WEBVTT - Coaches Show: Pace previews 2019 season 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:08.800 And welcome in everybody to a special edition of the 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:11.840 Bears Coaches Show here with gentle manager Ryan Pace. A 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:14.120 pleasure get to any of you, everybody. This is PNC 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:16.440 Studios at Hallisa. We're brought to you by a Whippley 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:20.799 CPAs and Consultants. Matt Naggi's got some work to do tonight, Ryan, 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:23.840 his coaching staff. So short week and you're pinsioning and 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:26.640 that's a that's a big move by the general manager 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.600 tonight to spend a whole hour with us, But it's appreciated. 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:33.320 I know your time is valuable too, but that's a nice, 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:37.559 nice move, you know, a nice move. I think one 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:40.000 of my jobs this time of year is to eliminate distractions, 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:42.120 and I feel like I'm doing that for the coaches tonight. Yeah, 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:44.600 no question about it. And with a short week and 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:47.879 so much building into this game. I love how Matt 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:52.120 is putting this in context this particular game, because it's 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:54.640 very easy to say, oh my god, it's the Bears 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:59.160 Packers week, one year open or one hundred, but you 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:01.760 can't do that. And the evidence was found in last 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.520 year's game at Green Bay. Same story. You know, it's 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:06.360 a brand new coaching staff. You know, you want to 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:08.520 make it a good first impression, but it's such a 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:10.959 long season. Not to diminish the impact of a home 0:01:11.520 --> 0:01:14.200 game in the division. Those are important, but you got 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:17.280 to put everything in the right context. I think you're right, Jeff. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:18.480 I think I think he's done a good job of 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.280 kind of striking that balance of, you know, respecting the 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:24.840 rivalry to historic franchises, everything that goes with that, but 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:26.919 also understanding, hey, it's the first game of the season, 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:29.880 all right. So many times I've heard you and we've 0:01:29.920 --> 0:01:32.720 spoke a lot this year because of the one hundred 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:34.560 and all the different events and so forth. But you 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:38.280 and Matt both sought to try and keep that momentum going. 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:41.840 Don't let the missfield goal and in the Philadelphia game 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:45.280 ruin what was built. And so do you feel that 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:49.360 you've accomplished that keeping the momentum going from the time 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.080 that happened where we're at right now. I do, And 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:53.760 that's been a focus of ours. And I think you 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.600 can go to you know, start with staff hires, you know, 0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:58.920 Chuck Pagano and a lot of the defensive hires, and 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:01.280 carry that right the free agency. In the movies, we 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.880 made into the draft, into the off season program, into 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:06.880 training camp, and in the preseason, and we do feel 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:09.080 like the momentum is going. And like I said today, 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:10.760 there's there's a good vibe in the building right now, 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:12.880 and I think it's a it's a good blend between 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:16.280 excitement and focus. Yeah, I tell you what, You've been 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:17.760 out in the city a little bit too, you know, 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:20.600 and your downtime which is not that much, but you 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:23.280 feel the vibe too in a city. Yeah, you know, 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:24.840 I think you know, our fans have been waiting for 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:27.560 this for a long time and they deserve a winning team. 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:29.720 And you know, we got a lot of young guys. 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:31.960 You know, we got a good culture, and we got 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:33.720 a lot of momentum behind us. I mean, we haven't 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:37.400 really done anything yet, but I think, like I said, 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:39.240 the vibe is good in our building. Yeah, we're gonna 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:42.120 touch on all those other intangibles, you know, including the 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:44.280 culture and what you guys have done with the roster 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:48.440 and shaping that roster. I think the cut was probably 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:50.519 going to be the most difficult one you've ever had 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:53.560 in your years as a general manager. But m and 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:55.480 you got a bunch of guys back on the practice squad. 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:59.000 So even those guys you never know, you know, those 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.720 guys get rotated and at some points during the season, 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:03.520 and those are valuable guys right there. So do you 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.400 feel that despite the fact you had to make these cuts, 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:09.040 you still manage to collect the guys you really really 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:10.959 want it? Yeah, it's it's kind of an emotional weekend 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:12.760 when you go through those cuts and you know that 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:14.720 there's a lot of players you're talking to, and then 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:17.520 you get past that stage, and then there's the twenty 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:19.720 four hour period where you're really holding your breath, you know, 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.360 hoping these guys clear to your practice squad. And we 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:25.200 feel good about the way it all transpired, and uh, 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:27.840 you know, we feel strong about our practice squad. And 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:29.800 again I think you know, as we've built the depth 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:33.080 and the talent of the team, Jeff, the cuts become harder. 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:36.480 I feel like our practice squad becomes more talented and 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.200 they all push each other. That competition is important and 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:42.320 heavy at certain positions on the roster. But you've been 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:44.040 talking about this too. You're going to take the best 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:46.640 fifty three. Yeah, we really are. And I think one 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:49.200 position that applies to is the inside linebackers. We kept 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:52.200 six inside linebackers. That is a little heavy. Normally you 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.880 keep you know, around four, But you think about the 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:58.080 talent there. You think about the special teams contribution coming 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.520 from that position, and that's an area we said, hey, 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:02.880 let's keep the best players. Yeah, linebackers that can run 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:05.440 like a Josh Woods. The grin on his face is 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:08.800 unbelievable in the locker room. I mean, this is a 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:11.200 guy who loves the game. Yeah, you think about you know, 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:15.040 his history is safety in Maryland. He came here on 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:18.040 a rookie mini camp tryout. We didn't sign him. We've 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:21.040 invited him back for the second mini camp and we 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:22.880 signed him off of that and he's put on weight 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.920 and maintain his speed, transformed a linebacker very well. And 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:28.880 I think when I look at that group as a whole, 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.240 from number one and number six, day all can run. 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:33.800 You said it, And I think that's something we've improved 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:37.560 a lot over the years. Is team speed, which really 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:39.880 helps us on defense and really helps us on special teams. 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.000 You know, speed kills there's no play. You can never 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:46.280 have too much speed. And as much as you've done 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.960 with this roster, and I think there's forty eight forty 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:51.760 eight players that you've brought in. So this is your 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:54.080 team now, like there are four guys you know what 0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:56.159 I'm saying. I mean in terms of what you're looking for, 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:59.680 and then you throw on the practice squad guys. But 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:02.280 the journey is so I mean, can you even think 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:04.520 about the moment you got here and where you're sitting 0:05:04.560 --> 0:05:07.800 at right now five years later, How how long and 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.359 how tedious it is to get You can win or 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:14.360 lose along the way. That's irrelevant to what you're looking 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:17.239 for that you know in your heart, our hearts, the intangibles, 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.600 the mindset, all those traits that you guys seek and 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:25.200 players will beyond their their physical abilities to finally be there, 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.800 you know, in terms of what you're really looking for. 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:30.919 How does that make you feel a general manager? And 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:32.840 what your staff has helped you put together? Yeah, Jeff, 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:34.760 I think you know, it takes a long time to 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:36.400 to you know, to get it, to get it going, 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.479 and I think it's a credit to a lot of 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:40.160 people in our building and a lot of hard work 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.359 throughout our building and the entire scouting staffs, you know, 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:46.160 starting with Josh Lucas Cham Kelly, Mark Sadowski, Jeff King 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:49.600 Pro Scouts, College Scouts, UM. And it's been a it's 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.040 been a build over a lot of years, and but 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:54.120 we're not there yet. You know, we know that we're 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.480 always trying to improve our roster, always fine tune and 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:00.400 always tweaking. But you've said it that it's not just 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:02.560 the talent, it's the type of people we have in 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:05.720 the culture we have and on our roster and with 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:08.960 our staff, and you can feel it throughout the building. 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.279 And I think now it's to the point we're you know, 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.120 we there's a standard you know, in our scouts, knowing 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:15.800 when we're in the draft room and we're talking about 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:18.920 players were acquiring, there's a standard that we've set and 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:20.840 we don't want to deviate from that. Now. One of 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:24.120 the poster boys for that poster men because he's a man, 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:28.080 is Cody Cody white Hair, and yeah, you know, after 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:30.599 a media got through the interview with him yesterday, I 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:32.880 walked over there. He literally lifted me off the ground 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:35.680 game of this huge bear hug, showing this rare emotion 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:40.400 you know in terms of that interaction, Uh, just thrilled 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.240 beyond it, but the whole locker room was thrilled. For him. Now, 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:45.680 those are one of those rare moments, right. That's what 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.400 I love seeing was the team's response to that, because 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:49.800 you can tell how well liked he is in the 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:53.360 locker room, and he's a great player, but he's I mean, 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:55.200 you talk about captain's class and a lot of those 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:59.800 traits we talk about. He is unselfish team player, uh, 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.120 water carrier behind the scene what I mean. He's not 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:04.559 afraid to do the dirty work that nobody notices behind 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:06.919 the scenes, and he's a glue guy for our team 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.040 and we couldn't be happier for him and his wife. 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:11.720 They're expecting a baby on the way, and it's just 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:14.520 a it's a special time in his life, a special 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:16.360 time for our team. And I think our team notices 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:20.400 that when you reward the right guys, that's noticed by 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:23.000 the locker room and that's important for us. General manage, sorry, 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:25.800 general Manager Ryan Pace. Our guest here, I'm Bears Coaches Show, 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:28.400 filling in for Matt Negge and his coordinators tonight. It's 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:31.000 brought to you by Whippley CPAs and Consultants in time 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.040 for a check of w bbm's traffic and weather. Together 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:41.040 them the Eights could even need to Abby Ryan. The 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:45.080 following is a presentation of the Chicago Bears Network now 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.960 on news radio seven eighty and one oh five point 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:52.120 nine FM. This is the Bears Coaches Show, a special 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:55.360 Labor Day edition featuring the General manager of the Bears, 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:58.440 Ryan Pace. The Bears Coaches Show is brought to you 0:07:58.480 --> 0:08:03.000 by Whippley CPA sent Celtics Advocate Healthcare for Rison and 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:07.200 Miller Litte. Now from Hollis Hall, here's the Voice of 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:12.040 the Bears w BBMS Jeff Jodiac. Oh man, I'm so 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:14.720 ready to hit somebody other than my teammate, you know 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:17.520 what I mean. Yeah, some we're looking forward to. And 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:19.200 it's something I feel like it's going because a lot 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.240 of hungrew coming out there Thursday night. Yeah, that's Khalil 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.000 mack As We're walcome you back here to the Bears 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:27.840 Coaches Show at PNC Studios at Hallis Hall. And he's 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.720 in a great mood right now, right And he really 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:32.719 he kept looking down to the ground when he kept 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.520 thinking about hitting somebody else. And while it's a cliche 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:38.160 and you hear it every preseason from every player, uh, 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:41.040 you somehow get the idea that what he did last 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:45.360 first half in his five day ramp up to become 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.200 a Bear. He talked about it today. He goes, Yeah, 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:51.120 you know, you take everything. It's it's mindset. It's a mindset. 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:53.520 It's not about the you know, you get yourself ready physically, 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:55.760 but the mindset that helps you play the game. And 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.959 I'll tell you a few players have come around here 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:03.600 that have kind of captured the hearts and minds of everybody, teammates, coaches, 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:07.600 fans so quickly in this guy. Yeah, it's the passion 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.280 he plays with, and you know, he brings it every 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:13.360 single day. So every single practice you go to, he's 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.080 one hundred miles an hour. He's disrupting everything. That's the 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:19.200 type of player that he is. And it's we're lucky 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:21.080 to have him. You know, he ran out of the 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.400 tunnel for a preseason game and they had, you know, 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.079 young fans running out with him, and I didn't think 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.520 he wanted that kid to beat him running because he 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:31.480 he wants to win every race. I mean, he was 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:35.560 going full. The guy's so competitive, he's with his teammates, 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:37.319 he do. He won't let anybody beat him in any 0:09:37.400 --> 0:09:39.360 kind of sprint. That's the way he is. And that 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.079 that type of energy that he brings, and we've said 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:45.920 it before, it's infectious to the whole defense. Everybody steps 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.199 their game up when he's around, whether it's practice or 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.760 in the game. And we can't wait to see him 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.280 this season. Yeah, did you celebrate the one year anniversary 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.960 of his arrival yesterday? I mean social media, bear, social 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:58.760 media had it all over the place. But you know, 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:00.959 it's hard to forget. Yeah. You know, we kind of 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.360 joked about it when the time came around, but at 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:05.160 the same time, it was a busy weekend for us, 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:07.120 so we didn't have a lot of time to reminisce. Yea, 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:10.760 it is true. So the first injury report was out. 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.800 Trey Burton was limited today, so that you know, you 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:15.840 met the media this morning and a lot of discussion 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:19.319 about a slight growing strain. It doesn't appear to be 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:23.680 anything significant, So do we take that as a positive today? Yeah, 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:25.600 today was a positive as a step in the right direction. 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:27.720 I think with any of these, you know, soft tissue injuries. 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:29.719 You know, he is a mild growing strain. It's kind 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:32.079 of a day by day process as you as you're 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:34.040 going through it, and well, you know, we'll see how 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.680 progresses throughout the week, but today was a good step. Yeah, 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:38.920 and as and a pretty good healthy team. You sigure 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:40.960 out Rashad Koward working through an elbow, but other than 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:43.560 end knock on wood, everything's good. And so you know, 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:46.760 you're you're feeling the the the bounce of not having 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:50.640 to play players in preseason games. And I think, by 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:54.520 and large, aside from certain players, just they love playing 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:56.520 no matter what they'd play with nobody in the stands, 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:59.559 you know, I think guys are appreciative of that right now. 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:01.960 I didn't know what to expect actually from their reaction, 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.880 but I think they do feel fresh and we're gonna 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:08.000 hear a sound bite later on from Taylor Gabriel that 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:12.199 he feels like he's played games because of the intensity 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:14.880 of practice. Yeah. I thought coach Naggy did a good 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.880 job explaining the team the why and the starters the 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:20.760 why like we're going to back off you in the preseason, 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:23.120 but in replace of that, we're going to increase your 0:11:23.160 --> 0:11:24.800 reps in practice and there's going to be in a 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.560 lot of conditioning in practice, and the players totally bought 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:29.320 into it. So I feel we have a well conditioned 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:32.319 team right now, but also a healthy team that's chumping 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:34.480 on the bit to get out there in live action. Now, 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:37.040 if you had players that said, hey, you know what, gosh, 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.480 Ryan and Coach, I really want to play. I need 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:42.319 to play, how do you handle those situations? And maybe 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:44.200 maybe they have come up, I don't know, you know, 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.959 it's they're all case by case and you just kind 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:47.840 of talk it out with those guys, and you know, 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.360 in certain situations maybe there's some merit to it. But 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:54.240 for the most part, everybody bought into our plan and 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:57.160 it was very collaborative the whole approach, and I think, 0:11:57.160 --> 0:11:58.880 you know, you're you're protecting the health of some of 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:02.360 those players, but at the same time, as evaluators, we're 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:04.560 getting a lot of reps at the back end of 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:06.760 our roster to not only evaluate, but also help those 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:10.200 guys develop as young players. No story was bigger, really, 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:13.079 and the only one probably got more column inches written 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:17.319 about was was the kicking search And the end result 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:20.200 is Eddie Pinero and I think from going around the 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.760 locker room and hearing everybody, they really love a couple 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:25.240 of things. A bottom one, there is a confidence in 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:29.040 this twenty three year old kid that is infectious and 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:33.440 he's very excitable, and I think those are perfect fits 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:36.800 for this football team. Now, you still got to prove 0:12:36.800 --> 0:12:38.800 it out there when when when the games get going 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.400 here over the course of the season, but through the 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:45.760 whole process, how do you how do you frame it 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.680 for everybody out there? I think the process is the 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:51.720 word that comes to mind is thorough and aggressive. And 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:53.520 it was the same thing that we've done with the 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.360 receiver position or the running back position in the past. 0:12:56.400 --> 0:12:58.840 It was, hey, you know, we need to get this right. 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.640 So in an ideal situation, we're hitting on a young 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:05.360 guy that we can grow and develop with long term. 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:07.760 So we brought in a lot of kickers, a lot 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:10.280 of tryouts, and it was a thorough process going through that. 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:13.640 We brought in Jamie Cole, who's probably the top kicking 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:15.960 consultant in the country. We used a lot of technology 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:19.960 as to evaluate this and basically it whittled down to 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:23.040 one man standing and that's Eddie and the team's embraced him. 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:27.600 He has the right mindset, he's got really good leg talent, 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:29.920 and we're excited where he's at right now. We have 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.200 a lot of confidence in him. Aside from just knowing 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:35.319 the facts of what guys maker don't make. Is there 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:38.400 an instinctive aspect of this position as well, that you 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:40.280 have a gut feeling about a guy you got a 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:41.880 run with it. I think there is a little bit 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:43.800 of that. I mean, obviously we're paying attention to the 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:45.920 mechanics and how they strike the ball on the lift 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:49.440 and the timing of the operation and all those things. 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:53.320 But you know, I think a kicker's demeanor is really important. 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:56.439 His confidence is really important, and Eddie has that. I 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:58.400 think his teammates feel that. You can see the way 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:02.079 they react. Everybody's kind of been on this journey together 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:04.400 as we've gone through this process, and I think that's 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:08.800 what's made it special. Now more of the Bears Coaches 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:12.640 Show with General manager Ryan Pace on news radio seven 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:17.400 eighty and one oh five point nine FM w BBM. 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:21.640 He's comfortable. He's comfortable going to the second year. He's comfortable. 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:24.800 He's confident in his looks. He's confident in his reads, 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:28.760 he's confidence in the different looks that he's getting so 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.200 and also he's confidence in his receivers knowing that we're 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.280 going to go up and make those plays. That's Taylor Gabriel, 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:37.440 Bears wide receiver and welcoming you back to the Bears 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:40.680 Coaches Show, brought to you by Whippley CPAs and Consultants. 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:43.280 Jeff Joniac with Ryan Pace, the Bears general manager, kind 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:45.640 enough to spend the hour with us tonight while Matt 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:47.720 Nage and his staff prepared for the Green Bay Packers 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:52.440 on Thursday. Let's talk miss Rubisky, because you know, unsolicited 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:54.520 a lot of guys, whether it be the offensive line, 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:58.680 Taylor today talking about you know, everybody asked the same question. Honestly, 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.480 they were as he from last year, and that seems 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:05.800 to be the popular question almost daily. And it's understandable. 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:09.680 It's quarterback position. But to hear the guys themselves, they 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:11.600 don't have to say it, they could say something else. 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:15.560 They say, there's a confidence in Mitch that has grown 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:17.960 from last year in this scheme. He's always been confident 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:20.920 in my opinion, but you're seeing it also from a 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:23.840 different lens as a general manager and watching it closely 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:26.560 every day of practice. What do you see? Yeah, I think, Jeff, 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:29.400 that's a it's a natural progression that you know, you 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.360 come to expect, you know, year two in the offense 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:34.760 with him, and it's it's not just Mitch though, It's 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.680 it's all the it's the entire offense. Everybody looks more 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.240 comfortable this year. You can just feel it the way 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:44.200 we practice, the way things operate, but Niche you feel 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.120 the confidence in and out of the huddle, the way 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:49.440 he processes things, the way he is with his teammates. Uh, 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.960 it's just it's just a comfort level with the system 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:56.040 and also the players around him. Yeah, and I also 0:15:56.360 --> 0:16:00.080 you can, first of all you tell me, but he 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:05.400 looks really strong right now, thicker, still moving great, you know, 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.680 going back and watching some of those great runs that 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:11.160 he had last year. I mean just the eyes are 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:13.400 still downfield and he's moving out of trouble, which is 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:17.240 a total weapon against any defense. But just his physical 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:21.360 maturation also, you sense that's a big part of maybe 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:23.320 where he said it also, Yes, and I think you 0:16:23.360 --> 0:16:25.760 know it comes with his work ethic. He's an extremely 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:27.920 high work ethic, so whether it be in the weight 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:29.520 room or on the practice field. And I think that's 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:32.360 endearing to his teammates too, because they see the effort 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.040 that he puts in the in the in the film room, 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:37.400 in the weight room. You know, he's always at the facility, 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:39.840 and you know, he wants to be great. He wants 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.040 to bring his teammates with him, and I think they 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.400 all see that, and that's very endearing. What did you 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.960 see over the course of camp? And a lot of 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.520 folks want to talk about, you know, how the offfense 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:53.160 performed against the defense or whatever, or interceptions or whatnot. 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:55.160 But some of that, you know, you want to you 0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:58.440 want to try things, and is that kind of the mindset. Yeah, 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:01.240 we're trying different things on offense and testing different throws 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.600 and in different plays, and Matt's pushing him and you're 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:06.680 going against a great defense, and I think that's making 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:09.400 all those guys better. I think both of our tackles 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:12.040 are better right now from going against Leonard Foot and 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.680 cleilmac every day. I think, you know, it makes them 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.080 all better. And when you can operate against the defense's 0:17:18.119 --> 0:17:20.000 flying around like that, with that pass rush and that 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:22.640 much noise in the pocket, I just think it makes 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.760 it that much easier. Sometimes in the regular season, I'm 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:27.919 gonna repuat a quote from Matt and I don't remember 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:31.600 what point this offseason happened, but he said, no one, 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:33.920 not one person truly knows how far that kid has 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.280 come this year than me. I mean, we're lucky. We're 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:38.240 lucky to have him. I'm looking forward to the future. 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:39.920 I really am with him because the city of Chicago 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:43.760 is lucky to have that kid at quarterback. Again, not 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:47.400 something he has to say, because these things are cataloged 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:51.600 and remembered, but the belief to have a coach that 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:53.679 wasn't here when they drafted him, and to have that 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:55.720 kind of belief and work that hard with him and 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.040 have the assets around him, and that you've also provided 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:00.720 in terms of skill position players. Is that a perfect 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.160 storm for Mitch Rubisky And I think it is. I think, 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:05.639 you know, Matt and Mitch are together all the time, 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:07.920 and I think the more they're together, they're more they're 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.080 seeing things through the same lens, and that's what Matt wants. 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:12.800 And I think, you know, as Mitch is growing with 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:15.840 a young quarterback, as a young quarterback, I love that 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:20.680 he's surrounded with Matt Naggey, Mark Helfritz, Dave Ragone, Chase 0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:23.520 Daniel Tyler Bray. I like the room in the in 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:25.959 the guys that have surrounded him because it's helped his 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:30.199 maturation over the last two years tremendously. What have you 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.719 seen anecdotally from Like, if there's moments when you're watching 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.560 Mitch on the practice field in those quiet days when 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:39.080 no other eyes are around, but you're just watching anything 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:42.679 that's resonating with you these days from Mitch, just just 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:46.080 the way he's throwing, or just anything anything, anything that 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:48.760 says wow, I mean, can you can feel we always 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.359 talk about throwing with conviction. You can feel him throwing 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:53.720 with conviction and confidence. You know. It's and I think 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.280 that's something that's that's steadily improved as he's gotten more 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:58.960 comfortable in the offense and who he's throwing too. But 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.080