Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Bear Bones: To IR and Back Again, 2025 Week 16: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

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Bear Bones: To IR and Back Again, 2025 Week 16: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears · 2nd City Gridiron

0:40
[SPEAKER_03]: Welcome the pair of bones.
0:46
[SPEAKER_03]: With your hold.
1:01
[SPEAKER_03]: Dr. Mason Webb.
1:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey y'all, what is up?
1:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to this episode of Bear Bones as always, I am Mason West, but I can't do this game, this preview Packers come to town against the bears without some help.
1:24
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, I dug deep, but I found two amazing guests.
1:28
[SPEAKER_00]: One that's a little more familiar.
1:30
[SPEAKER_00]: First off, Kyrie Thompson, Kyrie, how you doing today?
1:32
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, man, I'm doing well.
1:34
[SPEAKER_02]: It is good to be back on the show.
1:36
[SPEAKER_02]: It's been a little bit, but you know what?
1:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I've been working myself back into football shape.
1:42
[SPEAKER_02]: And it is nice to have one of my big appearances of the year be on this week, which is another one of the biggest bear's Packers games in the last 20 or so years.
1:55
[SPEAKER_00]: And like I said, I mean, for real dive is why this is so special.
1:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think any bear's fan really does it know why, but this is such a special week that I had to get Nicholas Moriano on the show, right?
2:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's one of the guys that helped bring me on Chicago audible back in the day.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Got me in the podcast game.
2:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I just, the seem like the perfect week to bring him in.
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: How are you doing Nick?
2:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing great guys the the energy.
2:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean the intro.
2:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm ready bears packers week 16 NFC Norts on the line like this is what it's all about playing meaningful games in December.
2:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I mean you said the last 20 years there, Kyrie like I can't remember like the last time this time the year football is actually meant something for the bears, but this is a pivotal stretch for Chicago as they look to make a play-off push.
2:44
[SPEAKER_00]: It's pretty crazy.
2:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, obviously, there's been playoff hopes in the last 20 years.
2:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You had to fake one with Mitch in the Nickelodeon bowl of the Saints.
2:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you had the hype that was 2018.
2:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, obviously that felt very real.
2:58
[SPEAKER_00]: It came crashing down on a sound.
3:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I was not mentioned because I refused to do so.
3:03
[SPEAKER_00]: every failed video on YouTube has that on there.
3:05
[SPEAKER_00]: We all know what we're talking about.
3:07
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, this just has a bit of a different vibe to it.
3:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if it's still not locked in.
3:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think, you know, as a part of our chart review this week, we're going to talk a little bit about the pull, pull, pull positioning that is going on right now.
3:19
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears can clinch a playoff spot this week with a win over the Packers, but they would also need the Lions to lose to Steelers.
3:26
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look further out, the bears can actually clinch the NFC North, which is crazy to say allowed with a win versus the Packers, and then also a win against either the 49er or Lions coming up.
3:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, there's also a path to the one seed crazy enough, but that's a whole other thing that we're not going to dive into.
3:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick, I'm going to kick this to you first.
3:42
[SPEAKER_00]: What are you thinking about, the fact that, again, the Bears couldn't literally this week, Clintia Playoff spot, particularly against a team in the Packers?
3:51
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's a little surreal, and I just think back to how this season started.
3:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, and two, you lose the division games back to back, but I think there's a, this team has showed a lot of perseverance through all of the injuries they've had on offense defense, but to find themselves in this position, I think it's just a credit to the coaching staff.
4:11
[SPEAKER_01]: to regardless of if it's a guy like the Marco Jackson winning NFC defense player the week or you know other guys like Josh Blackwell stepping up at certain times throughout the season you're really looking to the entire depth of this roster
4:27
[SPEAKER_01]: to help you get to this point.
4:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what the Bears have done.
4:30
[SPEAKER_01]: They put themselves in a position to, like you said, clinch the NFC North.
4:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Potentially fight to get a number one, the number one seeing the NFC.
4:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And that, I think, again, is a credit to Ben Johnson, the culture they've established, but also the players themselves making plays enough plays when they had to, especially in those tight, close games.
4:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And they're here right now Saturday game where it's gonna mean everything to the Bears and Packers.
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the bear started oh and two, you know, there was games where they won with blocked feel goals, games where they gave up leads, games where most of the time, if especially if you were maybe chilling in a certain bear's chat that tends to melt down during games, you thought all was lost multiple times in this season.
5:12
[SPEAKER_00]: What does it feel like to be sitting here with?
5:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I projected them to 10 wins the whole year, right?
5:16
[SPEAKER_00]: When I was earlier this season, the fact that they could straight together a couple more here, pretty nuts, right?
5:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I said to myself after a number of years of being overly optimistic that, you know, it get to seven wins and then I'll pay attention and that or you're not that I'll pay attention.
5:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I was watching every game, but like, and but then I will really have some optimism.
5:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And then at one point you look up in there seven and three and you're like,
5:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, I guess we're doing this, I think with this team and in particular, I think it's very palpable how mentally tough.
5:54
[SPEAKER_02]: they are.
5:55
[SPEAKER_02]: It easily could have gotten off the rails after those first two losses and I understood the skepticism of looking at them constantly coming back at the end of games against teams that they honestly ought to have been beating by more, but then you look at how they performed against the better teams, including the Packers that loss a couple of weeks ago,
6:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Look, in me N, you know, Bill Parcells had a great quote, which is that you're record, you know, you are what your record says you are and you can say unequivocally that this bear's team is good.
6:29
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that having this tougher back end of of the schedule has proven that they are good.
6:37
[SPEAKER_02]: They have been playing with the exception of the Cleveland Browns.
6:39
[SPEAKER_02]: actual playoff teams and they have been winning or competitive down to the last play.
6:46
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that is, you couldn't ask for much more as a bear's fan.
6:51
[SPEAKER_02]: I think in a very basic sense after what we've been through the last couple of years.
6:56
[SPEAKER_02]: But now, as Nick mentioned, you got something to play for.
7:01
[SPEAKER_02]: That means it's time to step up.
7:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, great.
7:03
[SPEAKER_02]: You've outplayed your expectations, but now you're in the thick of it.
7:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And now it's time for you to make good.
7:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So far early returns Ben Johnson is delivering these players are delivering
7:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Caleb is delivering in particular.
7:15
[SPEAKER_00]: He's really set up his game.
7:17
[SPEAKER_00]: One thing that doesn't seem to be delivering is the spare stadium.
7:20
[SPEAKER_00]: We have to talk about that's unfortunately.
7:22
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't spend a lot of time here, but in an open letter to fans, bears, presidents, and CEO Kevin Warren wrote about a new stadium.
7:29
[SPEAKER_00]: In addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities for a wider travel and region, including Northwest Indiana.
7:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, obviously, this, I believe this is some posturing to an extent, but
7:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you got to spend money to make money, you got to play ball and right now it doesn't seem like the two sides are really play and ball to make a stadium happen in the Chicago land area.
7:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, it's been, I feel like this has just been an ongoing process with this stadium.
7:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Every time honestly that I hear stadium news, I almost turn the other way, because it's like, I know what this is going, absolutely nowhere.
8:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And it always, guys, it's always been happening to it like these big moments in bear season.
8:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember there was like news right before, like even going back to last year, like London, week one, all these things, but it's strategic right now during the national broadcasts
8:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm willing to bet that the bare stadium gets mentioned multiple times throughout the broadcast, right?
8:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's also strategic in how they're doing these things.
8:32
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you're someone who's trying to be optimistic about when, if the student's going to get done, you know, there's supposed to be shovels in the ground in 2025.
8:43
[SPEAKER_01]: We are, we are close to the 2020 running over and there is not going to be any shuffles in in the ground any time soon.
8:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, it's just been kind of like an ice sword to be completely honest like when I saw the news I was writing something on bears backers yes, what I did I continue driving my bears backers article and just kind of looked the other way.
9:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and you know what I think we've kind of made the point about the posturing with this I want to say this listen Chicago bears if anybody from the Chicago bears is listening to this I am offering my services.
9:12
[SPEAKER_02]: as a communication specialist, so that I can help you avoid PR issues like this.
9:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, that's, you know, I've been a media professional for a very long time and working as a producer.
9:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I can help you with this, you know, just hit me up, you have your people call my people.
9:31
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the other thing that's interesting about it is throwing in Northwest Indiana.
9:37
[SPEAKER_02]: My immediate thought is I'm actually in Northwest Indiana, you know, resident or rather originator, I should say, native, so I grew up in, in, in, uh, Hobart Indiana, uh, don't put the stadium there.
9:48
[SPEAKER_02]: There's, there's really no reason for that.
9:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but I'm thinking to myself, like, where would you even put that, right?
9:53
[SPEAKER_02]: You just got it.
9:54
[SPEAKER_02]: It's got to be one, it's most likely got to be one of the places that is off the South Shore line so that people can hop on that and take it down there.
10:03
[SPEAKER_02]: You should take the South Shore line, uh, from South Bend even all the way up to Chicago back in the day and that runs through Hammond, Gary, Ishikago and all that.
10:11
[SPEAKER_02]: So like my thought is like, okay, I understand from the standpoint of like, yeah, your property tag is going to be way lower.
10:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sure they would love it to have you there.
10:19
[SPEAKER_02]: You pay less than you would pay at Arlington Heights and Chicago, etc, etc.
10:24
[SPEAKER_02]: But I'm just thinking to yourself, to myself, like, what is the point?
10:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I'm out here in Boston currently where the New England Patriots play in Foxboro, which is at best, a half hour drive from Boston itself.
10:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And look, people make that drive all the time traffic is terrible, I wouldn't recommend it.
10:43
[SPEAKER_02]: But you can do it, right?
10:46
[SPEAKER_02]: And obviously you have the New York teams not playing in New York City proper.
10:51
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, teams do this.
10:53
[SPEAKER_02]: But the Chicago Bears are a
10:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
10:58
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like it's at least got to be an Illinois.
11:01
[SPEAKER_02]: You know what I'm saying?
11:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't tell what you said.
11:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you know what you said, both New York teams, they don't play in New York.
11:08
[SPEAKER_00]: The team Francisco 49ers played 40 miles away from San Francisco.
11:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's you know, president for this, you know, but at the end of the day, timing is everything.
11:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Right now, you know, Chicago as the Illinois is a whole right thing.
11:20
[SPEAKER_00]: the month, they're not really to put up the money.
11:23
[SPEAKER_00]: You could have a particular conversation if you wanted to, we ain't got to get political on the show, but unless Illinois puts up some of the funding, and not even just for the state and for the infrastructure changes, that needs to happen.
11:33
[SPEAKER_00]: That's one of the biggest things, but then you have to potentially look elsewhere.
11:38
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears don't want to play in Indiana.
11:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Almost every major state in America is built with some degree of public for the private partnership.
11:44
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to have to do that for this one.
11:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And really, I mean, you think about it.
11:46
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears have been frustrated by seeing negotiations
11:49
[SPEAKER_00]: forever.
11:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, this goes way way back.
11:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just always been this contentious thing instead of a partnership.
11:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So, um, like we started this off with do I think that's all he was ultimate goal is to have the bears playing in Indiana know.
12:03
[SPEAKER_00]: But like, if Indiana rolls out the red carpet, you know, is willing to clear out some buildings and willing to put up the land and help out all that jazz.
12:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're willing to do it sooner rather than later.
12:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if this was happening five years from now, I think it'd be different conversation just in terms of where things would be sitting
12:19
[SPEAKER_00]: The pairs are sitting on 200 what million dollars of land that they spent and want to use.
12:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they're willing to wait that long.
12:26
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, obviously you got to wait and see, like Nick said, this is not happen stands that they're talking about this the whole couple days before one of the biggest bears games in recent history just because of terms of what's going on and it's going to be a talking point.
12:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And obviously the bears are hoping that this creates a little more movement because they just really hasn't been.
12:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no.
12:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And I would say, too, like, I wouldn't like complete dismiss like, oh, Northwest, there's no way like I would have you in that way because of how like there hasn't been any major progress that that we can see from the outside looking in.
13:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But
13:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think, too, it's strategic how this was done and, you know, I think now move back to more important things as Bear's Packers game, like that's what I think, again, that's what I've seen a lot of like overreact or people kind of reacting to this news, but then eventually they come back, oh wait, the Bear's by the Packers on Saturday for the NFC North, like that's what I want to talk about.
13:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and let's talk about that because the Chicago Bears and Northwest Indiana, they're like that job offer that you've got that students fund.
13:28
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't really want to take it, but you're like, oh, you're your offer.
13:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's see what you want to do.
13:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And then you're going to stick with who you got.
13:33
[SPEAKER_02]: So let's get to the Bears and Packers.
13:35
[SPEAKER_00]: which we will do that right now.
13:37
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to talk about the injury report, what's going on there.
13:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And first, I thought we were doing the show kind of loading over all the Packers injury news.
13:45
[SPEAKER_00]: But unfortunately, we have to start with some bare stuff.
13:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Officially, I would write Luther Bird and Roma Dune Day.
13:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And Agba Omega, I always will butcher your name.
13:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I apologize so much.
13:55
[SPEAKER_00]: But, I mean, you're down, you're at number one, number two times at how you want to look at this two three receiver.
14:01
[SPEAKER_00]: At least when you're more productive receivers, you're recently moved a burden.
14:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Kai, I'm going to go to you first on this one.
14:06
[SPEAKER_00]: What does that mean to you being down both of those receivers?
14:11
[SPEAKER_02]: You could deal with just Rome being down because Burton was starting to ascend.
14:15
[SPEAKER_02]: You wanted to see what you had.
14:17
[SPEAKER_02]: You got him the ball.
14:17
[SPEAKER_02]: He led the bears and receiving in this last game.
14:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Six catches for eighty four yards looked really good.
14:23
[SPEAKER_02]: I do not at all like the idea of both Rome and Luther being out for this game.
14:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And again, it wasn't that the bear's lit things up from a passing perspective against the packers last time.
14:36
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just that now you're getting down into that depth chart where you do still have DJ Moore and coast and lovelin is your most important pass catcher on the team at this point in my opinion.
14:47
[SPEAKER_02]: So you do still have that.
14:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, at the same time, I feel like it starts to limit the threat of the personnel groups that you have.
14:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Like yeah, you can play 11, but two of your receivers are going to be a lot of days to key isn't like Jada Walker.
15:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And at that point, you're thinking like, okay, how much am I really concerned about this?
15:06
[SPEAKER_02]: I wonder how much it will change what Ben Johnson does from a personnel standpoint, especially if they're thinking of themselves.
15:13
[SPEAKER_02]: I might want to run the ball more than throw it.
15:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, and so yeah, Nick, I'll treat this to you now.
15:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we think hearing what Kyrie just said I would agree.
15:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And if there's someone that's going to, I would hope to get you out of a little bit of a jam with the personality of Ben Johnson's of the world.
15:28
[SPEAKER_00]: But you do see a distinct difference.
15:30
[SPEAKER_00]: You saw that earlier in the season when, you know, all of the days of KES was getting more of those snaps, started shifting more to burden and got more explosive.
15:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But then you still were seeing everyone's in a while.
15:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Why is a KES kind of like some of those snaps with, you know, the lack of separation he can create in some of that with the route running.
15:45
[SPEAKER_00]: things of that nature.
15:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So where's your head out with us?
15:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's definitely not the place you want to be going into such a pivotal game.
15:52
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know, when you do look at this bear's roster, you still like carry mentioned Luther.
15:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you don't have Luther Vernon, but you have a guy in Colson Love and that is a, you know, glorified, he even run routes like who I'd receive her, but blocks like he's a traditional wide-tight end.
16:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's a versatile piece that I think you can utilize.
16:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it
16:13
[SPEAKER_01]: The Green Bay Packers do not have Michael Parsons.
16:15
[SPEAKER_01]: So what the bears were doing, having their tight end stay in chip.
16:18
[SPEAKER_01]: You can now ask Colson, Lovelin, Cole Comets, to be more of those pass-catching targets I think in this one until maybe a Rochon Gary proves you otherwise that you need to have guys in chip.
16:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're just gonna find these pass-catching options in different ways if you're Ben Johnson.
16:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And like you said, Mason, if there's one guy that I want,
16:37
[SPEAKER_01]: in this specific position.
16:38
[SPEAKER_01]: You never want to be in this position, but if you are in this one, it's a guy like Ben Johnson who could be creative.
16:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Good his backs may be more involved in the past game if you have to.
16:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, however you need to do it, I think Ben knowing that he, this is the circumstance that he's in going into this game is going to find ways to strategically attack this Packers defense that doesn't have their number one pass rush or so.
17:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, not an ideal position, but it's not the worst place to be if you're Ben Johnson because of
17:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And quickly, from that, the fact that Cole Comet practiced in full is really encouraging because when he got hit that look like that is he's not going to be able to play next week, that that might be a multi week injury, the fact that he was able to to practice in full suggests to me that most likely any Mason might have thoughts on this like I would think he's probably going to play.
17:29
[SPEAKER_02]: And that helps you from a depth perspective.
17:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And maybe it says, look, we're going to go more 12 this time around.
17:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And maybe we'll split Colston out and use them more as a wide receiver.
17:39
[SPEAKER_02]: So I felt like if you were down coal commit, then you've got real problems.
17:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I believe I saw Adam Hogue tweeted today that he talked to Cole and Cole said like he's blank in this game.
17:49
[SPEAKER_00]: So I fortunately because he's people sometimes I don't think really understand how important Cole is to this team.
17:56
[SPEAKER_00]: From, you know, what he's doing in the run game and what he's doing is a leader, but I was worried a bit there when I first saw that I thought I might have been a high ankle sprain.
18:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Cole is a dang iron man and the fact that he's, he does push us through what he does.
18:09
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so impressive.
18:10
[SPEAKER_00]: One thing Nick had mentioned is getting your running backs more involved than down there Swift popped up on the injury report yesterday.
18:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I always get a little worried when I see someone as a limited participant after they were full because right, that means they missed part of practice all of a sudden.
18:24
[SPEAKER_00]: But you did see today who's also limited, which
18:27
[SPEAKER_00]: you feel a little bit better about, right?
18:29
[SPEAKER_00]: At least at least I do.
18:30
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing that sucks is it's the growing that's been bothering him pretty much all year, it seems like.
18:35
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's there's nothing here for sure to say whether he will have won't play, but in terms of how that was trending, I believe he should be playing, you know, if I think if he was a DMP, obviously, that would be a much more-
18:46
[SPEAKER_00]: worry some, but someone else who went from limited limits of full-estimate admins.
18:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So now all of a sudden, you're getting, you know, I think John Joseph should be playing the fact that you've been done guy playing as well as he is to give a little more of a snap count for Swift.
18:58
[SPEAKER_00]: That's fantastic.
19:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, but you also get your main Edmunds back that should help you especially in the intermediate of, uh, and that defense and work love wants to be able to throw that ball, especially.
19:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And we can talk about this later in the show with the whole man and versus own concept.
19:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's a whole conversation to have.
19:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, but
19:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Other than that, I mean, the bears are pretty much in tax, you know, which is, which is good.
19:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, it's a good, good side.
19:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And if they get tremendous back for this Saturday's game, which I think it's definitely leaning towards that happening.
19:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you're getting a guy that was playing some really good football before he went out of that game against the Minnesota Vikings, had four interceptions.
19:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And that I was talking about today in his press conference, just a tough person to throw over.
19:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And we've heard that all along with what tremendous, but I really feel like
19:43
[SPEAKER_01]: that his length was more of a factor this season than it had been in previous season, just because of now playing that will linebacker.
19:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's just put him in position to make more plays on the ball.
19:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So you get him back.
19:57
[SPEAKER_01]: You already have TJ Edwards back and you know, Jamarco Jackson's been.
20:00
[SPEAKER_01]: more than serviceable at the other lineback position.
20:03
[SPEAKER_01]: You feel a lot better there again say again a packers off and set just utilize so many different weapons.
20:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You just don't know who it's going to end up going to and Jordan love like I've been saying this all week.
20:15
[SPEAKER_01]: He's probably going to get his in this game.
20:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Like he is I think it's all right to say that Jordan love is good at the quarterback position.
20:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I know some bear's fans are a little hesitant to say that, but he is.
20:25
[SPEAKER_01]: He's actor and man, he throws off that back foot.
20:27
[SPEAKER_01]: You're just waiting for it to be intercepted, but what time's it not?
20:30
[SPEAKER_01]: It just kind of land for it needs to go.
20:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So I am credit for that.
20:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, no, you're absolutely right.
20:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And I mean, to your point, what thing with Demarco Jackson?
20:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Top graded linebacker in the league for a week, 15.
20:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's honestly mind boggling to me to think about that.
20:46
[SPEAKER_02]: That was his first career sack and first career interception.
20:50
[SPEAKER_02]: And he's only started four games in his career and look how well that they've got in play.
20:54
[SPEAKER_02]: But to the Jordan love point, I feel like we don't appreciate enough how well he's played against the Chicago Bears in his career.
21:04
[SPEAKER_02]: He is averaging almost 70%.
21:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Almost exactly 70% completions.
21:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And he has almost two touchdowns of game.
21:14
[SPEAKER_02]: He's only thrown two picks against them.
21:16
[SPEAKER_02]: with a rating average of one twenty one.
21:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean he does not have problems against the Chicago Bears except for that one game where he got hurt early in week 18 last year.
21:27
[SPEAKER_02]: So look, it is difficult to make life hard for him and it just seems like he knows where to go and what to do and I think in this last game we saw him use his legs more than he usually does.
21:38
[SPEAKER_02]: When he does that I mean it's even more multi-dimensional.
21:41
[SPEAKER_02]: So I feel like we do need to respect
21:43
[SPEAKER_02]: what Jordan love is doing at the position.
21:45
[SPEAKER_02]: This is not going to be an easy game.
21:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Moving over to the Packers real quick.
21:51
[SPEAKER_00]: To wrap up this segment here, there's a couple major injuries that Nick already brought up my comparsion and says the biggest one, in my opinion, that shifts you from a super bowl true contender to a, hey, you're just a playoff contender and we'll see what happens kind of thing.
22:07
[SPEAKER_00]: But a couple other names that we just wanna,
22:09
[SPEAKER_00]: be wary of Kingsley on a barray where he made that really big third and one stop on the bear's final drive.
22:15
[SPEAKER_00]: This is an illness, so we got to keep an eye on that.
22:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Two days might be enough to get back, but he didn't participate today.
22:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Josh Jacobs is probably one of the bigger names that is a big question mark.
22:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, between him and so he didn't participate at all with that knee issue he has at least Christian Watson.
22:31
[SPEAKER_00]: He's been limited the last couple days, but I think both of them are going to be
22:35
[SPEAKER_00]: just probably playing to be honest, but loaded up with every pink killer you can see that you can think of.
22:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Zack Tom, one of their starting guard, he has not participated.
22:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I actually think he wanted to play.
22:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And then in terms of the other name, I think Eve and William same thing.
22:51
[SPEAKER_00]: He's has not participated.
22:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Safety with a bit of a knee issue.
22:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think he's playing, which is pretty massive.
22:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And then so going back really quick to Christian Watson.
23:01
[SPEAKER_00]: with that sort of Clito, sorry, geez.
23:04
[SPEAKER_00]: SC joined Spring that he has.
23:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I was on a mastoy, it's at the real time almost the wrong thing.
23:09
[SPEAKER_00]: But that sort of costled joint to the spring.
23:12
[SPEAKER_00]: He seems like he's going to be playing, but man, I mean, between catch radius issues, between just like paying issues and I mean blocking, being jammed the line.
23:23
[SPEAKER_00]: he's not going to be himself in this game and that is something that we can't can't reduce.
23:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I mean, Kyrie, if you're sitting there and you're thinking, I mean, there's a bunch of other issues like injuries of guys who are in R and all that we have brought up, but with that, you know, the Michael Conversation Lucas Vendes may not play again all this.
23:41
[SPEAKER_00]: What are you thinking on the defensive side when they're taking on the various offense?
23:44
[SPEAKER_00]: How is that going to impact them?
23:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I think that the first thing is, I mean, they used a ton of play action and a ton of boot to neutralize Parsons.
23:53
[SPEAKER_02]: I maybe use play action just because Caleb Williams is comfortable with it and he's so efficient at it.
23:59
[SPEAKER_02]: He's one of the best play action pastors in the league.
24:02
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think you don't need to boot as much because you're not worried about running away from Mike a Parsons.
24:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And again, as Nick mentioned, maybe Rishan Gary, maybe this Packers defense of front or maybe Jeff Haffley comes up with something that makes it necessary.
24:18
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think you probably go back to a little bit more.
24:21
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to go downhill more straight at you.
24:24
[SPEAKER_02]: this time around.
24:25
[SPEAKER_02]: And we're not going to worry about the misdirection as much.
24:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And again, they found a lot of success in the second half of that game in the run game, just running it between the tackles, just getting right into them.
24:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And I feel like if Swift is able to play, you stick with that, and even if he's not, well, that's work.
24:44
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm a non guy specializes just run right at him and run through your face.
24:49
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think.
24:51
[SPEAKER_02]: The Packers defense does not frighten me nearly as much as it did.
24:56
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think on the other side of things, when you look at Christian Watson, you got you got a jam.
24:59
[SPEAKER_02]: You got to get up on him and you got to put your hands on him.
25:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Because here's the thing, those legs will work.
25:05
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I mean, so if he catches the ball, you still got to get him down and you got to make sure he's not running away from you.
25:11
[SPEAKER_02]: But you may can feel that discomfort every single time you can get hands on him.
25:17
[SPEAKER_00]: So Nick, looking at that packer's offense, what are your expectations?
25:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Specifically, I would relate to Christian Watson because of being limited, the question mark, whether or not I think he's probably gonna play for being honest, but like a very hamper, but the limitations of Josh Jacobs.
25:32
[SPEAKER_00]: We saw that, I mean, the running back room is just March and Floyd got brought back just procedural thing.
25:37
[SPEAKER_00]: He's gonna end up being shoved back on IR and all that jazz, but are you worried about the packer's office as much
25:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're gonna be missing some teeth, but I like I said earlier.
25:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I expect Jordan love to be accurate to get the ball out on time They get his playmakers involved like those outbreaking routes when I was just even watching the game that the Packers had last week against the Denver Broncos That first half Jordan love look good.
26:02
[SPEAKER_01]: They didn't I think it was what a 14.
26:04
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a close game at the end of the first half and then they score on their first opening possession in the third quarter
26:09
[SPEAKER_01]: But Jordan love was putting the ball exactly where it needed to be.
26:13
[SPEAKER_01]: He was getting outside of the pocket using his legs.
26:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I read mentioned earlier.
26:16
[SPEAKER_01]: So I expect them to do that.
26:18
[SPEAKER_01]: What I do expect from the bear's defense this time around.
26:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of those coverage busts that happen with the explosive plays that I think involved Jalen Johnson, not kind of drifting back to
26:30
[SPEAKER_01]: cover a vacated zone when they went into single-high.
26:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Like some of those things that happened, I don't think that's gonna be an issue now with Jalen Johnson having now two games under his belt.
26:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And three total, if you can include the Philadelphia game, where he's just more in sync with what Dennis Allen is expecting of him.
26:48
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you're getting a better version of Jalen Johnson, who had an insane pick in the Cleveland Browns game, when I was from press practice, you guys, I had no idea what just happened.
26:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Like completely had no idea how that ball got into his hands.
27:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But it did, and that's Jalen Johnson for you who can make those spectacular plays.
27:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So I expect some of those explosives that happened in that first matchup between the Bears and Packers not to happen because of the coverage bus.
27:11
[SPEAKER_01]: If it's just a nice delivered ball to a tight window, you could, I mean, look, a perfect throw will be to perfect defense.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And if that happens, it happens.
27:20
[SPEAKER_01]: But I do expect, like I said, Jordan left to have some yards to put up some points to get the Packers offense going.
27:28
[SPEAKER_01]: those takeaways like the bears have generated them almost consistently in all of these games CJ Gardner and Johnson getting one last time you play during love so I have a feeling that Dennis Allen if they can limit the yardage the packers get on 1st and 2nd down that's going to be a huge emphasis you guys to going into this game.
27:44
[SPEAKER_01]: those starting long situations.
27:47
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where Dennis likes to get creative.
27:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I know one of the times he brought the blitz and that that's slant route against CJ Gardner Johnson goes for a touchdown, but that's what Dennis does and I think he's going to be more willing to do that even in this game just to see if he can get Jordan love off his mark because as a tough thing to do.
28:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I think again, that's where it becomes if you're going to play man to man no free releases get on them because again, if you make Jordan love move he generally becomes less efficient because he if you let him sit in the pocket he kill he'll get you know.
28:22
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, we're going to take a quick break and then move on to looking at this game is a little closer.
28:34
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29:02
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, next, we are in our neat jerk reaction.
29:05
[SPEAKER_00]: This is one hot take.
29:07
[SPEAKER_00]: We got going into next week.
29:08
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, why don't you leave us off?
29:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Jordan love going to throw another pick, and I mean that might not seem like the most outlandish thing to say, but Jordan love does not throw a lot of interceptions.
29:20
[SPEAKER_02]: He does not turn the ball over very often.
29:22
[SPEAKER_02]: We have seen him now in these last couple of contests or two or three last contests of the bears throw pretty egregious interceptions where it seemed like it was just a miscommunication or throwing the ball to a spot.
29:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I think they're going to get him again and this time, I think the bears are going to win because of it.
29:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, that's a pretty hot take already thrown out that one.
29:47
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll early in the show.
29:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I like it.
29:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick, what do you got?
29:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so like we were talking earlier, the bears weren't able to get much pressure on Jordan Love.
29:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm looking at a guy with Zack Tom, the right tackle being questionable with his injury.
30:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm looking at Montez sweat man.
30:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I know he got him once in that first matchup.
30:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go get the two sack performance from Montess Sweat in this game and really just get Jordan love off his mark.
30:13
[SPEAKER_01]: If you can do that, like Kyrie's talking about less likely that he's going to make some of those passes that he's been making all season.
30:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So two sack performance for Montess Sweat there.
30:23
[SPEAKER_00]: that would be music to my ears, just knowing how terrible this passage has really been.
30:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Mine was honestly revolving around Luther Burton, and so now I'm not doing it because it and I'm just sad.
30:35
[SPEAKER_00]: But what it's so, I'm gonna flip it to a different rookie where
30:38
[SPEAKER_00]: with, and we kind of, everyone's alluded to this to an extent, but with Luther burden, you know, out with room of dunes, they out, there's just certain route concepts that is just integral right now to this system to bend John's what Caleb likes to do, and a lot of that can be it should be run by a close and lovely, and I mean, he's got arguably, I would say, the most natural hands on the team.
30:58
[SPEAKER_00]: He usually is a hand catcher, he doesn't fight the ball, not catching it with the body, and so it's just, he's a match-up
31:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And so when you're down to an offense to DJ, I've been very vocal about my issues with some of how he runs his route to a little bit of some effort stuff.
31:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But he also can only run certain types of routes and that's just they're not ones you can really sustain like if you look at some of his bigger games even in the past.
31:23
[SPEAKER_00]: They've been thinking about that commander's game with Justin Field and the law that was deep balls right you know touch down or nothing kind of stuff we saw that even a little bit last week.
31:32
[SPEAKER_00]: We're like coaches and you break a tackle right you know for four catches and two touchdowns just great but you know be down to down between the two and just move in the chains that's gotta be close to love in this week.
31:42
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think he's gonna have a pretty monster game and then we get the point to all the cold fans who said how you took the wrong tight end and say
31:51
[SPEAKER_00]: To be a perfectly honest something really honest, I'll just go into this one just because we talked about this little earlier, even with Edwards and Edmunds back, I think the Marco Jackson has earned a role in this defense since we twelve of the twenty twenty five season he's put together the following stats three total tackles 12 solo 18 assisted one sack.
32:10
[SPEAKER_00]: tackle two tackles for loss and interception.
32:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Specifically, I mean, that was a very heads-y athletic interception he made to, like it wasn't one that just fell on his lap.
32:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, he had that mistapped clung gesture.
32:21
[SPEAKER_00]: It was the last time they met with the Packers, which really led to that 21-yard gain and eventual touchdown.
32:26
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not the perfect player or an all-star, but he consistently makes plays, and I think he's earned the trust of the coaches.
32:31
[SPEAKER_00]: He had the green dot, clear the leader in his own way on this defense.
32:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, I just think you got to figure out ways to keep him on the field, which is tough because there's a lot of players that you want to be on the field at this point between tired Stevenson between Jalen Johnson, you know, you got a CJ Gardener Johnson.
32:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the list goes on.
32:50
[SPEAKER_00]: There's only so many people that can be on the field at a time.
32:52
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, that also gives you a ability to keep your players fresh and in game that is going to be important in that manner.
32:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick, why don't you take to what is your to be a perfectly honest?
33:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to go with still sticking with the Christian Watson conversation.
33:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it does concern me.
33:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess concerns the right word here.
33:08
[SPEAKER_01]: His speed, even though he's going to be banged up, like, when you look at these bears defensive backs, I wouldn't say speed is their strength, right?
33:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Even from Jalen Johnson to Sean, right?
33:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Tyrex, Stevenson, CJ Gardner.
33:19
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not their strength, right?
33:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So with a guy like Christian Watson who can take a top off the defense, who can run away from man coverage if he's not pressed to the line of scrimmage.
33:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, there's an opportunity where the Packers can get something isolated one on one, get a yards after catch situation, have one of those DBs in position, it does concern me a little bit.
33:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So again, what Kyrie was saying earlier is so important like.
33:44
[SPEAKER_01]: these free releases, you need to make everything difficult, just throw off the timing, and maybe that allows a pass register to get to Jordan, love a little bit quicker or, you know, a little bit sooner there.
33:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's how everybody watching out for it.
33:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I'm as I'm writing like my five players to watch CJ Gardner Johnson's wonderful and that kind of situation man on man and there's a whole bunch of open field in the middle.
34:07
[SPEAKER_01]: It does concern me.
34:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm curious to see how Dennis Allen adjusts in the second match of its older field.
34:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's a valuable point.
34:14
[SPEAKER_02]: When you got one.
34:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because he was the one who got taken on the Christian Watson touchdown and he got beat across the field by Jaden Reed at one point.
34:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was thinking to myself, even if Kyler Gordon was in the game, he's also not necessarily a speed merchant.
34:28
[SPEAKER_02]: So those are things you've got to work on regardless.
34:32
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like if you're going to have a bunch of corners who are very headsy, you know, in play physical, then you got to play physical all the time.
34:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I think that's an approach that I hope that's an adjustment that they make.
34:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, for me, uh, I think I, I really need, uh, and I'm surprising saying this, but I think I really need the Andre Swift to play in this game.
34:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I would not have expected to say that earlier in the season when he was one of the least efficient running backs in the league, but the way that he has come on in recent weeks, where he's just whatever Ben Johnson is cooking up is working for him.
35:04
[SPEAKER_02]: He's running downhill.
35:05
[SPEAKER_02]: He's breaking tackles.
35:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, he's been more or less what they signed him to be.
35:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Again, I'm not worried from the standpoint that I think, you know, Kalmanungai is perfectly capable, but then if you're going to give Manungai the, you know, the lion's share of the carries.
35:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Then, you know, what are you getting from the backups, right?
35:26
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be like Britain Brown and, you know, Travis Homer, getting carries.
35:30
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a big drop off from going from DeAndre Swift to Kao Mananga.
35:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So, and I think that just generally, Swift's play recently has been a big boost for this offense.
35:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that it would be a loss on a similar level of not having Luther burden if he cannot play.
35:50
[SPEAKER_00]: No, you're absolutely right, and as someone who last year will consistently kept pulling up a stat of expected yards and how he was above the league over the entire season, you're absolutely right.
36:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I've had to e-crow that this year in a mid, like, I mean, it does help and you have a better office line, it helps and you have the rights, head coach, it helps when you have the right running to ex-coach, I think Eric B. enemy has been a good job of trying to
36:13
[SPEAKER_00]: get him running the right direction not always running for the sideline.
36:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, he's had a big, big change this year.
36:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So not having him would be a big difference.
36:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Carrie, why don't you keep going for our next one?
36:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Blank this humorist?
36:24
[SPEAKER_00]: What's something a little fun here, Porkey, about this?
36:29
[SPEAKER_02]: What is funny about this?
36:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that
36:35
[SPEAKER_02]: the conversation around the Caleb Williams play from last week, you know, that the touchdown pass to DJ Moore has been pretty hilarious to me, as well as just generally his response to it, which is no less than what you would expect.
36:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, yes, he's going to make throws that are going to make traditionalists be like, no, no, no, that's a terrible decision.
36:56
[SPEAKER_02]: But he can do that, is that not why he was drafted by the Chicago Bears, not just because, you know, yeah, as arm talent or whatever, we just like, you know, need a top quarterback.
37:07
[SPEAKER_02]: But because he can do that, right?
37:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And he does that, and all of a sudden everybody's like, well, that was a terrible decision.
37:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Why would you even do that?
37:16
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like, that's the whole point.
37:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And the fact that Caleb Williams is like, no, I'm nothing's off the table for me.
37:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I can make any throw.
37:23
[SPEAKER_02]: That is,
37:24
[SPEAKER_02]: People have their opinions on what Caleb Williams is a player or as a person, but that is exactly the kind of arrogance I want out of my quarterback.
37:32
[SPEAKER_02]: I can make any throw.
37:34
[SPEAKER_02]: The thing is, Caleb Williams is not just saying that he can make every throw.
37:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I do think that it's funny.
37:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Now that the Chicago Bears have a guy that can do that, everybody is like, basically like, wait, you're not supposed to do that, you're Chicago Bears quarterback.
37:52
[SPEAKER_02]: But if somebody else does it, a Patrick Mones or, you know, Matthew Stafford does it then, oh, wow, look at that throw.
37:58
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's because it's a Chicago Bears quarterback and because he paints his nails.
38:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's a good point.
38:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, there's been a great, I mean, a crazy discussion about Caleb.
38:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I I don't know how I went for it on to the podcast that will shine McCoy is on.
38:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, yeah, get enough of that.
38:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know what I think is also funny too, between these two fan bases is how they approach, I think individual.
38:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Twitter, acts of counts that say, oh, my, like, they're advocating for the micoparsons injury and celebrating it, like, that does not represent an entire fan base.
38:32
[SPEAKER_01]: No fan wants to see, like, respect to players get injured, go out for the entire season.
38:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
38:38
[SPEAKER_01]: One stupid, you know, idiotic kind of comment does not represent entire fan base, but it goes both ways.
38:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I've seen Bear's fans do that with, you know, my part is that I've seen Packers fans do that with, you know, kind of a Gordon going down and things like that, but it's kind of funny to see these, these kind of comments just continue to circulate, especially now with the magnitude of this game.
38:59
[SPEAKER_01]: But again, I think I always feel like there should be more rationale when it comes to
39:07
[SPEAKER_01]: social media, but then I was going to remind it.
39:09
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not a place for for common sense sometimes.
39:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So I always get, you know, I always laugh a little internally when I see some of those discussions happen.
39:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, social media is not irrational people and also they don't call them fans for nothing.
39:22
[SPEAKER_02]: It's short for phonetics.
39:24
[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of sports fans are weirdos.
39:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Very true.
39:29
[SPEAKER_00]: My interest humorous, for Sean Geary has zero Saxons, zero TFLs in the last seven games.
39:35
[SPEAKER_00]: That is the longest streak since his rookie season, nine games when he was a rotational backup behind the Smith Brothers.
39:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's with Defett's is focusing on my comparisons.
39:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'll be saying could he,
39:47
[SPEAKER_00]: figure it out this game, particularly a little more motivation, especially because there has been some whispers about this as a topic, yes, but you know, now he's one of the primary threat on this package in terms of line, what's that going to look like when the chips and the double teams and all that are coming at you.
40:01
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, I just think it's for a guy that, you know, Packers fans have touted pretty highly and who is supposed to be the dude or at least
40:13
[SPEAKER_02]: He better stay away from Darnell, right?
40:16
[SPEAKER_02]: That's all I'm saying.
40:18
[SPEAKER_02]: You better go to the other side and try to deal with that.
40:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I love, really quick.
40:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I just love this, I mean, this bear's offensive line, just a physicality play.
40:26
[SPEAKER_01]: We're like talking to John and Jackson this week.
40:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that dude just lives in breeds, trying to not hurt people, but just bury people when he gets the opportunity to.
40:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Like that, he told me, I told him,
40:37
[SPEAKER_01]: a red Hulk, that's what Caleb called you.
40:40
[SPEAKER_01]: He's like, I want to be Thanos.
40:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, dude, I could see that.
40:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I could see this just how you kind of approach yourself.
40:45
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, this bears offence of line and I was gonna be ready.
40:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure you see what this Packer's defense of line is like without micoparsons.
40:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think that, you know, when it comes to football, man, you know, I think there's this mentality.
40:58
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't want to injure people, but you kind of do want to hurt them.
41:02
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't want to break their will a little bit, you know, and I feel like absolutely, if they get a chance to line somebody up and take them out, I mean, obviously, like not in a dirty way, but yes, that's why you keep pancakes is a stat, you know what I mean?
41:19
[SPEAKER_02]: You're trying to put them on the ground.
41:22
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, another quick break here, and there will be back the last half of the show.
41:33
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, what you need to know, this is just gonna be a couple questions this time that I'm gonna throw off through one a carry, throw one at Nick, what's gonna do two questions each, simple as that.
41:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick, I'll start with you for this.
41:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Which one or see if we're not named Christian Watson makes the most plays for the Packers come Saturday?
41:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I'm going to go with Romeo Dobbs.
41:54
[SPEAKER_01]: He's their leading receiver right now.
41:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think if, you know, if it's not Christian Watson, he's definitely somebody that Jordan love a look to throughout this game.
42:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, they use everybody there, but Romeo Dobbs, there we go.
42:05
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
42:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Kari, how do you view Ozzie Trepello?
42:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Concerned, happy, somewhere in between?
42:12
[SPEAKER_00]: He's had a really tough matchup last week and it wasn't exactly like he heavily showed it.
42:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But again, like he definitely had a couple of misraps, but it's also my scared.
42:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I think some of that was scary.
42:23
[SPEAKER_02]: I think all things considered probably happy, like somewhere in the middle to happy, look, the guys are rookie, right?
42:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And you can't necessarily expect rookies to go out there and dominate.
42:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I would say that he has largely held his own, and I think you feel good about that, especially for a rookie who wasn't playing for most of the year, he's thrown in and the thick of things against the good teams I would point out against the better part.
42:49
[SPEAKER_02]: of the schedule, and he has not been an abject weakness, including against Miles Garrett, who honestly is going to, he's going to get everybody.
42:58
[SPEAKER_02]: He got Trent Williams, I mean, come on.
43:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick, are you concerned at all about Cairo Santos?
43:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Another way to put it, is there an instance where you're saying, even the weather is pretty good, we're not going to kick that.
43:10
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to go for it on board then.
43:12
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just so funny that you asked me this because I was thinking about this this morning, like at 7 a.m.
43:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I have no idea why, but it's not like when he was from 30 to 35 yards, he was 8 of 8 before Sunday's game against the Browns and it happened Richard high tower set of inexcusable that shouldn't doesn't matter what the weather.
43:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm not I'm not like panic or again, call you parking level.
43:40
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think every time we're seeing Kyro line up for a field goal, you know, you're kind of just like on the edge of your seed.
43:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, okay, where's this field goal about to go?
43:49
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, but I think he will use these last three regular season games to hopefully get on track.
43:56
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's something to monitor.
43:58
[SPEAKER_01]: No doubt about it.
44:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the end of the day where you're also hoping Bears can have a high enough seed that you have home field advantage in the playoffs.
44:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's not exactly easy to kick a social field as we've seen.
44:07
[SPEAKER_03]: So.
44:08
[SPEAKER_00]: some of the circle there.
44:09
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, last question for your carry.
44:11
[SPEAKER_00]: So we saw Ben Johnson, right, go in a half time of that Packers Bear's game, come out and it was a very different experience.
44:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm both excited to the ball for being honest, but particularly on the offensive side.
44:21
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you expect the Packers now to react and how to in this chess game and what do you think they're going to be doing to try to contain one would assume the bear's run games and that's really what got the offense going in the in that second half.
44:34
[SPEAKER_02]: If I were the packers, I'm going single high and I'm dropping a guy into the box and I'm saying okay you're going to run the ball I'm going to stop you also because I know that you're missing a bunch of your receivers so I don't know that I believe that any of your guys are going to separate from me except for maybe the tight end so I think the packers are going to drop down and be like okay you want to run the ball run it right into an eight man box every time.
45:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, now I think that's where you get creative and you try to move guys around, try to bunch them up to get them some free releases and you do whatever you can do to punish man, coverage because look, we know Caleb Williams can throw the ball.
45:16
[SPEAKER_02]: They know Caleb Williams can throw the ball.
45:18
[SPEAKER_02]: That's not the issue.
45:19
[SPEAKER_02]: The issue is going to be,
45:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, do they think that the bears receivers can get away from them?
45:25
[SPEAKER_02]: And I also think the other part of this is without Mike of Parsons, do they believe they can get home with four guys consistently?
45:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I wonder if Jeff Halfley is going to say to myself, like, well, we might have to bring a little bit more pressure.
45:39
[SPEAKER_02]: and mix things up and get weird.
45:42
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that they are going to look at what the bears are doing straight up.
45:48
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, they'll go in like single high, but I think they're gonna see if the bears are really committed to the bit with running the ball.
45:54
[SPEAKER_02]: And see what kind of personnel groups that they're rocking with are they gonna go more with 12 or they gonna go with 11.
45:59
[SPEAKER_02]: They're gonna try to spread it out.
46:00
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see.
46:01
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think that it's both strength in knowing that hey,
46:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Y'all receivers are injured, but also I don't have my all-world past Russia.
46:12
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we're going to go right into our love and hate it rehabilitated, so we look at a matchup that we love for the bears, we only hate and one that we're the coach, we put little fix this week, because my love is the ground game versus the packers defensive line.
46:24
[SPEAKER_00]: So actually it was a perfect blending here.
46:26
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Michael was not exactly top level running defender, but his presence enhances all facets of that defense.
46:31
[SPEAKER_00]: We also know that the belief in the line is down a couple guys in addition to like the bears had a rough go the first half overall But the ground view kind of putting the second half the bears lead the league in yards per carry before contact I mean that is an off until line stat at 2.09 and rushing yards and slash touchdowns 123 and their second and rushing yards overall with 2120 yards on the years so far
46:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And Nick said this earlier, I mean, this is a, if you met Joe Tuney on the street somewhere, like you'd think it's a teddy bear, same thing with like Drew Dalman.
47:01
[SPEAKER_00]: But like, in those, you know, the sacred lines that is the football field, there's a switch that flips for those guys.
47:09
[SPEAKER_00]: We know Jonah Jackson's a mallar, we know Donald Wright is just a beast of a man.
47:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So this just seems like one of those games that Ben Johnson looks at those guys that Dan Rochard looks at those guys and says we're gonna impose our will on them.
47:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And I would expect them to step up.
47:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is my love, uh, Nick, what is yours?
47:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I mean, it's hard to not continue off of that point because I do love the bear's ability to attack this Packer's defense, especially without a guy like Michael Parsons.
47:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So I love the way that they're utilizing outside zone.
47:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I love the way, you know what?
47:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I love the way that these bears running back are finishing plays because we talked about it with the Andre Swift.
47:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that was one of the biggest question marks for him to going into this season.
47:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, is this a guy that can actually run in between the tackles?
47:53
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like the last couple of weeks, you're seeing him lower the shoulder, fight through the ankle tackle.
48:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the 17 yard running head against Cleveland stops on a dime, fight through a tackle, gets into the end zone.
48:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Like that's stuff that you love to see.
48:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So the physicality, I think has become the identity of this bears team and you're seeing it not only through
48:15
[SPEAKER_01]: the blocks from the offensive line.
48:18
[SPEAKER_01]: The chips that these tight ends are getting.
48:20
[SPEAKER_01]: You saw Colson love them put miles gear right on the ground.
48:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, a lot of days of Kia's being one of the smallest guys out there.
48:27
[SPEAKER_01]: He's blocking.
48:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's this physicality.
48:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I love seeing it throughout the entirety of the offense.
48:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Gary, what you got.
48:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I love me some coast and lovelin in this game because I like him against anybody the packers might put on him because he is that good and I think this is going to be a game that Ben Johnson looks at him and says, listen, I know you're a rookie and I know we were paying DJ more a lot of money, but you right now are basically the guy.
48:54
[SPEAKER_02]: You you've proven it, okay?
48:56
[SPEAKER_02]: In the second half of the season he has proven himself in my opinion the best past
49:04
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that he has really fit into as soon as they picked him I I could see it right away he is you're supposed to be the sample a quarter of this offense and it took a little while for us to get there but he's gotten there so I think look if you're going to say you're going to man up and you're going to try and take away my wide receivers because you don't believe they're going to get open who you're going to put on coast and lovely I want to see that have fun with that.
49:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, if I'm not going to lie, if we could have a couple catches and touch down from DJ Moore for my fancy team though, I would appreciate it.
49:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Why don't you keep going, what is what is your hate?
49:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Man, I think I hate.
49:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, the slot receiver or rather the slot corner situation.
49:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, because, you know, Nick mentioned look, you know, Romeo Dobbs leading receiver for the team.
50:01
[SPEAKER_02]: So if it's not Christian Watson, be Romeo Dobbs, I'm looking at like, you know, whether it's Christian Watson, Romeo Dobbs, Jaden Reed, you know, whatever it is whoever is lining up on the inside, I don't like that match up.
50:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And again, it's not because C.J.
50:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Gardner Johnson is not a good player.
50:18
[SPEAKER_02]: He has been a very useful player since coming to Chicago.
50:22
[SPEAKER_02]: He's been more than the antics and kind of all of that.
50:25
[SPEAKER_02]: He's been a solid player.
50:26
[SPEAKER_02]: He's contributed to the takeaway fest.
50:28
[SPEAKER_02]: But we've seen it.
50:29
[SPEAKER_02]: He can't run.
50:31
[SPEAKER_02]: not with a fast slot guy or a fast receiver who is going to run across the field or run by.
50:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's not, look, that's just as what he is.
50:42
[SPEAKER_02]: That's fine.
50:43
[SPEAKER_02]: But I really don't like that.
50:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And I expect that they are going to go back and watch those two plays where Christian Watson catches the slant and runs away from him.
50:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And they're going to watch the Jaden Reed play where he catches, you know, that in breaking route along the sideline and runs straight away from CJ Gardner Johnson.
51:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think they're going to say, how can we do that?
51:06
[SPEAKER_00]: My hates on the other side, well, it's on really about the Packers defense, where I'm worried about the corner blitz.
51:13
[SPEAKER_00]: That's something I really hope Ben Johnson, who's sure I figured out how to handle.
51:17
[SPEAKER_00]: You really saw that this is increased since that second Vikings game when Flores, it seemed like there was almost like an auto call whenever that there was that tight alignment.
51:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Corner just rips off the edge and it's messing with your run game, it's been messing with the past game.
51:34
[SPEAKER_00]: fairly important to how Ben Johnson likes to run this off, and so there has to be something in the pipeline to handle that, whether it's an audible, right, the line, something of that nature.
51:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's something that in general I think has been a bit of a struggle that I haven't seen a lot on tape is really the
51:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Identification of a defender and then placements of the ball where the defender has made cated.
52:00
[SPEAKER_00]: We haven't really seen potentially Caleb adjusting in the line.
52:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, we're going to hit I'm going to hit you on this hot route kind of idea.
52:06
[SPEAKER_00]: So that whole thing is something that has been messing with the bearish for the last couple weeks and I hate the concept because it really has to rail them.
52:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick, what do you hate?
52:17
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, look, I hate the bear's ability to apply consistent past rush, even against the injured packers offensive line.
52:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So when I'm thinking about like that matchup, whether it's that time or not for Montess what I know, like I said earlier, it would be great to see him get two sex, but is that actually realistically going to happen?
52:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, just because this bear's defensive line has been very inconsistent with getting, getting some type of past rush.
52:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And we've seen what happens when you give a guy, especially
52:47
[SPEAKER_01]: even in this matchup at soldier field where you're going to have to crowd behind you things like that.
52:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm wondering how, how effective this defensive line, and you know, then it sounds going to bring his fair share of blitz is how, how effective this password is going to be on Saturday against Green Bay Pack.
53:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's something I do hate.
53:04
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, ending with some optimism from all of us, Kyrie, what would you rehabilitate?
53:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you come out of the gates firing with the run game and you don't play around with trying to establish Caleb Williams he will get there in time.
53:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that even if they drop it in the box, I don't care.
53:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not sure that you can stop it.
53:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I want to see them come out into this game and say like you said, we are going to impose our will.
53:32
[SPEAKER_02]: This is Chicago.
53:33
[SPEAKER_02]: This is Soldier Field.
53:34
[SPEAKER_02]: You are in our house and we're going to beat you down.
53:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And then we're going to beat you down right away.
53:41
[SPEAKER_02]: So that you know you can't stop it because I think that was one thing straight off to that with with that game.
53:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I was actually at a friend's house whose Packers fan, you know, his, his kid is friends with my kid.
53:52
[SPEAKER_02]: He's actually the only Packers fan in the world that I like.
53:56
[SPEAKER_02]: But I'm sitting there watching the first couple of drives and I'm thinking of myself like, man, like the first while, you know, the bears, you know, don't score whatever, but I'm watching the Packers driving on like,
54:06
[SPEAKER_02]: They're they're waltzing down the field.
54:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's take them a long time, but they're just non-shallot.
54:10
[SPEAKER_02]: There's no urgency here.
54:12
[SPEAKER_02]: They're walking it down the field four or five yards at a time.
54:16
[SPEAKER_02]: And I want to see the bears do that.
54:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Because to me, that'll say, oh, we got you.
54:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna keep mine pretty simple.
54:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Can we reduce the lows?
54:26
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a low Sunday against the Browns, right?
54:28
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bears went five consecutive possessions a nearly 23 minutes of game time without adding to their point total.
54:34
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't do that this Saturday.
54:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Another note is how the Bears started the game, right?
54:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you ever need to give them a great field position off the kickoff?
54:41
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bears got to see her points after a three and out.
54:44
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to take advantage, you're on the other side of the 50, you're inside the 20, all of these things.
54:49
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to take advantage because there's only so many possessions in the game, right on average, is about 12 possessions in any given game.
54:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you don't get points on three, four of those, it's tough to win.
55:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Nick, what do you fix in?
55:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you're fixing how the Bears start the game,
55:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Nick, come back.
55:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks like Nick frozen that one.
55:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, at the same time, okay.
55:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Until he comes back, I'm gonna take a guess.
55:23
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll tell you, guess the winning team.
55:24
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what he's gonna say.
55:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I know exactly.
55:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I heard what he was starting to say, the way that they started the game.
55:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And this has been a consistent theme for the Chicago Bears, it's not starting fast.
55:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's been an issue for the last couple of years, just not being able to get those first drive points.
55:43
[SPEAKER_02]: and really come out looking like, okay, yeah, we're setting the tone for this one, or it happens infrequently, you know what I mean?
55:51
[SPEAKER_02]: So no, I'm assuming that's what Nick was about to say, but no, I'm with that.
55:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Because look, any game like this, especially you're at home, you got to set the tone here, man.
56:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And I know that it's gonna be a weird situation where you're hurt, they're hurt.
56:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Actually, one of our guys in the chat was just like, like, this old Joe was like, this is gonna be a game of who wants it more.
56:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Kind of is.
56:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, what do you think?
56:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Cause I think that's kind of what it is.
56:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I would agree with that, I mean, in general, you can say, I mean, that's football, like a lot of these guys are very similar skill sets in the difference between a good to a bad or good to a great player is a matter of percentages like percentage points.
56:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And when that happens, a lot of times it does come put down to how bad do you just want to be the person that's a cross for you, how bad do you want to dig out that that routes, you know, how bad do you want the concentration to make that catch all these kinds of things.
56:54
[SPEAKER_02]: So bad do you want to block down the field, you know, it's like all of that.
56:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think, you know, the bears badly wanted to come back in that game and make it competitive this last time, how bad do they want to come out from the jump and win?
57:11
[SPEAKER_00]: So Nick's internet died and he's so he's not going to be able to come back in and then we'll end this show without Nicholas Moriano my guy we love you dude can't you okay real quick before we do this you're going to do the combine this year.
57:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm looking to do I honestly I applied to do it this year and I didn't get the credentials so if I can get on my love to go again.
57:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I would, I would like to try to, to do it, make our way down there and see if we can meet her because I met Nick last last year down there in myself.
57:48
[SPEAKER_02]: How did you already get combine credentials or how my application.
57:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I was saying for last year, I have played for last year, last year, yeah, yeah, I was I was going to say damn, but yeah, so yeah, if we can all make it happen, because yeah, the only two times I've been down at the combine, I met Nick down there is a good old time.
58:06
[SPEAKER_02]: I obviously met our guy, you know, big old breads, feel burger, you know, all six, seven of them, you know, and all that stuff, but yeah, let's let's get to the finish.
58:15
[SPEAKER_00]: That was that was a fun night.
58:16
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a really cool night.
58:18
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, X-factor for the Packers.
58:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Mine is for them is...
58:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick just wants to throw out their bears first in the NFL and scoring in the first quarter 8.7 points for a game.
58:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So, so just last the last little bit from Nick Moran, Nicholas Morano.
58:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Expecting for the packers, he's been creating slow season in passing game.
58:40
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears have given up 60 plays of 20 yards or more, tied for the second most of the league with the Giants, training the Bengals staggering 71.
58:47
[SPEAKER_00]: The Browns added two to the Debaris total Sunday when Chador's handers found Isaiah Bondi.
58:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So a week 14 match up with the Bears Packer said five explosive plays themselves three of Richmond for touchdowns.
58:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So if there's a rescue perspective for them, it's that.
59:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's going to be whether or not Christian Watson can catch the ball.
59:06
[SPEAKER_02]: because if you can catch the ball, and he can be productive in that realm, and if he can catch the ball with space, then he can run.
59:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Because his legs were not on the injury report.
59:16
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that, again, it's going to be a matter of, yeah, he's on the field.
59:21
[SPEAKER_02]: You need to treat him like he's fully healthy and make him prove it.
59:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm assuming he's 100, I don't think he is, but as a player, I'm assuming he's 100% until he proves he's not 100%.
59:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, can I real quick do something non-bearers related just because I happen to really like this player just in Jacobi Myers just got a three year 60 million dollar extension with the Jacksonville jack bars basically ever since he ended up over in Jacksonville.
59:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Trevor Lawrence has been going off and I feel like that's been something that and actually like this this might be something I want to see the bears do down the line not you know trade for Jacobi Myers, but get a receiver that just.
1:00:02
[SPEAKER_02]: gets open.
1:00:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Just by hooker, by crook, just no matter what third down he's going to be open.
1:00:09
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like people never really appreciated that about Jacobi buyers when he was in New England.
1:00:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I was watching him for two years covering that team.
1:00:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's a guy who just knows how to play football.
1:00:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And sometimes your quarterback just needs one of those.
1:00:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's specifically getting open, but it's getting open for the dirty catches and the dirty hours.
1:00:30
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a lot of the over-the-middle stuff that if you remember the beginning of the year, a certain receiver on the Jaguars did not want to go over the middle and was the Pood for it.
1:00:39
[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, Myers in the last three games, six receptions for 90 yards, four a 739 yards, five a 7471 yards and two touchdowns across those three games.
1:00:47
[SPEAKER_00]: you know sometimes you know one man's trash another man's treasure and you know you don't fit here but you fit over there and that's what happened between going from the raiders to the Jaguar so big props for Jacobi Myers.
1:00:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes I mean and to that point man like I don't know how many times I saw you kick his ass he doesn't care he's coming back for the next play and it actually got so bad in New England you know where he was just like cooking people on third
1:01:12
[SPEAKER_02]: third down a guy in the league at one point and finally the buffalo bills were just like yeah we're not going to allow it in the second game of the season 2021 with Mac Jones or like we're not going to allow you to target your co-mires and that was the beginning of the end for Mac Jones in New England because then they were making them throw outside the numbers instead of over the middle to Myers and that's the thing it's like sometimes you just underestimate the need for a guy like that and I feel like look when you look at Roman Dunzey
1:01:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, that's, you know, your X or C, we could be that guy writing me your number one receiver.
1:01:44
[SPEAKER_02]: What have you?
1:01:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, Luther Burton is going to be an excellent move him around guy.
1:01:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, assuming DJ Moore is, you know, is gone and those are your two top receivers.
1:01:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I want to see them get a guy that does the dirty work like that.
1:02:01
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, moving on, we got two more categories here.
1:02:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Then we're done for the night.
1:02:05
[SPEAKER_00]: X-factor for the bears.
1:02:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Mine have to make your own love uncomfortable.
1:02:08
[SPEAKER_00]: In the last match, I'd love picked a part of the bears.
1:02:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I made a plate of pan.
1:02:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Love a second league in APA for Drop Egg with 0.22.
1:02:14
[SPEAKER_00]: It has 23 touchdowns versus just six interceptions.
1:02:18
[SPEAKER_00]: He's just too comfortable during those little fade away off his back foot bombs.
1:02:23
[SPEAKER_00]: He's very accurate.
1:02:24
[SPEAKER_00]: He can put it right on the money when you're doing that.
1:02:26
[SPEAKER_00]: So you
1:02:27
[SPEAKER_00]: you have to not just get pressure, you have to get contact, you have to move the launch point so that he's in really force him to challenge at accuracy, you need to confuse him with the coverage.
1:02:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And you just can't give those open looks over the top.
1:02:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Like it was talked about earlier already in the show, but we don't expect it to be as crazy as it was last time where, you know, Jalen Johnson is not deep enough.
1:02:49
[SPEAKER_00]: So Juan Brisker is having to run the other half of the field to cover Christian Watson.
1:02:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't expect that Dennis Allen is just gonna say, hey, CJ Garner Johnson, let's guard Christian Watson one on one on the slot and they just boom boom, gone.
1:03:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's gonna be adjustments of course, but you really do have to make your own love uncomfortable.
1:03:07
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you got?
1:03:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, assuming the Andre Swift plays, I want to see him continue to rock.
1:03:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I saw this, um, stats break down by a Kristen Tannis.
1:03:17
[SPEAKER_02]: It does a lot of great stats stuff on Bears Twitter.
1:03:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, she mentioned that, uh, you know, in 2024, you know, it was 3.79 yard for Carrie, you know, negative 0.15, you know, EPA for Rush, success rate 33.99% of the ugly stuff for the Andre Swift.
1:03:38
[SPEAKER_02]: In this year, 4.9 yards per carry, positive 0.06 per rush, 48% success rate.
1:03:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Ben Johnson has figured out what works for DeAndre Swift, which you would expect because he's coached him before, and I think that again, if you're talking about a running game that I think needs to dominate this game, not just in this game.
1:04:03
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think it's going to be the key to whatever playoff run the Chicago Bears have.
1:04:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Especially if if the Chicago Bears did end up with a top two seed and they are hosting playoff games at Soldier Field, you are hoping that it's not necessarily going to be the balmy 40 degrees that it's going to be over in Chicago this weekend.
1:04:22
[SPEAKER_02]: But if it's colder and you're going to be like, yo, you got to tackle this dude.
1:04:26
[SPEAKER_02]: You got to tackle Kalmananga.
1:04:28
[SPEAKER_02]: We're just going to go ahead and beat you up for 60 minutes.
1:04:31
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the kind of performance that I want to see.
1:04:34
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the kind of performance the bears have been getting.
1:04:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And I really hope it's not the kind of play that the bears are going to be missing this Saturday.
1:04:43
[SPEAKER_00]: like that like that.
1:04:44
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, let's wrap it up.
1:04:46
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll do our bare gut check to finish it off here.
1:04:48
[SPEAKER_00]: The user gut feelings remove, revitalized by kombucha to of course, to give our game predictions against the line.
1:04:53
[SPEAKER_00]: First up, the game we care all care about, the one we're here to talk about Packers at Bears.
1:04:58
[SPEAKER_00]: This is fantastic.
1:04:59
[SPEAKER_00]: The line moved, right?
1:05:00
[SPEAKER_00]: It was at minus three Packers to start.
1:05:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, you know, slid to minus 1.5.
1:05:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, the sudden bears are favored 1.5.
1:05:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, I have a little of that home field bump that's a part of it.
1:05:10
[SPEAKER_00]: So basically it's a
1:05:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Who do you got?
1:05:13
[SPEAKER_00]: What is your final score for this game?
1:05:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Give me the bears and call it 24 to 21.
1:05:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Because look, I think that Jordan love will continue to, you know, have decent stats, decent game.
1:05:26
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think that it'll be a little bit different this time around.
1:05:28
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll have a chance to adjust and injuries.
1:05:32
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll catch up with them a little bit.
1:05:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that in the end, Caleb Williams is gonna pull some magic out of his hat.
1:05:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe a little bit with DJ Moore and Colson Lovelin, but they're going to try to control the football.
1:05:43
[SPEAKER_02]: They're not going to let that gourmet offense on the field as much as they had at the first time around.
1:05:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And they are going to score points.
1:05:50
[SPEAKER_02]: They're going to come away with a win.
1:05:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And they are going to stay at top of the NFC North.
1:05:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to also pick the bears.
1:05:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm going to pick them to win 30 to 24 little I think there's going to be a little more offense in this game than then people might think just because you just talked about this, the weather is going to be better.
1:06:09
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be like he said, it's supposed to be like the 40s so you're not really worried as much about some of the funky stuff there.
1:06:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Both of these defenses, you know, the people you've talked about the packers and my people anymore in the national news and packers Twitter for being us.
1:06:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And as I think being better than it really is and then you just lost.
1:06:24
[SPEAKER_00]: very important piece of that defense.
1:06:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you even go to the bear side.
1:06:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, the bears get turnovers and yes, they're pretty good on third down, but they're pretty bad still on first down.
1:06:33
[SPEAKER_00]: They're pretty bad on second down.
1:06:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't expect this to be a Vaunted defensive matchup and so I picked that score.
1:06:39
[SPEAKER_00]: But with
1:06:41
[SPEAKER_00]: The emotional aspect of this, with the fact that the office is playing powder, with the fact that it seems like Caleb really has taken a step into his development as a down the field passer and in terms of what he's seeing and how he's reacting to various pressures, it would be hard for me not to say the various for this one.
1:06:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And like you already talked with the student and we talked with all all show the run game proved to me you can stop the run they couldn't do it in the second half.
1:07:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And they didn't really do anything that much.
1:07:06
[SPEAKER_00]: It's very, very, very, very basically as Ben Johnson said, we just played better.
1:07:10
[SPEAKER_00]: They hit their assignments better, but we did the thing.
1:07:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And you knew they were running the ball after a certain point and you still couldn't stop it.
1:07:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Didn't go back.
1:07:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Tonight's game, important implications for the bears, Ramset and Hock's, C-Hock's favorite by one and a half.
1:07:22
[SPEAKER_00]: You talked about this earlier, Kyrie.
1:07:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Basically, I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, if you know this, that you kind of want the Rams to lose this one and for the C-Hock's to win.
1:07:34
[SPEAKER_02]: up there in terms of the standings, but the Rams are the main competition right now for the number one C. So I would say I would want the C-Hawks to win this game, and the Bears to obviously win.
1:07:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Now I think the C, I have to check this out, but I think the C-Hawks and Bears have the same record, but clearly the Bears have a tiebreaker.
1:07:57
[SPEAKER_02]: So if the Rams were to lose this game,
1:08:02
[SPEAKER_02]: I would have to check this out.
1:08:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Somebody can correct me.
1:08:05
[SPEAKER_02]: But I would think that means the bears would be the number one seed if they were to win.
1:08:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, just something.
1:08:11
[SPEAKER_00]: If you go to, the athletic has a fantastic play off predictor, which is really cool.
1:08:16
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at what they have there, they currently have a 29% chance to see Hawks, I should say, to have the number one seed and if,
1:08:28
[SPEAKER_00]: If the ram's, I'm sorry, if the seahawks were to win, that only goes up to about 53% which is not all that high.
1:08:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Versus, if you look at the ram's and they win this, it's basically 100%.
1:08:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's just because of what the record is for the seahawks versus the ram.
1:08:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, at this point you want to see I was going to lose a couple games of the future, but this one here, we're all see Hawks fans tonight.
1:08:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I think the so with that right, so they get the Rams this week, they get Carolina, who is not a pushover.
1:08:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Go figure, not a push over this year at all.
1:09:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So that is not a given.
1:09:03
[SPEAKER_02]: And then you get the 49ers to close out.
1:09:06
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that there are opportunities for the Seahawks to lose games here.
1:09:12
[SPEAKER_02]: But the Rams, I think if you beat the Rams lose,
1:09:17
[SPEAKER_02]: then I think that from there on it's just in the bear's hands just don't just don't lose out because then they've got the falcons and the cardinals and they're probably going to win mobile games.
1:09:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly and the rams are sitting at currently 53% chance to one seed yeah and if they come hit the right button here if they won this game it goes up to 90% so there you go.
1:09:37
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, books at Panthers, we just spoke about the Panthers who were crazy enough, currently, you know, a relevant team and playing well to their credit, books are favored by three.
1:09:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm just going to say the books.
1:09:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I just still think Baker is a better quarterback even if he hasn't played as well the last couple of weeks, but with the infusion of my heavens and there, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that,
1:09:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I know they lost last week, but there's just something about this buck's team that when push comes to shove and when the season gets out of the line, they figure out ways to win.
1:10:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I think this is a closer one than you would expect because the Panthers have hung around much longer than you would expect and here's the thing if they win, then I think they go into a record-wise tie for the division.
1:10:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I had to check that out.
1:10:22
[SPEAKER_02]: But that is kind of insane when you think about what we've thought of the Panthers over the past couple of years and I would absolutely agree though Baker is a better quarterback than Bryce young, but whatever, oh, they're tied right now they're both seven and seven so then if the Panthers win this and all of a sudden we're talking about them winning the division.
1:10:44
[SPEAKER_02]: which is hilarious.
1:10:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Because they're just playing tough, inspired football.
1:10:49
[SPEAKER_02]: They're really, they are one of those one at more teams.
1:10:52
[SPEAKER_02]: They run the ball really well and they just make plays.
1:10:56
[SPEAKER_02]: And they're, you know, defensively, you know, they've got JC Horne who started to come into his own.
1:11:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And they're very opportunistic in a similar way to the bears.
1:11:06
[SPEAKER_02]: That said, I think, look, the books got checked against the Falcons last year.
1:11:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And I feel like they're going to come out with their backscents, the wall and this one.
1:11:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And if they want to win this division, they better win this game.
1:11:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that this is going to be a game that the books find a way to figure it out when.
1:11:28
[SPEAKER_00]: There's something about also learning how to win.
1:11:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And obviously, like you just said, they're both tied, though it's not like that.
1:11:32
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's an undercurrent of situational winning.
1:11:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And we've seen the bucks able to do that, even with, you know, baker at the helm.
1:11:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And we've seen, you know, this coaching staff as a part of all that.
1:11:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So that wouldn't surprise me.
1:11:47
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, two more games here.
1:11:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Steelers at Lions, the Lions are favored by seven as I mentioned earlier in the show, a loss by the Lions and a win by the Bears would lock up the playoffs for the Bears.
1:11:57
[SPEAKER_00]: what do you got?
1:12:00
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Aaron Rogers will find a way to give the bears one last gift and beat up on the Detroit Lions.
1:12:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the Detroit Lions are, look, I think they're a good team.
1:12:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I do.
1:12:16
[SPEAKER_02]: I think
1:12:18
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, they're better, maybe than we expected without Ben Johnson, you know, Dan Campbell, you know, has done an, I think an admirable job in taking over the play calling.
1:12:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think he's going to do that forever and look, they've got the most explosive running back in the league in Jamir Gibbs and one of the most explosive receivers in James and Williams.
1:12:41
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think that for whatever reason, when it comes to play off time, Mike Tomlin just, he has a deal with the devil.
1:12:48
[SPEAKER_02]: It's as simple as that.
1:12:49
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't find a way to get that win, find a way to get him himself into the playoffs.
1:12:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that the contract with Satan requires that the Steelers find a way to win this game.
1:13:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Also, D.K.
1:13:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Metcalfs on my fantasy team.
1:13:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So come on, that helps too.
1:13:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to go up a simply from perspective that I don't think the viewers are all that good.
1:13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not, but, you know, like I'm saying.
1:13:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And the T.T.A.
1:13:18
[SPEAKER_00]: walks out still after being getting and developing a new more thorax from an unfortunate or a meddling incident.
1:13:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And the lions are still a talented team, although a flawed team for a variety of reasons that we won't get into because we'll talk about that in week 18, because we'll talk about the lions game.
1:13:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And push comes and also I can't possibly have too many good things happen for the bears in a single weekend because that happened last weekend So if I'm gonna guarantee I'm gonna say pairs win and I'll say lions would just to keep the NFL Fantasy God's on my side at this point last game Monday football
1:13:53
[SPEAKER_00]: 49ers at Colts 49ers are favored by six.
1:13:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I brought this one up just because the 49ers still kind of have some relevancy for the bearers.
1:14:01
[SPEAKER_00]: They play the bears next.
1:14:02
[SPEAKER_00]: That's obviously relevant.
1:14:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, even the 49ers are chill in their third and then FC West at 10 and 4 behind the Rams and Seahawks both at 11 and 3.
1:14:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So just keep me in eye and all those records are also very important just potentially for final standings as well as you go and seating for the playoffs.
1:14:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Who do you have in that matchup?
1:14:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Can Philip Rivers work some magic and help the 8% chance colds make the play offs.
1:14:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh my god, look, I just I just can't I I want I want to believe in But I can't do it.
1:14:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I think San Francisco got a win that game bro like
1:14:38
[SPEAKER_00]: No, and even like, so it was kind of crazy, right?
1:14:40
[SPEAKER_00]: The cults were as close as they were at almost one against the sea of hawks.
1:14:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I still don't fully understand what happened in that game.
1:14:46
[SPEAKER_00]: But it was a...
1:14:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's damn dark, it was chasing like gas.
1:14:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it was a worst case scenario for the sea of hawks.
1:14:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it was a low scoring game.
1:14:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Philip Rivers was like three of eights in an intersection for 38 yards and passes more than like 10 year yards or something like that.
1:15:00
[SPEAKER_00]: It just, it wasn't good.
1:15:03
[SPEAKER_00]: The 49ers, even though they're defense is questionable, they have, you know,
1:15:07
[SPEAKER_02]: a not 44-year-old quarterback for a 40-year-old quarterback who has been on the couch.
1:15:14
[SPEAKER_00]: It was impressive.
1:15:14
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to get him printed, right?
1:15:16
[SPEAKER_02]: 120 yards and a touchdown in an interception.
1:15:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Honestly, that's pretty good, which in a side, not not to go too far to the right, but I feel like that should say a lot to us about people will be like, oh yeah, like, you know, if I had done XYZ or like, if I had gotten this, I could have been in the league.
1:15:34
[SPEAKER_02]: No, you could.
1:15:35
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, if somebody just like, oh, yeah, could you get 10 yards in an NFL game, I'll playfully be like, you know what, I'm probably decently fast enough to, you know, get a couple yards in a game with a great offensive line honestly, no, I couldn't I would I would die, but you know what a guy who's 44 years old who played at a high level in the league for whatever 15 years and then comes off the couch.
1:15:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he knows a thing or two.
1:16:00
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, that is the show that we have real quick one.
1:16:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to make try a plug, Nicholas Moriano, Nick or pop it on.
1:16:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, it looks like the power went down as they were.
1:16:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, between what he's doing with washmark key, obviously.
1:16:20
[SPEAKER_00]: If we're being fully honest, it's got kind of a bad wrap with what happened with CHO and think he's one of the few guys in the bears beat who are truly covering football and like what he's doing with the players in the locker room with those POV videos and talking about such a place from the previous game is just stuff that you're not getting anywhere else so follow him on Twitter.
1:16:40
[SPEAKER_00]: go ahead and watch his YouTube channel.
1:16:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And hey, if you love relationship, he stuff, even him and his fiance have a couple's coverage podcasts.
1:16:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's got a little bit of everything so go check him out.
1:16:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Kara, what are you doing nowadays?
1:16:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Anything people should have you watching for him?
1:16:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I have, you know, I'm obviously writing for Wendy's City Grid Iron.
1:16:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I also do a little bit of side work for Sports Illustrated.
1:17:03
[SPEAKER_02]: right and about the bear.
1:17:04
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, I'm staying abreast of the Chicago Bears and NFL coverage generally, but yeah, trying to also work on on my own kind of personal podcast with a couple of friends of mine out here in Boston, which you know, just let's stay staying in the sports talk realm because look in the end like,
1:17:24
[SPEAKER_02]: What's more fun than that?
1:17:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, look, you're over here doing doing the thing as, you know, the physical therapist, doctor date, you know, as your day job, but you're coming out here, where in that goofy ass costume on a sports podcast, like, what's more fun?
1:17:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing.
1:17:42
[SPEAKER_00]: That's it.
1:17:43
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, everyone.
1:17:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Hope you enjoy the podcast, whether you're listening to it tomorrow, maybe you're watching live, if you're watching live, thank you so much for watching live.
1:17:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Really appreciate that.
1:17:53
[SPEAKER_00]: You're spending your 30s tonight with us.
1:17:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Keep an eye out.
1:17:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe I'll be doing a solo pod sometime on Christmas Eve or day.
1:18:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not sure what.
1:18:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll won't be super long, but just something, previewing that 49 years game.
1:18:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Just as I watch all to have something.
1:18:09
[SPEAKER_00]: But enjoy the holiday season, drink responsibly, actually sponsor me, enjoy your family time, and remember what the holidays are about.
1:18:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Good time.
1:18:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Bear it out, everybody.
1:18:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, what has two thumbs and hates Todd Thacker?
1:18:25
[SPEAKER_00]: This guy.