Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Bears Banter Ep. 246: Aaron Leming joins for a Chicago Bears Mega Season Preview!

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Bears Banter Ep. 246: Aaron Leming joins for a Chicago Bears Mega Season Preview! · 2nd City Gridiron

• 0:03
  [UNKNOWN]: Thank you.
• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's right, bare-down, bare-pants, it's time for a mission, another edition of the Chicago Bears podcast, Bears Banner, powered by Second City Grand Iron Bill Zimmerman with you, and the regular season is upon us, the next Chicago Bears football game will count, and to get you set not just for that game, but for this entire upcoming season,
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Aaron, lemon, you guys know him wealth, all his content, witty city, gridiron, his content on social media, bear report, wherever you can read Aaron and watch Aaron, I know you do and he joins me as he does every year for this Chicago bear's mega season preview podcast, Aaron Bill Zimmerman, how you doing?
• 0:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's going on, man?
• 1:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, this is definitely a tradition like Nano and it's good that we get to do it for, you know, another, another year and I feel like even like versus last year, this is definitely, I feel like there's a more positive vibe going on right now, right?
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, they're coming off in 11 and 6 seasons, so like for the first time in a while, it feels like we're previewing a season with real expectations.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I'll take that one 100% and I actually went back and looked, I had to go to SoundCloud and reactivate the account and just you don't have to pay.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: But just reactivate the account to find my old podcast.
• 1:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: The first time you came on this podcast was 2017.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: So the last year of John Fox.
• 1:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: So this is an essence the 10th time.
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: you have been on this podcast.
• 1:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it's been something that we've been doing for a while and like you said, positive vibes.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, look, there were a lot of positive vibes last year because of Ben Johnson and what he potentially was going to unlock here certainly did and now we're in year two and I think expectations even higher, but Aaron and we're going to get through this over the next hour hour and a half.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's certainly some concerns on this team as well.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: There is.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: There is for sure.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think, unfortunately, any time you go into an off season with these expectations.
• 2:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, if people watching this, I'm just going to have cats popping up everywhere.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not usually down in the basement.
• 2:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: So they're very excited to have me down here.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, I think I think any time you go into an off season with obvious needs and you don't want to dress those needs.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then obviously they've had in terms of like health.
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: They've had a pretty rough training camp and preseason.
• 2:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: obviously a lot of those guys that have been hurt not a huge deal but they do have a decent amount of injuries on the defense side of the ball so yeah I think it's kind of one of those things right like last year we were we were optimistic but it was based on something that we were hoping would happen right and this year
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's real expectations because again, like you're looking at this and it's like they went 11 and 6, they want to play off game, they were, you know, basically one miscommunication from DJ more in Kale Williams away from being an NSC championship game and like I wrote and my 10 takes earlier this morning, it's like when you compare where the bears in the Rams were.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Back in January, you know, with this closest A were in that game and you compare what they've done this offseason versus what the expectations are moving into the season.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: It kind of gives you an idea of just where the bears are, you know, even taking the ramps out of it.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Where the bears are and maybe where the expectations have fallen short in terms of personnel versus, you know, maybe what people are going to expect going into this season and and hopefully another playoff time.
• 3:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I think we'll talk about that throughout this podcast when we address position groups and and what the bears didn't didn't do, but when we before we get into position groups, there is one particular player I want to start with and we'll do full big picture stuff, but we got it, we got to hit the news right now and that's Kyler Gordon because Gordon is starring the season on pop he hasn't played and Ben Johnson has been, you could tell noticeably agitated in a little flip it.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: when he's had to talk about what's going on with Kyler Gordon, Ryan Paul's just addressed the media, and he's not as flippant with it, but you can kind of tell he's not given, he's just kind of given, you know, just stock answers, oh, it's not coming around as well as we hoped and we'll see and you know, just kind of leave in things generic.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's been a weird vibe with Kyler Gordon here, Aaron,
• 4:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I don't know what's going on.
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know any specifics.
• 4:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: What I do know is that the bear's clearly think Kyodoran should be on the field and he's not.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I've compared this to one other thing.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: I did this on my last podcast that I did
• 4:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: before this one that we did with Devin Cani.
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that is, this feels like Derek Rose to me.
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And, and not, some people have said Nate Davis, and I don't think so, because I don't think Nate Davis tried.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: He got his 20 million didn't try.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Derek Rose, after he tore his ACL, became very cautious.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: about getting back on the court.
• 5:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when he was on the court, he 100% he played hard.
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: He did not slack.
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: He did everything he could to try and win basketball games for the bulls.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: But getting him on the court when he had soreness and things going on, you know, he big comments like, why don't I want to be able to get on the floor with my grandkids one day,
• 5:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to be careful with my knees and all this kind of stuff.
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I know that agitated some bulls fans in the moment.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: To me, this feels maybe that this is where we are with Kyler Gordon.
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: That this is, he's got some things going on.
• 5:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: The bearers think he should play through it and he doesn't.
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, and I think the the tough part about this is right is he just got paid a year ago, man.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, just this is the first year of the extension and that's and that's the issue right is that you've got a guy that was supposed to be and again this kind of goes back to how they've built this defense and I'm sure we'll talk about that a little bit more as well, but
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: like he's supposed to be one of the key pieces on this defense and you know he got paid last year nobody bought it that whatsoever.
• 6:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean I think a lot of people thought it was a good deal it made a lot of sense and then all of a sudden it's like he starts having all these health issues he was on the field for what five games last year and then you're thinking okay just a bad year he's going to get you know he's going to be there for the offseason program he's going to be there for training camp if he finds you know get him into the regular season he misses
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll see some program rolls around.
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's not out there training camp.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: He gets put on pop.
• 6:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's basically, you know, they have, you know, general expectations for everybody that they put on pop.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: There was any guys that they put on pop or...
• 6:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: some form of that non-fable injury or whatever.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was the only one that they're kind of mom about.
• 6:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, even with Schermar Turner, there's been at least some sort of expectation of like, hey, he's doing well, it's just going slower, whatever, with Gordon, there's been nothing.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that that's kind of the frustrating part.
• 6:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's funny because you tie the Derrick Rose.
• 7:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: And if you go back to speaking of 2017, and that time frame,
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: You go back to Kyle Fuller.
• 7:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's another player where it was like, you know, obviously, and that was before he got paid, but it was like, there was all these questions how he was going to fit in Vic Fangio's defense and then he had that knee issue and then he had a knee scope and then the next thing you know, all the settings out for the entire year and everybody had kind of given up on him.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, we know the story behind that, he ended up turning into a very good player for the
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Second contract the issue here is is Kyler Gordon already has the second contract and unfortunately for the bears you can't cut him this year You really can't cut him next year.
• 7:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: The only way that you're going to build to get any money back whatsoever is going to be a trait for them And who's going to want a trait for somebody who's played in five games in two years if he doesn't play this year.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: You've got this weird situation where the bears have built their defense from the outside in and they've taken some gambles on the defensive line that really haven't worked out in the way of, you know, Grady Jarrett, Dio Odengbo, you know, whatever the case may be even Schmarterner before he went down with the injury.
• 8:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: and you're counting on guys like this and then obviously I'm sure we'll get into it as well.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You lose Kobe Bryant all the sudden that that secondary that's supposed to be that strength is all the sudden just as big of a question mark is the as the rest of the defense of Dept.
• 8:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: chart and I think with Kyler Gordon it's more frustrating because you know when he's out on the field he's going to be really good but he hasn't been out on the field since he signed this extension and all of a sudden you're in the middle of this extension and you're not getting any production and he's not even out on the field.
• 8:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and that's where we're headed towards this potentially becoming a sunk cost and look no one knows where this is headed like he's on pop right now He could be playing in mid october play what you know 10 games or whatever this year have a good season But we're also here that he just might miss the entire year Ben Johnson seems fed up
• 8:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: No one really, you know, even when you're looking at, at, at bigs and weater in these court and crowning the people that are tied in the house, all no one seems to really know where this is going.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: So Aaron, I'm just going to ask you the impossible question.
• 9:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do you think Kyle and Gordon plays a football game for the Chicago Bears this year?
• 9:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't, and I'll think it's that further and say, I don't think he plays the game for the Bears again.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, man.
• 9:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you listen to Brian polls just like I did this morning.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: That,
• 9:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: His answers were beyond weird to me because it's like, they don't even, I mean, he, he basically, the only thing that he said that made any sort of sense to me was basically that they felt like he should be out on the field.
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: He should be working through whatever pain it is from the injury and he's not willing to do that.
• 9:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's it.
• 9:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, I get it from their perspective.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like you got to be careful.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: You got to choose your words carefully, but at the same time, it's also one of those like,
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: you guys are the ones that signed in this extension, like what's going on at this point?
• 9:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, I, yeah, I don't know, man.
• 9:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not a point where not only do I think he does a play this year, I don't think he's gonna play again for the bears.
• 10:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they'll find a way to trade him for a late-round pick next year or whatever the case may be.
• 10:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: They'll find a way to get out from under this money.
• 10:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he may end up going to a different team.
• 10:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like you said, this isn't a native situation.
• 10:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's,
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: there's some very key differences.
• 10:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think these two even really relate all that much outside of being hurt and not on the field or whatever the case may be in a little bit of
• 10:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know a little bit of mystery behind it, but I think that I think Gordon is going to be one of those guys that could end up going to a different team and playing very well, but I just I feel like there's there's enough bridges being burned right now that something just tells me that he's not going to see the field this year and next off season they're going to find a way to trade him and recoup some money.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I will slightly disagree, although not with a lot of confidence behind it.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do agree with you.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he will not be a Chicago bear in 2027.
• 10:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do think he might end up on the field for a few games.
• 10:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's at some point this year and maybe things are, I don't know.
• 11:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is just, I just have a hard time believing the bears are just going to just shut it down on him for the entire year.
• 11:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: But we'll see because this is obviously
• 11:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: a very unique situation.
• 11:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: So obviously we'll get into the secondary and how Tyler Gordon missing how that's going to impact everything.
• 11:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll do that as we kind of go through our position group previews.
• 11:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But before we do that air, we had the 53 man roster announced still probably some finalizing some bottom of that.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: you know, bottom of the roster guys here, a lot of injuries and pups and and things going on and some maneuver ability.
• 11:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: So the the bottom of the roster, you know, a little strange here, but overall any thoughts surprises on the 53 man roster because I didn't have a few things at the bottom of the roster.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it was pretty straightforward.
• 11:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think so.
• 11:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's unfortunately it's difficult and I'm just going to pull up just because I was I've been kind of tracking everything right so I've been I want to go back and I want to look.
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: at their current injury situation, right?
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And obviously, like when you're looking at this, when you're looking at guys on IR, like some of these guys are gonna end up getting cut loose with injury settlements or whatever, but as of right now, the bears have 10 players on IR and then includes Kobe Bryant and Hayden Large.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: They have three players on pop and they've already settled with seven different players.
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, I mean, that just kinda gives the idea right there.
• 12:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: This has been,
• 12:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Whether you want to weigh impact or not, that's one thing, right?
• 12:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: But this has been a very injury-filled camp and preseason for the bearers.
• 12:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that, when you're looking at certain positions, it definitely makes it a little interesting because I think even with the offensive wine, for example,
• 12:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, as you repell a coming back is great, but you're also talking about a guy that's probably not going to be useful for the first at least what two or three weeks.
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: So tackled apps a little bit in question, and I think then you look at corner, I think is corners another area where like you're looking at the depth chart you're saying, okay, I get it like.
• 13:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Clark Phillips, you just got him like he can play outside he can play inside, but we've heard nothing but fits with, you know, talking about fits and scheme fits and what Dennis Allen prefers all over the defense and then you're going to tell me that a guy that ran a four or five.
• 13:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's five nine is going to be a fit outside corner for the bed like that just to me it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense but I think if you're just looking at it from a perspective of any surprises I mean obviously four undrafted free agents making the roster in some ways that's cool and some ways that's a little concerning just because I think if you look at it from last year like they had one jade walker and then this year you know obviously a long snapper
• 13:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: whatever, but then you have, you know, a few guys, you know, few guys on the defense that make it and then hate large, obviously, who's now an IR, and it's just it's definitely when you think about depth, especially for a playoff contender, Super Bowl contender, I don't think a lot of the time, and I think you're thinking of like, okay, we're going to have four undrafted free agents.
• 13:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's usually something that teams that are going to win four or five games have.
• 14:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and that's been my contention, and I actually wrote a piece on when you see a grader about Ryan Polls and his failures pre-ben Johnson and where the team is currently with Ben Johnson, and basically saying whether you like Polls or not, and I definitely do not like Ryan Polls, if the combo of him and Ben Johnson works, and they start getting better talents with the draft or whatever, fine, I don't really care who's getting credit as long as the right players are getting on the roster.
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: But to me, and that's what I was kind of talking about a lot of this offseason is how thin the depth is at so many positions, and that's where I'm hoping better day three drafts are going to improve the bears, where, you know, last year, hopefully, you know, with like the loop nomeness of Kyle non-guys that, you know, there are at least bodies, you know, calm and obvious more than the body, but like loop nomeness of body who deserves to be on the 53 man roster, you know, you know, with van and burg and Mohammed and guys this year.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hopefully these day three guys become contributors because to me that's always the key to having depth on a team Aaron is are you finding day three guys?
• 15:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: They don't have to turn into Max Crosby.
• 15:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I believe it was a fourth round pick But they do have to be guys that are contributing on special teams are capable of filling in and play roles on a team And the bears have missed that a lot the first few drafts of Ryan polls A lot of the day three guys just weren't contributors and that's where I think there's why there's the depth is really thin
• 15:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hopefully, over the next couple of years, those drafts improve late in the drafts, and the depth gets better because the bears, right now, when you talked about an injury filled free season and training camp, now we're really kind of seeing some of the depth exposed.
• 15:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, yeah, and I think it's one of those two, and I know it's easy to live in the moment, right?
• 15:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like we're looking at it right now and we're saying, okay, you know, they've got Malik Mohamed, they've got Kishan Elliott who just came up pop a little over a week ago and then obviously Jordan Bannon Burr who's been the talk of everything right now and it's like.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's well on fine, but all you got to do is go back a few years and you look at the day three where they had, you know, Rochon Johnson and Tyler Scott and Noah's soul and all these other guys and it's like, you know, you're thinking, okay, like, this is going to be a great draft classic.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Got the depth, they got the top end talent and you start looking at it.
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, it doesn't pay
• 16:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: usually doesn't pan out the way that you hope it's going to pan out right so and again when you're relying on what was at a seven it was a seven player rookie class plus four and drafted free agents I mean that's a lot of It's a lot of an experience on a roster that's supposed supposed to be and again I'm sure we'll get into it supposed to be competing for a super bowl this year you take the next step you get in the playoffs you went to the division you want to play off game the next step is your supposed to be competing for a super bowl and it just it seems like
• 16:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, just the way that they approach us off season, there's a lot of risk involved.
• 16:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that when you're looking at the youth of this roster and the overall depth of this roster, you know, every, every time that the bears made the playhouse in recent memory,
• 17:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: you had guys that were coming out of nowhere making plays stepping up and and i'm not saying that can happen this year it's going to have to happen this year but it just it feels like the death is a little bit more improving this time around that it was even last year when the expectations weren't as high
• 17:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now, we've felt a few negative things here to start the podcast.
• 17:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's turn positive.
• 17:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think the best way to turn positive is to get to Ben Johnson and the offense, because there's a lot of good things happening there.
• 17:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And let's start with Ben Johnson, who obviously, I think despite as many of us love the higher of Ben Johnson, you could still say exceeded expectations, leading the Chicago Bears to the playoffs, and a playoff win something we hadn't seen in a decade and a half.
• 17:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And to mean the most exciting thing here is, and we know Caleb Williams is going to continue developing all this stuff.
• 17:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: But the one thing that no one ever talks about is Ben Johnson's not a finished product either.
• 17:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: This was just his first year being in this role.
• 17:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to continue to get better as well.
• 18:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the bears really have an opportunity here to have a coach.
• 18:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's already considered one of the top three or four people.
• 18:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: play colors in the league, one of the top, you know, 10 coaches, some people call them a top five coach in the league.
• 18:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's really a chance to have an elite head coach here for, you know, hopefully the next 10, 15, 20 years.
• 18:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's possible that that could happen.
• 18:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, and I think that that's kind of the goal here, right?
• 18:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is like, you know, yes, we may have started this podcast off a little negative, but it's not, see, like, again, this goes back to expectations, right?
• 18:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I'm not negative in the sense of like, the bears aren't going to make the playoffs, bears going to be a bad team this year.
• 18:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm more negative of like, okay,
• 18:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: You came in a year early, you surprised, you were literally one miscommunication away from being in the SD Championship game, even though I think Seattle would have won that game pretty handedly.
• 18:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Either way, that's math.
• 18:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: You make it to the NSD Championship game.
• 18:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: We haven't seen that since the days of love, yes, since the days of love, you're the KLA painting.
• 19:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so it's like, you know, like, that's a great first step, like the ceiling for this team.
• 19:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Might be limited because of the defense, but the floor is extremely high because of the offensive because of the Johnson.
• 19:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think when you're looking at it from a coaching perspective, especially with the Johnson and this offense, like, I don't know about you.
• 19:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't have any concerns whatsoever.
• 19:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, oh, Braxton Jones a struggle at left tackle.
• 19:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not worried about like, look at what they did last year.
• 19:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they went through three different guys.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: See, a benefit was awful.
• 19:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Love tackle last year.
• 19:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Frankly, back in Jones was awful.
• 19:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: And for as much as we want to praise Ozzie Trepello, Trepello had a lot of bad moments as well.
• 19:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, centers a little bit different, but I think when you're really looking at this often, it's like,
• 19:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Saturday night's game was a prime example of it's like you see Sam Raoish out there doing pretty pretty good things.
• 19:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean he reminded me a lot of like Colcomat that Kyle Rudolph type of athletic, you know, whatever the case may be.
• 19:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then it's like you had a guy in Xavier and Thomas where I mean, I'll be honest and say like I'm still skeptical of the pick.
• 20:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: I hated the pick in the moment.
• 20:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it's like, then you start seeing like, okay, this dude's got insane speed.
• 20:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
• 20:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: We already knew that.
• 20:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, he's got the ability to change the game in, you know, as far as the returner, which we kind of knew what it was good to get to see.
• 20:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: The thing that shocked me about him in that game.
• 20:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, it's preseason playing against a bunch of players that aren't on NFL roster right now.
• 20:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: but like his route running and his ability to actually be a like pure hands catch receiver was probably one of the more impressive things that I saw all of training camps.
• 20:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like you start piecing this together.
• 20:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: You got, you know, Luther Burton, Roman Dunes, a, uh, Clay Framing, it's gonna play a role, John A. Walker, like you've got all these pieces.
• 20:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, offensively, I'm not remotely concerned.
• 20:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like this to me, this isn't going to be
• 20:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: They have that pretty solid first year things fall apart like I know a lot of people have made the the the connection you know the defense is going to be awful this year everything is going to fall apart I don't think that's going to happen at all.
• 21:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that if anything the defense is going to limit their ceiling, but I think because of this offense because of Ben Johnson like their floor is so much higher than it has been in probably last decade and half for the state.
• 21:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and to me, there's two types of good football teams.
• 21:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's Super Bowl contenders, and there's playoff teams.
• 21:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the bears are a playoff team.
• 21:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's where some of this negativity comes in is, I don't think the bears are a Super Bowl contender because of the defense.
• 21:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think they could have done some things to help that.
• 21:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And they didn't do it.
• 21:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we'll get into that when we start breaking down the defense.
• 21:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: But this offense, 100% Aaron is a Super Bowl caliber offense.
• 21:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I mean, there's, there's, there's no way around it.
• 21:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, obviously, if Caleb Williams comes out and struggles or whatever, then obviously, it's a different story.
• 22:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know about you.
• 22:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know, obviously, we have been cursed with some awful, awful quarterback play, awful quarterback development.
• 22:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not remotely worried about Caleb Williams.
• 22:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think halfway through last year obviously had some struggles, but when you started seeing him piece together, those come back wins the way that he did.
• 22:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, okay, like, he could suck for three and a half quarters of game, but it doesn't matter because in the end, like, he's always going to find a way to be in it or win the game for you.
• 22:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think this year, being in year two, the offense, I mean, we've heard, it feels like we're living in a twilight zone, like we've heard.
• 22:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: nothing negative about this offense, all of training camp, you know Ben Johnson has been seen pretty optimistic about it again, all you gotta do is go back and look at the weapons, it's like I know people got a little worried about Luther Burden getting hurt, but it's like
• 22:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: This offense is going to be explosive.
• 22:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they've talked about that they're not worried about efficiency, they want to be explosive.
• 22:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like the one way to really raise your ceiling, or sorry, raise your floor in a modern day NFL team is to have an elite offense.
• 22:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again,
• 23:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, kind of going back to what you just said, playoff team, Super Bowl, contender, those are two different things.
• 23:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that the bears are for sure a playoff contender.
• 23:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they should absolutely make the playoff.
• 23:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: They should win the division again.
• 23:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like if you look at the rest of the energy north, every team has its flaws,
• 23:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, you got to really start looking at this and, you know, Ben Johnson talked about, and that's the other thing.
• 23:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like these guys are not afraid to shy away from, you know, setting expectations of the public knows about.
• 23:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like Ben Johnson wants to be the highest scoring offense ever.
• 23:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think that's going to happen this year because I'd be what 37.3 points a game or whatever it was back when Denver did it with Peyton Manning in 2013.
• 23:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I do think, I mean, and this is actually something I just wrote about, it's like, if they can match what the Lions did a few years ago, where they average just over 33 points a game, and if Caleb Williams puts up Jared Goff numbers, where he throws for like $4,600 yards, I think he had like $38 touchdowns, like, just saying that out loud makes me laugh.
• 24:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right, I mean.
• 24:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: But that's that's what I'm saying.
• 24:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, if you really look at it that way, it's like,
• 24:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: The offense itself, the lines didn't have a great defense in 2014 either, sorry, 2024 either, and they still won 15 games so that the offense is going to severely raise the floor of this team and that's why I'm still competent.
• 24:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be a fun year.
• 24:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're going to make the playoffs.
• 24:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're going to have a lot of shootouts along the way.
• 24:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's just again, you know, and we'll get into it with the defense.
• 24:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Can they do enough to make this a real sequel container?
• 24:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: 100%.
• 24:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: So let's, you, you part of Caleb Williams.
• 24:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: So let's dive into the quarterback room and you know, more specifically, Caleb Williams, maybe we'll do a second on Tyson, Major.
• 24:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: But that, that's the thing here, Aaron is the, the sky is a limit.
• 24:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I've gotten a couple of people in my mentions that kind of bring up the Mitch Tribisky 2019 Packers game where, you know, everything's looking good and, and people are, are concerned.
• 25:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's just the, the, the, the PTSD of Chicago Bears quarterbacks.
• 25:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think anyone thinks Caleb Williams is going to collapse, but that maybe there was lock involved with some of the comebacks to some of the great plays and he'll throw more intersections or whatever it might be.
• 25:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: He'll get sacked more this year.
• 25:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Whatever it is, I think there's just some stuff in the back of Bears fans heads.
• 25:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: But to me, the thing that's really exciting here is the year two jump in systems that we expect to see from great quarterbacks.
• 25:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: We didn't see with Mitch Shibisky and the reason we didn't see with Mitch Shibisky is, yeah, Matt and Aguero was injured with the offense.
• 25:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mitch Shibisky wasn't talented enough to make that jump, and he settled in nicely in a QB2 role for his career, good for Mitch.
• 25:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: But Caleb Williams is on a different level of different planet, if we're being honest, than Mitch Shibisky in terms of talent and skill, with Ben Johnson paired here.
• 25:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I am so excited for what Caleb Williams is going to do this here.
• 25:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I expect him to break the passing touchdown record.
• 25:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I expect him to break the era, cram or passing yardage record.
• 26:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I expect to see things this year, as long as he stays healthy.
• 26:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: See things this year that Chicago bears fans.
• 26:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, literally, you have to, and I know this is ridiculous thing to say.
• 26:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, you have to be in your 90s to have any memory of Sid Lockham.
• 26:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: So like literally we can say every Chicago bear span that is alive has never seen anything like this in terms of quarterback play in terms of the talent and the skill that Caleb Williams has compared to the rest of the quarterbacks in the league.
• 26:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, and it's just, again, he's on a, and this is the same thing that we talked about when he was drafted, even going in the last year, like he's on a completely different plane in terms of like overall talent and any other quarterback, the bears have ever had.
• 26:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Jay Cutler was a very talented quarterback and cable Williams is a lot of completely different, you know, completely different plane than that and again, and it's always have to caution people just because, again, I am an Oklahoma fan.
• 26:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: as you can see, like I said back there, there's a level of homerism that has always gone into my evaluation of Caleb Williams, and I've realized he only played there for one year, and then he followed the snake Lincoln Riley to USC, whatever, we don't need to get in all that.
• 27:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: The point being is as like Caleb Williams has always been special, the minute that he stepped on the field for Oklahoma during that Texas game, like it was clear, like he was just a special talent.
• 27:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that we saw that a lot last year.
• 27:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think the thing that gives me a lot of solace moving into this year and a lot of confidence moving into this year is that we didn't hear about the rocky, you know, the rocky road along the way to getting, you know, to training camp and
• 27:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: He stepped out on the field for offseason program and for training camp and all that stuff and it was just like he was just on a completely different level than he was last year And you could see it mentally like as he was going through the season that you could see the command of the offense the confidence that he had himself as a player Growing us like you see him step out on the field and it's like the stuff that Ben Johnson says and it's like people sometimes forget like Ben Johnson's not somebody that's going to sugarcoat anything
• 28:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like he's if anything he's a giant hard ass and that's something that I don't I don't think any of us expected when he was hired right last year, right, so it's like I just I think when you look at Caleb Williams the the combination of his talent
• 28:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: his abilities and then again just his overall understanding of the offense and his confidence like that's something that we didn't see from Trabiski right like they were turning off TV's the minute that Trabiski started struggling week one of 2019 right like Caleb Williams is not that guy like he's just he's he's on a completely different level in every way shape or form so I understand the PTSD aspect but at the same time
• 28:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that we saw Caleb Williams for last year and obviously we want to see him be a top five top three quarterback.
• 28:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: So obviously we want to see him continue to develop from what he was last year.
• 28:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think that we saw his NFL for last year and I think that this year is really about taking the next step again.
• 29:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not gonna shy away from it.
• 29:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have MVP expectations for him this year.
• 29:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think he will be in that conversation this year.
• 29:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's how big the jump that he's going to make and all the sudden all these fraudulent accusations and all the other stuff that people have said.
• 29:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think any of that's going to be, I don't think that's going to cross anybody's mind after this year.
• 29:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so heading into this year with Caleb Williams, what would you like to see in terms of tweaks in his game to maybe make him hone in and take that next step?
• 29:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is it getting the ball out quicker and operating a little bit more like golf?
• 29:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is it, is it the accuracy completion percentage?
• 29:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: I hate to bring it up, but do you want to see that go up?
• 29:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do you want to see, I know the Houdini stuff with the SACS is amazing, but at the same time, it is holding on to the ball and then you know,
• 29:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: presents an opportunity for a major, you know, negative play, like where are you with Caleb heading into this year?
• 30:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is there anything particular that you'd like to see specifically improved upon this season?
• 30:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think there's really two big thanks for me, and one of those, I mean, the coaching staffs talked about it, and I know it's meant kind of be to death.
• 30:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: just take some time to take the easy plays man like the super man plays we're always going to be there like his ability to make crazy throws is always going to be there like simply taking the check down taking the easy like going back to you know everybody wants to be that one thrown at the ground the Colson Colson Love one you know it's like
• 30:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't care that he missed the throw, but I do think that there's a highlight in there of just take the easier throw.
• 30:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: He had a first-down plus probably 10 or 15 yards and they were inside the 10 if he just takes the throw.
• 30:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't remember who it was, too, and he might have been Kate and Davis.
• 30:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I came around, I was somebody over the middle of the field, either way.
• 30:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, those kind of plays, I think, that that is drastically like, I don't really give a shit about this completion percentage per say, but I do think that just taking the easier throws on occasion and keeping the offense ahead of schedule, I think it's going to be big.
• 31:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then really the other thing is I think playing a little bit more on time, obviously, that is what it is.
• 31:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just think in terms of like general
• 31:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: mechanics.
• 31:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would like to see that strain a little bit more because then I think you're going to start seeing him hit those throws to Colson Lovelin or hit some of those throws that last year it seemed like he should have made and he did.
• 31:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I first
• 31:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Impressive is he is breaking the pocket.
• 31:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's sometimes he's better served and he said this too.
• 31:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like he's better served being a pocket quarterback.
• 31:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: The analyst sit in the pocket and be able to make throws from a level base is a lot easier than breaking out and you know being on the run and completing 40 or 50% of your passes, which I think is where some of the improvement needs to come in.
• 31:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: All right.
• 31:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's, you know, we could spend all day on Caleb Williams.
• 32:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've got a lot to get to.
• 32:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: So let's jump over.
• 32:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to split up why receivers and tight ends.
• 32:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we can just lump them together and just call them the weapons for Caleb Williams.
• 32:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we know we've got we've got five wide receivers.
• 32:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've got three tight ends to discuss.
• 32:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: We, you know, Hayden large, you know, whether he comes by, we don't need to get into the very bottom of the roster.
• 32:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's look at this group.
• 32:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: together.
• 32:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, the bears felt strong enough about this group as a whole that they felt they could get DJ more.
• 32:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I thought they did a great job getting a second on Pick Forum, but with that aside, are you 100% confident do you have any reservations that loveland burdened old dunesay can be an elite trio this season?
• 32:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: No, no, I don't, I, I had, I will say I had some concerns about depth.
• 32:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Frankly, after kind of seeing it all play out, we didn't really see Raymond.
• 32:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they're going to be fine.
• 32:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think between.
• 32:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: between zaving on Thomas obviously I think he's going to be a little bit more of a gadget guy but I think between you know between the three guys that they have from three to five I'm not that worried and frankly I think Roush is going to be more involved in the passing game than I originally thought too so now I think that the way that they design the the way that Ben Johnson designs his offense
• 33:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think if anything, it's going to be more of like, how do you get these guys, you know, the three through five and then, you know, Colcomet and the Samrash, like, how do you get them more involved in the offense, more regularly versus worrying about whether Adunze and all those guys are going to be, you know, the feature guys are going to be able to live up to that hype.
• 33:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now let's ask specifically here about Roma Dunze, because I think of all the players on this pair's in the weapons room, so to speak.
• 33:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, Dunze, I think, has the most...
• 33:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: you know, differing opinions.
• 33:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then nothing's like crazy negative or anyone thinks he thinks, but like I look at Roma Dunes to me, and I see a consistent live receiver too.
• 33:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have not seen the elite moments, the elite hands, the elite separation, you know, the ball getting skills, whatever you want to call it, where I say there's an old man.
• 34:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: this guy can be an elite wide receiver one.
• 34:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: And look, is that what you want when you draft the top 10 player?
• 34:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely, but for the bare sake of Luther Burton becomes who they think he can become, Odun says fine if that's who he becomes in that role.
• 34:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: But now you, I've seen other people that like to look at the advanced analytics, and they sit there and say, Odun's a doing.
• 34:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: his route running and some of the stuff he does is prime to have a big breakout season.
• 34:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Where are you with Roman Dunes A the player?
• 34:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Who do you think he is in this fairs offense?
• 34:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm kind of more where you're at, right?
• 34:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that he's going to be a good player, right?
• 34:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know that we're going to look back.
• 34:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: at the end of the year and be like, yeah, this dude is for sure a top 10 talent from that class.
• 34:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I don't know that you need him to be at this point.
• 34:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that that's kind of one of those things.
• 35:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, for as much as we want to talk about, oh, well, they shipped off Jervon Dexter because he didn't fit blah, blah, blah.
• 35:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's like, okay, well, you know, Roma Dunezane wasn't drafted by this coaching staff, even.
• 35:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that that's kind of something to keep in mind.
• 35:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, they went out and they took two big swings last year in the draft on Luther Burton and Colson Levin.
• 35:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, things can change, injuries change everything, like it is what it is, but I think if we're being honest about this offense and I think even if you go back and you look at some of the great quarterbacks and the combinations of past catchers that they had, I mean, you're talking.
• 35:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, Brady, Mahomes, whatever.
• 35:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like they've always had that number one tight end.
• 35:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I really do think that Colston Lovelin is going to be the focal point of the offense.
• 35:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that I think that Luther Burns also going to be more of that number one type of explosive receiver, which Lee's Roma Dunes a more in that possession receiver.
• 35:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like he can still have a thousand yards and have eight touchdowns and like that's great.
• 36:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like that.
• 36:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: that that would be to need that would be right about expectations for him.
• 36:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't need to be that flashy guy like I obviously like to see him win the 50-50s a little bit more like to see him be a little bit more of a dominant 6-3 receiver like he is.
• 36:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think because of how they have they have designed this offense plus all the different things that they're going to have going on cleave frame and like all these guys that they're going to have in terms of speed.
• 36:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just, I don't know that you need Roman Dunes A to be anything more than that number two, where he's going to be 900,000 yards a year, he's going to be reliable red zone target.
• 36:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to be that guy again.
• 36:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: We've seen it.
• 36:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even last year, he's very reliable over the middle of the field.
• 36:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: He does run good routes.
• 36:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to find ways to be open by 5 or 10 yards.
• 36:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, that's fine.
• 36:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: If he's going to be the guy that catches those passes over the middle of the field, nobody around him.
• 36:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to turn a 15-yard catch into a 30-yard play.
• 36:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm fine with it, especially especially with how highly I think of Burton and Lovelin at this point.
• 37:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if Taylor Williams continues to do to do the dance so to speak in the, in the battlefield, which opens up to scrambled drills, there were definitely some issues with scrambled drills last year with certain players that didn't necessarily come back to the ball and some of things they needed to do.
• 37:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: For the most part, when I was watching all 22 and that happened,
• 37:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: If, you know, if burden and lovelin become more of the targets in structure and no doings it becomes more of the guy Caleb looks to in scramble drills, I think it could work out really well for that trio all see in the ball and I'll make a big place.
• 37:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's the same thing again.
• 37:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, even look at the lines, look at the lines often.
• 37:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, you know, everybody has their role, right?
• 37:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, Jamison Williams was much more highly drafted than a monstrait where I was a monwrost St. Brown.
• 37:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it's like, St. Brown is that slot guy that guy that you're gonna rely on to get you 13 to 1,400 yards a year, and he's gonna be that reliable guy, but you also have a guy like Jamison Williams who's gonna take the top off of defense.
• 38:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: plus you have Sam Laporta.
• 38:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like, it's just, when you, when you have such an high level offense that's capable scoring 30 plus points of game, which is exactly where I expect this bear's offense to be this year, like, I don't know that there's going to be a, I don't, I don't know that we're going to end the season and then we're going to look at Roman dudes and be like, man, like,
• 38:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's he's been disappointing like I think we're gonna look at this offense as a whole and say, okay, like they've got one to two High-level superstars, right, and then they've got some very good complementary pieces and then again like if Kully Freyman or if Xavier on Thomas end up carving out that role is kind of like that speed guy that explosive guy Whatever the case may be there's gonna be a lot of people of
• 38:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: we're going to go in the next off season.
• 38:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're going to have all the fantasy people.
• 38:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, don't forget about Xavier on Thomas.
• 38:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's didn't, you know, this, this, and this, there's just so many weapons on the offensive side of the ball that I don't think that their needs to be as heavily of a focus on Roma doomsday.
• 39:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: As long as he's making plays and that's a thing.
• 39:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, he left a lot out on the field last year.
• 39:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: As long as he makes the plays and he's being asked to make, I don't think that I don't think that we can complain at the end of the year.
• 39:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and if we look at the bottom half of this weapon's group, so to speak, that's to me where I think it becomes really fun for Ben Jobs.
• 39:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like we can talk about the trio up top, and obviously they're going to see a lot of the targets.
• 39:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: But with what this room looks like, the idea that they can have a really solid 11 personnel, whether they put Raymond out there or even John A Walker, they can do 12, obviously, with two top receivers and Cole
• 39:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: 13-pelt personnel with Sam Rausch.
• 39:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: They can go far wide without an issue as well.
• 39:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: The amount of flexibility they have in terms of personnel groupings is something we have never seen in Chicago.
• 39:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think Ben Johnson is going to be able to keep defenses way off balance with the different waves of personnel groupings.
• 40:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to be able to throw a defenses.
• 40:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think that's the thing.
• 40:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what Ben Johnson has built with this offense.
• 40:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you look at it from that perspective, I don't think they're going to be, again, there's going to be one or two stars in this offense, and I think obviously, for anybody who's, you know, you know, a betting person like it's probably that they would probably put their money down on Colson Loveland or.
• 40:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: We've been burdened, and I think that's exactly where I would put my money to, but there's going to be so many different areas that they're going to be able to exploit different defenses.
• 40:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, Ben Johnson talked about it.
• 40:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: You want to go 13 personnel and really force teams into base defenses like each week, they're going to be able to attack different defenses different ways.
• 40:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that, and we, we hadn't even talked about the running game yet.
• 40:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they're like, that's the next.
• 40:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, right, and that's the thing is like so there's so many different ways that they're going to be able to do attack defenses that I don't even know I mean kind of like last year right like it wasn't every well I guess towards the end it turned into the you know kind of the Colson Loveland show but there for the majority of the season between injuries and everything else like every single week somebody knew was being featured in the Offences far as past getters go and I think that they're going to have the ability to be able to do something similar this year
• 41:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe not to the same extent when you had D.J.
• 41:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Moore, Luther Burton, and Roman Dune Zay.
• 41:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: But you're also going to be able to do different things to where maybe you feature Roman Dune Zay one week, and then you have a guy like Xavier on Thomas, or you have a guy like Cliff Raymond who is going to be kind of that secret weapon where you're going to be running trick plays with them, or you're going to be running, you know, you're going to be attacking more deep, whatever the case may be.
• 41:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: So again, I just
• 41:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: From an offensive perspective, I was a little concerned about the receiving depth heading into camp.
• 41:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's pretty easy to see the vision and at this point time, you just have to defer and say, hey man, like Ben Johnson is one of the top offensive minds for reason.
• 41:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: You just have to trust the fact that they only kept five receivers, probably tells you everything you need about how they feel about the depth.
• 42:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, 100% now let's jump over to that running game like you said we haven't talked about it And I want to talk about the bottom end of the root of the running back room here in a second But let's talk about the top two guys first the Andre Swift and column and on guy monon guy Absolutely an outstanding seventh row selection the fact that they're getting this much out of him as a rookie and look I don't I think monon guy might have a little bit of a limited ceiling in terms of how good he can do
• 42:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: yet, but it's already surpassed expectations for the seventh round fake.
• 42:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like so, you know, it was an, he's great in that RB2 roll, the Andre Swift just absolutely blossomed with Ben Johnson.
• 42:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know a lot of us myself included had concerns because obviously Swift got run out of Detroit when Ben Johnson was there.
• 42:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: We assumed that was tied to Ben, and I honestly, I think it was because, and you mentioned Johnson being a hard ass.
• 42:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I, he got something out of Swift that I have never seen in a bear's uniform from Swift or previous uniforms.
• 43:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: That guy was running downhill and in between the tackles at times, he was a different player.
• 43:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Johnson got something out of him and may have unlocked a level with DeAndre Swift.
• 43:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was always looking at Swift as if he's doing it again, maybe he gets that like November contract extension, like they did with Andrew Billings a couple years ago, but I don't know, I've heard some rumblings from some of the guys, you know, tweeting stuff out from the beat and whatnot that maybe Swift is in line for an extension before we get to week one, where are you with DeAndre Swift and his future in this offense?
• 43:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: again I go back to trust in Ben Johnson I mean you talk about I mean Ben Johnson's always been pauses since he's been to Chicago about Swift but some of it didn't really feel very genuine to me and I don't know how you felt about it like last year in the beginning you know he was he was constantly asked about Swift and it was like yeah I know I'm like in blah blah blah
• 43:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like the fact that Ben Johnson has come out and again, he's not somebody who's just going to blow smoke to blow smoke, but he's come out multiple times to set, like Swift has had a great camp, but he's got going faster than almost anybody else, like they feel great about him.
• 44:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think again, like Kyle Manungai doesn't need to be a true RB one at this point.
• 44:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like if he feels the exact same role that he had last year and both guys say healthy, like they're going to have a damn good running game again.
• 44:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you're looking at the Andre Swift, I mean, you know, the obviously the the market's gone up a little bit, he's probably going to be due for a little bit of a raise, probably, you know, $10 to $12 million.
• 44:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: But at the same time, like, if he fits, because he's only what, 20, I think he just turned 27.
• 44:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you're talking about a guy that he still got a few good years left in him.
• 44:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like if you want to extend it, if you want to do a two or three year extension, then it's like, I mean, who, who are we to question
• 44:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: How good Swift look last year?
• 44:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I had a career year last year and how highly they're speaking of in this year I think especially with how they've already kind of got the running game figured out because I think a lot of people forget last year It took a few weeks for them that they've just finally get that running game figured out, right?
• 45:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like they should hit the ground running this year They know that they're gonna run on the right side Especially with Eric's student spill coming in like
• 45:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: They've got a different perspective on the run game than maybe they did last year.
• 45:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they're going to throw some new things in plus Ben Johnson pride himself on the run game.
• 45:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like if if that's if that's who he wants is his his top running back.
• 45:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, again, who the hell are we to question that?
• 45:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I don't disagree with that at all.
• 45:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now.
• 45:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: the bottom part of that group with them only keep in three running backs in the third running back being Rochon Johnson.
• 45:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think a lot of bears fans are a little puzzled, little concerned about that one.
• 45:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: To me, I'm not really in the same camp here, and here's why, because the way I see Ben Johnson utilizing his practice squad frequently is he just sees that, yes, and I understand he can lose guys to other teams, but he just sees that as an extension of the roster where
• 46:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think he worries about not having, like, you have to have four tight ends on the 53 so they can run 13 personnel.
• 46:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he looks at it as, you know, if Cole Comet gets hurt and he's gonna be out for a couple of games, then we'll get through that game without Cole Comet.
• 46:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then we can bring someone up from the practice water, whatever and readjust the roster for the next week.
• 46:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: To me, that's what's happening here.
• 46:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I honestly, I don't even look at Rochon Johnson as a running back.
• 46:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he's on the roster for his special teams.
• 46:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's it.
• 46:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think they see.
• 46:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I could be wrong.
• 46:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not inside information.
• 46:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think they see them as a running back error.
• 46:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think they see them as a special team's player.
• 46:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think heading into that week one game, whether it's Ahmed or someone else, I think we could still absolutely see them elevate a third running back to the roster.
• 46:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And even if they don't, if Swift or Manongai go down for a couple games at some point this season,
• 46:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I still don't think it's Rochon Johnson who's going to get the carries, I think it's on matter someone else who's going to be brought up in front of Rochon Johnson to get those carries.
• 46:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, I hope you're right, because I'll be honest, I mean, it's funny because I just said who the hell will lead a question if they want Swift, but then it's like at the same time, like you watch Rochon Johnson, it's like he had like what, two big runs and preseason rest of the time, it's like people talk about him, it's a short yarders guy, and it's like
• 47:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: their him and Britain Brown were both not effective in shorty-arted situations at all.
• 47:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I hope you're right.
• 47:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I do think that I think you could be on to something just purely based on the fact that they they obviously they they science of on Ahmed to the to the practice squad and then they went out and they got a I'm on a job link on the guy's name the guy from Minnesota who's very similar
• 47:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't even remember.
• 47:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's the thing is like everybody's getting all excited about some of these guys.
• 47:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like they're on the practice squad.
• 47:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like they're they're third, fourth, fifth, fronting backs.
• 47:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't really know that it's that thick of a deal.
• 47:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: They can save your Thomas.
• 47:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's his name.
• 48:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't matter either way.
• 48:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I do think that having two guys on the practice squad like that.
• 48:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: I definitely think there's something to that.
• 48:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, I mean, just kind of going back to at least early in the season.
• 48:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, right now, according to Xavier God, you said, what did you say to his name was?
• 48:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Xavier Scott.
• 48:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Scott.
• 48:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, there we go.
• 48:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thomas, whatever, close.
• 48:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, Ben Johnson said today, I mean, you know, Kalmanunga, I still week the week.
• 48:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: So there's a, at least a decent chance that he's not going to be ready for week one.
• 48:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if he's not, you know, week one, week two.
• 48:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: like you could see you could see one if not both of those guys either a called up or b maybe they do a little bit of roster shuffling and one of those guys ends up on the on the roster for week one you just never know.
• 48:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right let's move over to the offensive line here before we look at the defense and a couple other things here Aaron.
• 48:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Offensive.
• 48:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I don't think there's a ton to discuss because look, we got Darrell Wright and Jonah Jackson on the right side.
• 48:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a great tandem.
• 48:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Darrell Wright got extended.
• 49:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to be a part of this team moving forward.
• 49:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's all positive.
• 49:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, obviously Jotuni at left guard, there's no concerns there.
• 49:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: So let's just talk about the two positions that have a little bit of concern.
• 49:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Center, I'm not saying there's concern because I think Garrett Bradbury will do a fine job there, but let me ask you this, would you like if there's injuries that's one thing, but if Garrett Bradbury is healthy for the year, if Logan Jones is knocking on the door, would you like to see them make a change at center at some point during the season, they get the younger player out there, even know we know how important center is for Ben Johnson's offense and the chemistry that it needs to have with the quarterback.
• 49:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think that there's definitely some value to not only getting Logan Jones from experience, I mean, the dude's already what 24 or 25, like it's, you know, that's kind of one of those, like, normally you'd like to see like, I start right away, I get why they're doing what they're doing.
• 49:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, no, I definitely like to see Logan Jones get some experience if so.
• 49:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: And
• 49:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's just, I think it's kind of one of those things that like getting something out of your second round pick, uh, you know, when you're one, even though maybe it doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things like there's there's still a little bit of optics to it.
• 50:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I would definitely like to and again, I'm not a giant Garrett Bradbury fan.
• 50:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he will fit the scheme.
• 50:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: you know, when Minnesota, my personal opinion is Minnesota, how long do him longer than they should have.
• 50:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that there's, there's going to be some room probably later, I'd say second half the season where maybe, uh, maybe Logan Jones can see some time, whether that's due to injury or just simply, you know, he's finally hit a certain spot and they want to see what he has.
• 50:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and that's where I am too like this is you brought it up when you've mentioned Braxton Jones then maybe you know 20 30 minutes ago about whatever happens like you're not worried about it and and that's what's amazing when you have a you know a head coach who cares about the offensive line focuses on the offensive line when you have an offensive line coach and Dan Rochard that you trust and trust the development his assessments and everything it's amazing like when you have a Matt Nagy who just doesn't even want to run the football
• 51:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: when you have offensive line coaches that when they're hired you have people wrongly kind of scratching and going really that's where you're bringing in and then they get retake.
• 51:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's all sorts of things my offensive lines failed but this one I'm not concerned about it.
• 51:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Do I have concerns about Braxton Jones?
• 51:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do but I have confidence that Ben Johnson and Dan Rochard are going to put together a plan that a Braxton Jones needs a little help.
• 51:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to
• 51:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Justin Fields Cleveland Brown's disaster where, you know, Miles Garrett is just running free with on single, you know, on single blocks all the time.
• 51:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, there's so much confidence that the offense is going to do it right, that even if Braxon Jones isn't the player, he needs to be in the short term, it still should be okay for the offense.
• 52:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, is there left tackle situation any worse than it was last year?
• 52:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think it is.
• 52:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you're talking about the same, right?
• 52:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, and that's kind of where it's at.
• 52:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like, I'm not going to worry about it.
• 52:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of the same thing as you are.
• 52:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just, I'm not going to worry about it.
• 52:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: They got a very good offensive line coach.
• 52:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: They got an offensive minded head coach that calls a place that also seems to obsess over the offensive line.
• 52:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just not going to worry about it.
• 52:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously injuries could change that, but if you're just looking at the starting five and then obviously your parallel coming in at some point, let's just say the second half of the season, I'm just it's it's just not something that's overly concerning, especially when you talk about how good Caleb Williams was with avoiding sacks and then negative plays when it came to that.
• 52:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Alright, this is Bear's banter.
• 52:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is the Megan mega season preview with Aaron Lemming.
• 52:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's take a quick break here when we get back on the other side.
• 53:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to break down the defense, Dennis Allen, and of course, look at this team overall.
• 53:06
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• 53:14
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• 54:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back into the podcast.
• 54:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: We continue with Aaron Lemming and we move to the defensive side of the ball.
• 54:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: And this one is not going to be as positive as the last 30 minutes or so was talking about the offense because there are a lot of concerns over the football field with this position with this unit Aaron and let's start.
• 54:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: with Dennis Allen, because we'll get into the specifics of the players and everything, but Dennis Allen, I'm a big fan of the higher, I still have confidence in him, but I thought it was interesting in the spring where Ben Johnson kind of put a little on Dennis Allen talking about meeting the coach better and needing to get more out of the players, and he didn't mention Dennis Allen specifically, but I think a lot of people kind of extracted that that's where it was, and then Dennis Allen got up there and said, yes, I need to coach better,
• 55:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, where are you with Dennis Allen?
• 55:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Are you still confident that this is the right defensive coordinator moving forward?
• 55:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because I certainly am.
• 55:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I think Dennis Allen's one of the better defensive minds football.
• 55:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that even, I mean, just again, the last game that they played against the Rams, like to look at what that look at what Dennis Allen did to that, that, that was the best offense in all football last year, and he held them to what it ended up in 20, was it 20 points?
• 55:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: because it was what it was 2017 is, I think there's a final score, yeah.
• 55:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, you're talking almost a full overtime, right?
• 56:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, I mean, we're talking basically five quarters of football and he held them to 20 points overall and frankly, had there not been a little bit of bad luck on the defensive part.
• 56:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it might have been, you know,
• 56:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: 10 or 13 I mean they did a fantastic job and even even after the game Sean and they basically told in it's out in like you you own it like I mean that was like I there was just nothing that I could do so it's it's one of those things where I think as far as him is a defensive mind I think that there's a lot to like I think there's a lot to like about some of their you know the coaches obviously out
• 56:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Harris, I mean, they got a few different guys on the on the coaching staff that wherever they've gone, again, going back to out layers wherever they've gone, they've been a little develop guys in secondary, they've always been on the forced takeaways.
• 56:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: My biggest concern right now and I know we're going to get into it is the evaluation, especially when it comes with defensive line now.
• 56:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know that they went into this off season thinking that their defensive line talent was better than the majority of the people out there believed it to be.
• 57:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I understand that they thought that simply, especially at defensive tackle like getting better fits was going to help this defense be better against the run, be able to dent the pocket all that stuff.
• 57:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know that at least some paper moving into the season, I don't know that you can convince me that can to be a street or level gal more are better players, regardless fit, whatever the case may be, that they're going to be more productive than Jerron Dexter was.
• 57:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like I'm sorry, you can't convince me that training away your best interior piece, regardless of fit, you can't convince me that that was a good move.
• 57:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's kind of why I'm out with it is I really like the coach and I really like the philosophy.
• 57:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have serious questions on the evaluation, especially when it comes to the defense line.
• 57:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, and let's talk about the defensive line, but let's talk before we get into the specific players.
• 58:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's talk about the approach this off season.
• 58:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: And before we even get into the decision on Javan Dexter is the fact that they basically decided to run it back with the same defensive line from 2025.
• 58:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, Andrew Billings is out, Neville Gallemars.
• 58:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: But for them, in Jordan, Vanderburg was drafted.
• 58:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But we're bringing back a lot of the key pieces here.
• 58:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then Dexter gets traded as well.
• 58:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: The bottom line here is the way the bears approach this.
• 58:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: They basically did tit for tit.
• 58:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: And they tried to do it in terms of getting better fits for Dennis Allen's scheme.
• 58:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Tremaine Edmonds out, Devon Bush and Jacquand.
• 58:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brisk her out, Dylan Theanaman in.
• 58:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bired out.
• 58:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, Kobe Bryant, and obviously Bryant's hurt, but even that's the thing they didn't do it on the defensive line and to me Aaron the bottom line here is and this was obviously a big debate throughout the spring and the summer is the bear spending and whenever the reason was
• 59:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we don't have to speculate on it, but whether it was George McCaskey not green lighting, more cash being spent this year to open up salary cap space, whether it was Ryan Polls and or Ben Johnson not wanting to impact future salary caps even with the accelerating cap that, you know, increase in cap that we're seeing.
• 59:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Whenever the reason was to me, Aaron, this came down to
• 59:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: the bears not wanting to spend more cash this season to bring in some defensive line help.
• 59:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And to me, and this has been my stance all off season, that decision is going to be the reason why the Chicago Bears are at playoff contender and not a superball contender.
• 59:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm I might there with you.
• 59:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think I don't know that there's any other way to look at it at this point because again, I think if like if you're if you're being objective and you're looking at this defensive line right now, whether it's defensive tackle, whether it's
• 59:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: They have a bottom five unit in this leak.
• 59:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that when you look at the defense as a whole, and I think when you look historically speaking, like most teams who have won the Super Bowl, won have very deep defensive wines, but two, they've been top 10 or better units total in terms of defense.
• 1:00:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: So when Ben Johnson talks about wanting to break the scoring record of 37.3 points a game or whatever the hell it was.
• 1:00:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's great, and I know that some people kind of got pissy about it, and I think it was, I can't remember who it was.
• 1:00:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Somebody wrote, basically, somebody wrote an article about it saying, like,
• 1:00:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: being the highest going offensive league is cool and it's fun, but it's actually not a great indicator of getting to the Super Bowl of winning the Super Bowl, right?
• 1:00:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that that's kind of where the flaws going to be, where like Jordan Vandenberg can be a really good story.
• 1:00:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: You Jane Loving can be a really good story.
• 1:00:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: They can have better scheme fits, but I think if you're looking at this objectively, like Neville Gallamore's never played more than 500 snaps in the season,
• 1:01:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, you look at Grady Jerry, Grady Jerry, it hasn't been the same player in three or four years.
• 1:01:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why would you expect the 33 year old to magically turn back into, you know, the player that he was, you know, 10 years ago, that doesn't really make any sense to me.
• 1:01:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then you start looking at the defensive, you know, defensive.
• 1:01:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, yeah, Montes, sweat is a good player.
• 1:01:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's not in the lead player.
• 1:01:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's not a guy that's going to consistently beat double teams.
• 1:01:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then it's like, okay, you've got some of this faith in Austin Booker.
• 1:01:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, Austin Booker for the second straight season may not be ready for week one, and again, you know, there's some consistency issues there, and then diodango, the same thing.
• 1:01:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, they, even the way that they've talked about them, like, hey, we want to move them inside, you know, on third down situations because we think that that's where he's going to have value.
• 1:01:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like, okay, so you're basically telling me right now that, like, your fourth edge
• 1:01:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Chroma had a good preseason, but we've seen that multiple times with guys that don't even make the roster And then they never make it and if El team again like it's like trevny gives it yeah having a good preseason doesn't really mean a whole lot when it's all set and done so again I just they don't have enough difference maker I don't think they have a single difference maker on the defensive like on the defensive line right now And I think that that is going to be a
• 1:02:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, like you talked about Montes, and look, I'm okay with the contract Montes, what got?
• 1:02:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm actually okay giving up a second round pick because getting quality edge play is a challenge in this league and sweat is a quality edge player.
• 1:02:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's great if he's your second best defensive lineman.
• 1:02:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's unfortunately not good enough to be that elite top.
• 1:02:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: you know, depends on whether it's in the middle or outside.
• 1:02:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's not at that level.
• 1:02:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's what the bears are trying to project him as, but to me, Aaron, this comes down to like you said, there's just not enough talent around sweat, like even with with Dexter gone now, and we don't know who Jordan vannever is going to be.
• 1:03:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 1:03:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: he splashed in the pre-season, but he also got his ass kicked a few times in the pre-season, which you would expect from his six-round pick.
• 1:03:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's not me complaining about him.
• 1:03:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's just the fact of where he is right now in his development.
• 1:03:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, you look at a guy like Grady Jarrett.
• 1:03:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: He should probably be a third defensive tackle at this point.
• 1:03:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now, well, Galibor should probably be a fourth defensive tackle at this point.
• 1:03:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's your starting duo.
• 1:03:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Montez sweat is like a second edge type of guy, but he's your top edge guy.
• 1:03:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, they need,
• 1:03:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: better players in front of them, these guys should be rotational guys.
• 1:03:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: And this comes down to me.
• 1:03:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, Dennis Allen's going to be able to hide some stuff.
• 1:03:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to blitz and twist.
• 1:03:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: He'll make some pressures here or there.
• 1:03:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: But the bottom line to me is if you're facing and I know it came down to a couple of plays at the end.
• 1:03:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: But if you're facing the Rams, if you're facing Sean McMay and Matthew Stafford in the playoffs,
• 1:03:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: you need to be able to get pressure with four guys.
• 1:03:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can't just give it your way into getting pressure in the playoffs and I can't see the Chicago Bears with four guys getting pressure against any good football team.
• 1:04:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: At least consistently.
• 1:04:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that even going back to that playoff game, I think that that going back to that, well, the two playoff games and frankly, like those games against Green Bay is a whole like that was their issue for
• 1:04:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's, it's one of those things where like you have to be able to get pressure with your four and having, you know, the stunts and the blitz isn't all that stuff is great, but then you get a guy like Matthew Stafford where late in the game, that might have been working earlier, but late in the game all the sudden he's able to complete a pass to Devontae Adams.
• 1:04:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he's able to hit these guys down field or whatever the case may be and make it basically outsmart the defense when it really comes down to it and again, like if you go back to looking at like even if you go back to like 2018, you know, with the bears like their offense really wasn't that good for the majority of year, but their defense was so dominant and then especially that defensive front where like you just felt like they could beat any team at any point.
• 1:05:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not saying that the bears can't do that with this iteration, but at the same time, I think if you're looking at it objectively, there's just, there's, there's a lot of concerns to how organically they're going to be able to get after the quarterback.
• 1:05:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, we hadn't even talked about stopping the run.
• 1:05:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were terrible.
• 1:05:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's off the run last year.
• 1:05:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like, had they really truly fix that with smaller shorter defensive tackles?
• 1:05:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't, I don't know.
• 1:05:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not, I'm not convinced.
• 1:05:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's where it goes back to.
• 1:05:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: the overall evaluation of talent, especially in the front four, I mean, even looking back really at like, you know, you look back into Orleans and there were some issues there that were covered up because Cam Jordan was there because, you know, Tray Hendrickson was there for a little bit, but when you really look at it, like,
• 1:05:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was a lot of very average to below average players on that defensive line and it was just reliant on getting turnovers and getting, you know, sacks and craziness, you know, at the right times.
• 1:06:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I just, in this day and age, especially with the way offenses are, I don't, I don't know that that's the very smart gamble.
• 1:06:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and when you look at this defense as a whole, and it's mostly on the defensive line, but if we look at it as a whole, what I don't think a lot of bear's fans realize, I'll be honest, I didn't realize it until a couple weeks ago when I saw this, the bears have the second most expensive defense in 2026, or I'm sorry, the third most, I think it is expensive defense in the entire NFL in 2026, because of the Jared contract,
• 1:06:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, with Jayden Johnson, et cetera.
• 1:06:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like these type of, they're spending a lot of money on this defense for not a lot of talent in return, because Aaron, when I look at this and say, all right, which players on this team would start for most defenses, you know, at least at least half, maybe two thirds of the league.
• 1:06:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Montez Sweatwood, maybe David Bushwood, I think Jayden Johnson would, you never said.
• 1:07:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, Kobe Bryant and Kylo Gordon or Hertz, so they don't count.
• 1:07:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Phenomen as a rookie is probably going to be at a point at early in the season where he's considered a quality starting safety.
• 1:07:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: You've got like two, three, maybe four guys that would start on most rosters right now.
• 1:07:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the rest of these guys are rotational guys that happen to be starting.
• 1:07:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I think that's completely fair.
• 1:07:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that, oh, man, again, I just, I don't want to understand building the defense backwards, which is exactly what they tried to start doing again this year with going out and signing Kobe Bryant and drafting Dylan Thineman in the first round and then going out and giving Devon Bush but good money, like you finally get out from under the Trimade Edmunds contract and then the first thing you do is you go out and you pay another lineback or like,
• 1:07:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those are the kind of things we're again, like if you're not going to spend first round picks or really even second round picks for the most part on defensive and defensive tackle, like you got to do a better job investing in the defense and making sure that you're hitting and unfortunately they may have a very expensive defense but they don't have a very good defense and that's just
• 1:08:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're like, at some point in time, the whole, this defense is built from Andy but Flues can no longer be the excuse.
• 1:08:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: At some point in time, it just has to be, like, you've assembled a really- There's not much left here.
• 1:08:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:08:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's not much Flues left here.
• 1:08:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
• 1:08:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, I don't know, man, again, like, the way, maybe we're both eating our words and maybe people are dunking on us, come, and I would love for that to happen.
• 1:08:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let me, let me stress that.
• 1:08:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would love to just say, hey, you guys were right.
• 1:08:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I should have been more positive on the defense.
• 1:08:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: For sure, but I don't know, I just, I don't think that's going to be the case.
• 1:08:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see.
• 1:08:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think we'll be both, oh, we're wrong.
• 1:08:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I don't think that the feeling of losing in the playoffs was was obviously probably not quite as crappy as having the type of season that they had in 2000, uh, 2024, but at the same time, like the feeling of losing in the playoffs at any point, like there's, there's only so much more of victory that can happen before it's just like damn.
• 1:09:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sitting there watching an SD championship game.
• 1:09:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like even though I don't think they would have won the game I'd just sat there the entire time like bear should have been here bear should have been here So it's like I obviously don't don't want to see them struggle on the playoffs or lose in the playoffs But it's just like I think you also have to be true to your own evaluations and I think that's kind of where we're both at
• 1:09:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we're going to learn a lot about George McCaskey and what he's willing to do in this upcoming offseason because they're going to be able to clear out Odango.
• 1:09:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're going to be able to clear out Jared.
• 1:09:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're going to be able to get rid of some of this money here.
• 1:09:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll see what happens with Kyle or Gordon.
• 1:09:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And they're going to be able to spend, but at the same time, they're going to need to extend Caleb Williams, and there's going to be guaranteed money that's going to get set aside.
• 1:09:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: There, George McCaske, if the bears are going to improve this roster and extend Caleb Williams, potentially Roman Dunes, if they want to do that.
• 1:09:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: All the people that are going to be potentially up for extensions here, George is going to have to spend more money than he ever thought he was going to have to do in one off season.
• 1:10:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I know it doesn't really mean anything, but my whole mindset is it's like if you're not willing to do it, you can't do it.
• 1:10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: you should known in a professional team.
• 1:10:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's basically what I'm out with that.
• 1:10:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that that's going to be a very interesting conversation that I think a lot more people might be open to depending on how the bears finish the season.
• 1:10:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like if they get into the playoffs, and they lose because their defenses absolute garbage again, or if we get to the trade deadline and they have to overpay for another Montes wet type player, at some point in time, like you have to start looking at this and be on the OK,
• 1:10:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: There is a certain limit to this team because of ownership and again, we're not there yet.
• 1:10:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: We don't know, but like you said, yeah, the next off season is going to be big.
• 1:10:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that in some ways, like there's reasons to be nervous and then in other ways, like it's also going to be crazy that we're going to be sitting here basically waiting for the bears to hand out the craziest extension to quarterback that they've ever done.
• 1:11:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like that's
• 1:11:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: considering the last time that that happened was Jay Cover, you know, way back in the day after they lost a game to get into the playoffs and where everybody's like, oh, maybe they shouldn't extend him.
• 1:11:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is definitely going to be a much different feeling and it's going to be a great feeling because I think we've all kind of been waiting for that for a while.
• 1:11:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So.
• 1:11:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: if we should be sure.
• 1:11:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's briefly do just a minute or two on the linebackers.
• 1:11:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think there's a lot to say here.
• 1:11:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is clearly the strongest group of the three, you know, if we just lump secondary and defensive line together, of the three waves of the defense.
• 1:11:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is a strongest group.
• 1:11:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Devin Bush brings a lot of speed, a better fit for what Dennis Allen wants to do.
• 1:11:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Looks like TJ Edwards is going to be opposite him.
• 1:11:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: They got the Marco Jackson there as well.
• 1:11:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, we'll see what happens with Elliott when he starts playing.
• 1:11:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think I have
• 1:11:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that's more of a 2027, maybe 2028 kind of move there, but overall Aaron, any concerns with this linebacker group are you overall pretty happy with?
• 1:12:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm pretty happy.
• 1:12:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think the only complaint I have is I would rather see Demarco Jackson starting.
• 1:12:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I agree with that.
• 1:12:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he's better coverage.
• 1:12:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but it is what it is.
• 1:12:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, like I said, I don't think there's much to do there because there is a lot to discuss in the secondary.
• 1:12:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: And this, this was really unfortunate, the, any idea of when you payment April after the Dylan Dean of it, and then I understand some people want a defensive line.
• 1:12:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: like no brainer.
• 1:12:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was just like that's the guy they got to grab.
• 1:12:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: They bring in Kobe Bryant.
• 1:12:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: You've got Kyler Gorg.
• 1:12:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: You got Jalen Johnson.
• 1:12:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: The little concerns Tyree Stevenson who ever is going to be as that other third corner, but you're sitting there going this starting group is great.
• 1:12:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is going to be a very good secondary.
• 1:12:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: When you sat there when there's not a lot behind these guys, that's where you're a little concerned and then Kyler Gordon has the issue and now you're just like, all right, who's playing nickel Brian gets hurt like they don't really even have a third safety they can bring in here now you've got like you got can't lose going on, you know, and again, I don't trust hiring Stevenson either.
• 1:13:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is the guy who was bench at the end of the season last year.
• 1:13:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: even though they were down a couple corners already, and he still wasn't getting out of the field.
• 1:13:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: So this room to me, I look at Jalen Johnson and go, I feel good there.
• 1:13:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think theatermen, maybe there's some growing pains early, but I think by the end of September, we're going to feel pretty confident about what he's bringing at safety.
• 1:13:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: But these other positions Aaron, this is going to be a roller coaster, and I really don't know what to expect with this secondary.
• 1:13:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, I'm a worried about corner because I think at least at safety between Cam Lewis and Xavier Woods, I think I do Xavier words, I think a lot of people forget that like he's pretty good.
• 1:13:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, he signed a two year $10 million contract in 2020.
• 1:13:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: beginning of last season so like he and he just got cut in favor so like he's a he's a viable starting option maybe not great but he's viable but I think when you look at corner like again like you said like you've you've got
• 1:14:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even if you're, even if you're okay with the two starting boundary guys, then you have to look at nickels and you have to say, okay, I like orange out, so it's like, is Clark Phillips going to be that guy?
• 1:14:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because at least from when I sound like today, they didn't really seem sure what they were going to do with them yet.
• 1:14:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Malik Mohamed is, athletically, I don't think he profiles is a nickel.
• 1:14:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's never really played nickel, so it's like that you're asking, you're already going to have a lot of growing pains with the rookie anyway.
• 1:14:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're asking for even more.
• 1:14:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: in his situation.
• 1:14:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then it's like you got Josh Blackwell who honestly play pretty well and nickel for ebrafluous and then as soon as Dennis Allen takes over, it's like he wants nothing to do with it on the deep inside of the ball.
• 1:14:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: So those are your five corners right there.
• 1:14:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So.
• 1:14:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I definitely have some concerns there because I feel like even if you sort out who's going to be the nickel, you don't really have any quality depths behind the two boundary guys.
• 1:15:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like did like Clark Phillips said five nine is all of a sudden going to be the prototype, uh, you know, boundary backup is your is your third corner there.
• 1:15:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't, I don't know that that makes the ton of sense.
• 1:15:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then again, like if you want to move,
• 1:15:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, my honoured out there, it's like, okay, but he's been playing in the nickel for the last month and a half so it's like you're kind of doing him a disservice because like you've been moving him around everywhere and corners not exactly the easiest to learn.
• 1:15:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: So there's there's a lot of high risk there and.
• 1:15:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, man.
• 1:15:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm still kind of at that point where it's like, you start looking and there's there's definitely a few names on the free agent market.
• 1:15:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kidney more, especially where it's like, obviously there's a there's a reason he hasn't signed yet, but at the same time, I'm like, okay, like at what point do we do we see that, you know, the CJ Gardner Johnson type of movie game.
• 1:15:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because here, and here's the thing for me, Jalen Johnson has played every game in one season in his entire career, and it's six seasons out.
• 1:16:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, and again, most of the time he misses two, three, four games, it's not, you know, like last year where he missed over half the season, but it's tough to expect Jalen Johnson to play 17 games this year.
• 1:16:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's probably playing closer to that 13, 14 game range, and if he's injured and he missed the start,
• 1:16:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: you better hope they're playing a bad offense those weeks.
• 1:16:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's all I can say.
• 1:16:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, again, I mean, that's I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of the maybe not to the certain crazy extent is that you know, the Bengals game last year, but I think we're going to be seeing a lot of high scoring games.
• 1:16:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, the bears are going to be almost required to score 30 plus points of game in order to win.
• 1:16:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's take a couple minutes for special teams here.
• 1:16:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: We don't need to get in the bow gardener and coverage and how Xavier and Thomas is going to do it all that But I do want to spend just a minute on the kicker in the corner because I think Cairo Santos is interesting because bears fans are very hot and cold on him and to be it's going to go it's the same way it goes every season with Cairo Santos
• 1:16:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: he's going to come up short on like a 55 yard feelable in the fourth quarter and like week three or week four, being able to be like, you gotta have a kicker with a bigger leg, you know, in the modern day NFL.
• 1:17:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: We can't keep going with Cairo Santos.
• 1:17:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then he's going to hit some clutch 48 yard field goal and swirling wins in, you know, a negative 10 degree winch
• 1:17:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: So to me it's going to be the same thing.
• 1:17:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: So curious what you think of Santos as the various kicker and Torrey Taylor especially when you time to the fact that he was a fourth round pick.
• 1:17:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: This season they really need to see him be one of the top five to seven potters in the league.
• 1:17:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah man I think I'm I'm thinking kind of what you're on both I think.
• 1:17:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Santos is top just because I think when you when you look around the league there's just
• 1:17:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: kickers that are regularly hitting 58 to 60 right you know so.
• 1:17:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: You definitely kind of want to see that but again Chicago's just not not a normal place to kick and frankly that they're two most successful kickers in the last 20 years have been Robbie gold and Carlos Santos need them one of them had great legs so.
• 1:18:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: It is what it is, and then the auditory tailor, it's time to put up a shut up, right?
• 1:18:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of the same thing as, you know, some of the other, you know, like, third, fourth round picks that that really haven't paned out, like, you know, at some point in time, if it's auditory tailor doesn't.
• 1:18:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: become one of those top hunters in a decision or a conversation needs be made to bring him and some legitimate competition next year because simply put he hasn't been good enough at all whatsoever and I don't really care what he doesn't practice because when it comes to games he's about as inconsistent as it gets and
• 1:18:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: you just can't have that with a guy that was already what when he like 28 years old or something crazy anyway like he was already that he's definitely a lot older yeah he's he's older but on top of that you spent a fourth on a pic on the guy like at some point in time he either needs to you know he's 29 know yeah so I mean he's 27 when he's drafted that's
• 1:18:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's, I'm sorry, that's crazy, man.
• 1:18:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Between that and being a corner, spending a fourth hour pick on that is absolutely insane.
• 1:19:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: So here we are.
• 1:19:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's wrap up.
• 1:19:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: We got a few questions here, but let's wrap up with some kind of some big picture stuff here.
• 1:19:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's start with the schedule because
• 1:19:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: like I know we do this every year with all the bears have a tough schedule and then a bunch of people sit there and say oh well we don't know if it's a tough schedule because there's so much variance we you know year to year in the end of it what I agree is true but like at the same time I sit here and go if Josh Allen is healthy like the Buffalo bills that are a legitimate team and it's going to be a difficult game like if quarterbacks are healthy on the roster
• 1:19:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is a tough schedule, like there's too many quality teams and that just quality teams, quality franchises that usually put out a quality football team, most seasons.
• 1:19:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: So yes, there could be some variants here there.
• 1:19:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I do think this schedule is going to be a pretty formidable challenge for Ben Johnson and company.
• 1:19:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I, I don't mean I struggle really hard to project from year to year because I mean the reality is is like they were
• 1:20:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: they were projected to have about this hard of a schedule last year, and we saw how that turned out.
• 1:20:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: You just never know.
• 1:20:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, like you said, yes, if those quarterbacks are healthy, but I mean, how many, I mean, they avoided Joe Burrow, they avoided Lamar Jackson, even though they still lost that game and what that was crazy.
• 1:20:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: But you just, you don't know.
• 1:20:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then again, I mean, even like looking at the division as a whole, like the Packers have got a lot of questions right now, Minnesota's a question mark.
• 1:20:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like,
• 1:20:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are just there are so many different things to go on in plus I mean and this is one of the things I don't know if you project like if you go through and you just like you know predict each record you know whatever I do that every I always do I'll do that next week.
• 1:20:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I've done exactly.
• 1:20:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I do I do two rounds.
• 1:20:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I do one usually and like June July and then I do one like right after camp right before the season just to see kind of warm out but
• 1:20:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like there's also those teams too where you just you have no idea like who are going to be the surprise teams who are going to be the bears in the Patriots this year, you know, like are those going to be on the bear schedule because he just don't know.
• 1:21:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know.
• 1:21:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I try hard not to bite by and to the whole, you know, this is going to be a crazy hard or crazy easy schedule.
• 1:21:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: The reality is we just don't know.
• 1:21:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean,
• 1:21:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: And frankly, it doesn't really matter for the bears.
• 1:21:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like the bears should be able to win every single one of these games.
• 1:21:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not like, oh, man, I really hope, you know, the more Jackson's out.
• 1:21:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Or I really hope that, you know, so and so is a playing.
• 1:21:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it just makes it easier.
• 1:21:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like the bears should be able to hang in every single one of these games.
• 1:21:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: The bears should be able to beat, not saying they will, but they should be able to beat Josh Allen.
• 1:21:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like they should be able to beat these other teams, especially if they have to read off and so we're expecting.
• 1:21:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we'll see.
• 1:21:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, no, it'll definitely be interesting.
• 1:21:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that leads us to you brought up the division.
• 1:21:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the division look, it should be, you know, arguably the best division football.
• 1:21:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can make a case for the West, but there's the Cardinals there.
• 1:21:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can make case for both West, obviously.
• 1:21:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: But you got the Cardinals and the Raiders and a struggling team.
• 1:22:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: You don't necessarily see that.
• 1:22:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now I don't understand the bottom can fall out for any of these teams.
• 1:22:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: But right now, you can
• 1:22:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: literally draw a name out of a hat and say, that's the team that's going to win the North and then draw another team out of the hat and be like, that's the team that's going to finish last.
• 1:22:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can do that exercise 10 times, get 10 different combinations and any chance that they could be correct.
• 1:22:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think is a possibility there.
• 1:22:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's very close, I think it's a very difficult, you know, it's going to be difficult to maneuver through the north route the year.
• 1:22:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: So why don't I ask you this?
• 1:22:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Why don't you power rank the four NFC North teams in terms of who you think is the best to the worst?
• 1:22:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, um, well, I mean, just to kind of feed back on your one point, uh, I've read, I mean, from like legit publications.
• 1:22:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just like random bloggers or whatever.
• 1:22:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like I've seen the bears projected to finish first.
• 1:22:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I've seen the bears projected to finish fourth.
• 1:22:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like he just, yeah, it just kind of feeds into your point of like you have no, you just have no earthly idea of like how this is going to happen.
• 1:23:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: trying to be a objective here.
• 1:23:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I still do think that the bears, I think you've got to give the bears respect to being that top team right now.
• 1:23:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know that everybody's saying that the lions, the lions are probably the most sound to team in the division.
• 1:23:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: They do have on paper.
• 1:23:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: They do have the easiest schedule.
• 1:23:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are a few things with the lions.
• 1:23:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not really buying yet and I think that Dan Campbell actually needs to prove outside of Ben Johnson that he can hire a legitimate offensive minded, or offensive coordinator, offensive play caller.
• 1:23:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not convinced that your pet thing is going to be that guy, but so I'd have the bears, alliance, the packers and the Vikings, I don't know man, there's just something with the Vikings.
• 1:23:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm not really buying into even with Kylo Murray, I think Kylo Murray is going to be better than what they had last year, which is a very hard.
• 1:23:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I also don't know that the defense is going to be that as good this year.
• 1:23:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: They definitely lost some talent.
• 1:23:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think with the Packers, there are a lot of question marks with that team.
• 1:23:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think people are really overrating that defense, especially without micoparsons.
• 1:24:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they don't have like a formidable edge russia outside of Parsons.
• 1:24:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then I think offensively like that offensive line that's that's the least on paper again.
• 1:24:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: It could pan out differently at least on paper.
• 1:24:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: That is the worst offensive line.
• 1:24:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I've seen the factors having quite some time and you couple that without Josh Jacobs for however long, whether that's six games or full season, what of the case may be having a questionable run game and a
• 1:24:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: bad offensive line could really deter some of what LeFore is trying to do over there.
• 1:24:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know.
• 1:24:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think I guess it's a long-winded way of saying for as much as I hate what the bears have done defensively.
• 1:24:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I still trust their offensive lot and I think that really what it comes down to is every single one of these teams.
• 1:24:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: They all have some pretty
• 1:24:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Cressing questions is, you know, that could make a break there.
• 1:24:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, like you said, you could draw a name out of the hat, pick one, draw a name out of the hat, pick four, it doesn't matter.
• 1:24:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like this could go a multitude of different ways for each of these 14's.
• 1:25:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And just to kind of drive home my point about how different this can be, you gave your power rankings if I would, if I would look at mine, I'd have the packers for for a lot of the same reasons that you brought up there and this is not a bears fan trying to hate on the packers if a packers fan somehow comes across this podcast.
• 1:25:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because usually I just think the packers are going to be good.
• 1:25:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're going to be better than the bears.
• 1:25:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's where by mindset's been for 30 years.
• 1:25:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Why would that change?
• 1:25:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: I look at this packer steam.
• 1:25:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: A lot of holes, a lot of questions.
• 1:25:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Where, you know, Mike Parsons is going to be out four to six weeks to start the season.
• 1:25:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: We don't know how effective he's going to be when he gets back.
• 1:25:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: If he's going to be the Mike Parsons right away, Tucker Crafts still, you know, in and out there, Musgrave is banged up.
• 1:25:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: offensive lines at debacle, you know, I like MLF, I like, you know, I think Jordan love is good enough.
• 1:25:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think he's great, but the issues around that team, I think the Packers are probably going to be the last place team in this division.
• 1:25:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have the Lions third, I think, you know, you brought up pets.
• 1:26:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think the questions with the coaching staff is going to be a pretty sizable issue for them.
• 1:26:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think I think they're just past peak.
• 1:26:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Jamir Gibbs is going to have a great season,
• 1:26:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: the Lions really need, you know, Dan Campbell said it a couple of years ago.
• 1:26:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: We don't know if we're ever going to get back here.
• 1:26:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know if the Lions are going to get back here at least this iteration of the team.
• 1:26:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have the bear second because for me, when I look at a minute, sort of I can see when I always lost Bernard, they did some things like you said the defense may not be as good.
• 1:26:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: I trust Brian Flores in terms of his scheme.
• 1:26:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Kevin O'Connell is a great offensive mine.
• 1:26:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: This team went nine and eight last year with James McCarthy, Carson Wenson, Max Brosmer.
• 1:26:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Kyler Murray, just being a capable quarterback, not a good one, but just can actually run an offense and get the ball to Justin Jefferson.
• 1:26:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think the Vikings are the best team in the north, which is interesting because you had them last.
• 1:26:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's just to show what kind of differences in opinions you can have on these teams.
• 1:27:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: 100%, I mean, it's, again, you could make an argument one way or the other, right?
• 1:27:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, for any of these teams, and I'm sure if any other fan of these teams were listening, they would pick a part of our argument and say, oh, yeah, well, the bears are this, this and this, and this is why the packers are going to be better, and this is why the lines are going to, it's just like it, again, right?
• 1:27:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: you just that they're so closely grouped right now and each one of them it's not and I think maybe that's the other thing too is like it's not just that they're closely grouped it's that each one of them have serious concerns and I think that there's
• 1:27:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's just no, at least in my mind, there's no real separator, right?
• 1:27:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's no real, like, okay, well, these teams have questions, but this one has the least, like they all have some serious questions, like they, I just, I don't know, man, I don't know, I, I feel like the lines of probably be the least likely to surprise me like if they won the division and finished, like, you know, 13 to 14 wins, it just be like, oh, okay, well,
• 1:28:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: last year just sucked for them.
• 1:28:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, but just like you said, there's just, I don't know, man, there's, there's some, there's some things in Detroit right now where it's like, I've always liked Dan Campbell the person.
• 1:28:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I think that Dan Campbell the coach has been about as good as, like, he's a good motivator, but I also think that he's as good as the, the coordinators like he has around him.
• 1:28:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I just, I don't know, man, there's just, there's something there, especially with the injuries that they had defensively with both of their safeties and some of the questions there and like even Sam McCorder, like, like you can't tell me that he's just magically going to come back and be the same guy that he was, like having serious back injuries that cost him the miss the majority of last year.
• 1:28:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's just magically he had surgeons magically going to be okay like I don't know there's a lot of that core like you said a lot of that core is kind of there's there's there's there's a rock to it that maybe maybe this year ends and they go back to dominating and it just is what it is and you know we just conjured this up in our heads, but I think there's something to it so we'll see.
• 1:29:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's get to a couple of questions and then we'll wrap up with a prediction.
• 1:29:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: So Aaron, here's one from opinion, Sorris, knowing what we know about trade value, pick number 10 overall for Dexter Lawrence, first, second, a third in verse for Miles, two first for Max Crosby, et cetera, how the second round of the draft fell and with the bear's current cap situation, what defensive line additions in hindsight would have been most realistic to improve that unit?
• 1:29:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's a good question.
• 1:29:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Do you have any thoughts on that one?
• 1:29:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, here's the one thing that I would, the first thing I would push back on is the current cap, and we talked about it a little bit.
• 1:29:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: The current cap was not really an issue for the bears.
• 1:29:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: The bears had plenty of maneuverability if they chose to do it to open up cap.
• 1:29:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, and I think that's why we saw the bears in on, you know, we are heard in on Dexter Lords, in on Max Crosby, checking in on Josh Sweat, you know, whatever it might have been.
• 1:30:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Ryan Polls and Kevin Warren or whoever could have convinced George McCaske to open up the pocket books if it was to land a blue chip guy.
• 1:30:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: My thing is, I question of George McCaske was willing to open up the pocket books for
• 1:30:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: good players to just beef up the unit a little bit.
• 1:30:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's where I think the issue was so I would push back there that that was an issue and look if George McCaskey told them up front we are not doing this this year we're not spending more cash if that was if and we'll never know if that was the case but if it was the case honestly opinion source there's really nothing they could have done
• 1:30:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Honestly, like there's you know, they didn't reportedly love a lot of the defensive linemen at the top of the draft.
• 1:30:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I didn't either at least the guys that we're going to be there when the bears picked if someone in always older or someone like mezzodora or something like that and fallen yet that we then we can have a conversation, but to me, I look at this and go if they were handcuff, there wasn't much they could do, but to.
• 1:31:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: overall, I think the bears, if they were serious about this, could have, and again.
• 1:31:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: what would the, what would Grenards price have been for an indivision trade?
• 1:31:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe the Vikings wouldn't have done it at all and obviously moving them to the Eagles.
• 1:31:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, it's tough to answer that question without the specifics, you know, Phillips obviously got a big deal and then you're paying basically two secondary kind of edges, you know, with sweat and Phillips, it's a complicated thing.
• 1:31:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think what the bears needed to do was find a trade partner.
• 1:31:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And they did not do that because I think in free agency, yes, you can sign a level galamore.
• 1:31:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: They could probably assign some defensive linemen that are a little stronger than that to add some depth and some strength of the unit.
• 1:31:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: But they needed to go out and find a trade partner.
• 1:32:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: If it wasn't going to be Dexter Lawrence or Max Crosby, that's fine.
• 1:32:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: But they needed to find there were other defensive linemen.
• 1:32:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: that got moved and maybe they weren't fits exactly for Dennis Allen, you know, to Vandre sweat, like there were plenty of defensive Lyme and that were talented players that got traded and the bears were not in on those.
• 1:32:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: yeah no i i think that's fair and i think frankly i mean if we're talking about like all the different moves that they put it done hypothetically speaking i still think that tray hindricks and probably made the most sense because you're not paying any picks you're just paying money but even then i mean i just yeah i don't know i i struggle
• 1:32:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's why I'm glad that you answered that because I just struggle a lot with the hypotheticals of these trades just because one like the Dexter Lawrence thing like you're not going to be able to top the, you know, the They couldn't.
• 1:32:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, they couldn't.
• 1:32:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, like with a max cross be thing like
• 1:32:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: The ravens were willing to give up more than any other team in the league and it's like at that point like I was very vocal Like I don't think it makes sense for the bears or for any team for that matter to give up multiple first round picks that just never works out for the team trading
• 1:33:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, so it's just like you start looking at those situations and it's just I don't know that there's really an easy answer.
• 1:33:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, obviously, I think if if Vita Vaia was affordable, you know, maybe that would have made sense.
• 1:33:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously he ended up staying in Tampa Bay, but it's just sometimes things just kind of have to line up and it's I don't know that anything did and it'll be interesting to see.
• 1:33:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: But see what happens, you know, around the trade deadline, maybe a guy like Josh sweat becomes available and he's, you know, you know, they only want a third round pick form or whatever the case may be or maybe maybe Max probably becomes available again and maybe they'll take.
• 1:33:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: a loan first round picked for him and maybe like a third or something and it makes more sense that way too.
• 1:33:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: But again, going back to what you said, and this is something that we've talked about offline a lot is the financials, you know, I need to know whether this was a one year thing or whether this is just the approach that they're taking moving forward because obviously,
• 1:34:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: If it's the approach that they're taking moving forward, then it's going to be very difficult to extend players like Caleb Williams and then turn around and actually be able to spend on, you know, high quality star players too.
• 1:34:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, that's how you become the Cincinnati Bengals and that's that like an insult to the Bengals, they're a good football team, but then, you know, when you have Burrow and you have Chase and you have Higgins, you have an opportunity to be elite, but they Bengals don't do a lot of the things that you need to do to be able to get a really competitive roster.
• 1:34:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: A couple more quick ones here.
• 1:34:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brent Murphy wants to know why his chef pulls allergic to the D line.
• 1:34:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we've addressed that a lot, but I do think it's fair, Aaron, because we've seen it now with two regimes with Ryan Polls here, two coaching regimes.
• 1:34:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know he said he was going to focus on the trenches, but he is definitely now multiple times building outside other than the Darnell Wright commitment.
• 1:35:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: He has been building outside in basically since he's been here.
• 1:35:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, and I think that, you know, without diving too much into the craziness of Twitter and all that other stuff, I think that that is the reason that regardless of who you blame or credit for some of these moves.
• 1:35:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think when you look at the look at what Ryan polls has done, there's a lot of questions at how he's built these teams and, you know, again, like you can put that on him, you can put that on coaching whatever the case may be, but the reality is that he, he built this scene from,
• 1:35:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Basically, the studs up after tearing down and outside of last year on the offensive line, like they have not put a high premium in the trenches whatsoever.
• 1:35:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And as we've seen, with Super Bowl teams, whether they win the Super Bowl or lose the Super Bowl, if you are not putting a high value on the trenches on both sides, like you're not going to make it.
• 1:35:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that that's that's a serious flaw, at least in in my mind.
• 1:35:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, and we've got one more here from Billy kid.
• 1:35:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: This one's kind of fun.
• 1:36:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Who is a better better general manager gets or polls.
• 1:36:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, she's.
• 1:36:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to have to say at least for right now.
• 1:36:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Chris gets right.
• 1:36:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I mean, he has such a terrible trade deadline, but I think if you're just looking at the because I mean, it's kind of unproven on both sides, right?
• 1:36:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you look at it from even like the bears perspective, they may be the playoffs last year, they want to play off game great.
• 1:36:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: They still need to prove that they can make the playoffs for the second time in a row since 2005 and 2006.
• 1:36:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then if you look at the white socks, obviously,
• 1:36:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: like they have won more games than any other team than as one of that loss of 100 games that you're previous.
• 1:36:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's a pretty solid shot that they're going to make the playoffs.
• 1:36:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: But moving in the next year, Tristan Peters is going to be the same player as Sam Antos.
• 1:36:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And Ash, you're going to be the same player like all this, you know, like the core that they have right now, like is that are they all going to want to be hanging out?
• 1:37:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Are they going to have the same exact cloud houses they did last year?
• 1:37:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like
• 1:37:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
• 1:37:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's a tough question.
• 1:37:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I will say though if you're just looking at in terms of like roster building and like development stuff like that, I think that that Chris gets which is crazy because I thought Chris gets was a terrible higher.
• 1:37:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: I actually right there with you.
• 1:37:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think that if you look at the what Chris gets did to change the development of the farm system and how many guys that are on the team right now that they have developed themselves versus what the bears have done, I think that you.
• 1:37:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think cats are fighting now.
• 1:37:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that that's probably an area where I would give Chris gets the bumper, whatever, which is crazy.
• 1:37:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, I shot them even saying now that here we are.
• 1:37:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I agree with you.
• 1:37:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think both teams are going to be in a similar situation in 2027.
• 1:37:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're both going to wonder if ownership will in the spend.
• 1:37:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, well, at least with the white socks out, like we know that they've got a new ownership coming in.
• 1:38:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: What the bears are just like the casters, like, no, this is our legacy, even though even if we're not doing a good job, this is our legacy.
• 1:38:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, maybe let's just stop.
• 1:38:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right.
• 1:38:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's wrap it up with a prediction.
• 1:38:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Where do you think the Bears finish?
• 1:38:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: What do you think the record is and how far can they advance in the playoffs assuming you have them in the playoffs?
• 1:38:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I haven't done my final final final one, but I'll just stick with the one that I did like a month ago.
• 1:38:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I haven't finishing 12 and 5.
• 1:38:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think their offensive's going to be good enough.
• 1:38:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they're gonna have nearly as close close enough games.
• 1:38:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they're gonna be good enough to be able to overcome a lot of the defensive issues.
• 1:38:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: And if we're being honest, I have them losing in the NFC divisional round again, because I think that again, the defense is gonna be a problem until proven otherwise.
• 1:38:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's why I'm out that.
• 1:38:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I am a little more pessimistic than you.
• 1:38:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think they finish probably 10 and 7.
• 1:38:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think the schedule trips them up a little bit.
• 1:38:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have concerns about the defense.
• 1:39:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know if you want to call that regression.
• 1:39:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: But 11 and 6 to 10 and 7.
• 1:39:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think someone else is going to win the division.
• 1:39:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll predict the Vikings.
• 1:39:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, you could see any of those other two teams do it.
• 1:39:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think they're a playoff team.
• 1:39:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think they're probably at like the sixth seed.
• 1:39:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: they could absolutely, you know, might be the North team at their play and then in that first round.
• 1:39:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think, or, you know, an East champion, I think they could definitely win a road game, and then maybe get bounced in the divisional round.
• 1:39:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think we're taking different paths, but I think we're looking at a similar result.
• 1:39:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
• 1:39:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think until proven, otherwise, man, the defense
• 1:39:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: All right.
• 1:39:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's going to do it for bears banter Aaron.
• 1:39:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for so much time.
• 1:39:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really appreciate it as we do every year I know this was where we're at 90 minutes plus really enjoyed the conversation really enjoy you coming on over year.
• 1:39:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: You every year man.
• 1:39:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is our thing nine and nine years.
• 1:39:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's crazy.
• 1:39:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll do it in 365 days.
• 1:40:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for tuning in.
• 1:40:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll be back next week getting you ready for bears fanthers.
• 1:40:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bear it on everybody.
• 1:40:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Talk to you soon.
• 1:40:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Adios.
• 1:40:23
  [UNKNOWN]: You