June 10, 2025 • 44 mins
Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer and Jim Miller welcome defensive lineman Grady Jarrett to Bears Weekly and discuss his impact he's made since joining the team as well as what he's aiming to achieve this season.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome in to Bears Weekly, powered by IGS Energy by
Chicago Bears Network Production. Bears Weekly has brought you by
Advocate Healthcare, Let it Go Physical efferently, CD Colladay, Connie's Pizza, IGS.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Energy, and Meller Liked.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Here are your hosts, Jeff Chilniak, aka the Mayor of Bearsville,
and his sidekick Tom the Surfmaster Thayer.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Hey, everybody back with you. I'm talking Bears football here
on Bears Weekly. Last week of OTAs for the Bears
limited though rookies, probably some young players, special teams work.
Father's Day come on up on Sunday, So Happy Father's Day.
Jim Miller and Cole Comet got married over the weekend,
so I saw some pictures of that, So congratulations to
(00:50):
Cole and his new bride. NFL writers still churn it
out copy trying to get a handle on what's to
come in the twenty twenty five season, including the Bears.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
We'll dig you into some of that as well.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Tonight on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Ready to
Go not work with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom
Fair and Jim Middle from Serious XMNFL Radio. I'm Jeff Jonahak.
We'll here tonight from Grady Jarrett. Tom and I visited
with him recently, so we'll explore the Bears defense in
detail tonight. Dan Brillly Jordan tread Up is our producing crew,
and in the ESPN studios, I think for the first time,
(01:22):
we welcome in Jake Santos, the executive producer of the
Bears Radio Network. Eric Ostratski, Good evening, gentlemen, never shortage
of information.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Tom.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I was listening to Jim on Serious XML working in
the yard this afternoon, and I was rolling because you know,
these fans are They're great.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Fans are great. We're first couple weeks of June.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Here, we're still a bit of a way from the
start of training camp, and everybody is. They're lit up,
they're just ready to go. They're ready to talk, discuss, argue.
And you're not too shy a boy jumping in the
pool with him.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Jim, No, not at all, not at all, because this
is what we do every single day. And you know,
I remember a lot of things, you know, I remember
certain callers that call in and are adamant about their beliefs.
But hey, fans can get it wrong, just like gms
get it wrong, say on the selection of a quarterback.
(02:15):
There's been numerous teams that have got it wrong. Bears
are one of them. There's other teams that have got
a wrong. There's no harm, no hot foul. You got
to keep on taking swings at the plate until you
get your guy. And hopefully Caleb Williams is that guy
for the Chicago Bears. But yeah, there was a call
that called in was adamant about their quarterback, and boy,
(02:35):
they quickly jumped ship and they were pointing towards this
year rather than last year when they were banging the
druma about their guy that they believed was the guy.
And now they quickly moved away from that guy. But
if gms do that, they're fired. Coaches are fired, players
are fired, gms are fired. All new regimes are brought in.
(02:57):
And so that's great for fans to say that I
had home on their lawnmower, but they're not getting fired, right.
So jobs get lost and families get moved in. It's
a big business.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
What you know whatmmy one thing about the NFL.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
So there are stories they start Jaira Alexander, the linebacker
from Cincinnati. So those are things that the fans pay
attention to, whether it's in your city or if they're
just fans of the NFL. But I also think it's
probably one of the more important times of the year
that's gonna dictate the success and failure of a player's
career because everything that happens from the draft until the
(03:35):
last ota, you have an itinerary, you have a schedule,
you're inside the building, you're learning about your football team
and all the elements that are involved, from the weight
room to the cafeteria, to the on field requirements, to
the new offense and defense that's being installed. But now
you have a six week opportunity and what are you
gonna do with it? And the great Clyde Emrick used
(03:57):
to say, it takes you two days to get out
of shape and two weeks to get in shape. So
don't come back to camp thinking that you're going to
have time to be you know, get yourself in shape
before you become competitive. Then it's gonna you're you're gonna
see the season in your rear view mirror. And then
the same thing with your tablet. If you can take
your tablet home and you can invest a lot of
(04:18):
time in studying this information, so you hit the ground
running when training camp starts again.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I do think it's one of the most.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
Important times of a player's career that they control themselves
and they don't have somebody looking over their shoulder. So
when you say we got one more week of OTAs
when they get ready to go home, it's not about
a six weeks vacation. You can have some ZID vacation time,
but make sure you're staying prepared for what's required of
(04:49):
you from the very first morning you get back to
training camp.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Basic Basically, you're saying you got to be a self starter.
You got to be a self starter when you when
you leave the building. You got to rely on your
execution and your discipline. Now I got to ask both
of you guys, because you guys didn't have tablets back
in the day. So whatever off season, did you spend
a lot of time watching film? The actual film? Did
(05:14):
you guys do this or what did you guys do well?
Speaker 6 (05:16):
For me, I was fortunate to be in the system
for so long that you kind of went right back
to muscle memory. So we spent more time in the
facility lifting weights with our teammates in inside old Hallis Hall,
which was the size of a wedding reception hall.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
It wasn't like where they have now.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
So we were still around each other and we had
a lot of football conversation, and we were encouraging each
other in the weight room, and.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We were under the guidance of Clyde Emrick.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
So we had that part of it offered to us
that made us a closer team and better players. Nowadays,
it seems like everybody scatters and they go in a
thousand different directions. So yeah, the requirements of what the
coaching staff is going to expect of you is going
to be proven within the first three days you get
(06:08):
back to camp.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Jim, if you had a tablet back in the day,
would you have been even more prepared or it was
the tape in the building enough.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
No, I think I'd be more prepared because it's with
you all the time now, so you could actually take
the tablet out to say a football field where you're
working and maybe go through a script. That's what I
used to do. We watched all the tape like during
the OTAs and the mini camps, because again back in
the day, we just had a rookie mini camp and
(06:40):
a veteran mini camp, and then you were gone, but
you watched all that tape before you left the building.
But what I would do is i'd take the scripts.
So I'd take the scripts home with me, and what
I would do is then i would go out to
a football field and I'd say, all right, we're going
to run you know, eighty two dig and it says
(07:02):
on the script what coverage it's going to be, and
so i'd just simulate the play. I would go through
my reads what coverage it is, and then i'd throw
out scenarios. All right, let's say it's we'll do cover two.
Now we'll do cover six, you know, so I just
throw out different coverages. Where would I go in this scenario?
So I'd go through the script. So then I would
simulate drives. So you have your first and second down,
(07:26):
like when you're doing your inside run, that you go
through all the footwork in that period. Then you'd go through,
you know, your your team period for run, play action
pay plays. I would go through all my footwork and
that would I'd be thinking what I audible any plays
against the defense we were against. Then I'd go through
all of seven on seven because that's all passing stuff.
(07:46):
I'd want to know all the coverages, what are my drops,
what would I check to all those types? And then
you got your team period. So you just roll through
the scripts and it's going to give you a lot
of different looks.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Who are you throwing to?
Speaker 5 (08:01):
High school kids?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
You could start plucking guys off the street.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
With Yeah, I'd go up to old high schools and
guys would be out there working out for their high
school saying, man, you mind catching some footballs?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (08:13):
They were up for it, and that's what you do.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
That's great, that's awesome. That's that's good old fashioned football
right there. Uh, Tommy, did you ever run the hill
with Walter Payton?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I never did.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
I never wanted to because I heard so many horror
stories of guys showing up and kind of challenging him
inside the locker room and he was saying, Okay, just
show up and we'll run it. And there's a lot
of guys that he left in.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
In the dust.
Speaker 6 (08:40):
And but you know the thing about Walter, when he
went to run the hill, he was taped up, he
was spatted, he had his uh kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
His running uniform onm that he put on and.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
He took it really serious and had those spikes in
his shoes that were grabbing into that hill. And listen, Jeff,
if you weren't really honestly ready and prepared and understood
how to run that hill, there wasn't a lot of
guys that were able to do it. So one off
(09:13):
season I went down to Houston and when my buddy
from college, Larry Morty was Larry Moriarty was playing for
the Houston Oilers. They had a forty yard ramp that
was covered an astro turf, And so I went through
a series of a couple weeks of running this incline
with these guys, and they did a bunch of different
(09:33):
drills to lengthen your stride, to shorten your stride, to
power and all that. And so I knew it wasn't
the same as Walter's hill because his was a lot harder,
a lot longer, and you know, Walter was Walter Payton.
But when I went down and I was kind of
encouraged and excited to be around some other guys from
another football team, it was kind of neat to do.
(09:55):
But Walter, no, and I've, like I said, I heard
a lot of Horset. He's about guys leaving before the end,
before Walter was done, and I think it kind of
encouraged Walter a little bit more to leave these guys
in the dust.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, no question, Jim, what's the craziest training that you
ever did? Like, maybe it would be out of the
norm that others would say, ah, you come on, you
didn't do that. I know it's different for a quarterback.
You know, you're throwing passes, you're staying in shape. But
anything crazy you did in an off season, as you remember,
or somebody recommended something, I mean it nowadays it could
(10:35):
be you know, it could be anything. Could be pilates,
could be boxing, could be I mean, whatever, did you
do anything crazy?
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Well?
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Greg Lloyd got me into tea or taekwondo. He was
a black belt in taekwondo. I mean it did help
me in flexibility, but I was like learning patterns and
stuff to get another belt, and I was like, man,
what am I doing here? You know, let's just go
throw the ball. You know, I'm doing like back kicks
and stuff. I'm like, who am I going to be
back kicking? Dropping back on a seven step trump?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
You know?
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Sons like enough, But what am I doing?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
All Right? Greg?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
This was this may work for Greg Lloyd, who's going
after people, but it wasn't. It wasn't the best thing
for me.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
So it was a bust.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, it was a buzz. All right.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
When we come back, we'll talk some serious Baul. We'll
talk with Grady Jarrett. He's coming up next, the Bear's
new defensive tackle. Here on ESPN Chicago and the Bears
Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Face is Bears Weekly with the voice of the Bears
for twenty four years, Chef y Chef on the Bear's
Radio Network.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Man.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
This segment of Bears Weekly he brought to you by
Igs Energy, Jeff johonny X, Tom Bear, and Jim Otter
from Serious x MNFL radio tenure Atlanta Falcon. Now a
first year Chicago Bear defensive tackle, Grady Jarrett kind enough
to sit down with Tom and I recently, and I
brought it up to him that when Tom scouting reports
when the Bears played the foul Fulkins were always about Jared,
(12:02):
like whenever he fa the Bears meant he was going
to be the most difficult assignment. And in three games,
couple of sacks, six tackles, the stuff, three quarterback hits,
three tackles for lost and a pass break up against
the Bears in those three games in which Grady Jarrett
won two. So that was my entree into the conversation
with a veteran defensive tackle along with Tommy. It's going
(12:23):
to be a problem, Jeff, and you have been a
problem for opposing offenses. Now you can be a problem
for us in a good way. How good does that
sound to you that somebody you know looks at you
that way?
Speaker 7 (12:35):
Man, This sounds amazing.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
You know.
Speaker 7 (12:37):
It's just respect, you know, and always one of the
way the way that I played the game to stand out,
and I think it has and I just want to
continue to get better every year, you know. So I'm
excited to be playing for the Bears now, you know,
bring that energy, that that that that passion to to
Chicago and try to go get some wins, to go dominate.
Speaker 6 (12:53):
As line of scrimmish, did you always know your template
was going to be successful in the NFL? And what
I'm saying is you talk about the changes, You're not
going to become taller, but so your size has been
an asset to you.
Speaker 8 (13:07):
Do you feel that?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (13:08):
Absolutely, absolutely, Being a shorter defensive tackle. Knowing the things
that I needed to be better at where my some
knowing your limitations or is a strength as well, because
you know, I'm gona have to be a little quicker,
I'm to be a little faster, a little stronger, and
that has contributed to to my game and so uh so, yeah,
there's no secret about you know, the things that you know,
(13:29):
whether it's scouting or people try to hold against me.
But you know, I only can control what I can control,
and I can make the most.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Out of the things that I can.
Speaker 7 (13:36):
And I feel like I've done a really good job
for myself up to this point, and I would just
want to continue to get better, you know here now
going in this is to year eleven in a new
place with new teammates, and I'm ready to just you know,
go go dominate.
Speaker 8 (13:48):
Did you ever compare notes with Aaron Donald?
Speaker 7 (13:50):
Uh?
Speaker 8 (13:50):
Did you ever compare notes?
Speaker 6 (13:52):
You guys have a similar explosiveness, size and everything.
Speaker 7 (13:57):
But I mean people always love to throw our name
in there every time I every time I do something good,
somebody has bring him up every time. So so I
mean it's you kind of set the tone. Yeah, for
so for sow for show. But no, I definitely know
respect to respect everything about him. But I think just
that that that the shorter, quicker defensive tackle that's explosive,
(14:17):
like a play sideline, the sideline. It's kind of the
thing with people talking about when they speak about it.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I got a question for you, as a former NFL
starting guard, how would you deal with Grady?
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Because I always ask him, I hate ooh.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
The guy that kept jepping that he was always Reggie White.
Reggie White kept YEPI nit right.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
Yeah, oh yeah, but Reggie White's size and power and everything. Yeah,
in terms of I don't know how I would ever
win leverage against you, because I mean, I'm not that
much taller than you. But again your explosive, this how
low to the ground you're inate ability to understand the
rhythm of a snap count. So I would be thinking
(14:54):
about all these types of things of.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Worry about getting him getting on your edges.
Speaker 6 (14:59):
But I would beg the guard, the tackle and the
center that I'm playing next to.
Speaker 8 (15:03):
If Grady is in that gap, at least give me
leave early.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Don't leave to early.
Speaker 7 (15:08):
And they like to get on me clearly like they
like to try to give me before I get going.
So I got to give myself a space off the
ball a good bit of time, and uh, if I
do crowd the ball sometimes for a good reason. So
I kind of at this point know where the guys
try to try to try to stop me pretty good,
like they like versus like chest punches. They try to
punch me like in the face, nick area type, because
(15:28):
it's like the it's it's it's stuff that they be trying.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
But the work, you know, you.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
Can't that the helmet to the bottom, the tin strapped
now they get them right.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
So, because you have so much experience in the league,
do you pay attention to any of the conversation of
the offensive lineman or the way they're kind of acting
in the huddle in preparation for mens something necessarily they're
gonna do to you, but what they're gonna do, uh
in the next player down.
Speaker 7 (15:56):
You definitely pick up a little bit of dialects sometime,
like calls and they'll give you a fake call sometime.
I they act like they're about to do W and
they'll be like double double and they'll try to run
a track play of something to get me going up field,
and uh, but I think more than anything, you just
got to really study your tape and really just trust
your instincts, because if you get too caught up and
trying to listen to for trying to cheat code every time.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
You could, you can mess yourself up, sleep s up down.
Speaker 7 (16:20):
So and then just like us on defense, I'm sure
they changed calls sometimes the week to week. So if
you get a beat on something, it'll help you, maybe
a couple of players a game. But it ain't nothing
that you want to hang a hat on all games
just because it's it never stays the same.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I know this is almost cliche nowadays in the scouting world,
and I follow that considerably, the phrases and the and
the terminology.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
But you guys are both heavy heavyweight wrestlers.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Back in the day, ye, it's significant. It's important. I
look at offensive line.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
If they get a wrestler, I know, we got we
got some good hand fighting, we got some strength. They
care about the weight room, the leverage. It is that beneficial.
Was that beneficial?
Speaker 7 (16:58):
I absolutely think it was definite. It was beneficial. Being
a wrestling high school. I think just the principles of it,
whether it's just from the mindset just disciplined mindset of competing.
Like you said, the training is different, you know, the
competition is different. You only got, you know too, three
rounds of like two minutes, so it's like you're pushing
yourself to the max, you know what I'm saying, to
try to be another man one on one, you know
(17:20):
what I'm saying. And then just the principles that you
learn from movement, leverage, stuff like that just kind of
naturally trans over to the football field, especially for linemen.
And and so I think that's something that I was
like redirected in through coming up through school. I never
was like I want to be in a wrestling team.
The truth of the matter was I was trying to
be on the basketball team in middle school and got.
Speaker 8 (17:40):
Cut, unlike Michael Jordan got.
Speaker 7 (17:46):
So I pivoted went to wrestling, and it's really helped
me in my football career.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Everything happen for a reason.
Speaker 7 (17:52):
And I'm a big advocate of you know, wrestling, even
I mean even just as you know, child development. I
think it helps them with the confidence and gets competing
doing some doing some stuff and you know, just learning
how to protect yourself a little bit. Sometime you get grappling.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
So I mean, it's just awesome.
Speaker 6 (18:08):
So your dad played in the NFL great linebacker from
the Atlanta Falcons. First, what did he teach you about
how to play the position? And does he tell you
that the defensive tackle position is the most important to
middle linebackers success?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Not necessarily?
Speaker 7 (18:24):
You know, our relationship growing up was good. I didn't
grow up in the same householders and so we really
didn't talk ball much at all, if ever, but he
had to have a great, great career with the Falcons,
and I was super super cool to be able to,
I guess, play for the same team he did. How
it happened was really crazy, like a like a note
like because a lot of people never knew that. I
(18:45):
was like, yeah, no, son, and so so just this
is cool. How you know, how fun a god works
and put things together. So it was pretty cool. And uh,
but I mean just watching him just play the game
was really good. My biggest kind of influence from a
former player standpoint probably was like ray Lewis with somebody
who was close in my life that I watched to
just you know, be the best at what they doing
(19:07):
play in the middle linebacker position, and just one of
the best players ever played the game, and the way
he went about his business and just.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
You call him uncle.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, we're real tight and so
so I was able to work out with him a
lot growing up and with his sons and stuff like that.
So that was that was cool and it definitely contributed
to my career. Why number fifty, Uh, number fifty was
my first number that I had playing football and then
for the Rockdale Patriots, so so I literally kind of
(19:39):
went through the numbers like they changed up a little bit.
I had fifty a couple of times, and then when
I started playing playing in high school, it was like
one of the and I was a I was a
guard slash defensive lineman. So I didn't want like a
nineties number because I had to play guard too, so
I didn't want to wear like no. Sixty numbers. But
the fifties was open. The fifty was right there, so
I let him get fifty. So I really wore fifty
all the way through high school through college, and then
(20:01):
when I first got in the league, it really wasn't
letting the linemen wear fifties until like a couple of
years after that. So but ninety seven was open, like
only ninety numbers. So that's how I got ninety seven
in Atlanta, you know, fell fell in love with that
made of my own.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
And then well, Patrick Kearney were before me. He was
balling up in the A.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
So but and then I had the opportunity to do
to come here, and and Andrew Bidams already was ninety
seven and all the other ninety numbers were kind of
taken and fifty was open. So I was like, maybybe
you know, a full circle moment, go back to fifty.
But then I wanted to check and make sure because
I know Mike Singletary were fifty here, so I'm like,
let me make sure it's not like a thing or
(20:37):
like see like you know, if it's like a retired
to what's the what's the parameters? So I acts and
I I looked at him, but I've seen guy's wearing
been wearing fifty for the past couple of years, so
I'm like, okay, cool, So I ain't really you know
nothing much about it. So I was like, shoot out,
I would like to wear fifty, and so cool, let
me get fifty. And then from there then I started
getting like people like why isn't fifty retired.
Speaker 8 (20:57):
I'm like, look.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Nobody said nothing else.
Speaker 8 (21:00):
Is nobody about fifty?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Then I could get fifty.
Speaker 7 (21:02):
But I can understand, you know, being like a top
defensive player come to get it. So I mean, I
know what, I know what the weight hold and I
definitely will definitely understand the significance of it. And just
give me motivation try to be my best. You know
what I'm saying, And I know that means a lot
to Bears fans, So that you know that I gotta
go do what I gotta do to represent.
Speaker 8 (21:17):
Well it looks good on you and Singletary.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Would be proud.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah yeah without that time Walder Payton and Mana he
Black for Walder Peyton. So coming like you said, meant
to be without without it, I believe in here without it.
Speaker 7 (21:32):
I mean I couldn't. I couldn't think about think about
being in a better place right now.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
Man.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
I mean just I mean, it's it's just so much
transition to happen and I don't even know for my
football career, but in life too. And it's been it's
been good. And like I said before, it's been refreshing
and I'm not gonna let this opportunity slip.
Speaker 8 (21:48):
Got refreshing for us as well.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yep, yeah, I tell you, Tommy, And I think I
said this early in that interview that I edited some
of it out but for time constraints. But he's probably
I'm most intrigued of the veteran additions by this player,
just because of what he means in the locker room,
what he's going to mean for that defensive line, and
(22:12):
the energy he'll bring the training camp and.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Practice and every day.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
He's a fun guy and he's a full go every
single day.
Speaker 6 (22:20):
Well, you know there's a couple guys like Javon Dexter, Senior,
Zach Pickens and even sher Are the new guy we drafted.
All these guys can learn a little bit from him,
not only how to prepare yourself during practices, how to
prepare yourself for the game, how to become a better
football player, and he leads by example.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
And two things I would have liked to ask.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
Him is the influence of Ray Lewis the wrestler on him,
and if he could ever take a guy like Gable Steveson,
who was a great wrestler from University of Minnesota who
tried out for Buffalo last year and didn't make it.
Could he take a great wrestler and turn him into
a great football player? So remember those questions for the
next time we get to talk to him.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
All right, maybe Jim can answer that as well. Wrestlers
turned to football players. There's a lot of them. Oh yeah,
it's the leverage. It's got to be the strinth. But
you got to have the medical capacity to handle this
sport as well and the feat.
Speaker 8 (23:15):
Right, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
I always bring up Carlton Hasselrigg. He was a you know,
a guy was a world record holder and he was
basically on a practice squad essentially back in the day.
He basically just developed year one and then his second
year he became a starter and was all pro. I mean,
this guy could snatch and just throw people to the ground.
(23:37):
But the numerous wrestlers is time to point it out.
I mean, look at Tristan Wurfs. There's just a ton
of offensive linemen that they just really no leverage if
they have a really a wrestling background where they really
excel at the at the game of leverage.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
You know, you look at guys like Matt Suey, Jay Hilgenberg,
John Wojahowski, Jimbo Covert. They were all great wrestlers throughout
their time in Heights Hole and Olan. Yeah, and it
all translated to being a great football player. And a
lot of it has to do with you is your
hard work ability, because it's a hard working sport.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Winning in the trenches that helps that man oman o
type of activity that you have to beat the guy.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
Across from the and the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
All right, we'll dig deeper into the defensive line and
the defense in general, go through each player and see
how they outfit for the Bears this training camp approaches.
This is Bears Weekly on a ESPN one thousand of
the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Rainio Network.
Here's your host, the Voice of the Bears, Jeff Joy.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
This segment of Bears Weekly.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
It is brought to you by Atletico Physical Therapy. Visit
Atletico dot com their question in clinic or virtual deployment
that started feeling better tomorrow? I just heard from the
Bears new defensive tackle Grady Jared' So let's look at
the rest of the defensive line.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Guys.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Let's let's see how it stacks up head of the
training cap. There's there's a lot of guys on the
line of scrimmage, the guys we're most familiar with and
could see being in the rotation as starters and uh
getting some relief from some of these backups. But you
got Montest Sweat and again no depth charts. So this
is just just me talking Montest Sweat and Dio adang
(25:22):
Bo on the edges, Javon Dexter Senior, and Grady Jarrett
on the inside. They'll be competition, they'll be you know,
let's see who starts where. Andrew Billing, certainly in early
downs is a is a weapon, was outstanding against the
run last year.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
The run game suffered with his absence last year.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
And then in the rotation Shamar Stewart, Zach Pickens and
then two gentlemen that.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
I A'm gonna keep an eye on now. The old
staff really liked what they had to do.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Let's find out what Dennis Allen thinks about the play
at Chris Williams and Jonathan Ford. Jonathan Ford was a
late season addition, had some really good efforts in there,
good games, and Chris Williams surprised us.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
All season long.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
So let's just start with that group for starters and
how it all stacks up and what Dennis Allen Tommy
will start with you could could do with this kind
of rotation of talent here.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
They're all different types of players.
Speaker 6 (26:12):
Yeah, you know, and I think down a distance is
going to be very specific about what they can contribute
on the defensive line and how many plays they can play.
Because if you look at a guy like Andrew Billings,
he's a legitimate zero technique run stuffing noseguard that can
take on multiple blockers. But I think Dennis Allen wants
guys that can get upfield. So is he able to
(26:35):
trans to transfer his game to the style of what
Dennis Allen wants. You know that Gravon Dexter Senior and
Grady Jarrett and Turner, these guys got the explosiveness to
get upfield and we'll see how that plays a part
and their role on this team. And then you got
Zach Pickens. Here's a guy that shows he's had some explosiveness.
(26:59):
Now he's got a develop that type of trade into
an effective interior style of play. And then when you
talk about the outside guys, Montes and Dio. Yeah, you
have those guys, but you can't live life in the
NFL with two outside rushers.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
If you don't have.
Speaker 6 (27:16):
A minimum of four, it's gonna be tough for you
to really translate into a good exterior pass rushing football
team if you're expecting two guys to take a bulk
of the work. And so when you talk about every guy,
they're going to develop what their traits are, what their
assets are, and how they can get better in the
(27:39):
style and the demands of Dennis Allen.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Yeah, I think you know it's gonna be down in distance.
Guys are going to have to earn it. I think
Dennis Allen has a good idea about what he thinks
guys can do. But once the pads are on, I
think that's gonna dictate it and guys will be competing
for jobs. And I do think it'll be a rotational
type of thing where guys are gonna earn snap counts.
(28:06):
And again, you don't want to wear guys out either.
You know, you know they're gonna have to have a
good rotation because that's just where kind of the NFL
is now, with especially four man fronts, you see a
lot of teams rolling, they're gonna roll eight guys in there. Essentially.
Look at Buffalo, look at a lot of the four
man teams out there, they're rolling guys through. And I
(28:28):
would think the Bears, because really, really, Montese sweat. Does
anybody else have the credentials that say that they dissowe
they're guaranteed to start opposite him? No, I don't think
anybody's credential. You know, that's kind of gonna have to
be earned. And I would think upfront, other than what
Tom said about Andrew Billings say on first and second
down stopping the run, yeah, I think Grady Jarrett has
(28:50):
earned it. No names after that, though, you know, those
guys got to earn it.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Yeah, and then the others on the edges.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Dominie Robinson certainly got some good pray from head coach
Ben Johnson is somebody that surprised him during the OTA
session of the offseason program. Austin Booker, second year, still
very young, flashed, has the length, likely needs to add
some more weight.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Not sure where that's at.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
And Daniel Hardy, who, as I proclaimed many times, really
turned my head throughout the preseason here or not the preseason,
the offseason just by how he looks and the fact
that they're taking a look at him as well to
compliment him at a strong side linebacker as well as
rush the passers, certainly special teams. Then you get some
(29:35):
guys to check out. These are in the checkout department
guys at training camp. Rookie Xavier Carlton. He's six six
seventy three, so he he fits the bill in terms
of measurements. Jammery Croma, who was on the practice squad
last year as an undrafted rookie and then undrafted rookie
six three sixty four. Jeremy Robinson, he's out of Kansas.
Played with Austin Booker last year, so there's a there's
(29:58):
a lot to dig through.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
You know.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
One thing about the defensive line in Dennis Allen, because
we're all going to get to know him once training
camp starts, is the versatility that all these guys offer
to me. I've been a big believer that ya Von
Dexter Senior could play outside, he could play edge on
first and second down, and it seems like that's one
of the things that Dennis Allen often says, is that
(30:20):
you got to be able to stop the run. If
you want to rush the passer. So I think if
you're talking about Austin Booker, if he is in there
on first down, he's got to show that he has
the power to leverage and the getoff ability to be
able to stop the run if they want to intentionally
run the ball at him.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
And so all these.
Speaker 6 (30:39):
Guys, even Dio, he can play inside, but he can
play outside as well, and he's got the similar template
to what you just mentioned, the six six two seventy
pound frame.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
The length.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Dennis Allen love speed, but he loves length, big long
linear players as well, and they are going to off
the line of scrimmage. You get upfield no No, No
two gap and looking Jimmy, they're going they're coming after you.
All right, we're gonna take a break. Well, hold that thought.
We gotta take a break. We come back. We got
Tom Stotts and we'll get some gym starts as well.
That segment coming up next here on Bears Weekly on
(31:14):
a ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network. Welcome
back to Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousands of the
Bears Radio Network. Jeff Joniyac, Tom There and Jim Miller,
as we continue to look at the Bears.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
In time for Tom Stoughts. Jim, we know we love
Tom Stotts.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
He pens some today, We're gonna fire through them preseason
playing time. He's not even waiting for the start of
training camp. He's not waiting to the interview. He wants
to know what can we do to answer the questions
with preseason playing time? Tom take it from there. What
are your expectations? Listen, it's gonna be really important. And
I don't think anybody out there. Maybe Jim's talking about
(31:51):
a guy like Montes Sweat or Grady Jarrett, but they're
trying to learn a new system. The coaches are trying
to learn a little bit something about them. They're trying
to instill install a system and how that's gonna fit
into the regular season.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
So do the.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
Practices or the combined practices they go tell them enough
so they don't have to play them in preseason games,
Or do you have to take a guy like Caleb
and DJ and Rome and Colston and these guys and
play them a little bit more because they're not familiar
with each other, and Ben's trying to get to know
them a little better. I think it's gonna be really
(32:26):
interested when you're talking about a new coaching staff installing
the new system with three preseason games.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
And how do you how do you satisfy what you
think these players.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
Need before they go out on a Monday night football
field against the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Yeah, especially bid the battles, you know, the battle left
tackle for one strong side linebacker.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
How are you gonna divvy up that stuff?
Speaker 3 (32:51):
You know it'll be it'll be interesting because, like you said,
it's a first time head coach.
Speaker 6 (32:57):
What do you do with a guy like Jakwan Brisker?
Do you play him in the pre season? Do you
not play him in the preseason? Here's a guy that
hasn't been on a meaningful football field in almost the year.
So you know, there's just a little decisions that you
have to make that are going to factor out in
the big picture of this football team. Because you have
a bye week in five weeks after the start of
(33:17):
the regular season, so you got to get these guys
ready to roll from week one.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
They'll be logging a lot of snap totals, I mean,
whatever isn't covered or how much they've played in practice,
and maybe how they're evaluated that they're going to know, Hey,
we need to get this guy more work with this
guy is not maybe a player X isn't caught up
on some of the calls that we need defensively, we
need to see him in more live action, or they
(33:47):
need we need to increase their practice time. That's all
going to be evaluated where you know, Dennis Allen and
the defensive line coach, I'm going to say, all right,
Montes Sweat is right where he needs to be is conditioning,
where it is he's on point with the playbook and
the calls. And then of course there's individually and then
(34:07):
there's collectively as a unit that hey, we need to
be more together as a unit. Now, can that be
done in practice time or maybe, like Tom said, maybe
it's live action. It's got to be pre season action
where the pads are on, it's full tackling, and we
need to see these guys perform as a unit together
(34:30):
making the calls that they need so they get used
to one another and they get used to this new system.
So you know, it may be logging more more. You know,
the kid gloves kind of got to come off. It's
the old story. Or do we worry about injury, Well,
you better worry about whether they can function as a
unit because those early games are going to mean a lot.
Speaker 6 (34:50):
You know, one thing about it is your early opponents too,
they're going to be doing some research and development about
how they're going to gain plan against you. And if
they feel that you have susceptibility to a new system
that's being installed and you're doing things good or you're
doing things not so good, those are.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Gonna be the guys looking at you early also.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
All right, then my next one kind of I reduced it, Tommy,
for purposes of time. What are your expectations, respectively, Jim
and Tom of the top.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
Three picks, Let's do the top four picks.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
Tight end Colston Lovelin, Luther Burden the third receiver, Ozzie
Tapilo on the offensive line, and Reuben Hippolyte the second
the fourth round Pike at linebacker.
Speaker 6 (35:33):
Tom go ahead, Uh, you know, I think every one
of these guys, first of all, they have to impress
the coaches enough to be able.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
To make the team.
Speaker 6 (35:41):
But once they make the team, how are their reps
gonna be decided? Is Luther Burden a type of a
guy that can come in here and be an asset
at the receiver position to give the quarterback more options
or give Ben Johnson a little bit more versatility within
the offense. Is Colson Loveland gonna be up the speed
after recovering from an injury to go out there and
(36:04):
do the multiple components that a.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Tight end can do for a football team.
Speaker 6 (36:08):
In asie Trapillo is, you're going to take a guy
that is a right offensive tackle and can he Is
he a good enough athlete to go out and play
left tackle? You have to have certain traits and you'll
be able to see those things within the first couple
of weeks of training camp, I believe. And then you know, linebacker,
(36:29):
running back, defensive tackle. Those are guys that are gonna
be involved in reps. They're not gonna hold down a
singular position. They're gonna be a part of a rotation.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Right, I mean the leaf turnaround. We talked about him early.
Go ahead, gimmy, yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
But you know those guys won. Their health is going
to determine it too. Obviously Loveland hasn't been in there,
he hasn't been practicing, and so he's behind. You know,
there's really no other way to say it. You know,
we'll see how quickly he can get caught up at camp.
I do like Luther Burden. I think he's a guy
that could be a burner, take the top off the
(37:05):
defense type of thing, and he will have a critical
role in certain situations minimum that he can help out
the offense. And I think we know how competitive left
tackle is, so Trepillo is a guy to keep your
eye on. I just think the as we know that
the door is open there at left tackle. If I
were Trapillo, I would be salivating coming to Bears camp
(37:28):
right now. I mean I would be in my playbook
doing everything I can, whatever weight room stuff I gotta do.
I would be just a mad man. As soon as
you know the Bears leave their you know, when they're
able to leave the facility and go back home. Because
if I'm Trpillo, for me or any of these or keys,
it's time to get the work. Because first impressions mean everything,
(37:51):
and I would want to make a good first impression,
especially at a position that potentially is up for grabs.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
Somebody send me a message. As a Bears fan, he
loves the pick of Hippolyte compared him in some sense,
believe it or not, this is a name from the past,
but Nick Bonakhani, who was a thirteenth round draft pick
by the Boston Patriots in the Old American Football League
and made it to the Miami Dolphins and one of
(38:19):
the best linebackers, went to.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Notre Dame and wore my number.
Speaker 8 (38:23):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Always a tie in, Jim. He's got a tie into everything,
no question about it. One more segment to go after
this break on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network.
Here's your host, the Voice of the Bears, Jeff Joan.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
This segment of Bears Weekly brought to you by it
whyt to Go Physical Therapy visited, let go dot to
request it in clinic or virtual deppointment at Start Cleaning
Better tomorrow. Final segment close it out with some thoughts.
The NFL dot COM's digital content editor, Jeremy Berman, penn
to piece this morning on just how long it took
franchises to turn things around just win a playoff game,
(39:09):
and it's always an education when you dive in like this,
and is just again underscoring how hard it is to
win in the National Football Buffalo in twenty seventeen made
the playoffs for the first time in eighteen years. Cleveland
won a playoff game with the first time in twenty
three years in twenty twenty twenty twenty one, Cincinnati won
its first playoff game in thirty one years, and of course,
(39:30):
the Detroit story twenty twenty three won their first playoff
game in thirty two years. So there are six teams,
including the Bears, that have not made the playoffs in
the last four years. That's a minimal amount of time.
Though the Bears have not won a playoff game since
twenty ten. Atlanta, Carolina, Indy, New Orleans Jets and the
Bears like to break that streak and get in the playoffs.
(39:52):
And with a new coach and some surprise sucker punches,
you could throw to some opponents and get some early wins,
pocket some wins and if everything comes together.
Speaker 4 (40:02):
There's a lot of ifs.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
There, But do you feel do you feel better about
it than you did before you knew Ben Johnson and
what he was going to be like as a head
coach already because we're seeing a lot of positives.
Speaker 6 (40:13):
I feel that Ben Johnson has the talent to mold
into a playoff competitive football team, although the division is
really a difficult division. We're not talking like some of
those other teams that are starting from the basement and
trying to amass enough talent to put him on the
competitive level. I think the Bears have the talent to
be competitive.
Speaker 5 (40:34):
This should be one of the probably one of the
more talented offenses the Bears have ever had, in my opinion,
they have a lot of things that they should be
able to do very well. It's going to be how
quickly the young quarterback picks it up, how quickly he
grows the volume he's able to handle. Because I do
(40:55):
think that the Bears offense is going to have to
really cover for the Bears defense for a little bit.
That's you know, I know Bears fans, Monsters of the
Midway and all the things, but hey, this team finished
twenty seventh in the league at stopping the run and
they've been held the task over and over again just
due to poor offenses throwing them to the Wolves with
(41:17):
three and outs left and right. For once. I think
this Bears offense has to protect the Bears defense for
a while, and it's really going to be dependent on
Caleb Williams to be up and running early for that
to happen, for the Bears to have success early in
their season.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Interesting points on both ends. All right, Tommy, you you
in a break said you had something. We're talking about
off season and all that, and what you guys did.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
You said you would receive off season gifts.
Speaker 5 (41:48):
From Golden domers got paid like that. What's that talking about, tom.
Speaker 6 (41:55):
We're talking about half point. We're talking about the importance
of the offseason. These players really what they have to do.
So we used to spend all of our time working
out up at Hallis Hall, and so at the end
of the off season, Clyde Emrick used to make a
determination that if he felt it and you put enough
time and made enough improvement, that you would get a gift.
Speaker 2 (42:13):
And so you hear about these guys that spend.
Speaker 6 (42:15):
A million dollars or seven hundred thousand dollars on their
body and all this stuff that get My gift I
got was a twelve inch TV that had it built
in VCR, and I thought it was the greatest gift
I ever got, so much so that I brought to
training camp every year, and then two of my nieces
(42:38):
brought it to college and use it as college. So
you know, for what these players get out for these
off season incentives. For us, it was a twelve inch
TV with a built in VCR.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Jim, did you get anything like that in the off
season as a reward for your efforts?
Speaker 5 (42:56):
No, I didn't get anything, especially something that could be
a hand meet down. Not once but twice to Nisas,
I just got a Hey, good job, pat on the back.
You're one hundred percent at all the OTAs and good attendants.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
Keep it up, yep, keep it up all right.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
That's gonna wrap us up for this week. Good show, fellas,
Thank you so much. Thanks Dan Brilliant, Jordan tread Up
and Jake Santos in studio for Tom there and Jimmela.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
I'm Jeff Joniac.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
This has been Bears Weekly on the radio home of
the Chicago Bears ESPN Chicago.
Speaker 4 (43:27):
Have a good night, everybody. Black and Abdala are next.
Good night, everybody.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
Thank you for listening to the Chicago Bears Network presentation
The Bears Weekly hosted by the Mara Bearsville, Jeff Judy
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Energy, and Meller Liked.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Here are your hosts, Jeff Chilniak, aka the Mayor of Bearsville,
and his sidekick Tom the Surfmaster Thayer.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Hey, everybody back with you. I'm talking Bears football here
on Bears Weekly. Last week of OTAs for the Bears
limited though rookies, probably some young players, special teams work.
Father's Day come on up on Sunday, So Happy Father's Day.
Jim Miller and Cole Comet got married over the weekend,
so I saw some pictures of that, So congratulations to
(00:50):
Cole and his new bride. NFL writers still churn it
out copy trying to get a handle on what's to
come in the twenty twenty five season, including the Bears.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
We'll dig you into some of that as well.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Tonight on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Ready to
Go not work with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom
Fair and Jim Middle from Serious XMNFL Radio. I'm Jeff Jonahak.
We'll here tonight from Grady Jarrett. Tom and I visited
with him recently, so we'll explore the Bears defense in
detail tonight. Dan Brillly Jordan tread Up is our producing crew,
and in the ESPN studios, I think for the first time,
(01:22):
we welcome in Jake Santos, the executive producer of the
Bears Radio Network. Eric Ostratski, Good evening, gentlemen, never shortage
of information.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Tom.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I was listening to Jim on Serious XML working in
the yard this afternoon, and I was rolling because you know,
these fans are They're great.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Fans are great. We're first couple weeks of June.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Here, we're still a bit of a way from the
start of training camp, and everybody is. They're lit up,
they're just ready to go. They're ready to talk, discuss, argue.
And you're not too shy a boy jumping in the
pool with him.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Jim, No, not at all, not at all, because this
is what we do every single day. And you know,
I remember a lot of things, you know, I remember
certain callers that call in and are adamant about their beliefs.
But hey, fans can get it wrong, just like gms
get it wrong, say on the selection of a quarterback.
(02:15):
There's been numerous teams that have got it wrong. Bears
are one of them. There's other teams that have got
a wrong. There's no harm, no hot foul. You got
to keep on taking swings at the plate until you
get your guy. And hopefully Caleb Williams is that guy
for the Chicago Bears. But yeah, there was a call
that called in was adamant about their quarterback, and boy,
(02:35):
they quickly jumped ship and they were pointing towards this
year rather than last year when they were banging the
druma about their guy that they believed was the guy.
And now they quickly moved away from that guy. But
if gms do that, they're fired. Coaches are fired, players
are fired, gms are fired. All new regimes are brought in.
(02:57):
And so that's great for fans to say that I
had home on their lawnmower, but they're not getting fired, right.
So jobs get lost and families get moved in. It's
a big business.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
What you know whatmmy one thing about the NFL.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
So there are stories they start Jaira Alexander, the linebacker
from Cincinnati. So those are things that the fans pay
attention to, whether it's in your city or if they're
just fans of the NFL. But I also think it's
probably one of the more important times of the year
that's gonna dictate the success and failure of a player's
career because everything that happens from the draft until the
(03:35):
last ota, you have an itinerary, you have a schedule,
you're inside the building, you're learning about your football team
and all the elements that are involved, from the weight
room to the cafeteria, to the on field requirements, to
the new offense and defense that's being installed. But now
you have a six week opportunity and what are you
gonna do with it? And the great Clyde Emrick used
(03:57):
to say, it takes you two days to get out
of shape and two weeks to get in shape. So
don't come back to camp thinking that you're going to
have time to be you know, get yourself in shape
before you become competitive. Then it's gonna you're you're gonna
see the season in your rear view mirror. And then
the same thing with your tablet. If you can take
your tablet home and you can invest a lot of
(04:18):
time in studying this information, so you hit the ground
running when training camp starts again.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I do think it's one of the most.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
Important times of a player's career that they control themselves
and they don't have somebody looking over their shoulder. So
when you say we got one more week of OTAs
when they get ready to go home, it's not about
a six weeks vacation. You can have some ZID vacation time,
but make sure you're staying prepared for what's required of
(04:49):
you from the very first morning you get back to
training camp.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Basic Basically, you're saying you got to be a self starter.
You got to be a self starter when you when
you leave the building. You got to rely on your
execution and your discipline. Now I got to ask both
of you guys, because you guys didn't have tablets back
in the day. So whatever off season, did you spend
a lot of time watching film? The actual film? Did
(05:14):
you guys do this or what did you guys do well?
Speaker 6 (05:16):
For me, I was fortunate to be in the system
for so long that you kind of went right back
to muscle memory. So we spent more time in the
facility lifting weights with our teammates in inside old Hallis Hall,
which was the size of a wedding reception hall.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
It wasn't like where they have now.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
So we were still around each other and we had
a lot of football conversation, and we were encouraging each
other in the weight room, and.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We were under the guidance of Clyde Emrick.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
So we had that part of it offered to us
that made us a closer team and better players. Nowadays,
it seems like everybody scatters and they go in a
thousand different directions. So yeah, the requirements of what the
coaching staff is going to expect of you is going
to be proven within the first three days you get
(06:08):
back to camp.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Jim, if you had a tablet back in the day,
would you have been even more prepared or it was
the tape in the building enough.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
No, I think I'd be more prepared because it's with
you all the time now, so you could actually take
the tablet out to say a football field where you're
working and maybe go through a script. That's what I
used to do. We watched all the tape like during
the OTAs and the mini camps, because again back in
the day, we just had a rookie mini camp and
(06:40):
a veteran mini camp, and then you were gone, but
you watched all that tape before you left the building.
But what I would do is i'd take the scripts.
So I'd take the scripts home with me, and what
I would do is then i would go out to
a football field and I'd say, all right, we're going
to run you know, eighty two dig and it says
(07:02):
on the script what coverage it's going to be, and
so i'd just simulate the play. I would go through
my reads what coverage it is, and then i'd throw
out scenarios. All right, let's say it's we'll do cover two.
Now we'll do cover six, you know, so I just
throw out different coverages. Where would I go in this scenario?
So I'd go through the script. So then I would
simulate drives. So you have your first and second down,
(07:26):
like when you're doing your inside run, that you go
through all the footwork in that period. Then you'd go through,
you know, your your team period for run, play action
pay plays. I would go through all my footwork and
that would I'd be thinking what I audible any plays
against the defense we were against. Then I'd go through
all of seven on seven because that's all passing stuff.
(07:46):
I'd want to know all the coverages, what are my drops,
what would I check to all those types? And then
you got your team period. So you just roll through
the scripts and it's going to give you a lot
of different looks.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Who are you throwing to?
Speaker 5 (08:01):
High school kids?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
You could start plucking guys off the street.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
With Yeah, I'd go up to old high schools and
guys would be out there working out for their high
school saying, man, you mind catching some footballs?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (08:13):
They were up for it, and that's what you do.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
That's great, that's awesome. That's that's good old fashioned football
right there. Uh, Tommy, did you ever run the hill
with Walter Payton?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I never did.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
I never wanted to because I heard so many horror
stories of guys showing up and kind of challenging him
inside the locker room and he was saying, Okay, just
show up and we'll run it. And there's a lot
of guys that he left in.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
In the dust.
Speaker 6 (08:40):
And but you know the thing about Walter, when he
went to run the hill, he was taped up, he
was spatted, he had his uh kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
His running uniform onm that he put on and.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
He took it really serious and had those spikes in
his shoes that were grabbing into that hill. And listen, Jeff,
if you weren't really honestly ready and prepared and understood
how to run that hill, there wasn't a lot of
guys that were able to do it. So one off
(09:13):
season I went down to Houston and when my buddy
from college, Larry Morty was Larry Moriarty was playing for
the Houston Oilers. They had a forty yard ramp that
was covered an astro turf, And so I went through
a series of a couple weeks of running this incline
with these guys, and they did a bunch of different
(09:33):
drills to lengthen your stride, to shorten your stride, to
power and all that. And so I knew it wasn't
the same as Walter's hill because his was a lot harder,
a lot longer, and you know, Walter was Walter Payton.
But when I went down and I was kind of
encouraged and excited to be around some other guys from
another football team, it was kind of neat to do.
(09:55):
But Walter, no, and I've, like I said, I heard
a lot of Horset. He's about guys leaving before the end,
before Walter was done, and I think it kind of
encouraged Walter a little bit more to leave these guys
in the dust.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, no question, Jim, what's the craziest training that you
ever did? Like, maybe it would be out of the
norm that others would say, ah, you come on, you
didn't do that. I know it's different for a quarterback.
You know, you're throwing passes, you're staying in shape. But
anything crazy you did in an off season, as you remember,
or somebody recommended something, I mean it nowadays it could
(10:35):
be you know, it could be anything. Could be pilates,
could be boxing, could be I mean, whatever, did you
do anything crazy?
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Well?
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Greg Lloyd got me into tea or taekwondo. He was
a black belt in taekwondo. I mean it did help
me in flexibility, but I was like learning patterns and
stuff to get another belt, and I was like, man,
what am I doing here? You know, let's just go
throw the ball. You know, I'm doing like back kicks
and stuff. I'm like, who am I going to be
back kicking? Dropping back on a seven step trump?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
You know?
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Sons like enough, But what am I doing?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
All Right? Greg?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
This was this may work for Greg Lloyd, who's going
after people, but it wasn't. It wasn't the best thing
for me.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
So it was a bust.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, it was a buzz. All right.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
When we come back, we'll talk some serious Baul. We'll
talk with Grady Jarrett. He's coming up next, the Bear's
new defensive tackle. Here on ESPN Chicago and the Bears
Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Face is Bears Weekly with the voice of the Bears
for twenty four years, Chef y Chef on the Bear's
Radio Network.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Man.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
This segment of Bears Weekly he brought to you by
Igs Energy, Jeff johonny X, Tom Bear, and Jim Otter
from Serious x MNFL radio tenure Atlanta Falcon. Now a
first year Chicago Bear defensive tackle, Grady Jarrett kind enough
to sit down with Tom and I recently, and I
brought it up to him that when Tom scouting reports
when the Bears played the foul Fulkins were always about Jared,
(12:02):
like whenever he fa the Bears meant he was going
to be the most difficult assignment. And in three games,
couple of sacks, six tackles, the stuff, three quarterback hits,
three tackles for lost and a pass break up against
the Bears in those three games in which Grady Jarrett
won two. So that was my entree into the conversation
with a veteran defensive tackle along with Tommy. It's going
(12:23):
to be a problem, Jeff, and you have been a
problem for opposing offenses. Now you can be a problem
for us in a good way. How good does that
sound to you that somebody you know looks at you
that way?
Speaker 7 (12:35):
Man, This sounds amazing.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
You know.
Speaker 7 (12:37):
It's just respect, you know, and always one of the
way the way that I played the game to stand out,
and I think it has and I just want to
continue to get better every year, you know. So I'm
excited to be playing for the Bears now, you know,
bring that energy, that that that that passion to to
Chicago and try to go get some wins, to go dominate.
Speaker 6 (12:53):
As line of scrimmish, did you always know your template
was going to be successful in the NFL? And what
I'm saying is you talk about the changes, You're not
going to become taller, but so your size has been
an asset to you.
Speaker 8 (13:07):
Do you feel that?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (13:08):
Absolutely, absolutely, Being a shorter defensive tackle. Knowing the things
that I needed to be better at where my some
knowing your limitations or is a strength as well, because
you know, I'm gona have to be a little quicker,
I'm to be a little faster, a little stronger, and
that has contributed to to my game and so uh so, yeah,
there's no secret about you know, the things that you know,
(13:29):
whether it's scouting or people try to hold against me.
But you know, I only can control what I can control,
and I can make the most.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Out of the things that I can.
Speaker 7 (13:36):
And I feel like I've done a really good job
for myself up to this point, and I would just
want to continue to get better, you know here now
going in this is to year eleven in a new
place with new teammates, and I'm ready to just you know,
go go dominate.
Speaker 8 (13:48):
Did you ever compare notes with Aaron Donald?
Speaker 7 (13:50):
Uh?
Speaker 8 (13:50):
Did you ever compare notes?
Speaker 6 (13:52):
You guys have a similar explosiveness, size and everything.
Speaker 7 (13:57):
But I mean people always love to throw our name
in there every time I every time I do something good,
somebody has bring him up every time. So so I
mean it's you kind of set the tone. Yeah, for
so for sow for show. But no, I definitely know
respect to respect everything about him. But I think just
that that that the shorter, quicker defensive tackle that's explosive,
(14:17):
like a play sideline, the sideline. It's kind of the
thing with people talking about when they speak about it.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I got a question for you, as a former NFL
starting guard, how would you deal with Grady?
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Because I always ask him, I hate ooh.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
The guy that kept jepping that he was always Reggie White.
Reggie White kept YEPI nit right.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
Yeah, oh yeah, but Reggie White's size and power and everything. Yeah,
in terms of I don't know how I would ever
win leverage against you, because I mean, I'm not that
much taller than you. But again your explosive, this how
low to the ground you're inate ability to understand the
rhythm of a snap count. So I would be thinking
(14:54):
about all these types of things of.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Worry about getting him getting on your edges.
Speaker 6 (14:59):
But I would beg the guard, the tackle and the
center that I'm playing next to.
Speaker 8 (15:03):
If Grady is in that gap, at least give me
leave early.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Don't leave to early.
Speaker 7 (15:08):
And they like to get on me clearly like they
like to try to give me before I get going.
So I got to give myself a space off the
ball a good bit of time, and uh, if I
do crowd the ball sometimes for a good reason. So
I kind of at this point know where the guys
try to try to try to stop me pretty good,
like they like versus like chest punches. They try to
punch me like in the face, nick area type, because
(15:28):
it's like the it's it's it's stuff that they be trying.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
But the work, you know, you.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
Can't that the helmet to the bottom, the tin strapped
now they get them right.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
So, because you have so much experience in the league,
do you pay attention to any of the conversation of
the offensive lineman or the way they're kind of acting
in the huddle in preparation for mens something necessarily they're
gonna do to you, but what they're gonna do, uh
in the next player down.
Speaker 7 (15:56):
You definitely pick up a little bit of dialects sometime,
like calls and they'll give you a fake call sometime.
I they act like they're about to do W and
they'll be like double double and they'll try to run
a track play of something to get me going up field,
and uh, but I think more than anything, you just
got to really study your tape and really just trust
your instincts, because if you get too caught up and
trying to listen to for trying to cheat code every time.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
You could, you can mess yourself up, sleep s up down.
Speaker 7 (16:20):
So and then just like us on defense, I'm sure
they changed calls sometimes the week to week. So if
you get a beat on something, it'll help you, maybe
a couple of players a game. But it ain't nothing
that you want to hang a hat on all games
just because it's it never stays the same.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I know this is almost cliche nowadays in the scouting world,
and I follow that considerably, the phrases and the and
the terminology.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
But you guys are both heavy heavyweight wrestlers.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Back in the day, ye, it's significant. It's important. I
look at offensive line.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
If they get a wrestler, I know, we got we
got some good hand fighting, we got some strength. They
care about the weight room, the leverage. It is that beneficial.
Was that beneficial?
Speaker 7 (16:58):
I absolutely think it was definite. It was beneficial. Being
a wrestling high school. I think just the principles of it,
whether it's just from the mindset just disciplined mindset of competing.
Like you said, the training is different, you know, the
competition is different. You only got, you know too, three
rounds of like two minutes, so it's like you're pushing
yourself to the max, you know what I'm saying, to
try to be another man one on one, you know
(17:20):
what I'm saying. And then just the principles that you
learn from movement, leverage, stuff like that just kind of
naturally trans over to the football field, especially for linemen.
And and so I think that's something that I was
like redirected in through coming up through school. I never
was like I want to be in a wrestling team.
The truth of the matter was I was trying to
be on the basketball team in middle school and got.
Speaker 8 (17:40):
Cut, unlike Michael Jordan got.
Speaker 7 (17:46):
So I pivoted went to wrestling, and it's really helped
me in my football career.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Everything happen for a reason.
Speaker 7 (17:52):
And I'm a big advocate of you know, wrestling, even
I mean even just as you know, child development. I
think it helps them with the confidence and gets competing
doing some doing some stuff and you know, just learning
how to protect yourself a little bit. Sometime you get grappling.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
So I mean, it's just awesome.
Speaker 6 (18:08):
So your dad played in the NFL great linebacker from
the Atlanta Falcons. First, what did he teach you about
how to play the position? And does he tell you
that the defensive tackle position is the most important to
middle linebackers success?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Not necessarily?
Speaker 7 (18:24):
You know, our relationship growing up was good. I didn't
grow up in the same householders and so we really
didn't talk ball much at all, if ever, but he
had to have a great, great career with the Falcons,
and I was super super cool to be able to,
I guess, play for the same team he did. How
it happened was really crazy, like a like a note
like because a lot of people never knew that. I
(18:45):
was like, yeah, no, son, and so so just this
is cool. How you know, how fun a god works
and put things together. So it was pretty cool. And uh,
but I mean just watching him just play the game
was really good. My biggest kind of influence from a
former player standpoint probably was like ray Lewis with somebody
who was close in my life that I watched to
just you know, be the best at what they doing
(19:07):
play in the middle linebacker position, and just one of
the best players ever played the game, and the way
he went about his business and just.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
You call him uncle.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, we're real tight and so
so I was able to work out with him a
lot growing up and with his sons and stuff like that.
So that was that was cool and it definitely contributed
to my career. Why number fifty, Uh, number fifty was
my first number that I had playing football and then
for the Rockdale Patriots, so so I literally kind of
(19:39):
went through the numbers like they changed up a little bit.
I had fifty a couple of times, and then when
I started playing playing in high school, it was like
one of the and I was a I was a
guard slash defensive lineman. So I didn't want like a
nineties number because I had to play guard too, so
I didn't want to wear like no. Sixty numbers. But
the fifties was open. The fifty was right there, so
I let him get fifty. So I really wore fifty
all the way through high school through college, and then
(20:01):
when I first got in the league, it really wasn't
letting the linemen wear fifties until like a couple of
years after that. So but ninety seven was open, like
only ninety numbers. So that's how I got ninety seven
in Atlanta, you know, fell fell in love with that
made of my own.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
And then well, Patrick Kearney were before me. He was
balling up in the A.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
So but and then I had the opportunity to do
to come here, and and Andrew Bidams already was ninety
seven and all the other ninety numbers were kind of
taken and fifty was open. So I was like, maybybe
you know, a full circle moment, go back to fifty.
But then I wanted to check and make sure because
I know Mike Singletary were fifty here, so I'm like,
let me make sure it's not like a thing or
(20:37):
like see like you know, if it's like a retired
to what's the what's the parameters? So I acts and
I I looked at him, but I've seen guy's wearing
been wearing fifty for the past couple of years, so
I'm like, okay, cool, So I ain't really you know
nothing much about it. So I was like, shoot out,
I would like to wear fifty, and so cool, let
me get fifty. And then from there then I started
getting like people like why isn't fifty retired.
Speaker 8 (20:57):
I'm like, look.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Nobody said nothing else.
Speaker 8 (21:00):
Is nobody about fifty?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Then I could get fifty.
Speaker 7 (21:02):
But I can understand, you know, being like a top
defensive player come to get it. So I mean, I
know what, I know what the weight hold and I
definitely will definitely understand the significance of it. And just
give me motivation try to be my best. You know
what I'm saying, And I know that means a lot
to Bears fans, So that you know that I gotta
go do what I gotta do to represent.
Speaker 8 (21:17):
Well it looks good on you and Singletary.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Would be proud.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah yeah without that time Walder Payton and Mana he
Black for Walder Peyton. So coming like you said, meant
to be without without it, I believe in here without it.
Speaker 7 (21:32):
I mean I couldn't. I couldn't think about think about
being in a better place right now.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
Man.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
I mean just I mean, it's it's just so much
transition to happen and I don't even know for my
football career, but in life too. And it's been it's
been good. And like I said before, it's been refreshing
and I'm not gonna let this opportunity slip.
Speaker 8 (21:48):
Got refreshing for us as well.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yep, yeah, I tell you, Tommy, And I think I
said this early in that interview that I edited some
of it out but for time constraints. But he's probably
I'm most intrigued of the veteran additions by this player,
just because of what he means in the locker room,
what he's going to mean for that defensive line, and
(22:12):
the energy he'll bring the training camp and.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Practice and every day.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
He's a fun guy and he's a full go every
single day.
Speaker 6 (22:20):
Well, you know there's a couple guys like Javon Dexter, Senior,
Zach Pickens and even sher Are the new guy we drafted.
All these guys can learn a little bit from him,
not only how to prepare yourself during practices, how to
prepare yourself for the game, how to become a better
football player, and he leads by example.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
And two things I would have liked to ask.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
Him is the influence of Ray Lewis the wrestler on him,
and if he could ever take a guy like Gable Steveson,
who was a great wrestler from University of Minnesota who
tried out for Buffalo last year and didn't make it.
Could he take a great wrestler and turn him into
a great football player? So remember those questions for the
next time we get to talk to him.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
All right, maybe Jim can answer that as well. Wrestlers
turned to football players. There's a lot of them. Oh yeah,
it's the leverage. It's got to be the strinth. But
you got to have the medical capacity to handle this
sport as well and the feat.
Speaker 8 (23:15):
Right, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
I always bring up Carlton Hasselrigg. He was a you know,
a guy was a world record holder and he was
basically on a practice squad essentially back in the day.
He basically just developed year one and then his second
year he became a starter and was all pro. I mean,
this guy could snatch and just throw people to the ground.
(23:37):
But the numerous wrestlers is time to point it out.
I mean, look at Tristan Wurfs. There's just a ton
of offensive linemen that they just really no leverage if
they have a really a wrestling background where they really
excel at the at the game of leverage.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
You know, you look at guys like Matt Suey, Jay Hilgenberg,
John Wojahowski, Jimbo Covert. They were all great wrestlers throughout
their time in Heights Hole and Olan. Yeah, and it
all translated to being a great football player. And a
lot of it has to do with you is your
hard work ability, because it's a hard working sport.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Winning in the trenches that helps that man oman o
type of activity that you have to beat the guy.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
Across from the and the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
All right, we'll dig deeper into the defensive line and
the defense in general, go through each player and see
how they outfit for the Bears this training camp approaches.
This is Bears Weekly on a ESPN one thousand of
the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Rainio Network.
Here's your host, the Voice of the Bears, Jeff Joy.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
This segment of Bears Weekly.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
It is brought to you by Atletico Physical Therapy. Visit
Atletico dot com their question in clinic or virtual deployment
that started feeling better tomorrow? I just heard from the
Bears new defensive tackle Grady Jared' So let's look at
the rest of the defensive line.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Guys.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Let's let's see how it stacks up head of the
training cap. There's there's a lot of guys on the
line of scrimmage, the guys we're most familiar with and
could see being in the rotation as starters and uh
getting some relief from some of these backups. But you
got Montest Sweat and again no depth charts. So this
is just just me talking Montest Sweat and Dio adang
(25:22):
Bo on the edges, Javon Dexter Senior, and Grady Jarrett
on the inside. They'll be competition, they'll be you know,
let's see who starts where. Andrew Billing, certainly in early
downs is a is a weapon, was outstanding against the
run last year.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
The run game suffered with his absence last year.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
And then in the rotation Shamar Stewart, Zach Pickens and
then two gentlemen that.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
I A'm gonna keep an eye on now. The old
staff really liked what they had to do.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Let's find out what Dennis Allen thinks about the play
at Chris Williams and Jonathan Ford. Jonathan Ford was a
late season addition, had some really good efforts in there,
good games, and Chris Williams surprised us.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
All season long.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
So let's just start with that group for starters and
how it all stacks up and what Dennis Allen Tommy
will start with you could could do with this kind
of rotation of talent here.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
They're all different types of players.
Speaker 6 (26:12):
Yeah, you know, and I think down a distance is
going to be very specific about what they can contribute
on the defensive line and how many plays they can play.
Because if you look at a guy like Andrew Billings,
he's a legitimate zero technique run stuffing noseguard that can
take on multiple blockers. But I think Dennis Allen wants
guys that can get upfield. So is he able to
(26:35):
trans to transfer his game to the style of what
Dennis Allen wants. You know that Gravon Dexter Senior and
Grady Jarrett and Turner, these guys got the explosiveness to
get upfield and we'll see how that plays a part
and their role on this team. And then you got
Zach Pickens. Here's a guy that shows he's had some explosiveness.
(26:59):
Now he's got a develop that type of trade into
an effective interior style of play. And then when you
talk about the outside guys, Montes and Dio. Yeah, you
have those guys, but you can't live life in the
NFL with two outside rushers.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
If you don't have.
Speaker 6 (27:16):
A minimum of four, it's gonna be tough for you
to really translate into a good exterior pass rushing football
team if you're expecting two guys to take a bulk
of the work. And so when you talk about every guy,
they're going to develop what their traits are, what their
assets are, and how they can get better in the
(27:39):
style and the demands of Dennis Allen.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Yeah, I think you know it's gonna be down in distance.
Guys are going to have to earn it. I think
Dennis Allen has a good idea about what he thinks
guys can do. But once the pads are on, I
think that's gonna dictate it and guys will be competing
for jobs. And I do think it'll be a rotational
type of thing where guys are gonna earn snap counts.
(28:06):
And again, you don't want to wear guys out either.
You know, you know they're gonna have to have a
good rotation because that's just where kind of the NFL
is now, with especially four man fronts, you see a
lot of teams rolling, they're gonna roll eight guys in there. Essentially.
Look at Buffalo, look at a lot of the four
man teams out there, they're rolling guys through. And I
(28:28):
would think the Bears, because really, really, Montese sweat. Does
anybody else have the credentials that say that they dissowe
they're guaranteed to start opposite him? No, I don't think
anybody's credential. You know, that's kind of gonna have to
be earned. And I would think upfront, other than what
Tom said about Andrew Billings say on first and second
down stopping the run, yeah, I think Grady Jarrett has
(28:50):
earned it. No names after that, though, you know, those
guys got to earn it.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Yeah, and then the others on the edges.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Dominie Robinson certainly got some good pray from head coach
Ben Johnson is somebody that surprised him during the OTA
session of the offseason program. Austin Booker, second year, still
very young, flashed, has the length, likely needs to add
some more weight.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Not sure where that's at.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
And Daniel Hardy, who, as I proclaimed many times, really
turned my head throughout the preseason here or not the preseason,
the offseason just by how he looks and the fact
that they're taking a look at him as well to
compliment him at a strong side linebacker as well as
rush the passers, certainly special teams. Then you get some
(29:35):
guys to check out. These are in the checkout department
guys at training camp. Rookie Xavier Carlton. He's six six
seventy three, so he he fits the bill in terms
of measurements. Jammery Croma, who was on the practice squad
last year as an undrafted rookie and then undrafted rookie
six three sixty four. Jeremy Robinson, he's out of Kansas.
Played with Austin Booker last year, so there's a there's
(29:58):
a lot to dig through.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
You know.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
One thing about the defensive line in Dennis Allen, because
we're all going to get to know him once training
camp starts, is the versatility that all these guys offer
to me. I've been a big believer that ya Von
Dexter Senior could play outside, he could play edge on
first and second down, and it seems like that's one
of the things that Dennis Allen often says, is that
(30:20):
you got to be able to stop the run. If
you want to rush the passer. So I think if
you're talking about Austin Booker, if he is in there
on first down, he's got to show that he has
the power to leverage and the getoff ability to be
able to stop the run if they want to intentionally
run the ball at him.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
And so all these.
Speaker 6 (30:39):
Guys, even Dio, he can play inside, but he can
play outside as well, and he's got the similar template
to what you just mentioned, the six six two seventy
pound frame.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
The length.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Dennis Allen love speed, but he loves length, big long
linear players as well, and they are going to off
the line of scrimmage. You get upfield no No, No
two gap and looking Jimmy, they're going they're coming after you.
All right, we're gonna take a break. Well, hold that thought.
We gotta take a break. We come back. We got
Tom Stotts and we'll get some gym starts as well.
That segment coming up next here on Bears Weekly on
(31:14):
a ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network. Welcome
back to Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousands of the
Bears Radio Network. Jeff Joniyac, Tom There and Jim Miller,
as we continue to look at the Bears.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
In time for Tom Stoughts. Jim, we know we love
Tom Stotts.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
He pens some today, We're gonna fire through them preseason
playing time. He's not even waiting for the start of
training camp. He's not waiting to the interview. He wants
to know what can we do to answer the questions
with preseason playing time? Tom take it from there. What
are your expectations? Listen, it's gonna be really important. And
I don't think anybody out there. Maybe Jim's talking about
(31:51):
a guy like Montes Sweat or Grady Jarrett, but they're
trying to learn a new system. The coaches are trying
to learn a little bit something about them. They're trying
to instill install a system and how that's gonna fit
into the regular season.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
So do the.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
Practices or the combined practices they go tell them enough
so they don't have to play them in preseason games,
Or do you have to take a guy like Caleb
and DJ and Rome and Colston and these guys and
play them a little bit more because they're not familiar
with each other, and Ben's trying to get to know
them a little better. I think it's gonna be really
(32:26):
interested when you're talking about a new coaching staff installing
the new system with three preseason games.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
And how do you how do you satisfy what you
think these players.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
Need before they go out on a Monday night football
field against the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Yeah, especially bid the battles, you know, the battle left
tackle for one strong side linebacker.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
How are you gonna divvy up that stuff?
Speaker 3 (32:51):
You know it'll be it'll be interesting because, like you said,
it's a first time head coach.
Speaker 6 (32:57):
What do you do with a guy like Jakwan Brisker?
Do you play him in the pre season? Do you
not play him in the preseason? Here's a guy that
hasn't been on a meaningful football field in almost the year.
So you know, there's just a little decisions that you
have to make that are going to factor out in
the big picture of this football team. Because you have
a bye week in five weeks after the start of
(33:17):
the regular season, so you got to get these guys
ready to roll from week one.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
They'll be logging a lot of snap totals, I mean,
whatever isn't covered or how much they've played in practice,
and maybe how they're evaluated that they're going to know, Hey,
we need to get this guy more work with this
guy is not maybe a player X isn't caught up
on some of the calls that we need defensively, we
need to see him in more live action, or they
(33:47):
need we need to increase their practice time. That's all
going to be evaluated where you know, Dennis Allen and
the defensive line coach, I'm going to say, all right,
Montes Sweat is right where he needs to be is conditioning,
where it is he's on point with the playbook and
the calls. And then of course there's individually and then
(34:07):
there's collectively as a unit that hey, we need to
be more together as a unit. Now, can that be
done in practice time or maybe, like Tom said, maybe
it's live action. It's got to be pre season action
where the pads are on, it's full tackling, and we
need to see these guys perform as a unit together
(34:30):
making the calls that they need so they get used
to one another and they get used to this new system.
So you know, it may be logging more more. You know,
the kid gloves kind of got to come off. It's
the old story. Or do we worry about injury, Well,
you better worry about whether they can function as a
unit because those early games are going to mean a lot.
Speaker 6 (34:50):
You know, one thing about it is your early opponents too,
they're going to be doing some research and development about
how they're going to gain plan against you. And if
they feel that you have susceptibility to a new system
that's being installed and you're doing things good or you're
doing things not so good, those are.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Gonna be the guys looking at you early also.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
All right, then my next one kind of I reduced it, Tommy,
for purposes of time. What are your expectations, respectively, Jim
and Tom of the top.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
Three picks, Let's do the top four picks.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
Tight end Colston Lovelin, Luther Burden the third receiver, Ozzie
Tapilo on the offensive line, and Reuben Hippolyte the second
the fourth round Pike at linebacker.
Speaker 6 (35:33):
Tom go ahead, Uh, you know, I think every one
of these guys, first of all, they have to impress
the coaches enough to be able.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
To make the team.
Speaker 6 (35:41):
But once they make the team, how are their reps
gonna be decided? Is Luther Burden a type of a
guy that can come in here and be an asset
at the receiver position to give the quarterback more options
or give Ben Johnson a little bit more versatility within
the offense. Is Colson Loveland gonna be up the speed
after recovering from an injury to go out there and
(36:04):
do the multiple components that a.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Tight end can do for a football team.
Speaker 6 (36:08):
In asie Trapillo is, you're going to take a guy
that is a right offensive tackle and can he Is
he a good enough athlete to go out and play
left tackle? You have to have certain traits and you'll
be able to see those things within the first couple
of weeks of training camp, I believe. And then you know, linebacker,
(36:29):
running back, defensive tackle. Those are guys that are gonna
be involved in reps. They're not gonna hold down a
singular position. They're gonna be a part of a rotation.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Right, I mean the leaf turnaround. We talked about him early.
Go ahead, gimmy, yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
But you know those guys won. Their health is going
to determine it too. Obviously Loveland hasn't been in there,
he hasn't been practicing, and so he's behind. You know,
there's really no other way to say it. You know,
we'll see how quickly he can get caught up at camp.
I do like Luther Burden. I think he's a guy
that could be a burner, take the top off the
(37:05):
defense type of thing, and he will have a critical
role in certain situations minimum that he can help out
the offense. And I think we know how competitive left
tackle is, so Trepillo is a guy to keep your
eye on. I just think the as we know that
the door is open there at left tackle. If I
were Trapillo, I would be salivating coming to Bears camp
(37:28):
right now. I mean I would be in my playbook
doing everything I can, whatever weight room stuff I gotta do.
I would be just a mad man. As soon as
you know the Bears leave their you know, when they're
able to leave the facility and go back home. Because
if I'm Trpillo, for me or any of these or keys,
it's time to get the work. Because first impressions mean everything,
(37:51):
and I would want to make a good first impression,
especially at a position that potentially is up for grabs.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
Somebody send me a message. As a Bears fan, he
loves the pick of Hippolyte compared him in some sense,
believe it or not, this is a name from the past,
but Nick Bonakhani, who was a thirteenth round draft pick
by the Boston Patriots in the Old American Football League
and made it to the Miami Dolphins and one of
(38:19):
the best linebackers, went to.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Notre Dame and wore my number.
Speaker 8 (38:23):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Always a tie in, Jim. He's got a tie into everything,
no question about it. One more segment to go after
this break on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network.
Here's your host, the Voice of the Bears, Jeff Joan.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
This segment of Bears Weekly brought to you by it
whyt to Go Physical Therapy visited, let go dot to
request it in clinic or virtual deppointment at Start Cleaning
Better tomorrow. Final segment close it out with some thoughts.
The NFL dot COM's digital content editor, Jeremy Berman, penn
to piece this morning on just how long it took
franchises to turn things around just win a playoff game,
(39:09):
and it's always an education when you dive in like this,
and is just again underscoring how hard it is to
win in the National Football Buffalo in twenty seventeen made
the playoffs for the first time in eighteen years. Cleveland
won a playoff game with the first time in twenty
three years in twenty twenty twenty twenty one, Cincinnati won
its first playoff game in thirty one years, and of course,
(39:30):
the Detroit story twenty twenty three won their first playoff
game in thirty two years. So there are six teams,
including the Bears, that have not made the playoffs in
the last four years. That's a minimal amount of time.
Though the Bears have not won a playoff game since
twenty ten. Atlanta, Carolina, Indy, New Orleans Jets and the
Bears like to break that streak and get in the playoffs.
(39:52):
And with a new coach and some surprise sucker punches,
you could throw to some opponents and get some early wins,
pocket some wins and if everything comes together.
Speaker 4 (40:02):
There's a lot of ifs.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
There, But do you feel do you feel better about
it than you did before you knew Ben Johnson and
what he was going to be like as a head
coach already because we're seeing a lot of positives.
Speaker 6 (40:13):
I feel that Ben Johnson has the talent to mold
into a playoff competitive football team, although the division is
really a difficult division. We're not talking like some of
those other teams that are starting from the basement and
trying to amass enough talent to put him on the
competitive level. I think the Bears have the talent to
be competitive.
Speaker 5 (40:34):
This should be one of the probably one of the
more talented offenses the Bears have ever had, in my opinion,
they have a lot of things that they should be
able to do very well. It's going to be how
quickly the young quarterback picks it up, how quickly he
grows the volume he's able to handle. Because I do
(40:55):
think that the Bears offense is going to have to
really cover for the Bears defense for a little bit.
That's you know, I know Bears fans, Monsters of the
Midway and all the things, but hey, this team finished
twenty seventh in the league at stopping the run and
they've been held the task over and over again just
due to poor offenses throwing them to the Wolves with
(41:17):
three and outs left and right. For once. I think
this Bears offense has to protect the Bears defense for
a while, and it's really going to be dependent on
Caleb Williams to be up and running early for that
to happen, for the Bears to have success early in
their season.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Interesting points on both ends. All right, Tommy, you you
in a break said you had something. We're talking about
off season and all that, and what you guys did.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
You said you would receive off season gifts.
Speaker 5 (41:48):
From Golden domers got paid like that. What's that talking about, tom.
Speaker 6 (41:55):
We're talking about half point. We're talking about the importance
of the offseason. These players really what they have to do.
So we used to spend all of our time working
out up at Hallis Hall, and so at the end
of the off season, Clyde Emrick used to make a
determination that if he felt it and you put enough
time and made enough improvement, that you would get a gift.
Speaker 2 (42:13):
And so you hear about these guys that spend.
Speaker 6 (42:15):
A million dollars or seven hundred thousand dollars on their
body and all this stuff that get My gift I
got was a twelve inch TV that had it built
in VCR, and I thought it was the greatest gift
I ever got, so much so that I brought to
training camp every year, and then two of my nieces
(42:38):
brought it to college and use it as college. So
you know, for what these players get out for these
off season incentives. For us, it was a twelve inch
TV with a built in VCR.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Jim, did you get anything like that in the off
season as a reward for your efforts?
Speaker 5 (42:56):
No, I didn't get anything, especially something that could be
a hand meet down. Not once but twice to Nisas,
I just got a Hey, good job, pat on the back.
You're one hundred percent at all the OTAs and good attendants.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
Keep it up, yep, keep it up all right.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
That's gonna wrap us up for this week. Good show, fellas,
Thank you so much. Thanks Dan Brilliant, Jordan tread Up
and Jake Santos in studio for Tom there and Jimmela.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
I'm Jeff Joniac.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
This has been Bears Weekly on the radio home of
the Chicago Bears ESPN Chicago.
Speaker 4 (43:27):
Have a good night, everybody. Black and Abdala are next.
Good night, everybody.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
Thank you for listening to the Chicago Bears Network presentation
The Bears Weekly hosted by the Mara Bearsville, Jeff Judy
Act and Surfmaster Tom Thayer. Podcasts were available on the
Chicago Bears Official ad brought to you by Verizon and
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