WEBVTT - Legacy Panel - Leading the Bears 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:20.120 Okay, Swaggy, Naggy, did you hear that this is gonna 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:24.640 be fun? Let me tell you right now. So in sports, 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:27.600 it doesn't matter what it is. In business, it doesn't 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:30.360 matter what it is. You know, when the leaders are 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:34.920 on the same page, great things happen and there is 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:39.400 buy in, there is conviction. And we've seen that from 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:42.879 this group up here over the years, and certainly with 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:46.920 Matt's arrival in twenty eighteen, and we saw dramatic wins, 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.760 we saw near missus, we saw three wins in twelve 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:53.640 days in the division in twenty eighteen, clinching the NFC 0:00:53.800 --> 0:01:04.360 North A division title went over the Packers. Yes to 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:09.000 the painful exit from the playoffs, to the dawning of 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:12.520 a new day and the grind set to begin again 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:15.240 here in twenty nineteen, with high expectations and a new 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:20.720 battle cry of chasing great We present your leaders here today, everybody. 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:24.920 So let's dig into the conversation. Big Tom. I'm gonna 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:27.320 let you lead off right out of the gate. Well, 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:30.959 between Ted and Ryan, the both the process of Matt 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:33.920 and Aggie being here, could you just you know, talk 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:38.800 about the process of how that plan started and that 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:44.360 Momentum moved on type of the hiring process. Yeah, you know, 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:48.040 it's Ryan. It seems like you're thinking never stops, whether 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:53.520 it's scouting players, watching games. And then when the investigative 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.880 process of what we as Bears fans have been through 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:00.160 for generations, how does that process start for you? I 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:02.919 think you know, just with anything we do, player acquisition, 0:02:03.000 --> 0:02:06.960 and definitely a head coach, it was very, very thorough process. Uh, 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:10.480 there's a tremendous amount of research that goes into that. 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:16.400 So it's obviously references talking to coaches, scouts, players, agents, 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:19.960 equipment guys. It was pretty in depth. Um. I remember 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:23.560 watching pretty much any interview Matt's ever done, just to 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:26.600 get a feel first personality, um, as we want into 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:30.600 those interviews. UM, I was pretty sure the type of 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.880 person he was, and I think Ted Can attested this too. 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:36.600 Probably a couple of minutes into our interview with Matt, 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.280 we knew pretty quickly that he was the going to 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:47.280 be the head coach of the Chicago Bears and and 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:50.280 so so to be honest, like, I'm this guy's a 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:55.200 rock star, and I'm and I'm I'm I'm not, I 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:58.880 haven't been surprised it hasn't surprised me, just because that's 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:00.799 just who he is and we're really lucky to have 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:05.840 him as our head coach. Yeah, it's so it's easy 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.799 for me. I get to sit here with the executive 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:10.600 of the year and the head coach of the year. 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.280 And I'll tell you what I mean. Ryan Pace, when 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:17.080 he decided it was time to make a coaching change, 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:23.760 his detailed review analysis was beyond beyond approach. It was unbelievable, 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:28.120 and the whole process, It's what was really nice is 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:32.040 that he kind of knew that Matt might be the guy. 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:35.280 And we were lucky enough because we had interviews with 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:39.160 several different coaching candidates that Matt was the last one. 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:44.680 So we went through some crazy times, including hair raising 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:48.720 flights to New England and back. And when we got 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:53.240 to Kansas City and we started interviewing Matt, I remember 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:58.680 telling George and Ryan, I'm still waiting for one person 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:02.720 to come in here and say I want to be 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:05.600 the coach of the Chicago Bears and really mean it. 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:09.000 Sure enough, first thing out of Matt's mouth was that, 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:11.640 and then I think we all kind of felt because, 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.960 like Ryan said, he knew what Matt was about as 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:19.600 a person that this is the guy and what can 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.920 you say, first year, twelve and four Coach of the Year. 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:33.160 We love having you, Matt. It's almost like a dream, 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:37.920 isn't it? For you? Yeah? It is. It's this just 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:40.840 right here speaks. You get to see who these men are, 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:45.880 and for me, it's completely a dream. But it's not 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:48.440 a dream because I know it's real and I'm having fun. 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:50.800 And so getting back to the interview. The day of 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:54.120 the interview, the way I was going to approach it 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:56.920 was to just let everything happen to way it's supposed 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.120 to happen. And within five minutes of being in that 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:04.440 hotel room with George, Ted and Ryan, it felt like family. 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:09.680 And and for me, I knew right away that, um, 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.280 this was my new home and this was my new family. 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:14.520 And so now the rest was going to be on 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.240 me just being able to show them who I am 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.960 and let them, you know, feel that from me. And uh, 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:24.600 it's just when you know something and you feel good 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.720 about it, it's just so easy to just let your 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:30.000 own personality show. And that's where I talk about being you. 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:34.200 And from day one, I can honestly say the relationship 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.520 that we have from the top with Missus McCaskey, the 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:39.640 whole way down to the very bottom of whoever that 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:42.800 is being all of us. We never changed and we're 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:44.600 all here, and we're here for the betterment of the 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:47.520 Chicago Bears and for the city of Chicago, for you fans, 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.080 and we know there's only one reason really why we're 0:05:50.080 --> 0:06:00.360 all here, and it's time to do it. Ted, you've 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:02.479 been a part of the Bears family since eighty three, 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:04.240 So Ryan and Matt, I want to ask you this. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.640 Did you get a better understanding of family when you 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.960 sat back there and you saw the generations of players 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:13.360 that have come through the doors? Because look, when we 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:16.320 are kids, we watch highlights of Butt Kiss, we know 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:19.440 what Walter Payton is all about. But now you're handshaking 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:22.599 with generations of players and then you see and you 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:25.320 hear the passion from their voices. Do you get a 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.560 better sense of the family of the Bears from meeting 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:31.600 the generations of players? Without a doubt? And I'm going 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:33.360 to show my youth here, which is going to be 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:35.160 crazy to a lot of people out here, but the 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:40.839 very first NFL game I ever remember was that Super 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:44.480 Bowl against the Patriots. As crazy as that sound, and 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:47.839 so I you know, things, things in life happened for 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:50.800 a reason, and so for me, I was just like 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:53.440 a little kid back there in that room when we 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:56.280 got here on Friday night, just to be able to 0:06:56.320 --> 0:07:01.719 see the legacy of what these players have done from 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:05.000 years and years and years ago. To sit back and 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.840 just take it all in. It's it's surreal. You can't 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:09.360 make it up. It's a night that all of us 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:12.560 will never forget. So fortunate to be a part of 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:16.560 the stories that we're being told. Umm, I'm really excited 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:20.080 to tell you the truth on Monday tomorrow, to get 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:22.760 in there with our our players and our coaches. I 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:26.120 cannot wait to hear the stories that they got and 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:28.800 what they took in and how it's going to affect 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:31.360 them for this coming year. You feel it and it's real, 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.480 and that's what I'm so you know, happy for you know, 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:38.840 get up. I don't know, did you see or hurt 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:43.080 here about the defensive line roundtable we had yesterday with 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:47.360 a keeam. He was sitting right here and and they're 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:50.760 we're talking about their careers, but they're bringing it all 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:54.040 back to nineteen and they're talking to a cheam and 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:57.080 he brought the house down. He was ready to play, 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:59.160 he was ready to go, and he said, I accept 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:02.320 your challenge. Is that's all he said as a mic drop. 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:06.800 Place went crazy. So that to the team tomorrow, and 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:09.360 you know, one of the things that a lot of 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:11.560 us saw back there, we kind of stood back. But 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:15.200 Friday night, we were back in the room and in 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:19.600 the back left corner with no one really paying attention 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:23.960 to scept for everybody. We were all looking and Richard 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:27.160 Dent and Khalil Mack and Richard Dent trying to help 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.000 Khalil on some different techniques that he could do coming 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:32.640 off the edge, and we were all watching it. And 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.360 I'm telling you, Khalil is sitting there taking it all 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:37.480 in and it was pretty cool because this is what 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:40.040 it's all about. It's about learning from some of the 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:44.160 greatest that I've ever come through here. And you know, 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:47.480 the players that we have are such good, high character 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:49.800 people that they don't ever think that they got all 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:51.480 the answers we have. We have a really a lot 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:53.920 of good players, good people, and now it's we're all 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.559 trying to mix it put it together. I think Matt 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:59.640 recommended a book that we're reading right now called Legacy, 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.840 and it's about the New Zealand all blacks and they're 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:06.719 rich history. And I think about us in Chicago and 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.680 it's it's really a competitive advantage for us to have 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.720 the history that we have, because not many sports franchises 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:15.160 can say this. So when we're back there and you 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.480 see our players and our coaches and our staff interacting 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:21.640 with all these great people, um to me, it just 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:24.680 puts this sense of responsibility on yourself. You know, you 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:27.280 want to leave our players want to leave the jersey 0:09:27.280 --> 0:09:29.040 in a better place than they found it. You know, 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.360 I think of you know, Matt's talking to coach Ditka, 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:34.440 we talked about George Hallis. I think about Jim Finks. 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:36.280 I mean, we can go on and on and on 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:38.520 about the history of the Bears and it just makes 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.400 you so proud to be part of this. But then 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.720 this tremendous responsibility to carry it on for those guys. 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:46.040 Did it did it hit you hard? Friday night? Did 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:49.400 it really you personally? It really did? I think it 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.200 sinks in and you know, I mean for us, for 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:52.839 Matt and I had to sit back there and talk 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:55.080 to Coach Ditka for forty five minutes. I mean, that's 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.320 that's a highlight. That's huge, and and just just to 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:00.880 feel it and see our we have a young team 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:03.240 right now, and to see them, look at these players 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:07.120 and see what this city can be like with success. 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:09.440 Is we get this thing rolling. I think that's a 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:12.840 contagious energy that those guys feel, and it's awesome for 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.800 all of us to experience. I have to say so, 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:18.959 being with the Bears for thirty six years, Friday night 0:10:19.160 --> 0:10:22.360 was so special. In that back room, there were players 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:25.800 there who haven't been back for twenty years. One of 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:33.400 my favorite players, Neil Anderson. Okay for those who do that, 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:37.800 don't know. He replaced at the He was the successor 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:42.199 at running back to Walter Payton, huge huge shoes to fill. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.760 And to see him there, he had his family, one 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:50.680 of the most genuine, smiling Bearer players who just loves 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:54.320 the Bears. It was so special. Tell you a quick story. 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:56.880 A couple of years ago, on Draft Day, before the 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.199 draft got started, one of our scouts, Jeff Shiver, was 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:04.200 emailing someone and I said, what are you doing. He said, 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:07.440 I'm emailing Neil Anderson and I was like, oh my god, 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:10.520 I said, I haven't talked to him for fifteen years. 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:14.640 I emailed him two weeks later at home, I get 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:18.439 a box of peanuts because he owns peanut farms in Florida. 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:23.559 And I mean, that's the kind of I tell you that, 0:11:23.600 --> 0:11:26.240 because that's the kind of players we have at the Bears. 0:11:26.480 --> 0:11:30.439 They never forget you. They love, they love coming back 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:34.040 here talking to each other, talking to the staff, and 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:37.720 it was just so special for me. So, you know, 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:41.079 to amplify about Neil Anderson, He's a first round draft 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.080 choice out of University of Florida running back to takeover 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:48.040 for Walter, So his first year there, he's Walter still there. 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:53.360 Neil Anderson came to the Bears nothing, he was against it. 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:57.240 He was the greatest special teams player on punt team 0:11:57.400 --> 0:12:02.400 yes we've ever had. He was unblockable, unstoppable, and he 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:06.120 would deliver punishing tackles. And it was more of his 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:08.640 respect for the team that he was drafted by and 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:11.240 what he was willing to do. And I think it's 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:13.240 neat because we are up here talking to a couple 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:16.520 of Bears players when they come to the new Hollis 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:19.200 Hall and they start in their locker room down field 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:24.640 in earning your way up those stairs, earning your locker. 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:28.120 It's important. It was important back in the old Hollis Hall. 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.959 We are all in one hallway together, all in these 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:35.000 crappy metal lockers. But then you when you earn your opportunity. 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:37.880 And that's a unique thing about guys like Neil and 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:41.559 the other players, is they are concerned about earning their 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:45.400 opportunity onto the field and ted in your position. I mean, 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:47.199 as you said, you've been here for thirty six years. 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.559 At beginning your thirty seventh year, you know who brought 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.600 you into the organization. Why did you want to be 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:58.680 in sports and having those relationships as a negotiator for 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.960 the early part of your career. That wasn't always easy 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:06.280 to have those relationships that you reknew here in twenty nineteen. 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:12.440 So in nineteen eighty three, I was hired by Jerry Venissi, 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.280 who had just become the general manager of the Bears 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.760 after Jim Finks left. So he hired me as the 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:24.400 financial person. There's I mean, I can take up the 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.280 rest of the time with negotiations stories if you want, 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:30.079 just give us your best of all time. So I'll 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:33.240 give you a couple of snippets. So nineteen eighty seven 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:37.960 I started negotiating player contracts for the Bears. Jim Harbaugh 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:42.319 was our first number one pick, so I spent hours 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:47.280 being really detailed preparing for that negotiation. His agent at 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:51.000 the time was Lee Steinberg, at the time considered the 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:56.120 number one quarterback agent in the business. They were in California. 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:59.000 I was in Platteville, Wisconsin, so there was a three 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:03.200 hour time. Friends and those guys, purposely they knew I 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:07.120 was a rookie, would call me at eight at night 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:10.880 their time to start negotiating, so I'd be on the 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:15.319 phone from eleven pm till three am. One day they 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:19.160 finally came to Platteville. They came in with squirt guns 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:22.000 and squirted me with water to try to lessen the attention. 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:25.520 So I still love Jim Harbaught of this day because 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:28.560 he was my first number one pick. But there's one 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:32.120 negotiation which stands out for me. I think it was 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:36.360 about nineteen eighty nine, and it was with Steve McMichael. 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:43.360 But understand it wasn't with his agent at the end. 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:47.560 It was with him. So you know, you've probably saw 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:52.240 Steve this weekend. He slimmed down. But back then he 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:56.440 was about probably three hundred pounds. His biceps were bigger 0:14:56.440 --> 0:15:00.400 than my head. And we sat for a negotiation at 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.640 one point and we were I wasn't any further away 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.920 from him, probably closer than Tom is to me, and 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:11.880 it wasn't going well. And he had that long, stringy 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:15.640 hair and that Texas drawl, and he looked at me 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:19.960 near the end and he said, ted, you know what 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:24.160 I'd like to do to you when this negotiation is over. 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:29.560 I'm I'm about thirty one years old, so I'm trying 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:33.840 to maintain composure. And I took a deep breath. I 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.200 was scared to death. Inside my heart was pounding, and 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:41.640 I just said, matter of factly, now, Steve, what he said, 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:46.240 I'd like to punch you right in the face. So 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.160 I didn't end the negotiation there because he probably would 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.600 have it ended a few days later, he stayed a 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:55.360 bear and to this day, whenever I see him, gives 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:58.080 me a big bear hug. Again. That's the kind of bit. 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:02.880 And he hasn't hit me yet. Ryan, Hey's I got 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:05.040 hit in the face with him at a lot of times. Ryan, 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:08.320 how about your path to where you started? You set 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:11.440 your sights and where you're at in this chair today. Yeah, 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:13.320 I think. You know, It's what's interesting is when you 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:15.240 talk about how really all three of us started. We 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:17.640 all have our stories. And you know, Matt was doing 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:22.160 a ninety mile drive from Mannheim to the Eagles Complex 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:24.120 at four in the morning, and you know, I know 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:27.000 talking to Ted. You know, he took the reins of 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:29.600 contract negotiations with the Bears when the Bears needed it 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:32.240 and he had never done it before. And then for me, 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.680 it was two thousand and one driving down to New 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:37.840 Orleans and standing in the the line of the job fair 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:40.760 for a couple hours and walking in the door and 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:43.360 telling them I'll work for free. That's you know, we 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:45.400 all kind of have our story on how we started, 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:48.520 but I think all those experiences have molded us into 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:50.240 who we are now. And I just think you have 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.880 an appreciation for every single person in the building. I 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.600 think it keeps you humble and operating with humility and 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:58.120 just really proud of where we're at now, because you know, 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:05.040 it's a tough road up in many respects, and we 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.320 all do it to a certain extent, but all three 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:12.320 of you, you bet on yourselves, you bet on yourselves, 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.240 that you would climb whatever ladders put in front of you. 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:18.800 Obviously you had to have people helping you along the way, 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:23.000 but in large respect, you had to dig deep and 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:26.199 do it yourself. Would that characterize the three of you? 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:29.120 Is that possibly why you guys get along so well, 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:33.120 and why you picked him to be your general manager 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:35.760 and why you guys chose Matt Neeggie to be your 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:40.280 head coach. You have to believe in yourself. Like Ryan 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:44.280 pointed out, I had never negotiated contracts in my life. 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:47.919 I was thirty years old and I will always be 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:52.160 thankful to a man and the Bears organization named Bill McGrain. 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:57.520 He used to he used to run our headquarter operations, 0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:00.920 our travel and he was really eyes. He had come 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:04.919 into the Bears from Minnesota with Jim Finks in the seventies. 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:09.600 He's since passed away, and I'll never forget him encouraging 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:12.880 me to go to Mike McCaskey in eighty seven after 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:15.600 Jerry Venisi had been let go, and he said, ted, 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:18.480 you can do this, and I was scared out of 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.640 my mind, but I did it. I thought to myself, 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:23.880 you know what if you don't take a chance on yourself, 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:26.960 who's going to do it for you? And it worked 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.960 out great. I am so thankful and blessed to be 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:32.960 a bear every day, never had a bad day, never 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:35.439 have a difficult day coming to work. I'm in the 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:46.120 NFL with the best franchise in the business. When you 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:48.680 decided you wanted to be a general manager and you 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:51.800 were going to go for it, and you interviewed for 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:55.879 this job, did you already have an idea of what 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.720 type of player you wanted to bring into the building 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:04.560 or did you tailor it to fit the mold of 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:07.480 the history of this franchise, Because a lot of what 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:12.840 you do reflects the history of this franchise. I think, Jeff, 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:15.360 when you're fortunate enough to get a job like this, 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:17.440 the first step is you know there's going to be 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:19.479 a lot of heavy lifting. You know they don't they 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:21.880 come available for a reason, so you know what you're 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:25.280 going into. And for me, I just had confidence that 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:28.000 as long as we had time, we could slowly turn 0:19:28.080 --> 0:19:32.360 this culture, starting with our staff and then the right 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:35.520 kind of players. And it's an emphasis for us and 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:37.919 Matt and I talked about it every single day, and 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:39.720 I think now that we have our culture kind of 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:42.320 dialed in. We're even more conscious on who we're bringing 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:44.760 into our locker room. And it really starts there. But 0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:47.639 I think it's a combination of your past experiences, what 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:50.840 you've seen succeed for me in New Orleans, going from 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:53.480 Katrina to a Super Bowl in two thousand and nine 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:56.639 and seeing how that transpired, and then coming to Chicago 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.600 and knowing what this organization stands for, with this city 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:02.760 stands for what will make our fans proud. And we're 0:20:02.880 --> 0:20:05.639 very conscious about his scouts in the draft room and 0:20:05.760 --> 0:20:08.400 free agency to make sure we're hitting on all those traits. 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:10.919 And I think we get better and better each year 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:15.320 as we refine that. Matt. I think it's admirable and 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:18.600 cool what you did on the first snap against the 0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:25.040 Green Bay Packers. The T formation. Papa Bear left a 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:28.600 lot of coaches, Honestly, a lot of coaches, and you know, 0:20:28.600 --> 0:20:32.280 I've been covering sports for thirty three years. Some are 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:34.200 real stubborn. They just want to do what they want 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:36.600 to do. They don't they don't think about the bigger picture. 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:41.240 You think about the bigger picture. You tethered to this 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:45.560 franchise already deep deep into it from from day one. 0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:50.439 Is that a conscious decision or is it just the 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:53.680 best way to relate. No, it's a little bit of both. 0:20:53.760 --> 0:20:56.679 I think you're crazy if you don't do that. Actually, 0:20:56.720 --> 0:20:58.320 that's the way I look at it. I mean, for us, 0:20:58.600 --> 0:21:01.640 we as coaches and our players, we kind of sprinkled 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:03.960 in and let them know when we first got here 0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:07.800 last year, we explained how richest tradition is and what 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:10.200 it's all about. And they're they're how fortunate you need 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:12.080 to feel to be in this position, all of us, 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:16.000 and so, um, that was a way to tell our fans, 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:19.280 our city, our organization, thank you, We respect you, and 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:22.160 we're looking to carry the torch. And and so there'll 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:24.200 be a lot more of those coming. Don't worry. Those 0:21:24.240 --> 0:21:28.200 are fun. Those are fun. Um, They're they're fun when 0:21:28.240 --> 0:21:31.520 they work. Um coming up with names. You know, we're 0:21:31.560 --> 0:21:33.840 taking names from everybody right now, all over the place. 0:21:33.920 --> 0:21:37.520 But the guys remember it, and uh, but we we 0:21:37.720 --> 0:21:40.280 uh you know, we're we're trying to have fun with 0:21:40.320 --> 0:21:43.160 the players. And then you know, you go back and 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:46.679 we have film from back into forties. We have the 0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:49.480 film and there's some there's some stuff that's pretty neat 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:51.720 and uh, a matter of fact, we found a play 0:21:51.720 --> 0:21:55.240 that was dark near identical to the result going to 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:57.320 the left and the popa bear left that we ran 0:21:57.359 --> 0:21:59.639 against Green Bay last year for the same amount for 0:21:59.680 --> 0:22:02.560 the same gain of seven yards on first down. So 0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:05.240 those those are they signify who we are as fun. 0:22:06.160 --> 0:22:08.639 I just have to add, if you guys could see 0:22:08.680 --> 0:22:13.960 how these two gentlemen worked together seamlessly in the office, 0:22:14.400 --> 0:22:17.159 you'd be so proud of him. And the results are showing. 0:22:17.280 --> 0:22:21.480 But every day they have such a great working relationship. 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:25.280 And I have to add, when Ryan Pace interviewed, he 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.840 knocked it out of the park. Okay, George and I 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:31.800 wanted to hire him on the spot. However, we had 0:22:31.880 --> 0:22:35.360 one more interview to go and it was with an 0:22:35.359 --> 0:22:38.919 internal candidate who actually now is the general manager of 0:22:38.960 --> 0:22:42.840 the Indianapolis Colts, Chris Ballard. So he's a really fine man. 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:47.359 But we forced ourselves to go through that interview and 0:22:47.400 --> 0:22:50.639 then when it ended, if I'm not mistaken, we called 0:22:50.720 --> 0:22:53.399 Ryan and said you got to come back here now. 0:22:54.240 --> 0:22:57.800 So that's that's it's a kind of person he is. 0:22:57.880 --> 0:23:00.840 He was so well prepared. You can feel when he 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:03.840 talks about the team, the fire and the passion and 0:23:03.920 --> 0:23:07.840 the competitive the competitiveness that he has and Matt has 0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:11.920 all of it as well. They're authentic guys. Love them both. 0:23:12.440 --> 0:23:15.040 I want to second that with Uh. I want to 0:23:15.080 --> 0:23:18.840 second Ted. And you know, as the head coach, you 0:23:18.880 --> 0:23:22.159 get all the credit when you win. And um, you know, 0:23:23.160 --> 0:23:26.160 everybody needs to understand what Ted just said. How fortunate 0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:29.200 we are to have Ryan Pace as our general manager. 0:23:29.440 --> 0:23:31.400