Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Bears Banter Ep. 229: Daryl "Moose" Johnston joins as Bears crush Browns!

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Bears Banter Ep. 229: Daryl "Moose" Johnston joins as Bears crush Browns! · 2nd City Gridiron

0:02
[UNKNOWN]: Thank you for watching!
0:18
[SPEAKER_01]: bright, bare-down, bare-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span-span
0:42
[SPEAKER_01]: The Cleveland Browns, 30, 1, 2, 3, we're going to get into it because there is plenty to talk about from this game.
0:50
[SPEAKER_01]: We're also going to talk about it with Moose Johnson, Darrell Johnson, NFL on Fox, of course, part of the call on Fox on Sunday against Cleveland.
1:00
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk to him about that game.
1:02
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk to him about the development of Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, how this has all been coming together throughout the season, but before we do,
1:10
[SPEAKER_01]: you're going to have to deal with me for a little while because I am feeling good after that game.
1:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I know I thought the bears and Brown's going to play a little bit closer and look, I'm I'm basing that off of the season and how the bears really don't just bury teams.
1:25
[SPEAKER_01]: At the same time, I did not realize upon the recording of last week's podcast that the Cleveland Browns were basically going to have their entire backup offensive line unit.
1:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And that certainly was going to play a major impact.
1:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I probably would not have said the bears were going to win by 28.
1:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I do feel I probably would have said the bears were going to win by 10 points at that point.
1:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know it was that dire that's, I guess, on me for not doing more research earlier in the week.
1:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk about this game and let's talk about a few different aspects of this one.
1:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And I thought some of the media, the national media's narrative's coming into this one, where we're kind of comical and so short-sighted.
2:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think,
2:10
[SPEAKER_01]: The media has some of them have decided that Caleb Williams just isn't the guy isn't going to cut it.
2:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure why that's the issue.
2:18
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk about toxic masculinity and things like that.
2:21
[SPEAKER_01]: We can't.
2:22
[SPEAKER_01]: But putting all the social narratives aside, I think this comes down.
2:28
[SPEAKER_01]: to an idea that maybe the didn't look as well in the first season and they jumped on them and just don't want to pivot on their opinions.
2:39
[SPEAKER_01]: And look, Colin Coward flip flops more than anyone else in the world.
2:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But at least he is reacting to what he's actually seeing and not what he wants to see.
2:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And we can call out people like Lishon McCoy and Chris Brousard,
2:53
[SPEAKER_01]: who both want to sit there and say Shadour Sanders is already better than Caleb Williams.
2:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's laughable.
3:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And the idea that like, well, Caleb Williams hasn't thrown for 300 yards this year.
3:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And Shadour Sanders did it in his third career start or whatever.
3:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Do we want to go back to what Caleb Williams did in his early starts against Jacksonville and against Carolina?
3:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Do we want to bring up the numbers early in last season and sit there and if we want to make snap judgments about quarterbacks?
3:24
[SPEAKER_01]: No, we're going to put all that aside.
3:27
[SPEAKER_01]: that the bears were four and two and that Caleb throws four touchdowns in London and all the things that happened that were positive for Caleb Williams and we'll just focus on the disaster of the 10-game losing streak which by the way, there weren't plenty of positives mixed in there.
3:44
[SPEAKER_01]: The overall body was a disaster but the body of work was a disaster for everyone on that bears team.
3:51
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to talk about him throwing for over 300 yards against Brian Flores's defense.
3:57
[SPEAKER_01]: leading the team down and getting what should have been the game winning drive against the Washington Commanders of Maddie, Refuse and Tyrex Stevenson had botched the final drive, Washington should have been at like their own 35 yard line with no shot at a hail Mary.
4:12
[SPEAKER_01]: If we want to talk about mismanaging the clock and Detroit on Thanksgiving and block field goals and all the BS.
4:19
[SPEAKER_01]: that went around what could have improved Caleb Williams outlook on his wrongy season significantly, but there was such a dumpster vire around him that that did happen and that's fine.
4:29
[SPEAKER_01]: That's that's in the past.
4:31
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't matter Ben Johnson is here.
4:32
[SPEAKER_01]: That was Maddie Burflus.
4:34
[SPEAKER_01]: None of that really matters because this is yes, it's Caleb second year, but it's year one with Ben Johnson.
4:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And
4:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And here's like, yes, what's so frustrating is the amount of uninformed opinions that have big microphones on the national media landscape and people like to point to Steven a Smith and Colin Coward and the guys that really get amplified, but there's plenty of other guys as well like Chris Bruzard.
5:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I'm sorry.
5:05
[SPEAKER_01]: First of all, Chris reserves an NBA guy to me.
5:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going the NFL takes to Chris Brewsard.
5:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't even know if he's still considered an NBA guy, but that's where he cut his teeth with ESPN years and years ago.
5:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But Chris Brewsard, sitting there saying, well, Kale Williams hasn't thrown for 300 yards yet.
5:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, he's thrown for like 270 to 290 on multiple occasions.
5:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And, and, and, and,
5:27
[SPEAKER_01]: the Chicago Bears run the football, run it well, and run it often.
5:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So, yes, if they're getting 35 carries, if five and a half yards a snap, you know, in a pop, yes, Caleb Williams isn't going to throw the ball as often.
5:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, when you run the ball that effectively, you shorten the game because the clock keeps running.
5:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So Caleb Williams is going to have less opportunities to have a high volume 45 pass at 10, 375-yard game because his team's down 20 points.
6:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And the idea that people like Chris Broussard and I'm just going to keep bringing him up and I'll bring up Tillish on McCoy here in a second.
6:07
[SPEAKER_01]: That Chris Brousard is going to be like, why hasn't the number for 300 yards?
6:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Should your Sanders just throw for 300 yards?
6:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Should your Sanders is going to outplay Caleb Williams?
6:14
[SPEAKER_01]: That is such, and Kudos to Danny Parkens for just calling him out on it, forcing a bet on him and making Chris Brousard look silly.
6:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Because when you have takes that bad,
6:26
[SPEAKER_01]: You need to make them look silly.
6:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you need to expose people.
6:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And yes, Chris Brissard and Danny Parkinson teammates.
6:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So he's not going to do it rudely.
6:34
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not going to do it ruthlessly.
6:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But you need to call that crap out.
6:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm glad Danny Parkinson did not let that slide.
6:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope he and the crew enjoy that free dinner at the hands of Chris Brissard's wallet.
6:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And when it comes to LaShan McCoy,
6:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's what I will say.
6:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I have been able to be around a lot of professional athletes and professional athletes that are making the pivot into sports media.
6:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And the one thing I've seen from a lot of these professional athletes is the fact that they look at season statistics.
7:09
[SPEAKER_01]: in kind of a period end of story like if they just sit there and see this guy had 90 catches for 1200 yards and 11 touchdowns he had an awesome season and he probably did have an awesome season but there's no one's to sit to that.
7:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you see a player who doesn't have
7:28
[SPEAKER_01]: volumes statistics.
7:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the guy that had 1200 yards, you see, they were he had a much better season.
7:34
[SPEAKER_01]: But maybe he had 90, you know, 90 catches.
7:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he had 165 targets because his team sucked and there wasn't anyone else on the team.
7:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And maybe there's a guy with 60 catches who only had 85 targets.
7:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And he had, you know, 900 yards and eight touchdowns and did a hell of a lot more.
7:54
[SPEAKER_01]: with this opportunities in the high volume guy.
7:56
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of nuance that play, and I understand, I'm sitting here literally trying to say what NFL players are missing.
8:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm saying, if they watch the game and see things, they're going to see a lot more than I do.
8:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm not pretending that I'm going to know more than most NFL players in terms of when they're watching a game.
8:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, I'm going to disagree with some of them.
8:19
[SPEAKER_01]: But you got to respect their opinion, but a lot of
8:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I will not bring up this player who this was.
8:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But as a producer, I remember we had an interview set up with a legend on all time legendary Hall of Famer and he was coming on Monday morning and we had a full slate of NFL Sunday games and there was also like a big controversy as well and I don't remember exactly what the controversy was.
8:48
[SPEAKER_01]: and bring this guy on and ask him and he says, on the air, well, you can't expect me to watch every game.
8:57
[SPEAKER_01]: He just said it like he just wanted to talk about his career and football in his days and all that stuff and he was literally doing a media tour to talk about football on a Monday after not watching the NFL game.
9:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So there are plenty of players who just don't watch and there's one even do.
9:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you know, Daniel Lovsky's watch and tape, there's plenty of fuller players.
9:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Kurt Mortner watches a lot of tape, plenty of players are doing the work.
9:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying.
9:24
[SPEAKER_01]: this as a blanket statement.
9:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But there's plenty that don't and look at the box course.
9:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm telling you it happens.
9:31
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to say to be like Bill, you can't tell me that just NFL played note, they look at the box course.
9:36
[SPEAKER_01]: They bring up guys career stats and they just compare their numbers, you know, to other players and that's what they look at.
9:43
[SPEAKER_01]: They're very statistic driven because those stats are what get them paid.
9:48
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, that efficient guy that I talked about that only at 800 yards, usually he's not the guy that gets more money than the guy that got 1200 yards on a lot more targets like this just kind of how the NFL works they pay for what they see in front of them and when they see statistics they pay those statistics they don't pay for efficiency now some GMs do that knows GMs are better at their jobs than than the rest of them, but the bottom line here.
10:14
[SPEAKER_01]: is that the media narratives coming in this game about Shodor Sanders and Caleb Williams were laughable.
10:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And it played out just how laughable they were Shodor Sanders had no idea what was going on with Dennis Allen's defense, he was lost.
10:32
[SPEAKER_01]: He did not see Demarco Jackson at all.
10:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the Jalen Johnson Interception, that was a pretty damn good throw from Shodor and Jalen made a great play on a Jerry Judy.
10:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Certainly, I remember thinking Jerry Judy was better than CD lamb coming out of that draft.
10:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Oops, this is why you got to be able to admit your mistakes because if you talk for a living you are going to say a lot of dumb crap and looking back on it again Jerry Judy over CD lamb plenty of people thought that but CD lamb certainly.
11:01
[SPEAKER_01]: a better receiver than Jerry Judy.
11:02
[SPEAKER_01]: He is just not really paying out.
11:04
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, at that the ball, basically, just bounced off his chest and in the Jalen Johnson's arm.
11:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm not saying like everything was Shidorah's fault, but at one point he was completely about 30% of his passes.
11:15
[SPEAKER_01]: He did not know how to get people open.
11:17
[SPEAKER_01]: He was dead.
11:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It was an ugly performance from Shidorah.
11:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And they doesn't look quite as ugly.
11:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks to fourth quarter passing when the bears let the foot off the gas.
11:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, he did make a couple deep balls to Isaiah.
11:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Bon, and that's one thing we do need to worry about about this bears defense is that they are giving up chunk plays far too many of them.
11:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And I understand when you're going for turnovers, you're gonna leave yourself vulnerable to giving up those big plays.
11:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And as long as they're getting the turnovers, those big plays you can deal with.
11:48
[SPEAKER_01]: But if they stop getting turnovers and when you're opponents improve, turnovers are hard to come by.
11:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So bottom line here is when Matthew Staffer comes to town and he's thrown like two interceptions on the season.
12:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Are the bears gonna pick them off two or three times?
12:03
[SPEAKER_01]: It's possible, but it may not be.
12:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So when you're dealing with that, you can't give up giant plays.
12:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm not saying the bear should switch their identity as to who they are.
12:13
[SPEAKER_01]: They need that divins needs to be what they've done and what they've been successfully over over the course of the season.
12:19
[SPEAKER_01]: They have to stick
12:21
[SPEAKER_01]: to their identity.
12:22
[SPEAKER_01]: But at the same time, you cannot cannot ignore the fact that you can't just be given up chunk play.
12:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I say a bond had like 300 yards on the season.
12:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's got 90 yards against the bears.
12:35
[SPEAKER_01]: We can't have that.
12:36
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears need to button that stuff up.
12:37
[SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be really important for the defense moving forward here as the opponents get better.
12:44
[SPEAKER_01]: But when it comes back to
12:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Shidorah Sanders versus Caleb Williams.
12:49
[SPEAKER_01]: You saw how Shidorah struggled.
12:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Williams was going up against a better defense.
12:57
[SPEAKER_01]: There is no question.
12:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Look, we can say the bears are doing it.
13:00
[SPEAKER_01]: They turned them all over more than anyone else.
13:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But the full body, the Browns have an excellent defense.
13:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Led by Miles Garrett, led by some other players as well.
13:09
[SPEAKER_01]: That defense is very good.
13:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Williams
13:14
[SPEAKER_01]: much, much better than Shador Sanders and some of the throws that Caleb Williams made.
13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk about the one that everybody's loving.
13:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And they should be loving it.
13:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is the second touchdown pass to DJ Moore.
13:30
[SPEAKER_01]: And when it happened in the moment, I was like, that looked a lot like Joe Montana's throw to Dwight Clark in the 1981, I guess technically 82, NFC championship game in the 1981 NFL season, the catch.
13:44
[SPEAKER_01]: The legendary play that a lot of people call because
13:48
[SPEAKER_01]: and again, it's not like it was the most impossible throw of all time.
13:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It's considered the greatest throw and catch of all time because of the fact that the NFC championship was on the line and the 49ers because of that play went on to the Super Bowl, beat the Bengals went on to become Super Bowl champions, the first one under Joe Montana.
14:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So
14:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I understand why that's considered the greatest play and when I compare these two, I understand it's regular season against the three and ten Cleveland Brown scene versus NFC championship.
14:22
[SPEAKER_01]: But it looked a hell of a lot like it.
14:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we see the camera angle that Fox 32 got from the end zone.
14:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you said, there go, that's exactly the same angle that NFL films got of the Joe Montana play.
14:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So I was the first to put it out.
14:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Now unfortunately, I don't have the video skills that some people have in terms of taking two videos, splicing them together, line in everything up so the plays develop at the exact same time.
14:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But our guy Ryan from Bears Overbears, he did just that.
14:59
[SPEAKER_01]: After I put out the initial thing, but I'm like, hey, see this show on Dan play, see this Caleb Williams play, it looks almost identical and Ryan did a great job, you could check it out on my timeline at Bill T's Zimmerman if you want, I retweeted it, it's right there.
15:15
[SPEAKER_01]: of the play and there's also an article on windy city grid iron about how Kayla Williams throw mirrors arguably the greatest throwing NFL history you can check it out there and I have a bunch of different tweets that show all the place right so you can look at it it is
15:30
[SPEAKER_01]: insane how similar the two plays are insane Caleb Williams Joe Montana both with guys breathing down their next rolling out towards the sideline looking looking a little bit of a pump fake lofts the ball even the spiral which was about a 95% spiral with just a tad of a wobble the same DJ more and Dwight Clark almost in the identical part of the end zone where they caught it you know DJs was a little
15:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Lower, uh, Dwight Clark's ball was a little higher.
16:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Dwight Clark had to extend more DJ more.
16:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, he got more vertical.
16:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So that also helps.
16:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But it was almost identical.
16:10
[SPEAKER_01]: The two plays.
16:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's just remarkable what Caleb Williams is continuing to show in a week and a week out basis.
16:17
[SPEAKER_01]: The roll roll out play to Cole Comet.
16:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Like they just keep happening.
16:21
[SPEAKER_01]: The Philadelphia Eagles play again to Cole Comet.
16:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, the touchdown to Zacchaeus, he is threading needles and that's what's amazing.
16:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Like Brett Farf, the Gunslinger, right?
16:34
[SPEAKER_01]: We all hate Brett Farf.
16:36
[SPEAKER_01]: probably for multiple reasons now at this point, but from just a bear's packers perspective.
16:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, we all hate Brent Farve.
16:43
[SPEAKER_01]: He beat the bears a lot more often than he lost to him.
16:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But we always hear that far of the gunslinger mentality that he thought he could make every throw and he whipped it in there.
16:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And a lot of times he made the throw.
16:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And it was a fantastic throw.
16:57
[SPEAKER_01]: But a lot of times it resulted in interceptions.
17:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what's so remarkable about Caleb Williams.
17:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And I keep wondering,
17:04
[SPEAKER_01]: is this a fluke, is this something that's going to get corrected by the numbers because when you make the throws that Caleb Williams is making, like the throw to secvious, like the throw to DJ more.
17:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And Caleb's got the confidence and he says, I can make every throw and I know he can make every throw.
17:27
[SPEAKER_01]: but like those throws, they're so close to being turnover worthy passes, but they're not, and they go for completions.
17:35
[SPEAKER_01]: They if they don't go for completions, and they're in completions, he doesn't turn it over.
17:40
[SPEAKER_01]: He has the lowest interception rate of anyone for their first 1,000 pass attempts.
17:47
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where he is, but he still does those throws.
17:51
[SPEAKER_01]: If that doesn't course correct, if those interceptions don't jump and it's just not weirdly low right now that he has the ability and the velocity who he puts on the ball absolutely helps.
18:04
[SPEAKER_01]: That was one thing about John L. way.
18:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Like John L. way had so much velocity on the ball that defensive players talked about how it was difficult to intercept him.
18:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And maybe that's part of what plays in with Caleb Williams or maybe he's truly that good at knowing if he puts it four inches lower that it's an interceptable ball but he's gonna put it four inches higher.
18:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Like that kind of, that's what we're talking about.
18:30
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the degree of difficulty with these Caleb Williams passes.
18:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So it is absolutely remarkable to me that the Chicago Bears are sitting here in a situation that they have a quarterback
18:43
[SPEAKER_01]: who makes the throw as he makes and doesn't turn the football over, it almost doesn't make any sense that it's possible.
18:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So yes, this Caleb Williams still need to clean up some of the on-time stuff and some of the easier stuff.
18:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, he does.
18:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Do I think it's continuing to get better over the last few weeks?
19:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I do, and I think it's going to continue to get better over the next few weeks,
19:11
[SPEAKER_01]: in for a playoff run because their quarterback is playing well and the bears are peaking at the right time.
19:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the question, have the bears peaked?
19:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Are we at the peak?
19:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Because the Chicago bears are definitely playing their best football of the season right now.
19:28
[SPEAKER_01]: But
19:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they just a team that is continuing to improve and they're going to keep getting better?
19:33
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the thing.
19:33
[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't like a team that peaked and had a valley and then really peaked and had a valley.
19:38
[SPEAKER_01]: No, this is a team.
19:39
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not perfectly linear, but for the most part, the line graph is been steadily going up.
19:44
[SPEAKER_01]: all season long.
19:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So if the bears not hit their peak at, we don't know.
19:50
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't know if the bears are peaking right now or if they're going to be peaking a month from now in the NFL playoffs.
19:56
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what's so fascinating about this team with this kind of level of a turn around because when we look at this and we sit here and say, well, they look dominant against the Eagles.
20:06
[SPEAKER_01]: They almost pulled it off against the Packers.
20:08
[SPEAKER_01]: That was good.
20:09
[SPEAKER_01]: But this brown steam is a bad football team.
20:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And the bears pulverize them.
20:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was the problem.
20:16
[SPEAKER_01]: The first couple months of the season.
20:18
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears were winning games.
20:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, oh, they barely beat the raiders.
20:21
[SPEAKER_01]: They stink.
20:22
[SPEAKER_01]: They barely beat the commanders.
20:23
[SPEAKER_01]: They stink.
20:24
[SPEAKER_01]: They barely beat Teamax and they stick, right?
20:26
[SPEAKER_01]: We heard it for months and months.
20:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, now, at this point in the season, the bears take a bad team and slap them around and say, get off my field.
20:36
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't belong on the field with us.
20:38
[SPEAKER_01]: We are two different classes of teams.
20:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what the Bears did.
20:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, going in, back in first place, thank you Denver Broncos against the Green Bay Packers this week.
20:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm already seeing it with the Green Bay Packers fans.
20:55
[SPEAKER_01]: We're so hurt.
20:57
[SPEAKER_01]: We can't possibly win this game in Chicago.
21:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Which, of course, is setting it up perfectly for them
21:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, of course, you beat us.
21:08
[SPEAKER_01]: We're too injured to play.
21:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And they'll try and shrug their shoulders off of it.
21:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Or they beat the bears again and can sit there and say, wow, we didn't have Mark.
21:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Mike, a Parsons, we didn't have Tucker craft and we still beat your asses.
21:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Like that's exactly what they're doing.
21:23
[SPEAKER_01]: They're trying to set it up so they are in a win-win situation.
21:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line here is, it doesn't matter who's hurt.
21:32
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a war of attrition.
21:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll speak about Parsons specifically here in a second.
21:36
[SPEAKER_01]: The bottom line here is the Green Bay Packers are playing the Chicago Bears.
21:40
[SPEAKER_01]: The Chicago Bears have a half game lead on the division.
21:43
[SPEAKER_01]: The Green Bay Packers, if they lose this game, are going to be a game in a half behind the Bears and suddenly the tiebreaker looks a lot more different when the Bears have split.
21:53
[SPEAKER_01]: and head to head in a longer manner.
21:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So now again, it's not going to matter in terms of the true tie breaker because they're not going to be tied because of that tie that the Packers had with the Dallas Cowboys.
22:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm just saying in terms of how it looks on paper that these two teams split in the regular season.
22:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And when we see that,
22:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And we see a game in a half lead with two to play, that's going to look pretty damn good potentially for a division title, but the NFC is wild this year.
22:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's why Baris fans cannot get to ahead of themselves.
22:28
[SPEAKER_01]: This week going into the Green Bay Packers with a win and a lion's loss, they will clinch a playoff spot.
22:36
[SPEAKER_01]: They are that close to clenching a playoff spot.
22:39
[SPEAKER_01]: But at the same time, if the bears win this week, and the lions win their next two games, which is home against Pittsburgh, and I believe at Minnesota, that are not impossible games.
22:50
[SPEAKER_01]: They are favored by almost a touchdown against Pittsburgh this week.
22:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Lions win their next two games, and they will be favored to do so.
22:58
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears will be going into that 49ers game with this on the line.
23:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, if they beat the Packers,
23:05
[SPEAKER_01]: win, clinch the division and clinch no worse than the two seed because at that point, they will have the tiebreaker.
23:13
[SPEAKER_01]: The Eagles won't be able to have a better record than them.
23:16
[SPEAKER_01]: They will have the tiebreaker against the Eagles.
23:18
[SPEAKER_01]: They are obviously not going to have a worse record than the four seed.
23:21
[SPEAKER_01]: The one seed could still come out of the NFC West.
23:24
[SPEAKER_01]: The one seed will still be on the table for the bears at that point.
23:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But a win will clinch them no worse than the
23:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But a loss would put them in a situation and that's if Detroit wins their next two, that they will be going in to the final game of the season with an 11 and 5 record.
23:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And the Detroit Lions will be going into the final game of the season with a 10 and 6 record.
23:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And they will be playing football at Soldier Field and if the Bears win, they will make the playoffs and maybe even win the division, depending on what's going on with Green Bay.
23:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And if the bears lose, they will drop to 11 and 6, the lions will improve to 11 and 6, the lions will have beaten the bears twice, and the bears will miss the playoffs.
24:13
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how much that leveraged that San Francisco game is.
24:17
[SPEAKER_01]: It is wild how much could potentially be on the line in week 17 for the Chicago Bears.
24:23
[SPEAKER_01]: But they can't get ahead of themselves.
24:25
[SPEAKER_01]: They have to beat the Green Bay Packers first.
24:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And obviously, I'll give a prediction at the end of the podcast.
24:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm feeling really good about this Packer's game.
24:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Not just because Micah Parsons is injured, that's certainly placed into it, because I think that it's going to drastically change how this defense operates.
24:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But because I just, I think the Packers have some issues and I think the bears are gonna just have the right mindset going into that game.
24:52
[SPEAKER_01]: But we'll talk about that game after Daryl Johnson joins us.
24:55
[SPEAKER_01]: But I do wanna talk about Micah Parsons here for a second.
24:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And I get it, Packers fans.
25:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I think all bears fans get it because when Khalil Mack showed up here in 2018,
25:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Years, Khalil Mack was getting mugged, held, bare-hugged, tackled, just crime happening against Khalil Mack four years.
25:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And we'd sit there and piss and moan about it on social media.
25:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And the packer's fans would sit to go boo, boo, boo, bear's fans, tough luck.
25:33
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what you'd say.
25:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you go out and get micoparsons.
25:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And now you want to sit there and complain that micoparsons is getting held too much.
25:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, welcome to the life of an elite edge russia.
25:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Just how it works.
25:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Ed rushers at that caliber, they're going to get held.
25:52
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to get held a lot and the refs aren't going to call it.
25:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Why?
25:55
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a quarterback league.
25:57
[SPEAKER_01]: They do not want their court.
25:58
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't want Patrick Mahomes to have a torn ACL.
26:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Patrick Mahomes sells tickets.
26:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Patrick Mahomes gets people in front of their television sets.
26:07
[SPEAKER_01]: The quarterbacks are the biggest stars.
26:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure.
26:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Parsons is a star.
26:12
[SPEAKER_01]: TJ Waters is star.
26:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Miles Garrett, like I'm not saying there aren't star players, Justin Jefferson, right?
26:18
[SPEAKER_01]: There aren't star players, but who's driving the leak?
26:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Who'd be?
26:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Who'd be?
26:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Who'd be?
26:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We talked about Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar, Jackson, Joe, Burrow.
26:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Drake May is the talk of the NFL.
26:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Matthew, Stafford, MVP.
26:31
[SPEAKER_01]: These are the guys that drive the numbers.
26:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Brady and Manning,
26:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Aaron Rogers, these are the guys that get ratings.
26:42
[SPEAKER_01]: They are not going to want to get those players pulverized weekend and week out.
26:48
[SPEAKER_01]: So, yes, they will call the blatant holes, not all of them, most of them, but you are going to be able to mug edges, because they don't want quarterbacks getting killed.
26:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Bottom line, that's just how it is.
27:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Karana, I'm a Gaji mug, Jonathan Grinard for three quarters.
27:06
[SPEAKER_01]: They've called a bunch at the end of the first quarter.
27:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we can't call it.
27:10
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to have to, we're going to have to call it every play.
27:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Or he's going to stop and Grinard is going to murder Caleb Williams.
27:16
[SPEAKER_01]: That happened last year.
27:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Go watch the tape.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a Gaji mug tip for three quarters after that brutal first quarter.
27:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Just how it goes.
27:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So Packers fans, Micah Parsons deal with the fact that he's going to get help.
27:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, the injury, it's unfortunate.
27:33
[SPEAKER_01]: It sucks.
27:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I do not cheer for injuries.
27:36
[SPEAKER_01]: It sucks for Micah Parsons.
27:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Seems like a really good dude.
27:39
[SPEAKER_01]: He really reached out to the Cowboys fan base.
27:42
[SPEAKER_01]: He threw some got some Parsons jerseys and got him the Cowboys kids fans who were kids that were devastated that he got traded from the team.
27:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it sucks for Micah Parsons that he's injured.
27:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, am I crying for the, the packer's fans?
28:01
[SPEAKER_01]: No, because injuries are a part of life.
28:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And Tucker craft is an awesome tight end.
28:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Micah Parsons is an awesome edge, and they lost them both.
28:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And that sucks, and that may be too much for them to overcome.
28:11
[SPEAKER_01]: That's life in the NFL.
28:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm not saying the bears, like the bears didn't lose Caleb Williams, the bears didn't lose Joe Toney, bears didn't lose certain guys that they can't afford to lose.
28:23
[SPEAKER_01]: But Kyler of War and that got on the field all year.
28:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Jalen Johnson just got on the field, you know, terrain Edwin's was having a great year.
28:29
[SPEAKER_01]: He's missed.
28:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Dio Dengbo ain't great.
28:32
[SPEAKER_01]: We know that, but he's out.
28:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's forcing Austin Booker who should be a rotational edge to be playing and starting and playing every down.
28:39
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, there have been plenty of injury issues that the bears have had to deal with as the must be the mailman's here, and the dogs are going crazy if we're here in that.
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: But bottom line here is injuries are a part of the NFL.
28:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It is a war of attrition.
28:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Packers got it rough.
28:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It might be too much for them to overcome.
28:57
[SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line here is
28:59
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how it goes.
29:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And that sucks for Packers, but we ain't crying for you because the Chicago Bears are coming and they're planning on beating your ass and putting you a game and a half out.
29:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll tell you this much.
29:12
[SPEAKER_01]: The Packers lose that game.
29:15
[SPEAKER_01]: They are going, and let's say, let's talk about this for one second, and then we will get to the great Daryl Johnston.
29:23
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to join me here in a second.
29:24
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, we're going to bring up the standings here.
29:27
[SPEAKER_01]: So I know exactly what I'm saying and I don't miss speak.
29:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Green Bay Packers are 9-4 and 1.
29:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say the bears beat them.
29:33
[SPEAKER_01]: They're 9-5 and 1.
29:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Detroit moves to 9 and 6 with a victory.
29:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say the lions move to 10 and 6.
29:42
[SPEAKER_01]: The Green Bay Packers play the Baltimore Ravens the following week.
29:47
[SPEAKER_01]: The Ravens look better.
29:48
[SPEAKER_01]: The Ravens are still going to be in the mix with the Pittsburgh Steelers to win that division.
29:53
[SPEAKER_01]: It's in Green Bay, but with no Parsons and no Craft, they could lose that game.
29:59
[SPEAKER_01]: The Packers lose the next two.
30:01
[SPEAKER_01]: They're gonna be at nine, six and one.
30:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And the Detroit Lions are going to be at 10, six and one.
30:07
[SPEAKER_01]: If the Packers lose the next two to go to nine, six and one,
30:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And the bears do lose to San Francisco at 11 and 5.
30:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, guess what, ladies and gentlemen, then the bears and the lions are playing for the division title bears win move to 12 and 5 and win the division bears lose 11 and 6 become the wild card team and the lions win the division, because if that's the case, the green Bay Packers,
30:39
[SPEAKER_01]: would be out of the NFL playoffs.
30:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what would be really sweet, Ben Johnson.
30:49
[SPEAKER_01]: If somehow the Bears beat the Packers and beat the 49ers and what would that mean?
30:56
[SPEAKER_01]: That would mean the Bears clinched the two seed.
30:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And if it is in such a situation that the Bears cannot get the one seed in week 18.
31:04
[SPEAKER_01]: and they have nothing to play for because they are locked into the two seed and the lions have to win to make the playoffs.
31:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Dan Campbell, Ben Johnson's buddy.
31:18
[SPEAKER_01]: He needs a win to make the playoffs and the bears have nothing to play for but if the bears beat the lions and the green
31:34
[SPEAKER_01]: We're resting everybody, we're taking a bite and give the lions a walk over and the green bay packers miss the playoffs.
31:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, how sweet would it be if the bears hold the packers future in their hands and just let it flop onto the ground like a fish out of water flopping around and let them the playoff hopes of the green bay packers.
32:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Take their last breath because the Chicago Bears said, work too good.
32:08
[SPEAKER_01]: We're resting for the playoffs and don't think it didn't happen.
32:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It happened with the chiefs last year.
32:13
[SPEAKER_01]: It happens.
32:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Put your right.
32:16
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't have to be competitive advantage.
32:18
[SPEAKER_01]: None of that crap matters.
32:20
[SPEAKER_01]: It is possible and it would be so freaking sweet.
32:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Darrell Johnson joins me next.
32:28
[SPEAKER_01]: This is Bill Zimmerman Bears' banter.
32:30
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll be right back.
32:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back into the podcast.
32:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Excited to do this his first time on this podcast.
32:36
[SPEAKER_01]: He was, he was first hand at Soldier Field watching the Chicago Bears really dismantled the Cleveland Browns 31, the free.
32:44
[SPEAKER_01]: He is Darrell Johnson NFL on Fox.
32:47
[SPEAKER_01]: He joins me now.
32:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Mooseville Zimmerman, how you doing?
32:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm doing great for all of you.
32:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing really well.
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's start with the game itself and your observations from what you saw because I think the Chicago bears what I think was nice for bears fans to see in this one is the bears obviously much better record of the Browns better team than the Browns, but in the past these games that
33:07
[SPEAKER_01]: when everyone was trying to decide if the bears were frauds, if they were actually a good team, these teams with losing records, the bears were winning by a field goal just a handful of points.
33:17
[SPEAKER_01]: They really handled Cleveland in this one.
33:19
[SPEAKER_01]: What did you see that really let the bears set the tempo in this one?
33:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think our group had a good feel coming into the game.
33:28
[SPEAKER_00]: We heard that freeze trap game, which I'm not a big fan of.
33:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I think everybody goes through the process.
33:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's about all about your preparation and then your execution on game day.
33:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes you go out and you have a tough day.
33:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's to the point that you mentioned where Chicago has been for a number of years now.
33:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Every time you think that maybe they're turning that corner,
33:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they have one of those games pop up where, you know, you don't have a great performance.
33:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we can look at Denver right now during the course of this season at 12 and two.
33:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, gosh, five of their last, you know, the last five games in row 17 points total, you know, margin of victory.
34:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So the most important thing is getting the win.
34:06
[SPEAKER_00]: It's hard to win an NFL game.
34:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that being said,
34:09
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to be one of those teams that are going to make the playoffs and then get into the playoffs and get on a run, you better be able to handle business when you go up against an opponent who's having a tough season in the month of December.
34:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you look to Cleveland, I think the big thing about Cleveland was,
34:27
[SPEAKER_00]: If you took a game where you thought maybe they didn't play well as a team and you went back and looked at it.
34:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Like a Baltimore game early in the season and you see 41 17.
34:38
[SPEAKER_00]: You look at that game and you look how many different awkward positions the offense put that defense in or the special teams put that defense in and yet that defense played well.
34:47
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think that Ben Johnson was very well aware of a three and 10 Cleveland Brown scene that had the potential to have a challenging afternoon just because of how good their defense was and that was taken care of very quickly, you know, you had that opening drive that was a three and out.
35:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Still think Caleb should have just, you know, kept that ball and and on that bootleg out to the right side.
35:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Just just go get six and try and get some momentum on that opening drive.
35:13
[SPEAKER_00]: They bounce back on the next two and took it to 14 nothing and maybe once or twice during the remainder of that game, you felt like they had an opportunity to shut the door and they didn't, but, but Cleo never really was able to get back into it.
35:27
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think that that was.
35:29
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of a statement thing for this bear's team because they had played a lot of close games to your point.
35:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody's really given them a lot of credit this year so far about what they've accomplished.
35:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think really having that type of victory at 31-3 victory against the Cleveland Browns is it's impressive in the month of December.
35:48
[SPEAKER_00]: When you're trying to to show people that you're a better team, you're trying to change the narrative.
35:52
[SPEAKER_00]: that's been a part of this organization for several years where you continue to find ways to lose games or to step into these situations, the quote unquote trap game and get caught up in that and they did anything but that on Sunday.
36:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they played really well.
36:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And once you're here opinion on elements in this, obviously Cleveland is a team that's used to elements.
36:10
[SPEAKER_01]: You played in Dallas, so obviously your home games were pretty toasty overall, but you know, there were plenty of NFCE spattles in December up in New York or Philadelphia, wherever it might be.
36:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Playoff games as well where you guys were on the road.
36:23
[SPEAKER_01]: How much can elements impact a game like that?
36:27
[SPEAKER_00]: as much as you allow them to, you know, we play in heat, we play in rain, we play in cold, we play in snow, the wind is the one thing that I think has the impact on the game that's outside of guys being mentally tough because that definitely has an impact on the passing games, special teams.
36:46
[SPEAKER_00]: The cold is, it makes it a little bit more challenging on the catch.
36:50
[SPEAKER_00]: The ball is a little bit slicker, which means it's hard at a catch, it's easier to fumble.
36:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So just, you have to be dialed in a little bit more on your details, but you know, other than that, it's really just, it's just a mental thing.
37:03
[SPEAKER_00]: If you let the cold impact you, then that's weakness on your part, you know, not being mentally strong in that point.
37:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody knows what you're walking into.
37:11
[SPEAKER_00]: We had to have four casts.
37:12
[SPEAKER_00]: For a number of days we knew what it was going to be like on Sunday and you just got to get yourself mentally prepared for that.
37:17
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, that's the biggest thing.
37:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether it's, you know, we're walking into a game that's going to be 145 on the field or we're going to have the fourth coldest game.
37:25
[SPEAKER_00]: It's soldier field, you know, this Sunday and let's get ready.
37:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they've been Johnson did a really good job of that as well.
37:31
[SPEAKER_00]: He complimented the fans.
37:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I know we're going to have a full house.
37:34
[SPEAKER_00]: We're
37:34
[SPEAKER_00]: pump to be back at home after three weeks.
37:37
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, he was, he was drumming that whole thing up.
37:39
[SPEAKER_00]: He got the players to buy in.
37:40
[SPEAKER_00]: The messaging during the course of the week is very important when you get into situations like that.
37:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And I thought he had it, he handled that very well.
37:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and mental toughness is certainly something that Ben Johnson has been preaching since day one in Chicago.
37:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, let me ask you about this defense here, because it's been inconsistent this year.
37:59
[SPEAKER_01]: They've given up a lot of points.
38:00
[SPEAKER_01]: At times, they've also had a lot of injuries.
38:02
[SPEAKER_01]: They still are dealing with a couple.
38:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think Cleveland's offense has struggled a lot in the year.
38:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, shoulder Sanders, only a handful of starts in his career at this point.
38:12
[SPEAKER_01]: But the defense did look sharp out there.
38:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And certainly you can say, it was a opponent base.
38:16
[SPEAKER_01]: But what did you take away from this defense in terms of that moving forward and playing some better opponents?
38:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that'll be the big question.
38:24
[SPEAKER_00]: The last three games are going to be defining for the bears and what their season is going to be.
38:31
[SPEAKER_00]: That would probably be the one concern that I would have.
38:36
[SPEAKER_00]: It was some of the things that our group dug into.
38:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And you get into all those stats that they've put up from a takeaway standpoint.
38:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And this was something that Dennis Allen was talking to us about earlier in the year.
38:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And I had asked him.
38:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I said, listen, it's great to have these takeaways.
38:53
[SPEAKER_00]: But how have you accomplished that?
38:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Because a lot of coaches will talk about it.
38:58
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they come in bunches and, you know, you work it all the time, but you never really get the production.
39:03
[SPEAKER_00]: You guys are getting that production.
39:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And you kind of went into the detail that they've kind of tied the takeaway theme to, and Al Harris has been a big part of that.
39:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And whether it's the footballs in the cage or the pictures of every takeaway that they've had during the course of the year.
39:18
[SPEAKER_00]: when you walk into the defensive side of the facility, you're reminded constantly of the importance of taking the football away.
39:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not just talking about it, it's seeing it and it being a part of kind of your culture.
39:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And I thought that that was very intriguing and then now to come back in week 15 and just see exactly what they've accomplished all the way from back.
39:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it was week three when we had them
39:44
[SPEAKER_00]: we for earlier in the season to see how good they've gotten at this and to watch Kevin Bire, and to watch Nishon right, you know, be able to do the things that they're doing, and have it on opportunity to talk to them and just, you know, how that came about.
39:58
[SPEAKER_00]: It is kind of unique how Dennis has approached that, you know, with this group.
40:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I think what you have to be concerned about beyond that, though, is in some of the key defensive metrics when you talk about,
40:09
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, yards per game, or rushing yards per game, where yards per attempt or yards per play.
40:15
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, some of those areas when you're looking at defensive statistics, you know, the bears are in the bottom five, bottom six of the NFL, but that takeaway thing helps.
40:26
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a huge bump when you're struggling in other areas.
40:29
[SPEAKER_00]: What happens if a team comes out and plays a clean game?
40:32
[SPEAKER_00]: because the opponents that you're looking at down the stretch in these last three and then if you do get into the playoffs when you play those playoff caliber teams you know they're not they're not going to hand these things to you it's one thing to get you know the three takeaways from the Cleveland Browns you know can you continue to do that against the the better teams in the NFL if that's what you're hanging your hat on
40:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'd like to see maybe a little bit more consistency down this stretch and stuff and run a little bit better against a quality run game going up against some of these good quarterbacks that they have on their schedule and playing well in the past gain.
41:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are some of the things that I think you would walk away from even on Sunday with a little bit of concern with only three points given up.
41:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and certainly it's easier to turn Shidur Sanders over than it is Matthew Stafford.
41:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So you make a really good point there.
41:20
[SPEAKER_01]: But speaking of the better teams in the NFC, you've seen a variety of teams throughout the year.
41:24
[SPEAKER_01]: You've seen this Bears team a couple times.
41:26
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think for Bears fans, it's positive that the team we're seeing now is certainly better than the team that was playing week two, week three, week four.
41:32
[SPEAKER_01]: They've improved throughout the season.
41:34
[SPEAKER_01]: But
41:34
[SPEAKER_01]: How good is this team compared to the other teams in the NFC?
41:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles, they hung in there with the Packers.
41:42
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, they are proving that they can play with these NFC teams.
41:47
[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, with the inexperienced Caleb Williams hasn't been to the playoffs, Ben Johnson hasn't coached in a playoff game as a head coach.
41:53
[SPEAKER_01]: You talked about some of the concerns of the defense if they're not turning the ball over.
41:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you feel like this team?
41:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying can they win the Super Bowl, but can they make the playoffs and can they
42:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I really like Ben Johnson's quote last week coming into it.
42:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you a playoff team?
42:10
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not right now.
42:11
[SPEAKER_00]: We're a nine win team.
42:13
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, now they're a 10 win team.
42:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's correct.
42:16
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's going to take 11 wins in the NFC to get into the playoffs.
42:20
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, something similar to what we saw last year with Seattle, you know, being 10 and 7 and not making the cut.
42:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's really tight at the top.
42:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're going to have some good teams that don't get into the playoffs.
42:32
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, they've got
42:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I know some people don't like the phrase, you can control your own destiny, but they control their playoff future, moving forward.
42:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything is within their control.
42:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think
42:47
[SPEAKER_00]: The big thing that they talked about this season under Ben Johnson was, we have to change the narrative of being the Chicago Bears that always find a way to lose games that they have control of.
43:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And they've done that this year and they've been able to find a way to win those, those one-position games that they continue to find ways to lose.
43:07
[SPEAKER_00]: last season and and so you know internally they're talking the next step now and and one of those things is going to be you know getting into the playoffs and and really when you talk about a team that's that's turning things around and as in year one with a coaching change you
43:22
[SPEAKER_00]: you just want to get in.
43:23
[SPEAKER_00]: You just want to be able to get in and have that experience.
43:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You mentioned that the Ben Johnson has never had the opportunity to be a head coach in the playoffs, Caleb Williams has never had an opportunity to start a playoff game.
43:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's boxes you need to check in the more experience you get, the better off the team will be.
43:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And it doesn't matter, team in transition, how you get in.
43:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, some of these other teams around the league, you know, they're going to have maybe higher priorities.
43:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, you know, we just don't want to get in.
43:48
[SPEAKER_00]: We want to, we want to come in as the division champion.
43:51
[SPEAKER_00]: We want to come in with playing at least one home game.
43:54
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we want to come in as the conference championship and have home field without or throughout.
43:59
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, there's going to be different benchmarks that are set, but I think for this group, the most important thing is for them is to find a way into the playoffs and get to experience what that is like because there is a bright future just based on where they were last year and where they are right now in the month of December.
44:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and you talk about those experiences.
44:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So I want to bring you back to your playing days with a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
44:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, unfortunately you guys kind of famously went one in 15 and 89 and Troy Ekman's and years rookie season, but you built to seven and nine.
44:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I believe it was 11 and five and year three.
44:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Finally made the playoffs in year three, but it was that next season where you guys really dominated and won the Super Bowl.
44:40
[SPEAKER_01]: That 11 and five season in 1991.
44:45
[SPEAKER_01]: important things that you learned as a player that you built on, because, you know, and actually you guys beat the bears in the playoffs, I was actually a good point for Mayor's fans.
44:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember, you guys beat the bears there before you lost.
44:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So what were some of the learning lessons you had in 1991 that built for the future dynasty of the Dallas Cowboys?
45:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think there was a lot of things in 91.
45:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I think one of the bigger ones was week, week 12.
45:14
[SPEAKER_00]: We were six and five in Washington was 11 and oh, and we went to RFK and the Redskins and then ran the table, you know, the last five and got to 11 and five and then we went into the playoffs and
45:27
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, for people, don't remember that 91 season 92 playoffs San Francisco didn't make it in, but I think they beat Chicago 55, 10 in the last week, the regular season, we kind of squeak by him in the playoffs in the wild card round.
45:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And there was a lot of chatter at that time that the best team in the NFC was being left out of the playoffs.
45:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I still think Washington, you know, probably held that title, you know, that was a fantastic season they had at 14 into.
45:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, the big thing was going on the road as a team and a group that didn't have a whole lot of playoff experience and finding a way to win that first playoff game.
46:08
[SPEAKER_00]: The following week when we went to play the division around Detroit, you know, we just, at that time we did not match up well with Detroit.
46:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a lot of people forget that Troy Eggman had heard his knee in that Washington game and Steve Berlin came off the bench and really kind of finished that season and, you know, won that first playoff game, you know, at Soldier Field.
46:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So when we got to the divisional round and fell behind, you know, the question was, do we change things up and put Troy in?
46:35
[SPEAKER_00]: We eventually did.
46:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But I remember that, you know, he was not 100% healthy.
46:40
[SPEAKER_00]: That was just Troy being a warrior.
46:41
[SPEAKER_00]: and wanting desperately to get back on the field after spending, you know, the first couple of seasons as a professional, and building that team and that organization, but not having the opportunity to start those playoff games in 91.
46:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think probably a lot of that 92 season and the beginning of our launching pad.
47:01
[SPEAKER_00]: was Troy Eggman in the off season, you know, just taking his game to a completely different level because of what he missed out on in 91.
47:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And then just another season of us growing together as a team.
47:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So that would have been,
47:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, season two in North Turner's offense, season four under Jimmy Johnson as a head coach.
47:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So just think of what's possible next year for for this offense year two under Ben Johnson.
47:31
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we took, we took a huge stride.
47:33
[SPEAKER_00]: It's good as we were in 91 offensively set, especially the second half of the season.
47:38
[SPEAKER_00]: It was really that 92 season.
47:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Where everything really came together for us on the offensive side of the ball and that's what this group potentially has next year And I think sometimes we forget that Caleb Williams in year two is year one in one system and now you're one in this system and so I can't wait to see what his jump is next year I think it's it's gonna be something similar, you know to what you see from quarterback set second year when they've already had some some really good success in that first year in the system
48:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, and and the finish of that answer was the perfect transition point because that's where I wanted to go next was was Caleb Williams and and you know you were there with Troy.
48:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Ack when you were both drafted in 89 Troy was out tenured you by about 30 minutes or so from first round the second round, but you know you saw that development with Troy Ackman now I'm going to say two.
48:25
[SPEAKER_01]: very different quarterbacks with how they play, you know, Troy, I just not seem to like quarterbacks who don't play on time.
48:31
[SPEAKER_01]: He seems to get frustrated sometimes when he sees Caleb on Monday and I football, but still at that same time, Troy was a young quarterback through a lot of interceptions early, you know, continued to get better.
48:41
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I always remember a quote when I had Troy, like when on a radio show years and years ago, and he said, you know, his job, you know, on the Dallas Cowboys, I get paid to convert third down.
48:51
[SPEAKER_01]: that's what he said.
48:53
[SPEAKER_01]: That was my job.
48:53
[SPEAKER_01]: There was Emmett, there was Irvin, there were other guys to do it.
48:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I, my job was to convert third-downs.
48:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And obviously he was a key part of that offense.
49:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think younger people don't realize how good joy equipment was because the career stats aren't as gaudy.
49:06
[SPEAKER_01]: But that aside, Troy Eggwin, you saw the development
49:10
[SPEAKER_01]: what were the keys for Troy that maybe are parallels to Caleb about things that need to do that need to be done better that can be that young quarterback who still be making some mistakes to develop into a Super Bowl caliber quarterback.
49:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll really just understanding the competition level in the NFL, and I don't think that that's something that Troy learned going into 92 season 4 for him in the NFL.
49:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he had a healthy respect for everybody playing at the NFL level.
49:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we had to come through the NFC season that time with the Reggie White's and the Lawrence Taylor's, and it was hard for us to get our traction.
49:49
[SPEAKER_00]: as a team trying to turn things around in a division where, you know, the Redskins were really good.
49:53
[SPEAKER_00]: The Eagles were really good.
49:54
[SPEAKER_00]: The Giants were really good.
49:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Arizona was in the NFC East back at that time.
49:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And they were still a very physical team that matched a well against us.
50:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So our divisional games were always challenging.
50:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And that was one of the big things that you were able to grow.
50:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that that Caleb is going to have that opportunity, you know, in the NFC North, because of Green Bay, because of Detroit, because of Minnesota.
50:17
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Minnesota will get things turned around next year.
50:19
[SPEAKER_00]: They'll get things sorted out and and so you're going to have four really, really competitive teams and the value of every single game makes you play your best every single week and that was one of the things that we had to deal with in the NFC East back in the early 90s and I think that that's you know, that's where Tory learned and why he gets frustrated with quarterbacks that get off schedule is really because it's it is something that that's critical we hear every single week.
50:45
[SPEAKER_00]: you know from every offensive coordinator how important it is to stay on schedule and how Shane Stike and continue to talk to Dan Jones about taking the easy throw.
50:53
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't have to always be the big throw down the field.
50:56
[SPEAKER_00]: CJ Stroud in Houston, you know Sam Donald in Seattle.
51:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean we hear a week after week after week with young quarterbacks or quarterbacks that have come through that reclamation process.
51:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm looking for that second start in their career, be smart with the football, stay on schedule, take the easy throw.
51:13
[SPEAKER_00]: It's okay to punch, you don't have to force everything, you don't have to make the great throw.
51:17
[SPEAKER_00]: The great thing that Caleb can do is he can make throws that a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL can't.
51:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And what he has to be able to balance is understanding when the time is right for that throw.
51:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that throw to DJ Moore on Sunday,
51:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Is that the throw you really want to make down the stretch here as you're trying to get that playoff position secured and then if you get into the playoffs is that the type of throw you're going to try to make in some of those critical moments you've done it before so there is confidence you're going to do it, but is there something that's safer at that time and I think that that's always going to be.
51:53
[SPEAKER_00]: his struggle as he moves forward because he is so talented in making some of those throws is when it's the right time to try it and when do I just take the check down, when do I just throw it away and those were some of the things that Troy learned very quickly.
52:08
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't hold the ball against the Philadelphia defense or it's going to be a long day.
52:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And he got sack the 11 times in 1991 by the Philadelphia Eagles.
52:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a lesson that you never forget so that ball has to come out on time.
52:21
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to stay on schedule.
52:23
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't put Reggie White in Lawrence Taylor in the obvious passing situations.
52:29
[SPEAKER_00]: because that stresses your offensive line, it stresses your tackles.
52:33
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't bode well for success.
52:35
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's a lot of things that you learn over time, and sometimes that gets accelerated because how strong your division is.
52:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think Caleb sits in a position where he could have that.
52:45
[SPEAKER_00]: that fortunate opportunity where his growth is going to be accelerated because he's got a really, really strong decision for division and that's going to, you know, that's going to make sure that they've been Johnson and the staff around Caleb Williams emphasized how important every single snap is during the course of the regular season because the fit at the top of that division, one game lost, one divisional loss could keep you out of the playoffs.
53:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And let me ask you about the the bear's running game because I think that that's something that's that's really improved and has looked excellent over the last several weeks.
53:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know going back to your your Cowboys team and I know everyone, you know when they think of the Cowboys dynasty, you know, it's ached when I'm at nerven that that's kind of that trio that we hear about all the time, but that Dallas Cowboys running game with with you.
53:31
[SPEAKER_01]: lead it, you know, getting through those holes in front of them at Smith.
53:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And the Cowboys offensive line that I think is arguably, you know, maybe even the best of all time, but certainly on the shortlist of great offensive lines and NFL history, the Bears did a massive overhaul of the offensive line.
53:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It's certainly reaping benefits now.
53:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And that run game that the Bears have established is something that's working really well for them.
53:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's where I have the
53:56
[SPEAKER_01]: in the playoffs is that the fact that if they run the ball well against anybody, they will be able to control the clock, they'll be able to control the tempo.
54:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's something that can help them against the better teams.
54:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, that was something you guys did really well in the 90s and obviously helped you guys dominate.
54:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's something I see the bears doing now that is certainly going to be part of Ben Johnson's identity moving forward.
54:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, the ability to dictate to the defenses is something that you always strive for as an offense and we were able to do that.
54:26
[SPEAKER_00]: It didn't matter how you were going to come out and play us.
54:29
[SPEAKER_00]: We felt confident that if you were going to take away Michael Irvin, Elvin Harper, Jay Novicek in the past game, then
54:36
[SPEAKER_00]: You leave yourself vulnerable against the run.
54:38
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're going to come out and be committed to the run, like a lot of teams talk about and a lot of defenses want to do, is to come out and shut down that run game in the beginning.
54:46
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to have to add assets into the box, and that's going to leave you vulnerable, you know, on the back end.
54:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So we'll, we felt comfortable, you know, we could be to throw in the football as well.
54:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, that's what you're striving for.
54:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's one of the, the comments that Ben Johnson made to us over the course of the weekend is getting to that point where,
55:03
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, you can win running the football or throwing the football.
55:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And you'll hear some people talk about, you know, we throw to score and we run to win.
55:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you want to be able to do both.
55:13
[SPEAKER_00]: You want to be able to throw to win or run to win at the end.
55:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And you always want to be able to throw and run to score.
55:19
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, to build that lead, you get into certain components, the form in it offense at the end of the game, when that defense knows exactly what you want to do, and you can impose your will on them, and be able to take a clock down, you know, going back to that 65 versus 11 and no game at 91, you know, we came onto the field as an offense with a little over eight minutes to go on the game, and we took it all the way down inside two minutes.
55:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I think maybe even inside a minute and 30 before we turn that ball back over to Washington.
55:44
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know,
55:46
[SPEAKER_00]: to be able to kill a clock and control the flow of the game to your point, to be able to win time and possession and limit the opportunities for a talented offense on the other side of the field, to be on the field that day is the huge thing.
55:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And these guys are trending that way, and it all happened, you know, kind of posed by.
56:03
[SPEAKER_00]: They took the guardrails off of Caleb really kind of challenged him at that point to understand all the play calls and the lengthy play calls when you add motions and shifts and different things that are happening pre-snap or you're not becoming a stagnant offense anymore and he's embraced that and gotten better and better with it and that helps everything in the run game.
56:22
[SPEAKER_00]: because now your defense is not just sitting there with a stagnant group that can anticipate where you're going to run the football, everything's changing and moving in front of them, and that creates communication and sometimes causes mis-designments.
56:34
[SPEAKER_00]: But Ben went all the way back to his time in Miami, working with Chris Forster, who's the guy that runs the San Francisco Run game right now, and how long it took in Miami that year with that wide zone and getting everybody comfortable with it.
56:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think you mentioned the fact that you've added offensive linemen,
56:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got different running backs and you've got to get all that chemistry to start to work together.
56:57
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the hardest part about the run game is it's usually one of the last things to come together for a team.
57:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Just because it's hard to build that chemistry and camaraderie with everything up front.
57:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, that's a big part of this and he talked about it being like week 9, week 10 in Miami back in 2016 before they felt comfortable.
57:19
[SPEAKER_00]: He's been able to achieve that here in Chicago and week 6, week 7.
57:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's way ahead of schedule there.
57:24
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think that what this team does down the stretch.
57:28
[SPEAKER_00]: will be, you know, contingent on how that running game continues to perform and I think right now.
57:33
[SPEAKER_00]: It's probably, you know, performing is one of the top ones in the NFL when you go back and really start week five and bring it forward.
57:40
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, what they've been able to accomplish, they're one of the best running, one of the best running offenses in the NFL right now.
57:45
[SPEAKER_01]: yeah and last question for you this is just kind of on on a personal level for you as someone who was a key part of a dominant rushing attack you know the NFL a few years ago it felt like they were abandoning the run all together and it was just going to be almost stuck it was starting into a arena football with all the passes and obviously defense is a Justin we're seeing offences adjust back to the run is is that a is that a more enjoyable game for you seeing a more balanced attack and seeing teams running the football more than they were four or five six years ago
58:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
58:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know why we started the slide away from it a little bit.
58:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I understand the athleticism of these athletes that are on NFL fields and what they can do in space is extremely unique.
58:24
[SPEAKER_00]: It's much different than when I was playing back in the 80s and 90s.
58:30
[SPEAKER_00]: The quick screens to the outside, the game kind of moving away from being something condensed to something spread out.
58:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And
58:37
[SPEAKER_00]: moving away from the running game to the point where the running back position became under value.
58:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's just the success that we've seen from certain teams over the last five to eight years that have kind of brought that back or how these teams are being built that consistently go to the playoffs year in a year out.
58:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think the biggest message that was sent was sent by Philadelphia last year with the season that Sake Juan Barclay had.
59:04
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, with the way that they handled Kansas City in the Super Bowl, you know, dominating both lines of Scrimmage.
59:11
[SPEAKER_00]: They could run the football at Will.
59:13
[SPEAKER_00]: They really made Kansas City one dimensional and then all of a sudden the score gets away from you.
59:17
[SPEAKER_00]: So there was a huge point proven last year that the team that controls the line of Scrimmage controls the game and controls how that game is going to play out.
59:26
[SPEAKER_00]: As long as you play clean and you don't make mistakes and you're controlling the line of Scrimmage, you should win every game.
59:31
[SPEAKER_00]: that you're playing.
59:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's one of the things that I love is it's just kind of getting in there and dig it into what's going on down in the trenches because that's that's that's some really fun stuff.
59:41
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why Seattle is a very dangerous team right now.
59:45
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, there are one of those teams that that can really dominate, you know, on the defensive side, they're offensive line is getting better.
59:52
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I don't think we have a team like we had with Philadelphia last year when they really hit
59:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And they were so dominant on both sides of a line of scrimmage that it was going to be a tough task for anybody to take them down.
1:00:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I think we see a number of teams that are very strong in the defensive line.
1:00:08
[SPEAKER_00]: We see a number of teams that are very good in the offensive line, but it's hard to find, you know, that team that has both of them.
1:00:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's something that's carried Denver a little bit this season because when you look at them, the stocks that they have from a defense of standpoint, but the ability that that offensive line has that's grown in matured, there are another teams, where to Chicago, Sean Payton, when he got out to Denver, we got to be better in the offensive line.
1:00:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And those are the teams that you'll start to see, get into quick turnaround and things like that.
1:00:37
[SPEAKER_00]: So I was impressed by Ryan Polls in Ben Johnson coming in and saying, hey, the first thing we're doing is we got to get better upfront.
1:00:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's going to pay huge dividends because it doesn't matter how talented your skill players are.
1:00:47
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter how good your your running backs are.
1:00:51
[SPEAKER_00]: If you don't have running lanes and you don't have pass protection, then all that skill on the outside or in the back field kind of gets wasted because you just you don't have the ability to open things up for them up front.
1:01:02
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
1:01:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, there he is.
1:01:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Darrell Moose Johnson, of course NFL on Fox and for those of the younger listeners, this is truly one of the great pure fullbacks in NFL history, part of the Dallas Cowboys, Dynastie in the 90s.
1:01:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Moose, thanks for so much time.
1:01:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I really enjoyed the conversation and hope to catch up with you down the line.
1:01:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you, you're welcome.
1:01:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Good luck to the various down the stretch.
1:01:22
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be fun to watch.
1:01:23
[SPEAKER_01]: All right there.
1:01:24
[SPEAKER_01]: He is Darrell Johnston, everybody.
1:01:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Good interview with Darrell.
1:01:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I know some people did not love his analysis on Sunday against the Browns.
1:01:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And I get it.
1:01:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Darrell's a guy that is, you know, he grew up with Troy Equin, basically, right through the NFL.
1:01:42
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how he, you know, he won with Troy Equin.
1:01:44
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how he wants his quarterbacks play.
1:01:46
[SPEAKER_01]: He wants his
1:01:50
[SPEAKER_01]: play within the constructs of the offense, play on time.
1:01:54
[SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't want a guy who's going to create a lot.
1:01:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, he's going to have some difference of opinions there.
1:01:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And you kind of heard it there.
1:02:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Caleb's incredible throw to DJ Maurice.
1:02:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, eh, should you have thrown something safer than that one?
1:02:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you just kind of see it.
1:02:07
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just kind of like built into his football DNA at this point.
1:02:10
[SPEAKER_01]: But I love Moose, Syracuse guy.
1:02:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a Syracuse guy.
1:02:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a big fan of Moose.
1:02:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's done a great job as an analyst over the last what.
1:02:18
[SPEAKER_01]: probably 20 years or so.
1:02:20
[SPEAKER_01]: He's been doing that for for the NFL.
1:02:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm a big fan of moves.
1:02:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, I don't everybody didn't love his analysis on Sunday, but at the same time, you do appreciate outside opinions.
1:02:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Instead of just being in our Chicago echo chamber, you want to hear what other people have to say.
1:02:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if you disagree with it and think it's wildly off-base, you'd like to know what other people across the country, at least that I do.
1:02:42
[SPEAKER_01]: think about the Chicago Bears and about Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams.
1:02:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll keep this the end of this podcast brief.
1:02:51
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll get to the mail bag here.
1:02:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Not too many questions this week.
1:02:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's jump in.
1:02:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Siege says we now know as he can hold up against two of the best offenders.
1:03:00
[SPEAKER_01]: thoughts on his improvement and can he solve the left tackle issue.
1:03:06
[SPEAKER_01]: So, Siege, I think, absolutely.
1:03:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is a question that they are going to have to ask.
1:03:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the bears at this point, Ben Johnson, Ryan Polls, Dan Rochard, are comfortable in saying, Darnell, Wright, and Aussie, Trepello are going to be our tackles in 2026.
1:03:23
[SPEAKER_01]: What they have to decide,
1:03:25
[SPEAKER_01]: It's if they think if it's going to be Darnell right on the left side and Ozzie Trapillo on the right side, if it's worth.
1:03:33
[SPEAKER_01]: trying to make that switch, being they were not confident as we know about Aussie Triple making the switch from the right to the left side at the beginning of the season.
1:03:43
[SPEAKER_01]: He's kind of gotten thrown in here because he needed to, and he's gonna hold on to that job and clearly he's gonna stay with it now over the open it and he should based on performance, especially in past blocking.
1:03:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And look, well, you play against Miles Garrett, you're gonna get beat.
1:03:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Nobody expected Triple O to be perfect out there,
1:04:01
[SPEAKER_01]: The key is a step slow.
1:04:03
[SPEAKER_01]: He is not at least at this point some wall that you cannot get around on the left side.
1:04:10
[SPEAKER_01]: He is competent.
1:04:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's okay.
1:04:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And what I'm saying way they have to decide this is.
1:04:18
[SPEAKER_01]: That's like use a scale of like one to ten.
1:04:21
[SPEAKER_01]: If they say, all right, acetripello and five being average, one being a bismal, one's Larry Borham, right, five's there, Karanavagaji.
1:04:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Five is every NFL average.
1:04:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Ten is elite.
1:04:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Is Trent Williams is Jason Peter's Anthony Muñoz Hall of Fame level.
1:04:37
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, right, that's ten.
1:04:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Like if we're saying
1:04:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And Azita Pillow on the left side is a five.
1:04:51
[SPEAKER_01]: If we're saying, that's what that can be.
1:04:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Cause Azita Pillow's not a five right now.
1:04:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Azita Pillow's like a four, probably.
1:04:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think he's an average left tackle.
1:04:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's below average.
1:05:00
[SPEAKER_01]: When you have that much talent across the rest of the line, that's fine.
1:05:02
[SPEAKER_01]: You can absolutely get away with that.
1:05:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So if Jarnell writes an eight, and Azita Pillow is a four, and so you're talking about, you got 12 out of 20 on your two tackles right now.
1:05:14
[SPEAKER_01]: If they switch them and Darnell right drops to a seven, but Ozzie Trapillo jumps up to a six, is that worth the improved play from Trapillo, even if Darnell right's quite not quite as good on the left side.
1:05:29
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where I think they need to decide exactly what they're gonna do with the tackle position.
1:05:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I think most likely siege, they're not going to do anything crazy.
1:05:40
[SPEAKER_01]: They are going to sit there and say, let's keep Aussie on the left side.
1:05:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's keep Darnell on the right side and let's march forward.
1:05:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's probably what they're going to do.
1:05:48
[SPEAKER_01]: But Trapillo is certainly shown enough that they don't need to worry too much about the tackle position next season, which is critical because like we've talked about on this podcast.
1:06:00
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't have a lot of money.
1:06:01
[SPEAKER_01]: their draft capital early on really needs to go to the defensive side of the ball.
1:06:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So they aren't going to have a lot of wiggle room at tackle.
1:06:08
[SPEAKER_01]: They really need to pull out a come come through here.
1:06:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So when they look at it, like when you look at it overall on next year's line, assuming all three interior guys are back, I don't know if Ryan Bates is going to be back.
1:06:20
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to need a backup center.
1:06:21
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not the end of the world.
1:06:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe Luke Newman can be that after
1:06:26
[SPEAKER_01]: After a year, maybe he can handle center reps right now.
1:06:31
[SPEAKER_01]: He's only doing guard reps. We'll see about that.
1:06:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Theo Benedict, or do they want to move him inside and have him play more guard?
1:06:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Do they want to keep him as a swing tackle?
1:06:40
[SPEAKER_01]: If they want Benedict to be more inside, which is a better fit for him mind you.
1:06:45
[SPEAKER_01]: If you move Bennett it inside next year and have them back up between Tunie and Jackson, there could be a world where Bennett is good enough to start as a guard in 2027.
1:06:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's the other thing you need to think about is where do these guys best slate moving forward in terms of their best positions.
1:07:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Bennett and I think's best position is inside.
1:07:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Do they want to start making him more of that backup guard in case he needs to go in there and then they need to
1:07:12
[SPEAKER_01]: they've got some issues, but nothing as critical as starters.
1:07:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the starting five this year is your starting five next year.
1:07:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I doubt they make the tackle switch because it's been competent this year.
1:07:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Why mess with something?
1:07:24
[SPEAKER_01]: That's working.
1:07:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think yes, siege overall, happy with the tackle position.
1:07:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think they're going to do anything drastic.
1:07:35
[SPEAKER_01]: All right,
1:07:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Still don't know how this is exactly going to work in the secondary in 2026.
1:07:44
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you think the bears figure how to make this work with all these different players?
1:07:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Some injured, some healthy, some free agents, some under contract.
1:07:52
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, I actually was putting some thought in it.
1:07:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm glad this question came up because I actually put some thought into that question this week.
1:08:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And to me, this is how I'm looking at this.
1:08:04
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, Jacwan Brisker, I think you let him walk.
1:08:08
[SPEAKER_01]: He's had a good season.
1:08:09
[SPEAKER_01]: He hasn't had a great season, concussion history.
1:08:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I know he's been on the field this year.
1:08:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to page Jacwan Brisker 12, 13, 14 million dollars a year.
1:08:18
[SPEAKER_01]: What's your probably?
1:08:19
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're trying to retain a safety, you're probably going to need to do that.
1:08:22
[SPEAKER_01]: You can let Brisker check and see what his market is.
1:08:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it's affordable enough where you can keep him.
1:08:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you let Brisker walk.
1:08:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you signed Kevin buyer to a two-year contract extension with one year guarantee.
1:08:35
[SPEAKER_01]: You said, here's your guaranteed money for 2026.
1:08:37
[SPEAKER_01]: If you play well again, we'll bring you back in 2027.
1:08:42
[SPEAKER_01]: But otherwise, you know, if it's time to retire or things struggle, we'll move on from you.
1:08:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's what you do.
1:08:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you re-sign CJ Gardner Johnson, but you're going to play CJ Gardner Johnson at safety.
1:08:56
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got position flexibility.
1:08:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He can do both.
1:08:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Move CJ to safety.
1:09:00
[SPEAKER_01]: He replaces Chikwan Brisker.
1:09:02
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got biored in Brisker.
1:09:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Tyler Gordon is your nickel.
1:09:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Tyrex Stevenson is your corner.
1:09:08
[SPEAKER_01]: If they love Tyrex and they want to extend him, they can do that.
1:09:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Otherwise Tyrex Stevenson has one year left under contract.
1:09:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Tyrex Stevenson's your other corner.
1:09:17
[SPEAKER_01]: That brings you to the other side.
1:09:19
[SPEAKER_01]: You're not going to be able to pay nation right to stay as the team is back up.
1:09:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Jail and Johnson is making a lot of money.
1:09:27
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears are going to have to make a tough decision.
1:09:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Do they resign, Jail, nation right, and move on from Jail and Johnson?
1:09:36
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what I said.
1:09:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying it's an easy, and you basically, they cannot move on from Jail and Johnson.
1:09:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And if that's the bear's decision as well,
1:09:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you let Nation right walk.
1:09:47
[SPEAKER_01]: He signs a fairly sizable contract.
1:09:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I assume 10, 12, 13 million dollars based on the season he's had and he's still fairly young.
1:09:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Nation right gets a fairly sizable contract and the Chicago Bears just say, Compick Formula with right.
1:10:04
[SPEAKER_01]: If they decide that Jalen Johnson is not the guy moving forward with the injuries with Dennis Allen scheme if big I'm not saying they should get rid of Jalen Johnson saying if they decide they move Jalen Johnson they signation right to play the other corner.
1:10:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I also think the bear should spend a day to pick on a safety be in the round round three that's a lot where a lot of safety start coming off the board don't have to like break the bank and get like a first round safety that's going to start right away get like a round three maybe around for safety that could start as a rookie but wouldn't be a problem if they were your third safety this is why I like this setup.
1:10:47
[SPEAKER_01]: at third safety or that rookie safety is your third safety.
1:10:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Kyler Gordon, you cannot trust him right now to stay healthy.
1:10:54
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, he misses usually two to four games a year.
1:10:57
[SPEAKER_01]: This year, he's basically missed the whole season.
1:10:59
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't know what's going on with that, but you've already guaranteed money to Kyler Gordon.
1:11:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So Gordon's coming back next year.
1:11:06
[SPEAKER_01]: then if Gordon gets hurt, CJ Gardner Johnson can move to nickel and the rookie safety can slide in and start.
1:11:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's the way you do it.
1:11:18
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't have to commit that much more money in terms of anything you do.
1:11:23
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, buyer and I think you can get kind of affordable.
1:11:26
[SPEAKER_01]: CJ Gardner Johnson, obviously going to be making more money than Briscar's rookie contract, but overall you kind of keep the same secondary intact and you don't really add too much cash into the secondary.
1:11:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that is probably the most sensible thing to do with the secondary at.
1:11:46
[SPEAKER_01]: this point.
1:11:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been going on a while.
1:11:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So let me get to the prediction and then we'll move on because on my full-time job, I've got a meeting coming up here in five minutes of the life of recording podcast.
1:11:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So Packers, as I said, I am feeling really good about this game.
1:12:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the bears are absolutely going to win this game.
1:12:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, there's the fallen hero spot where a team rallies around losing a key player.
1:12:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, I think that that happens more and kind of basketball and things like that.
1:12:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the packers are going to be pretty down on this Parsons thing.
1:12:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying they're going to come out and be totally flat and the bears are going to crush them.
1:12:25
[SPEAKER_01]: But I do think they're going to be a little flat.
1:12:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that defense.
1:12:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we're going to see just how important Parsons was that defense.
1:12:31
[SPEAKER_01]: He is a multiplier when you add Parsons and he's getting consistent pressure.
1:12:37
[SPEAKER_01]: It makes the entire defense better.
1:12:38
[SPEAKER_01]: When you lose Parsons, Roshan Gary is not a consistent pass rusher as a top edge.
1:12:44
[SPEAKER_01]: He's a very nice secondary pass rusher.
1:12:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not a top edge pass rusher, at least in my eyes.
1:12:50
[SPEAKER_01]: When Gary is the guy that you can focus on, they've already got to volunteer why it out.
1:12:54
[SPEAKER_01]: That defensive line suddenly isn't at Lucas Van Ness isn't that much.
1:12:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Suddenly, that defensive line is pretty manageable, especially for the bear's offensive line.
1:13:03
[SPEAKER_01]: If their pressure's not coming on Caleb Williams, if he doesn't have to account for Mike Parsons regularly, that's going to make the entire defense much worse.
1:13:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So suddenly Jeff Halfley's top tennis unit in a top 10 unit, probably a top 20 unit, below average type unit.
1:13:19
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what I think of this packers unit without Mike Parsons.
1:13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: The offense is still good, but they're missing guys like Tucker craft.
1:13:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think the Bears win this game.
1:13:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the Bears win it comfortably.
1:13:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I know the Packers are favored.
1:13:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the Bears should be favored with the Parsons injury.
1:13:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the Bears should be favored in this one.
1:13:35
[SPEAKER_01]: That by a lot, just one or two points.
1:13:37
[SPEAKER_01]: But they're not Packers are favored.
1:13:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the Bears win this one.
1:13:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they win this by more than a score.
1:13:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we're looking at like a 27 to 17 type game.
1:13:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Bears win this comfortably.
1:13:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Go up.
1:13:51
[SPEAKER_01]: game in a half with the magic number basically at one to win the division with two weeks to go and they put themselves in a prime spot and after they beat the Eagles, barely lose to the Packers crush the Browns and beat the Packers, they will ever arrive.
1:14:07
[SPEAKER_01]: as a true contender in the NFC playoffs with a monstrous game.
1:14:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And I've talked about how much it is leveraged on this 49ers game, a monstrous game coming up the week after.
1:14:20
[SPEAKER_01]: But first things first, got to beat the Green Bay Packers.
1:14:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they do it.
1:14:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they win by ten.
1:14:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm calling
1:14:28
[SPEAKER_01]: that's going to do it for bears banter.
1:14:31
[SPEAKER_01]: We're entering the holiday season.
1:14:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Things get a little wonky for me.
1:14:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll make sure I get some content for at you for sure though.
1:14:38
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got some good guess lined up for late December and into January as well.
1:14:43
[SPEAKER_01]: If you've been following along all season, you know some of the beat writers that are still missing, we'll get them on.
1:14:47
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got a couple other people we're working on.
1:14:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Shouldn't be a lot of fun as the bears hopefully fingers crossed
1:14:56
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been a wild run here.
1:14:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Bear it out, everybody.
1:15:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Keep enjoying this season.
1:15:02
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been fun.
1:15:03
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk to you soon.
1:15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Adios.