WEBVTT - Key insights into shaping the Bears' roster | Bears Weekly 0:00:01.160 --> 0:00:05.320 Welcome in to Bears Weekly, powered by IGS Energy, a 0:00:05.480 --> 0:00:09.480 Chicago Bears Network production. Bears Weekly is brought you by 0:00:09.640 --> 0:00:14.320 Advocate Healthcare, Athletico, Physical Affairently, CD Colligan. 0:00:14.280 --> 0:00:18.040 Connie's Pizza, IGS Energy, and Meller Liked. 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.079 Here are your hosts, Jeff Chiliac, aka the Mayor of 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:25.800 Bearsville and is sidekick Tom the Surfmaster Thayer. 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:29.240 Well, there is about to be some moving it shaken 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:32.640 in the NFL. Next week, Free agency opens, Pro days underway, 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:36.000 Top thirty visits commencing, and within the next sixty days, 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:38.560 the Bears roster is going to look a whole lot different. 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:40.959 We tackle all of it tonight on Bears Weekly here 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:44.080 on ESPN one thousand and the Chicago Bears Radio Network 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:46.720 with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Thayer and former 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:50.320 Bears quarterback Jim Miller from Serious XM NFL Radio. I'm 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:53.240 Jeff Joniac coming up on the program. We visit with 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:57.640 an outstanding draft analyst who's also does the job that 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:01.240 Tom Thayer does for the Houston Texans, John Harris from 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:02.920 Footballtakeover dot Com. 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:07.200 Jimmy, you know him. He's a crazy draft right. 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:09.920 There's a lot of guys out there at this time 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.279 of the year that our true gems are around the league. 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:16.080 And you know, you guys talked to Brugler last week 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:18.680 and you know the stuff that he does. But you know, 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:22.280 there's all these cottage industries that have just branched out 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.040 and done so well because the draft people are nuts 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.199 for the draft, and it's just think about it. It's 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.080 just the calling of a name. Yeah, and it's broadcasting 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:30.640 on TV. 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.560 It's crazy, right, Yeah, And you're right, it is a 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:34.319 cottage industry. 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.160 And that's how I framed his role in this. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.280 But he'll break down the draft coming up in a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.120 couple of segments from now. Our producer Tonight, Dan Brilly, 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:46.360 and Jordan Trenipan the ESPN studio Justin Pottinger. Executive producer 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.040 of the Bears Radio network is Eric Ostrotski. All Right, 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:53.680 so nothing is official into the new league year starts 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:59.920 on Wednesday, So we have to talk about this as reported. Okay, 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.680 everything's reported, but what we're hearing the Bears have done 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.640 some really big things on the offensive line. Tom we 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:09.120 talked about it. They didn't shy away from talking about it. 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:12.520 At the combine. Ryan Pools also the new head coach 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:15.760 Ben Johnson, so some big moves on the offensive line, 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:17.880 reportedly bringing the. 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:20.720 Bears what looks to be two starting guards. 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:22.520 Well, the first thing that comes to mind is when 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:24.639 you're hired as a new head coach and you come 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.240 into a building for the first time, the first thing 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:29.240 that you want to do is change the culture of 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:32.680 the building. And that means the in building work ethic. 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:35.120 That means the on the practice field work ethic, and 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:39.280 that's the off season preparations, how you go about your business. 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:43.000 And these two names, you know, they've dominated the headlines 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.079 and the landscape of the NFL in the last couple 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:46.760 of days, and I think they do a lot for 0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:50.480 the building. And then secondly, just what through my thinking 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:53.359 is last year when you look at the leadership council 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:56.359 and you have no offense and defensive linemen on the 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:59.560 leadership council, the first thing that I'm going to do 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.400 with this new leadership council, it's these two guys are 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:03.400 going to have a role in it. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:04.640 They're going to have a hand in it. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.040 And then what they can do professionally, how they can 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:12.320 expedite the development of a young football player, a draft 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:15.440 choice or even a person in a new position. So 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:19.800 I'm excited going forward and I think what it's going 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:23.519 to bring to this team, organization and building two names. 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:26.200 That they're very familiar with. Obviously Ben Johnson knows one 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.640 of the guards, and certainly Ryan Poles very familiar with 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:33.320 the Kansas City product as well. So it's got to 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:36.000 be first things first. This offense has to get corrected. 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:38.440 It's it's been pretty anemic for quite some time. 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:41.640 Let's let's begin the discussion about Joe Toney because I 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:42.760 think Tom hit upon it. 0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:46.320 Everything you hear about him is leader, leader, leader, somebody 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:46.560 to go. 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:48.360 I mean, he's been to six Super Bowls in his 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:51.680 nine years. That's that's crazy. He's been with two Hall 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:55.680 of Fame quarterbacks, Tom Brady and eventually Patrick Mahomes is 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.080 going to be in that same conversation. So you know, 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.160 how important is that for the entire offense, in the 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:07.400 entire team that Joe Tooney is a Chicago Bear. 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:10.080 Start with you, Jimmy, Yeah, I think you know he's 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:12.440 kind of he's been there, he's done that, He's achieved 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:16.040 a lot of success. He'll probably bring that mentality of 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:20.040 how the Kansas City Chiefs were you know they're fighting. 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:22.360 This guy's a versatile guy. We know he's putting some 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:25.400 bad spots. He's been kicked out to left tackle more 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:29.279 than numerous occasions for the Kansas City Chiefs and has 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:31.560 come through for his team. At that time, when he 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:35.040 signed with Kansas City, he signed for tackle money even 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:38.200 though he was a guard. That's how highly regarded he 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:42.720 was there by Kansas City. And I think, is you know, 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.760 really his numbers stack up. They prove it, and we'll 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:48.640 see where it goes. But Caleb needs a lot of help, 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:50.760 and it's got to start with his offensive line because 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.760 the sacks have got to stop. The sacks have got 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.359 to stop. If the Bears keep shooting themselves in the 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:59.640 foot that way, it's hard to play on schedule when 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:02.760 you're all he's second and ten second and twenty second 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:06.719 and fifteen third and seventeen. Those situations are never good 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:08.320 for anybody. It's got to get rectified. 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:09.120 Well. 0:05:09.279 --> 0:05:11.520 I think at any position that you need consistency the 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:14.080 most is the offensive line, and it's the work that 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:16.440 you put in from OTA's all the way to the 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.240 first regular season game to the last regular season game. 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.520 When you talk about an alpha male like two in 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:23.520 a who's I think he's only missed two games in 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:27.440 his career. It's a valuability. It's the guy that's at practice. 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.080 He's in the meeting rooms every day. He's able to 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:33.120 have conversations with whomever the left tackle is going to 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:35.600 be or whoever the center is going to be. And 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:37.719 like I said, if they're young guys, he has a 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.440 chance to expedite the learning curve because he has experience 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:44.600 at the left tackle position. He plays offensive guard and 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:46.840 I'm sure if you asked him to go there and 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:50.560 play center in in a desperation moment, he could do 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:51.719 that equally as well. 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:55.440 All Right, Jonah Jackson reportedly going to be a Bear 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:58.719 after the Bear's making a deal with the LA Rams 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:03.080 injured last year him. But he's only twenty eighth, And 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:06.120 this is a hedge on what free agency may or 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:10.000 may not reveal here in the coming days about the 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:12.480 lack of availability of some really good talent. 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:14.359 So they jumped the gun. 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:17.920 They reportedly make these trades, And what are we getting 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:20.120 potentially here in Jonah Jackson. 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.720 Well, he was a one time pro bowler there in Detroit, 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:27.480 so he knows the offense. Obviously, Ben Johnson knows his 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:31.120 skill set. I do like that power side with him 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:34.039 and Darnell Wright, and we'll see what unfolds. But like 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:35.839 you said, he signs a three year I think it 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:38.120 was a fifty one million dollar deal for the Rams, 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:40.279 doesn't even make it through his first year. He only 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.200 played four games, got hurt and probably wants to go 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:46.239 back and be in an offense that's his comfort zone 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.480 where he performed very well. So I do think they 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.760 significantly with Tooney. Would Jonah Jackson have gotten better at 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:54.480 the guard spot? 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:56.000 You know, one thing about him too is he was 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.760 at the beginning of change in Detroit and he understands 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:01.400 what that's all about. And I think when you brought 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:04.680 in to be the same type of culture changer on 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.440 the right hand side of the offensive line, I think 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:10.360 he has the ability to do it. And like you know, 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:13.240 helping the center and helping a young guy like Darnell Wright, 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:16.680 and now you're talking about a guy that has experience 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:19.400 in Jackson and the guy that is the more experience 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.120 he gets, the better he's going to become. 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:22.200 So I think. 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:26.240 You know, however, four fifths of the offensive line, three 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.480 fifths of the offensive line are probably in place ready. 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:31.400 Now you have to see where they go in the 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:32.880 center and left tackle position. 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.240 So, Tommy, how excited are you about this? 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:39.200 Because it's one thing to say you're going to go 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:42.440 and get X, Y and Z to build this offensive lion. 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:43.640 It's another to pull it off. 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:47.840 And they've already reportedly done it through trades before even 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.400 tapping into free agency or the draft. And as you said, 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:55.760 Darnell right, he's in place. Everything else is up for discussion. 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:59.160 But they're going to continue to build this thing. And 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:02.640 we had this discussion a couple of weeks ago, Tommy. 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.960 We've talked about it every day through texts. How are 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.800 you gonna do it? Why are you gonna do it 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:12.480 this way? And you know you can't draft five rookies 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:15.200 to start a season, so you got to dig in 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:20.040 and get some experience in addition. So are you intrigued 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:22.800 here at a minimum and excited at a maximum? And 0:08:22.920 --> 0:08:24.760 how this is coming together so quickly? 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:27.920 You know the thing about tune Ay and Jackson for 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:31.960 that matter, you're still not uncertain about the way they 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.319 go about their business. You know how they go about 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:36.920 their business, and you know the successes that they've had 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:40.440 and you talk about a couple of guys that the 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.160 way the offensive line finished the season last year and 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:47.280 where they're at already before the season gets underway, tune A. 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:49.800 He's gonna walk in that room and he's going to 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.440 be one of the most important characters on this football team. 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:55.040 I don't care what position you play. And I've seen 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:57.520 that before and I've seen that role of importance. 0:08:57.880 --> 0:09:00.080 And so when you talk about a guy. 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.520 That's going to lead by example, there's no better guy 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:05.920 that you want to have on your football team. Is 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:07.920 a guy that stands up front in front of this 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:12.840 young quarterback who's in the developmental stages and is you know, 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.480 working with a young head coach that has to have 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:18.199 those pieces in place. And I'm glad that Ryan Poles 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:21.600 went out and did his research and work and brought 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:22.200 in a couple of. 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:24.400 Guys that are day one starters. 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:26.760 They're going to be in a three point stance opening 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:27.960 day of the regular season. 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:32.320 Jim, there is nothing more important than building a high 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:35.920 caliber offensive line for an NFL football team. Yes, it's 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:39.080 the quarterback, but the quarterback can struggle behind a bad 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:43.400 offensive line. This is this has gotta happen this year. Like, 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:45.719 this is so important for the. 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:48.920 Yeah, I Agoury with Tom Tooney was brought in to 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:52.160 really further the development of Patrick Mahomes. I think they 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:55.600 knew how talented he was, but once that was settled, 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:59.240 you know, he really started to take off as a quarterback. 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:02.040 I'd say this thing for Philadelphia. If you look at 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.319 the Philadelphi Eagles, their money is in their offensive line 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:09.280 because Jalen Hurts at that time was under his rookie deal. 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.679 Right now he's got the big time contract, but you know, 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.240 they had paid Malatta, they had paid Lane Johnson. Kelsey 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.360 was getting paid Jason Kelsey the center at the at 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:21.760 the time, and so and then you see the fruits 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:25.160 of the labor of what the Philadelphia Philadelphi Eagles were 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.920 able to do. You know, at some point you have 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:31.520 to invest in your offensive line, and specifically when it's 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:34.640 a young quarterback who's trying to develop. And for Caleb, 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:37.200 this is a crucial year. Last year was a waste. 0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:38.640 It really was a waste for me. 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:39.520 And so it. 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:44.280 Starts over put some competent, legitimate players around him and 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:46.280 we'll see where it goes with the quarterback. And I 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:49.400 like how Ben Johnson has addressed the quarterback that he's 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.120 got to strip him down and start from ground zero. 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:55.600 That's Jim Miller. Tomp there, Jeff Joniack will take a break. 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.520 More coming up here on Bears Weekly and Esbon Chicago 0:10:58.559 --> 0:10:59.920 and the Bears Radio Network. 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:04.640 This segment of Bears Weekly. 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:07.120 Brought to you by IGS Energy with Tom Dayren Jimmeler, 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.400 Jeff Joniak. I mean, the off seasons the past several 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:14.920 years have been dominated by the Chicago Bears. Tommy the 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.760 line of scrimmage, we're talking about it at length, but 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.240 there's other things the Bears need. And they also reportedly 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.680 are going to be able to sign Durham smythe another 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.800 domer at the tight end position from the Miami Dolphins. 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:30.719 Tommy reportedly a one year contract to join cole Comet. 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:34.400 Tight And you you heard it here first, second and third, Well, 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:37.080 you know so I don't want you to You almost 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:39.680 changed my mind there a little bit because after coming 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:41.640 out of the break, I wanted to say, even though 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:43.880 they brought into an A and Jonah Jackson, they have 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.120 Darnell right, I don't want them to shy away from, 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.160 you know, targeting good offensive. 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:50.840 Linemen in the draft. 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.840 Well, yeah, whether they play offensive guard, tackle, or center, 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:58.000 because you talk about what with a new offensive line coach, 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:00.320 a new offensive line room, with a cup of an 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:05.240 experienced veterans, what they can do to some offensive linemen 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.320 that they could draft, either to play immediately or play 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.680 down the road. And you still have to have a 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:15.040 bunch of talent because you know, you shared some messages 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.400 with me over the last couple of days about where 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:19.839 the offensive line was at in the last couple of 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:22.800 years and how many different starting lineups, how many different 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:27.200 players they used in the variations of position changes. So 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:30.800 just because you got a couple of good, experienced veterans 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:34.360 doesn't mean you ignore other guys that are valuable to 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:35.200 you in the draft. 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:37.800 Yeah, Bears, I'll go over the number again. They were 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:40.760 twenty fifth in the NFL in running the football, and 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:42.880 I think this is a sign that they are going 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:46.120 to run the football more because Durham smythe is more 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:49.240 of a blocker. Yeah, he'll get you like fifteen receptions 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:52.080 a year, but he's a blocker at the end of 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:55.400 the day, and so that allow Cole Komet to still 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:59.280 do his receiving you know, capabilities. You know in terms 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:01.680 of the reception at the end of the day. But 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.319 make no mistake about it, this is a sign. You know, 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.559 look at Detroit last year, how when they went heavy 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:10.840 personnel they would bring an extra offensive lineman. I think 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:12.920 now when you just look at the sign of Durham, 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:15.559 the signing of Durham Smythe, he's going to be the 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:18.880 big guy out there in running situations or if they 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:22.040 go twelve personnel where they can really pound you a 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.520 little bit running the football. So block you get the rock, right, 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.080 So I think Smythe's more of a blocker, so maybe 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.480 he will get the rock more than seventeen receptions and 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:32.720 he had last year for the Minnesota or for the 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:33.760 Miami Dolphins. 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.960 Hey, let's not forget it. Put that big man skipper 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:39.280 out there for the dam Skipper. 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.280 This excites me so much because we all three of 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:44.480 us love running the football. 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:47.040 I will never shy away from it. 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:49.520 I think it's absolutely necessary to win in the National 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:52.360 Football League, whether it be the tough yards when you 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:52.800 need him. 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:56.800 Look at Philadelphia. Look at Philadelphia. I mean sign sa 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:59.920 Kwon Barkley. But that line is no joke. You know 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:02.720 that line is no joke. In the trenches and we say, 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:05.120 you win and lose football games. There was probably no 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:07.520 better team than Philadelphia on both sides of the ball 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:10.120 in the trenches, and so I think it's out there 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:11.120 for everybody to see. 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:13.840 And Tommy the short yardage stuff, I mean, how many 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:16.239 times have we pulled our hair out about short yardage? 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:17.400 Yeah? 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:19.560 You know, that's the thing about Ben Johnson. I like 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:21.400 the fact that he's so clever and he can really 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:22.680 keep you off balance and he. 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:24.920 Can keep you thinking. You know, they can put in. 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.080 Seven offensive lineman, six offensive lineman and you can say, okay, 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:31.320 they have this big strong side here with three offensive 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:33.320 linemen next to each other, with the tight end next 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.280 to him, that's the obvious point of attack. 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:38.760 And then what do they do. They run a jet sweep, they. 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:43.680 Run some type of cleverly designed play. So going forward, 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:47.320 just because the personnel's on the field doesn't make them predictable. 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.520 It makes them a little bit more unpredictable. Because what 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:52.560 we've seen over the last couple of years with Ben 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:56.840 running the Detroit offense in how you know, he you know, 0:14:56.920 --> 0:14:57.920 pulled the rabbit out. 0:14:57.800 --> 0:14:58.280 Of the hat. 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:00.640 Yeah, sure, did you know? I don't know if I 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:01.360 told you, Jim. 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:04.800 The first time I sat down with coach Johnson before 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:09.200 his introductory news conference, he goes, how'd you call Stumblebum? 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.600 And I'm like, I didn't call it very well because 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:13.960 I didn't know when to after the game. 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:16.120 It was a prop so to speak. 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:22.760 So he's clever and he is unpredictable, as Tom said, 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:24.720 So it's going to be fun when this is all 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:27.480 put together. He's got a lot of different influences in 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:31.320 that room. Offensively speaking, yes, he's got all the guys. 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:33.680 From Detroit Antoine Randewell and j. T. 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:38.000 Barrett and all that, but there's other influences offensively from 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.800 the Sean Payton tree. We've gone through the tree. So 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:45.320 I'm really excited to see what else he wants in 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:49.000 terms of personnel, what he'd like to have and how 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.080 they pull this off and when they put it together. 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:53.800 Yeah, he's gonna you know, once he gets the guys 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:56.200 on the field, like through free agency in the draft, 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.720 and they have a vision of what they think it'll 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:00.760 look like, and then you take the players out on 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:03.520 the field and you really diagnose what they can and 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.760 cannot do, you know, and uh, you know, for a 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.600 lot of players even like Caleb, when they start diving 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.880 into the playbook, Ben is going to realize, all right, 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:15.960 he's capable of doing this. Right now, he's not quite 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:19.320 there on doing these things that we believe he can do. 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:21.760 But he's got to show us. He's got to he's got. 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:22.280 To prove it to us. 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:25.640 So I'm a big believer in the you can't call 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:29.000 plays on what a player hasn't mastered. You know you're 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.320 gonna call plays. You hang your hat on the things 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:31.640 you do. 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:32.040 Well. 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:35.200 That means you know that these players say on these 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.760 go plays that they can execute them. Everybody's got the 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:42.120 assignment and everybody's doing what they're asked to do. And 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:45.120 then through the OTA's they're going to experiment and they're 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.160 going to see, all right, this guy can do this. 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:49.320 This guy all right, he's shown us he can do that. 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:52.640 And now the playbook starts to expand on what your 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.280 players can do. That's why you know, I was kind 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.080 of animate that everybody just things the Detroit Lions Playbook 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:01.600 is coming to Chicago. No, that'll sort itself out. He's 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.000 got to see the players first. Like I said, they 0:17:04.040 --> 0:17:06.600 have a vision, but now sort it out what they 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.480 can and cannot do, and maybe players will grow into 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.040 doing more and then you know, you can start to 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:15.000 expand the playbook. From that standpoint, the only. 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:18.000 Thing that's guaranteed per game is the script. Everything as 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:20.240 soon as that script is over. If you have early 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.440 first quarter success and you run through this script within 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:26.120 the first drive or two, then it's you know, every 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:30.360 one of those guys, it's their accountability making sure they 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:33.600 understand their assignments from every single play that can be 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:36.919 called by coach Johnson against whatever defense they're playing against 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:40.359 that week. And I think that's when you really grow 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:45.200 to appreciate well organized, well coached football team is when 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:49.720 they have that versatility of unpredictability that can factor in 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:50.720 for a play caller. 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:55.240 The beauty of the script is in its deceit, so 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.919 you know, you just don't call the first fifteen. You 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:01.440 set somebody up for something in the third or fourth quarter. 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:04.680 Those are the best play college gym, right And in 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.840 your career, were you always scripted in the first fifteen? 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:12.240 Yeah, pretty much. It's very rarely that you go off 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:14.840 script unless you have maybe a big play that ends 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:16.520 up in the red zone and you're already in the 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:19.879 red zone and calling those plays. But yeah, the script 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:21.800 normally is going to go to plan to see how 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:24.879 a defense is going to play those certain personnel groupings 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:29.480 and what they've had trouble stopping in the past. But yeah, 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:32.240 you're right, you're as a game goes along, and if 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:35.320 you're in tune with your play caller, you can almost say, oh, 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:38.680 he's setting up this, Yeah he's setting up that. All right, yep, 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:41.200 it's the time for this play. And you know you're 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:44.400 thinking a couple of plays ahead of what's going to unfold, 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:46.280 you know, as the game rolls along. 0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:49.399 You know, for football fans, I think the script is 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:54.240 a nuance that has been discussed in recent vintage. So Tom, 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:57.280 I go back to you, the man who's played the 0:18:57.320 --> 0:18:59.359 longest and been a part of the football world the 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:01.000 longest of the three of us. 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:02.760 Did you guys script plays? 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:04.679 Yes? And it started. 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:07.160 It started in the first team meeting when we installed 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:10.440 the Running Game on Wednesday, because Coach Dikab would get 0:19:10.520 --> 0:19:13.520 up there and he would start explaining the susceptibilities of 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:16.200 the defense we're getting ready to play, and so this 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:18.880 is what he's going to be thinking in the Running Game, 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.000 and this is how we're going to attack the opponent, 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:23.920