All Access: Zach Miller and Doug Plank

have the template for the twenty nineteen season. This schedule release last night, the script with which to work off of now and here for the evaluation. My broadcast partner on News Radio seven eighty and one h five point at FM, Tom Fair, Welcome into Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy of the score. A good evening, Big Time. How you doing, Big Jeff. You know, when the schedule comes out, there's always a little search points depending upon

what position you play in the different things. Okay, you look for these, and you know me, I'm gonna look for the extremely hot weather games first, what are the ones that are going to be the most uncomfortable to get through? And then maybe you look, are you going to have an extreme cold opportunity out there, and then who are you playing and when do you play them?

What type of advantages do you have at home against some of the better players you're gonna play against, But where are some of the disadvantages you're gonna face when you're playing in an opponent stadium and you have to face some of the best players in the most hostile environment. So the players they do go through, you know, searching how it's going to affect their opportunities this season. Also, do you do that more now as a broadcasher than

you did as a as a player? Noway? I mean as a player, I would as much as anything, because we played Tampa twice a year then, so you had to see where you're gonna get them out of the way early in the season when it was extremely hot down there, and then they would come to Chicago hopefully on a colder day or vice versa, where you gonna be a fat, happy team in December and then have to go down to Tampa in catching eighty five degree

day in suck air through the whole thing. So and then you had to look for guys like Keith Millard at times in his career, or the Reggie Whites you know, or you know, just the great players that would come across. You know your schedule. Jim Miller unable to join us tonight, but we have a full hour with you and some special guests tonight had coming up. Shortly, Zach Miller joined us for his first interview following his statement released last

week that he's going going to stop playing football. Then around six thirty one of the most popular and certainly tom one of the hardest hitting safety's and players ever in Bear's history, but one and only Doug Plank joins us. We're gonna get the ball rolling on that Bears one hundred years celebration event coming up in Rosemont in June, the days of seventh, eighth, and ninth. That's going to be a fun interview and a fun event indeed, town.

You know, the one thing that catches my eye right from the get go is mcmannon Trubisky on the same stage because I've got to or not understand. I get to know Mitch a little bit from his a podium opportunities, and he's so well spoken in answers are thoughtful, and

Jim is the opposite end of the spectrum. It's gonna be awesome, But you have to Jim is one of the most intelligent football minds that you could have an opportunity to put on stage with the young quarterback of the future because the game that Jim came from in college is more used now in the NFL than it was when Jim came into the NFL. Yeah, lots to break down during that weekend. You're going to have your best opportunity ever for the most collection of Bears players

past and present. That will be a heck of event. We're looking forward to it and it's coming up rapidly as a matter of fact. All right. Before we get more into that, back to the schedule and where you break it down, and I'll give you my thoughts as well. What are some flashpoint areas that has caught your attention in terms of just how it stacks up and where you got to be at a certain point in a season.

When you're the Bears in twenty nineteen, it's it's the roller coaster of starting times, practice changes, um, late nights, getting back from a game that you've got to get right back on the on the practice schedule, and sometimes the first couple of days are exhausting and m you know, and just see how all the how the travel is gonna work itself out in you know, there's just a lot of different elements to it, but it is you know that when your divisional games are going to take place,

they're still the most important, but you also have a schedule of success. They're not going to put you in that roller coaster starting times all over the map trying to capture a national audience's attention because the Bears are

so popular. It's just that you have to be able to um, you know, have a mature team inside that locker room that can get their energies organized at the right time and the different starting times, they're going to find something they certainly have, you know, and that they're one of they had the most right now along with several other teams. They're all playoff can enders, all believed to be Super Bowl contenders, that have five primetime games.

Then you throw in the London game, Thanksgiving games. So it's a lot of attention on the twenty nineteen Bears from my money, dang healthy as you entered December because that final month of the season and how that all stacks up to me, it's always after Thanksgiving. You've heard me say many times. That's when the season actually begins. If you're a contender, it doesn't really start until then, and that's when you want to hit. You hit your straight.

If the Bears have the same success rate and the health that they did last year, it's going to be a really big season for all Right. That's top there. I'm Jeff Jonahak and this is Bears All Access producing

tonight Chris Dickens and also Hearb Lawrence. Coming up next, we'll be joined by Zach Miller bere on Bears All Access in Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Squad fling back to Bears All the Access brought to you by IGS Energy, of proud partner of the Chicago Bears, providing electricity, natural gas, and home warranty products to over one million customers across the country. Learn more about GS Energy at

igs dot com. Welcome back to the program, Jeff Jonnyac along with Tom Thare, and this is Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. Please to be joined now by a good friend of ours and a good friend of Bears fans, number eighty six, Zach Miller. It's one week from tonight is the NFL Draft, and how quickly time has flown, big big Zach from a sixth round pick in two thousand and nine with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Where you are? Now, what's going on, guys? We're doing all right, Zach.

Last week, obviously you issued a statement on social media that your football playing days have since passed. And have you digested all that since I'm slowly I'm slowly doing that. A bittersweet moment for me, obviously, just because it didn't

quite end the way that I would envision it. And but as I look back at it and I see all the support that I've got, you know, not only in the last two days, but really over the last ten years, it makes you reflect on all of that and see how blessed I am to really be in the position I am and I wasn't for ten years. So it was a bittersweet day. But I'll tell you what,

I had a good run, hey, Zach. Within your statement, one of the things I like you said, chase your dream, never stop, never settle, and you know, I kind of, you know, think about that through are my opportunity to play football? And the way you come out of it. I would do it all over again, every single thing I had the opportunity. When you consider what you've been through but really where you're going, would you do it all the same? I think I'd run it all back

just the same way. And partly just because for me, my love is the journey. It kind of made me who I am. Maybe I changed the ending, I changed the outcome, but as far as everything up leading to that point, I think I do all the same way because I learned so much through the hardships, UM, in the in those moments where I was down for a while, out of the league, you know, and not playing for a number of uh almost three and a half years

being on IR, and I learned. I learned just so much about never giving up, UM, continuing to believe in yourself and really believing your abilities regardless of outside perception or what other people may think. UM. If you have that confidence in yourself and in your abilities and you continue to push and grow, you can you can ultimately reach those goals. And I think for me that journey and learning all those things is probably one of the

most important part of it. You know, it isn't it amazing that you can play the game and affect a few, you can have a scenario that you've faced and you can affect thousands and people all over the world. It's it's it's an amazing how positive of effect you can

have on so many young and old. It is, and that's something that's still it kind of touches my heart just because I've had so many people reach out to me, whether near far, whether Bears fans or NFL fans across the globe, and people that are kind of going through the same stuff that I'm going through injury wise, similar injuries, and then people who have other obstacles, but they find

a little bit of inspiration in my story. And for me, it's that's the pool is part about it, because other people are getting a little bit of positivity from and they're gaining some light and it's continuing to help them push through the stuff that they are struggling with on a daily basis. So it's almost a little bit of a blessing for me to be able to kind of provide that positive influence on people all over the world that we've never met, but we connect on a certain level.

Is Zach Miller our guest here on Bears All Access brought to you by IGS Energy, Jeff Jonny Act, Tom Bear on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score And I'm struck by the photo you It placed down in your Instagram account, and I'm not an Instagram person, but it did come up. Uh it's just your your arms spread wide. You're back to the camera and you're dwarfing Soldier Field and the and the and the great city of Chicago in the foreground. Um, when you look at

that photo and you see that photo, what what? What are you thinking? What are you what are you feeling when you see that? It's something that I put together. Um, you know, I took a couple of pictures and I thought it through and it was one something of what I wanted to put out there for everybody to see and embody my time in Chicago, and it was the appreciation for a every single person inside of that Chicago land area, inside inside Soldier Field, people inside the stadium

that are now perched up above the city. And it was just a big giant thank you and a and a giant of you for having my back. And that's just kind of what it meant for me putting it together that way, So I thought it was city and hopefully everybody else thought the same. Zach, you know you mentioned that. Sorry time you mentioned that. Uh you know, in time mentioned the impact in in thousands around the world that you have made because of eighteen months ago.

But in a broader scope, like you mentioned, three and a half years of lost time due to injury. Did a change who you are in any way? And well how you look at life and how you looked at the game? Yeah, I think it changed me. I think any all these obstacles kind of changed people, whether good or bad. For me, it proved a point not only to everybody else, but most of poorly took myself that

I was able to pick myself up. Um, you know, through those loads, I was able to continue on an upward slope to really get to where I won to be. And was the other half of the question just you know how you looked at the game? Oh yeah, so I mean for Jeff, Jeff, for me, man, that just made it more special and not a lot of guys are not active for three and a half years, whether they're on our eye or I are, or out of the league or doing whatever. There's a that's a big window.

So for me, it really made me appreciate being there, being in that seat, being able to walk out on the field and continue to do what I loved. It made me appreciate it so much more because when you're in it, it's just what you're doing, and sometimes you can be taken for granted. And after that three and a half year period, I never took it for granted. Not a day that I stepped on a football fire

that I didn't love what I was doing. There were struggles, you know, you're going through training campus, you're doing the dog days of things where it's not exactly fun, But I never took those opportunities for granted, and I think that's probably the biggest thing that it was taught to myself through that window. You know, Zach, I think last year, though, I think you inspired a lot of people around Hollis Hall when you would make that daily trek from the

weight room back to the facility. It was inspiring because people understood what your commitment was to it. So now you know this football team inside and out better than anyone this one that's coming up. When you look at the roller coaster schedule, Are you a player that would like straight now starts or are you okay with this team having the alternate starting times of this roller coaster year. I'm okay with us having the roller coaster only because

I know that we'll be well prepared for it. If you look at it and kind of as a player from a weekly routine, would you like everything to kind of be the same. Yeah, probably, But when you substitute that for prime time, you substitute that for under the lights, you substitute that for division rivals, um and and big

big moments. With with what we're putting together, with what Ryan has done, with what coach Knas has done in the last year, and how he prepares these guys, I think it's gonna be exciting because they're going to show up on prime time and this he up to be a lovely display for everybody to see the Chicago Bears kicking some butt. Zach Miller our guest here on Bears All Access with Jeff Jonny Akin town Fare on Chicago Sports Radio six seventies score. It's brought to you by

IGS Energy. Uh just looking at your career, I saw this Pro football Focus said, and they evaluate every snap in the NFL. Um they're gaining in popularity and so forth, certainly around this time a year with the draft, but a stunning stat especially for a tight end and a guy that was in several different systems. They said that you only had four drop passes in your career. That's pretty good. That's some good hands. It is not bad. I'll tell you what, guys, I took pride in catching

the football. I worked on it. It was it was something that and it's funny that you say that because I was just talking to one of my best friends last night about it, and because I made that transition from quarterback to tight end. I never really did catching drills and I got into the NFL and I worked on it. I did tennis ball drills with one eye open, one eye closed, bouncing stuff off the wall. I worked on one hand. It catches every single day over the shoulders.

So those were something that I kind of took pride and catching the football, and I wanted that I didn't I didn't want. I went one of the lowest drop rate in the entire league. So, um, it's cool if they do that for you know, they put those stats together for guys to kind of see some off the wall and statistics, but that's pretty sweet, you know, Zach.

When I so you play tight end, h back, fullback, split, tight end, short yardage, tight end on short yardage and goal line during the expansion of your career, what was more challenging for you? And I'm kind of for thinking for Adam sheheen, but I need to hear from your experience. Is it what's more challenging at an NFL level? Is it the online blocking or is it the route running and timing with a quarterback with the creativeness of Mitchell.

I think it was the inline blocking, just the physical nature of what it is for me specifically, because I've never really had my hand in the dirt and I had to kind of learn that skill for the first three four years and I probably wasn't even really good at it and maybe ever, but there was a period where I was able to do that and I started to kind of find a little niche and you use

more quickness opposed to being overpowered. So for me, it was the inline just understanding the strength and how I could use my quickness and agility to kind of, you know, hold off the bigger, stronger dudes. Now when you get into the route running and the timing thing. I was fortunate enough to play quarterbacks, so I understood timing in my own head. There was times where you may run her out and just my internal clock already knows where Mitchell is going to be at and what he kind

of needed. So I feel like I had an advantage from that standpoint. And speaking specifically of Adam, I think just the more that he plays, the better he's going to get. Obviously has all the physical tools. He's a giant. His catch radius is huge, and he is a very very good athlete. Now is he just he's strong enough to really be a dominant inline blockers just got to learn some technique. He's very tall, so the lower pad

level for him and things like that. The sky's the limits really for where he is and what he can do talent wise. So I'm excited to see him grow. Jack Miller our guest here on Bears All Access with Tom There Jeff jonny Ac on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The Score brought to you by IGS Energy. One thing for me and it'll be last one for me and time. If you have something else you can chime in as well. But I have a good question. I heard something. What's that?

I said, I have a good question. Okay, now go ahead. I was sorry. I heard something about Bill Belichick today on the radio and just how the lack of practice time with players and installing offenses is such that it shifts for a coach in terms of what he can put in and how quickly the entire offense can get downloaded. I only bring it up because Mattneggie keeps talking about Mitch and the offense at one on one level last

year now two oh one. This year is the expectation and beyond and it's going to grow like that every year. Is it smart for coaches now to take the approach like, okay, don't panic and training camp. If you get you can't get it all in, get enough to get it done the first couple games of the season that puts you in a position to win and still download and installed throughout the course of the first six weeks of the

season or so. Yeah. I think so. I think that's just that's the right approach, only because you don't want

to have information overload. You can get you can get a playbook that's so diverse and so complex and a lot of guys are moving different positions, and if you throw it all at them at one at one time, it can be we're learning everything at an average level, or we can kind of limit it, pick out the most important things, all our key concepts, what we're gonna do, become great at those, and then grow from that kind of as the season goes, and then you take that

conglomerate and then it's changed week by week. So I'd say early on for that approach is right on, and that's coming for me. I think Coach Belichick and Coach Nagging a heck of a lot more than what I would do, So I'd follow in their footsteps for sure. Hey, Zach, last question for me. You know, you've had some amazing experiences in your life in the NFL. You've come from one of the grumpiest postgame locker rooms to one of the craziest postgame locker rooms I've ever seen in my life.

Isn't it weird how fine line it is between those two postgame locker rooms. I'll tell you what man night and day differences just from you know how it's a challenge to win in the NFL. It really is from week to week and they're special and coach Naggie does such a great job of understanding that and really pushing

that narrative to his entire team and enjoying it. So there's nothing wrong with having fun and really soaking up that entire sixty minute battle that you just had, and then you come inside and you get to have a little bit of a party with your with your family in there. It's a it's a pretty cool thing that he set up. And I think you're starting to see it kind of trend now trickle down effect out the NFL, but you know where it started, and that's a that's

a live party in there. I'm glad you allowed the fans the exposure because it's really cool for x has beens to see it going on, and it's fun to see the young guys enjoying the opportunity of success. It's so fun. Man. He's he knows exactly what he's doing. And uh, like I said, it's been a privilege for him to kind of take me in and then allow me to be in that position for that entire year.

So I love that guy. That's the aspect of sports that is lost, is the aspect that when it is over, you missed the room, you missed the day to day grind with teammates. I'd like both of you to talk about those experiences. Are what you know you might be feeling, Zach and Tom, what you did when it was time to move on, I think, and I mean, just just like you said, that's probably the biggest thing that you

missed being around your brothers on a daily basis. And then when you get into the grind, there's just a certain amount of like it's just like a prideful thing to go through a training camp. And it's different for us now come than it was for you guys back in the day. I mean, you guys were that was a that was a grind for you. It was strenuous and I know it because I did it for two

years when it was real to it is. And when you get through that and you come together, you grind through crank camp, you got some fights, I mean, you got some family stuff going on, and then it ends and you're like, you know what, man, we just made it. We came a little bit closer, and it's a bomb that you can't really describe when you go through something like that, and then now it shifts to the greater

goal that you move forward together. It's just a special feeling and I'm gonna miss out the most just daily being there, hanging out, putting in the work and appreciating what the guy next to you is doing, you know, for me, you know, I know the Bears hunting your anniversary, the event that's coming up in Roll's mind. It's gonna be interesting because you went to training camp and you competed with so many guys that you're going to be

able to see. But you know, Jeff and I have had the opportunity to do these broadcasts now, so some of the guys that are going to cross our path that we really didn't get an opportunity to talk to very much because they were in the midst of their career. I'm looking forward to that opportunity as much as seeing the guys that you play with, because the guys you play with you have a tendency to see a little

bit more. But the generations of players that have come throughout the Chicago Bears and been on the roster, it's going to be an awesome chant to be able to see these guys for an extended period of time. Yes, I agree, I think that's a cool That's just a milestone for really everybody who's been involved with our franchise, like it's a brotherhood and never expires. So to be there and kind of see the history of in Martini

and the greatest franchise in the NFL. To have that all come together and have guys there to share stories and share history and kind of support one another'd be pretty cool. Glad you are the Jeersy of Chicago Bear Bigs. Take care of my friend. Thank you for joining us on Bears All Access. Appreciate you, Thank you. The pleasures all mine. I love you, guys. To Zach Okay, Zach Miller, our guest here on Bears All Access. When we return, we'll be dialing up another Bear that had to this day.

The fans love them. There's no way you can put it any other way. The great Doug Plank, one of the hardest hitters in football history, joining us next on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Square. The twenty nineteen middle A Chicago Bears Draft party will be held on Saturday, April twenty seventh at Soldier Field

from noon to six pm. The event will feature on field activities, locker room tours, player autographs, and of course, the live draft coverage and analysis from Bears football experts. Get your tickets today at Chicago Bears dot com Slash Draft Party. Jeff Joniac, Tom Thair and joined now by a twelfth round draft pick when the draft was longer

than seven rounds back in nineteen seventy five. I'm sure he remembers what number he was drafted at because it sticks with guys for the rest of their careers and it's a little chip on the shoulder. Please welcome former Chicago Bear safety Doug Plank. Doug, do you remember what number you were drafted? Jeff, Tom, Nobody forgets that. I

think it was two ninety one. And I know there's more more numbers like on that now, you know, more teams and stuff like that, But um, it was, you know it was, and it was a surprise because you know when I when I was at Ohio State, you know, I was mostly a special teams player, and you know a lot of teams came into town. I remember the Cowboys and the Rams, and they all had you you

run and tested and all that sort of thing. But I have to tell you there wasn't one team that came to Columbus Ohio at Ohio State and tested me on doing anything. I didn't have to run, I didn't lift weights. So when it came the day of the draft and I found that they got drafted by the

Chicago Bears, nobody was more surprised than Doug Plank. You know, Doug, It's a good thing that you were number forty six because I was kind of thinking, you know, that can be dialed into the four defensive lineman six, you know, on the second level. But just think if you were number like twenty seven or thirty one, they would have never named the defense after you. So you know, that's

the two ninety one your draft choice. But forty six has worked out well because across the football landscape, everybody knows Doug Plank number forty six, you know what. And I was one of those stories too. I was the rookie that had a jersey number. I couldn't get my college number, which was twenty eight, but I got number twenty five. So I had twenty five for like two or three weeks. But they traded for an all Pro receiver, Ron Shanklin's the Pittsburgh Steelers. And when he saw my number,

that was his number in Pittsburgh. That only took one day from him to take that jersey off me and say, hey, kid, rookie, I'm taking his jersey. And I went downstairs and I went to any Early, one of the equipment managers. You got what you have any jerseys left? He goes, how

about forty six? Oh? Good for you. I mean that's a good That is a blessing in disguise, you know, Doug going through the draft process right now, just and today, as a matter of fact, I was working on behind cornerbacks and safeties in you know, because the Bears don't

have a first or second round pick. When we're doing our draft show on Saturday, Tom and I and UH and Dan POMPEII and David Haw and Habarks, we're gonna be looking at guys that you know, you analyze, okay, And there are a few guys today that I was looking at. You know, they only had a handful of college starts. And I was shocked to learn that you

only had five college starts at Ohio State. Yeah, it was you know, it was very humbling, but you learn how to work hard when you're in an inferior position, and you're always trying to get to the top. I was behind a first round draft pick, a kid by name of Tim Fox that played twelve years in the NFL. So it wasn't like I was behind somebody that was not talented, are capable or qualified, and you know, you get the big places like you know, Ohio State, Wow,

there's always somebody in front of you. So I love the fact that I learned how to work hard and be conditioned and you know, expect the unexpected. You know, don't don't wait for your opportunity to come and knock on the door. Be ready. So when that opportunity came in, it did for me. My senior year against Northwestern, Tim Fox got hurt the first play of the game, and

I played a game of my life. Interceptions, forced fumbles, and you know, there was a Chicago Bear scout at the game, and that's in fact, how I got to the Bears. You know, Doug, before I ever got to the NFL, when I dreamed about playing in the NFL, You're a guy that intimidated me before I ever got here. And then I signed in the USFL, and I was glad that you're in the NFL and then you signed

in the USFL. Were there guys that you that when you approached the NFL that intimidated you or you're anxious about either being hit by or hitting you know what, Tom. You know, it never dawned on me that I was ever going to get drafted, that I was ever going to play in the NFL. So literally, when I came there, I came with this, you know, Jeff, I know you mentioned like a chip on your shoulder or whatever the case. I didn't have any of that. I was just a

twelfth round draft pick. I you know, I felt like, you know, I led the Ohio State Buckeyes in kickoff tackles. I felt like if I line up every time at safety and I treated like a kickoff, somebody is going to pay the price. It's going to be alignment of running back somebody, because you know, when I run twelve yards and hit the line of screamage, somebody's going down. And that's the philosophy I brought with me in training camp,

and I became the starter before you know. Fortunately, there were six games back then, so I had plenty of opportunity to prove myself in exhibition and I was starting my rookie year. I couldn't even started Ohio State. You know why, because no one really ever gave me the

chance to show what I could do. You know, Doug, speaking of that, you know you think of the of the defensive the defensive backfield now, I think the safety responsibilities have changed more than any other because they have to have the ability to cover, they have to tackle, they have to support the run near the line of scrimmage. So outside of all your illegal hits, how would you have changed your game to fit it into today's atmosphere. You are so right, Tom Number one, eliminate the helmet

first contact. You know that was a devastating way to knock people out or knock them down. I can't tell you how many times I heard the oxygenes come out of their their lungs. I would have to become you know, I studied film a lot. I anticipated what formations were and what likely plays they were going to run. As a result of that, I would not be nearly as effective in today's football because you know, the recklessness of the way I tackled there would not be regarded very

well here. And it was surprising when I first got to the NFL, I could not believe how late the whistles were in comparison to NCAA. You know, those whistles were fast, they were quick. If you know, when that running back was going down, they were almost blowing the whistle. The NFL A thousand and one, you know, the guys down the ground, you know, then all of a sudden you hear like a thousand and one, a thousand and two, one thousand and three, and all of a sudden you

start realizing, Wow, this is a totally different game. Doug Plank our guest here on Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy with Tom There. I'm Jeff Joniac and Doug will be a part of the one hundred years celebration as the Bears welcome fans into Rosemont and the first weekend in June. It's June seventh, eighth, and ninth, and we're going to be talking to former Bears players and current Bears players about what that's going to mean.

It's going to be the largest Doug collection of Bears players passed in present that has ever been put together before. And that has to even be exciting for a guy who has been in the thick of it and have been in that locker room. No, you know, honestly, it's so exciting. I mean, I do broadcasting now, you guys know that on radio national radio, and I love talking football to players, coaches, especially people that I played played

against or played with all those sort of things. I just think, you know, football is such a great game, and you know because you're giving everything you can, You're sacrificing your body for your teammates. And you know, I still you know every time I see Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael and Singletary, Gary Fensick, you know those guys, I know they gave everything they could to help me

make plays. And if it wasn't for those guys in front of me as a safety, you know, your career, who you are as a person is nothing without those guys taking out everybody in front of you, and your job is easy. Hey, Doug, as you are finishing your career, you had a chance to see some really great draft choices coming a ball and you see half, and you see Otis, and you see Singletary, Todd Bell, Van Horn, Jimbo McMahon, just just to name a few of the

draft choices. Did you start seeing a change of belief for culture inside the locker room when you start to do a mass the quality of talent that I've just mentioned. You know what, let me just say this, Tom, I felt like the defensive side of the football. Not only did the talent increase, but you know, they also were willing to go the distance. They would do anything, They would sacrifice themselves just so you could make a play. And I just think the whole mental aspect of the

Chicago Bears changed over those years. It wasn't just about forty times in bench press and vertical jump and all those sort of things. Those guys all bought into the program. Tom, and man, oh man, was it fun to play on that team. I mean, you would run back to the huddle and I'm speaking now defensively because I felt so bad for Walter Peyton. I mean, the guy was literally trying to beat a loving guys on the other team. And when they started bringing in all these offensive lineman,

quarterbacks in two receivers, it exploded. I mean, and now all of a sudden, you had team both a defense and an offense that we're playing for each other. It was it was like being at the playground. Doug plankard guest here on bear Zell Access. Doug, you have time to stick around for one more segment If we'd take a couple commercials here, Sure, we'd love to talk to you. He's got time. He's got me so fired up, right, I got a couple of good questions left too. I

want to ask too many questions. No, you can't have too many for dot playing. This guy's unbelievable. All right, We'll be back in a second here on bear Zell Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to Score. The Chicago Bears Network presents Inside the Bears, brought to you by Verizon. Anthony Adams and Lauren Screeden cover the world of Bears football on and off the field every Sunday night had at ten thirty five pm on Fox thirty two Chicago, or watch anytime at Chicago Bears dot Com

around the Bears Official app. Another segment with former Bear Doug plank number forty six, kind enough to join us here on Bears All Access with Tom There, I'm Jeff Joniac. Doug, you do do games for USA Radio and that outfit and NFL games. You've done some Bears games. You did some last season. What about Matt Naggie's vision, his style, his substance as a head coach at the age of forty resonates with you? And what the culture is like now for the Chicago Bears and their fans moving forward

here in twenty nineteen. Well, let me just first say this. You know, as an announcer, I'll tell you that. I'll tell you why teams lose. Bad coaching, bad calls, putting players in the wrong positions, calling the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm sorry, I've watched enough games. You know. Everyone tries to blame it on the players. But that's why I give Matt a lot of credit. I mean I first met Matt. He was a quarterback for me, a backup quarterback in Arena football, and the starter got hurt.

Matt came in and was unbelievable. I mean, he had the immediate respect from everybody. You know why, because he did everything out there. He would die for first downs, he put the ball on the mark, and he was a leader. And no one really wants to talk about leadership in sports, but I'm telling you it's so much more valuable than even knowledge and you take knowledge and

you got leadership in the same guy. That's Matt Naggie, and I look forward to great things happening because you know what, he has the respect of the players and also the coaches. Doug. When you think this year's draft, you got Kyler Murray who's under six foot. Every other meaning every other evaluated quarterback is six foot plus six two and beyond except for the quarterback at Penn State. You've had indoor coaching opportunities, You've seen the fast approach

of the game. Where are you on the quarterback thinking? You know when you are you thinking? You know six foot and under or six foot and over? You know what? You know? You start looking at some of the quarterbacks around the league, and you know the Da Dak Prescott's and guys that are you know, not really real tall or receiver I'm sorry, quarterbacks like you would have the vision a six four or six five, the Jim Everett type quarterbacks that stand back in the pockets, strong arms.

It's a different game now, you know, I think, especially where the Bears are right now, their offensive line. You know, I know, I know it's good, but you know, I love quarterbacks that have the ability to roll out and buy some additional time, because every defense breaks down after five seconds. And I think if you can keep the play alive somehow, some way, you know, whither whether with the quarterback or you know, with great teap players around them,

good things are going to happen. And so, you know, it's one of those situations that I think the Bears are fantastic right now where they are. You know, I think they've got a great belief in each other as far as you know, their their vision on what they want to do. I think Matt does a great job of interpreting the other team's defense and offense and makes

all the changes accordingly. And I give the Bears a lot of credit, you know why, because a lot of teams would not would have not pulled that deal with Khalil Mack, and they got it done somehow, some way. Trubisky they got him, you know, drafted early in the draft. You know, I give them a lot of credit. They are aggressively going after a championship, you know, just to get you know, just to steer back kind of the history of the Bears, because it's just in my thought,

you know. Recently, there's an article written by Dan Pompey about Clyde Emrick and then you talked about the preparation in the offseason when you were a player, And in that article he said, Doug Plank is my favorite player all time of the Bears. Can you tell me what a compliment that is, first of all, and the importance in his role in the history of the Bears, in the preparation of the just the decades of teams that he prepared. You know what, Tom, You know he does

a great job of training people. And you know he's a very he walks the walk. Also, I love these coaches said, I want you to run down to kickoff, and I want you to wipe out all these guys and then go get the running back and kill him and put him on the ground. When is the last time you did that? Right? And but with Clyde Embry, he did it. He did all the weightlifting. And I'll tell what Clyde Emery made me somebody I wasn't I got there. I'm not saying undersize I didn't have the

strength or weakness or whatever the case might be. But he more than just the muscles they put on my body. You know, every day talking with him about his philosophy of life. You know what, the expectations are one hundred percent effort, one hundred percent of the time. You know you love your teammates. You know that's you just go down. You're willing to do anything for each other. I felt like Clyde Emery, as much as any other coach they have on that staff, was part of the success of

the Chicago Bears through the eighties. I mean he helped and mold that team and turn those players into guys that they weren't when they showed up one of the most feared hitters in NFL history. Doug Plank, our guest here on Bears All Access, kind enough to give us a chunk of time tonight in advance of the Bears one hundred celebration. It's going to be a great time.

One hundred Celebration weekend in Rosemond, June seven through the ninth, player autographs, photo ops, football panels, and activities for all ages. You can get your tickets today at Chicago Bears dot com. I strongly urge you to go and get some tickets. Up to two free tickets for kids tenant under when accompanied by a paid adult for the weekend or a one day pass free kids tickets do not have access though to autograph and photograph sessions. But it's brought to

you by doctor Pepper Hundy and Midwest Dairy. Okay, I just described you as one of the most feared hitters in football. Does that ever bother you that sometimes that's how you referred to as opposed to a great safety or the position itself. Do you ever take it? Do you ever take umbradge with that? Jeff, No, not really. I mean, because you know what, coming out of the twelfth round, coming on sitting on the bench at Ohio State,

I just showed up one. If I would have just been on Ohio Saints punt team, I'm sorry, Chicago Bears punt team for eight years, I would still be happy and nobody knew anything about me. But you know, believe me, I took everything that came my way with gratitude and thankfulness. And you know, yes, I worked hard and I gave a lot of effort, but you know what, so did a lot of other players and never really were recognize.

I mean to be part of this forty six defense, even though I didn't go to the eighty five championship, you know, I felt like I was still part of it, and I knew everybody on the team, the coaches, the players. I mean, there isn't a day that goes by I don't think something of a Chicago Bear memory in my life. Hey, Doug, who hit you know? I think of Earl Campbell, I think Larry Zonka. I think of Pete Johnson, the fullback from Cincinnati, or maybe some of the huge tight ends

you played. Again, give me Giles, who hit you know? Who hit you hard? You know what I was doing three sixties Tom all the time. Once I went into the first year, we were in the Silver Dome up in Detroit, and we walked in there. It was our first year. They were open and they had my picture up on the wall with five hundred dollars under it, and I got the idea, right then, hey listen, somebody is coming after me. So I just kept trying to tackle everybody I could. That really running into some of

my own players. I still say the hardest hit I ever had was against Otis Wilson against Alliance. Him and I were breaking on a guy that had just done a little stop route like a ten yard button hook, and he sewed on With the last second I ran into Otis. It was lights out. I broke my nose. That was probably the hardest hit I ever had. You know, poor Brian Baschnagel, because he tells me horror stories at practice where you would hit him harder going downfield than

he would get hit in any games. And you know, those are some of the thoughts before coming to the Bears that are ingrained in my memory about your reputation, are watching you and Fensic before I ever had a chance to play for the Bears? Was that reputation that preceded you? Tom think about this though. I every coach what he used to say, you practice the way you play, you know, so you're gonna of course they're gonna practice.

I believe me. My hardest hits were on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because you know why I just turned it loose. I know, nobody else was playing in the game. I was playing in a game. And finally when Dickie became the head coach, it was a game for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because just going against the offense was suicide. I mean it was literally anything goes and but you know what, you got to the game time, you're go ahead,

this is easy. I've done this all week. There's nothing to this, and you don't even have to think about it. Your body would just go hit somebody as hard as it could. I promise you you don't even have to think about it. It was already locked into your mindset. Yeah,

I agree. You know, practicing in against Hapton or McMichael, when you'd play against some of the slower opponents, there would be a second of hesitation sometimes because the Bears defense was so aggressive one hundred per cent of the time. Practice in games that you know, sometimes you played against a lesser opponent and you could see a significant difference between the two. Doug Plank, our guest here on Bears All Access. We're gonna let you go, my friend, but

we'll see you. We'll see at the Benk in June. You're gonna be on a panel with some other great Bears safeties. I'm sure Mike Brown and Gary Fencik and others will be there, So it's gonna be a position specific and you're always a delight to talk to you. We really appreciated Doug. Thanks Doug, thank you so much for having me on. Guys, Doug Plank, don't miss opening ceremonies and that Friday evening June seventh, covering one hundred

years of Bears football. We've got Hall of Famers, all the living Hall of Famers, and the unveiling of the new Classic Bears Jersey. Doug Plank is some kind of guy. We always enjoys talking with him. You know, I'm equally as excited to see a guy like Mike Brown because he's one of the guys that you would like to be friends with, but because there was a separation between broadcaster and player, you never had that chance, and it

would be fun just to have some loose conversation with them. Heck, how many plain chips do we we visit with Mike Brown, and there's a there's a There's just generations of guys like that. That's going to be exciting to see. Well, drafts next week. It's even impossible to kind of guess exactly what direction the team's going to go, but we will be talking about it as usual on that Saturday. It'll be a fun event to look at it from

a different perspective. Tom Oh, I know it is. It's just it's hard to anticipate you know, the first and second round excitement. But again you never know because the greatest poker face I've seen in the last four years is Ryan Pace. But you know, you still have to see what decisions are made within your division because the Bear success, there's a lot of division teams that are still good, that have some high opportunities, high draft choice opportunities.

And Tom condolences go out to the Copic family for Chet Copick passed away after injuries suffering in a car accident last week in South Carolina at the age of seventy. We worked with him, we listened to growing up. Obviously one of the showmen in our business. So condolences and

how you had a great relationship with him. Yeah, you know, he was a state You know, he was one of the main guys in the market, in the media here on TV and radio, and as a young kid growing up here or you knew a Chet Copic and you kind of admired his flamboyancy because not a lot of other people could pull it off. But that was Chet's

persona all the time. Sixty eight consecutive home openers as a Bear season ticket older, you had gobs of tickets and the Bears apparently are going to have a press box seat emptied Downer Chet at the season opener against the Packers. Tom, We're out of time, okay, but we appreciate all the conversation tonight, joined by Zach Miller and also Doug Plank here on Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy. That'll do it for us. Have a great night here 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 Cdwathletico Physical Therapy and Forward