July 16, 2025 • 44 mins
Catch quarterback Case Keenum as he discusses his veteran leadership and impact on the latest episode of Bears, etc. Plus, don’t miss Jeff and Tom’s takes on the three biggest position battles to keep an eye on during training camp.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gout open that DJ Moore end zone touchdown touchdown pairs.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I am Jeff Joniack blitz us not don go.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
What was like playing for Coche?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Goodgo. I don't want to answer any questions like that
pressure coming is a big trouble. Dotty goes Mottest Sweat.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Bears, et cetera, brought to you by Miller Lte with
the voices that the Bears Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Positional previews are a big thing right now, in the
days and hours ahead of the twenty twenty five twenty
camp aroundable every team's writers doing quick takes on the
strengths and weaknesses per position, speculating on what else might
be added to the roster, predicting the hot battles, and frankly,
just taking stock of the teams. It's a fun time
to look ahead what's next before the grind of the
(00:52):
season settles in.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Great time to be a Bear too.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
With excitement brimming around Bears Nation, we discussed today on
episode et cetera podcast We're brought to you by Middle
of Light with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tump.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
There.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I'm Jeff Joniak.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
In this week's podcast, we also visit with thirteen year
veteran quarterback Case Keenum on his eighteen and fourth since
twenty twenty. Tommy, everybody's going to enjoy that conversation. He
was wonderful to talk to. Thirty seven years old, I think,
and he's got a thirty nine year old head coach,
so he's closer to that than the young guys coming
into the league.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
But he was a fun, fun combo. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
I think he knows his role.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
He's got a world of experience and a lot of
different systems with a lot of different head coaches and
a lot of different ups and downs. And when you're
a free agent to begin your career, you have a
certain commitment to the day to day, year to year operations.
I think that can prove to be successful for anybody,
and so I think people are really going to be
(01:48):
excited to hear a little bit of behind the scenes
of Case Keenum.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
All right, So we touched on this last week on
Bears Weekly with our buddy Jim Miller, the former Bears quarterback,
and the discussion of the up to training camp. And
you bring it up every single year, you're angst. Where's
your angst meter? As a professional in this business and
a former player for a long time.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Right now, it's at an eleven, and that's out of
a scale of one to ten, because I you know,
if you've got to understand these last thirty days before
training camp begins, whether you're a financially secure, established veteran
or you're a young free agent that's trying to make
an impression on your position coach to possibly make the team,
(02:31):
if you're really an invested professional athlete, there's so much
that goes into the mental and physical part of the
preparation for a season in this last month because am
I doing enough? Am I doing too much? Am I
going to be physically ready? Am I going to be
mentally ready? There's so many questions that are going through
your head that it's hard to sleep. You know, you
(02:53):
just have to make all these determinations if you're doing
enough in order to play your role in making really
a limited roster. When you think of a fifty three
man roster on game day, it's not a lot of bodies,
and you're talking about one hundred guys per camp. There's
a there's a there's a lot of what is on
(03:16):
your plate in order to impress the coaches.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Doesn't make a difference in your mind because of the
constant change that the Bears have had at the head
coaching position in recent vintage. But you you played for
one coach basically before you moved on to Miami and
Don Shula. But uh, did that make a difference because
you knew what to expect from Mike Ditka and the
challenge of it. And are these guys wondering what this
(03:39):
is going to be like with Ben Johnson.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Listen, after they got rid of Mike Dicken, they brought
in Dave Wanstead and Dave Wanstead all the head coaches.
They want to get rid of as many guys as
possible because they want to bring in their personnel. They
want to bring in the players that they need at
certain positions. And so, as an estat veteran in the NFL,
at the end of the Mike Ditkey era, I was
(04:03):
more concerned for my future than I was the confidence
in my past.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
And you know, I went.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Through George Allen to Frankkush in the USFL, and then
I went on to Mike Ditka, and so you know,
there's a lot of challenges that come in a player's
career that sometime you don't know the answer to it
until that cut day, that final decision. Will you get
that call saying, Hey, the secretary wants to see you,
(04:30):
and I've got him and a lot of other guys
have got him.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I can't imagine that conversation with a guy like yourself,
as intense as you are.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I wouldn't want to be in that room. I mean,
I'm sure you didn't say much.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
I didn't say much and I walked out.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
It's not like today where they have the media waiting
for that death march of the guys that are getting cut.
You know, old Hallas Hall, you could walk up to
the front door, open it and hey, greeting you face
to face. And after I got cut and I was
walking out of the coach office and hand it in
my playbook, I jumped in, talked to some of the media,
(05:05):
and then went about my business. They can where my
next destination was going to be.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Very very hard, very hard.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Indeed, you know what I appreciate, and you don't like
taking compliments of any kind for whatever reason. But how
you've approached your nearly thirty year broadcast career now as
a Bears analyst, you put in the same type of
effort to get ready for a season. I know this,
and it wasn't hard for you to do because the
(05:31):
football is circulating through your veins, pumping that hearty years
for the love of the game. How important has it
been for you to continue to approach it the same way.
You're not lifting weights, but you're diving in.
Speaker 5 (05:44):
I have so much respect for the players and what
it takes to do to be prepared on day one
of a training camp. I have so much respect for
the players that are leaving training camp with their body
and their job intact. I have so much respect for
the head coaches and the assistant coaches for the commitment
they've made to themselves and to their families, because they
(06:06):
know that they're getting ready to work sixteen seventeen hours
a day for seven months, for seven days a week.
And I understand the behind the scenes, whether you want
to talk about Tony Medlin and his equipment staff to
you know, the whole video staff and how hard they
work and just every every single element of a football organization.
(06:30):
A lot of people don't understand, you know, the sixty
seventy hour work weeks they go through.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And they're only too happy to do it. It's the
love and passion for this sport man and.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Like you and I, yeah, it's the same thing.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
That's why we've super fortunate to have to be on
this end of.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
It for a long time.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Are you lifting weights? Tom? Are you doing anything these days? Now?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
You got this, you got the new knee, you got
the hips, you got Come on, what do you got going?
Speaker 4 (06:55):
I do? I? You know?
Speaker 5 (06:57):
So I started really I wanted to go what could
really really reignite me to flip that switch back on?
So it started something with the some simple as doing
sit ups and doing some curls, and then I see
where it else It takes me because I have a
set of dumbbells and a nice adjustable bench.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Here in my living room. That it's hard. It's hard
to pass up.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
So yeah, I'm fat, but at least I'm getting less fat.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
That's good.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Can't wait to see the new town there for twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh yeah, indeed.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
This podcast brought to you by middle Life, the official
beer partner of your Chicago Bears Tastes Like middle Time Chicago,
go to middle length dot com slash Bears pod to
find delivery options near you. Celebrate responsibly. Middle Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Ninety six calories and three point two carbs per twelve ounces. Okay,
so Tommy and I have come up with we're not
going to go through every position group, but by virtue
(07:50):
of our discussion, you never know where're gonna go. But
we're gonna start with with some of Tom's choices as
the most competitive battles, and they may surprise you.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
I don't know, they may surprise you.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Things on one hand looked, you know, rather simple when
you look at the roster, but then you know it's
a new coaching staff, so you never know. We're gonna
start with a running back room, which I do think
is fascinating, not only because of how Ben Johnson wants
to run the football, or we presume how he wants
to run the football, and like he.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Did in Detroit.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Not sure it'll be the same exact replica of a
running attack, but that coach that's there helping out, and
that's Eric b Enemy and Dan Rochard, the offensive line coach.
Last year, Tommy, the Bears ran the ball forty point
five percent of the time. That was twenty fifth most
in the league. Only five point one rushing first towns
a game that was also twenty fifth four h two,
(08:40):
a kerry that was twenty seventh, twenty fifth in rushing
yards at one h two. So a big boost is
looking forward to what this will look like in twenty
twenty five, outside zone, dirty yards, all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
How are you breaking this thing down?
Speaker 5 (08:55):
So when I was a young guy, my dad used
to work on a lot of car engines and one
of the last instruments he used to use was a
timing gauge, where when all the pieces were put in
place in the and rebuilding an engine, you had to
have everything timed up perfectly for that engine to run perfectly.
And to me, the running back is kind of like
the timing gauge of an offense because when you talk
(09:17):
about the running game, how they work their relationship with
the offensive line, play action, passing, their involvement in the
blocking scheme on third downs and stuff. I think when
you look at that position, you can't overstate the importance
to that position being good for the overall success of
the entire offense.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Time moves fast, But DeAndre swipp is still He's just
twenty six years old and he hasn't had a ton
of NFL carries. It's gone up in the last couple
of years, certainly with Philadelphia and then two hundred and
fifty three carries last season, nine to fifty nine and
six touchdowns, a career high thirteen hundred and forty five
yards from scrimmage. He's about explosive runs, Tommy. That right
(10:00):
in Ben Johnson's wheelhouse. They are hunting explosives, as we
heard many times, and Swift had three touchdown runs of
thirty five yards or more that was third most in
the NFL. How do you see his role in this offense?
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Multiple?
Speaker 5 (10:13):
And I don't think there's any running back that is
going to try out for this football team that can
only be a one role player. I think they have
to be involved in all three downs. I think when
you look at the creativity of a guy like Ben
Johnson and how he wants to run this offense, he
wants to keep the defense off balance with his personnel
as much as he wants to be able to run
everything with his personnel. So when you look at DeAndre Swift,
(10:36):
everybody knows what a good runner is. Everybody knows that
he catches the ball very well. We see a lot
of screens on of them. But when you talk about
play action passing, I think you're going to give a
running backs a lot more opportunities to catch the ball downfield.
And if you get the right matchup for that running
back against a linebacker or defensive back that doesn't run
as well, then you're talking about creating some really big play.
(11:00):
And then if you start finding an emphasis of that
running back position, then it starts spilling out to everybody else,
the tight ends, the wide receivers, and everybody else that
can have offensive involvement.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Right, no block, no rock, all right, that's that's for
the receivers.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
That's that's the thing for the receivers. But the thing
that I always comes to mind when I think about
the running back position, and Ben Johnson is be willing
to get the dirty yards and everybody can be creative
and use their vision to have the innate ability to
see how the blocks unfold. But and it's really down
in dirty time, and the defense has their big run
(11:37):
stopping package in there, and it's third and one, and
now you get the call and you got to get
contact at the line of scrimmage, but you need that,
you know, extra yard and a half to get it
across the first down marker. That's when you know, I
do think that you're going to make an impression on
Eric the enemy and the and Ben Johnson.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Do we read anything into the fact that in Ben's
first year is offensive coordinator in Detroit, DeAndre Swift was
with the Lions and his career high five and a
half yards per carry.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
Of course, I think Ben understands what an asset that
DeAndre Swift can be inside his offensive scheming. And then
you look at the guys that are also in that
running back line and how they're going to increase the
competitiveness of the position. So DeAndre Swift is certainly capable
of doing everything that Ben Johnson is asking out of
(12:29):
the running back position. But now you know running back
is probably a three headed monster, and so you got
to make sure that DeAndre Swift, if he's the tone setter,
then who else behind him is picking up the slack?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
All right? So let's look at that.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Is that is this where your idea came that this
is one of the most competitive position battles.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Is what's coming into that group?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Then Roashawan Johnson, kylemnungai, Ian Wheeler, Dion Hankins and undrafted
from UTEP and Texas aid and Travis Homer in his
third year with the Bears only twenty six touches last season,
but a special teams demon.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
Yeah, you know, every one of these guys, they have
a certain potential in their game. That the reason they're
in the NFL. But now you have to see how
they fit into this offense and are they capable of
doing multiple things? And so Rochean Johnson comes to mind
because I always think that being a really good blocker
from the running back position in the NFL is one
(13:27):
of the more difficult things to do, and Roshan is
really good at that. And then just think if you
start feeding him some of those difficult short yardage carries,
or maybe you set him up with some screens or
even the influence of play action, if he can come
in here and you know, really surprise Ben Johnson, because yeah,
Ben Johnson has seen him playing for being a coach
(13:48):
for Detroit, but he's never seen him as the head
coach of the Chicago Bear. So I think, like when
you mentioned Ian and Manongai and all these guys, they
all have capabilities, but you know, how do they fit
into the scientific approach of developing an offense.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, fifty five carries, that's it for Roshawn last year
in fourteen games, a wheeler coming off the ACL. We
talked to him last week and what a great kid.
He has his mindset on using that speed, but knows it.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Admitst that. Yeah, he'd like to drop his pads. More
needs to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
And Hankins undrafted, fifty nine college games and over six
hundred carries in his career, just like Manunguy over six
hundred carries, five eleven, two, twenty six. Manung Guy is
gonna get a ton of attention. He has the right mindset.
He's just five to eight, but he is an outstanding
pass protector and he runs angry that's already been seen,
that's been seen on tape, did a lot of damage
(14:41):
in the Big ten. Tommy, I guess he's one of
the more intriguing players of training camp for me.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
He is.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
You know, the running back position is the most intriguing
position for me because there's always that's gonna there's always
going to be a guy that surprises you that's either
a free agent or a low round draft choice. All
of a sudden, he gets into the NFL and his
confidence builds day by day. Then all of a sudden,
he makes an impression on a coach and he starts
being able to be included in maybe the special teams.
(15:07):
But they always give you and show you something that's.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
An innately.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Not innately coached, but it's just the inate ability within
their running back system.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
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All right, let's switch gears and talk to Case Keenum.
We had a chance to sit down with him. You know,
(15:39):
one of the guys who's going to hand the ball
off to this position group in training camp and with
all that experience next to a veteran position coach, Tommy
talking to a ten plus year veteran quarterback is a
guaranteed insightful conversation. You learn a lot, and we did.
Let's listen in our conversation with Case Keenum. Can you
just explain in simple terms, what this journey's been like
(16:03):
after being a record setting passer at the University of
Houston and now entering year thirteen in the National Football
An amazing journey it has.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
And I don't know, if we have enough time the
High Points podcast, I'll give you the high level from
Houston to Saint Louis to Houston to Saint Louis to
LA to Minnesota, Denver, Washington, Cleveland, Buffalo, Houston, now back
to Chicago. That's that's one quick sentence on on what
it's been. You know, I could add that my wife
(16:34):
is a logistical ninja. She's got the moving company and
the car transporter and the all that on speed dial.
You know, being a proud Texan growing up a son
of a Texas football coach, never thought I'd be anywhere
but but Texas, going to Houston, University of Houston, to school. UH,
(16:55):
to be able to live in all these great cities
around the country and see the things that I've seen,
and like you said, being an undrafted free agent and
not supposed to have one year going into my fourteenth
year where you know, I don't know even what my
stats are and how many games I played, But man,
it's it's really really a gift from God to be
(17:17):
able to be where I am today and to experience
what I have experienced over the last thirteen fourteen years.
It's been unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Eighty games, sixty six tacks.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Just so you know, I got it all. At the
tip of my fingers, I got it all. I also
let me just throw this out there too, and please,
this is out of respect. According to this site spot Track,
which follows everybody's contracts and career earnings, I look at
fifty five million in a career as an undrafted player.
I think that's impressive. And you know, you set yourself
(17:50):
up in your family for a lot of for putting
in all that that work, right.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I mean truly blessed. I don't really do this for
the money. I love ball, I love love what I do.
I love people who I'll get to meet. But yeah,
it's it's unbelievable. I'm playing a kids game, you know.
I just basically never had to grow up.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
In o case.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
You talk about your wife being the queen of logistics.
When you talk about yourself and your career, what do
you still have with you from your rookie year to
your fourteenth year.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
As far as like fundamentals.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
The way that you you know, conceptualize and think about
the terminology and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Well, I'll tell you what popped in my head first
was my rookie year. I saw Andre Johnson come I
was on the practice squad and after a warm up
game he came in and threw away a pair of
his Jordan cleats.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
It goes out of the tracks absolutely, So I still
have those from.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
My rookie year. You know, fundamentals quarterbacking wise, man, you know,
it's just it's hard work, you know, you just you
have to you have to work at it and you
have to come in every day and put everything you
have into it and go home that night and know
you did. And that's confidence. That gives you confidence that
(19:07):
you've done everything you can. But for me, quarterbacking, the
fundamentals of it is just taking care of the football.
That's my number one thing I've always done. So every drill,
every fundamental, everything that I take from, you know, every
year is just what can I do better to take
(19:27):
care of the football and get it where it needs
to go.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
So in my football life, when we used to call
plays in the mid eighties, it was a sentence that
was it, and maybe we had an alert color that
got us to an audible. And now when I listened
to the terminology of one play called in the NFL,
do you like the development of the terminology throughout your
career or do you ever think there's too much terminology
(19:53):
to one play call.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
You know the thing about play calling, and I've been
the actual names of plays. I've been in one hundred
different offenses. Right I'm coming out of college. You know,
we called it early ninety five, you know, and we
didn't even have names for certain plays. We just had
signals because we were all on the ball, no huddle.
I remember being a TV time out in college and
(20:17):
like pointing at guys like, hey, you have this, and
I would signal whatever our signal was for that route.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
You have this, you have this.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Well in the in the NFL, you just call those
plays and you just line up, you know, you tell
the formation, and then you just tell everybody what they have.
You know, X dagg or wi FI across you shallow
have back trail. And you know the thing that they
a lot of coordinators will get to do is they
can call two to three different plays in the in
the huddle, so you tell everybody what to do, where
(20:44):
to line up. Then you say, okay, oh, by the way,
if they line up in this, we're gonna kill this
play and change the formation a little bit or emotion
and then tell everybody else what to do again. So
in a game plan world of NFL playing seventy in eighteen,
you know, playoff twenty two games a year, you have
(21:04):
to mix it up. You have to change it up.
And so when when you can plug and play so
to speak, like different routes into different concepts and you
have a guy at quarterback that can handle that. You know,
sometimes it's it's not a bad thing to tell everybody
what to do all the time. At the same time,
I've seen a shift to where you just call it
(21:24):
a concept like you know, X dagger, U far cross,
WI FI across, you know, with a half back trail
is called you know, old brown shoe or whatever. You know.
I had a coach that said, you know, I'm just
gonna call this old brown shoe. We called to play
old brown shoe. So some guys remember that stuff. Some guys,
you know, have to have a hard time memorizing some
(21:45):
of those things. So that's a long answer probably for
a short question.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Give us one of your play calls conter Ot, which
Dick always left talking about.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
What was I right, red right counterpinch Ot. You know,
you know power forty nine years g O West eighty
eight was a pass, was a protect and the routes
called so but you know, over the over being around
the NFL for almost forty years now, it's just you know,
to see that the terminology change, the whole communication device
(22:12):
in your helmet, all the things.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
I think there's there's uh, there's the West Coast offense,
you know. Then there's a digit system which I think
is version of that. And there's people that are a
lot smarter than me that know all this. But I
kind of view a lot of those as like English
to Spanish when you're learning languages, right, and then there's
other offenses that you're going straight to Mandarin and it's
like the formations are in numbers and it's gone to
(22:37):
outslot sixty six, you know, five to twenty five. That
short post, you know, and that's that is just f
ernie and some it's f arches and others it's it's
it's called four different things, and I start this little
rolodex of you know, I called it, you know, this
play in this format, you know, in this offense, and
I called it this. And there's little details of of
(22:58):
you know, fundamentals and philosophy. Maybe we're reading this high
to low or low to high. Maybe we're a quick
game footwork, maybe we're five step footwork. You know, just
different philosophies that go into that. And then you tie
in protections and run game too. There's a whole another
that's why you love football. While we could talk here
probably for a.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Lot, I know we could, and I love every second
of it.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
I haven't been big enough or strong enough or fast
enough to play this game at any level. So having
a veteran influence is critical. I believe in a quarterback room,
there's plenty of coaches now. Sometimes people say, hey, how
many voices can you have in a starting quarterbacks head?
But everybody brings a little bit something. It's almost like layered, right.
And now you come into the mix here with the Bears.
You have experienced everything, so you can tell kleeb tyson
(23:42):
Bag and whomever. You've been traded three times, you've been waved,
you've been practiced squad, you're undrafted, You've had great success
those back to back years at Minnesota and Denver. You
had some great starts there playoff, man, So is that
valuable to know that you can touch a lot of points?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, I definitely think so. I think that's probably my
greatest asset right now is is experience and having been
in so many offenses, so many situations, so many playoff runs.
Somebody the opposite of that not not great years. So
I know what what good looks like. I know what
not good looks like. And man, I'm really excited for
(24:22):
Caleb and his mindset move. I haven't been here very long,
but one is talent level obviously, and what he can
do to his his mindset and work ethic right now
and what what he is putting in is impressive for
a young man who's mature enough to know what he
knows and what he doesn't know, and he's he's working
(24:44):
at it. So yeah, for me, I know, I'm not
a coach either, like he does. Have plenty of coaches, So.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
I think you're gonna be there one day.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I'm a good sounding board for I love I love ball,
I really do. You've already mentioned that I'm in a
position where I don't have to coach, but I don't
want to, which is great. And we'll see. I'm the
I was the head coach of the semi final Bunker
Hill Expos five and six year old coach pitch team
this year, So that was a good That was a
good coaching and.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Learn a lot and exactly so patients.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Yeah, well, I told somebody the other day, like, I
got a few guys in the team and I think
are closer to my son's age than nine, So I
probably did get some good experience coaching the six and seven,
you know, five and six year olds. But yeah, I
love what I do and I think bright future here
with Ben and Deck and Press and JT all those
(25:35):
coaches that are there on the offensive side specifically for
their quarterbacks and you know, coordinator passing game stuff. So
I love. I love how they're approaching things. I love
the room we're building, the trust, the respect, the chemistry
of the bond we're forming is great.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Well, you know, one of the great things he did
in his career, we touched down to twenty seventeen NFC
Championship game, leading the Bikings to that at a minimum, Tommy,
He's outstanding resource for Caleb Williams Tyson bage in Austin
Reid with those eighty games sixty six starts. And I
just love his approach, how relaxed he is, how fun
he is, and how much he's looking forward to it
(26:14):
still at this point in his life.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
You know, the two things that caught me by surprise
is Number one, he is a garbage picker. He went
and took the shoes out of the garbage that Andre
Johnson put in there, and he still has them.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
I did you know, did Jordan's man? Jordan?
Speaker 5 (26:28):
You know, I have a pair of Adidas that I
got from Dan Marino after the Hula Bowl, and you
think of how long those things last. But then the
one question I asked him was what is he brought
from his rookie year that he still uses in the
NFL today? And he talked about his work ethic, and
I think that's probably the most important trait that you
can pass on to young quarterbacks in the NFL, especially
(26:50):
when you're a free agent and you have the amount
of success he's had. And so I'm joking about the
garbage picker, but I would have done the same thing,
and but the whole being able to be the example
of work ethic, I think is a really important thing
to show all these young guys, not only the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
I really enjoyed the conversation about the play calls, the
descriptions from sentences to gosh knows how long they can
run and what they all mean.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
It's crazy, right, old brown shoe.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I know, I know, I've always felt. I mean, I
don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I don't know how it's going to sound in their
headset this year. I don't know how these in the huddle,
But God, it would seem to me simple is better, right.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
I've always I've always been raised in that train of
thought throughout my years in the NFL, and then you
listen to the development of the language over the last
twenty or thirty years, and I think it's sometimes it's
too complicated, but it's every coach's preference.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Did you ever forget a play call leaving the huddle?
Speaker 4 (27:52):
Never? No, I had more.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
I just you know the thing about it is, when
you're you're in the huddle and they call the play,
you kind of think it your assignments, You think of
here possibly working with you look at the adjustment of
the defense. And the main thing you can't do is
do not forget the snap count, because there's a lot
of times Okay, was it uh so and so on
two was a toss? Thir well, I mean it was
(28:15):
it power thirty four on three?
Speaker 2 (28:17):
So that happened, Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
And then but we all we always had a language
that I could ask Jay or I could ask Corn
the snap count? What was it? You know, we had
everything from red, white, blue, a wrap, a hole, blackfoot, cherokeet.
We had all these different ways of answering each other
without ever giving a word or a signal.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Because if it occurs to me that if you got
dinged up on a play and you're trying to shake
off that pain, and maybe your mind is not completely
dialed in in the huddle at that moment, you're just
trying to see if you can line up against Reggie
White again for another snap, that your mind might you
might shut it might shut off.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Yeah it could.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
But you know, one thing about being having the luxury
of hearing the same snapcount and the same terminology for
that many years. It's like you hear the first couple
words out of the quarterback's mouth and you could finish
the sentence for him.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Oh, I'd be scared out of my mind that I
had heard the wrong thing. I couldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
All right, Let's go to another position battle. Why you
choose defensive tackle? A lot of editions up front, obviously,
but the one big one garnering the attention is Grady
Jarrett's addition, the big presence, the big personality, three or
forty three and a half million dollar deal, and he
comes with a great cachet. But why defensive tackle?
Speaker 5 (29:39):
You know, the reason these question marks came up is
because I was trying to do my own depth chart
before training camp started, and then I started looking at
the defensive tackles and the variety of sizes, abilities, strengths,
weaknesses and concerns, and so, yeah, Grady Jack Grady is
(30:00):
that guy that's gonna be first in line at the
defensive tackle, the you know that position. But then you
got to think of where is Javon Dexter senior at?
What is a Billings gonna do for this offense? Where
is Zach Pickens. Then they drafted a guy that's gonna
come in you there's a lot of uncertainty about him.
At this point, and I do think that the importance
(30:21):
of that position to the success of Dennis Allen. They
got to be productive and they have to offer some
of their own strengths on the inside of this defense.
And you know, how are these guys, you know, day
one of the regular season, how are they gonna line up?
Speaker 1 (30:37):
All?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Right?
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Well, Jared with one hundred and fifty two games, four
hundred ninety six tackles, thirty six and a half sacks,
seventy seven tackles for loss, and one hundred and twenty
five quarterback hits coming now a second year removed from
an ACL so he should be feeling his oats a
little bit with a new team.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
This is a new experience.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
He's going to be dialed in and be a leader
on that front. And an important year for Javon Dexter Senior.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
You touched on it.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
You know what always got me about Jervan First of all,
the length. I love that size, and we've seen plenty
of guys emerge in that category of being the six
sixty sixty seven defensive tackle and cloud in the vision
of the quarterback and being able to to you know, hey,
it's challenged to win that battle a leverage, but you
know that strength that he's added. He has a different
(31:22):
body now, But what always has impressed me is his hustle,
backside pursuit, pursuit downfield at tackle, running back who may
have snuck through the defensive line.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
He's always had that gear.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
And I'm really.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Looking for this and it's not just him, but this
third year, takeoff year, and I've touched on it so
many times. For Javon Dexter Senior, I think he has
a chance to become a star player.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
The thing about I want to see him increase his
versatility and used in multiple positions. Because if you know
exactly each time that you break the huddle, where Grady's
gonna line up, where Javan's gonna line up, where all
these guys are going to line up, then you have
an understanding how to put your pass blocking scheme into
the importance of where these guys are lined up. And
(32:10):
so when you look at guys like Aaron Donald, do
you look at Chris Jones, They can line up over
a tackle, they can line up in the gap in
between the tackle and the guard. So I would like
to see these guys their versatility be used to line
up in different spots, and I just think it can
create confusion for the offensive line, but maybe expose these
(32:31):
guys to what they're good at.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Next to Andrew Billings last season, Javon really things look good.
There was an occupying aspect of it that he was
dealing with. Billings is so strong, but taurs peck and
things changed on that front. The run defense really wasn't
as sharp, So that's something to keep an eye on
as well as past because he had one sack in
the final seven games last season. For Javon all right,
(32:56):
the rookie second round of Shamart Turner comes with a
reputation of being violent, nasty. We're looking forward to this
in training camp, honestly because his temperature runs hot.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
But man, you know, when you talk about Joe Tooney
and Jonah Jackson, you're talking about really upgrading the competition
you're going to go through on a daily basis, whether
one on one's nine on seven team work.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
And so now, when you're a young college football player trying.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
To prove that you belong, then your work ethic, the
effort you give the understanding of what your responsibilities and
assignments are. You got to be able to be good
at those things, or you know you're going to be
left behind. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but
you know we're still at that proving ground for this
(33:44):
young man.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
And Zach Pickens a big year, third round pick, third
year veteran. I believe that groin injury really set him
back last season.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Never got going.
Speaker 5 (33:54):
Yeah, you know, Zach, we know that he's got the explosiveness,
but you know, when you have a new coaching staff,
board is something that you got to prove it every day,
every down, every drill.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And two guys, I'm really impressed with additions we got
to meet up. Chris Williams extremely active in his reps
and productive.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
I don't know how many snaps he had. I don't
have it in front of me, but he always did something.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
He always did something in a game, three tackles for lost,
three sacks, seven eighths on the quarterback, and Jonathan Ford
short time with the Bears off the practice squad of
the Packers played that week against the Packers, made his debut,
had a tackle for loss, and in four games he
got my attention to With a new coaching staff, I'm
not going to dismiss anybody.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
You play hard, you play with your hair on fire,
you're gonna make the roster.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
That's why, like I said, I'm trying to put together
a depth chart, and I'm looking at this position specific specifically.
And then you think about Williams and Ford. Both of
these guys are legitimate NFL players and they belong on
a roster. And if they go out there and they
fight tooth and nail and training camp and then they
started impressing their position code and then all of a
sudden they go out and have good practices against Miami
(35:03):
and the Buffalo Bills shoots. You know, these guys, you know,
their name can be on the active game day roster
as much as any guy that we just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
And like you mentioned, let's not discount the likelihood. I
would say maybe with Dennis Allen being creative upfront making
things difficult for the opposing offensive lines to figure it out.
We got guys like you know, Dominique Robinson, Diowaedengbo Montes,
Sweat could kick inside with Jrvine kicking out.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
I mean, there could be a bunch of that going
on too, right.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
And you know, Daniel Hardy is a guy I don't
think even though they're going to give him a look
see at the linebacker position. He was super impressive throughout
training camp last year, and you know he could capture
the attention to be a versatile player both in a
stance and on his two feet.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
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(36:09):
Chicago Bears.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Let's turn a tight end. It's going to be a
very big topic.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
The twelve personnel, the amount they used in Detroit, the
addition of Colston Loveland, the tenth overall pick to the
senior member of the Bears roster in terms of Bears
years is Cole Comet, entering year six, the dean of
the roster here in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
He's never missed a game.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
Number two among Bears tight ends in history in catches,
number three in touchdowns, number four in yards. He's put
together a career that's impressive already, despite the fact the
Bears have not had a lot of success overall wins.
I'm excited to see these two pair together. Are you
and how are you looking at this tight end position.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
I just think you need a long line of contestants
for the tight end position. You know, you got Carlson,
you got Durham smythe and so you got a lot
of guys that are going to be fighting for playing opportunities.
And when you look at what Colston Lovelan is bringing
aboard in terms of his catch radius, his ability to
play outside, play inside. The more time he gets in
(37:12):
a stance, I think you're going to see this guy
quickly developed. He's played for a really hard coach already
in college when we talk about Harball and so, I
think he's got a lot of things, a lot of traits,
a lot of experience on his side as a young guy.
And when you look at Ben Johnson the way he
likes to use this position, I just think it's going
(37:33):
to be one of the more competitive positions out there.
From the very first day they go to one on
ones to nine on seven to teamwork.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
And Colston obviously coming off an ac joint injury and surgery,
so we'll see where he's at health wise. But Ryan
Pols talked when they drafted him about his competitive nature
but also being very confident in critical situations. Loveland plays
with a certain edges run engine, also runs hot. He's physical,
(38:02):
he's tough. Cole has the same kind of mentality. So
I think even the two of them together, it's going
to be interesting to see these two guys competing with
each other, not against each other.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
I do, and you know what I've said about Cole
all offseason, the most underutilized target that the Bears had
last year. And I think when you have a guy
like Cole, with his attitude and the way that he
wants to make the tight end room better, I think
he's a guy that can make Colston feel the love
and feel that he's a super important part of the team.
(38:35):
And I think that he's a guy that leads by example.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
And the crazy thing, despite all the changes since twenty two,
his seventeen touchdowns are tied for fourth in the NFL
among tight ends, behind George Kittle, Mark Andrews and Travis
Kelcey pretty good company get in the football both that
he's guy middle of the field, Tommy middle of the
field should be a treat to watch.
Speaker 4 (38:56):
He you know, listen, excuse me.
Speaker 5 (38:58):
The longer the longer Ben is here, the better that
Cole is going to get because you think about the
changeover in the offensive system and the offensive coordinator. Again,
since Cole has been here, you don't get that consistency
that you would like to get for him over the
next three to five years. And I think the more
consistency every one of these guys that we're talking about
(39:19):
are going to have an opportunity to increase their NFL value.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Now you mentioned durrem smythe eight year player. We enjoyed
our conversation with him. He brings some personality to the room.
Stephen Carlson always gives great effort. He is a guy
to keep an eye on. Joel Wilson had the attention
of the head coach Ben Johnson when he was asked
about some players that caught his eye.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Likes the way he moves in.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Jordan Murray, undrafted side in January's bounced around one year
at Hawaii for at Missouri State, where he was a
wide receiver. And of course, Wilson joined the practice spart
of the Bears in October of last year after stops
at New Orleans, Buffalo, Green Bay and the Giants. So
all these guys their work, they're working to try and
make a roster spot. I was surprised you didn't bring.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Up left tackle. Is that just a given?
Speaker 4 (40:08):
That's just a given, right.
Speaker 5 (40:09):
We've talked about it at nauseum, and I think that
the competitiveness of that position is going to be looked
at through a microscope and uh, you know, and a
magnifying glass, and every rep is going to be criticized
or complimented. So every one of those guys know what
they got, uh you know what they got on their
(40:31):
shoulders going into training camp, and I think everybody else
does as well.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
We can make assumptions on the secondary. This is one
of mine.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Here is there are nineteen defensive backs on this roster,
all right, all different experience levels. There's some veterans that
are in here that people probably are not paying attention to.
But you got your your presumed top five and Jalen
Johnson and Coyler Gordon and Tyreek Stevenson and Kevin Byron
and Jakwan Brisker. But then you got Terrell Smith, Josh Blackwell.
(40:57):
The fifth thrump picks a frasier elect Hicks with a
lot of experience Samsir Jonathan Owens to our various more
as a special teams demon. Some veterans like Sean Wade,
Nick McLeod and are undrafted rookie and major burns. I mean,
I think this is going to be a fun group
to watch see if somebody emerges.
Speaker 5 (41:16):
And listen with you know, Coach High Tower, Special Teams coordinator,
when you talk about that group of tight ends and
you talk about that group of defensive backs, a lot
of these guys are gonna be maneuverable and how can
they contribute on the special teams as well as what
they have to do to open the eyes of their
position coach and so special teams. You can't understate the
(41:40):
importance of their role on special teams. And every one
of those guys are great athletes, so if they can
offer you something a little special, they increase their chances.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
Good new Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes
with all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity screens
at every seat and room for everyone's roller bag United,
Proud to fly the Chicago Bears and you too. All Right,
we just scratched the surface, believe it or not, Tommy,
our next podcast next week, we'll have a great insight
into what everybody's thinking up there the top brass at
(42:10):
House Hall as we look forward to the start of
training camp under Ben Johnson. We have an idea of
what it might look like, but we won't know for
sure until we see.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
It in action.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Tommy, do you have a right do you have in
your mind's eyeve you close your eyes and think of, well,
what this training camp is going to look like? What
is it?
Speaker 4 (42:27):
What does it.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Appear to be to you?
Speaker 5 (42:30):
I don't know because we haven't been around Ben Johnson,
the head coach. We haven't been around some of these players.
One thing I do want to, you know, put caution
out there is Caleb Caleb is a second year player,
but he's in the first year of a system. So
(42:51):
don't have unrealistic expectations too soon, because it takes time
for every single position to develop their understanding what their
assignments are, understanding, what the terminology means breaking the huddle,
the timing of every route downfield. So it's not like
go out there and then start buying Super Bowl tickets
(43:14):
July twenty third. Let's have some patients and let's will
evaluate and look at where things are. Maybe ten to
fourteen practices into training camp and we'll get a better
understanding what's going on.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
And matchups against Buffalo and Miami and Buffalo, I guess
in that order that also should create quite the It
would be great for training camp. I was hoping to
have one team for two practices, but now as I've
had time to dwell on, I like the two. It's
just like a game week. Then you're preparing for something different.
It's challenging you in a different way. Against two good defenses.
(43:50):
In Miami's defense was highly ranked a year ago, and
again we're not talking. The starters are going to face
the starters in those practices, so it's going to be
a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
We know what Buffalo is like defensively as well.
Speaker 3 (44:01):
Well.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
When the coaches get together, they have a great opportunity
to script the plays, the defenses, the different elements of
the game where they want to see and that they
can have it predetermined, so they know what to look
for and how things are coming along.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
That's going to do it for us.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
We're brought to you by P and C Official Bank
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Light four time There.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
I'm Jeff Joniek. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Everybody, please subscribe now the Chicago Bears Official app, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Wherever you get your podcast. Speared out everybody,
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Speaker 2 (00:06):
I am Jeff Joniack blitz us not don go.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
What was like playing for Coche?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Goodgo. I don't want to answer any questions like that
pressure coming is a big trouble. Dotty goes Mottest Sweat.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Bears, et cetera, brought to you by Miller Lte with
the voices that the Bears Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Positional previews are a big thing right now, in the
days and hours ahead of the twenty twenty five twenty
camp aroundable every team's writers doing quick takes on the
strengths and weaknesses per position, speculating on what else might
be added to the roster, predicting the hot battles, and frankly,
just taking stock of the teams. It's a fun time
to look ahead what's next before the grind of the
(00:52):
season settles in.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Great time to be a Bear too.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
With excitement brimming around Bears Nation, we discussed today on
episode et cetera podcast We're brought to you by Middle
of Light with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tump.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
There.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I'm Jeff Joniak.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
In this week's podcast, we also visit with thirteen year
veteran quarterback Case Keenum on his eighteen and fourth since
twenty twenty. Tommy, everybody's going to enjoy that conversation. He
was wonderful to talk to. Thirty seven years old, I think,
and he's got a thirty nine year old head coach,
so he's closer to that than the young guys coming
into the league.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
But he was a fun, fun combo. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
I think he knows his role.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
He's got a world of experience and a lot of
different systems with a lot of different head coaches and
a lot of different ups and downs. And when you're
a free agent to begin your career, you have a
certain commitment to the day to day, year to year operations.
I think that can prove to be successful for anybody,
and so I think people are really going to be
(01:48):
excited to hear a little bit of behind the scenes
of Case Keenum.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
All right, So we touched on this last week on
Bears Weekly with our buddy Jim Miller, the former Bears quarterback,
and the discussion of the up to training camp. And
you bring it up every single year, you're angst. Where's
your angst meter? As a professional in this business and
a former player for a long time.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Right now, it's at an eleven, and that's out of
a scale of one to ten, because I you know,
if you've got to understand these last thirty days before
training camp begins, whether you're a financially secure, established veteran
or you're a young free agent that's trying to make
an impression on your position coach to possibly make the team,
(02:31):
if you're really an invested professional athlete, there's so much
that goes into the mental and physical part of the
preparation for a season in this last month because am
I doing enough? Am I doing too much? Am I
going to be physically ready? Am I going to be
mentally ready? There's so many questions that are going through
your head that it's hard to sleep. You know, you
(02:53):
just have to make all these determinations if you're doing
enough in order to play your role in making really
a limited roster. When you think of a fifty three
man roster on game day, it's not a lot of bodies,
and you're talking about one hundred guys per camp. There's
a there's a there's a lot of what is on
(03:16):
your plate in order to impress the coaches.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Doesn't make a difference in your mind because of the
constant change that the Bears have had at the head
coaching position in recent vintage. But you you played for
one coach basically before you moved on to Miami and
Don Shula. But uh, did that make a difference because
you knew what to expect from Mike Ditka and the
challenge of it. And are these guys wondering what this
(03:39):
is going to be like with Ben Johnson.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Listen, after they got rid of Mike Dicken, they brought
in Dave Wanstead and Dave Wanstead all the head coaches.
They want to get rid of as many guys as
possible because they want to bring in their personnel. They
want to bring in the players that they need at
certain positions. And so, as an estat veteran in the NFL,
at the end of the Mike Ditkey era, I was
(04:03):
more concerned for my future than I was the confidence
in my past.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
And you know, I went.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Through George Allen to Frankkush in the USFL, and then
I went on to Mike Ditka, and so you know,
there's a lot of challenges that come in a player's
career that sometime you don't know the answer to it
until that cut day, that final decision. Will you get
that call saying, Hey, the secretary wants to see you,
(04:30):
and I've got him and a lot of other guys
have got him.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I can't imagine that conversation with a guy like yourself,
as intense as you are.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I wouldn't want to be in that room. I mean,
I'm sure you didn't say much.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
I didn't say much and I walked out.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
It's not like today where they have the media waiting
for that death march of the guys that are getting cut.
You know, old Hallas Hall, you could walk up to
the front door, open it and hey, greeting you face
to face. And after I got cut and I was
walking out of the coach office and hand it in
my playbook, I jumped in, talked to some of the media,
(05:05):
and then went about my business. They can where my
next destination was going to be.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Very very hard, very hard.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Indeed, you know what I appreciate, and you don't like
taking compliments of any kind for whatever reason. But how
you've approached your nearly thirty year broadcast career now as
a Bears analyst, you put in the same type of
effort to get ready for a season. I know this,
and it wasn't hard for you to do because the
(05:31):
football is circulating through your veins, pumping that hearty years
for the love of the game. How important has it
been for you to continue to approach it the same way.
You're not lifting weights, but you're diving in.
Speaker 5 (05:44):
I have so much respect for the players and what
it takes to do to be prepared on day one
of a training camp. I have so much respect for
the players that are leaving training camp with their body
and their job intact. I have so much respect for
the head coaches and the assistant coaches for the commitment
they've made to themselves and to their families, because they
(06:06):
know that they're getting ready to work sixteen seventeen hours
a day for seven months, for seven days a week.
And I understand the behind the scenes, whether you want
to talk about Tony Medlin and his equipment staff to
you know, the whole video staff and how hard they
work and just every every single element of a football organization.
(06:30):
A lot of people don't understand, you know, the sixty
seventy hour work weeks they go through.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And they're only too happy to do it. It's the
love and passion for this sport man and.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Like you and I, yeah, it's the same thing.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
That's why we've super fortunate to have to be on
this end of.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
It for a long time.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Are you lifting weights? Tom? Are you doing anything these days? Now?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
You got this, you got the new knee, you got
the hips, you got Come on, what do you got going?
Speaker 4 (06:55):
I do? I? You know?
Speaker 5 (06:57):
So I started really I wanted to go what could
really really reignite me to flip that switch back on?
So it started something with the some simple as doing
sit ups and doing some curls, and then I see
where it else It takes me because I have a
set of dumbbells and a nice adjustable bench.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Here in my living room. That it's hard. It's hard
to pass up.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
So yeah, I'm fat, but at least I'm getting less fat.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
That's good.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Can't wait to see the new town there for twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh yeah, indeed.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
This podcast brought to you by middle Life, the official
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find delivery options near you. Celebrate responsibly. Middle Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Ninety six calories and three point two carbs per twelve ounces. Okay,
so Tommy and I have come up with we're not
going to go through every position group, but by virtue
(07:50):
of our discussion, you never know where're gonna go. But
we're gonna start with with some of Tom's choices as
the most competitive battles, and they may surprise you.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
I don't know, they may surprise you.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Things on one hand looked, you know, rather simple when
you look at the roster, but then you know it's
a new coaching staff, so you never know. We're gonna
start with a running back room, which I do think
is fascinating, not only because of how Ben Johnson wants
to run the football, or we presume how he wants
to run the football, and like he.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Did in Detroit.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Not sure it'll be the same exact replica of a
running attack, but that coach that's there helping out, and
that's Eric b Enemy and Dan Rochard, the offensive line coach.
Last year, Tommy, the Bears ran the ball forty point
five percent of the time. That was twenty fifth most
in the league. Only five point one rushing first towns
a game that was also twenty fifth four h two,
(08:40):
a kerry that was twenty seventh, twenty fifth in rushing
yards at one h two. So a big boost is
looking forward to what this will look like in twenty
twenty five, outside zone, dirty yards, all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
How are you breaking this thing down?
Speaker 5 (08:55):
So when I was a young guy, my dad used
to work on a lot of car engines and one
of the last instruments he used to use was a
timing gauge, where when all the pieces were put in
place in the and rebuilding an engine, you had to
have everything timed up perfectly for that engine to run perfectly.
And to me, the running back is kind of like
the timing gauge of an offense because when you talk
(09:17):
about the running game, how they work their relationship with
the offensive line, play action, passing, their involvement in the
blocking scheme on third downs and stuff. I think when
you look at that position, you can't overstate the importance
to that position being good for the overall success of
the entire offense.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Time moves fast, But DeAndre swipp is still He's just
twenty six years old and he hasn't had a ton
of NFL carries. It's gone up in the last couple
of years, certainly with Philadelphia and then two hundred and
fifty three carries last season, nine to fifty nine and
six touchdowns, a career high thirteen hundred and forty five
yards from scrimmage. He's about explosive runs, Tommy. That right
(10:00):
in Ben Johnson's wheelhouse. They are hunting explosives, as we
heard many times, and Swift had three touchdown runs of
thirty five yards or more that was third most in
the NFL. How do you see his role in this offense?
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Multiple?
Speaker 5 (10:13):
And I don't think there's any running back that is
going to try out for this football team that can
only be a one role player. I think they have
to be involved in all three downs. I think when
you look at the creativity of a guy like Ben
Johnson and how he wants to run this offense, he
wants to keep the defense off balance with his personnel
as much as he wants to be able to run
everything with his personnel. So when you look at DeAndre Swift,
(10:36):
everybody knows what a good runner is. Everybody knows that
he catches the ball very well. We see a lot
of screens on of them. But when you talk about
play action passing, I think you're going to give a
running backs a lot more opportunities to catch the ball downfield.
And if you get the right matchup for that running
back against a linebacker or defensive back that doesn't run
as well, then you're talking about creating some really big play.
(11:00):
And then if you start finding an emphasis of that
running back position, then it starts spilling out to everybody else,
the tight ends, the wide receivers, and everybody else that
can have offensive involvement.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Right, no block, no rock, all right, that's that's for
the receivers.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
That's that's the thing for the receivers. But the thing
that I always comes to mind when I think about
the running back position, and Ben Johnson is be willing
to get the dirty yards and everybody can be creative
and use their vision to have the innate ability to
see how the blocks unfold. But and it's really down
in dirty time, and the defense has their big run
(11:37):
stopping package in there, and it's third and one, and
now you get the call and you got to get
contact at the line of scrimmage, but you need that,
you know, extra yard and a half to get it
across the first down marker. That's when you know, I
do think that you're going to make an impression on
Eric the enemy and the and Ben Johnson.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Do we read anything into the fact that in Ben's
first year is offensive coordinator in Detroit, DeAndre Swift was
with the Lions and his career high five and a
half yards per carry.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
Of course, I think Ben understands what an asset that
DeAndre Swift can be inside his offensive scheming. And then
you look at the guys that are also in that
running back line and how they're going to increase the
competitiveness of the position. So DeAndre Swift is certainly capable
of doing everything that Ben Johnson is asking out of
(12:29):
the running back position. But now you know running back
is probably a three headed monster, and so you got
to make sure that DeAndre Swift, if he's the tone setter,
then who else behind him is picking up the slack?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
All right? So let's look at that.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Is that is this where your idea came that this
is one of the most competitive position battles.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Is what's coming into that group?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Then Roashawan Johnson, kylemnungai, Ian Wheeler, Dion Hankins and undrafted
from UTEP and Texas aid and Travis Homer in his
third year with the Bears only twenty six touches last season,
but a special teams demon.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
Yeah, you know, every one of these guys, they have
a certain potential in their game. That the reason they're
in the NFL. But now you have to see how
they fit into this offense and are they capable of
doing multiple things? And so Rochean Johnson comes to mind
because I always think that being a really good blocker
from the running back position in the NFL is one
(13:27):
of the more difficult things to do, and Roshan is
really good at that. And then just think if you
start feeding him some of those difficult short yardage carries,
or maybe you set him up with some screens or
even the influence of play action, if he can come
in here and you know, really surprise Ben Johnson, because yeah,
Ben Johnson has seen him playing for being a coach
(13:48):
for Detroit, but he's never seen him as the head
coach of the Chicago Bear. So I think, like when
you mentioned Ian and Manongai and all these guys, they
all have capabilities, but you know, how do they fit
into the scientific approach of developing an offense.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, fifty five carries, that's it for Roshawn last year
in fourteen games, a wheeler coming off the ACL. We
talked to him last week and what a great kid.
He has his mindset on using that speed, but knows it.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Admitst that. Yeah, he'd like to drop his pads. More
needs to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
And Hankins undrafted, fifty nine college games and over six
hundred carries in his career, just like Manunguy over six
hundred carries, five eleven, two, twenty six. Manung Guy is
gonna get a ton of attention. He has the right mindset.
He's just five to eight, but he is an outstanding
pass protector and he runs angry that's already been seen,
that's been seen on tape, did a lot of damage
(14:41):
in the Big ten. Tommy, I guess he's one of
the more intriguing players of training camp for me.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
He is.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
You know, the running back position is the most intriguing
position for me because there's always that's gonna there's always
going to be a guy that surprises you that's either
a free agent or a low round draft choice. All
of a sudden, he gets into the NFL and his
confidence builds day by day. Then all of a sudden,
he makes an impression on a coach and he starts
being able to be included in maybe the special teams.
(15:07):
But they always give you and show you something that's.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
An innately.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Not innately coached, but it's just the inate ability within
their running back system.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
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All right, let's switch gears and talk to Case Keenum.
We had a chance to sit down with him. You know,
(15:39):
one of the guys who's going to hand the ball
off to this position group in training camp and with
all that experience next to a veteran position coach, Tommy
talking to a ten plus year veteran quarterback is a
guaranteed insightful conversation. You learn a lot, and we did.
Let's listen in our conversation with Case Keenum. Can you
just explain in simple terms, what this journey's been like
(16:03):
after being a record setting passer at the University of
Houston and now entering year thirteen in the National Football
An amazing journey it has.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
And I don't know, if we have enough time the
High Points podcast, I'll give you the high level from
Houston to Saint Louis to Houston to Saint Louis to
LA to Minnesota, Denver, Washington, Cleveland, Buffalo, Houston, now back
to Chicago. That's that's one quick sentence on on what
it's been. You know, I could add that my wife
(16:34):
is a logistical ninja. She's got the moving company and
the car transporter and the all that on speed dial.
You know, being a proud Texan growing up a son
of a Texas football coach, never thought I'd be anywhere
but but Texas, going to Houston, University of Houston, to school. UH,
(16:55):
to be able to live in all these great cities
around the country and see the things that I've seen,
and like you said, being an undrafted free agent and
not supposed to have one year going into my fourteenth
year where you know, I don't know even what my
stats are and how many games I played, But man,
it's it's really really a gift from God to be
(17:17):
able to be where I am today and to experience
what I have experienced over the last thirteen fourteen years.
It's been unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Eighty games, sixty six tacks.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Just so you know, I got it all. At the
tip of my fingers, I got it all. I also
let me just throw this out there too, and please,
this is out of respect. According to this site spot Track,
which follows everybody's contracts and career earnings, I look at
fifty five million in a career as an undrafted player.
I think that's impressive. And you know, you set yourself
(17:50):
up in your family for a lot of for putting
in all that that work, right.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I mean truly blessed. I don't really do this for
the money. I love ball, I love love what I do.
I love people who I'll get to meet. But yeah,
it's it's unbelievable. I'm playing a kids game, you know.
I just basically never had to grow up.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
In o case.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
You talk about your wife being the queen of logistics.
When you talk about yourself and your career, what do
you still have with you from your rookie year to
your fourteenth year.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
As far as like fundamentals.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
The way that you you know, conceptualize and think about
the terminology and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Well, I'll tell you what popped in my head first
was my rookie year. I saw Andre Johnson come I
was on the practice squad and after a warm up
game he came in and threw away a pair of
his Jordan cleats.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
It goes out of the tracks absolutely, So I still
have those from.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
My rookie year. You know, fundamentals quarterbacking wise, man, you know,
it's just it's hard work, you know, you just you
have to you have to work at it and you
have to come in every day and put everything you
have into it and go home that night and know
you did. And that's confidence. That gives you confidence that
(19:07):
you've done everything you can. But for me, quarterbacking, the
fundamentals of it is just taking care of the football.
That's my number one thing I've always done. So every drill,
every fundamental, everything that I take from, you know, every
year is just what can I do better to take
(19:27):
care of the football and get it where it needs
to go.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
So in my football life, when we used to call
plays in the mid eighties, it was a sentence that
was it, and maybe we had an alert color that
got us to an audible. And now when I listened
to the terminology of one play called in the NFL,
do you like the development of the terminology throughout your
career or do you ever think there's too much terminology
(19:53):
to one play call.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
You know the thing about play calling, and I've been
the actual names of plays. I've been in one hundred
different offenses. Right I'm coming out of college. You know,
we called it early ninety five, you know, and we
didn't even have names for certain plays. We just had
signals because we were all on the ball, no huddle.
I remember being a TV time out in college and
(20:17):
like pointing at guys like, hey, you have this, and
I would signal whatever our signal was for that route.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
You have this, you have this.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Well in the in the NFL, you just call those
plays and you just line up, you know, you tell
the formation, and then you just tell everybody what they have.
You know, X dagg or wi FI across you shallow
have back trail. And you know the thing that they
a lot of coordinators will get to do is they
can call two to three different plays in the in
the huddle, so you tell everybody what to do, where
(20:44):
to line up. Then you say, okay, oh, by the way,
if they line up in this, we're gonna kill this
play and change the formation a little bit or emotion
and then tell everybody else what to do again. So
in a game plan world of NFL playing seventy in eighteen,
you know, playoff twenty two games a year, you have
(21:04):
to mix it up. You have to change it up.
And so when when you can plug and play so
to speak, like different routes into different concepts and you
have a guy at quarterback that can handle that. You know,
sometimes it's it's not a bad thing to tell everybody
what to do all the time. At the same time,
I've seen a shift to where you just call it
(21:24):
a concept like you know, X dagger, U far cross,
WI FI across, you know, with a half back trail
is called you know, old brown shoe or whatever. You know.
I had a coach that said, you know, I'm just
gonna call this old brown shoe. We called to play
old brown shoe. So some guys remember that stuff. Some guys,
you know, have to have a hard time memorizing some
(21:45):
of those things. So that's a long answer probably for
a short question.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Give us one of your play calls conter Ot, which
Dick always left talking about.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
What was I right, red right counterpinch Ot. You know,
you know power forty nine years g O West eighty
eight was a pass, was a protect and the routes
called so but you know, over the over being around
the NFL for almost forty years now, it's just you know,
to see that the terminology change, the whole communication device
(22:12):
in your helmet, all the things.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
I think there's there's uh, there's the West Coast offense,
you know. Then there's a digit system which I think
is version of that. And there's people that are a
lot smarter than me that know all this. But I
kind of view a lot of those as like English
to Spanish when you're learning languages, right, and then there's
other offenses that you're going straight to Mandarin and it's
like the formations are in numbers and it's gone to
(22:37):
outslot sixty six, you know, five to twenty five. That
short post, you know, and that's that is just f
ernie and some it's f arches and others it's it's
it's called four different things, and I start this little
rolodex of you know, I called it, you know, this
play in this format, you know, in this offense, and
I called it this. And there's little details of of
(22:58):
you know, fundamentals and philosophy. Maybe we're reading this high
to low or low to high. Maybe we're a quick
game footwork, maybe we're five step footwork. You know, just
different philosophies that go into that. And then you tie
in protections and run game too. There's a whole another
that's why you love football. While we could talk here
probably for a.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Lot, I know we could, and I love every second
of it.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
I haven't been big enough or strong enough or fast
enough to play this game at any level. So having
a veteran influence is critical. I believe in a quarterback room,
there's plenty of coaches now. Sometimes people say, hey, how
many voices can you have in a starting quarterbacks head?
But everybody brings a little bit something. It's almost like layered, right.
And now you come into the mix here with the Bears.
You have experienced everything, so you can tell kleeb tyson
(23:42):
Bag and whomever. You've been traded three times, you've been waved,
you've been practiced squad, you're undrafted, You've had great success
those back to back years at Minnesota and Denver. You
had some great starts there playoff, man, So is that
valuable to know that you can touch a lot of points?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, I definitely think so. I think that's probably my
greatest asset right now is is experience and having been
in so many offenses, so many situations, so many playoff runs.
Somebody the opposite of that not not great years. So
I know what what good looks like. I know what
not good looks like. And man, I'm really excited for
(24:22):
Caleb and his mindset move. I haven't been here very long,
but one is talent level obviously, and what he can
do to his his mindset and work ethic right now
and what what he is putting in is impressive for
a young man who's mature enough to know what he
knows and what he doesn't know, and he's he's working
(24:44):
at it. So yeah, for me, I know, I'm not
a coach either, like he does. Have plenty of coaches, So.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
I think you're gonna be there one day.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I'm a good sounding board for I love I love ball,
I really do. You've already mentioned that I'm in a
position where I don't have to coach, but I don't
want to, which is great. And we'll see. I'm the
I was the head coach of the semi final Bunker
Hill Expos five and six year old coach pitch team
this year, So that was a good That was a
good coaching and.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Learn a lot and exactly so patients.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Yeah, well, I told somebody the other day, like, I
got a few guys in the team and I think
are closer to my son's age than nine, So I
probably did get some good experience coaching the six and seven,
you know, five and six year olds. But yeah, I
love what I do and I think bright future here
with Ben and Deck and Press and JT all those
(25:35):
coaches that are there on the offensive side specifically for
their quarterbacks and you know, coordinator passing game stuff. So
I love. I love how they're approaching things. I love
the room we're building, the trust, the respect, the chemistry
of the bond we're forming is great.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Well, you know, one of the great things he did
in his career, we touched down to twenty seventeen NFC
Championship game, leading the Bikings to that at a minimum, Tommy,
He's outstanding resource for Caleb Williams Tyson bage in Austin
Reid with those eighty games sixty six starts. And I
just love his approach, how relaxed he is, how fun
he is, and how much he's looking forward to it
(26:14):
still at this point in his life.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
You know, the two things that caught me by surprise
is Number one, he is a garbage picker. He went
and took the shoes out of the garbage that Andre
Johnson put in there, and he still has them.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
I did you know, did Jordan's man? Jordan?
Speaker 5 (26:28):
You know, I have a pair of Adidas that I
got from Dan Marino after the Hula Bowl, and you
think of how long those things last. But then the
one question I asked him was what is he brought
from his rookie year that he still uses in the
NFL today? And he talked about his work ethic, and
I think that's probably the most important trait that you
can pass on to young quarterbacks in the NFL, especially
(26:50):
when you're a free agent and you have the amount
of success he's had. And so I'm joking about the
garbage picker, but I would have done the same thing,
and but the whole being able to be the example
of work ethic, I think is a really important thing
to show all these young guys, not only the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
I really enjoyed the conversation about the play calls, the
descriptions from sentences to gosh knows how long they can
run and what they all mean.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
It's crazy, right, old brown shoe.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I know, I know, I've always felt. I mean, I
don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I don't know how it's going to sound in their
headset this year. I don't know how these in the huddle,
But God, it would seem to me simple is better, right.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
I've always I've always been raised in that train of
thought throughout my years in the NFL, and then you
listen to the development of the language over the last
twenty or thirty years, and I think it's sometimes it's
too complicated, but it's every coach's preference.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Did you ever forget a play call leaving the huddle?
Speaker 4 (27:52):
Never? No, I had more.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
I just you know the thing about it is, when
you're you're in the huddle and they call the play,
you kind of think it your assignments, You think of
here possibly working with you look at the adjustment of
the defense. And the main thing you can't do is
do not forget the snap count, because there's a lot
of times Okay, was it uh so and so on
two was a toss? Thir well, I mean it was
(28:15):
it power thirty four on three?
Speaker 2 (28:17):
So that happened, Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
And then but we all we always had a language
that I could ask Jay or I could ask Corn
the snap count? What was it? You know, we had
everything from red, white, blue, a wrap, a hole, blackfoot, cherokeet.
We had all these different ways of answering each other
without ever giving a word or a signal.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Because if it occurs to me that if you got
dinged up on a play and you're trying to shake
off that pain, and maybe your mind is not completely
dialed in in the huddle at that moment, you're just
trying to see if you can line up against Reggie
White again for another snap, that your mind might you
might shut it might shut off.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Yeah it could.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
But you know, one thing about being having the luxury
of hearing the same snapcount and the same terminology for
that many years. It's like you hear the first couple
words out of the quarterback's mouth and you could finish
the sentence for him.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Oh, I'd be scared out of my mind that I
had heard the wrong thing. I couldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
All right, Let's go to another position battle. Why you
choose defensive tackle? A lot of editions up front, obviously,
but the one big one garnering the attention is Grady
Jarrett's addition, the big presence, the big personality, three or
forty three and a half million dollar deal, and he
comes with a great cachet. But why defensive tackle?
Speaker 5 (29:39):
You know, the reason these question marks came up is
because I was trying to do my own depth chart
before training camp started, and then I started looking at
the defensive tackles and the variety of sizes, abilities, strengths,
weaknesses and concerns, and so, yeah, Grady Jack Grady is
(30:00):
that guy that's gonna be first in line at the
defensive tackle, the you know that position. But then you
got to think of where is Javon Dexter senior at?
What is a Billings gonna do for this offense? Where
is Zach Pickens. Then they drafted a guy that's gonna
come in you there's a lot of uncertainty about him.
At this point, and I do think that the importance
(30:21):
of that position to the success of Dennis Allen. They
got to be productive and they have to offer some
of their own strengths on the inside of this defense.
And you know, how are these guys, you know, day
one of the regular season, how are they gonna line up?
Speaker 1 (30:37):
All?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Right?
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Well, Jared with one hundred and fifty two games, four
hundred ninety six tackles, thirty six and a half sacks,
seventy seven tackles for loss, and one hundred and twenty
five quarterback hits coming now a second year removed from
an ACL so he should be feeling his oats a
little bit with a new team.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
This is a new experience.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
He's going to be dialed in and be a leader
on that front. And an important year for Javon Dexter Senior.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
You touched on it.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
You know what always got me about Jervan First of all,
the length. I love that size, and we've seen plenty
of guys emerge in that category of being the six
sixty sixty seven defensive tackle and cloud in the vision
of the quarterback and being able to to you know, hey,
it's challenged to win that battle a leverage, but you
know that strength that he's added. He has a different
(31:22):
body now, But what always has impressed me is his hustle,
backside pursuit, pursuit downfield at tackle, running back who may
have snuck through the defensive line.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
He's always had that gear.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
And I'm really.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Looking for this and it's not just him, but this
third year, takeoff year, and I've touched on it so
many times. For Javon Dexter Senior, I think he has
a chance to become a star player.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
The thing about I want to see him increase his
versatility and used in multiple positions. Because if you know
exactly each time that you break the huddle, where Grady's
gonna line up, where Javan's gonna line up, where all
these guys are going to line up, then you have
an understanding how to put your pass blocking scheme into
the importance of where these guys are lined up. And
(32:10):
so when you look at guys like Aaron Donald, do
you look at Chris Jones, They can line up over
a tackle, they can line up in the gap in
between the tackle and the guard. So I would like
to see these guys their versatility be used to line
up in different spots, and I just think it can
create confusion for the offensive line, but maybe expose these
(32:31):
guys to what they're good at.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Next to Andrew Billings last season, Javon really things look good.
There was an occupying aspect of it that he was
dealing with. Billings is so strong, but taurs peck and
things changed on that front. The run defense really wasn't
as sharp, So that's something to keep an eye on
as well as past because he had one sack in
the final seven games last season. For Javon all right,
(32:56):
the rookie second round of Shamart Turner comes with a
reputation of being violent, nasty. We're looking forward to this
in training camp, honestly because his temperature runs hot.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
But man, you know, when you talk about Joe Tooney
and Jonah Jackson, you're talking about really upgrading the competition
you're going to go through on a daily basis, whether
one on one's nine on seven team work.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
And so now, when you're a young college football player trying.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
To prove that you belong, then your work ethic, the
effort you give the understanding of what your responsibilities and
assignments are. You got to be able to be good
at those things, or you know you're going to be
left behind. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but
you know we're still at that proving ground for this
(33:44):
young man.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
And Zach Pickens a big year, third round pick, third
year veteran. I believe that groin injury really set him
back last season.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Never got going.
Speaker 5 (33:54):
Yeah, you know, Zach, we know that he's got the explosiveness,
but you know, when you have a new coaching staff,
board is something that you got to prove it every day,
every down, every drill.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And two guys, I'm really impressed with additions we got
to meet up. Chris Williams extremely active in his reps
and productive.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
I don't know how many snaps he had. I don't
have it in front of me, but he always did something.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
He always did something in a game, three tackles for lost,
three sacks, seven eighths on the quarterback, and Jonathan Ford
short time with the Bears off the practice squad of
the Packers played that week against the Packers, made his debut,
had a tackle for loss, and in four games he
got my attention to With a new coaching staff, I'm
not going to dismiss anybody.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
You play hard, you play with your hair on fire,
you're gonna make the roster.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
That's why, like I said, I'm trying to put together
a depth chart, and I'm looking at this position specific specifically.
And then you think about Williams and Ford. Both of
these guys are legitimate NFL players and they belong on
a roster. And if they go out there and they
fight tooth and nail and training camp and then they
started impressing their position code and then all of a
sudden they go out and have good practices against Miami
(35:03):
and the Buffalo Bills shoots. You know, these guys, you know,
their name can be on the active game day roster
as much as any guy that we just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
And like you mentioned, let's not discount the likelihood. I
would say maybe with Dennis Allen being creative upfront making
things difficult for the opposing offensive lines to figure it out.
We got guys like you know, Dominique Robinson, Diowaedengbo Montes,
Sweat could kick inside with Jrvine kicking out.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
I mean, there could be a bunch of that going
on too, right.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
And you know, Daniel Hardy is a guy I don't
think even though they're going to give him a look
see at the linebacker position. He was super impressive throughout
training camp last year, and you know he could capture
the attention to be a versatile player both in a
stance and on his two feet.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
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(36:09):
Chicago Bears.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Let's turn a tight end. It's going to be a
very big topic.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
The twelve personnel, the amount they used in Detroit, the
addition of Colston Loveland, the tenth overall pick to the
senior member of the Bears roster in terms of Bears
years is Cole Comet, entering year six, the dean of
the roster here in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
He's never missed a game.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
Number two among Bears tight ends in history in catches,
number three in touchdowns, number four in yards. He's put
together a career that's impressive already, despite the fact the
Bears have not had a lot of success overall wins.
I'm excited to see these two pair together. Are you
and how are you looking at this tight end position.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
I just think you need a long line of contestants
for the tight end position. You know, you got Carlson,
you got Durham smythe and so you got a lot
of guys that are going to be fighting for playing opportunities.
And when you look at what Colston Lovelan is bringing
aboard in terms of his catch radius, his ability to
play outside, play inside. The more time he gets in
(37:12):
a stance, I think you're going to see this guy
quickly developed. He's played for a really hard coach already
in college when we talk about Harball and so, I
think he's got a lot of things, a lot of traits,
a lot of experience on his side as a young guy.
And when you look at Ben Johnson the way he
likes to use this position, I just think it's going
(37:33):
to be one of the more competitive positions out there.
From the very first day they go to one on
ones to nine on seven to teamwork.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
And Colston obviously coming off an ac joint injury and surgery,
so we'll see where he's at health wise. But Ryan
Pols talked when they drafted him about his competitive nature
but also being very confident in critical situations. Loveland plays
with a certain edges run engine, also runs hot. He's physical,
(38:02):
he's tough. Cole has the same kind of mentality. So
I think even the two of them together, it's going
to be interesting to see these two guys competing with
each other, not against each other.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
I do, and you know what I've said about Cole
all offseason, the most underutilized target that the Bears had
last year. And I think when you have a guy
like Cole, with his attitude and the way that he
wants to make the tight end room better, I think
he's a guy that can make Colston feel the love
and feel that he's a super important part of the team.
(38:35):
And I think that he's a guy that leads by example.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
And the crazy thing, despite all the changes since twenty two,
his seventeen touchdowns are tied for fourth in the NFL
among tight ends, behind George Kittle, Mark Andrews and Travis
Kelcey pretty good company get in the football both that
he's guy middle of the field, Tommy middle of the
field should be a treat to watch.
Speaker 4 (38:56):
He you know, listen, excuse me.
Speaker 5 (38:58):
The longer the longer Ben is here, the better that
Cole is going to get because you think about the
changeover in the offensive system and the offensive coordinator. Again,
since Cole has been here, you don't get that consistency
that you would like to get for him over the
next three to five years. And I think the more
consistency every one of these guys that we're talking about
(39:19):
are going to have an opportunity to increase their NFL value.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Now you mentioned durrem smythe eight year player. We enjoyed
our conversation with him. He brings some personality to the room.
Stephen Carlson always gives great effort. He is a guy
to keep an eye on. Joel Wilson had the attention
of the head coach Ben Johnson when he was asked
about some players that caught his eye.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Likes the way he moves in.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Jordan Murray, undrafted side in January's bounced around one year
at Hawaii for at Missouri State, where he was a
wide receiver. And of course, Wilson joined the practice spart
of the Bears in October of last year after stops
at New Orleans, Buffalo, Green Bay and the Giants. So
all these guys their work, they're working to try and
make a roster spot. I was surprised you didn't bring.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Up left tackle. Is that just a given?
Speaker 4 (40:08):
That's just a given, right.
Speaker 5 (40:09):
We've talked about it at nauseum, and I think that
the competitiveness of that position is going to be looked
at through a microscope and uh, you know, and a
magnifying glass, and every rep is going to be criticized
or complimented. So every one of those guys know what
they got, uh you know what they got on their
(40:31):
shoulders going into training camp, and I think everybody else
does as well.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
We can make assumptions on the secondary. This is one
of mine.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Here is there are nineteen defensive backs on this roster,
all right, all different experience levels. There's some veterans that
are in here that people probably are not paying attention to.
But you got your your presumed top five and Jalen
Johnson and Coyler Gordon and Tyreek Stevenson and Kevin Byron
and Jakwan Brisker. But then you got Terrell Smith, Josh Blackwell.
(40:57):
The fifth thrump picks a frasier elect Hicks with a
lot of experience Samsir Jonathan Owens to our various more
as a special teams demon. Some veterans like Sean Wade,
Nick McLeod and are undrafted rookie and major burns. I mean,
I think this is going to be a fun group
to watch see if somebody emerges.
Speaker 5 (41:16):
And listen with you know, Coach High Tower, Special Teams coordinator,
when you talk about that group of tight ends and
you talk about that group of defensive backs, a lot
of these guys are gonna be maneuverable and how can
they contribute on the special teams as well as what
they have to do to open the eyes of their
position coach and so special teams. You can't understate the
(41:40):
importance of their role on special teams. And every one
of those guys are great athletes, so if they can
offer you something a little special, they increase their chances.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
Good new Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes
with all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity screens
at every seat and room for everyone's roller bag United,
Proud to fly the Chicago Bears and you too. All Right,
we just scratched the surface, believe it or not, Tommy,
our next podcast next week, we'll have a great insight
into what everybody's thinking up there the top brass at
(42:10):
House Hall as we look forward to the start of
training camp under Ben Johnson. We have an idea of
what it might look like, but we won't know for
sure until we see.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
It in action.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Tommy, do you have a right do you have in
your mind's eyeve you close your eyes and think of, well,
what this training camp is going to look like? What
is it?
Speaker 4 (42:27):
What does it.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Appear to be to you?
Speaker 5 (42:30):
I don't know because we haven't been around Ben Johnson,
the head coach. We haven't been around some of these players.
One thing I do want to, you know, put caution
out there is Caleb Caleb is a second year player,
but he's in the first year of a system. So
(42:51):
don't have unrealistic expectations too soon, because it takes time
for every single position to develop their understanding what their
assignments are, understanding, what the terminology means breaking the huddle,
the timing of every route downfield. So it's not like
go out there and then start buying Super Bowl tickets
(43:14):
July twenty third. Let's have some patients and let's will
evaluate and look at where things are. Maybe ten to
fourteen practices into training camp and we'll get a better
understanding what's going on.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
And matchups against Buffalo and Miami and Buffalo, I guess
in that order that also should create quite the It
would be great for training camp. I was hoping to
have one team for two practices, but now as I've
had time to dwell on, I like the two. It's
just like a game week. Then you're preparing for something different.
It's challenging you in a different way. Against two good defenses.
(43:50):
In Miami's defense was highly ranked a year ago, and
again we're not talking. The starters are going to face
the starters in those practices, so it's going to be
a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
We know what Buffalo is like defensively as well.
Speaker 3 (44:01):
Well.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
When the coaches get together, they have a great opportunity
to script the plays, the defenses, the different elements of
the game where they want to see and that they
can have it predetermined, so they know what to look
for and how things are coming along.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
That's going to do it for us.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
We're brought to you by P and C Official Bank
of the Bears, and we're brought to you by middle
Light four time There.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
I'm Jeff Joniek. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Everybody, please subscribe now the Chicago Bears Official app, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Wherever you get your podcast. Speared out everybody,
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