All Access: Nichols talks beginning his second season

conversation coming up here on Bears All Access. I'm Jeff Jonny AQ with Tom there and Jim and are joining us as we break down early in the week. We just had a show last Thursday. Show start, short turnaround, but no shortage of information coming through. We're gonna have a good show tonight. We got Badal Nichols and now second,

your defensive lineman joining us in our next segment. And at the bottom of the hour tonight, we're gonna be joined by the Bears defensive rookie of the year in a three time Pro Bowl safety, the number six overall pick in nineteen ninety safety carry one of my favorite players on the Bears, going back aways at ten interceptions at rookie year. But without further Ado. We welcome in

Tom and Jim will tackle news in the day. We've got three draft picks signed today, guys Riley Ridley the receiver out of Georgia, Stephen Denmark, the corner out of Adams to State, and Karrath White they're running back out of Florida Atlantic. Not difficult these days to sign rookies, but good again get them all in before OTA start

next week, Start next week. Man, you said it, Jeff, You know, I'm glad the rookies nowadays get a chance to sign before the pressure of training camp, so they are around for OTAs and the mini camps and the other opportunities they have to be around the facility and around their teammates and getting the classroom because I think

it really expedite their opportunity to play sooner. And when you look at guys, you know, from you know Eddie Jackson, for example, how quickly they are being included in, being evaluated as a pop possible contender for their position. I like the modern day signing of the NFL to get these players in house. Yeah, you know, just to get him a custom, get him acclimated. You know, just what the life is like to be a professional, how your

days are going to be. And you know, I just think the more you're you know, familiar with your surroundings, you can just settle in a lot better and you get in a routine to really embark on your NFL career, to try and put yourself in the most advantageous position to have success early in your NFL career. But you're right, Jeff, I mean, it's kind of slot and slated or slated

and slotted right now. Where you know, it's pretty much the ducks fall in a row pretty quickly, very rarely defined obviously the situation last year with Roquano over the language, but very rarely does that happen anymore in the NFL. And a couple of things over the weekend. James Daniels graduated from the University of Iowa, I believe, a biology major and he ripped out the He was wearing number

sixty eighty wars Jersey Unity. So that was cool. Uh, you know, and we really haven't talked about him as much because we're talking about all the skill positions all the time. But this is an ascending talent who's moving more than likely to Center after his ten starts and left guard last season, and this could be a player we're gonna see here for ten years, you know, Jeff,

I think they did. The Bears did a really smart job last year and keeping him an offensive guard, not putting too much on his plate, let him run to the line of scrimmage without having to think about the center, quarterback exchange, the snap count, the different variations that he has to control in terms of the past protection responsibilities of all the blockers that are involved. So I think

the best is yet to come. But as much as we're talking about James Daniels and his future, I think it's gonna benefit Cody Whitehair and he'll be a more powerful, stronger guard next to Charles Leno Jr. Yeah, Cody, I'll tell you what man, he's You just think about how valuable he is. And I know Tom and I have

talked about him before. I mean, he played left tackle at Case State as well, So to play have a guy who can play both guard positions, the center position and if in a pinch, if asked to play tackle, he could do it. He really could do it. So it's really a credit to Cody white here, and I'm with Tom. It really was nice to let James Daniels settle in. It's a new offense. Don't put too much on his plate in terms of the calls. And that's what Harry Heaston. I think he had a plan and

it's working to perfection so far. Had a heck of a game against the La Rams and Aaron Donald, that's for sure. James Daniels a player to watch the arrow up here as the Bears get ready for twenty nineteen. When we come back, another player with an arrow up, Belal Nichols expected to join the program. We'll see how his offseason is going here on Bears All Access on

Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The Score back on Bears All Access helping us out here Lawrence and Adams Tazinski as always, Tom Fair and Jim Miller with Jeff Jonihan here on Bears All Access please to be joined by second year defensive lineman Belal Nichols now as we look ahead to the twenty nineteen season. But I'll good evening. How you doing, man, I'm doing great? How are you guys? Fantastic? Good to have you. How's the offseason going for you?

How you feeling and how's he getting back? Into the swing of things. Oh man, it's going awesome. You know, I feel it feels great to be back. Um. You know, I'm having a pleasure right now. I'm being able to work with the d line and work with some of the veteran guys. So you know, it's great to undergo my first real all season as a professional. But the first play that we saw you take part in last year in training camp was at the nose guard position.

But then your athleticism stood out and you were able to move up and down the line of scrimmage. When you talk about working with the defensive linement, is there anything they want you to do to change your body, gain weight, lose weight, gain strength, change your style because they were exposed to your up and down line of

scrimmage ability. Yeah. So um, you know, one of the emphasis for me so far this all season has just been changing my body, not necessarily gaining or losing weight, but just cutting down the amount of fat I have on my body. So um, you know, so far this all season, I've been able to cut down a couple percent of fat off my body and really and really leaning up, which is going to be key for me. Um, and especially using my versatility, it's gonna be it's gonna

be real big for me to continue to do that. Well, what's the ideal play plane? What you look for? Two eighty? I mean yeah, I think you were listed at two ninety last year. What are you looking for plane weight wise? If you are a leaner for yourself? Yeah, I definitely wasn't two ninety last year. I think they were going by my college weight. So last year I played that around like three or two three three. Um, this year

I'll probably be somewhere in the same area. But a lot leaner got you and a lot stronger Blow Nichols, our guest here on Bears All Access and Jeff, Tom and Jim joining you as well. You got in there and as time said, the versatility was key. But you know, you got a lot of stamps for a rookie, you know, three hundred and twenty eight on an established front. But that rotation is what every NFL team likes to give

guys rest. Did you feel fresh when you got out there, even as you plowed through the rookie wall last year? Oh yeah, most definitely. Um. You know, the wonderful thing about us, we have a lot of depth in the D line runs so um. You know, whenever I got in a game, I always felt fresh because it was never like we were in there for you know a huge amount of police um. And I feel that that's that's why we were able to be successful as a

D line and as a defense in general. It's because we had so much depth and guys to you know, come in and come out and you know, our game not drop off at all. Well, your defensive line coach, coach Rogers brings an incredible teaching energy every day to practice. Are you sometimes surprised that he does such a great job of teaching the D line and he's an ex quarterback? Yeah, I actually am. I really didn't believe him the first time he told me he used to be a quarterback. Um,

we argued back and forth. I I didn't believe him at all. So, you know, it's crazy because like you said, he brings the energy every day and you know, he's he's a he's a great teacher and he's helping me out of ways. I don't even think he really understands. So you know that it's kind of unique that you get a guy like that and he used to play quarterback in high school. I mean in college, careful Bala quarterbacks are great athletes. Brother, But let me let me

ask you this. We I mean, it's really a credit to you that you earned the respect of your coaches, you know, the the trust to your coaches, because man, you played a lot, as Jeff mentioned, and it was early as the game against the Seattle Seahawks, and then that just kind of, you know, really moved up as the season went along and talk about your preparation and obviously the confidence in yourself because when you were called upon, I mean, you did your job pretty much every single

time and ended up with three sacks your rookie year. Um. Yeah, so that that was one of the bigger things for me. Um. I would like to say that my FETs helped me out a lot with that. Just preparing how to prepare for a game week. Um, you know, coming out of college, it's it's a lot different than prepared for college game. It's a lot more detail, uh you know, a lot more mental mental stress that go into it. So guy's like a keen Nick Williams, uh, Eddie Goldman, all those

guys are really helping me. Uh, you know, give me some advice on how to how to get ready for the week and think that they were that they would do that. They felt it still helped them, and I felt like it helped me. Also, there's defensive lineman below Nichols joining the program, always kind enough to join us. So he's been on this show several times already in his young NFL career. Delightful young man who's got great future.

And I'll tell you the quickness that you show firing out of your stands, off the line of scrimmage and whatever you were listed at and whatever you played at. If you were quick at three hundred, and you still want to get leaner and so forth, maintain that way, but be stronger. Is your game more quickness than to this strength? Or is that quickness and strength? Do you play that together as you make your moves in the in the in the small spaces of the of the

of the trenches trenches UM. I felt like last year I was a lot more quicker than than powerful UM. But this year I got a huge emphasis on being almost equal. M. I want to be able to switch it up like like like I said earlier, like a lot of my game is based on versatility. So I thought this though if I was if I could get stronger this off season and continue to get quicker, it could really create some matchup problems for me and you know,

can help me be even more successful. So that was definitely something that you know, I really wanted to emphasize this off season. Well, I'll thinking about the matchups you're

talking about. So as the offensive line breaks the huddle and they approach the line of scrimmage and it's a third and third and long or second long whatever, you have Khalil Mack next to you, do you see a change in the way they focus the protection to you guys, or is it hopefully that we have the right protection called the goal against two guys that can be as dynamic as rushers as the two of you together. Oh?

Yeahs the like if I if I have a h if I have a Khalil on my side, nine times out of ten, I already know that they're probably going to slide to my side. So in my head, I'm already thinking that I'm gonna make an inside move and I'm gonna get a one on one with the center. And that's just where me being more powerful and quick is able to come into play because you know, a lot of times if it's if it's a smaller center, um, you know, I might want to I might want to

boil Russian. And then a lot of times, if it's a center who was a little bigger, I might want to use my speed and quickness around around's age and try to gain ground on it. Well, as you talk about your great get off, I did an interesting conversation today with a former teammate of mine, Chuck Smith. He was awesome back in the day for the Atlanta Falcons as a pass rusher, and he talked about eyes being the key in order to have great get off. I mean,

what do you focus on? Maybe it break that down for the listeners in terms of your eyes in order to have a great get off. UM. Well, A lot of times I kind of look at the need to foot area. UM. A lot of times with offensive lignments, usually that's the first thing to move on their knee, knee and all the way down to their foot. Um. So pretty much I just go out for that sound. I don't I don't listen to sound. A lot of times.

You know, you have great quarterbacks in this league that are able to switch up their caters and have great voice flection and can really get you to jump offside. So I tune that out, and I'm really just going on to snap of the ball in that foot soon as I see it, move on, I'm just going blow Nichols our guest here on Bears All Access. I'll bring in the offensive lineman for his opinion. Now, So if you're facing a guy like blow time and blaws looking

at knee foot at what's your CounterPunch to that? As an offensive lineman? What could you maybe help him with as he works his way through his NFL career here with offensive line thinking. You know, I've tried to you know what I like about Lyles when he said if I got Kleil Mac next to me, I know what I'm thinking before the ball has ever snapped. So what I think is an offensive lineman is I'm trying to be so balanced in my stance, like, don't give them

that immediate indicator which direction I'm going. And then because offensive lineman know the snap count, I'm trying to use that snap count as a weapon. And if I can start my movement a half an instant before the defensive line is a learned, alerted that's when I feel I put myself in the advantaged position. But you know, sometimes in the loud atmosphere is when the offensive lineman doesn't have the privilege of the snap count, that's when I see the Bears defense being able to be the most

overpowering and aggressive and blah. I don't know if you like playing in a super loud stadium where you can't hear the snap count, or if you like playing on the road when you can start here in the cadence of the quarterback. I love when I can't ridicate it. I mean because I'm not even listening to it anyway,

but it gives me. I feel like it levels the planning field a little bit because at that time the offense might not be able to hear either, so you really just it's keeping not only them on it's but you are. It's at the same time, well that's the advantage to you, guys, because now playing at Soldier Field, I mean they even added the alarm late in the year, I mean they had that siren going off. You can't hear anything. Blow yeah, yeah, and it and it was

it was awesome for us. Hey, blow, what was your best moment individually last year? If there was a snap that you'll never forget. And then what was your worst or your rookie moment when you had Oh wow, that was that was interesting? Um my best snap, I would say it would be, uh to play where I was able to against the Patriots. I was able to bring that Sony Michelle and recover the fumble UM and kind

of like take it back for about five yards. Uh. That was like the highlight of I feel my young career. UM from a from an independent perspective. UM. And then one of the players that really like, uh that really bothered me and I still to this day that bothered me is Uh. I remember we played Detroit and and I kind of you know, kind of got greedy and gave up some of my gap integrity and they kind of gashes for a run. And Uh that that that's

something that you know as a young guy. Um. I still I still have that in my memory and I don't want to allow that to happen again. You know, that's just something where you know, you're just trying to make a play, but at the same time, you got to do your job. And uh, you know, I definitely learned from it. Definitely happened definitely happy to happen early in my career, so i can get that out of the window now and I'm just looking to build off of that. Yep. Use it as fuel of my friend

right below, Nichols. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll talk to you so you bellowing Nichols our guest here on Bears All Access, coming back with Jim Moller in time there here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to scar. The Chicago Beveris Network presents Inside the Bears, brought to you by Hoizon, Anthony Adams and Lauren Screeden cover the world of Bears football on and off the

field every sun. Get I had a ten to thirty five pm on Fox thirty two Chicago, or watch anytime at Chicago Bears dot com or on the Bears official app. Shout out to Anthony Adams Fellas. I don't know if you saw it in the Athletic Damn Pompey Fremtis article on the life and times of Anthony Adams from football player to Internet sensation to a social media star. It was a terrific insight into how he is developing that

aspect his second career. So to speak while maintaining his presence as a media guy too with the Bears and other outlets like Big ten Network and so forth. You know, for the people that really don't know Anthony Adams at well, Jeff, I don't want them to lose respect for what a great football player he was because he is such a funny guys. He's fun on his feet, He's got a great ad lib ability, and that his personality can go from generations to the young people to the older people.

And that's one thing I you know, you kind of when you go to that second career, you always have to realize that Anthony was one hell of a football player. Yeah. One, he's got two million Twitter followers. This guy's blowing it up Twitter, you know, and I get just tell I know guys that have played with Anthony, and even talking to coaches that have coached against him, I think he

gets some of the greatest compliments. Because we used to do pat and I did a weekly with Mike McCarthy, and when he would play the Bearers, you say, their best defensive lineman is Anthony Adams, and he made it a point to always bring up Anthony's name, and so not only has he gained the respect of your opponents, which is always a great, you know, great thing to

have in your back pocket. I just think when you listen to all the players that have played with him, what a great teammate he was, how funny was to play with, and obviously his enthusiasm and just his personality. I mean, you know, I never got to play with him, but I respect that. You know, I wish I had the opportunity to play with Anthony because every player that I talked would ever played with him, absolutely loves him. Yeah,

high praise. Indeed, this defensive line, you know we had blow Nicholson here if you just joined against just a moment ago, but that d line was outstanding stop on the run last year. Franchise record for fewest rushing lards in a sixteen game season, all the way back to the twenty one team, which you know, I was Ted Washington, Keith Trailer and Brian Robinson and Philip Daniels and the fellows.

The Bears number one in rushing defense eighty a game, number one in scoring defense, number three in sacks, fourth on third down, fifth thread zone, seventh against the pass, but only one one yard back in regulation over the past thirty four regular season games for it to continue this year, you know that development needs to continue with guys like Balal. We know how good Akeem Hicks has has become and how impressive he's become a pro bowler. Indeed,

you got Eddie Goldman continuing to develop. You're looking for more growth from Jonathan Bullard, Roy Robertson Harris. But there's some good rushing attacks and some good backs coming on that schedule here in twenty nineteen, Todd Gurley, Zeke Elly, Alvin Kamara, Sa Kwon Barkley, Dalvin Cook twice twice a year.

But you know, Jeff, one thing about the Bears is the opponents weren't alerted throughout training camp that they were gonna have Khalil Mack, and they're gonna have Leonard Floyd, and they were gonna have the pass rushing ability out of a guy like Blall and a Cheam and the rest of the guys. So all of a sudden, now you're trying to devise these game plans. All right, we're gonna run the ball on first down, we'll run it

on second. We'll get ourselves in the third and medium so we can protect and get the ball out of their hands. All of a sudden. Now they're saying, if we don't run the ball successfully on first and second down, we are playing right into their hands. So it's gonna be neat to see the evolution of opponents how they

try to put personnel on the field. Will they put big packages to try to put big blockers in front of great pass rushers and still try to gain those difficult yards to put themselves in more realistic third down opportunities, Or are they gonna say, Okay, they got changes in the defensive backfield, let's see if we can protect and take advantage of the backside. I think it's gonna be really interesting from week one with Aaron Rodgers right down the line, how they're gonna try to get those hard

yards to put themselves in a better protective situation. Jim, what do you expect? Yeah, and it's not going to be easy for opponents to prepare. And I see it. You know, even week one when you look at at Green Bay, because they're looking at film with Vic Fangiel as a defensive play caller, Chuck Pagano is different. How is he going to utilize these guys? Will he use

more stunts? Will he use more blitzes? Down in distance is going to be important, and how Chuck Pocano deploys things, so it's not going to be easy for opponents to prepare. They're gonna go back and look at old film of an Indianapolis Colts defense. Well, Chuck Pagano's now back into three four. He's not running a four three like they were an Indie, right, and you got totally different personnel personnel. He can't wait to get out on the field and

start calling the plays defensively. When we come back, we'll be joined by former Bear safety Mark Carrier, who's back

in town too a new job. We'll get into all that with Mark Carrier here on Chicago's Sports Radio six seventy to score back with you on Bears Alt Access Jeff Joniak along with Tom Thair, my broadcast partner from news Radio seven eighty and one to five point nine FM WVMN, former Bearious quarterback Jim Miller from Sirius XM NFL Radio and Bears preseason Football and not long from now. Good to have a former Bear and good friend joining

the program. Former defensive Rookie of the Year three time Pro Bowl safety, the Bear's sixth overall pickaway back in nineteen ninety. The ageless though Mark Carrier, Mark, good evening, Thanks for joining the program. How are you doing. I'm good? Thanks for having me. You know, we had Otis Wilson at last week and he's sixty and we think he can still play right now. He looks fit to hit. Are you? Are you in that same condition right now? No? No, Otis found a found a few years ago. I don't

look as good. Odors still look. I'm younger than Otis, but he still looks better than me. Hey, coaching, all the coaching is as much as you did after you kept you in great shape, not only physically because you had to keep up with these guys, but I'm sure the mental side of the game. How did it expand your view of the game from your playing days when you coached, you know, at Arizona State first and then

over to Baltimore the Jets and the Bengals. Well, it taught me, how it showed me how the game has changed and how I had to learn how to re reevaluate things. And uh, I was taught about a lot of good guys. On to you know from you know, guys like Tom Thayre and Richard Dan Singletary. I mean, I learned a game from those guys on how to be a professional. But when I went to start coaching in the pro ranks, it was a different mindset. Guys.

You know, these guys were you know, they knew they were better, bigger, stronger, better athletes than I was, but they didn't necessarily, I don't think there was as mentally tough as the guys I got got got taught by. So you had to understand that and respect that, but you also had to be you really had to be a better communicator with them. The game was definitely different. It wasn't run by the players like it was when

I broke in it was. It was more run by the coaches and the communication I had to develop with those players. Mark, I'm I'm glad you talked about the change of the game, because I think the safety position has probably changed more than most positions in the NFL because rule changes, It changes your tackling target. You have to cover better receivers, bigger receivers, different style of receivers.

And then how do you transition a guy that came in as Rookie of the Year ten interceptions to try and to translate the way you play to the way you have to play. Now, that's a great question. That means just what it is I mean, and it starts with college. You can started where a few years ago when even when I was coaching, offenses weren't ready to accept college to wain the college game and the openness to spread being in the shotgun to spread offensive roles

were are always expresed to accept that. But if you want to get these young quarterbacks and get them going early, get them started early, you have to accept it because this is what they learned. You're going to drop the quarterback in the first round. You want to get him on the field, and you better adapt your game to what he knows and what he knows best. And so teaching like my position a little bit. You know, a

lot was in between the tackles. You had to shape, show them, form up and fill up in between tackles wasn't as I asked much covering. You had to cover slugs for tight ends. Now with the game being spreads, these tight ends are very athletic. They flex out a lot. You got you gotta be very mobile yet you still got to be a short tackler. What the game has changed now is is that your coverage understanding how to cover in space where it wasn't that big a deal

when I broke into the game. Well and Mark Jim Miller, good to talk to you, Bud. And when you look at a lot of these safeties are starting to make business decisions too with the changing of the rules. Like you said, they don't want to come up and be body rockers. Essentially used to have the ability to intimidate, and that was the style of play, and it just seems now, you know, it could be a business decision where maybe a player doesn't want to pay a fine,

so to speak. You're right, and Tom hit on it earlier. But I kind of came in, me and Chuck see for my boy, who kind of came in when those rules were being evaluating the body rocker Chuck, Yeah, that's right, you know, Chuck. Chuck was like it was either him or me type mentality. But what a lot of people don't know. I mean, if you read a bio, I was suspended three times. A matter of fact, if I was to come out and play out of retirement, I

would have to sit out one game I suspended. So that's how the rules have changed so much where and I get it. I understand their safety. What my argument with my difficulty is again, I think you hit it earlier, Jim, where you're talking about you gotta aim? We I mean when I was coaching guides, I told him you had to lower your target where you had to aim for the stomach. Yeah, and I remember this how the game

has changed. And Tom, you can contest to this. If you aim, if you went to a guy's knee on the football field, on an offensive guy, not only were you getting ready to get in a fight with their offensive guys, you're probably gonna get in a fight with your old defensive god because they no retaliation was coming back, and they knew that it was gonna come back on them. So our old players were very My old players were

very defensive. Like, hey, if you aim and went low on a guy and hit his knees, they knew it was gonna come back at them. So times are gonna be different. So we're now you're almost you're forced to do it now because you're so afraid of getting fine. But when I play, you went to a guy's knee. You better be ready to go and get into a fight because it was gonna happen, and your old teammates are gonna fight you because they know they're gonna get

it after them. If my carrier guests the former Bears safety and he'll be joining guest for the Bears one hundred Celebration weekend in Rosemond, Tune seventy the ninth enjoyed player autographs, photo ops, football panels, and activities for all ages. Get tickets today at Chicago Bears dot com. There are certain players and certain the way you hit at the safety position for the Bears and played the ballhawk that you were at a time when the Bears were still

a very very good team. Certain guys were just, in my opinion, born to be a Bear. Were you born to be a Bear? I thought I yes. When I when I got drafted by by Chicago, I felt, I, you know, knowing the monsters of the Midway again, I was coming from California, from USC Of course that that gave me a lot of flak. Think God Ben Hoarren

protected me a little bit. But I thought the mindset and what that meant and what that stood for fit my mindset, my mentality, and I wanted to be part of it because they weren't going to let you in that fraternity or be accepted unless you came with the mindset of a toughness, aggressive attitude, and I felt my game mastered match that mindset that way. So it was it was an honor and privilege to be part of

the Bears. Hey, Mark, you talked earlier. You said when you were playing safety and your career, a lot of your game was in between the tackles. One of our first seminars is with Jim nick Mahon and Mitchell Trabisky. Now you're playing safety against each of these guys. Does the RPO offense change your approach to the safety position? Because Jim was an aggressive down the field guy, And

just a little bit about how RPO offenses affect you. Yeah, because you know the way the rules are and it benefit of you, Tammy, because you can step across the line for two yards and still throw the ball down the field. That's another store we can have later. But the way the game has changed with these RPOs, these run pass options, basically, it's almost if if you look at it what it was for us in a way,

it's almost like the option to run option. Instead, you've got the passing game where the quarterback and Jim can speak to a little bit better. There's reading the box and eat and what the quarterback has taught to see. Hey, what's the number in the box. If the number says run, you run it because you've got your favor If it doesn't say that the numbers favor you to pass, then you're gonna fake to run and look for like a little bubble screen or slam or something and get it

out of your hands. So basically in the quarterbacks only reading one side of the field, so it gives them a chance to be simplify the game for him to read it early. And especially if you've got a quarterback who's got some mobility, then it get down. You've got that an extra runner in the back of that. It's unaccountable in your account scheme. From a defensive standpoint, So what that what these RPO has done, It puts the defense on their heels a little bit because they got

to react. They got to kind of wait and see what's happening and play that. And you've got to be really assignment discipline. If not, then you're you're you're in a vulnerable way of getting a big play throne at you. Well, Mark, this is just for selfish reasons. I'd like to know this because I think it's going to be interesting what

happens in Arizona with Cliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray. And also because you look at the playoff game where the Chargers go in and they beat the Baltimore Ravens and I don't want to say Gus Bradley lucked into it. They were down a couple of linebackers and they went with six dbs and seven dbs and they pretty much

shut down Baltimore's RPO offense. With with Lamar Jackson, do you think you'll see potentially more penny personnel or dime packages on the field versus these RPO offenses moving forward?

I think you're I think it's a good point, gentlemen, And I think you're starting to see it because what were you know, you talk about the safety position and how that's evolved and change, and you look at like the Mark Baron from Alabama and uh Ali University, the Cardinals at another state can ban Deon Buchanan you're thinking of I think yes, exactly. Yes, you Cannon from Washington State.

And what you're starting to see the kind of counter that athleticism with the quarterback, is that you're going with the smaller package on the defense, like you say, more nickelmore dime, because you're gonna need guys to cover. You need that tackle, someone who can play in a box but good enough to tackle and play the more because what you have to defend now what was happening with defenses.

Now you have to defend the whole field, even though your gear maybe they might be attacking one side, but you still have to defend the whole field, wide open field. Where we mentioned earlier about playing in between the tackles, now you've got to pretty much defend from sideline to the sideline because the game is so much wide open with these rfos and these bubble screens, the run, the quarterback mobility. Mark carry our guest here on Bears All

Access with Tom Fair, Jim Miller. I'm Jeff Joniac. Mark. You you've worked at Chuck Pagano. What can Bear fans expect and more importantly, what can players expect from the new Bears defensive coordinator? Well, I love Chuck, Chuck is I learned a lot from Chuck. I enjoyed my time working with Chuck and the players will you know, obviously, And I had a good pleasure of working with Big Fan Joe too, so I know how good coach he was or still is, and I'm hoping he does for Denver.

But but the Bear players, if they haven't already, they'll find out they'll love to play for Chuck. That Chuck one. He's very smart, he's well prepared. He'll have his players well prepared, but he will also listen to his players and and hear what they have to say and get their understanding on the defense and what they feel, and then but more importantly, h put them in situations that where they can be successful. I you know, I learned from Rex Ryan obviously, Buddy Ryan's son, and Tommy knows

Buddy very well. Is that the one thing you learn is you better understand your players and what you got and and make sure you you evaluate what they can do and can't do, so you make sure you're they put them in positive situation Because you don't, then you're gonna have a struggle on your hand. And with Chuck, and Chuck knows that you're gonna put them in good situation. He's gonna put them in situation to be to be successful.

You're gonna listen to them and get feedback for him, and he's gonna make great adjustments because part of being a defensive coach is one about extras and everybody's got exceraos. But you've got to be able to make adjustice on the fly because eventually everybody's gonna figure out and you've got to make a justice on the fly to put yourself in a situation be successful. And that's what sucks us. Mark. You came in as a high draft choice and you expected you had a Really you had so much success

that first year. When you look at where Eddie Jackson was drafted and the success he had, does it surprise you or impress you that he comes out of Alabama and he's able to step in and have a high performance first year like you did. Well, I'm always I'm impressed from Eddie Jackson what he's done, because I still think it's not easy. Again, I had a good fortune I had, you know, Tommy, I had some Hall of Fame great players around me that made my job easy.

There's no question about that that's why I was successful, especially early, because of the great players of Sean Gels, Richard Din's singletaries, a Ron Revere, Danny. I mean, I had great players that made my job easy and taught me the game. With Eddie's coming done under you know, we first under Vig fan Joe, and I'm sure with Chuck because Chuck is a dB guy too. That and obviously comes from great Stick from Alabama, from Nick Saban and you hear you get around Nick Nickoll tell you

he's the best dB coach ever. If you listen to him, he'll tell you that personally. But you see what he's done, and that's sort of to be able to. It's one thing to get the balls and see him, but you got to catch him, and it's not easy to do that. This kid has done that. He's talking with people behind the scenes. He's a student of the game, he learns, he's always trying to get better. So I'm one, I'm very impressed, but I'm not surprised because it's the background

of this kid. You expect him to be successful. Well, Mark is your career as as a coach, you know, whether it's you know in Sinse or the stuff you did with the Jets or even with the Ravens. Are you surprised because this is what I've said about the young Bears players. I've never seen a group of more

mature young men coming into the National Football League? Did you see that as a trend as a coach from a player's standpoint, that these players at least, you know, dealing with off the field stuff and everything they're they're doing to prepare themselves to enter the National Football League? Just a maturity level about him. Maybe all the stuff from the NFL is trickling down to the college rinks. Because I'm starting to see a trend of players that

are coming in like the Bears young draft picks. You know what, Jim, it's a crapshoot. I mean, some are ready. I mean part of it's all about the scouting. You gotta give the scouting a lot of credit. And where do these kids come from? Andy? And then, don't get me wrong, you know, I'm always pulling for kids to do well, and being a coach not always worked that way.

You don't always get you know, guys who are self discipline, who self discipline themselves, who who are right off team players, who try to, you know, build within the group to make it. They know if you can work with each other, the better you work together, the more successful have Early

I wish it was always like that. You get some guys who are great athletes, who are great players, but they necessarily don't always have that that team first mindset, and you've got to get them motive that because they've been successful. The difference with athletes now is these guys are so successful early their mindsets sometimes not all, but sometimes think because they're so successful early that they got it all figured out that the game, they figured out

the game is easy. I got to figure it out that they shut their mind off of trying to improve and get better to help their team get better. But the Bears have gotten They've gotten players who are who come in with that mindset, Hey, how can I get better? How can I help the team get better and keep that process moving going. And if you get guys like that, you get a buche them like that, Man, your team is destined for success. I know we got some traveling

music on, but you're back in town. Loyola Academy Associate ad mentoring young people. How's it going. It's been great. It's Hey, I'm getting my bring my wife back home Ago where she's from. Hey, I can do no wrong in our house. But the school and the people I like Loyola have been have been great and welcome me back into the pro into their school and and then

bringing me along you know slow. Just give me enough to get comfortable, get my feet wet, but also give me freedom to do things like this for still being you know, being involved with the Bears in any capacity, would like me and I would like to so. I can't say enough for a loyal academy had been great. I'm just trappy to be back at home, be back with my boy Keat say you're back in Chicago. Good to have you back. Mark will see you at the Bears one hundred June seventh to the ninth. You'll be

there for opening ceremonies. We'll be looking forward to seeing you. Thank you, Thank you guys, for sure, Thank you Bears. Safety. Mark carry or twenty picks and seven seasons with the Bears and ten force fumbles before wrapping his career up with the Lions and the Washington Redskins. We'll continue on one more segment with Tom and Jim after this on Chicago Sports reading six seventy to score, especially thanks to Mark Carrier, former Bear's safety joining us. Good conversation is

always time. We enjoyed seeing him and his coaching stops. But what sticks out to you about him as a player and where he left his mark? You know, Jeff, it's more the history of the position with the Chicago Bears. If you look at the names of the safeties over the different decades in the eras, that position comes in with some pressure when you do get drafted, because when

you get it started. I know again I'm not I'm trying not to lose miss anybody out, but just in you know, the Doug Plank and the Gary Fencing and Sean Gale and Mike Brown and Dorrison, Todd Bell and then Mark Carrier. When you get drafted so high out of USC at that position, you're expected to come in and be one of those great safeties of the Bears history, just like the history of great middle linebackers with the

Bears history. So there is a little bit of pressure that comes in at the high draft choice out of USC to be a safety for the Bears, and Mark lived up to all the expectations. They had for him

when they drafted him, Jim Miller. So with us and Jim listening to him break down to the secondary play, you can see and hear some of the influence of who he was with in his coaching career, whether it would be Chuck Bagano, Vic Fangio, Rex Ryan, he was around some pretty nasty guys playing the game, and Russ Suggs and edridhlod Nato over there in Baltimore for starters. I love hearing what he has to say, especially about

that unit. Yeah, well, it's it's aggressive mentality when you look at that style of play, and certainly Mark was an aggressive player. And you know that the game is changing and that you know, like what Mark said, and I think pass rush is a big part of it. And then safety position now is a big part of that. You look at all the teams that are drafting, like big nickel guys, you know that, Jonathan Abram, you know,

get getting drafted. These are safeties that are now some can play up at the slot position, but yet are they're counted on in order to blitz, to pressure, to get sack totals and things like that. And that's what kind of what Pat Kerwin and I have been doing the last a week and a half going through every division in finding the divisions that have the top pass rushers, and you look at the Bears Division. When you look at the NFC North, it truly is the Black and

Blue division. It is the only division where every team had over forty sacks as a unit. Minnesota comes in they had over forty sacks. Green Bay. When you think of their defense, they had forty four sacks on the season. Here are the Bears they finished with fifty. Minnesota had fifty sacks. The NFC North is the only division where all four teams come in with over forty sacks. People would say, oh, it's got to be the AFC West because you think a von Miller and the Denver Broncos.

You think of Joey Bosa and Ingram, you think of even Kansas City. Their defense stunk last year, but they had fifty two sacks with Houston in d Ford, the Raiders were the only team that come in they had thirteen total as a team. The Bears Division, the NFC North is the only division that truly every team can absolutely ubliter obliterate the quarterback on the other side, really amazing when you think about a tough defensive division, gotta

protect QUBA. A couple of notes over the weekend. Mike Davis Bears running back at a very good Mother's Day, or maybe his mom had a very good mother's day because she got herself a brand new house her mother's day. Great, great move by the young man. He got his first, you know, sizable contract with the Bears six million over two years. That's that's uh. And I know Russell Wilson did the same, But no one's really hearing about Mike Davis. He sounds like Tom Though. He'll get laundry and food

for life. He'll always have dinner on his on his plate. You know what. It's some of the players too you read about that have gone back to graduate and surprise their moms with just their their desire to graduate from college. Because for the young guys that leave college earlier, I haven't graduated yet. If you're enough to stay in the NFL long enough, you could have an opportunity to buy

your mama house. But if you go back and you get your education and you get your degree, I think that sell says a lot about you as a determined individual to make yourself better because ultimately that's what you're gonna need when your career is over all, right, I gotta bring up the passing of Gunther Cunningham because he died at the age of seventy two an illness. But this guy dedicated this whole post War Germany life as

a child to learning the game of football. And Jim, you were on that team with Gary Croton Bears won back in ninety nine, and it's always a comedic moment about razzle dazzle offense by them. Yeah, you know they play razzle dazzle. Bears won that game twenty to seventeen, and Gunther Cunningham didn't think much of it. Yeah, well he you know, he would like to an opportunity to face the Bears again because he's one of those coaches

he would always morph, he change. If you beat him one way, you were not going to beat him that way again. Forty seven consecutive years he coached in the National Football League says a lot about him. Talked to Billy Coo Herrick today. He was one of the front office personnel down there in Kansas City. Everybody called him gun for a reason. He was a tough, hard nose coach,

very well respected around the NFL. And that's how you do coach forty seven consecutive years, because as soon as he was out of a job, he had another one very very very quickly, and why he finished as a consultant with the Detroit Lions special special coaching man and time he did interview for the Bears job back in ninety eight. And I don't know if you had any conversations with him on the sidelines over the years. No,

I didn't. You know, it's more of paying attention to his explosive personality in front of the cameras, who wasn't shy to kind of share his feelings about either the team he was playing against the way they had their offense. And again we kind of all say the word razzle dazzle because every time we're kind of reminded of the fact that he called Gary Croton's offense a razzle dazzle offense after I did lose. But I think that's just

an expression of frustration immediately following a game. Maybe it would be different in today's world when you have a little cooling off period before you have to meet the media. Well, we're gonna pump up Bears one hundred once again. It's a once a lifetime event. Jim, are you Are you gonna be able to make it? Yeah, planning on coming

in town. There's no doubt they're good. So working out the schedule as we speak, all right, So get your tickets at Chicago Bears dot com and there's unbelievable opportunities. You're gonna have more Bears in one place than have ever been at any given time. It'll never happen again this way. Autograph photo sessions, the sessions that Tam and Iobe doing over the course of the three days, and

it's going to be quite interesting conversation indeed. So bring the kids out, enjoy a first weekend in June, a second weekend in June actually, and come on out for the Bears one hundred in Rosemont. We'll be talking to everybody then and pumping it up over the course of the next few weeks. Thanks for us, appreciate it for Tom Fair, Jim Miller and our guests tonight, but Nichols and former Bear safety Mark Kerry. I'm Jeff jonny Ak. Thanks as always to the guys back in the studio,

Herb Lawrence, and Adam Sadinsky. They do a great job. Thanks for listening to everybody, have a great night. Talk to you next time on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. Thanks for listening to this Chicago Bears Network presentation of Bears All Access. Podcasts are available on Chicago Bears dot com and on iTunes, or download the official Bears mobile app. Bears All Access has been brought to you by IGS Energy and sponsored by CDW, Athletico Physical Therapy, and Ford