Bears cancel practice in response to Jacob Blake shooting | All Access

Physical Therapy and CDW. What started with George Floyd's death continues with the police shooting of Jacob Blake and Kadosha this week, and what continues is the conversation, thoughtful discussion by Bears team leaders and a culture of trust created by Bears General manager Ryan Pason, head coach Matt Nage, with support from the McCaskey family, Virginia McCaskey and Chairman

of the Board George McCaskey. Good even, everybody, and welcome into this week's edition of Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy with Tom Thayer. I'm Jeff Joniac. Good to be with you from WBM News Radio seven eighty and one oh five point nine FMWBB here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The score time it comes down to this, It's trust and it's willing to listen.

So there was listening going on and discussion today. We were out there waiting for practice to begin, about five minutes before practice, got the sense that they weren't going to and the media was asked to leave the facility as the players sorted things out, and the communication came later in the day. And I'll read that statement from the players at this time, in the wake of what has taken place in our backyard of Kenosho over the last couple of days, we as a team have a

lot on our mind. Today we decided to pause our football activities to voice to each other, our coaches, and our staff where we stand on the real issues around race and police brutality in our country. We had a productive discussion, but we all agreed that talks and discussions are simply not enough anymore, and we need action. We are putting in plans to take action in our communities, and together we believe we can make a real different We need action not only today but in the days

to come. End quote. That's a player's statement. They're standing on that statement today, Tom and we'll visit with them when the time is right. Yeah, you know, one thing about the locker room, Jeff. It's a great sounding board for the positives and the negatives in life. And so right now we're in the conversation of a lot more negatives than we are in the positives that surround this

locker room and these players. But I think it's really important and a conscious effort to keep this conversation alive. It's you know, it's kind of new to all of us because as sports broadcasters for generations or decades, you kind of always concentrate on the sport itself. But now, for the last four or five months, we've been talking a lot a lot more about social issues because of the pandemic and the social injustice that's been going on that it has turned into a discussion point that we

have to address. Some of the guests that we have had on the show, we talked to them more about the social issues than we do about their sports careers. Right, this is not how we drew it up. Right when we went into this, uh, into this business of of sports, which in many respects is a release for many who

grind it out every day go to work. UH may have problems in their life that no one is aware of or in our own respective lives, and it's it's it's the it's the break from the reality of life a little bit and the fun and enjoyment of it, and and watching some great athletes, UH do their thing. But you know, it's really come to our attention the kind of pain that's going on here. And you know, I mentioned to you earlier today because I've never really talked to you about it. You know, just your ten

year NFL player, you grew up in Joliet. You've seen a lot of stuff in your lifetime too. It Joliet Catholic and a Notre Dame, your roommates with the late Dave Douers and a Notre Dame, and that eighty five team as flamboyant and as crazy and as fun and as superbly talented as it was, and the years to follow and even more successful despite not you know, winning the entire thing. You guys had a great bond. It

was a very tight group, especially that offensive line. I asked you, did you discuss these types of things going on back in those days as a younger man. Well, you know, the thing about it is is there was discussions about important points, but you usually talk to them with your smaller peer groups. We've never had issues in that our worldwide concerns that take the whole locker room

into one topic. Yeah, there has been negotiations that were device that could be divisive when we're talking about collective bargaining agreement's about going on strike, about the different personality clashes you would have, and those type of business discussions that were affecting your football life. I would never shy away from talking about a topic to any one of my teammates. I had so much love and respect for

every one of them. That was the one thing that I always enjoyed about walking into the locker room every morning, whether it was seeing the smiling face of William Perry, or the seriousness of Mike Singletary, or just the concerns of a guy like Gary Fensick. The locker room is so diverse, but our locker room was also really close. Every one of us cared about each other, And to me is when I was playing for the Bears and we had a passing of Freddie Washington was a young

man that had a great future ahead of them. We were sitting in the sauna the night before Freddie Washington, myself and Terry Price, and we are just talking about the events of those guys growing up into their career in me being an older player at the time, and then walking in the next morning and hearing about the death of Freddie Washington in a car accident. It was an overwhelming sadness that took that affected the whole locker room, and it was a topic of discussion because we were

trying to trying to help each other heal. It wasn't about black or white. It was just about a young man who had a beautiful future ahead of him that we were concerned about him, about concerned about his family, about his friends going forward. And so, yeah, there are topics that you don't have time to be aware that you don't give a pre awareness of them. You just have to take them when you learned it, and I learned it as someone from the team telling me, I'm

going to walk in the locker room that morning. It's it's a different topic, but the seriousness of the topics that you can put into a conversation form is really important. I'll never forget that either. I was a young reporter and I remember walking up an old Hollis hall, walking up the concrete walkway to the practice field, and I didn't know what to ask, but you know who the first person I walked into, And it may have been the only time you ever not get a word, let

alone something significant from Hall of Famer Mike Singletary. I went up to him, I asked him a question. I had a microphone in his face. He was speechless. He could not say a word. He just stared. I'll never forget that day. But you know, you talk about what they've created in terms of culture and a tight team. I think of Eddie Jackson. Eddie Jackson. This was back in June, Tom, and I'm assuming your locker room was

the same way. You guys had the freedom to speak your mind, even as tough as Mike Ditko was and your coaching staff was on you guys between the White Lions. Do you feel you had the freedom to express yourselves? Of course, And that was the great thing about the locker room, because there were some meetings that were led by Mike Singletary that he brought all the players into our small meeting room and we sat there, just us and having frank conversations about a lot of different events

that we faced. All Right, here's Eddie from June on the support. This was in the aftermath of the George Floyd death, when these zoom calls happened during the offseason. Oh yeah, man. One thing I love like, honestly speaking, I love about the Bears that you know, we always had a support from coach Naggie always, you know, Ryan Pace upstairs, mister mccaskie. You know, we always had to support,

you know, from from them guys. And they always openly, you know, opening understanding of about the situation and everything that's going on. You know, they're aware of it, and you know they don't they don't try to, you know, hold us back. You know, they give her the advice, they did opinions, but they always like to listen. So I feel like that right there was just huge for us.

And again today he tweeted out quote, I love the unity we have as a team, staff and organization and those seats planted that's gonna bear fruit for years to come, I believe with this team and future teams well, in the chances that we've had to be around the Bears. In this short training camp, we see the seriousness of the management taking care of the players, each and every one of them, they've created a safe haven for them to come to work and feel that they're walking into

a safe working environment. That's just part of the issues. Now you have the issues of the social injustice that they have talked about in regular conversations. And yes, you do learn a lot about Matt Naggie because as the experiences he doesn't have in running a training camp through in a COVID situations, we all don't have a great deal of experience talking to our teammates about the issues

that are going on. But I don't think to a man inside that locker room from George McCaskey out from Virginia McCaskey on down, nobody shies away from the difficulty and the healing that these discussions can have. And when those discussions began back then, which seems so long ago, but it really isn't. Matt Naggie was doing it on zoom calls where you have open discussions but you're not

actually seeing facial reactions body language. And he brought that up this week when asked now about matters like the Kenosha situation and how he reads his team. Is it a better communicating aspect of his jab it's definitely different, just because you can see the second by second headshakes, you know, or you know, understanding and agreeing, and if anybody wants to talk, they don't have to hit the spacebar.

So that part's good. And I think all in all, with our team going through this before and now be unable to understand, how do we react to it now and how do we do it together? And just knowing too that there's we're we're here. We're all here to listen. Every one of us is here to listen. And keep that word love, don't talk, don't don't just say that when things are going on. Continue to use the word love every single day with all of us. And for our guys, we're a very mature team. They get that.

You know, I thought we handled it really well. It was, and so they're they're responding really well to all this, all this stuff that goes on well. So they chose as a team not to practice today. They met as a team. I believe that there's just extreme frustration with the ongoing racial injustice in the communities where they come from.

In many cases around the national footballitic sports in general, it's it's not always the greatest situations, and they've lived it and they've felt it, and we've all heard it from our own friends in the business, our scouts, coaches

that we've known over these past thirty years. Tom, and you throught your NFL career in your college career, but there's an urgency right now to do more and and understanding that it's it's going to take some time because the first question you ask, I'm saying you just in generic terms, not you specifically, but while you got this moment of awakening going on on the sports landscape, landscape, what are you What are you gonna do? What are you going to do? And that's that's the big question now,

and that's what the players. They want it. They want it now, they like they these these folks want these changes to be implemented, and they all know it's going to take some time. Yeah, but when guys like Charles lel Ju and your and tree Calling they talk about getting Moller involved in their community, that's what they can do because they have such a strong voice outside the

locker room. When these young people get a chance to see a three hundred and fifteen pound Charles Leno and he's bigger than life and then they will listen to the message that's coming out of them and see if you can start a healing process, if you can start a conversation about somebody that you affect outside the locker room. That's what these players can do. Each and every one of them have a platform to speak on, and sometimes their message can get into the minds of some of

these young people easier than your parents can. So I do think that they accept the importance of their role, their position, and their opportunities, and I think they'll all use it to the best of their abilities. First step in the process is underway. They want to help. That road is starting to get paved right now. Tree today tweeting together we are inseparable, David Montgomery alone, we are nothing. Together,

we are everything. We're gonna step away. We're gonna hear from Charles Leno Jr. Busters Screen, and Tari Cohen from their Zoom calls over the course of this week, not only about what's going on with our society, but also we're gonna talk a little football tonight as well. We're also we'll be joined by Detroit Lions radio play by play man Dan Miller, who was kind enough to join us and we'll be joining him coming up at the bottom of the hour. This is Bears All Access on

Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. Welcome back, everybody to Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy, a 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 IGS Energy at igs dot com. With Tom there, I'm Jeff Joniac. Good to be with

you again. Bottom of the hour, Dan Miller, voice of the Detroit Lions, would join us as many tea and the Lions kind of started the ball rolling at least, you know, and even when you look at it from a broader sense, they canceled their practice today. The Jets, the Colts, the Packers, the Watching and Redskins. I know

I'm missing a few few teams, you know. You look at Tom two weeks from tonight, the first game Texans are going to be going through a scrimmage tonight as they get ready, you know, for the season, because that is also on everybody's mind, getting started, and also trying to balance that with what's going on with their own emotions from what they've lived through in their lives and the color of their skin. And then on top of that, you got the COVID pandemic and that's still top of

mind and today word that. As of right now, there is one player in the entire National Football League on the COVID nineteen reserve list. It's Jaguars tackle Ryan Pope with a season to kick off two weeks from tonight. Knock on wood. That aspect of things, everybody stays safe and everybody's able to pull this off and play football

in twenty twenty. Yeah, But you know, during this heart these difficult times, and I don't want to say this calsely, but it is a relief at when these guys go into the building because they are going in there with their closest of peers. They're going into an environment that Ryan Pace and the whole staff there work to provide the safest, most confident working atmosphere they can walk into.

But now different this year is they're giving an opportunity if the work isn't necessarily going to be done on the field, it can be done in the meeting rooms. That can be done in the middle of the field. If they're having a team meeting. And I think that when Matt Nagee started this whole message, he said it's about listening in love, and I don't think he's ever

wavered from that one instant. And I think when you look at the players and you look at the team development from day one to where they're at as of yet yesterday, this is a group that's working together according to the plan the Bears that have put in place for them to get ready for that first football game. But now they have some other extremely important issues that listen. You can't ignore them. You got to talk about them. You have to have everybody there sharing and understanding. That

isn't about the listening and the love concept. See, sometimes we get sucked into this because we're only looking at the player and the athlete. We're not looking at that player who goes home to his wife or to his family,

to his kids. He talks to his mom, his dad, his grandparents, as aunts, its uncles, from the communities they're all coming from, and the amount of pain and their stress that they're also absorbing with that while trying to, you know, carve out their NFL career, which is a small piece of their life in the bigger picture in terms of time invested. I mean it's it's it's quite the balancing act going on right now. And then and then the safety issue, so that has been cleared up.

Bears have done a great job with their protocols, and Charles little Junior, feels comfortable and that's why he's showing up and going to work every day. I'll tell you one thing. Let's start from the top. We got an owner it in Regimaccassie Chairman George mccaski, who is committed to making sure our families are safe. And then you go down to that, let's go beneath that, a's Ryan Pace and Matt Naggi, who are all about family and making sure we're safe. And then I'm gonna ended off

with the ico, Andre Tucker. This guy has done a phenomenal job with all the things that he's implemented within our organization. I think we have one of the if not the best organization when it comes to a mitigating risk. You know, precaution procedures, all the different type of steps to take for me to go home to my family

and my newborn and understand like, oh, we're safe. I trust these guys and that's the infectious control officer and head athletic trainer Andre Tucker whom Charles was referring to.

But you know, I was concerned when it started, when camp started and we were going to start watching and the media wasn't by I started watching Padi Pratt, I didn't know how players we're gonna feel, and you could get a real good feeling from what might be going through their head by how they were practicing, or how they were interacting with teammates or did it look different, But it did not. It looked normal. They had the enthusiasm and the energy and the juice and they had

been fun practices to watch. Well, you know, Jeff, when we walked into the facility back in the eighties, we were excluded from the outside world because we didn't have social media, we didn't have cell phone, we had no way of communicating with the outside world. So when we walked into Hollis Hall, that was it until we left the building. Nowadays, it's different. You can contact the outside

world constantly by your cell phone. But Arles Leno, he talks about how the Bears made sure that it was family first, and I do believe that if they know that the Bears, the organization is concerned about family first. When they do go out to that practice field, they have peace of mind. Okay, this next two and a half hours, I can concentrate on the reason I'm here, and that's to make myself a better football player than when I walk down the field because I know my

family is safe. Then you go back into the building, then you get your cell phone, then you start being aware of what's going on. But when Charles talks about their main concern is making sure your family is safe. I think that's important for these players that when they do get on the field that they have work on their mind. And Matt Neeggie has repeatedly made that statement. They will be top of mind. The safety of the players and their families will be top of mind because

they do have to go home. They have to go home to their wife and kids and be sure that they're not bringing it into the home and vice versa. It's a it's a it's a it's a contract, it's a it's a verbal contract of trust. Well, you know what, though on a normal year outside the pandemic, players really they don't have a great time to socialize during the course of training camp. You're too fatigued, You're too you know, um tired from all the events throughout the day. You

have studying to do once you leave the building. So there's a lot of things on the football side of it that have to occupy your mind and attention. But again, you know, it is it is about the health and safety of their families and the players stuck the little trick. Cohen his reaction this week to the Kenosha shooting and

how it was handled by Matt Nagge. The situation, Uh, you know, you would think, you know, with all the notoriety that in attention that it's been getting, you know, police brutality, you would think it was slow down a little bit and not still be a main topic every day when you wake up and see it on the news. But you know, it's crazy that we still see those

same things happening today in today's world. But it's great to be on the team who you know openly speaks about that and uh, you know, we we have open conversations about everything that happens around us, and with that being so close, it was definitely a topic today and uh, coach Nay know, Coach Nay made it known that we all have each other's backs and the way we're going to carry ourselves about any situation that happens now Now, Terrek mentioned today that, of course, was a couple of

days ago on a Zoom call we heard Terik Cohen, who you know, it's now a veteran. He's trying to be one of the leaders in that running back room, and he sounded like one this week. Yeah, he does. I am really impressed by Terie Cohen because from the few times that we've had an opportunity to do personal appearances with him, but the times you see him sit in front of the at the podium during difficult times during the course of last season, or him moved being forward.

He is a guy that's growing nicely and he's matured. He's you know, he understands what he's saying in the message that he's delivering. And I really when I see these young men grow in front of the microphone, I'm really encouraged by the influences they have around him that's helping him grow in a positive direction. Well, you know, you also got to give credit to Ryan and Matt

about that, because they want to grow leaders. It doesn't have to be one offensive guy, one defensive guy, your quarterback, your star defensive player or whatever. And so I believe every other day there's somebody else that's emerging as a potential leader on this football team, which you know, you never could have too many. As they work together and they listen, they meet, they visit, they talk with coach Naggy.

There's a bunch of leaders on this football team. You don't have a true like Alpha that's running the whole show. There's a lot of guys. I'm doing it without saying much, just by the way they operate, right. You know, guys feel a little bit more confident showing their leadership role

as they grow into their potential. For example, if you look in this year's training camp, I'm gonna take a guy like Javon Wims because here's a guy that for the last couple of years we've seen that six four frame run fluidly down the field and make these big catches. But because of we see the talent that he has, we need to see that with consistency, and we've seen it this year. We've seen him have a camp and then he starts elevating his leadership role on the team. Okay,

Alan Robinson is going to miss a few practices. Someone's got to step up to the front of the line. And it has ben Javon Wims. And so for me looking at former teammates that have grown in that direction, I like it when I'm from the outside and I have observations from the outside and watching players like this, and he's just one example of many. But again, I love to see the growth of these guys into a leadership role that they grow also grow into their potential.

All right, let's go back to Charles Little Junior as he also has thoughts on Kenoshan what he'd like to do. You know, me personally just trying to you know, heal with the community. I'm going to see what we can do with our you know, PR and cr staff and how we can you know, help that community because they're

so close to us. Honestly, this is this has been a problem, and we know it's been a problem, but we just need more awareness and spread more awareness, and within that awareness also spread compassion and understanding for others. Um I think does one of the biggest things and what that will come love and we need more of that in this world. And also I just believe. Please training too. Um, I don't know how many hours those guys do, but I know we train a lot on

the football field. I think they need a little bit more because they're dealing with lives and they're handling lives and every single life is precious. That's the Oakland, California native Charles Little Junior. So again, those are some ideas they're coming up with conversation, and that's what's got to happen right now. Well, you know, Charles was a young man with a young family and he's got a great future ahead of him and that part of his life and so yeah, he has to think outside the box.

He has to think outside the white lines of a football field, and he's got to think about his future and his family's future. So Charles is a well level headed, thinking young man and he's another guy that we've seen him grow into his potential and he's got he's got a great upside ahead of him. All right, time to

tap away and take a break. When we return, we'll be joined by Detroit Lions play by play announcer Dan Miller to talk about his team up there that the Bears will be facing on this thirteenth of September for Week one Bears and Lions first to break here in Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. Cleaners is now offering new Tide Complete Care. This exclude if cleaning formula can only be found at Tide Cleaners. Visit Tide cleaners

dot com to learn more. Today, Jeff jony Atom there back on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score, brought to you by IGS Energy. Welcome Dan Miller, voice of the Detroit Lions, and Dan, good

to have you on the show. It's been it's been quite the year, let alone quite the week, and the Detroit Lions kind of set the tone arguably for all of sports by canceling practice this week in light of the shooting in Keno show, which is just thirty miles away from the Bears main facility at HALLISAU, So it's

resonating throughout the Midwest here. Yeah, no, appreciate you guys having me, and it's been a really powerful week, and I think, yeah, I'll tell you this really dates back to the off season where the Lions started to as a team discuss what was going on around the country.

The social injustice, the issues between black men and police, black women and police, and I think it's really been mappetriction that set the tone, but there's there's been connections that have been hard to miss and they've had to really look at them closely. The lines of a number of players from Brunswick, Georgia, where the Matt Arebury was from, and Tracy Walker is cousins with a mott Arebury. Justin Coleman's brother was best best friends with a mott Arbury.

So these were real life situations for them and life and death situations for them, and this hit home with them. And Darius slay with he was here, was from Brunswick, Georgia, so it was something that really meant a lot in Matt Patricia really just opened the Florida in the off season and allowed the players to talk, vent their feelings, talk about their experiences and just put football aside and

talk about life. That's set the tone where I think Tuesday he did the same thing, turned into a four hour conversation, emotional conversation where they just at the end of it, I think said, you know what, football practice isn't happening today. This is about us trying to bring about change, and I think that's the end product you saw, Hey, Dan, When you have issues like this that are presented in a locker room atmosphere, who is the leader of that

locker room that will instigate the conversation. I think it's I know by locker room you mean players, but I think you have to give matt Patricia a lout of the credit because he is the one that has given them the room to do this. He is the one that has said, fella's, I'm just going to sit back and listen, and I want you to talk. And then one after the other they did that, and I think within that locker room, I think i'd do a couple

of guys out there. Dron Harmon is one just came over from the Patriots, but he was the first one that spoke the other day after the Lions cancel practice, and he was very powerful and very pointed in what he wanted to say and how he wanted to represent the actions taken by the team that day. He did the same thing during the offseason very quickly. He's become a leader on this team. I think Matthew Stafford and Taylor Decker have also been leaders, but I think I

have to say this. Some of the most powerful testimony, if you will, that I have heard in these guys talking about it has been from those two and Frank rag Now as well, talking about listening to their black teammates and where you would think that these guys, as professional athletes were leading parallel lives them coming to the

understanding that that's not the case at all. And Decker told a story about the other night he was driving home and Romeo o'quara called him up and said, hey, budd, you got a headlight out, and him realizing after conversations with others, that that experience for him, had he gotten pulled over, might be much different than it might be

for a black teammate. I don't want to intimate that every experience that a black man has with the police officer ends up bad, but it is on their radar, and it is something that has impacted them, and it is something that they think about it and it is something that they have talked about and as a team. I think it's just been a real bonding experience, and so many people that have not lived with that on their mind or on their family's mind, it has been

I think an eye opening experience. You know, you know, Matt Maggie is a young head coach and throughout the topics of the offseason, you're kind of introduced to a different side of him outside the world of sports. Have you guys been introduced to a different side of Matt Patricia because we only see Matt Patricia from afar, whether it's success in New England or what he's gone through in Detroit as a coach, have you been introduced to

a different side of his personality? I think it's a great question the answers yes, and I think there's a lot of different levels to it and a lot of different layers to it, if you will. I think that I've seen change in him as a head coach period over the three years in the way that he has

handled his job. But I think this has even magnified it more so when he has really bonded with players in allowing them to talk about their life experiences and bring those into the family to help bring them closer together so that everybody understands what each of them are dealing with. So it really starts with Patricia, but it has to start with him being willing to do this and to put football aside, which isn't always easy for

a coach to do. But he's done that, and I think the players appreciate that great they they've said how much they appreciate it, and I think it's real and I do think it has brought this team closer together. And how does that translate on Sunday. I don't know, but right now that's not front of mine for them, and I think right now it is about football, but

it's also about life. Dan Miller, our guest voice of the Detroit Lyons is broadcast partner is Lomas Brown, familiar to Bears fans because he had some real wars with Richard Dentz and that was always one of the best mandshups in the division that at once amount of time was the Black and Blue Division. But a black man from Miami and your partner prior to all this and during this, what were your conversations like with each other? And have you learned more about your broadcast partner through

through what's going on throughout America right now? Yeah, there's no question I have. And you know, we did have some conversations before this, but they were not in depth. And you know, you have conversations about how life is different for you know, him is compared to me, But nothing illuminated it like the way the last seventy two

hours has. And we talked at practice the other days and then we talked on the radio show that we do the other day about this, and Lomas is a father and a grandfather, and he was really moved by what these players did within the organization that he loved in the organization that drafted him and that he played for. It meant a lot to him the coach Patricia would do that. It meant a lot to him that these players would do that visibly moved emotional when talking about

what had been done by this organization. And you know when I asked him about it, he did bring up what I mentioned a moment ago. Look, he's a black man, he's a father and a grandfather, and he worries about there was a time he worried about himself. So worries about his children, worries about his grandchildren, and wants voices to be heard and some sort of coming together of people that can try to eliminate some of this so

that these aren't concerns. And you know, I hear people say all the time, all these guys are rich, what they have to worry about. Listen to these players talk. They might have nice houses, but there are nights where they worry about getting home to those houses. And I think we have to respect that. And I know the people out there there listening that are just going to wave their hand and say, Matt, forget it whatever, But

I've heard them. I believe them, and I appreciate the fact that that the Lions, the Bears, other teams, other leagues are trying to make this a better world. And I don't have a problem with that. I think that's a good thing. Hey damn, So before Tuesday and Detroit Canceler practice, how was the process in the development of the football team this year? Given that this offseason has been like any other that any of us have ever seen. You know, I think it's funny. You're right, it's it's

been strange. It's been unlike anything that we've been through before. It's it's hard to get a gauge on where they are because we didn't see the offseason practices. We're not seeing any preseason games where they go against somebody else. But what I would say is I don't think that my questions or what I feel good about and what

I have concerned about with this team have changed. I think I have to have a chance to be really good offensively with a healthy Matthew Stafford and the pieces that they've added and the guys that have come back healthy like t J. Hockinson. I think my concern is the defense, which was a concern last year where they couldn't come up with stops, they didn't pressure quarterbacks, they didn't come up with takeaways. They have to get better on that side of the ball. I really believe that's

the key for this team. If you take me to the end of the season, then show me the stats and you tell me this defense was thirtieth in the league again or something like that, they're going to be in a lot of trouble. If you tell me that they can get up into the middle of the league, I would tell you with what I think this offense is going to be that I think they can be a factor in this division and a pretty good team. So it's hard guys to get a gauge on where

they are. They could have up with the six new starters on the defensive side of the ball. So when we take the field against you guys on the thirteen, I'm gonna learn something about this football team. I don't know right now, and I'm looking forward to seeing it. Well, I tell you already learned that Kenny Galladay is a star rising. Can he be that next great receiver in the National Football League? He's something else. I don't see anything that prevents that. There's so many good receivers in

this league right now. I don't know how you separate yourself from the pack. I think you just get up in the pack and you're one of them, because it's really, I think a high water mark for the guys we have in this league. But Kenny's in there. He's really good. He's a big bodied guy who knows how to get separation, catches the ball in traff and he can run around who. He can run by you, he can run through you. There's really nothing he can't do. And he's just gotten

better and better and better. And I think you know when you look at the weapons around him with Marvin Jones is a terrific deep threat, so you really can't slap the field just to Kenny's side. Danny Amendola is just a heady, smart player and a great safety val for Stafford. They're hoping Hopkinson takes the next step this year. Kerry On Johnson is back in healthy. DeAndre Swift they drafted, is terrific college talent and you hope that just translate

to the NFL. So there's so much around him that I think it opens things up for Kenny. It's hard to just concentrate on him, but he is a guy that's certainly I think defensive coordinators probably, you know, lay in bed a little bit and think about how we're going to deal with this guy. Hey, Dan, if Matthew Stafford's healthy, you have one of the most stable quarterbacks in the NFL. What is your view of the outside looking in and a team that's going through a quarterback

competition like the Bears. Yeah, I think that's that's kind of my question with them. I think that, and you know what has the middle of that defensive line without Goldman That obviously, you know, to lose an impactful player like that is significant. But I think my question, look, every time we play the Bears, you know it's going to be tough, and it doesn't seem to matter really

who's wearing that uniform. There's a toughness that seems to permeate from that that whatever they're doing over there that travels with them regardless. So I anticipate a tough, hard nosed game. The question would be, you know, is it what's going to happen at quarterback? And I haven't followed closely enough to know what's going on in camp between Poles and Robisky, but to me, that's really where it starts with Chicago is how's that offense going to look?

Are they going to be balanced? Can they run the ball, can they throw the ball? Can they be effective? And I think, you know, I would kind of throw guys the Lions and the Bears kind of together and say there's questions there, but I think also great possibilities. I think, if you're being fair, you look at Minnesota and you look at Green Bay and you say those are probably the teams to beat, and they have less questions to answer.

But I really believe that you could drop me in December right now and tell me that any one of these four teams is leading or contending in this division, and it wouldn't shock me because I think there's a lot of talent in the NFC and Earth right now agreed. And I don't know if we'll see you up at Fort Field in a couple of weeks. That's yet to

be determined. But it's going to be an interesting challenge for us as broadcasters and how we strike the right tone and given the environment that is currently in place around this nation right now and pandemic asite, it's just been quite the roller coaster ride. But as they all say, adapt and overcome, right, Big Dan, hey man, looking forward

to those three hours on the Sunday. And you know, either way, as you said, we got, we're probably going to be doing our jobs in a different way this year. But I know you guys feel like I do. You know, there's very few people to get to go to work and do what we do, so we're blessed to do it. So as you said, adapt and overcome, let's have some fun. We owe those people the three hours that we give them on Sundays, and I'm looking forward to doing it.

All right, Dan, good to talk to you. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Have a good guys, Appreciate it. He mailer, voice of the Detroit Lions. We'll continue after this break on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. Hey Bears fans, It's important to stay connected now more than ever, and at Motorola we love making that possible. With a new razor, you can enjoy staying connected a little bit more. It's

a phone, it's an accessory, it's an icon. Reinvent it. Hello, Jeff, joning, Ac and Tom there with you on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score with Jordan Malley, our producer. This is brought to you by GS Energy and a night of conversation regarding all topics. We're going to dig into football in a minute. If you're just joining us. The Bears did not practice today as a team. They met, they decided this was a time to hit the pause button a little bit, and they put together a statement,

a player's statement. I'll reread it. I read it at the top of the show at seven o'clock. In the wake of what has taken place our backyard of Kenosho over the last couple of days, we as a team have a lot on our mind. Today we decided to pause our football activities to foist to each other, our coaches and our staff where we stand on the real

issues around race and police brutality in our country. We had a productive discussion, but we all agree that talks and discussions are simply not enough anymore, and we need action. We are putting in plans to take action in our communities and together we believe we can make a real difference. We need action not only today but in the days to come, So big tim there. With that being said, let's talk about what we've seen. A training camp so

far hit in some topics, especially this week. So the news with the obviously David Montgomery, it scared you a little bit about you know, what was wrong, But as a groin injury, it looks like a couple of weeks to four weeks, we'll see maybe he's even ready for the Detroit game. The cornerback position when Artie Burns went down that this opens the door for some real competition between a young player with some NFL experience and a

rookie and Jalen Johnson. And when your eyeball in that Week one matchup against Gala Day, as we discussed with Dan Miller of the Lions Radio, it's a it's a very interesting decision who starts at that right cornerback position A week one because buster screens in the conversation too, Yeah, you know a buster screen. He's always your ace in the hole because he has the ability to do anything the team needs him to do, and that's playing insight

over the slot or the outside cornerback position. He's got the versatility to move around and I think the Bears can benefit from there. But one of the players that I really like watching throughout training camp because to me, the highest expectations you can put on a player on the defensive side of the ball is cornerback because they

can be island. They can be isolated where they can say, okay, kid, either you can play or you can you can run, you can react, you can know your assignments, or it's a really difficult position to play. I love what I see out of Jayalen Johnson, and I don't want to get too overhyped about him, but when I look at the traits of a cornerback, he is lengthy, he can use his arm in a separation at or near the line of scrimmage. His hips are really flexible where he

can turn and run in any direction. But the one thing that I like most about Jalen Johnson that really catches my attention. He reacts away from the ball. So what I'm saying is if they throw to a different receiver, whether it's underneath him or to the opposite side of the field, he's on his way to help make the tackle. He never just stands around. And it's really encouraging to see because he really has high football intelligence because he

was fed a lot of information quickly. When you when you finally start understanding what you have to learn to be a part of a defense, and so if you're out there and you're right up to par in terms of the intelligence side of it, the athletic side of it. I really like what I've seen out of Jalen Johnson. It's really encouraging. I'm not to dismiss the talent behind him or the talents that's competing with him. I just

like what I've seen out of this young man. Heck, even between plays, he's sprinting horizontally across the field with his secondary coach, Dshad Townsend, trying to get that extra work in, you know, doing some winsprints. So you're right, he's in constant motion and he's working hard. So when the running back situation hit before we go to a

break here. You immediately rallied to our Davis Pierce. You rallied to the improvements that are going to happen on the offensive line of the run game and how this helps David Montgomery and when he comes back and whatnot. But with Tariq and also Corderoll Patterson and the presence of Ryan Nall, you feel it's in good hands. Yes, you know, I'm disappointed selfishly for David and Montgomery because it's obvious when you look at him, the effort that he put into the offseason and how hard he was

working during training camp. But this run game is not going to improve because of David Montgomery. It's going to improve because of the play of the offensive line. They have a cast of characters back there that can run every offensive play offer to the Bears. It's about Juan Castillo and his group of men up front that are going to provide better running holes for the running backs. All right, we're gonna step away one more brick before

we wrap things up. We'll talk defense a little bit, find out what we know about Robert Quinn so far. That's Tom there. I'm Jeff Jonyak, and this is Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. This segment of Bears Out Access has brought to you back CDW people who get it. Learn more at CDW dot com. Tom One more time. Honest appraisals from everybody involved. From twenty eighteen,

we have heard no excuses about performance. This week we heard Charles Lenno honest appraisal of himself started worrying about things that were out of his control, says, that's going to change. Tarik Cohen said, hey, you know, and I didn't play my best ball. I had other things on my mind, kind of lost his juice in the body last year. So as a recommitment here, and you know from Matt Naggie and down at Khalil Mack you can't yet. You know, he's also a guy, and you know you

can see it. You know, you see the evidence in these guys that have determined to work harder and put more effort into the offseason. Like I said, every one of these guys. And it's nice to hear it from some of the most important players on your team that last year was just not good enough. Seeing a couple of rushes in one on ones. But Robert Quinn still working out and working every one on one sprinting and so forth, getting ready. Do you need to see him

this week in practice? Well, I would like to just see him in practice a little bit working with his teammates so they get a little bit of understanding what Robert Quinn sees from the opponent's offense. But when I do watch him walk working on the other field, he still has the same explosive this upfield. He still has the pass rush skills and the run stopping intelligence that you need from a player because they can be attacked

from so many different directions. I'm really excited to see Robert Quinn once the season starts, but he is getting his work on the side that he's needed to be in condition. Defense is playing with a hyperactive attitude right now, don't you think. And they're chesting those quarterbacks. Chuck Pogano letting it, you know, let me know, hey, you know, you guys got to face the pressure. Here we go, right. Chuck Bocano doesn't shy away from being a little you know,

instigator out there too. He'll talk to the offensive players as they're talking to their defensive backs when they're going back to the huddle. Your field is the next stop for the Bears, a workout and scrimmage, and so we're looking forward to charting that one for you time. We're out of time. Thanks for the show tonight, Yeah, Jeff, and thanks to Jordan Malley, our producer, as also Jordan tread Up and Dan Burrelli. Joe Astroski coming up next.

You're on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy of the Score. Goodnight, everybody, 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 Miller Litte