Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Bears Banter Ep. 223: Patrick Mannelly joins after wild win over Bengals!

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Bears Banter Ep. 223: Patrick Mannelly joins after wild win over Bengals! · 2nd City Gridiron

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: You ever seen the movie Space Balls or they have the early copy of the movie and they're fast forwarding.
• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, prepare to fast forward.
• 0:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's your warning.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because after that win, this one might be a little obnoxious.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: right fair round bears fans this time for another edition of the Chicago Bears podcast bears banter hour by second city grid iron bill Zimmerman with you and we are rolling this week.
• 0:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: After a Chicago Bears victory, an epic Chicago Bears victory.
• 0:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: A Chicago Bears victory wherein the past you know.
• 0:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: They would have just tucked their tails and lost that one, but not this Bears team.
• 1:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is a fun Bears team.
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is a fighting Bears team.
• 1:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk about it.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk about it with Patrick Mannelly, yes, of 67 years, score the long time Chicago Bears long snapper.
• 1:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be by here in just a little bit.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: And the one thing we always do with Patrick Mannelly, we talk special teams.
• 1:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I will be honest, this was set up prior to the Bengals game.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I did not know special teams was going to be such a hot topic this week.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But it's certainly a great week to have Patrick Mannelly on and get an idea of what on earth.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: is going on with those Chicago Bears special teams.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: But let's start with the positives and let's start with the fact that this Chicago Bears team won this game.
• 1:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Should it have come down to that?
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, of course not.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's why we keep dipping our toe in the water with this team.
• 1:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are proceeding with caution with this team.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Last week, my first question to Mark Silverman was,
• 1:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: are the bears good.
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we can still sit here a week later and go are the bears good because they are definitely a scrappy team.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: They fight to the last second.
• 2:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: They are winning football games.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: They are ugly at times.
• 2:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's the question.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is it sustainable?
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like right now, and it's a totally different style because this team I'm about to reference was defense and run on the football, like Chicago Bears teams have been many times in the past, but the Dicturon 13 and 3 2000 one Bears team.
• 2:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's starting to get that kind of vibe.
• 2:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Starting to get the, you know, the Mike Brown picks sixes, the James Allen Hail Mary, the wild crap that kept happening in 2001 where the bears just kept pulling out.
• 2:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Win after win after win.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Team goes 13 and three wrenters in the playoffs and NFL pundits everywhere going.
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: are the bears good and had Jim Miller not getting hurt.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: They might have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles because I think was 14 13 when Miller got hurt.
• 3:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: But regardless, they lost that one because they lost to a superior quarterback.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: But now we're winning wild crazy games here that we're seeing the bears win and we're seeing them do it with a quarterback who's significantly better than Jim Miller.
• 3:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you're listening, Jim, sorry, pal.
• 3:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love you,
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is exciting, it's fun, they're five and three.
• 3:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: They still have some winnable games coming up here.
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think they absolutely should beat the New York Giants and move to six and three.
• 3:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think at worst, they should be able to split with Minnesota and Pittsburgh in those two games.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: They might win them both.
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: They could be at eight and three, but let's say they're at seven and four.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's when they get to that, the teeth of that schedule were things really get hard.
• 3:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've been talking about it a lot.
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: starting the day after Thanksgiving with that Philadelphia Eagles game.
• 3:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's what we're going to learn about the bears.
• 3:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bears could collapse there with the Eagles and the Packers and the 49ers and all of it Detroit Lions.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: All these seems they still have to play or they can show us something and say actually no, we've been figuring things out and figuring out a way to win football games and now we're ready to win football games.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they've got a lot to figure out here this month because at the end of this month, things are going to get serious for this Chicago Bears team.
• 4:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: So let's break this game down a little bit, let's break it down, talk about all the players involved that were critical here.
• 4:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: But let's start with Ben Johnson, because again, and I feel like a broken record, but I don't know how I can't just keep repeating this stuff over and over again.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: what he's building here is it's like nothing we've ever seen and I get Matt and Aggie with Club Dubbing in 2018.
• 4:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was fun and everything, but it just it feels different this time.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: It really does.
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: It feels like a culture shift.
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: It feels like things
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: have never been like this in the last at least 15 years because we saw how quickly 2018 fell apart with a little adversity.
• 5:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: And while the bears are winning football games, they're facing adversity every week because of how these games are playing out.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: How many time?
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, look, they should never have blown a 14 point lead with under three minutes to go, never, ever, ever should that have happened.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: but they did.
• 5:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they didn't just sit there and be like, oh well, they won the damn football game.
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: That has been this team's difference over and over again, that they are finding ways to win these close games.
• 5:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is something they've never been able to do in the past.
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: We talked about the eberfluous and all the 99% tile wind probabilities that he's blown.
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And here's Ben Johnson blowing a 99% wind probability only to turn around and win the game anyway.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: So this is what we're seeing.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are seeing a totally different kind of winning culture being built here.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's not just exciting for this year.
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's potentially exciting, moving forward because these players are learning how to deal with adversity within the body of the game.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if you start doing that, when you start facing adversity in the season, which of course, they were starting off Owen too and blowing a game like they did to Minnesota and getting the doors blown off them like they did against Detroit.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're getting this adversity here and they're overcoming it because they believe in their head coach.
• 6:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that is definitely something that hasn't been the case.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it was a case in 2018, but it hasn't been the case since about 2020.
• 6:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it certainly wasn't the case from you know, 2014 to 2017 to 2013 to 2017 either.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, the team believed in love me.
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: They had a lot of success with love me.
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that success has been really propped up to more than it actually was if we're being honest.
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, lovey Smith when you look at it and you look at the full body work was like a nine and seven coach and went to a Super Bowl.
• 6:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's kind of what lovey Smith is.
• 6:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: But when you talk about this bears team since 1991, a nine and seven coaches is a miracle because every other coach has had and massive failure here.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we're seeing something getting built with Ben Johnson.
• 7:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: and you're seeing this team believe in him and believe in each other, and that goes such a long way.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now let's talk about Caleb Williams here, because I do think the criticism of Caleb here, it's getting to be a little extreme, and I understand that not everything is perfect.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I get that, but I also feel like people are watching Caleb Williams and looking for mistakes, rather than just watching it and going, all right, well, he did four positive things in a row, and then yes, he made a mistake two out of the next three plays, and then he did five positive things in a row, and then he made a mistake, then he did two positive things in a row, and then he made two mistakes in a row, then he made seven positive things in a row, and instead of just looking at that and going, it's not consistent, but it's a lot more good than it is bad.
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: We seem to be focused on, well, he's frantic here and he held on to the ball too long here and he took a bad sack here and look like Drake may is great, but Drake may has taken some bad sacks.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're not talking about that.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're talking about because it's a Drake may because the the
• 8:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Patriots of Good and Drake May has got a great QBR and an EPA per play and everything where we're just going to rob Rod Drake May.
• 8:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're not doing that with Caleb Williams.
• 8:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're not talking about Jaden Daniels got hurt, sucks for Washington.
• 8:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's season got flushed down the toilet, but prior to that injury.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did anyone watch, if you just watch Jane Daniels year two in a bubble, you had no idea about what Jane Daniels did in year one, right?
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: You just looked at Jane Daniels year two.
• 8:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: You said, this is the LSU quarterback in year two.
• 8:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: What do you think of them?
• 8:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're like, oh, well, he's got some work to do.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not terrible, but it's not good, you know, what what do you do in the first, oh, he went to the NFC championship.
• 8:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh,
• 9:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's surprising, because I swear everyone's watching Jane Daniel's tape this year as, well, he went to the NFC Championship game.
• 9:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's great.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's just not quite as good this year.
• 9:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's just, oh, Terry McCloron's been hurt.
• 9:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've had some issues.
• 9:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, just give him the pass.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right?
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like CJ strow this year.
• 9:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're starting to see some, some dense.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: in terms of how people look at him because he had such a great rookie year, such an awful year too, to the fact that everyone goes, well, had them in Bobby Slowix fault.
• 9:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bobby Slowix, the one year one, or they fire Bobby Slowix, they knew when to bring offensive coordinator.
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Texans offense again, looks bad.
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I get it.
• 9:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've had some injuries.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: They have no, you know, there's, there's no Joe mix and they've got no running game, the offensive line is suspect.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I get all the issues facing CJ Stroud, but this is the second year in a row where he has looked pretty, so now the Texans are going to have to come to this offseason and say, are we going to just, obviously you're going to pick up the fifth year option, but are we
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: going to give him that massive $280 million extension, or are we just going to pick up the fifth year option and say, you know, let's see, Jay, we need to see what things look like in year four because years two and years three are not the quarterback that we want to pay, you know, $60 million a year two, $65 million a year two.
• 10:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we got a wait and see what's going on here.
• 10:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: So
• 10:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, you need to see the consistency, but you need to see it year over year as well.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Drake may has been great.
• 10:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am not here knocking Drake may and trying to come up with the reason why Caleb Williams is playing better than Drake may.
• 10:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is not right now.
• 10:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Doesn't mean he won't be by the end of the season or next year or whatever.
• 10:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: but right now Drake may is playing great.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Caleb Williams is here 100% played better than Jane Daniels.
• 10:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know Jane Daniels might miss the rest of the season or a big chunk of the season.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the body of work for September and October and I know Jane got hurt twice, which is honestly part of the evaluation of Jane Daniels was the idea that this guy was a slim build.
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: He took a lot of hits and was that going to hold up and this year we're already seeing it.
• 11:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: He got hurt last year too.
• 11:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: three separate injuries in half a season.
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's concerning for the Washington Commanders and Jaden Daniels.
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you're you but that aside the actual play on the field and maybe Jaden was hurting and maybe that was part of the issue.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Caleb Williams played better in Jaden Daniels.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, Bo Nix and Caleb Williams, that's close.
• 11:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's kind of hard to tell.
• 11:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes sometimes bone-next looks great.
• 11:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes bone-next doesn't look great, but you can say the same thing about Caleb Williams.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Michael Panics, I know we had a really good game this past week, but Michael Panics has not looked the part.
• 11:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: J.J. McCarthy.
• 11:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: I understand he beat the bears, but overall you cannot argue that J.J. McCarthy, unless you're Thor and I strum, is better than Caleb Williams.
• 11:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we're sitting here at what's considered a really promising rookie class of quarterbacks from 2024 and saying Caleb Williams might be playing the second or third best out of that group, which when you rewind a year ago at the end of that season, everyone's like, oh, we'll look at Bonix and Sean Payton, Michael Panix, look good in December, J.J.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: May is great.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it was like, oh, Caleb Williams from the number one pick might be the worst quarterback in the in this draft.
• 12:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're not saying that anymore, are we?
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we're seeing the steady improvement from Caleb Williams.
• 12:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're seeing the pressure to sack rate, being very good.
• 12:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're seeing the sack percentage, be very good.
• 12:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're seeing the yards per attempt.
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's like 11th or 12th in the league.
• 12:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was way down at like 30, a 31st last year.
• 12:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're seeing the EPA per play, much better over the last few weeks.
• 12:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think Nate Tyson put it out since week two, how the bear's offensive EPA per play, which is a lot of Caleb Williams.
• 12:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: is in a much better place.
• 12:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then we're seeing a game and I get the Cincinnati Bengals defense is atrocious.
• 12:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's historically bad.
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's probably worse than the Dallas Cowboys defense, but the bottom line here.
• 13:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: is that Caleb Williams did what he needed to do.
• 13:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he did it with a little pizzazz.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: And thank you, Ben Johnson.
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Williams, two receptions in the same game, two receptions, one for a touchdown.
• 13:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: You got to love the creativity.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And there, yes, they're trick plays, but they're not even necessarily.
• 13:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not like the...
• 13:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: it's just a whole different way of looking at how to execute an offense.
• 13:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: When you see what Ben Johnson is doing and how he's doing it on a week to week basis.
• 13:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And for me, where I am with Caleb Williams, is confidence is building.
• 13:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: And this is a guy who after week one said, I don't like what I'm seeing and week two, it was a little better, but it still wasn't great.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then we feel a little better
• 13:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: things, law here again, against the Saints, we saw some struggles again.
• 14:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously the clutch game against the Raiders, but the Ravens game was obviously not good and now we're seeing it up ticket again.
• 14:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yes, it's a bad defense, but Caleb Williams doing the things to do.
• 14:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'll tell you this.
• 14:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then we'll get to Mnongai in a couple other things we had to talk about special teams.
• 14:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: is you cannot make a better throw.
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: The game winning throw, you cannot make a better throw.
• 14:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: If there was a way to grade a throw, if this is like diving or gymnastics and you've got the judges, right?
• 14:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you're gonna score.
• 14:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was a perfect 10.
• 14:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: On a fairly high difficulty throw.
• 14:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Caleb drops back,
• 14:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: does not hesitate because here's the thing, if Caleb Williams throws that ball and tick earlier, Colson Lovelin isn't finding that soft spot where he is and the ball might be getting deflected or intercepted.
• 15:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he throws it a tick later, I'm not talking about a second later, I am talking about a tick, a split second later.
• 15:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Those four guys, yes, four guys, converging on him would have been there.
• 15:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: And again, the play would have failed.
• 15:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Caleb saw it, new exactly when he needed to throw it, exactly when through four guys, umbrellaed around Coulston Loven, exactly where to hit him.
• 15:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, Coulston Loven did a great job bouncing off the tacklers and sprinting towards the goal line.
• 15:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'll tell you what, I don't have it hurt a lot of people talking about this.
• 15:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: If Carlson Lovlin goes down at like the 20, intentionally, the bears have, you know, 20, 25 seconds again on the ball spike the clock and win the game with a field goal.
• 15:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Carlson Lovlin rumbles an extra 15 yards and gets tackled at the five.
• 15:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears may lose that game.
• 15:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've got no timeouts.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's an extra 15 yards for all the offensive Lyman to run to.
• 16:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's an extra couple seconds that Calea will that Colson love and takes off the clock.
• 16:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: That it's an extra couple seconds for the offensive line to get up there for Calea Williams to spike the football to win it with a field goal.
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: like it would have been close.
• 16:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: They may have spiked the clock with, uh, spiked them all with two, three seconds to stop the clock, but it was going to be really close.
• 16:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Caleb was going to be have to be on his piece and cues to make sure he got the offense lined up to to stop the clock.
• 16:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But regardless, Lovelin decides to rumble he rumbles all the way to the end zone bears win that one.
• 16:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the one thing that we didn't talk about.
• 16:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: If Lovelin gets tacked at the five and the bears can't spike the ball.
• 16:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're talking about a complete epic failure in terms of how the bears blew that game.
• 16:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: But again, we put that aside.
• 16:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Lovelin did score.
• 16:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's all that matters here.
• 16:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Chicago Bears win the football game.
• 16:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk about Kyle Menongai because we do need to again, talk about how the Bengals defense is the worst run defense in the league.
• 17:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's worse than the Dallas Cowboys.
• 17:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's the worst in the league.
• 17:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: But coming in that game, I think opponents were averaging 155 yards on the ground.
• 17:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: So Kyle Menongai doing the same isn't that much of a surprise, but when you talk about a seventh round rookie and talk about 26 carries and how much the offense relied on him.
• 17:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was great to see and I will save this.
• 17:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Kyle Manongai and again, what he had done prior to this game was all positive, right?
• 17:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's runnin' forward, he's runnin' strong, powerful, the legs are churning, everything you want to see from an in-between the tackles back.
• 17:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: What I was most impressed with with monangai was how he ran at the second and third levels of that defense that he was running to space, that he was using angles.
• 17:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was not North and South.
• 17:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm not saying he was jukin' and dipsy doin' and all the things that you saw Barry Sanders do or Jamir Gibbs do or anything like that.
• 17:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: But he was running smart.
• 18:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: he was running where he knew he could get instead of you know plowing into a guy he did it at times he plowed into a guy and get next to three four yards at times but at times he sits there and goes all right i could plow into this guy and gain a couple extra yards or i could cut to the left and run it in angle and i think i could seven or eight yards
• 18:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he did.
• 18:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he took where the yardage was.
• 18:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't sitting there getting overly greedy.
• 18:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: But he saw, he had vision.
• 18:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because this is mostly a guy where we didn't see what he could do at the second and third levels to the first few games of the season.
• 18:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: We saw a guy running in between the tackles for the most part, running hard and breaking some tackles, dragging some tacklers and getting four or four and a half yards of pop, which was great to see from the seventh round pick.
• 18:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: But we saw a different kind of banana guy where you sit there and go, this guy could be some, I'm not sitting here saying he's going to be a 1300 a year running back.
• 18:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: He might be, but he certainly feels like a guy who's going to be able to develop if we go into again, the Jamir Gibbs David Montgomery example that Ben Johnson had in Detroit.
• 19:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: He could develop into the David Montgomery back here.
• 19:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: He could
• 19:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we talked about it, you know, at the first couple weeks of the season about how Kyle Monange is college tape show that he was a really good pass blocker and he was atrocious the first couple weeks where he's got to get that clean up, he's got to figure things out.
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Seems like he has a lot, his pass blocking has been much better and when you can pass block in Ben Johnson's offense, you can be out there for a lot more snaps.
• 19:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: So with this New York Giants game coming up, you have to look at it and go,
• 19:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do we really need to push the Andre Swift back?
• 19:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Should we just let Swift take his time, miss the giant scheme and give him a few weeks off on that groin and see if he can get it to heal before he comes back potentially against a Minnesota Pittsburgh and then like I said, the teeth.
• 19:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: of that schedule.
• 19:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the way this offensive line is blocking, especially in the run game, Darnell Wright has become an elite tackle.
• 20:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I haven't looked at tape from all the other left and right tackles to know exactly where he is this year.
• 20:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I'd be hard pressed to imagine he's not a top 10 tackle in this week.
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: the way he's playing right now.
• 20:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Dan Rochard has done wonders with Darnell Wright.
• 20:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is a guy who's going to be getting a big time extension 25 26 27 million dollars a year headed Darnell Wright's way for how he's played.
• 20:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: that the interior block and really well in the run game.
• 20:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Theo Bennett it blocking really well in the run game.
• 20:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I, you've got to tip your cap to Theo Bennett it.
• 20:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I get his issues in past blocking.
• 20:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not good.
• 20:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: It is not what you want to see out of your left tack on terms of past blocking.
• 20:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: but I'm not blaming for the abandonment for any of that.
• 20:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm blaming Aussie Trepillow, I'm blaming Braxton Jones, I'm blaming Karana Magaji.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: These are the guys that can't get it done at left tackle.
• 20:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is the three-year starter, the second round pick, the third round pick that aren't getting it done at left tackle.
• 21:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: So here comes the second year UDFA stepping in and doing a far better job than any of them had shown in any spot.
• 21:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: When you look at what Amagaji did in preseason, what Trapillo did in preseason, what Braxton Jones did early in the season, the tape that it's putting down is better.
• 21:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is it great in past parking?
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, it's not.
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's problematic in past parking.
• 21:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: But this is a scrappy guy, an aggressive guy.
• 21:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he, you know, run game, the block he hit on Gino Stone, he, I don't know if you've seen it.
• 21:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Google or go into Twitter, whatever, Theo Bennett and Gino Stone.
• 21:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: It'll pop up the block he put on the Raven safety.
• 21:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: He drove him like 25 yards, drove him like eight yards out of bounds and I did just drill them into the bench.
• 21:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like in the, you know, I hate to bring it up because it's not, you know, the movie has an age well, but in the blind side movie,
• 22:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: where, you know, he takes the offensive linemen and drives them back like 75 yards and dumps them over the wall.
• 22:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: That felt like that kind of block.
• 22:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the kind of thing that Theo Bennett did there.
• 22:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was absolutely incredible what he accomplished.
• 22:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now,
• 22:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: When we look at at the rest of the team, we see much improve from Colston, lovlin, we'll see about him moving forward if he can be more involved in the offense.
• 22:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Roma Dunes A and no show.
• 22:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I saw a couple people talking about James and Dunes A. I'm not worried about that.
• 22:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: He can spout off whatever he wants to spout off.
• 22:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's not going to impact the bears at all.
• 22:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Roma Dunes A is still Roma Dunes A.
• 22:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, TJ Moore is the keyis.
• 22:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: We get as, there's still work, it's a work in progress on the offense.
• 22:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: The defense didn't generate a lot of pressure.
• 22:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Joe Flacco ripped up in the shreds.
• 22:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be a problem.
• 22:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: This defense is not a good defense unless they're getting turnovers.
• 22:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is the only time this defense looks very good is when they create turnovers.
• 22:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: they were doing it for a while.
• 23:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And again, like we talked about it, we talked about it with Anne Aaron.
• 23:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's cyclical.
• 23:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not sustainable to turn the ball over that much.
• 23:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: And here's where the Chicago Bears end up with a defense that gets slashed.
• 23:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Joe Flacco, you realize this.
• 23:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Joe Flacco has thrown for over 200 yards in the fourth quarter.
• 23:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: The last two times he's played the Chicago Bears.
• 23:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what it is about Joe Flacco and Bears Games, but they are crazy.
• 23:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: That game on Sunday, crazy.
• 23:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Browns game, where Fluse blew it, and the Miss Hail Mary, crazy.
• 23:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Other games Joe Flacco is played against the Bears.
• 23:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: The 2019 Broncos game, where Mitch converted the fourth and 15th Alan Robinson, and they kicked the game.
• 23:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: They got the clock stop with a second to go and Eddie Pignero kicks like a 55-yard field go to win it.
• 23:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was a Joe Flacco game.
• 23:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Ravens game where they had two special teams touchdowns, Adrian Amos, had a 90-yard pick six.
• 23:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was a Joe Flacco game.
• 23:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: The 2013, remember the weather delay against the Ravens were like the sky's turn purple.
• 24:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: They had to evacuate the stadium and scram everyone.
• 24:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I was at that game.
• 24:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: cram everyone in the con course someone had like the the giant from ghostbusters state puff marshmallow man like trying to get into the stadium because the sky was that ominous that was a joe flaco game i don't understand what happens with joe flaco but it is wild what happens when he plays the bears hopefully that doesn't happen again the four-year-old time to hang it up you don't need to be on the bear schedule next year if he's on whatever team he's on if he decides to keep playing
• 24:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we'll wrap it up with special teams.
• 24:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to talk about it too much because the fact that Patrick Manley is going to be joining me here in a couple minutes.
• 24:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I did say it and I'm going to ask Patrick about this.
• 24:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to assume he's going to disagree with me because I'm a hothead and he's a level headed football player who actually knows what he's looking at with special teams.
• 24:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I tweeted out before the game ended.
• 24:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: after the on-side kick when Cincinnati's way.
• 24:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I said, winter lose, let's be honest.
• 25:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Richard Heitower should be fired tomorrow.
• 25:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I knew Richard Heitower was not going to be fired tomorrow, but Richard Heitower should not be back in 2026.
• 25:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's where we're at here.
• 25:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears kick coverage.
• 25:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: They are 30 if in the league in terms of the opponent's starting field position.
• 25:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've seen the pun, gunners don't seem to be getting down and covering puns consistently.
• 25:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Cairo Santos has regressed.
• 25:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's, you know, Tory Taylor is not the guy that bears drafted.
• 25:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying you can blame all this on Richard high tower, but what positives are coming out of special teams right now?
• 25:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not seeing it.
• 25:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I want to ask Patrick Manley about this.
• 25:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk about the Bengals game and the craziness and everything else with Patrick Manley.
• 25:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line here is the bare special teams.
• 25:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: If the bare's lost that game, you can point at Dennis Allen, you can point at the defense, you can point at a lot of things.
• 25:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the one thing everyone would agree to have to point at is the failure of the special teams.
• 26:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Patrick Manley is going to talk about this next.
• 26:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: He joins me next.
• 26:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bill Zimmerman Bear Spanter will be right back.
• 26:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back into the podcast excited to do this guest he's come on every year the last few years it's always a great conversation because we talk about the offense we talk about the defense but the one thing we never going to chance to talk about enough is special teams and Patrick Manly there is no one better to talk special teams than with him we're going to talk about this five and three Chicago Bears team of course you hear him on 670 the score you can get long
• 26:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm doing great.
• 26:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're five and three to a lot better this year than it's been in the past.
• 26:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we got some positivity and positive things to talk about, but you mentioned special teams there and I'm sure we'll get to it.
• 26:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was not so good last week that we absolutely need to dive in at that, but I want to start with positive because like this, this team is five and three.
• 26:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: really seems to be to me.
• 26:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've talked about it a ton on the podcast.
• 26:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel like a broken record.
• 27:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: It feels like a culture change at Hallis Hall.
• 27:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: That this team is it's learning how to win football games.
• 27:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's believing.
• 27:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not letting the mistake ripple them and put their heads down.
• 27:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: They are fighting and clawing for every point and every yard.
• 27:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: And these games that they're winning, the the Raiders game, the obviously the Bengals game.
• 27:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: These are the games in the past that I just
• 27:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: They would not have won these games once they lost the leader, whatever it would be.
• 27:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sure.
• 27:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's changed.
• 27:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: So what was the experience for you watching that Bengals game and does this bear's team have a different vibe for you this year?
• 27:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's no doubt, and there's a great point because
• 27:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: there is a culture change and it's belief and you said believe you said the word believe there and I talked about it in the post game at all and that there's belief this is three close games they've won and it's come down to the kind of the last place of the game in the fourth quarter when they've had to come through and do it and in the years past we've done these podcasts I've done post game shows they've found ways to lose well now they're finding ways to win and you do that first with starting off believing you know they got the ball back with 50 seconds to go
• 28:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm sitting next to all in my radio host, and he goes, all right, Caleb, let's do this.
• 28:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're in the years past, I mean, even Chicago fans are like, oh no, what are we going to do to lose this, right?
• 28:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So this belief is not only, you know, in the fandom, it's that same way on the sideline that they know when they get the ball back, or they have an opportunity, now somebody's going to come through and do it.
• 28:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, Josh Blackwell blocking a field goal.
• 28:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: to Caleb doing what he's doing with a rookie tight-end, uh, what a throw-in-a-catch and a run-by, uh, coals some lovelin at the end.
• 28:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: But, yeah, there's a big culture change, man.
• 28:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's this belief.
• 28:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's, it's, it's, it's, it's seeping out into us as fans as too.
• 28:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm watching games and I'm like, hey, all right, they gave up the league.
• 28:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: They gave up 14 points.
• 28:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: That was ugly as could be, but you give Caleb some time.
• 28:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go.
• 28:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, absolutely.
• 28:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And to me, I brought this up when I started off the podcast here before you jumped on totally different type of team.
• 29:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because this is obviously their score and points.
• 29:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: And in 2001, it was more of a defense of oriental team.
• 29:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I'm starting to get that 2001 vibe.
• 29:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you were on that team.
• 29:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's why I wanted to bring it up with the Mike Brown and the Browns Hail Mary.
• 29:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: And
• 29:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like it just feels like this has that same kind of vibe about a football team where we can sit there and look at them and go, how good are they?
• 29:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not quite sure yet, but damn it, they know how to win football games.
• 29:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's really good, Bill, because I was gonna say the 2005 team because we went to the Super Bowl next year, but you're right, because it does go back to 2001, because a lot of us were on that 2001 team, and that's what we learned how to win in the NFL.
• 29:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: And those were crazy two games with Mike Brown, and obviously Mike Brown was still there Iraq for myself.
• 29:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: All in guys that played on those teams, we learned.
• 29:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's when the culture change started to happen.
• 29:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it took us a little while to catch back up when we changed coaches.
• 29:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: But for sure, that's a great point because it does start in that locker room with guys with games.
• 29:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're winning the way you are and that you believe you can do in the future.
• 30:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that helped us get into the 2006 year and get to a Super Bowl.
• 30:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately, lost.
• 30:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it did start in 2001.
• 30:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's a great comparison.
• 30:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, and let's talk about some of the individuals on this team and let's not, let's not bury it with Caleb Williams, but we'll start right there because Let's just start with the loved one throw like like you you talked about how good of a throw that was and and you know it looked right on the broadcast and then when you see the the coaches tape and you see the all 22 and you see that A ticker layer and he it wasn't going to get completed it right later
• 30:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't it was the he was decisive with it because he dropped back drilled them all exactly when it needed to and and and lovelin bounces off the tacklers and goes I said if he got tackled at the five Patrick we might have been having a wildly different conversation because I don't know if it would have been able to get on the ball and spike it but regardless he gets to the end zone.
• 30:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: to me that William Strow was just the epitome of who he can be as a quarterback in terms of just decisive and drilling and making a great throw.
• 31:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I've seen a lot of people always still looks a little frantic.
• 31:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's he took a bad snack.
• 31:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: I sometimes I feel like people are looking for criticisms rather than just evaluating what they've seen.
• 31:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I was a little nervous after the Vikings game week one.
• 31:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I've seen a lot of growth and improvement.
• 31:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: The sack rate.
• 31:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot
• 31:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's no doubt about it.
• 31:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: That throws spectacular.
• 31:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I was a little hard on Caleb and the post game show.
• 31:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: I wanted to see more overall, but I just finished it all 22 earlier this morning.
• 31:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: He played pretty damn well.
• 31:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you saw a lot of that arm talent.
• 31:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: That last throw was exactly what we're talking about.
• 31:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And everybody was talking about why he got drafted where he was.
• 31:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But there is still growth there, Bill.
• 31:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of growth.
• 31:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to see it as the pre-imposed snap, just recognition of what's going to.
• 31:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: happen so the game kind of slows down form.
• 31:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: I still think he has a ways to go for that.
• 31:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: But there were so many throws.
• 31:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we've seen throws the DJ to, I know we didn't play with the Andre Swift, just laying it in there and him catching one hand in these just miraculous throws.
• 32:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's making under pressure for phenomenal.
• 32:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he definitely has the arm talent.
• 32:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: But more importantly, the great quarterbacks,
• 32:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: they perform in two-minute drills, they score points before the half and they score points to the end of the game.
• 32:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And we're seeing that with him.
• 32:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And just think about that.
• 32:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's already doing that now and start number 25 and he still is not matured yet as far as his football understanding of the NFL defenses and NFL coverage as blitz as in all that kind of stuff.
• 32:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And as he does, I think he's going to be that much better.
• 32:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and we talked about this last year, I know you and I did, and I did with a couple other offensive linemen types who talked about how, as the season progressed during his rookie season, he definitely trusted the offensive linemen, less and less and less.
• 32:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: And as a young quarterback, if you don't trust the protection,
• 32:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: everything is just going to kind of collapse around you and we have I it feels a lot different this year and that's why I think we've seen so many positives in terms of him standing in the pocket and making a throw even if the pocket's not perfect and it's a little choppy he doesn't mind standing in there because he believes that Tony and Dalman and Jackson are going to keep guys off of him and he's going to have space to throw and when so when he does need to scramble and make a play it's not as catastrophic
• 33:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 33:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: If things don't go go well.
• 33:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the offensive line has looked so much better this year.
• 33:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Theo Bennett, I know the past blocking is not what it needs to be.
• 33:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: But as a second year UDFA who doesn't necessarily have the traits you're looking for in a tackle, the way he attacks, you know, blocks the run game.
• 33:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's it's fun to watch and when when I'm a god you can triple and Jones can't get it done and we're basically on the fourth string left tackle at this point and he steps up and gets it done it's fun to watch.
• 33:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, credit to him and I'll go back to Kayla because when I was watching the game, I sit there and I watch with Mike Mulligan who's our host and all and then Mulligan throw the ball throw the ball throw the ball.
• 33:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you want Kayla to throw the ball with what you're yelling at, but that means there's protection right.
• 33:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: So two things there.
• 34:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: One, Caleb is sitting in the pocket, a tick longer than he did last year.
• 34:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he is trusting that offensive line.
• 34:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: But a couple of times where Molly was yelling at, and I was kind of saying the same thing, guys weren't open.
• 34:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I give Caleb credit for sitting in the pocket a little bit longer because before you see him just always spin out of the pocket, right?
• 34:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: He still spins out of the pocket, but he's given himself an extra half second, another half read or read in the progression.
• 34:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's that's progression in him as well.
• 34:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Back at Theo Benedict, the guys, I mean there's a reason why they've run for over 250 hours last two games.
• 34:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Up front, all five of them are just, you know, knocking the hell out of
• 34:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I say that it's online porn.
• 34:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's one where you go into that online meeting and you walk out and you're smoking a cigarette because you're like, holy cow, man.
• 34:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: That was fun to watch.
• 34:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: If not gonna heck out of guys, guys are gonna blow it off the ball and it's just a lot of fun to watch and a lot has to do with the Otheo.
• 34:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Theo can get better in the past walk.
• 34:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: He needs to, and I watch in the tape again today, if you had a player that was a notch or two better at past walking at left tackle, Caleb would be that much more comfortable.
• 35:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: you can kind of tell that he's just waiting off his left side what's coming because there is a lot of pressure there you know the second the last play where he escaped is unbelievable and made that scramble to get to the colson throw uh but Theo for what he's being asked to do and for where he's come from is doing a heck of a job
• 35:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, he really is.
• 35:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did you see the block he put on Gino Stone?
• 35:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that was awesome.
• 35:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was awesome.
• 35:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the Dark Knight's block on the three technique on the... Oh, yeah, it's in our turn.
• 35:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
• 35:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, my God.
• 35:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's why I call it O-line porn.
• 35:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if I can say it on your podcast.
• 35:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah, it's just...
• 35:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's just, that's what we would say in the O-line meetings.
• 35:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's, you could not wait.
• 35:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: When we got done with the post game show, I looked at all, because I used to go to the O-line room with the guys, and I'd be like, man, I...
• 35:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: After games like that, I could not wait till Monday to go into that meeting room and watch the coach hit the clicker rewind fast for rewind fast for all these just knock off those big plays the pancakes.
• 35:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean that's what it was.
• 36:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean they just all across the board all five of them had a great day in the run game.
• 36:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Darnell Wright, who you brought up, I mean, we are missing out to talk about him for a minute, because what he's done with Dan Rochard this year in terms of his growth and who he's become like, I can't sit here and say I'm watching a line tape of every tackle in the league, but it'd be hard pressed to imagine if he was not a top ten tackle in the league right now.
• 36:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Great.
• 36:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: He started off slow, right?
• 36:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: The first two weeks he struggled.
• 36:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was talking about it.
• 36:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was on tape, but he has definitely improved.
• 36:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, after watching that tape again today, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright, whatever three-check me can leave, whoever you're going against those guys, you're like, gosh, dang it.
• 36:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I gotta go and get to see how better get my double chin strap full of a little tighter, because those two guys, they're bringing it.
• 36:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: They gotta be probably the best duo block right now in the NFL.
• 36:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and it looks like it looks so clean and that brings us to Kyle, yeah, it brings us to Kyle and on guy who, yeah, an incredible game and when you see some of the running lanes that they were giving him, of course, he's going to have that good of a game and the one thing that I really love with monon guy that I saw and since today I get the Bengals defenses awful like we can not, you know, again, it's still an NFL defense.
• 37:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't care.
• 37:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: They put up 47 points.
• 37:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't care who you're doing.
• 37:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's an NFL defense.
• 37:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: you got to give them credit, but I understand they are the worst one, but they are in the NFL, and that normally does not happen, putting up 47 points in 250 plus yards.
• 37:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, absolutely a hundred percent, and my non-guy, you know, he hits these running lanes, and we saw it previously, in between the tackles, he runs hard, he's a good north-south runner, but I really was impressed how he looked at this when he got out to the second and third levels,
• 37:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: moving, you know, running with angles and running to space and not just, well, I'm running forward.
• 37:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just going to run into this guy and knock him over and get a couple of guards.
• 37:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, he found ways to find an extra seven, eight, sometimes 15 or 20 yards because he was running intelligently and running with vision.
• 37:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's not something I knew he had.
• 37:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that was great to see.
• 37:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, the downfield vision was impressive.
• 38:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: But here's the thing, the knock on on the reason why he was driving, he's not a home front head right.
• 38:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, if you watch that game or the on, I'm going to go to the Andre Swift, the Andre Swift watching that game Sunday had to be like, man, I wish I had the rock today, because a lot of those plays, I mean, they were great runs, but potentially were more home runs if you added the Andre Swift type in there, but common on guys is proving to be a, I would say a steel in the seventh round, you know, that's a steel in the seventh round, to see the running style that he had in college and be able to bring in the NFL.
• 38:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's better than I thought it would be and that that proof on Sunday.
• 38:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, do you think monangai and Swift can be?
• 38:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I understand junior Gibbs is incredible.
• 38:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: But do you think it can be that Gibbs Montgomery, that that balance and loved into control?
• 38:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: No, that's a that's a different level.
• 38:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you've got two players similar to that, but it's just it's good and it's better, right?
• 38:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: And those are those guys actually might be the best one too.
• 38:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're going to argue they might be just because of their styles.
• 38:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: And their their level of play is just a little bit better.
• 39:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let me ask you about the defense because, look, I mean, when this defense was getting turnovers, they looked like a great unit.
• 39:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: And like that first, especially the first half against the Saints before that the last two minutes, I mean, they looked like the 85 bears out there, the way they were hitting and swarm in the ball.
• 39:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: But we have seen a lot of bumpy games.
• 39:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: And a lot of, you know, I understand there's been a lot of injuries face in this defense and we've seen a lot of second stringers out there, but we've consistently seen them struggle getting pressure on the quarterback.
• 39:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now oh, Dengbo, who, I wasn't having a great season, but again, you're going to lose depth in the, on the edge room because he's going to miss the rest of the season.
• 39:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's some problems on this defense.
• 39:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think they're stopping the run pretty well, but they are really struggling, keep and quarter backs under check.
• 39:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, I was hoping that when you lose all your db's that you find a pass rush and they haven't done that mind test what hasn't He is a good football player.
• 39:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's not a great pass rusher if that makes sense.
• 39:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that hurts the db's so When you lose all those db's you're hoping your guys are front can win look for right they're not doing that Dio had a nice first game against the Minnesota Vikings after that.
• 40:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's fallen off of this bash rush You haven't seen much so when you don't have either of those.
• 40:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're gonna struggle and you got a nickma cloud plan everywhere
• 40:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: You get to a point where you've got to go get a CD gardener Johnson off the street to take place of somebody who's been on your roster for seven weeks.
• 40:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: That says a lot about your death.
• 40:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Granada thought gardener Johnson played pretty well for the day, but he had been coming off the street after a couple of weeks to come in from the Texans or whatever, but there's just not a lot of depth there.
• 40:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's a game where an offense and offensive coordinator when you get the depth chart.
• 40:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're looking at, you know, like, okay, I can take advantage of this, this, this and this, not just this and this or just one player, there's a lot of holes on this defense right now.
• 40:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: So what would you try and do, like if Dennis Allen called you up goes Patrick, you know, I'm not saying Dennis.
• 40:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
• 40:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's looking for us.
• 40:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: But that's it.
• 40:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: What would you try and do?
• 40:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: What would you do?
• 41:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: To try and make this defense a little more productive?
• 41:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think this is why they got Gardener Johnson.
• 41:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you watch two weeks ago when Collard Gordon was back, right?
• 41:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: You saw Brisker and Collard Gordon lined up next to each other.
• 41:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Blitzing.
• 41:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot more blitzing with.
• 41:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Call of Gordon playing down in the box in the run.
• 41:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: CJ Johnson was playing the CD Johnson, Gardner was playing the same kind of way.
• 41:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: He got a sack.
• 41:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: He brought off Brissker and Gardner Johnson came off the same side that they had a sack that week when Call of Gordon played the same way.
• 41:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what I would do.
• 41:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would use him in the same role, because when Dennis Allen got here, what did he say?
• 41:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: He wanted he could wait to work with
• 41:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: uh... collard rodent and i think he had thought in his mind how he could dial a blitz it's how he could you know line guys and i think that's why he went on guy guard and johnson to be able to do similar kind of stuff so i think we'll see more of that
• 41:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 41:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, full full disclosure to the audience here, we're recording this prior to the NFL trade deadline.
• 41:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's going to be put out after the NFL trade deadline.
• 41:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: So more of a philosophical question for you, you know, as the bears approaches deadline, there are five and three team, but you know, they do have, I know Dengbo's out, but sweat makes 25 million or Dengbo makes 16 million.
• 42:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've heard, you know, Germaine Johnson could be a guy maybe they're going after, but he's got 14
• 42:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a little tricky to maneuver.
• 42:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Would you like to see the bears make a move here to try and fortify the defense at all?
• 42:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: And would you like to see it be a fairly significant rule or just kind of, you know, like tap around the edges?
• 42:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think depth right now.
• 42:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think if you take an honest look at this team and I'm sure they are adults all they're not ready for Super Bowl.
• 42:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're not ready for a playoff run.
• 42:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's successful year would be to get into the playoffs and the way to do that right now is add some death and hope this offense can continue to grow and put up, and I can put up 47 points every week, but be more of a juggernaut than they have been and maybe slide into the playoffs.
• 42:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think right now with the draft capital, they have that's more important than trading that for a game changer, a cap changer as well.
• 42:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think if you could find some depth right now, because Daniel Hardy's a nice player, he's a nice professor of teams player, but
• 43:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: If I'm there, Dennis Allen, I'm like, hey, can I not have him as my second string pass pressure?
• 43:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Can you give me somebody else over there?
• 43:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So right now I'd go for death.
• 43:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 43:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, with the time we have left, I'd love to ask you some about the special teams and multiple questions on this because there's some multiple things.
• 43:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, in like, in terms of everything that happened in the Bengals game and kind of looking at things in the big picture to the season so far, let's start with the kickoff coverage.
• 43:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 43:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because obviously, the Bears gave up a kick return for a touchdown.
• 43:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: They gave up another big one there as well.
• 43:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're, you know, in response, their kick returns haven't been quite as
• 43:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: The kick-offs either direction have not been strong and I understand the kick-off coverage has changed wildly since you were playing in the league, but what do you take on what Richard High-Towers units are doing on kick-offs here, because it's not working when you're the 30th ranked opponents field position in the NFL.
• 44:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the simple thing first is they're getting blocked, okay?
• 44:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just for example, on the big kick off the turn for the touchdown, Daniel Hardy is their best specialty player in my mind.
• 44:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: So when you are going against the bears, you're going to double team him.
• 44:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: And they double team them on that.
• 44:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you get double team, you've got to hold your stance.
• 44:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like you can't get moved.
• 44:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: All right, you're not going to break it, make the tackle.
• 44:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: But your job is to kind of hold that spot.
• 44:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the returner has to bounce.
• 44:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, Daniel Hardy on that play got blocked and moved way out of the hole.
• 44:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: uh... forty three uh... forgot his name he ran behind the box of everything opened up so what i'm getting at his guys are not guys aren't doing a job that's basically all that's guys are running behind blocks they're getting blocked uh... they're not recognizing the return uh... you know sometimes you say if a guy's blocking the upfield shoulder that means that's the way the return is going to go you can't go underneath you've got to go over top they're going underneath that kind of stuff
• 44:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: So there's a lot of just individual mistakes all the way across the board and I would wish they, I would hope they'd be better with Travis Homer Daniel Hardy, Josh Blackwell, you know, those are three darn good specifications players, you name those three, you should be a good unit, but some of the other guys are really struggling and I think that's the issue.
• 45:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the issue is more in terms of talent in terms of talent, yeah, I mean, you know, Walker who's playing on all special teams, right, the receiver he's struggling.
• 45:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: I hate to call him out, but he is.
• 45:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure that they're sitting there with the red dot on him saying, hey man, you've got to make this play.
• 45:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're falling off the block here.
• 45:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're going behind the block.
• 45:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of times he's making mistakes.
• 45:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: But that's all the way across the board.
• 45:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Elijah Hicks made some coverage errors as well.
• 45:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I would expect him not to because he's a veteran now.
• 45:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of guys have just making errors.
• 45:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know what the coaching points are.
• 45:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is it coaching?
• 45:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is it scheme?
• 45:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's a little bit of both when it's as bad as it was.
• 45:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: But the players just aren't making plays right now.
• 45:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right, and let me ask you about the the on side kick, obviously, which propelled them to lose the lead in hit Stanio Hardy in the foot makes it a live ball before 10 yards.
• 45:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Bengals jump on it.
• 46:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is that an awareness issue with Hardy?
• 46:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it just had a lot.
• 46:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, exactly what they're on there.
• 46:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Eyes on the ball.
• 46:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So when you're the hands team, then people are, you're wired, why is everybody there?
• 46:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: like receivers, tight ends or whatever.
• 46:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, you have to have blockers in this the way it is.
• 46:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You block the front line that's covering.
• 46:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: So Daniel Hardy and Noah's soul were on the right side of the block.
• 46:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Their job is to keep their eyes on the ball.
• 46:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: McPherson was lined up at kick it for the right, but what he did is he turned the last second, pulled it to the left.
• 46:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: That stuff you walk through on Saturday, you talk about all the different kicks you've done in the past, you scout him, you say this can happen.
• 46:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is what can happen.
• 46:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now these looks you're ready for, but the most important thing is, everybody in the front line, their eyes are on that ball.
• 46:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it can means it can go right, it can go left, it can go straight, it can be like a pancake kick, it can be that kind of helicoptering thing.
• 46:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Daniel Hardy didn't really have his eyes on the balls.
• 46:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Noah Sewell took off and blocked right away.
• 46:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Daniel Hardy hesitated and then went to block, because he hesitated the ball wasn't going to go ten yards and hit him in the foot.
• 46:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: But so the coaching point there is eyes on the ball.
• 46:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: You see the ball come to you.
• 46:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: You go block whatever number it is.
• 46:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: One, two or three on the outside and he didn't do it.
• 47:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Gotcha.
• 47:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 47:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let me ask you about our our kicker here, Cairo Santos.
• 47:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you want to talk about Jake Moody, we can do that as well because to me and look, I love the fact that Cairo Santos, if it's about 44 yards or less, he will never miss, but
• 47:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, in today's league, not being able to kick at 54 or 55 plus is a detriment to the team at this point.
• 47:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, we can go back to the Minnesota game, where he wasn't able to get kicked the ball through the end zone at something that the players can do at this point.
• 47:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is it is it time, despite what Santos has in terms of strengths, is it time to move on from Santos?
• 47:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Are you a give Jake Moody a shot?
• 47:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the one miss field going, he had basically kicked into the offensive line.
• 47:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's not perfect either, obviously the 49ers got rid of him for a reason.
• 47:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where are you at with the Bears kickers?
• 47:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's 32 teams and he is one of the best 32 kickers on League.
• 47:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you asked the Atlanta Falcons right now if they would take Carlos Tantos, they would have lost on the third or fourth guy, right?
• 48:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So they missed a couple throughout the season.
• 48:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he is an NFL kicker.
• 48:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's a very good kicker, but there is weaknesses, right?
• 48:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Every player has a weakness.
• 48:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: The open of it is not good in past blocking, but he's great at run blocking.
• 48:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: So everybody has a weakness.
• 48:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm okay with Cairo.
• 48:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Do you want better?
• 48:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sure, but that's something you take care of in the offseason.
• 48:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's something you bring in a Jake moodier, somebody in the offseason to compete and then you let it go from there.
• 48:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: But for right now, I'm sticking with Cairo.
• 48:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just Jake had a nice run for us for two weeks.
• 48:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: What I saw on San Francisco is a little too inconsistent.
• 48:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would be afraid to put Cairo on the on the waiver wire and land it would pick him up like that.
• 48:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then you're just not certain.
• 48:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: what you have with Jake.
• 48:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm sticking with, I'm sticking with Cairo for the rest of the season.
• 48:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that was the one thing.
• 48:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I, Jake Moody went in the game against Washington.
• 48:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was a great story.
• 48:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Great fun.
• 48:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: The team rallied around him.
• 48:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: But at the same time, I would sit there and say, if the bears are contending for a playoff spot and week 17 against San Francisco, we gain team against Detroit.
• 49:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they decided to pivot to Jake Moody.
• 49:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: My heart's going to be thumping in my chest there if he's got a clutch kick he needs to make in the fourth quarter.
• 49:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: right I think we all work because I mean I've just seen him enough I think it was a 72.3% 74% I think with the 49ers and I was like oh no what's he going to do but actually credit to him man they showed the the camera of his eyes before that game went in kick and I was like oh he's got this
• 49:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now it's cool to see you can tell confidence in people just if they're eyes and he had it and he made it.
• 49:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: So credit him right now.
• 49:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would stick with Cairo.
• 49:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 49:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And let's let's finish with the punting game and and look my my expectations for Tory Taylor.
• 49:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you're going to spend a fourth round pick on a punner.
• 49:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: He better be a top five punner in the league.
• 49:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I understand there's an adjustment, but like it better happened pretty quickly.
• 49:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's not there.
• 49:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now again, he's had he had a great play.
• 49:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, pun against Baltimore that got called back from a penalty that was down at the one or whatever it was.
• 49:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's had some moments he had a monstrous 70 plus yard pun.
• 50:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like I'm not saying Tori's bad.
• 50:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he's a good punner.
• 50:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: But to me, there's still a little something missing in terms of what they expected to get out of him.
• 50:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, now you're pairing him with a head coach that it midfield wants to go for it on fourth down all the time.
• 50:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, but he started off slow and I was kind of shocked.
• 50:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought a lot of times I've seen punters and kicker struggle the rookie year and then maybe they're not maybe take that big step the next year.
• 50:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: where some players had their sophomore slump as a position player, but I've seen a lot of kickers and punters take that jump, and he didn't early, but you said that punt last week, and that's 71 yard of this week, that's what we need more of.
• 50:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's back the back of weeks, he's had clutch punts, and it's unfortunate that they had the illegal procedure on that one punt, but he is punting better.
• 50:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: So now he's getting to what I wanted to see, so we'll see what he does for the rest of the year, but he has struggled with the start of the season.
• 50:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, the one thing I remember when we spoke last year and I asked you about how Taylor was doing as a rookie year, you said the one thing he really needs to do is speed up his process in terms of catching the ball and getting the punt out, how has that improved or is it something that that very much so there was one there was a punch fourth, fourth quarter punt backed up.
• 51:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: where there was some pressure, there may be last year that things blocked.
• 51:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
• 51:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's a guy's leaked a little bit on the inside the A-Gap.
• 51:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Last year that might have been blocked, but his get off the call, you know, from Snap to Kick though.
• 51:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Snap to catch the kick has gotten a lot.
• 51:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: It looks faster, I haven't put a clock on it yet.
• 51:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: But seeing that rush that they put on the bingles put on them.
• 51:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Last year that might have been blocked and it was not blocked Sunday.
• 51:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: And last one on the coverage here on the pun coverage.
• 51:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I've heard some people talk about how the gunners are struggling getting down there.
• 51:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Some people have said some of Taylor's puns are more line-drive.
• 51:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not enough.
• 51:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 51:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: On some of the larger pun returns, the bears have given up.
• 51:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Has it been a Taylor issue?
• 51:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Has it been a coverage issue?
• 51:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Has it been both?
• 51:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: What's been happening?
• 51:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's more of the hang time.
• 51:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's been a few that have been almost like four seconds.
• 51:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you can't have that.
• 51:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's unacceptable.
• 51:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like you need to be closer.
• 51:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're going to hit something 45, 47 yards, needs to be closer to five seconds.
• 52:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So think about a full second of somebody running full speed down the field.
• 52:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're covering a lot of ground.
• 52:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of those bigger turns early were bad hangs time.
• 52:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were just kind of missed hits and line drives and we're getting right to the returner.
• 52:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 52:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so last one for you kind of a big picture kind of thing.
• 52:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: What is one thing you'd like to see the bears consistent?
• 52:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like if it was just one consistently improve upon at this point on any unit, special teams offense or defense moving forward in terms of trying to push for the playoffs.
• 52:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, now it's here to know it's simple, but now it's this time for this offensive score points.
• 52:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's why Ben Johnson is here.
• 52:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, we've struggled in the red zone.
• 52:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: They fixed that last week.
• 52:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But with the way the defense is playing, they're going to give up points.
• 52:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: So now it's time for Ben Johnson and that offense.
• 52:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I talk about on the postgame.
• 52:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't wait.
• 52:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm excited to hear.
• 52:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ben Johnson talked after game about himself and deflect that instead of talking about how great the defense play.
• 52:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now it's time for Ben Johnson to be deflecting.
• 52:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, no, it's not me and they scored 30 whatever points.
• 53:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, and they won games that way.
• 53:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what I want to see is points on the board.
• 53:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's something we'd all love to see.
• 53:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, there he is Patrick Mannelly of 670 the score.
• 53:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, longtime Chicago Bears long snapper.
• 53:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Make sure you get that long snapper IPA as any any good beer drinker appreciates a good beer.
• 53:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Patrick, thank you for so much time, really enjoyed the conversation and hope to do it down the line.
• 53:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, talk to you, little Bill.
• 53:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, right there.
• 53:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is Patrick Manley, everybody.
• 53:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was a great conversation.
• 53:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: The one thing I love about Patrick Manley conversations the most is I always learn something because if I'm being frank, you know, special teams knowledge is probably my least knowledgeable area on a football field.
• 53:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would assume it's Patrick's best.
• 53:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: He knows it so well.
• 53:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: He teaches me something every time he comes on, I hope he does the same for you.
• 53:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, the way we recorded this podcast is Patrick was available this morning.
• 53:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was Tuesday morning, so we did it then.
• 53:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I did my intro, obviously, that I do before Patrick, I did that before he came on.
• 54:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I paused, and I didn't do the mailbag and the final segment until this evening, after I wrapped up work, because I wanted to make sure we had the trade deadline in,
• 54:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: this podcast.
• 54:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the bears remain relatively quiet.
• 54:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: They go out and get one man.
• 54:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is Joe Trion, Shoyanka, Shoyanka.
• 54:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: I got to get that in my head, Shoyanka.
• 54:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Joe Trion, Shoyanka.
• 54:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, Joe Triang was the box, I believe, first round pick about five years ago.
• 54:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I actually had him on my dynasty team.
• 54:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thought he was going to be a good player.
• 54:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: hasn't done much.
• 54:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's, you know, been relatively ineffective.
• 54:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's, I think this is not going to be his fourth team.
• 54:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, things just haven't worked out for him.
• 54:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's a warm body.
• 54:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is going to help with the depth.
• 54:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's better than Daniel Hardy as a defensive end.
• 54:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think I can confidently say that.
• 54:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: he's better than what Dominic Robinson has been if Dominic Robinson what he flashed a little bit is who he is right now and not just a hot streak then I don't know if he's better than that Dominic Robinson but he's better than the other Dominic Robinson we've seen the last three years so you know that what he would settle in behind Austin Booker and give this edge room a little bit of depth which they desperately needed after Dio Dengbo also went down for the season
• 55:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously he's had previous Achilles injuries.
• 55:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be significant.
• 55:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like the the diode angle That that situation there we can officially call that free agency signing a bust and you know, look I didn't like it when it happened I told you just that it was not I didn't like the money.
• 55:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't like a lot of things about it I didn't like the idea of paying for what he could potentially be not what he currently is.
• 55:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I never think that's a good idea
• 55:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: It really sucks for him that he's injured, he's out for the year, sucks for the team.
• 55:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not like he's useless.
• 55:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's, you know, although that's what Tom Wattl and Jerko apparently think of him.
• 55:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Think he has absolutely just steady hustles.
• 56:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Another than that, he's got no real value to the defense.
• 56:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: But he's still, you know, he's better than Daniel Hardy, right?
• 56:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: He does hit, I think he is pretty good in the run game.
• 56:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing with the past rush.
• 56:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I think he's at least decent in the run game.
• 56:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I will not go as far as Sylvie did on the podcast a couple of podcasts to go.
• 56:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I do understand that because again, I didn't like the signing.
• 56:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: The reason I say we can call that a bust is we're sitting there.
• 56:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's a three year deal.
• 56:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's two years guarantee.
• 56:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to assume he's coming back next year.
• 56:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to assume that this Achilles injury is early enough in the season that even if he's limited in the summer program.
• 56:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's not going to play in the spring program.
• 56:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he's limited in the summer program, he should at least be back.
• 56:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: by week one or close to it.
• 56:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: If that happens, but if that happens, I assume we're going to see a player who's not nearly the player he was this year, which means he's going to not be good.
• 56:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that means the bears are not going to pick up the third year.
• 56:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're going to let him go after year two.
• 56:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if he's not ready next year, if he's not ready in September, there may be an injury settlement and that's it for Odango.
• 57:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we'll see exactly what happens here with him moving forward,
• 57:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: unfortunate that it didn't turn out.
• 57:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: It thought it was predictable, but it does put the bears in a pickle where you just don't have anyone in the edge room.
• 57:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they go out and they get, um, you know, we'll call them JTS moving forward to making the little easier.
• 57:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, you know, they bring in JTS who is a body and he's going to help the depth a little bit, but no, he is not going to turn
• 57:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: big move there in terms of the trade deadline.
• 57:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's bringing a viable starting caliber corner back.
• 57:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: They desperately needed that.
• 57:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: When Kyler Gordon gets back assuming he gets back here maybe, you know, early to mid December and they could have them for the last four games or so of the regular season.
• 57:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then that's a good problem to have, assuming everyone else is still upright.
• 58:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: uh... at that point in the season who knows maybe jalan johnson's coming back at that point two and the bear secondary could get vastly improved for the end of the season will see if they can get that lucky but the one thing i want to address on this is lot of chicago bears fancime upset that the bears didn't make a big swing and i can't disagree with that stance more i think ben johnson and ryan polls deserve credit for understanding where this team is what it needs
• 58:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: doing anything, you know, big that would cost the team future draft capital and everything and and let me break it down by this.
• 58:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears are pretty good.
• 58:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears are not great.
• 58:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears may be great in a year or two, but they're not great now.
• 58:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And trading draft capital for an aging
• 58:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is that a good idea?
• 58:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: And what I mean by questionable players, I'll bring it up, Germaine Johnson.
• 58:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: That seems to be an edge a lot of people wanted from the jets.
• 58:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Germaine Johnson has, I believe, one sackness here.
• 59:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: He may not even have any sex this year.
• 59:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is not been a productive player for the jets this season.
• 59:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: The reason he's still in New York jet is because the jet wanted a second round pick for him and apparently could not get it.
• 59:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, Germaine Johnson remains with the jets.
• 59:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, he is in the fourth year.
• 59:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was a first round pick, so the fifth round option has been picked up.
• 59:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is a guaranteed 14 million for Germaine Johnson next year.
• 59:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, if you're going to give up a second round pick, and I'm glad the bears didn't.
• 59:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Even if you're going to give up a third round pick, because I assume if there's conversations there,
• 59:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Jordan Schaltz also said there were conversations about your main Johnson and the bears, so believe that that actually happened.
• 59:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: It means the bears were at least sitting there going third-round pick.
• 59:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: If they bears wanted to give them a fourth-round pick and the jets were insisted on a second-round pick, that's not a trade that's close to happening.
• 59:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Third-round pick is, I think, where it's at, at least close to happening.
• 59:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: If the bears were going to give up a third-round pick, that's the enough capital you have to extend him at that point.
• 1:00:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you are, and Germaine Johnson, we just talked about Odenpo, the reason Germaine Johnson isn't good this year is he's coming off in a kill he's injury and he's been ineffective this year as far as I've seen and I've watched the jets a few times because I live in New York he doesn't he's not getting it done.
• 1:00:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the jets are hoping that someone was going to pay for who he was in 2023, which was a good edge.
• 1:00:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: But that's not who he is now, and that's coming off the major injury.
• 1:00:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: We don't know if he will be.
• 1:00:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you're going to pay him a $14 million salary guaranteed next year.
• 1:00:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Would you have already got Odango at 16 million and sweat for $25 million?
• 1:00:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now again, that may change.
• 1:00:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: There may be moves made at that point, but then that's three edges currently on the roster for something like $55 million.
• 1:00:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then, like I said, I really think you need to extend them.
• 1:00:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: So what kind of extensions that country are going to be?
• 1:00:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's going to be north of 20 million because someone's going to pay Germaine Johnson for who he, who they think he can be.
• 1:00:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Again, risky thing to do.
• 1:00:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: And now you're committing money, big money to a player that you don't know how good this player is going to be.
• 1:01:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: So Germaine Johnson, I thought, was a terrible idea.
• 1:01:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Going out and getting tray Hendrix in, the Bengals wanted a one, maybe a one plus.
• 1:01:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're giving up a first round pick and like a third round pick next year.
• 1:01:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, fourth round pick.
• 1:01:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's getting to be, whoa, way too much at that point.
• 1:01:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because tray Hendrix in 31, and he's gonna need a new contract.
• 1:01:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: So now you gotta go pay tray Hendrix in 30, 35 million dollars a year.
• 1:01:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I get he's an excellent player, but you don't know where that cliff is for a guy north
• 1:01:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, he might give you three or four more productive years, or this might be it.
• 1:01:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: He may never be the player.
• 1:01:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: He ever is again, it might be an average edge next to your paying 30, 35 million for and you're paying for a name value not for production on the field.
• 1:01:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And the Chicago Bears, like we said, they're not ready.
• 1:01:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I objectively are the bears a good football team.
• 1:01:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I love what's happening.
• 1:01:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Don't get me wrong, five and three.
• 1:01:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: When in these games like this, this is fun.
• 1:02:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm enjoying watching this football team, but are they good?
• 1:02:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Their defense is getting shredded.
• 1:02:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: If they're not getting turnovers, they have no pass rush.
• 1:02:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: The special teams is woefully inadequate.
• 1:02:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: And the offense is inconsistent.
• 1:02:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you can't say the bears are good.
• 1:02:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're winning football games, but you can't say they're good.
• 1:02:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: So if they're not good, and they need to retool the roster still for next year, and they're still trying to get things and Ben Johnson's vision, and they're cleaning things up.
• 1:02:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a time to go out and spend draft capital to bring someone in to make sure the Bears team goes 10 and 7 and not 9 and 8 squeaks into the playoffs.
• 1:02:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Nope, no thanks.
• 1:02:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're the seven seed.
• 1:02:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're going up against the, you know, the Rams or the Eagles even Tampa on the road.
• 1:02:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, thanks.
• 1:02:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, there's just two and even, this is not where the bears are right now.
• 1:02:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears played it smart.
• 1:02:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: They gave up almost no draft capital and they didn't lose any picks.
• 1:02:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: They just downgraded a six to a seven and they've got now CJ Gardner Johnson and JTS.
• 1:03:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: So.
• 1:03:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: right now.
• 1:03:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am glad the bears didn't make a big move.
• 1:03:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: That may be an unpopular opinion, but that's how I see it.
• 1:03:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I wanted to make sure I recorded this portion later because I wanted to make sure we had the trade deadline covered and what the bears did or did not do.
• 1:03:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So let's get to the mail bag here.
• 1:03:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's start with Brent Murphy, who says the bears are up against it in 2026.
• 1:03:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: How are they going to cut guys to make cap space while also replacing them?
• 1:03:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Example, cut sweat is there really anybody better in free agency.
• 1:03:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, if we cut JJ sweat and terrain, that's a lot to replace and we already need a left tackle, safety quarterback running back, etc.
• 1:03:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Brent.
• 1:03:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I talked about this on last week's podcast.
• 1:03:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've talked about it before.
• 1:03:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears are in a bit of a pickle.
• 1:03:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's why you really need this trapeze, not just like Colston Lovelin and Luther Bird.
• 1:03:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: You need these day two and day three picks to really become quality players.
• 1:03:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know not all of them are going to hit, but they need some of them to hit.
• 1:04:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they need these draft classes moving forward to be better than they've been.
• 1:04:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: and of story and I know the first in the second on picks of largely been good right with Darnell ride and Tyreek Stevenson and obviously Caleb and Rome like we we know the first in second on picks have been largely good.
• 1:04:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: But where the issue with pit poles is, is the third round to the later, right?
• 1:04:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: There hasn't been much.
• 1:04:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's been Braxton Jones.
• 1:04:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's obviously his last season on the team.
• 1:04:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's OK. You've still got three quality years of left tackle play out of a fifth round pick.
• 1:04:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's a really good job by Ryan Poles.
• 1:04:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: But you need these other players to be key contributors on the team.
• 1:04:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: You need the Kyle Menon guys, right?
• 1:04:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: And these guys say haven't come through for Ryan Poles.
• 1:04:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're just not guys that have stuck on the roster.
• 1:04:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: for the most part.
• 1:04:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: So with Ryan Paul's now moving forward, Brent, to make this work, the bears need to start having contributors on day three picks and day two picks that needs to start happening more regularly.
• 1:05:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: It hasn't happened before and it's been okay, the bears have been able to sign free agents, cheaper veteran guys who are perfectly capable at playing at the caliber of a of a of a rookie.
• 1:05:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: So there haven't it hasn't been an issue there.
• 1:05:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've been able to
• 1:05:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: but now like you said it, they're up against it in the cap.
• 1:05:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right now, I believe the number is 39 players, you know, 50, the top 51 if you don't know exactly how it works with salary cap.
• 1:05:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: The top 51 is what covers towards the salary cap.
• 1:05:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Anyone below in terms of salary, it's going to be vet minimums and rookie minimums at that point.
• 1:05:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: They don't count towards the cap.
• 1:05:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's how you can basically get all the key spots covered is you do the top 51.
• 1:05:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I believe they have 39 that guys signed right now and those 39 guys signed puts them three and a half million under the projected cap for next season, which is going to be about $300 million.
• 1:05:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's what people are expecting.
• 1:05:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: That being the case, the Chicago Bears, let's say they signed four vet minimum guys.
• 1:06:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's, you know, give or take and that means they are
• 1:06:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: at the salary cap.
• 1:06:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they need to cut, they need to do some some certain things.
• 1:06:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's going to be tremendous admins is almost certainly going to get cut.
• 1:06:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: No one's going to trade for him at that price in an expiring contract.
• 1:06:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they're going to they're going to cut him, they're going to have to replace him.
• 1:06:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now maybe tremendous admins will sit there and say,
• 1:06:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I will I want to stay in Chicago.
• 1:06:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm willing to pay TJ Edwards type money where you cut his salary for 2024 and you could do that also with bonuses in an extent or, you know, I'm sorry in 2026.
• 1:06:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: You cut his salary by giving him a bonus and spreading money out and then he's willing to take a lower base at like 11 or 12 million if that
• 1:06:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: That happens.
• 1:06:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're willing to keep Tremaine Edmunds and you lower the number next year to like 9 million, then he's playing it like 11 million or something like that on the number moving forward.
• 1:06:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you can do something like that which Tremaine Edmunds, if they want to keep him.
• 1:07:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's playing really good football right now, but you can't keep him at 18 million.
• 1:07:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: You look in the secondary, like you said, they need safeties.
• 1:07:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, do you give Kevin buyer an extension?
• 1:07:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do you give you Juan Brisker an extension?
• 1:07:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Cutting Jalen Johnson and that getting anything for him, but now he's coming off injury issues, and he is starting to get a little bit older.
• 1:07:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: What can you do with Jalen Johnson?
• 1:07:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be a question we're going to have to talk about in the off season.
• 1:07:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bontez Sweat.
• 1:07:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: making $25 million.
• 1:07:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: You don't want to cut Montez sweat because also you've paid some of Montez sweats bonus already.
• 1:07:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: So his base salary is like $20 million a year.
• 1:07:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: That being the case, you can shop Montez sweat to a team to get some sort of draft capital.
• 1:07:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know exactly what sweats going again.
• 1:07:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm guessing the bears are going to want to too for them.
• 1:07:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe they have to settle for a free.
• 1:07:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, if you eat some of the salary, people might be willing to give you more draft capital, but you're at Montess, what, at like $20 million a year?
• 1:07:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Team is going to be like, I'll pay $20 million a year for Montess, sweat.
• 1:07:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to pay $25, 26, 30 million a year, but $20 million for an edge player at that value.
• 1:08:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's pretty good.
• 1:08:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: So someone may want to trade for Montess, wait, DJ Moore is a guy I keep bringing up.
• 1:08:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's probably going to be, he's got a really nice salary for an incoming team,
• 1:08:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're also looking to call.
• 1:08:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Come at.
• 1:08:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think Cole can be traded at this point for what he is.
• 1:08:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: That might be a cut candidate.
• 1:08:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Andre Swift.
• 1:08:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's playing really well.
• 1:08:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Kyleman on guy steps up.
• 1:08:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe they can draft a rookie.
• 1:08:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Andre Swift is a guy you can potentially cut.
• 1:08:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Save eight million.
• 1:08:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they're going to have to do some maneuvering with the team.
• 1:08:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And like you said, they need to replace these guys, but they also need like Azita Pillow to be able to play and contribute.
• 1:08:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: They need Shamar Turner to go out and play and contribute.
• 1:08:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Rubin Hippolyte, if he can be a legitimate linebacker, guys inactive, even though everyone else on the Bengals was injured.
• 1:08:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was inactive except Rubin Hippolyte.
• 1:08:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's literally the 53rd guy on the roster right now, but you need him to turn into something.
• 1:09:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: You need to hope Zahfraisher figure things out, and he comes back, and he's something, Newman can he be a key, reliable, or ins interior offensive lineman.
• 1:09:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: These are the type of things we're looking at here is how can the bears improve their roster, but how can some of these internal guys that haven't done anything yet can they step up and be key contributors?
• 1:09:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, there is a lot of ins and outs here, Brent, in terms of how this is going to work for the bears.
• 1:09:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's why I said, this roster is going to look a lot different.
• 1:09:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is going to be Ben Johnson's roster.
• 1:09:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's going to look a lot different.
• 1:09:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to see a lot of these key players going.
• 1:09:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to pick the guys he likes.
• 1:09:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Got to love what he's seen from Darnell, right?
• 1:09:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: Guys like that that are Ryan Polls, Maddie, or Fluse guys, that he's going to want to keep on his roster moving forward.
• 1:09:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously Caleb Williams is one he circled right now and obviously I think guys like Darnell right in some of these other guys are going to stick around Tyler Gordon they've already committed to so you're not gonna it's not gonna be any and usually a GM will keep about four or five six guys maybe it's eight or nine guys it's stick around from from the man he ever flew to Europe but it's not going to be a lot so you're going to see a lot of turnover I believe on this roster over the next couple years what we're seeing now is not what it's going to look like in 2027 there's going to be some changes all right
• 1:10:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bruce and tattoo should the bears extend buyer given what he's done since arriving here.
• 1:10:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jay, Bruce and tattoos.
• 1:10:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm really lean in that way.
• 1:10:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's having a great season.
• 1:10:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think he's going to be expensive given his age.
• 1:10:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he wants similar money than he's getting right now.
• 1:10:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: It might be even a little couple million cheaper.
• 1:10:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Why is Kevin Bayern need to try and hold out?
• 1:10:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he likes what's happening, if he thinks this team's going in the right direction, if he thinks Dennis Allen's the guy to make him extend his career and play a couple more years at a high level, obviously he didn't like it in Philadelphia.
• 1:10:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Things didn't work there.
• 1:10:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's playing much better in Chicago.
• 1:10:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he doesn't want to pay more than about six million a year.
• 1:11:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bam, done.
• 1:11:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Give me Kevin Meyer next year, give him a two-year extension with half that money, you know, two, you know, let's say two years, 13 million with seven million guaranteed.
• 1:11:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he comes back next year on a fully guaranteed deal.
• 1:11:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then he can still come back in 2027 if he's not tailing off.
• 1:11:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, yes, I would extend Kevin, buyer.
• 1:11:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jacqueline Brisker is more of the question even if he is a better player overall in a younger player.
• 1:11:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's the concussion issues there and you gotta make sure he gets through a season before you can consider keeping him and he may want to try and cash in.
• 1:11:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he thinks he can go out and get 13-14-15 million a year on the free agent market.
• 1:11:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: and get a three, four year deal, get 30 million guaranteed.
• 1:11:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's gonna wanna go out and test that.
• 1:11:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Bears may be like, we're not paying you that.
• 1:11:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you're willing to stick around for 10, 11 million a year on a three year deal and we'll guarantee a $1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
• 1:12:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: for an affordable deal, which I would expect you to be able to.
• 1:12:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Evan LePo, already Zimmerman, the roster seems to be on the fast track of broke and bad.
• 1:12:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: The bears are replacing failed draft picks with roll the dice practice squad caliber players and aren't panning out.
• 1:12:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: This team seems to have no depth, please give me a positive spin and change my mind.
• 1:12:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, Evan,
• 1:12:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: And like I said, this is it depends on what your expectations are that's where we're at right now is people trying to marry expectations with where this team actually is like Evan you're you're looking at some of the issues and there are issues jailens heard
• 1:12:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Grady Jared hasn't been healthy.
• 1:12:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Dio Dengbo's out for the year.
• 1:12:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, we get it with the injuries.
• 1:12:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not ideal.
• 1:12:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Luther Bird and concussion.
• 1:12:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: These type of things happen.
• 1:12:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Andre Swift is obviously on the shelf right now.
• 1:13:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Evan, here's what I want to say.
• 1:13:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to say, don't look at the trees.
• 1:13:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Look at the forest.
• 1:13:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Ben Johnson's here.
• 1:13:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Dennis Allen's here.
• 1:13:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: You should have confident in both those people.
• 1:13:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Williams and Tyson Bageon are your QB1 and QB2.
• 1:13:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: confidence in that getting, you know, square away and have a good quarterback play.
• 1:13:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sorry, got text messages got distracted.
• 1:13:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is the situation.
• 1:13:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: DJ Moore, he may or may not be here, but he can play Roman Dunesay's developing, coast and loved ones developing.
• 1:13:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: The offensive line is really good and maybe guys like Luke Newman and, you know, Theo Bennett, maybe he can eventually get into a reserve role.
• 1:13:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: you know, if they can beef up left tackle or maybe they move downhill right to left tackle, triple O starts at right tackle, Theo benedits your your swing tackle.
• 1:13:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: There are a lot of positives on this team.
• 1:13:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: The defense is going to look wildly different, but you got to understand it's going to take some time.
• 1:14:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: If your expectations are you want the bear so when the division at 11 and 6 and start when in divisions every year moving forward, then yeah, you should panic because their bears aren't in that situation.
• 1:14:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, they might be able to speak into the playoffs.
• 1:14:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: It depends on how things go in December because that's when the schedule gets a lot tougher.
• 1:14:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line here is
• 1:14:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: you should feel confident in the coaching staff, you should feel confident that they have some key players, key positions.
• 1:14:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: But you should not feel confident that this team is ready to contend for a Super Bowl.
• 1:14:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're gonna be a lot of different faces on this team moving forward.
• 1:14:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: and they are in the middle of overturning the roster.
• 1:14:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've already overturned like half the roster from last year to this year.
• 1:14:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: And after looking at the numbers, I don't have them in front of me, but it's significant.
• 1:14:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: So don't panic, Evan, but at the same time, keep your expectations where they should be.
• 1:14:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Positive, but reserved.
• 1:14:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Billy, kid, hey, Bill, Richard high tower has got to go, right?
• 1:14:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Billy, I think he does.
• 1:14:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he is a guy who's going to finish out the year.
• 1:15:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know I tweeted and I said, you should fire him tomorrow.
• 1:15:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: And like I said, if they had fired him, I'd be like, absolutely, that's where they need to be.
• 1:15:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: But at the same time,
• 1:15:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think it's a reason to panic and say the season's over because of the special teams.
• 1:15:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: We haven't seen it be that bad.
• 1:15:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: It seemed to be kind of a perfect storm.
• 1:15:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: You heard Jaday Walker.
• 1:15:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know we all love him.
• 1:15:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not having the great season of special teams.
• 1:15:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: You heard it from Patrick Mannelly.
• 1:15:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: It is what it is with the special teams.
• 1:15:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: They need some new guys out there.
• 1:15:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: They probably need a new scheme in a lot of ways.
• 1:15:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: They needed new voice and I think they'll probably have a new voice in 2026, but not firing Richard Heithauer already is fine because I mean, it's not like there's some amazing special teams coordinator sitting out there that can just scoop up, you know, dick for meal is not coming back to coach the coach of the bearers special teams.
• 1:15:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that's where we're at right now.
• 1:15:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: And let's wrap up the podcast with two things, really quickly first Packers fans, I just want to say something, get a life.
• 1:16:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Green Bay Packers fans, if you didn't see this, I ended up on freezing cold takes, a lot of hootin' and holler and whatever.
• 1:16:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: I sent out a tweet the day Aaron Rogers got traded to the jets.
• 1:16:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: that the packers have the worst quarterback in the division, and then I said, that felt good to type.
• 1:16:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yes, that was a vent from 30 years of farven Rogers.
• 1:16:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: And at the time, Jordan Love had started now again.
• 1:16:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Was there enough data to decide if Jordan Love was going to be good or not?
• 1:16:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: No.
• 1:16:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: But at the time, Jordan Love had one star in his career and he was terrible, he was absolutely awful and he had filled in a couple of times for Rogers and he was not good then.
• 1:16:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Kurt Cousins was still dealing 30 touchdowns a game.
• 1:16:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jared Goff was dealing 30 or 30 touchdowns a season.
• 1:16:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jared Goff was doing the same and Justin Fields was coming off his 2022 season where he ran for 1100 yards and everybody thought Justin Fields was on the right track to become an
• 1:16:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: different kind of quarterback, but an excellent quarterback.
• 1:16:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: We know how it went in 2023.
• 1:17:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the bottom line here is when I tweeted that, I tweeted it because it was funny because it was true.
• 1:17:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did I know if it was going to stay the same?
• 1:17:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, I didn't.
• 1:17:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, someone said that don't jinx it and I said I didn't say anything that Jordan love was a bust.
• 1:17:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I simply said what the truth was in that moment.
• 1:17:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the Packers fans are trying to drag me over something that was a factual statement that everyone would have agreed with in that moment, because they think I think Jordan loves to have them didn't even look at the date.
• 1:17:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: They thought it was something that I tweeted this year with that day.
• 1:17:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, grow up, you want to have fun with the Bears Packers rivalry?
• 1:17:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's do it.
• 1:17:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: But let's not try and blow something out of proportion.
• 1:17:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was that.
• 1:17:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was a ridiculous day that happened there with the Green Bay Packers fans.
• 1:17:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Get a life, guys.
• 1:17:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: get a life.
• 1:17:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's like trying to make fun of the bears for drafting Mitch Trimisky.
• 1:17:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's over.
• 1:17:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's the back up in Buffalo.
• 1:17:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've moved on multiple times.
• 1:17:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: We don't need to keep talking about it.
• 1:17:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: But enjoy your team is good.
• 1:17:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know you just lost to the Carolina Panthers and maybe you're about to collapse and all wouldn't that be a shame.
• 1:18:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: But your team is good.
• 1:18:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're in first place.
• 1:18:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: You should be happy.
• 1:18:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Why are you searching for tweets I sent out two and a half years ago?
• 1:18:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: about Jordan love.
• 1:18:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you'll send it in secure, go to the Mars cheese castle.
• 1:18:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Have a good time.
• 1:18:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: We don't need you in Chicago.
• 1:18:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Please stay north of the border.
• 1:18:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you very much.
• 1:18:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 1:18:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's wrap up with the prediction.
• 1:18:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bears coming up this week.
• 1:18:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: New York.
• 1:18:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Giants.
• 1:18:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I haven't even thought about it that much with the trade deadline.
• 1:18:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Everything going on.
• 1:18:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I will say this.
• 1:18:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: the Chicago Bears better win this football game.
• 1:18:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's at home.
• 1:18:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's against the bad football team.
• 1:18:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's against the bad football team with some of their best players injured.
• 1:18:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is absolutely no reason to see this Chicago Bears team struggle.
• 1:18:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: It'll be curious to see how Theo Bennett can do against this defensive front.
• 1:18:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: The giant should be able to rush the passer.
• 1:18:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the Bears offensive line.
• 1:18:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: We should get a good test and see exactly where they are as a unit in terms of protecting Caleb Williams.
• 1:18:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line here is they don't have much on the back.
• 1:18:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: This offense, there's not much around Jackson Darts, the bear should win this game if they don't.
• 1:19:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: They have a problem.
• 1:19:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think they do.
• 1:19:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think this team is pretty good.
• 1:19:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's going to be mostly fought the rest of the way, frustrating at times.
• 1:19:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I think Caleb Williams should have a pretty good game.
• 1:19:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the giants can't stop the run very well.
• 1:19:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think Kyle Mnong, I should have a very good game.
• 1:19:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would sit the Andre Swift again, make sure he gets plenty of rest.
• 1:19:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I believe the Chicago Bears offense should be pretty productive in the passing game as well.
• 1:19:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think they're going to score some points again.
• 1:19:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think Giants might score a little bit on this bears defense that we know is not great if they're not causing turnovers, but Jackson Dard is a rookie and Dennis Allen does a good job confusing rookie.
• 1:19:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we'll see if he does that same job against the New York Giants.
• 1:19:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I think the bears do force a couple of turnovers.
• 1:19:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think they win this one fairly comfortably.
• 1:19:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to call it.
• 1:19:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's say 30 to 17, the Chicago Bears meet the New York Giants.
• 1:19:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not quite too touchdowns, but close.
• 1:19:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll see if I'm a light net.
• 1:19:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: It will say, hey, too.
• 1:19:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll see if I'm right next week.
• 1:20:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Fair enough, everybody.
• 1:20:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Talk to you soon.
• 1:20:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Adios.