Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Bears Banter Ep. 231: Stacey Dales joins on a playoff edition!

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Bears Banter Ep. 231: Stacey Dales joins on a playoff edition! · 2nd City Gridiron

0:18
[SPEAKER_00]: It's bright, fair down, bears, fans, it's time for another edition of the Chicago Bears podcast, Bears, Bander, Powered!
0:37
[SPEAKER_00]: by second city gridiron bill, Zimmerman with you.
0:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And for those of you who hate the open, two middle birds, two you folks, because the bears are in the playoffs, baby.
0:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I had to give you a big one there.
0:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Playoff edition of Bears Banner as the regular season concludes.
0:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Little bit with the thought.
0:57
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about it a little bit, but the Chicago Bears are the two seed in the NFC playoffs, and they will face.
1:07
[SPEAKER_00]: the nine seven and one squeaking into the playoffs Green Bay Packers.
1:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And we are going to talk about this bear season.
1:17
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears potential for a postseason run and this match up with the Packers with NFL networks.
1:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Stacey Dale's, we're bringing out the big guns for the playoffs.
1:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Stacey Dale's going to be by to talk bears, Packers and FC North.
1:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything we can think of that we can squeeze in.
1:36
[SPEAKER_00]: We will talk about it with her excited to have her on.
1:39
[SPEAKER_00]: First time she's been on this podcast, excited to do that.
1:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But.
1:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Before we talk to Stacey, we've got plenty to talk about here and let's jump into.
1:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's start with this Detroit Lions game, because yes, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that it means nothing that the bears look like crap in the final week of the regular season.
2:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think you can combine that with the 49ers game and sit here and go, the bears are not playing their best collective football heading into the playoffs.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: should bring up at least the antenna is a little bit, right?
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: It shouldn't be, you can't just blow it off and say the defense gave an up unobsene amount of points to the 49ers.
2:24
[SPEAKER_00]: The defense gave an up unobsene amount of yards to the lions.
2:28
[SPEAKER_00]: The offense looked dreadful for the first three quarters against the lions.
2:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Something was off.
2:33
[SPEAKER_00]: you certainly can't sit here and say that it none of it matters, but at the same time the playoffs, it is a new season and the bears can start fresh.
2:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's interesting when you talk about momentum because sometimes momentum certainly does matter and teams carry that.
2:50
[SPEAKER_00]: right in from the regular season and then, you know, they play well in the postseason, other teams kind of finish with a thud and then really pick it up, come post season.
3:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think with the NFL, it truly is a week to week league.
3:05
[SPEAKER_00]: So we don't sit here and know exactly how the Bears are going to play against Green Bay because of how they may have played against San Francisco or Detroit.
3:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So didn't love what I saw against the Lions, but at the same time, I think you still give the Bears credit for battling back and having an opportunity to win that game at the end.
3:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that final drive wasn't great.
3:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think Ben thought he handled it well.
3:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think Ben handled it well.
3:30
[SPEAKER_00]: mistakes are still going to be bad.
3:31
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the first year had coach, but it's the first year had coach who increased the win total from this team with largely the same roster.
3:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, a couple key rookies that came in.
3:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, especially on offense, big, you know, big help there when you suddenly have trapelo starting in bird and starting in manangai not starting, but getting plenty of snaps and constant love linen, what he means to the offense.
3:55
[SPEAKER_00]: The, the, the, the,
3:55
[SPEAKER_00]: rookie class has been huge this year for the Chicago Bears.
3:59
[SPEAKER_00]: But again, a lot of the core players, you know, Caleb and DJ Moore and these guys in Darnell, right?
4:05
[SPEAKER_00]: These guys were here, the defense was pretty much all here last year, other than a select group of guys.
4:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is the same team in a lot of ways.
4:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a team that just had their wind total increased by six in one season from Ben Johnson.
4:22
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think we still have to look here.
4:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And we have to look at how this team is played.
4:29
[SPEAKER_00]: And you 100% need to be thrilled.
4:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I'll be honest, I set out a couple tweets during the Lions game.
4:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've been tweeting, I don't know if you've noticed a lot less during these football games with the Bears.
4:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I just can't write or die on the Twitter waves.
4:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Because every play that is great.
4:48
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bears are winning a hundred and nothing.
4:49
[SPEAKER_00]: every play that the bears don't do well it's all the bears are going to lose like I can't ride the waves anymore so I just I'm trying to put my phone down enjoy the football game watch the football game critically and then pick up my phone and maybe talk about it after the game or whatever every once in a while I'll send something out of my game look Caleb Williams got close to being the bear single season passing leader and like the response of a coo cares they suck
5:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Like guys, let's settle down a little bit.
5:20
[SPEAKER_00]: The Chicago Bears are right at the start of this.
5:24
[SPEAKER_00]: 2025 and now the 2026 post season is right at the start of this.
5:29
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bears, they are not a well-oiled machine yet.
5:33
[SPEAKER_00]: everything is still coming together.
5:36
[SPEAKER_00]: This roster isn't complete.
5:38
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to see a big overhaul of a lot of guys.
5:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a lot of you keep doubting me.
5:43
[SPEAKER_00]: There aren't going to be some big names that are not on this roster next year.
5:47
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not talking about like Tramaine Edmonds.
5:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if he's going to be off the roster for sure, but he's been the guy we've circled for years that he will be gone after 2025 because that last year on his contract doesn't have much guaranteed money on it at all and the bears can easily get out of that contract.
6:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think Tremade Evans played really well, but you're still talking about $18 million to a player.
6:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if that's exactly what the cap it is next year.
6:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you try and
6:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not just talking about remain elements and I'm not saying specifically I can guarantee you this player's gone or that player's gone but there are going to be players that bears fans love that you've gone out and bought jerseys of and you wear them on Sundays and that player ain't going to be here because he's not part of Ben Johnson's vision.
6:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know exactly who the players are going to be, but I guarantee you you're going to be surprised on a couple of these guys that aren't on the roster next year.
6:48
[SPEAKER_00]: This is how this team is operating.
6:50
[SPEAKER_00]: This team is getting in the Ben Johnson's vision.
6:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Not Ryan Pulse's vision, not the left over Maddie, or Flue's vision, Ben Johnson's vision.
6:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And I have said time and time again.
7:00
[SPEAKER_00]: that we are not going to have in about three years time when Ben Johnson finishes overturning the roster into what he's looking for.
7:08
[SPEAKER_00]: We are not going to see many guys from the Matt Eberfluke era here.
7:13
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just the way this goes.
7:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So when we're bringing this all together, we have to keep in mind that the bears, yes, they're ahead of schedule and they've won the division and they're the two seed and this is all exciting.
7:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you're in a position, you gotta go out and go for it and win.
7:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're gonna talk about that a little bit more here, but you still have to keep in mind where the bears are.
7:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, the bears could lose to the packers on Saturday night.
7:40
[SPEAKER_00]: It is in the realm of possible outcomes.
7:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Vegas has them favored.
7:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they should be favored.
7:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the bear should be like a two and a half point favor.
7:48
[SPEAKER_00]: but regardless, doesn't really matter, matters who comes out on top.
7:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And I do think the bears are probably gonna win on Saturday night, but at the same time, it is certainly possible that the Packers could win the football game.
8:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, that will be a devastating loss for bear's fans.
8:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And Packers fans are gonna be ruthless on social media and they are gonna be taunting bear's fans and it's going to be awful.
8:13
[SPEAKER_00]: But at the same time, keep in mind that this is at the very beginning for the Chicago Bears, for the Ben Johnson era.
8:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Ben Johnson is the guy.
8:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I have never been more confident in saying anything in my life about sports.
8:32
[SPEAKER_00]: around the Chicago Bears or any of the Chicago sports teams other than saying Michael Jordan is the guy in 1992 then saying Ben Johnson is the guy in 2025.
8:45
[SPEAKER_00]: That's how confident I am in that statement.
8:49
[SPEAKER_00]: So
8:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Just relax, enjoy the game, and I'm not saying just shrug your shoulders if they lose, but enjoy the game, enjoy the playoff run, because I think there's a good chance the bears are gonna beat the backers, and they'll have another game at Soldier Field, which is why the two seem.
9:07
[SPEAKER_00]: was so critical and really strange that certain people didn't care about seeding and didn't care about momentum and didn't care about anything and just wanted to bear the rest guys.
9:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And in hindsight, you need to probably say, oh, they should have rested guys because they played terrible with their starters.
9:22
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not a good reason to sit there and play it in hindsight that way.
9:26
[SPEAKER_00]: But the Chicago Bears are here, they're in the playoffs and like I said,
9:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that they're in the playoffs, we can sit here and look at things and say, this could be an interesting season for the Chicago Bears or for other teams to potentially make a run.
9:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it's wide open.
9:50
[SPEAKER_00]: The Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady, New England Patriots.
9:57
[SPEAKER_00]: They are not sitting there.
9:59
[SPEAKER_00]: We do not have a dominant dynasty type team that we can expect to win and sit here and go, well, maybe the bears can get lucky.
10:10
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not what this is.
10:12
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a wide open, wide open playoff.
10:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can just go through it really quickly.
10:19
[SPEAKER_00]: The Seattle Seahawks,
10:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Sam Donald does not look good many times when the lights shine brightly.
10:28
[SPEAKER_00]: The two seated Chicago bears have a porous defense and a lot of people question if they can beat good teams consistently in the postseason.
10:39
[SPEAKER_00]: The three seated Philadelphia Eagles, the defending Super Bowl champions
10:50
[SPEAKER_00]: The five-seat L.A. Rams, the Rams are the best team in the NFC when they are playing their best football.
11:00
[SPEAKER_00]: But when the L.A. Rams want to play their best football, it doesn't seem to always happen.
11:04
[SPEAKER_00]: That is an in-consistent football team.
11:07
[SPEAKER_00]: The San Francisco 49ers, they can't stop anybody.
11:10
[SPEAKER_00]: The Green Bay Packers, they are a shell of themselves with no Parsons and no Craft as a 97 and one football team.
11:18
[SPEAKER_00]: The Denver Broncos, can you really trust Bonex to win a Super Bowl?
11:22
[SPEAKER_00]: The New England Patriots.
11:24
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a team.
11:25
[SPEAKER_00]: They're the AFC Chicago Bears and Drake may.
11:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, he played better than Caleb Williams this year.
11:30
[SPEAKER_00]: But we don't know what the New England Patriots are a complete and total wild card.
11:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And they've got a whole thing going on with Stefan Diggs.
11:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And we don't know what exactly is going to be going on there.
11:41
[SPEAKER_00]: The Jacksonville Jaguars.
11:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Is that a team you can trust?
11:45
[SPEAKER_00]: The Jaguars have never been a team you can trust.
11:48
[SPEAKER_00]: The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't won a playoff game in how long the Houston Texans don't seem to be able to run the football and don't have much of an offense.
11:59
[SPEAKER_00]: They have one hell of a defense.
12:00
[SPEAKER_00]: The Buffalo
12:06
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't even know what they are, but they certainly aren't playing good football this year, other than when Josh Allen is Superman and carries them the victories and the L.A. Chargers have, you know, injured offensive line and they are certainly not clicking on all cylinders, although they look like a pretty solid football team every.
12:24
[SPEAKER_00]: one of these teams is flawed.
12:27
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no dominant football team in the NFL with a lot of bad football teams that propped up a lot of records.
12:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't sit there and tell you the last time I saw so many free and four win football teams.
12:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Usually if you win five games,
12:45
[SPEAKER_00]: If you go, you know, 5 and 11 or 5 and 12 felt like in the past, you were almost guaranteed to have a top 5 or a top 6 spot in the NFL draft, right?
12:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Like if you go 5 and 12, you're like, you have the 5 or the 6th, maybe even better.
13:04
[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, we're talking about, you know, 4 teams.
13:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Four teams that finish with only three wins and then giants finishing with four.
13:13
[SPEAKER_00]: So you went five and 12, you had no shot to get a top five spot this year.
13:17
[SPEAKER_00]: You went six and 11, you're outside the top 10.
13:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Like it is wild how many bad football teams are worse.
13:24
[SPEAKER_00]: So when you got a lot of bad football teams, you get a 14 and three Patriots.
13:27
[SPEAKER_00]: You get a 14 and three Broncos.
13:29
[SPEAKER_00]: You get a 13 and four Jaguars.
13:31
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just how this is.
13:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, the Bears beat some of these bad teams.
13:34
[SPEAKER_00]: They beat the Raiders.
13:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They beat the Browns.
13:36
[SPEAKER_00]: But so did these other teams.
13:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So when people say, oh, you're just, yeah, yeah, I got all roated up on the bad football teams.
13:44
[SPEAKER_00]: You beat, well, they beat the bad football teams too.
13:46
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so many bad football teams.
13:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Every one of these teams played the bad football teams.
13:51
[SPEAKER_00]: They just like pointing it out for the bears.
13:53
[SPEAKER_00]: But they want to ignore that the bears beat the packers, beat the Steelers, beat the Eagles, they beat playoff teams.
14:01
[SPEAKER_00]: But they don't want to talk about, oh, well, they didn't have Aaron Rodgers.
14:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Well,
14:04
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I remember people saying there wasn't much of a difference between Aaron Rogers and Mason Rudolph going into that game.
14:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Back up your mind, people, like it doesn't make a lot of sense about how people, but they want to disparage the bears right now because the bears have been down four years and it's easier to just assume that they are a fluke than that they are becoming good.
14:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of the disparaging is coming from Detroit and Green Bay in Minnesota.
14:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And I had some fun with a tweet.
14:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And I put out the bears are the second best team in the NFC in Ben Johnson's
14:37
[SPEAKER_00]: first year, let that sink in and oh man did that rage the NFC North fans outside of Chicago and plenty of Chicago friends.
14:48
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not the second best team.
14:50
[SPEAKER_00]: We're the second seed.
14:51
[SPEAKER_00]: The NFL seeding is done.
14:53
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not going to win.
14:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Guys, relax.
14:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, enjoy this.
14:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Stop being so negative on this season.
15:00
[SPEAKER_00]: What the bears have accomplished is great.
15:03
[SPEAKER_00]: And even if they lose to the
15:07
[SPEAKER_00]: an absolutely successful season in Ben Johnson's first campaign doesn't mean you can't have a bitter taste in your mouth about something that happened, but it's absolutely successful and absolutely something to build on.
15:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So when we look at this Chicago Bears team,
15:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, they needed to go for the two seed.
15:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, they backed into the two seed, but they still got the two seed.
15:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So you go out there and you play your game because you don't know.
15:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I expect the bearers to continue to be good with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, but you don't know that Detroit Lions, they progress back to a nine and eight season.
15:45
[SPEAKER_00]: They missed the playoffs.
15:47
[SPEAKER_00]: It can happen.
15:48
[SPEAKER_00]: The Chicago Bears could get a couple of injuries next year and they could go 9 and 8 or 8 and 9.
15:53
[SPEAKER_00]: It can happen.
15:54
[SPEAKER_00]: So when you're in the dance, you wanna take advantage of being in the dance.
15:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And if the Bears had snuck in at 9 and 8 or 10 and 7 and they were the 7 seed or the 6 seed, you know, they're not gonna win three straight road games to get into the postseason.
16:13
[SPEAKER_00]: against the types of teams that are going to have to be like you can sit there and say let's just enjoy it and see if they can win a gamer to have some fun like you can enjoy it at that point but when you put yourself in position to win playoff games then yes you have to try you can't just sit here and say let's just enjoy the ride the Chicago Bears are in a position.
16:36
[SPEAKER_00]: to win playoff games.
16:37
[SPEAKER_00]: They are the two seed.
16:38
[SPEAKER_00]: They will have a home game against the Green Bay Packers.
16:41
[SPEAKER_00]: They will have a home game most likely against the Eagles, or possibly the the Panthers or the Rams.
16:48
[SPEAKER_00]: If there's an upset,
16:49
[SPEAKER_00]: the bears will have two home games.
16:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And if the seahawk somehow get knocked off by somebody and look, let's be honest here.
16:59
[SPEAKER_00]: If we have the favorites winning football games at least the favorites where I think the bear should be favored.
17:06
[SPEAKER_00]: and we have the bears beat the packers and we have the Eagles beat the Niners and we have the Rams beat the Panthers.
17:13
[SPEAKER_00]: So the bears are playing the Eagles.
17:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You're telling me the Rams can't go and Seattle and beat Seattle.
17:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Hell yeah they could beat Seattle and then it's the Bears hosting the Rams championship weekend when the chance to go to the Super Bowl.
17:27
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why you fight for the two seed.
17:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why you try and put yourself in a position to go win the whole damn thing.
17:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Like Jake Taylor said in Major League, I guess there's only one thing left to do.
17:43
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where the Chicago Bears are.
17:45
[SPEAKER_00]: They are in a position to win the Super Bowl.
17:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying they're going to, but they've got a one in 14 shot.
17:53
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where they are right now.
17:55
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they have a better shot than the Packers.
17:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they have a better shot than the Panthers.
18:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they have a better shot than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
18:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they have a better shot than a couple of the other teams in the AFC.
18:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So when you sit there and sit there and say,
18:12
[SPEAKER_00]: They've got a better shot than four or five teams.
18:14
[SPEAKER_00]: That means the Bears have one of the top 10 chances to win a Super Bowl.
18:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, are there odds as high as some of the other teams?
18:22
[SPEAKER_00]: No, but that's okay.
18:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Vegas doesn't know what's gonna happen.
18:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Vegas didn't have the Broncos overunder for wins at 13 and a half.
18:32
[SPEAKER_00]: They didn't know that the people said the blog goes we're going to be good.
18:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They didn't know they're going to be that good.
18:37
[SPEAKER_00]: People said the Patriots are going to be improved.
18:38
[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't know they were going to be this good.
18:40
[SPEAKER_00]: People said that bears might be able to sneak into the playoffs.
18:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Didn't think they were going to win the division.
18:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody knows.
18:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is a wide open season for the national football league.
18:51
[SPEAKER_00]: If there was ever a season to have the bears play the Jaguars in the Super Bowl and have a wild winner that nobody saw coming.
19:00
[SPEAKER_00]: this is the season for it.
19:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So enjoy the ride, but at the same time understand that the Chicago Bears are the two seed in the NFL playoffs in the national football conference and they have put themselves in a position to get games in Chicago in January, which gives them a good chance to win those games if they play their game.
19:26
[SPEAKER_00]: What is the game they need to play?
19:28
[SPEAKER_00]: In essence, it's the game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
19:33
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what they need to do.
19:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They need that offensive line who go out there and dominate the line of scrimmage.
19:41
[SPEAKER_00]: They need to dominate the defensive line.
19:44
[SPEAKER_00]: They need to impose their will on these defenses and they need to dominate the line of scrimmage and give Manangai and Swift gigantic holes where the bears can control the clock.
19:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And that will open up the passing game for Caleb Williams that will keep the defense that can give up explosive plays and can give up a lot of yards off the field.
20:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And it will limit the opportunities for the other team to go out there and make the big place because the bears as we know the defense with all the holes it has does pretty damn well in the red zone.
20:19
[SPEAKER_00]: We saw it even against Detroit, given up a ton of yards, and then holding them to field goals, those first couple drives, they did better there, third down conversions, fourth down conversions.
20:28
[SPEAKER_00]: We know the bears who a pretty solid job, they're a lot better than what they were doing with Maddie Burflus, the years before much better on the key downs in terms of making the plays they need to make.
20:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you limit the other team's opportunities,
20:43
[SPEAKER_00]: The Chicago Bears defense can make the place to keep them off the scoreboard, but if you keep giving them the ball back, because the bears give up yards, because the bears give up explosive plays, you're giving them more bites at the apple, and eventually they're going to hurt you.
21:00
[SPEAKER_00]: The opponents are against this bear's defense.
21:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So dominate the line of scrimmage, control the clock, it sounds boring, but the Chicago Bears
21:11
[SPEAKER_00]: need to play cold weather football.
21:14
[SPEAKER_00]: They need to control the clock, they need to run the football, then let Caleb Williams set up for some explosive plays.
21:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Once they start having the cheat up at the line of scrimmage to try and stop the run a little bit, then let Caleb take the top out of the defense and he'll do a hell of a job doing that because he certainly can play well and cold weather.
21:31
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't seem to impact him too much.
21:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
21:34
[SPEAKER_00]: That is the key here for the Chicago Bears.
21:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Look at that Philadelphia Eagles game.
21:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Play football like that and they can beat anybody in the NFL.
21:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk to Stacey Dales from NFL Network.
21:49
[SPEAKER_00]: She joins me next Bill Zimmerman Bearsmanter.
21:52
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be right back.
21:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back into the podcast.
21:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm excited to do this.
21:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Guess this is the first time she has come on this podcast.
22:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And she does a great job for NFL network covering the NFC North and been heavily covering the Chicago Bears because they have been worth covering all season long.
22:10
[SPEAKER_00]: She is Stacy Dales and she joins me now.
22:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Stacy builds Zimmerman.
22:14
[SPEAKER_00]: How you doing?
22:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Bill, it's great to be with you.
22:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing well.
22:17
[SPEAKER_01]: The playoffs are finally here.
22:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Every time I get past week a team, I'm like, what just happened?
22:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It becomes a blur to me in the NFL season.
22:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's going to be with you and thank God, the new fresh playoffs season is upon us.
22:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it should be really exciting.
22:32
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been a change of pace here in Chicago.
22:34
[SPEAKER_00]: They haven't been in the playoffs for five years and really not with any expectations for seven years.
22:40
[SPEAKER_00]: So before we get in the playoffs, let me just ask you briefly about the Detroit game.
22:43
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not anything I'm too hung up on.
22:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, they did look.
22:46
[SPEAKER_00]: really bad there for three quarters of football.
22:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Is that something that you as a reporter when you watch teams you're concerned about?
22:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you take much for momentum going into the playoffs?
22:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Or was this just kind of one of those odd week-a-teen games that pops up every year?
23:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I think when you play your starters in the final game with a purpose bill, I think it is important.
23:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I also look at the tone and the tenor of the head coach, Ben Johnson, and it is as emphatically disappointed as I've seen him this season after the game in his press conference.
23:21
[SPEAKER_01]: It's interesting because while he said the bear simplified things offensively against Detroit, why did they simplify things?
23:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Was he purposely not showing some things?
23:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Or was he just giving his team a game plan that he felt was appropriate for the circumstances to beat this line's defense who has such a tradition defensively this season?
23:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think his
23:45
[SPEAKER_01]: attitude after the game told me, and the message that I took away was they really desperately wanted to win that game, and as Caleb Williams said, didn't want another team to determine their seating fate.
23:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And they ended up with the number two seed, they're going to have to flip the switch quickly to a team that rested all of its starters in Green Bay as they meet for the third time.
24:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Third times, sometimes are a charm.
24:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes they're not a charm.
24:11
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll see on Saturday
24:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, there'll be three times in about a month, which is mild the way this is this has worked out on the schedule.
24:20
[SPEAKER_00]: But before I specifically ask you about the Packers game, let me just kind of do one broad one on the regular season here.
24:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and then we'll kind of get into how this team is positioned for the playoffs because I think.
24:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Bears fans it's it's been a fun ride obviously because you know no one quite new what the expectation should be heading into this year And they get off to the O and two start and then they just start winning football games and I think for bears fans It was a lot of let's just enjoy this ride and see how it goes then kind of once they beat the Eagles I think the antennas went up like
24:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, like how legitimate of a team is this, what kind of run can they make?
24:58
[SPEAKER_00]: So when you're just looking back, forget the playoffs here.
25:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Here, the regular season and sure they had, you know, a couple losses here to end the season.
25:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Things haven't been perfect, but is, is there any way you can't already say that this has been a wildly successful season for Ben Johnson in year one?
25:15
[SPEAKER_01]: 100% I agree with you.
25:17
[SPEAKER_01]: It has been wildly successful in coaching, really matters, and you step in if you're Ben Johnson right into this thing, to a team that has been overhauled now for the past couple of years under Ryan Polls as the General Manager, and you look at what you have, and you come here in part because you think you have a quarterback that can take you to a special place, and you retool your offensive
25:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And you kind of look at this thing and think, I'm going to do and Dennis Allen on the defensive side with this group that they have.
25:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And they've coached him up.
25:55
[SPEAKER_01]: The buy week was to me the turning point.
25:57
[SPEAKER_01]: So we could talk about the Eagles game, right?
26:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But the early buy was at week five bill.
26:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it was like, yeah, week five.
26:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, week five.
26:03
[SPEAKER_00]: They were two and two.
26:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
26:04
[SPEAKER_01]: the best rushing attack in the NFL since then.
26:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And that means you had to manipulate things with your offensive line.
26:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And we go into these games weekly, right?
26:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And we hear the analyst that's doing the game, whether it's Tom Brady, you know, or JJ Watt, or whomever it may be sitting in the booth.
26:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And Greg Olson, you know, all of them.
26:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And they talk about
26:25
[SPEAKER_01]: the scheme and what they're doing offensively with this line and how they literally went back and tweak things to the point where they got all these guys on the same page.
26:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So to me that was the turning point for them and then you get all these takeaways defensively and you look at the staff assembled and Al Harris and what he has meant to Dennis Allen's group and how he is emphasized these takeaways defensively because really
26:47
[SPEAKER_01]: They've struggled sometimes in terms of giving up yardage.
26:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's no secret.
26:52
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears are what?
26:54
[SPEAKER_01]: 28th in terms of total yard's given up per game, somewhere around that number.
26:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So they've used the personnel that they've had the best way possible.
27:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And to me, that is coaching.
27:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the players buying into what they're coaching.
27:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And they've ended up with 11 wins, which is pretty fantastic.
27:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And you really do believe Bill
27:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Ben Johnson is he is something else, and the players have seemed to really, you know, leech on to him if you will, and what he's asking them to do.
27:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, let me ask you about Ben Johnson because, you know, I think obviously it's been fascinating watching him throughout this season, and even in the off season, in OTAs and early in the spring, because, you know, we always heard about, you know, is he a leader of men or is he just got that nerd in the white in the room with the whiteboard just drawn up?
27:46
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where it was in January and we saw that turn quickly.
27:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, as someone that's been able to be around the team and around Ben Johnson, when was it for you where you noticed something about this guy and said, no, this is an intense man, this is a guy who's going to care about the details, care about winning care about every issue from, you know, I think what's in the cafeteria to what's happening on Sundays?
28:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Where were you when you just said, like, this guy's different?
28:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I think there have been a lot of tells for me, listen, I'm not, I don't have this other worldly perception on who's going to win and who's not, but I do understand that he is extremely consistent and he's extremely detailed, and I saw that when he was the offensive coordinator and Detroit, but my big response is how do players speak about their coaches?
28:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I get a lot of time with these guys every week, I ask for different players, I'm at training camp, I'm covering preseason games, and I really listen to players because I think when you can get them in intimate settings, whether it's on the phone, one-on-one, or it's off to the side somewhere after a practice, a training camp practice, for instance, or just in general, my weekly coverage.
29:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And the things that are expressed to me, whether it was in Detroit and how uniquely he presented things in meetings and how he was always cooking something up, whether it's a jumear gives telling me that or it's a deandry swift telling me that, but then it goes back to, you know, what he's been like in his dresses with us, the media members.
29:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's been, I don't know about you Bill, but I think he's been as transparent as possible each hundred percent.
29:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, and he's given us answers and he's explained things and he's right down to every last play.
29:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that speaks to how good he is in situational football and how much he prioritizes it.
29:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I recently asked him,
29:45
[SPEAKER_01]: What are two stats that you circle after every game that are most important because we can look at time of possession.
29:52
[SPEAKER_01]: They've wanted a lot this year.
29:54
[SPEAKER_01]: They've had the ball a lot more than their opponents at.
29:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I would have to go back and look at the numbers, but
30:00
[SPEAKER_01]: They've controlled the ball in a number of games and they've done it with their run game and they've done it by as he calls them bullets like having more plays than the opponent.
30:08
[SPEAKER_01]: But he circles turn over and take ways and he circles, you know, specific downs, like critical downs.
30:16
[SPEAKER_01]: So third down what they do and fourth down and those are, you know, those are the two most important things that he takes away after a game.
30:26
[SPEAKER_01]: but it speaks to like how well the bears have finished that they have six comeback victories this season and they've clawed the way back into some games.
30:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And then they've led the league in few us giveaways and takeaways going into week 18.
30:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think the players are responding.
30:41
[SPEAKER_01]: They've told me as much, hey, like Ben gives us the plan and it works.
30:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, we believe in him.
30:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So when you have a teacher or a boss or a coach in my opinion that tells you what to do and it goes out, you go out and do it and it works.
30:56
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a belief factor that creeps up up in a sense and I think that's what you're seeing with the bears.
31:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So hopefully they can erase the bad taste of if you're a bears fan.
31:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't root.
31:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I'm I'm I'm I'm bias over here, but
31:12
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're a bears fan, hopefully you erase that taste from, you still got the two seed and you still, if you beat the packers, have another home game.
31:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, 100% and one other thing on Ben Johnson, you were talking about how he addresses the media and everything and I think yeah one thing and and I haven't heard this from players, but it's just it's a feeling I get that the big change with Ben Johnson from Maddie, we're
31:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Ben Johnson takes accountability for his mistakes and I think and he does it publicly and I think that goes a long way in the locker room and and I'll go back to even week one when they lost the game of the Vikings and there was the Cairo Santos issue trying to kick the ball through the end zone and he didn't and they lost the two minute warning and that whole thing and Ben Johnson just stood up in front of the press that I got greedy I didn't want to kick the ball to bounds I wanted the five yards that was my mistake.
32:09
[SPEAKER_00]: and he just came out and said it and he's done that on other times where he said, I didn't, you know, I put Caleb in a bad position here or the play calling wasn't good.
32:17
[SPEAKER_00]: He's done that multiple times and to me, it just kind of generalizing from talking to players over time, a coach taking accountability publicly goes a long way in that locker room when he's asking the players to take accountability.
32:30
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a great point and it's true.
32:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I absolutely believe in that and I do agree with you that I do think Ben, I'm guessing he probably went home after the week 18 loss, right?
32:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And
32:47
[SPEAKER_01]: was furious with himself for a number of reasons, because number one, they didn't win the game.
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he said, basically, the offense, dunk, they went scoreless through three quarters, and he self-critical to the point where, you know, he's the one teaching Caleb how to go about this NFL thing, and giving him structure and the progression that we saw in Caleb Williams in his second year, and the plan that he put in place,
33:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And so he is bearing that responsibility, and I think when you are a leader and you're a good leader, you do take on so much more than I think you show your own worst critic.
33:28
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to be tougher on yourself than anybody else, and often those are the highest achievers, and I think that's probably why Ben's been successful.
33:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, it goes back to conversations I've had.
33:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I just think the players really respect him.
33:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, the NFL season is so hard.
33:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I'm exhausted, and I don't play.
33:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's such a grind dude, like it's nuts.
33:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And when you win 11 plus games, you're doing something right.
33:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So, and again, inheriting personnel and many respects, I think Ryan Poles drafted really well.
34:02
[SPEAKER_01]: We're seeing with Luther Burton and Kostin loved one specifically in Kyle Monunga, offensively, and not to mention Trepello.
34:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, there were some really good acquisitions by Ryan Poles going into this season that I think have helped this offense and Ben had a voice in that as well.
34:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I've talked about it now and I will openly admit to you.
34:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been pretty critical of Ryan Polls in the past, but like I think he's in line to be executive of the year potentially with the hiring of Ben Johnson and the retooling of the offensive line and a lot of not every move worked out.
34:31
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, there were some moves on defensively that didn't pan out, but it's been a tremendous year for Polls as well.
34:39
[SPEAKER_01]: It has.
34:40
[SPEAKER_01]: It has.
34:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I just mentioned those four guys offensively, um, but it takes a while to build in the league.
34:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we all know that right.
34:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's thanks, Dale's like, but it's it's true and not everybody not everybody gets time.
34:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's been afforded some time, obviously, he's been extended.
35:02
[SPEAKER_01]: But, and he's done some really good things in certain rounds in the draft that have impressed me, no question about it.
35:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But, like, I just, again, I look at some of the picks that he has made over the last couple years.
35:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the defense, you know, they can add a little bit up front, not to get ahead of ourselves here in the draft.
35:23
[SPEAKER_01]: They can add to their defensive line in specific ways,
35:28
[SPEAKER_01]: in terms of the past Russia, I think that they've got some great tools, not only at linebacker, but in their secondary.
35:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Health is always a part of it, but to get what they've gotten out of Kyle Menungai.
35:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember sitting Bill with Ryan in the preseason and talking about some of the new players, as I was getting ready to call the preseason games in the booth for the Bears, and I'll never forget him telling me about Menungai.
35:55
[SPEAKER_01]: He said, when we sat down
35:58
[SPEAKER_01]: We sat down with him and we're blown away by how special he was in person and just in our meetings and our conversations with him and then I got to sit down with Kyle and talk to him this season and I was blown away so.
36:14
[SPEAKER_01]: respect that.
36:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I respect the identification of a running back who has been one of the most serviceable rookie running backs if not the most productive in the league this year.
36:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think the way Ben has used him, the way they scheme the run game, whether it's an outside zone or an inside blocking scheme or whatever the case may be.
36:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that to have a rookie that smart
36:42
[SPEAKER_01]: and be in sync with his offense blind.
36:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That is a great identification pick to me.
36:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I like to call them ID picks.
36:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Who did you ID that was special in his making a difference?
36:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's one of them.
36:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But Luther's come along.
36:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Colston Lovelin just had 12 targets and what 10 catches.
36:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And catches, yep.
37:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Huge game, nice job Ryan, nice job coaching staff for putting them in positions to be successful.
37:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, absolutely.
37:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, let me ask you about the defensive side of the ball.
37:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I know you brought up a few of the pieces over there because I do think this defense has done well largely on third down and in the red zone where where you need to really be a bit more of a wall, but like you talked about at the beginning of the podcast a lot of yards there.
37:25
[SPEAKER_00]: We saw the 49ers move the ball at will against them.
37:30
[SPEAKER_00]: There's certainly issues with the defensive side of the ball and now that you're going to be playing good teams every week, hopefully it's more than one week.
37:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Certainly going to be something that that offense is going to be targeting here and potential for potential shootouts here.
37:44
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you see with this defense in terms of can it get the job done in the postseason?
37:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Because like I like we said, they've been good in certain spots, but they're certainly
37:57
[SPEAKER_01]: My approach to the postseason is pretty simple.
38:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You, as you go into it, regardless of which side of the ball it is, you literally leave no stone on turn with what you're gonna throw.
38:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's why I said, like, why did Ben simplify the offense so much in week 18 against Detroit?
38:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm very curious to know, like, he made that point, Caleb made that point.
38:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you recall?
38:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Bill, like, I thought that was so interesting.
38:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, we gave them the most simple game plan we could going into this game.
38:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just wondering, as they get ready for the Packers now, seeing them a third time,
38:38
[SPEAKER_01]: what they have cooked up.
38:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And for the defensive side of the football, how are the bears going to manufacture past rush to get to Georgia love?
38:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Because they obviously got to them in week 16 so much so that they can cast him.
38:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Austin Booker responsible for that.
38:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And right, like, and one, one thing that has become pretty clear is and talking to, again, opposing players week to week is he does change.
39:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Dennis Allen does change the looks up defensively the coverage looks they show disguise.
39:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And they'll change their their down line, but not front in terms of the formation looks so give you.
39:19
[SPEAKER_01]: But at times they've gotten caught doing that.
39:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And so when good quarterbacks identify that, like you were called back to week 14 when Jordan loved through a touchdown was it to Bow Mountain in the Green Bay game going into half time and they had that touchdown going into half.
39:36
[SPEAKER_01]: That was like that he got lost in coverage.
39:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it was Bow, right?
39:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Bow Mountain.
39:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Yep.
39:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
39:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So they dropped into a zone and they weren't able to find Bow Mountain in that situation.
39:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was a situational coverage change, I think, have to go back and watch it again.
39:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But like, those mistakes, like,
39:58
[SPEAKER_01]: If you look at the Detroit game, I'm enrossing Brown went off, and what was the communication like?
40:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So you've done a great job, I think, if you're done a saloon with the pieces that you have, but the communication has to be perfect.
40:16
[SPEAKER_01]: It has to be on point against Green Bay.
40:18
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't have mis-designments, and that goes for any playoff game, right?
40:22
[SPEAKER_01]: That goes for, you can't turn the ball over in the playoffs, aren't winning.
40:27
[SPEAKER_01]: and you've got to affect the passer and you've got to outskim in the playoffs, but you leave nothing on the table.
40:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So dump out the saint, man.
40:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know how you feel, but like I'm just like if you if you if you deplete every store in your wildcard game, go for it because you're moving on to the next round and you'll figure it out in in that next round.
40:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, 100% you don't need to save anything for next week because there is no next week if you lose I agree with you 100% and and for me what I would say about this this bears team and the best way to do it is like you said the defense can give up big yardage plays like they did the mountain and you know they give up they can give up explosive plays so keeping them off the field and keeping them rested I think is going to be important I think that's going to be the best recipe to success they're going to have one two games you know two games if they win
41:17
[SPEAKER_00]: in Chicago, in January where it's cold, can affect the game, and I think that eagle's game is kind of to me the recipe for this team, and I don't know that was like a symphony for people who like run blocking and run scheme, but run the ball effectively, you know, get control of the game, get control of the clock,
41:39
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, force your will on the other team run the ball down their throats.
41:43
[SPEAKER_00]: The offense in terms of passing has come along well in the month of December as well.
41:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it can compliment it well.
41:49
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think they need to run the ball.
41:50
[SPEAKER_00]: They need to control the clock and they need this offensive line to dominate football games.
41:54
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's going to be their recipe to win in January.
41:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I agree.
41:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I do, and I think the quality of back play that they've gotten this year speaks to that, um, again, you look at the Detroit game and to try to 20 more plays.
42:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Then the Chicago Bears, I felt like the Bears didn't have the football basically throughout and it was the game.
42:14
[SPEAKER_00]: The whole first half, right?
42:16
[SPEAKER_00]: It felt like they weren't on the field.
42:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that's really in many cases for any team that's your best defense because if you keep the ball away from an explosive offense, so Chicago has a good offense.
42:27
[SPEAKER_01]: They get explosive plays.
42:30
[SPEAKER_01]: They have a their top three.
42:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're the third best total offense in football.
42:34
[SPEAKER_01]: When they're rolling, they're hard to stop.
42:37
[SPEAKER_01]: especially because they get so many explosives in the run game.
42:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's probably been for me the biggest difference.
42:44
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not just been down the field.
42:46
[SPEAKER_01]: The down the field stuff happens after the run game happens, and so I agree.
42:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you got to run the football against Green Bay.
42:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And what's interesting about the Packers bill is, you talk about the Micah Parsons Effect.
42:59
[SPEAKER_01]: The sack rate has obviously gone down significantly without persons, so that's over three games.
43:07
[SPEAKER_01]: They've given up since his absence.
43:11
[SPEAKER_01]: They've given up somewhere in the area of about 392 total yards defensively to the opponent.
43:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're you're giving up to the opposing offense almost 400 yards per game without micoparsons on the field.
43:25
[SPEAKER_01]: The opponent passerating has gone up and that's been the case, you know, without micah all season long for whatever points they haven't had him on the field.
43:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And then Blitzrate has gone up.
43:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think their Blitzrate is about 10% higher now without micoparsons.
43:42
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're a Green Bay Packer defensive player, you're blitzing a lot more.
43:48
[SPEAKER_01]: that the bears will be studying and preparing for as they get ready to face this group where the blitz is going to come from and how the packers are manufacturing past rush upfront.
44:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And let me just finish with this one.
44:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me ask you about the the Packers offense going up against this bear's defense Jordan love has not played in quite a while maybe they're going to be rust there maybe he just steps in like he he hasn't missed a beat, but I do think that's going to be interesting from the Packers who I mean, you know, look they're in the playoffs that all that matters, but obviously Parsons has heard they've lost craft nine seven and one is is certainly not what I'm sure Packers fans had in mind at the start of this season.
44:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, where do you see the the Packers?
44:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the NFC is really a wide open conference.
44:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I think most people think maybe the Rams or the Eagles, but I mean, the Seahawks are sitting there.
44:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, it's, you know, the 49ers can, can, can win, can beat anybody.
44:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's a really interesting group of 17s, maybe the NFC Southwinner aside.
44:46
[SPEAKER_00]: But the Packers, I think,
44:48
[SPEAKER_00]: If they click even without persons, I think they can be a threat, not just against the bears, but against anyone.
44:54
[SPEAKER_00]: But they just, they don't seem to have that click that often this year.
44:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think this for me is, is can Jordan love be that guy in the playoffs this year?
45:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And, and, you know, I guess, like when you acquired Micah Parsons, you said, if you're the Packers, we believe that this is the player that we needed to go to the Super Bowl with.
45:17
[SPEAKER_01]: To have that equity on both sides of the football right, Bill.
45:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And now you have a quarterback in Jordan Love who's coming up the concussion.
45:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Now he passed protocol going into leading up to week 18, but he actually said that he was he felt good and probably would have been ready.
45:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Back
45:35
[SPEAKER_01]: in the week 17 game leading up to Baltimore.
45:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So, I mean, he felt really good in practice, and they actually wrapped one's versus one's in green bay going into week 18.
45:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So, he got a lot of reps in practice.
45:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, is that the same as a game in terms of the simulation?
45:53
[SPEAKER_01]: It's week 18.
45:55
[SPEAKER_01]: You know your personnel.
45:56
[SPEAKER_01]: You're wrapping one's versus one's in a week 18 week of preparation because they wanted to get him that time on task.
46:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So he obviously could have played.
46:07
[SPEAKER_01]: He was a backup against the Vikings.
46:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Clayton Tune started, but he also did a deep dive into the bears again.
46:15
[SPEAKER_01]: So he didn't have to prepare for the Vikings.
46:17
[SPEAKER_01]: He got to do a study, a deep dive study on the Chicago Bears going into that weekend team game.
46:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So he has been spending a lot of time getting ready for the Chicago Bears in the playoffs in the wildcard.
46:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But can he be that guy?
46:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Is Josh Jacobs healthy enough?
46:37
[SPEAKER_01]: How explosive are they going to be?
46:40
[SPEAKER_01]: It's they are explosive offense with Christian Watson and company.
46:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
46:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And Chicago's given up some yards defensively.
46:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think there's a lot to be learned here, going into this playoff game.
46:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And we'll see if there's any rust from Jordan Love given that he has gotten quite a bit of high rep volume rep activity in practice over the last week, week and a half really.
47:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's going to be a fascinating game.
47:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And if one bear's fans are really excited about it, but I think all of them still in the back of their head from 30 years of trauma are just worried that there's going to be another rough loss.
47:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Bill, I just did this, though, on our shows here, Black Monday shows that if you think about it, this is wild.
47:29
[SPEAKER_01]: We have, for the third time, historically, between these two franchises, a playoff game.
47:36
[SPEAKER_01]: That's crazy.
47:37
[SPEAKER_01]: They have 210 regular season games and no two teams have played more in football than the Bears and the Packers, dating back to 1921.
47:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That means we think about what that means, like it's rare that they've obviously faced off, but that's how good they are right now.
47:57
[SPEAKER_01]: because are they always this equally capable at this time of the year?
48:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, and the last time, of course, Aaron Rogers went on to win the Super Bowl.
48:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So that was 2010.
48:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So, 1941 and 2010.
48:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And now, here we go, 2026, 2025 season.
48:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, bears fans are certainly hopeful that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams at the tide is turning or that it has turned.
48:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And certainly this game coming up on Saturday night, well, we'll see exactly where we are in this rivalry.
48:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there she is, Stacy Dale's NFL Network Stacy.
48:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for that interview.
48:32
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a lot of fun, a lot of great information, and hopefully we will do it again down the line.
48:37
[SPEAKER_01]: You got it.
48:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks, Bill.
48:39
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, there she is.
48:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Stacey Dale's, everybody her first maiden voyage on the podcast, I thought that was a great interview and look, getting her on right before the postseason starts.
48:51
[SPEAKER_00]: That's right, the postseason starts with the Chicago Bears.
48:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll try not to cry as the Chicago Bears are marching forward here for a postseason victory.
49:01
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll give you a Packers prediction here in just a few minutes.
49:08
[SPEAKER_00]: as we're approaching the postseason.
49:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And as you're about to have your Chicago Bears watch parties, what you need to do is you need to go over and you need to get your second city grid iron merchandise.
49:21
[SPEAKER_00]: You're sitting there at the watch party and you've got your second city grid iron hand on or you've got your bears band or mug or you've got your your glass from bears overbears and you
49:33
[SPEAKER_00]: need to show your bears, friends, fans, exactly what kind of fan you are.
49:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is a second city Griniron fan.
49:40
[SPEAKER_00]: So make sure you head over to the Griniron, a second city Griniron merchandise page, just search second city Griniron merchandise.
49:47
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll pop right up for you.
49:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Make sure you get that merch and get it as soon as possible so you can have it for your bears, packers, watch, party, because
49:56
[SPEAKER_00]: you are listening and watching second city granted and that makes you a smarter bears fan.
50:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's get into the mail bag.
50:05
[SPEAKER_00]: We've got a few submissions here.
50:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's dive into it and then we'll give you a prediction here and let's start with Susnic.
50:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you think of a comparable situation where they started play the starters played the last week of the season flat because
50:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Sounds like I can give you an example.
50:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I can give you an example in Chicago.
50:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I brought up a box score for you.
50:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And in this box score, it says quarter number one, Donald Driver, nine yard pass from Brett Farf, seven nothing.
50:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick Collins, 55 yard intersection return, 13 nothing, Dave Rayner, 25 yard field goal, 16 nothing, Patrick Dendi,
50:55
[SPEAKER_00]: 23 nothing green Bay over Chicago.
50:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Mark Bradley 75, you are touchdown pass from Brian greasy 23 to 7 Dave Rainer 46 yard field goal 26 to 7.
51:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I'm bringing up a bears lost to the green bay Packers and why would I bring that up because that was the final game susnik of the bear's regular season
51:23
[SPEAKER_00]: where they then went out and beat the Seattle Seahawks in overtime to get to the conference championship where they beat the snot out of the New Orleans Saints and advanced.
51:37
[SPEAKER_00]: to the Super Bowl.
51:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, things didn't go well in the Super Bowl.
51:41
[SPEAKER_00]: But you want to talk about, you know, doesn't matter if teams lose in week 18, it can if you let it get to you, but it doesn't necessarily mean the better to get to them because Ben Johnson has not let these kind of things linger in the locker room and I don't expect him to hear.
51:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he will have this team focused and ready to go.
52:00
[SPEAKER_00]: for the postseason.
52:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So when we sit here and say the last time the Chicago Bears made the Super Bowl, they got the snott kicked out of them in the final week of the regular season by the Green Bay Packers and it didn't matter and that Packers team was not good.
52:14
[SPEAKER_00]: They won that game to get to eight-nate.
52:17
[SPEAKER_00]: They had a losing record going into that game and the Bears still played poorly, lost that football game and went on to win their next two playoff games and reach the Super Bowl.
52:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So they absolutely can put a game like this behind them and go out and win in the post season.
52:35
[SPEAKER_00]: The Ander Fall Defender, who do you see as the dark horse candidates in each conference?
52:42
[SPEAKER_00]: See, I think that's interesting because I don't think seating matters as much as it usually does because the ones in the two seeds are not actually the teams.
52:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that people are gonna be that
52:54
[SPEAKER_00]: heavily interested in thinking that they're going to go on to win the Super Bowl or advance to the Super Bowl.
52:59
[SPEAKER_00]: So let me look at this with you in the end or thought, let's look at the playoff odds.
53:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I brought them up here courtesy of bed MGM.
53:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I brought them up here and
53:10
[SPEAKER_00]: To be a dark horse, like you've got to be like in the bottom free in the odds, right?
53:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the Broncos are plus 225 to win the AFC, that is not a dark horse.
53:19
[SPEAKER_00]: The Seahawks are plus 285 to win the NFC, that is not a dark horse.
53:23
[SPEAKER_00]: The Rams are plus 240 to win the NFC, not a dark horse.
53:27
[SPEAKER_00]: So if we go further down.
53:29
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears are plus 900.
53:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that can be a dark horse.
53:33
[SPEAKER_00]: The packers plus 1149 is plus 1200 and the painters are plus 16600.
53:39
[SPEAKER_00]: To win the NFC, the Panthers are not a dark horse.
53:42
[SPEAKER_00]: The Panthers are a below average football team that happened to be in the worst division and happened to have a three way tie at eight nine and get it.
53:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think the Packers are a Dark Horse team either.
53:53
[SPEAKER_00]: They've got too many issues heading into the postseason.
53:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I just cannot see that team winning three straight road games to get to the Super Bowl.
54:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I just don't think it is in the realm of possibility.
54:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So that leaves two teams that leaves the Bears and the 49ers.
54:08
[SPEAKER_00]: If I had to pick one out of the two, I would pick the San Francisco 49ers because of their experience in the postseason.
54:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Kyle Shanahan has been their rock purdy has been their George Kittle has been their Christian McCaffery like they have experienced players who've been here and I think that can certainly help them when they're in the postseason doesn't mean you have to have experience to have success.
54:32
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen plenty of teams go on runs in the postseason that didn't have the experience like the Eli Manning 2007 Giants.
54:40
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen those teams go on runs, so the Chicago Bears can absolutely go on a run.
54:46
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you wanted me to pick a dark horse to win the NFC, I'd pick the San Francisco 49ers.
54:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Do I love them?
54:53
[SPEAKER_00]: No, because their defense is absolutely atrocious.
54:56
[SPEAKER_00]: But can the 49ers, like you just kind of play this out, right?
55:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Can the 49ers beat
55:04
[SPEAKER_00]: the Eagles.
55:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if the Eagles lay a dot on offense, the 49ers can absolutely outscore the Eagles.
55:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, Vic Fangeo, they've got a great defense.
55:13
[SPEAKER_00]: But can I see the 49ers winning that game?
55:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
55:16
[SPEAKER_00]: I can see the 49ers winning that game.
55:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Now we just saw the 49ers lose to Seattle.
55:21
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's it.
55:22
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a close game.
55:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Things couple things go differently, Kyle Shanahan now has some some information, maybe he can re-skiing things and the 49ers, maybe they can beat the seahawks on the road and then they have the bears potentially in the NFC championship game.
55:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that's the kind of situation where yes, the 49ers could potentially go on around.
55:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the bears are a decent dark horse, but if you want me to pick one, I'd pick the 49ers, then in the AFC,
55:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I have said this on a couple of occasions.
55:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have to go through it all because I think the dark horse team in the AFC they are fifth out of the seven potential playoff teams in terms of seating.
56:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
56:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Jaguars are guibly.
56:06
[SPEAKER_00]: are the most complete team in the playoffs.
56:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is wild for me to say, but I think they have a solid defense, Trevor Lawrence is playing the best football of his career.
56:16
[SPEAKER_00]: They can run the football.
56:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Liam Cohen seems to be doing a pretty solid job.
56:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think the Jacksonville Jaguars are my AFC Dark Horse.
56:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll call the 49ers my NFC Dark Horse, but the Bears just nipping on their heels as another possible one.
56:36
[SPEAKER_00]: we actually talked about this a little bit in the opening yet can and it's a wish you washer answer, but it doesn't have to.
56:44
[SPEAKER_00]: The playoffs are a mental game.
56:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you have to be mentally strong in the playoffs?
56:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you let momentum matter in terms of negative momentum, if you are not playing while coming into the postseason and you are sitting at an hour or not playing well, then yeah, you're going to let that
57:02
[SPEAKER_00]: get to you.
57:03
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you leave your last loss at the door and say, we are the Chicago Bears, we are the two seed.
57:10
[SPEAKER_00]: We've earned the damn two seed after a full season.
57:14
[SPEAKER_00]: We are the two seed despite losing two games at the end of the season.
57:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Both games where we had a chance to win it at the end, not like they got their ass kicked.
57:23
[SPEAKER_00]: This wasn't week two against the Lions.
57:26
[SPEAKER_00]: They had a better drive with the last time they held the football, the Bears would have won that game.
57:31
[SPEAKER_00]: If Caleb Williams had one more rabbit to pull out of his magic hat, they would have beaten the 49ers.
57:39
[SPEAKER_00]: They are right in all these games.
57:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes they come out on the right side, sometimes they come out on the wrong side, usually this season they've been coming out on the right side.
57:47
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's no reason for the Chicago Bears to be moping into the post season.
57:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think Ben Johnson will allow it either.
57:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think the Chicago Bears will be just fine entering the postseason in terms of where they need to be mentally.
58:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Momentum can build confidence.
58:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're rolling them the postseason on a six seven game winning streak and your steam roll in teams, including playoff teams, you're going to feel it again.
58:12
[SPEAKER_00]: You can also be feeling too cocky, and you can get upset in the first round of the playoffs.
58:17
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you've got your mind where it needs to be, and yeah, that momentum has built confidence for you, then yes, momentum can matter.
58:25
[SPEAKER_00]: But momentum can only matter if you let it matter, because the playoffs, like I said, are a mental game.
58:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And speaking of the playoffs and speaking of that mental game,
58:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's get to the prediction.
58:38
[SPEAKER_00]: The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, they meet at Soldier Field on Saturday night with an opportunity to go to the divisional round, which is the NFL's Elite 8.
58:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Chicago Bears, one went away from the NFL's Elite 8.
58:56
[SPEAKER_00]: They can beat the Green Bay Packers, and I do think
59:00
[SPEAKER_00]: They will beat the Green Bay Packers.
59:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I think with where this defense is for the Packers, I think the Chicago Bears are gonna be able to be efficient on offense.
59:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they're gonna run the ball effectively.
59:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they're gonna pass the ball effectively.
59:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think the Packers offense is gonna have some success against the Chicago Bears defense.
59:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I think if you're a gambling person, I would certainly consider the over.
59:26
[SPEAKER_00]: because I think both these offenses are gonna move the ball.
59:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Now again, might get some snow on Saturday, it's gonna potentially be cold, it's January and Chicago, of course it's gonna be at night.
59:36
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think potentially,
59:39
[SPEAKER_00]: the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers could score some points, 27, 24, 31, 27, something like that.
59:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's very possible.
59:50
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do think the Chicago Bears are confident.
59:53
[SPEAKER_00]: They have beat the Green Bay Packers two out of the last three times.
59:56
[SPEAKER_00]: They have faced them.
59:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you
1:00:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if you count the losses two out of the last four, those two losses, a block field goal and Caleb Williams just potentially missing Cole commit just a bit of an under throw.
1:00:13
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears were right there.
1:00:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So the Chicago Bears have one-two games, but lost two games in really close fashion.
1:00:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is a confidence builder.
1:00:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think, I think for a lot of times, a lot of bears teams went in the Packers game going, oh boy, Aaron Rogers, here we go.
1:00:29
[SPEAKER_00]: We're about to get our ass kicked.
1:00:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they came out with a bad mentality and got their butts whipped.
1:00:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think that's the case.
1:00:36
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been Johnson with Caleb Williams.
1:00:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this team is confidence.
1:00:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this team is at home.
1:00:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this team knows that despite two losses that they're rolling and the Green Bay Packers are knocked, the Packers have lost four straight games.
1:00:52
[SPEAKER_00]: They lost to nine, they lost to the Ravens, they lost to the bears, they lost the Broncos, they have lost football games and they have fallen to the seven seed.
1:01:07
[SPEAKER_00]: and the Green Bay Packers are not playing great football right now.
1:01:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Bears are playing better football.
1:01:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Bears' offense is going to control this game enough that they're going to come out on top.
1:01:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And the Chicago Bears will be playing in Chicago.
1:01:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks to getting that two seed on the divisional round of the playoffs.
1:01:31
[SPEAKER_00]: It's go time, ladies and gentlemen, the Chicago Bears are in the playoffs.
1:01:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They are the two seed.
1:01:37
[SPEAKER_00]: They will beat the Green Bay Packers and they will advance the divisional round.
1:01:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I assume the Eagles are gonna pull that off because I think Vick Fangio's defense will pull that off and if that's the case, that's who the Bears play because the four or five then automatically goes to the one seed, we'll be going to Seattle.
1:01:55
[SPEAKER_00]: If the Eagles win, the Bears will be facing the Eagles, and they will get a rematch.
1:01:59
[SPEAKER_00]: But if this time in Philadelphia, there's no reason to think.
1:02:03
[SPEAKER_00]: They can't beat that football team again.
1:02:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Then they're in the conference championship game.
1:02:07
[SPEAKER_00]: But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
1:02:10
[SPEAKER_00]: We've got to game against the Packers first.
1:02:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I will call this one 31 to 27.
1:02:15
[SPEAKER_00]: The Chicago Bears win it.
1:02:17
[SPEAKER_00]: and advance to the NFL's elite eight.
1:02:20
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about it next week, bear down everybody.
1:02:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Good luck.
1:02:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Enjoy this postseason game.
1:02:28
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the first one that really matters.
1:02:30
[SPEAKER_00]: It's 2018 because that states the buckle in 2020.
1:02:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody thought that bears team deserved to be in the playoffs.
1:02:37
[SPEAKER_00]: So enjoy this one.
1:02:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And let's bear the F down.
1:02:44
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about it next week.
1:02:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Adios.