see how things unfold for them.
Speaker 3: But it's about the.
Speaker 4: Bears in that Tennessee, Houston, Indianapolis start.
Speaker 3: They got to have that conversation.
Speaker 4: As much as they wanted to talk about Green Bay,
Speaker 4: that they have the ability to win those three games.
Speaker 4: I'm not saying it's it's a four gone conclusion they will,
Speaker 4: but they have to have a lot of positive chatter
Speaker 4: amongst the veterans and the rookies.
Speaker 2: But again, at the same time, I know, you know,
Speaker 2: Week one is always that it's the thumb right if
Speaker 2: with a hammer, it's gonna every you know, but it's
Speaker 2: it is. We talk about it all the time. It
Speaker 2: is the great unknown. If you lose Week one, your
Speaker 2: season's not over. People talk about must wins in week one,
Speaker 2: but it would it would put it this way, it'd
Speaker 2: be a nice starting point to get some breathing room
Speaker 2: and confidence brewing in that locker room.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 2: Not that they didn't pick it up at the end
Speaker 2: of last year, but this is a different team. There's
Speaker 2: different players, and every year it's a frankly, it's a
Speaker 2: different team every week in the NFL.
Speaker 4: Because let me let me would you agree with that, though,
Speaker 4: let me interrupt you with one quick question. So Tennessee
Speaker 4: Jeff opening week of the season, who do you introduce
Speaker 4: the offense?
Speaker 3: Are the defense?
Speaker 2: You come out as a team.
Speaker 3: No, you don't do that.
Speaker 4: You get you're gonna introduce one side of the ball. Jeff,
Speaker 4: Please don't answer like that.
Speaker 2: A lot of teams come out as a team.
Speaker 4: No, you're you know, you're just you're a Debbie downer.
Speaker 4: I you know, because I think you.
Speaker 7: Want me to play with you here, I'll say no, no,
Speaker 7: I'll say I'll say defense. Okay, save the big because
Speaker 7: when when Caleb comes out, the place is gonnat you roup.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I agree with Jeff. I don't think like last year.
Speaker 5: I just want to take you back to last year.
Speaker 5: Think of all the goodwill and hope that was built
Speaker 5: up to the season. There were some analysts out there
Speaker 5: predicting that Justin Fields was gonna be MVP of the league.
Speaker 5: And then you go out and you get spanked by
Speaker 5: Green Bay opening week and all that was lost. All
Speaker 5: that was lost, all that goodwill, all that hope of
Speaker 5: what was going into the season. And that's what this is.
Speaker 5: The offseason. It's all about hope. When you talk about
Speaker 5: the draft and all those things, that gets everybody's hopes up.
Speaker 5: At the end of the day, you got to go
Speaker 5: out and do it. You got to go out and
Speaker 5: do it, and they didn't do it, and they lost
Speaker 5: that and they were off the rails for about the
Speaker 5: first six weeks of the season till they started to
Speaker 5: turn it around. For all the reasons for exactly what
Speaker 5: you said, Jeff, the ebbs and flows of the season.
Speaker 5: The Bears weren't healthy all through training camp at their
Speaker 5: offensive line the whole time. We knew they needed another
Speaker 5: pass rusher. That didn't happen till they made that trade
Speaker 5: right for Monte Sweat. So so much could happen. But
Speaker 5: at the end of the day, when you have that
Speaker 5: hope and goodwill that's built up, you gotta go out
Speaker 5: and do it. And I think they'll be able to
Speaker 5: do it defensively and we'll see where it goes offensively,
Speaker 5: because they got to be ready to roll week one.
Speaker 5: You know, like Kevin Byron and Terry Stevenson, they give
Speaker 5: me a lot more hope at the beginning of the
Speaker 5: season rather than the question marks we had at the
Speaker 5: beginning of the season last year. Right because when you
Speaker 5: think about coming back from an injury at the safety position,
Speaker 5: you didn't know how and then you know Tyreek started
Speaker 5: to turn around on the second half of the season,
Speaker 5: and he's a he's a legitimate NFL cornerback. But I
Speaker 5: think the reason I was asking about the introduction is
Speaker 5: because I think that when when you're thrown out of
Speaker 5: Montes what you're thrown out A TJ ed Ords, Trumaine Edmunds,
Speaker 5: you know, just this whole group of characters, and you
Speaker 5: think about the Bears and the reputation of this team
Speaker 5: over the years, it's from great defensive play and week
Speaker 5: one it would be great recognition of that part of
Speaker 5: the team. Yeah, because I don't think their young quarterback
Speaker 5: Caleb Williams needs any more, right, you know, fanfear. Let's
Speaker 5: that that crowd would erupt if they were to say
Speaker 5: starting quarterback Caleb Williams and that opening series he throws
Speaker 5: a pick six. That's the last thing you want to happen,
Speaker 5: in my opinion, you know. So there's that kid doesn't
Speaker 5: need any more pressure than what's on him.
Speaker 2: All right, one last thing before we take a break
Speaker 2: to Charlotte Carey, the NFL director of Broadcasting, told k
Speaker 2: Adams on Up and Adams Today on the strategy of
Speaker 2: why the division games are pushed so far. It just
Speaker 2: happened that way. It falls that way. But her quote
Speaker 2: was Bears her exciting team. We're really counting on using
Speaker 2: them strategically across the different windows. It falls where it falls.
Speaker 2: The NFC North in general is really exciting and a
Speaker 2: super fun run down the stretch for the entire division.
Speaker 2: She could not be more right. That's Tom Thair, Jim Miller.
Speaker 2: I'm Jeff Joniyak. When we come back our visit with
Speaker 2: Austin Booker, the Bears fifth round pick Defensive End out
Speaker 2: of Kansas. This is Bears Weekly out of SPN one
Speaker 2: thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears Weekly with the voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff Jonyak on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 2: This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by
Speaker 2: Athletical Physical Therapy. Visit Athletical dot com to request it
Speaker 2: in clinic or virtual deployment and start feeling better tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Welcome back here on Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand
Speaker 2: of the Bears Radio Network. Jeff Jonihak, Tom There and
Speaker 2: Jim Miller will be along after our interview with rookie
Speaker 2: Defensive End Austin Booker. It feels good, Austin. Thanks for
Speaker 2: taking the time to join us. I'm sure to hear
Speaker 2: your name announced now as an NFL player, rookie defensive end.
Speaker 2: This is just the beginning of what you hope is
Speaker 2: going to be a real long journey. Is it sunk
Speaker 2: in really that this is where you're act?
Speaker 8: It has the past couple of days, been around the
Speaker 8: vets a little bit, and it's just been a dream
Speaker 8: cone true. So I'm just gonna take full event of
Speaker 8: it and keep working, keep getting better.
Speaker 2: Kind of crazy stuff at the age of twenty one,
Speaker 2: isn't it.
Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 2: I think about this, and there have been guys. I mean,
Speaker 2: there was a guy a Molby Ay. He was a
Speaker 2: defensive tackle. He was drafted high, I think by the
Speaker 2: Houston Texans. We had him here for a bit, but
Speaker 2: he entered the league in nineteen oh wow, and he
Speaker 2: was the youngest guy in the league. And I thought,
Speaker 2: oh my gosh, how I mean, I think of myself
Speaker 2: at that age and just think about just three years
Speaker 2: plus you were wrapping up a state championship in Indiana, right,
Speaker 2: I mean, did you envision that three plus years ago?
Speaker 8: I did this was a goal I told myself I
Speaker 8: was gonna be three and done, And I mean I
Speaker 8: didn't see it happening at first, not playing at all
Speaker 8: at Minnesota. Yeah, but I get to Kansas have a
Speaker 8: great season, and everything came together.
Speaker 6: So I'm just grateful.
Speaker 2: This is gonna sound maybe a weird question to an
Speaker 2: athlete who's got a lot of confidence. But given the
Speaker 2: fact you didn't get in many snaps in Minnesota, did
Speaker 2: it scare you a little bit? Like, oh my gosh,
Speaker 2: what am I gonna do?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 8: One hundred percent, But it just makes you better, Like
Speaker 8: you realize you have to get bigger, You have to
Speaker 8: realize you have to get stronger to get on that field,
Speaker 8: and once you do that, sometimes it's just not a
Speaker 8: good fit. Sometimes you still don't get on the field,
Speaker 8: so that's when you kind of have to look other
Speaker 8: places to uh to get on the field. But I
Speaker 8: feel like it just made me better.
Speaker 2: Did did did? Like your family were they encouraging and
Speaker 2: supportive of that, because, you know, having kids to go
Speaker 2: to college and I had some situations where they were
Speaker 2: considering moving on they didn't play sports, but like, ah,
Speaker 2: why don't you just give it a chance? I mean,
Speaker 2: did you get both sides of the conversations, and even
Speaker 2: with the coach up there at Minnesota, which we all
Speaker 2: know here in Chicago, PJ. Fleck.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent.
Speaker 8: I Mean at first, my parents were just saying, grind
Speaker 8: it out, you know, maybe you need to improve, maybe
Speaker 8: you need to do whatnot.
Speaker 6: So that's why I did at first.
Speaker 8: And then after I showed my talents and they still
Speaker 8: didn't want me on the field, that's when you kind
Speaker 8: to make those other other common.
Speaker 2: Screen light go. Yeah, yeah, was there a ton I mean,
Speaker 2: this transfer portal for a guy who's a traditionalist in football,
Speaker 2: I mean I went to Iowa State. You got it
Speaker 2: this year? Nice job, nice job. It was the big eighth.
Speaker 2: I mean I remember the old day. So the transfer
Speaker 2: porter and all that. It's great for you guys. For sure,
Speaker 2: coaches get to leave and do whatever you know, and
Speaker 2: then you're stuck with getting to know a new coach
Speaker 2: and new system and whatnot. But how beneficial is that
Speaker 2: for a player in your particular situation and others like
Speaker 2: that in college football?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean it's it's great because I mean there's
Speaker 8: probably some people in my situation years before they didn't
Speaker 8: get that second chance and didn't get to show off
Speaker 8: their talents. So in that situation, it's a great thing,
Speaker 8: but there's obviously other situations where it hurts teams and
Speaker 8: stuff like that.
Speaker 2: Well, then you go to Kansas and Lance Lettepold is
Speaker 2: a heck of a coach. He was up at Wisconsin Whitewater,
Speaker 2: so we got real familiar with him. Bears used to
Speaker 2: practice up in Platteville, Wisconsin as you may or man,
Speaker 2: I know, and he just did a great job, won
Speaker 2: so many championships there and he's been producing edge rushers
Speaker 2: and so big twelve Newcomer of the Year. It's like
Speaker 2: you have a brand new light, like the magic wand
Speaker 2: just hit right. Tell me about that process when you
Speaker 2: knew it was clicking.
Speaker 8: Yeah, shoot, it was the second game against Illinois, had
Speaker 8: two sacks.
Speaker 6: I was just feeling it, man, I was.
Speaker 3: I wasn't.
Speaker 6: I didn't start.
Speaker 8: But once you get on the field and you're going
Speaker 8: in through those motions and you just either field or
Speaker 8: you don't. And I got that feeling where I was
Speaker 8: I was dominating, and once adent started reaching out to you,
Speaker 8: then you know that that's that second level is or
Speaker 8: the next level is is an option.
Speaker 2: For sure, and you could have stayed, could very easily
Speaker 2: could have stayed it. It might have meant a higher
Speaker 2: draft pick. But so why do it now?
Speaker 6: Just strike while you're hot?
Speaker 2: Okay, strike while I've heard you say that many times.
Speaker 8: So, yeah, because you never know what's gonna happen the
Speaker 8: next year. And I had the opportunity this year, and
Speaker 8: I feel like I was mentally physically ready, like I've
Speaker 8: been saying, and yeah, so I just took the opportunity
Speaker 8: now rather than waiting.
Speaker 2: It's funny, that's almost the mentality of an edge rusher, right,
Speaker 2: strike while it's hot, because you don't have time to
Speaker 2: think out there. You just got to make your move
Speaker 2: and have a counter and get to the quarterback.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 2: It's just kind of you got to develop that kind
Speaker 2: of mindset, right.
Speaker 8: Yeah, Yeah, relentless, relentless mindset. And I was ready for
Speaker 8: that next step and I took it.
Speaker 2: So we had a guy here, Mark Anderson in two
Speaker 2: thousand and six, Alabama fifth round pick came in had
Speaker 2: a ten sax season for a team that went to
Speaker 2: the Super Bowl. You know, it's like there's he was
Speaker 2: long like you, he was very good. Came out of
Speaker 2: the SEC you're coming out of the Big twelve. It's
Speaker 2: it's kind of interesting to see those comparisons and anything
Speaker 2: can happen because unlike a lot of positions, your job
Speaker 2: is just go get the quarterback. Yeah, you got to
Speaker 2: stand up against the run too, if you're gonna stay
Speaker 2: on the field for three downs. But that idea of
Speaker 2: developing a toolbox. And I've watched your ear tape and
Speaker 2: you've got counters, you got a lot. I love the
Speaker 2: long arm. That's my favorite at your go to So
Speaker 2: now that they watch you on tape two, are they
Speaker 2: teaching you and coaching you? Okay, you got to come
Speaker 2: up with different things to set up a guy over
Speaker 2: the course of a game.
Speaker 8: Yeah, there's a bunch of thing on, just just knowing
Speaker 8: what moves to work off, what counters, and just putting
Speaker 8: my whole whole repertoire together. But at the same time,
Speaker 8: I was in a two point stance, so just changing
Speaker 8: to a three point stance is a little bit different,
Speaker 8: a little bit less reading and more attacking.
Speaker 6: So I definitely like that part of it.
Speaker 2: What's the adjustment there, you know, because you could easily
Speaker 2: been an outside linebacker maybe in another system, putting your
Speaker 2: hand in the dirt. I'm assuming if you keep your
Speaker 2: pads down you get more of that explosion, you win
Speaker 2: that game. All leverage a little bit, which is always
Speaker 2: a challenge for offensive lineman or defensive lineman. So how
Speaker 2: are you tackling that? With a really good coaches in
Speaker 2: Travis Smith and obviously Eric Washington your defensive court.
Speaker 8: Yeah, they've been big helps, man, and they just they
Speaker 8: tell me everything I'm doing wrong, but they also tell
Speaker 8: me everything I'm doing right. So it's just been great feedback.
Speaker 8: I've been doing nothing but growing so far. But also
Speaker 8: in high school, i was at three point the whole time,
Speaker 8: so I'm familiar with it. Just getting back to it
Speaker 8: now with better coaching just been great.
Speaker 2: Austin Booker our guest here on ESPN one thousand of
Speaker 2: the Bears Radio Network, Jeff Joniyak here at HALLISALZ. They
Speaker 2: wrap up another day ota start next week. So you
Speaker 2: know it's like layering, right. I know you said, you know,
Speaker 2: mixing with the veterans a little bit, and that's a
Speaker 2: whole different experience, right, And you got a wonderful teacher
Speaker 2: to help you out, and a guy like Montes, sweat
Speaker 2: long like you but established been around, had an unbelievable
Speaker 2: impact for the Bears. Did you know? Did you know
Speaker 2: this fact? The only player in NFL history to lead
Speaker 2: two teams in sacts in the same year. He led
Speaker 2: the Washington Commanders last year, led the Bears this year.
Speaker 2: Now that's something I don't think anybody's gonna take away
Speaker 2: from contest. Wet.
Speaker 6: Oh, yeah, that's crazy. I did not know that. But yeah,
Speaker 6: like you guys.
Speaker 8: Said, he's a great player, those a lot of great things,
Speaker 8: and also has had a lot of experience being on
Speaker 8: multiple teams, but also being in the league for how
Speaker 8: long he has been. So I'm just looking forward to
Speaker 8: learning with him once he's in the Once he's in
Speaker 8: the building, we start phase three.
Speaker 6: So I just can't can't wait for that.
Speaker 2: Do you have to beat a sponge? You know? Picking
Speaker 2: up things and sometimes you know, I'm sure everybody from
Speaker 2: your agent to friends to former teammates are giving you
Speaker 2: insight and and how do you separate all that and
Speaker 2: just focus on, you know, the stuff that matters for
Speaker 2: the Bears. How you need to fit in this defense
Speaker 2: and how you can excel in this defense.
Speaker 8: I feel like, it's real easy. Just listen to the
Speaker 8: people in the in the building. They want the best
Speaker 8: for you, they know what's best for you. And then
Speaker 8: I mean sometimes it's hard, but you just gotta block
Speaker 8: out everything outside of the building for however long you're here.
Speaker 8: If I mean, you can talk to friends and family,
Speaker 8: but yeah, you just listen to people in the building
Speaker 8: for football stuff, and they got their best interest.
Speaker 2: I was watching rookie camp last weekend. I went up
Speaker 2: to Ryan Paul that man has some long legs and
Speaker 2: as you sat down right here, I wanted you to
Speaker 2: have the mic in the right place. You set a
Speaker 2: short tour, so man, you look like an NBA play right.
Speaker 2: Do you sometimes feel that? And if scouts told you that,
Speaker 2: and if people told you that a little bit.
Speaker 6: Yeah, one hundred percent.
Speaker 8: But the thing I tell them is I got country strength.
Speaker 8: I got heavy hands, so I can hold my own.
Speaker 8: But at the same time, I'm cognizant of that.
Speaker 6: I got to get bigger.
Speaker 8: I'm still twenty one, and I can I can grow.
Speaker 8: I can get stronger and faster, and I know I
Speaker 8: haven't made it, so just just being able to grow
Speaker 8: and learn from everybody.
Speaker 2: So yeah, yeah, I mean what you guys have to
Speaker 2: go through when you come out to get ready for
Speaker 2: the combine and do the run and you're not really
Speaker 2: doing football right, You're not really being able to spend
Speaker 2: a ton of time in the weight room. It's really
Speaker 2: that even you'll mutter through this year, you know, you'll
Speaker 2: do what you can, but it's the next off season
Speaker 2: and the one after that where you're probably put on
Speaker 2: more armor. I don't know if they've explained that to
Speaker 2: you or what your mindset is, and if you do,
Speaker 2: you love the weight room.
Speaker 8: I love the weightroom, yeah, Covid, I got. I really
Speaker 8: got got in tune with the weight room because I
Speaker 8: just had nothing else to do.
Speaker 6: I didn't have school in person or nothing. So I
Speaker 6: was constantly the weight room.
Speaker 8: Since then, I've it's been a it's been a way
Speaker 8: to get away from from things since.
Speaker 2: So pre pre Covid, what'd you look like and what'd
Speaker 2: you wait to post Covid pre.
Speaker 8: Covid probably likewive just just finishing off the season. I mean, yeah,
Speaker 8: starting the season maybe two thirty b I two twenty five,
Speaker 8: getting off the season going into basketball season got canceled,
Speaker 8: So yeah, I was I was. I was real light,
Speaker 8: but I knew I was going to the Big ten,
Speaker 8: so I got in that weight room and I got
Speaker 8: right for sure.
Speaker 2: You know, back to COVID, you said, you know the
Speaker 2: season was canceled for basketball, and I'm sure football was
Speaker 2: interrupted at some level. It's almost for me. I don't
Speaker 2: even want to remember it, right, Yeah, how much did
Speaker 2: that delay your progress as an athlete in anyway? I
Speaker 2: know a lot of guys felt that way, and they
Speaker 2: did turn to the weight room and reinvented themselves. But
Speaker 2: how do you look at it now as a as
Speaker 2: a as a professional football player and what that what
Speaker 2: impact that made on you?
Speaker 8: I feel like it was mostly a positive impact, cause
Speaker 8: I's got a lot of free time to put towards football.
Speaker 8: But at the same time, I didn't get any official visits.
Speaker 8: They were all over Zoom, so I didn't really get
Speaker 8: a good field of my first college. So that was
Speaker 8: the only thing I would have would have took back,
Speaker 8: or that was probably the only negative effect on my career.
Speaker 6: I would say from COVID, grew.
Speaker 2: Up about three hours from here, right in Chicago anyway,
Speaker 2: not from Lake Forest a little further, but Greenwood, Indiana, Indiana. So, uh,
Speaker 2: you're going back? We three were gonna play the Indianapolis
Speaker 2: Colts and the stadium you want to State championship finished
Speaker 2: Lucas Oil. Uh when you saw that pop up on
Speaker 2: the schedule, you knew we were gonna play them there.
Speaker 2: What was your an immediate react?
Speaker 6: Man, I was excited.
Speaker 8: I got a bunch of people from home text me,
Speaker 8: we're gonna be there, blah blah blah. So I'm just
Speaker 8: looking forward to towards that opportunity to be in that
Speaker 8: stadium again and hopefully get another.
Speaker 2: Right, do you remember that's where That's where you're a couple.
Speaker 2: Tell me what you did in that championship game?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I had a couple of sacks. I had a
Speaker 8: bunch of tackles. I think we beating him like it
Speaker 8: was close to like fifty to fourteen something.
Speaker 6: WHOA, Okay, yeah we don't. We don't like the North
Speaker 6: Side guys got a real big win against them.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna assume Colts fan, but who knows. I always
Speaker 2: guess wrong with players. Even though you grew up there
Speaker 2: could what all sports? What were your favorite teams growing up?
Speaker 6: It was definitely just the Colts.
Speaker 8: Ye watching Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, Like, you can't
Speaker 8: go wrong, and it's right down the street. So yeah,
Speaker 8: anytime I had a chance to put it on after
Speaker 8: after church on Sundays or whatnot, it was on.
Speaker 2: Well those guys.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I always remember when Freeny was drafted, there was big criticism,
Speaker 2: Oh why did you why did they draft this guy
Speaker 2: so high? I'm thinking to myself, Man, if you think,
Speaker 2: if your gut tells you a guy is gonna be great,
Speaker 2: and I don't care what round it's in, and you
Speaker 2: believe in this guy, take them. Yeah, stick with your
Speaker 2: instan Look, he's a Hall of Famer. Yeah, you know,
Speaker 2: enjoyed watching him in Mathis. Man, they were a dangerous
Speaker 2: dual the Bears in the O six Super Bowl that
Speaker 2: Devin has to return the opening kickoff too. How about NBA?
Speaker 6: I didn't watch too much basketball growing up.
Speaker 8: I didn't really have a favorite team, but I really
Speaker 8: just like to play basketball.
Speaker 3: Ye watching more? Yeah?
Speaker 2: And uh or your power forward?
Speaker 6: Power forward? Yeah, but there's not a lot of six
Speaker 6: six power forwards.
Speaker 2: Then no, you gotta be a shooting guard now exactly,
Speaker 2: So could you hit the three?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yes, I was a stretch, big stretch, big okay, But like.
Speaker 8: I went, when I went to travel season, I was
Speaker 8: running point guard, so uh, I had the handles, I
Speaker 8: had the quickness, but in high school it.
Speaker 3: Wasn't that way.
Speaker 8: They just threw me in the post because I was
Speaker 8: the tallest. So yeah, that's why basketball didn't really work out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what did you get out a rookie minicap?
Speaker 8: I just got a lot of a lot of competition.
Speaker 8: I mean you see a lot of guys coming in
Speaker 8: trying to work for the same spot.
Speaker 6: So that really just how my mindset to keep grinding.
Speaker 8: Because you get drafted, you get a bunch of a
Speaker 8: bunch of hungry guys exactly, yeah, exactly, and and you
Speaker 8: just want to get after it, keep working.
Speaker 6: And that's all I been.
Speaker 8: And then it happens again when you get with the
Speaker 8: with the vets, you see some older guys that are
Speaker 8: doing the same thing.
Speaker 6: So just just stay hungry.
Speaker 2: I appreciate you guys going to Bear's care of the
Speaker 2: rookie class came out and I've kind of set it
Speaker 2: up that way so you guys can then go about
Speaker 2: your business. I think if you guys would have stayed,
Speaker 2: you guys would have never been able to sit down
Speaker 2: and eat because the fans just crowded the dance floor
Speaker 2: where we were sitting standing. We each I asked you each,
Speaker 2: you guys a question, and the cameras are out, and man,
Speaker 2: it's it's this class has a chance to be an
Speaker 2: a historic one. And you guys probably feel it yourself,
Speaker 2: don't you.
Speaker 8: When we were on the bus there and bus back.
Speaker 8: I mean, you can just feel the energy. Everybody's about
Speaker 8: their business and wants to win. And how's that dog
Speaker 8: in them? So really excited about that.
Speaker 2: I don't remember what I asked you, but I know
Speaker 2: your answer. Beat the Packers. Yep, it's a crowd pleaser. See,
Speaker 2: can't go wrong. You're picking up the baton from Montes Sweat.
Speaker 2: He said the same thing in the off season. It's
Speaker 2: time just stop getting beat by the Green Bay Packers,
Speaker 2: so go get them. Appreciate you time. It's wonderful to
Speaker 2: have you here, start of a great future. Man, We're
Speaker 2: gonna enjoy watching you.
Speaker 6: I appreciate it.
Speaker 2: Austin Booker, our guest here on ESPN one thousand of
Speaker 2: the Bears Ready, a Network Bears Weekly returns after this time.
Speaker 1: Outcus Bears Weekly with a Voice of the Bears for
Speaker 1: twenty three years. Jeff Jonat on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 2: Call with all Bears fans want unforgettable access to see
Speaker 2: the Chicago Bears play at Soldier Field this season, well
Speaker 2: VIP Official Ticket Package is now available for every home game,
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Speaker 2: the Chicago City Pass. Visit Chicago Bears VIP dot com
Speaker 2: or call eight six six two oh two fifty seven
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Speaker 2: VIP dot Com. Are called eight six six two o
Speaker 2: two five seven five five. Don't miss the exclusive opportunity
Speaker 2: with Chicago Bears VIP. Jeff Joniact time there. Jim Miller
Speaker 2: back with you on Bears Weekly here on the Espno.
Speaker 2: One thousands of the Bears Radio Network. Tom and Jim
Speaker 2: need your feedback. And what you heard from Austin Booker
Speaker 2: so much to get into with him, but really enjoyed him.
Speaker 2: And you know, Eric Washington, de coordinator last week talked
Speaker 2: about the energy he brings to every snap after analyzing
Speaker 2: his tape, and really that's where you begin and end
Speaker 2: here with the Bears. You got to have the juice
Speaker 2: on the field that you're not going to play. Also,
Speaker 2: they use the word slippery to describe his playing style.
Speaker 3: You know three things for me and about Austin Booker.
Speaker 4: I love when I hear players say they love the
Speaker 4: weight room, because that's the last thing I want to
Speaker 4: find out about them after they draft him, that they
Speaker 4: don't know how to get into the weight room, because
Speaker 4: I think they suffer from that. Number two, as I'm
Speaker 4: glad to hear him say he's played out of a
Speaker 4: right handed and a left handed stance, because if he
Speaker 4: was only comfortable out of one stance and then he
Speaker 4: had to take time to develop the familiarity, the balance
Speaker 4: and the comfort out of that other stance, it takes.
Speaker 3: A long time to work that lot like an offensive lineman.
Speaker 4: In number three, because of the Bears nutrition program, because
Speaker 4: of their food offerings, because of the weight room, I
Speaker 4: think those are the types of things that will help
Speaker 4: him get to the weight that the Bears have set
Speaker 4: for him, gain a considerable amount of strength within his
Speaker 4: first three years as an NFL player, And like I said,
Speaker 4: I think the nutritionists will be able to feed him
Speaker 4: efficiently to help him out.
Speaker 5: Yeah, this guy, he's twitchy, he's slithery. Like you said,
Speaker 5: some of his tape is pretty amazing when you watch him.
Speaker 5: He's got a long wingspan eighty one and a half.
Speaker 5: So he's got the traits that everybody's looking for. The
Speaker 5: thing about him. Five hundred and fifty five plays, that's
Speaker 5: all he's had in college. That's it. So I mean,
Speaker 5: it's going to happen fast for him. He's got a
Speaker 5: lot of work to do. The weight room is a
Speaker 5: big part of it, like Tom said, like he's got
Speaker 5: to live in there because right now he is not
Speaker 5: strong enough to hold up against the run. Now the
Speaker 5: situation will pass for us stuff. I think he'll be fine,
Speaker 5: and I think he will be able to contribute because
Speaker 5: he's got all the athleticism and a ray of moves
Speaker 5: and and some of his tapes suggests he's got some
Speaker 5: you know, some high upside to him. But the ability
Speaker 5: to stop to run that that's going to be a
Speaker 5: problem for him. And it's just going to take time
Speaker 5: for his body to mature, no matter how much or
Speaker 5: how hard he's working.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was two thirty five at the University of
Speaker 2: Minnesota when he got there, got up to two fifty
Speaker 2: at Kansas. I don't know what the plan is. I did,
Speaker 2: I did look on the internet today, just say what's
Speaker 2: the what's the average weight of an edge in the
Speaker 2: traditional defense in the NFL these days? And uh, it
Speaker 2: may have been outdated because it's at two sixty, because
Speaker 2: you'd be completely fine at two forty to forty five
Speaker 2: too fifty. Rush in the passer as long as you
Speaker 2: hang on to your explosion.
Speaker 4: Don't get in, don't get inefficiently heavy. That's the last
Speaker 4: thing he needs to do. But he does need to
Speaker 4: get stronger in the weight room. And I think when
Speaker 4: you have the advisory of the nutrition up there and
Speaker 4: they understand that they're feeding him the correct find a
Speaker 4: kind of food, and he is gaining those muscles, gaining
Speaker 4: the muscle, becomes more familiar with NFL offenses. I think
Speaker 4: you know all the requirements at that job, he'll be
Speaker 4: able to fulfill.
Speaker 2: I'll tell you the other answer. I like Jim when
Speaker 2: I asked him, feel weird that just three years and
Speaker 2: I don't know a few months, you were a high
Speaker 2: school senior and now you're a twenty one year old
Speaker 2: NFL player, And he said, not at all. This was
Speaker 2: my plan, and there was no back down, there was
Speaker 2: no this was it. This was clearly his plan. And
Speaker 2: I love that answer because you can't you can't change
Speaker 2: the hunger of a player. Yeah, I mean, you gotta
Speaker 2: have it or you don't, right, I mean.
Speaker 5: Yeah, players just think differently now coming out of college
Speaker 5: with the nil and they have a plan. Like he said,
Speaker 5: he definitely had a plan. I'll give you another example,
Speaker 5: a linebacker for the Detroit Lions, Alex Anzeloni. All right,
Speaker 5: so he came out early because he kept on having
Speaker 5: the injuries at University of Florida when he played there,
Speaker 5: and so his junior year when he finally stayed healthy,
Speaker 5: he goes, this is the healthiest I've been. I don't
Speaker 5: want to risk going back and getting hurt again. And
Speaker 5: I played my best football. So kind of when Austin
Speaker 5: Booker said, well, you got to strike while it's hot,
Speaker 5: you know, when it's there, and these players they really
Speaker 5: think about those things and when and why they decide.
Speaker 6: To come out.
Speaker 5: Now, you know, he probably there are other people, probably
Speaker 5: scouts that scouted him. He should return to college for
Speaker 5: one more year. But that was his plan his Obviously
Speaker 5: it worked here and the Bears drafted him. Some teams
Speaker 5: really raved about him, but they wanted probably one more
Speaker 5: year of maturity just because physically that's that's really where
Speaker 5: it needs to be for him.
Speaker 2: Tommy could wind up being a big steal in the
Speaker 2: draft because if he did stay in and he was
Speaker 2: very comfortable with how he was being pull deployed Deret, Kansas.
Speaker 2: Short of being a starter, he was a rotational guy
Speaker 2: and still came out strong, finished with eight sacks and
Speaker 2: a lot of tackles and made some really impressive plays.
Speaker 2: Could have been a first or second round pick this year.
Speaker 2: Guy at the senior ball, he would Jim, you have
Speaker 2: to agree, right he was? He looked really good. Tommy.
Speaker 5: Yeah, he abused a couple of guys down there.
Speaker 6: It was nice to see.
Speaker 4: I'm not comparing them, but I'm saying the journey when
Speaker 4: you look at Richard Dent and he came out of
Speaker 4: college and he was an undersized guy that needed to
Speaker 4: play the run better. And Buddy Ryan told him, Richard,
Speaker 4: until you play the run for me, you're not gonna
Speaker 4: get on the field. And like Jim said, that's one
Speaker 4: of his early susceptibilities. He learns how to play the
Speaker 4: run and then he's able to contribute immediately become the
Speaker 4: pass rusher and the sacker that I think the Bears
Speaker 4: have their sights on for him. You never know where
Speaker 4: his career can go. And he's said a lot of
Speaker 4: things that were really encouraging me to meet today. In
Speaker 4: your interview with him, Jeff Batt, I feel good about
Speaker 4: I feel.
Speaker 2: Good about the kid after hearing that interview and then
Speaker 2: the comparisons that people have made and it's not you know,
Speaker 2: he reached out. He reached out to Max Crosby on
Speaker 2: granted he's one of the premier guys in the NFL
Speaker 2: with a great get off, but Travis Smith, he worked
Speaker 2: with Max Crosby, and that's the man you want to
Speaker 2: be in contact with for sure, because the guy players,
Speaker 2: as Jim always says, hair on fire. Indeed, all right,
Speaker 2: we're gonna take another break. We'll have our final segment
Speaker 2: coming up here on Bears Weekly with Tom Theayre and
Speaker 2: Jim Miller. I'm Jeff Joniak on the ESPN one thousand
Speaker 2: and the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1: This is Bears weekly with the voice of the Bears
Speaker 1: for twenty three years, Jeff Jony on the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 2: You by CDW people to get it, Jeff and Tom
Speaker 2: and Jim Miller from Serious x MNFL Radio former Bears quarterback.
Speaker 2: In our final segment, I should also say that I
Speaker 2: want to thank again the young man for joining us.
Speaker 2: But Austin Booker did sign his contract just moments after
Speaker 2: my interview with him. It came through. So three of
Speaker 2: the Bears five drafted rookies are signed, leaving Catle Williams
Speaker 2: and Roma Doonzay the number ones still yet to be
Speaker 2: taken care of it. That'll be short order, I'm sure
Speaker 2: as well. And some other things. Congrats to Eric Washington.
Speaker 2: He's headed to Nashville next week. He's going to be
Speaker 2: in the NFL Coaches Accelerator some it's a good program
Speaker 2: that started a few years back to help strengthen that
Speaker 2: pipeline of diverse coaching candidates. I don't know. I know
Speaker 2: Tom because you've mentioned it on the podcast as well.
Speaker 2: And Jim you've probably gotten to know him as well
Speaker 2: from the training camp tours that you've done. But Eric
Speaker 2: is u He sounds and talks like a head coach
Speaker 2: at the podium over there.
Speaker 6: No doubt.
Speaker 4: Yeah, when he addressed the podium for the first time.
Speaker 4: But again we've also knew knew Eric when he was
Speaker 4: with the Bears before. And then you think of the
Speaker 4: way Eric is going to help these young coaches going
Speaker 4: to the development look out, how we've seen him develop
Speaker 4: when he got when he got up to the podium,
Speaker 4: he was a super well spoken, intelligent, you know, defensive
Speaker 4: coordinator in this league.
Speaker 3: And then you kind of listen to him.
Speaker 4: Speak and you see why he deserves this opportunity.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Now, obviously it just continues to ascend. You know, it's
Speaker 5: a it's a very good staff. Obviously, the the NFL,
Speaker 5: at least the Park Avenue, they create lists of coaches
Speaker 5: that they project to be head coaching material, and I
Speaker 5: know he's been discussed to be put on the on
Speaker 5: that list, much like a lot of coaches have been talked.
Speaker 5: And that's really where you see why these interviews happen.
Speaker 5: A lot of the teams refer to that. I don't
Speaker 5: know what it's like a committee of former coaches, head coaches,
Speaker 5: and players and players that form that committee of who
Speaker 5: they oject to be next head coaching material, and I
Speaker 5: think Eric Washington is out fast on the rise for that.
Speaker 2: All right, so OTAs begin next week, so another step
Speaker 2: in the process. Again, these are all voluntary, but the
Speaker 2: Bears have had a good turnout from what I'm told,
Speaker 2: so a lot of veterans in the house and feeling
Speaker 2: the energy and the building. Everybody keeps talking about. And
Speaker 2: I've talked two players about what the locker room feels
Speaker 2: like right now, Like there's just a different feeling. And
Speaker 2: it's not just boloney. You could tell when players don't
Speaker 2: feel it, but Jim and Tom these guys feel it.
Speaker 2: The rookies are feeling it, and it's gonna be interesting
Speaker 2: when it all comes together once training camp starts. I
Speaker 2: think it'll be the most interesting training camp and all
Speaker 2: eyes glued on every aspect of this thing.
Speaker 4: I really do, Jeff when we are talking the other
Speaker 4: day about the role and the importance of the kicking game.
Speaker 4: So it's not only the individuals that we're going to
Speaker 4: be excited to watch throughout training camp, but it's the
Speaker 4: different segments of football. Because where the defense is starting
Speaker 4: off the season to where they finished up last year,
Speaker 4: we have high expectations for them when you look at
Speaker 4: the weapons they brought in on offense, we think the
Speaker 4: offense with Shane Waldron will have a lot more firepower.
Speaker 4: And then Coach high Tower, the special teams coordinator, when
Speaker 4: you sit out there every single day and watch the
Speaker 4: new design of the kickoff and kickoff return, it's it's
Speaker 4: gonna be fun.
Speaker 3: Oh oh yeah. They brought in a punter.
Speaker 4: That has an arsenal of kicking abilities. That's gonna be
Speaker 4: fun at that part of practice as well.
Speaker 5: I think they generally like each other as co workers.
Speaker 5: I think you get a sense of that, and they
Speaker 5: stick together.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 5: That's when I was impressed with most last year is
Speaker 5: how the team stuck together. Nobody was pointing fingers when
Speaker 5: the defense probably could have pointed the fingers early at
Speaker 5: that the offense, they didn't. They just went about working.
Speaker 5: But and I think they're just more mature now. You know,
Speaker 5: much like I brought up last year, that week one
Speaker 5: that kind of the that really just tore away the
Speaker 5: goodwill that they had built to the fans out there.
Speaker 5: This team won't fall into that trap. There's too many
Speaker 5: guys that went through that and experience that that they're
Speaker 5: gonna say, hey, we're we're working, We're need to get better,
Speaker 5: but we're not gonna be blindsided and be hitting the
Speaker 5: jaws so to speak, or knocked out what by week one?
Speaker 5: Because that Week one game and that loss and how
Speaker 5: they played that somewhat had that team in a hangover
Speaker 5: for a little bit. And you know, congratulations to Matt
Speaker 5: Everflus for really getting the team out of that funk
Speaker 5: and keeping the unit as a team together. And that's
Speaker 5: what I like the most. They're a tight knit group, yep.
Speaker 2: And I will tell you it's not some just traditional thing,
Speaker 2: oh you got to beat the packer. Now, these guys
Speaker 2: feel it. They're saying it because they're sick of it.
Speaker 2: And so I think that's gonna be something to watch
Speaker 2: too as we inch towards the latter part of the season.
Speaker 2: That's going to do it for us tonight. Thank you,
Speaker 2: Tom and Ja, Thanks to Austin Booker and our producers
Speaker 2: including Sean Greeney. Coming up next, Black and Abdaba on
Speaker 2: ESPN as Bears Weekly wraps up Here, I'm the home
Speaker 2: of the Chicago Bears, ESPN Chicago.
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