Gout open that DJ Moore zode touchdown, touchdown, paars I am Jeff Jonia Blitz is not done?
What was like playing for Cody Gooddo?
I don't want to answer any questions like that. Pressure coming is a big trouble.
Dommy Goes Montest Sweat.
Bears, et cetera.
Brought to you by Miller Lte with the voices that the Bears, Jeff Joniac and Tom Sayer. Guess who just got back today? Them wild eyed boys that' been away. It won't be long till summer comes. Now that the boys are here again, Tom, theyre Jeff Joniat, Bears, et cetera. Podcast, Episode one thirty nine. We are brought to you by Middle of Night. Can you name the musical group?
I can't, but that's the first thing I thought of when you said that.
Guess who?
No, it's thin Lizzie.
Yes, But anyways, that's the first thing I thought of when you said that.
And you know, when you talked about what.
Number podcasts is this one?
Okay? I kind of wish it was almost number one.
You take everything into account that's new about the interviews today, about the process that started on Monday. In What's going to go on in the future. It's almost like this is a whole new beginning of the Chicago Bears as a franchise, as an organization, as a coaching staff, and for a lot of the players. Even if the players have experience, to the players have the least amount of experience, it's a completely new process.
Off season program officially opened up on Monday for Bears at the podium on Tuesday at Havis Hall. Caleb Williams one of them, and he was I'll tell you this, there was a lot of smiling. The foundation of the message is what really was set by Ben Johnson on Monday. I think from Caleb's point of view, and we're going to hear from each of these guys a little chunk of it. He's already challenging them a little quiz already.
And that's the way it should be.
This is not a process that is just going to say, Okay, guys, we're gonna meet here for ten minutes and then I'll see in a couple months. No, this is the first minute of the first day of the process that's going to start with a new coaching staff and a new head coach, and every single day we have to make improvement if we really want to get to where I
think we can go. And whether you talk, you listen to a guy like Tremaine and Edmunds talk about where they're expected to be in threed months and hopefully in six months. But every one of these guys they understand what the undertaking is before them, and everything's a little different depend depending upon where you're at on the roster, what your position is, and what is required of you.
We're brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears. So the reaction to the first meeting with the new head coach, Ben Johnson leads us off at our Caleb Williams portion of the interviews the foundation laid. So let's listen into what Caleb felt about how that all went down.
Yeah, it was great being able to see him get up there. He says something that you know, you never forget your first day as a head coach, and you know, he said, it's a great day.
You know, let's get this thing rolling.
He he jumped out there and you know, set a bunch of du set a bunch of don't set a you know, a president of what we're going to be like as a team, finding our our identity and all of that. So you know, we're excited. Obviously we have to put into work. Can't be too excited because the work hasn't been done, but you know, definitely excited for what's to come and you know the future.
How do you feel about the work ahead? It's five months from now till the season starts.
How do you feel about what that's going to require of you, the opportunity that that presents.
Yeah, I'm super excited about it. I think.
Being able to be in this position, being able to have a first year the way I did, ups and downs, and then you know, to be able to come in here, you know, be as as as confident as I was last year, or you know, possibly even more, and uh, you know, to be able to get here with the you know, the group that we have. You know, I really can't wait to get to work with these guys. We've got a good group of guys personality wise, and
then obviously you know, talent wise. It speaks for herself and you know what some of these guys have been able to do. And you know, somebody key pieces that we added so far as his team, and so you know, so far it's you know, we've meshed well, you know these past two days of introduction and now you know today of our first workout and getting after it. But you know, we're all really excited and you know we can't wait to put into work. Obviously, like I said,
we have to do it. It's something you know that you know, the time, energy, efforts, sacrifice. And that doesn't just mean us putting in time on you know, on the board, us putting up you know, up time on you know, us us you know, being here working out, lifting, getting stronger, faster. It's also us hanging out in the off season, building that bond so that you know, when times do get tough, you know, because it's a long season.
As I can say now, you know it's a long season, and and and so being able to build that bond off the field so when times get tough, you know we fight through it, We get through it, and you know we we keep going as a team. Ben said last week, at this offense is gonna likely require you to go under center more at this point of the off season, what does preparation look like.
Yeah, it's just it's it's it's the whole thing.
It's working it's working getting up to the line, you know, and and it's like visualizing like getting up to the line, santy cadence, being under center, you know, controlling those things, going over the riles. Concepts of full work in your head in the off season so that you know when those times hit and excuse me, it's fourth quarter and you know you're not you can't think about those things and you can't focus on those things.
It's it's it's.
Second nature, second habit, first nature, first habit of of you know, of of doing that and getting under there and you know, going through the cadence, going through the you know, the huddle form, the huddle uh sequence, getting up to the line, making checks if needed, anything like that. So it's practicing those things now, visualizing those things now and and building on those.
Sense for how people it's going to push you out of your comfort zone as a coach.
Yeah, I mean today we had uh, we had our our first quiz is a QB room and it's not like a real quiz where you know, you go up and right stuff.
It's just us.
We went over a few things like yesterday, talked about a few things and you know, been been you know walked in, uh you know this morning, flung open the door, you know, made a grand entrance. And then and then we got to work of of you know, him him testing us about what we talked about yesterday and things like that. So already first day in and challenging us, and you know we can't. Everybody loves a challenge in this sport. It's it's it's one of the you know,
the great things about the sport. Every day is a challenge. And you know today we got our first one.
What impress your most about? What then did Detroit?
And how do you expect that he working with you will specifically benefit you and your career?
I think us growing together is is uh key uh starting now, him pushing me key and and I know that and he knows that, you know, him pushing me because it's a as he says, and he as he said before, it's a QB driven league and so you know, being able to have that position right on every team, that's why that's why that position is so important and draft or you know, people trying to get the qbs is uh at this day and age of the game, I would say, is because it's so QB driven and
if you have that position right, it helps with you know a bunch of different things. And so you know, so building that bond, you know, him pushing me and and and us growing together for for the years to come, is it's gonna be fun.
I can't wait. And and you know.
To be able to to help me, uh, you know, learn more about ball because he's super smart, super sharp and and and you know, grow and progressing those ways so that you know, year year four, you know, I'm out there and it's it's you know, Ben's obviously still you know, calling, Ben's doing his thing, but you know it's a it's a it's a Jared thing where Jared's out there now he's just you know, he's calling the whole game in the sense of when he's out there on the field and he's been the coach.
And there he ends up with with what he feels he can learn from Ben and the reference to a Jared thing Jared without even thinking twice, you know, that's Jared golf up there and Troit. He's running the show in a trade that experience shows at the line of scrimmage. It shows and settling things down when maybe they're not doing that well in a moment in time in the game, and that's where Caleb is looking to get to.
I thought it was interesting too.
Tommy playing quarterback on the field is played in gray. He's looking for black and white.
The down a distance, the hash mark you're on, the time that's running on the clock, how much time there is left on the play clock, what the score is, the personnel groupings that you have on offense, and the
personnel groupings that you're facing across the line. There is no guarantee exactly what you're gonna see is going to pertain to what is said in the huddle, and then when you break it, you're dealing with ten other guys in the huddle, and make sure you're trying to clear up that gray area as much as you are the play itself.
He wants to be pushed and Ben Jonson's going to push him.
What almost like if we don't even refer to last year anymore, because this is a whole new undertake by Ben Johnson, by Caleb Williams, by every single member of this football team and the coaching staff, and for what they're gonna do on a day by day grow by grow basis. This is gonna be pushed. There is gonna
be some challenges mentally and physically for Caleb. There's gonna be a change in the process of the game from playing a little bit more under center to having play action passing as a major part of this offense.
And then trying to learn the roles of all.
Your assistance, and by assistance, I mean the exterior players, your wide receivers, your tight ends, your offensive line, your running backs. And then how what you say in the huddle, how it pertains to every one of those guys. And then how well are they learning it? Do they know it as quickly as you do, or are some of those guys gonna learn it so quickly. Maybe they're a sounding board that can help you develop a little bit a little bit quicker, or you can help them develop a little quicker.
Thank you to our partners CDW and Lenovo who make amazing happen. To learn more at CDW dot com, slash Lenovo. Darnell right, also at the podium, the right tackling Detroit Penney Sewell. I was brought up by the media, It's been brought up to him. He watched a lot of Detroit tape already he sees some of it, at least in body type. Similar always watching him, trying to emulate
things he does. You know, I would like to see Darnell just be Darnell and continue to grow Darnell Wright, And this is a very important year three, And I think I probably took the words out of your mouth on that one. Grow into your own frame and your own style. You got different coaches, Yes, Bean Jensen's the head coach and play caller by Dan roschar be a different offensive line coach.
I see him as a guy that could be one of the most dominant right tackles in the league and most certainly one of the most dominant tackles within this division. So I want to see Darnell Wright expose more confidence within himself and let's see how that spills over to
the rest of his offensive lineman. And when you talk about playing next to Jonah Jackson, here's a guy that's been around the league for a while, And here's two guys that can feed off each other and not only make the right tackle better, but they can make that whole right side better. And then you add Cole Kament
and the rest of the tight ends. I do think that Darnell Wright has an upside that's unlimited and if he can turn into the offensive tackle where Ryan Poles thought, he could ultimately be the sky's the limit for this offensive lineman. And that's why he was at the podium today because he is one of the main cogs to the success of the offensive line.
Let's listen in to Darnell write him being one of the better, one of the greater players for offensive line and today.
I mean, obviously I'll watch him all the time, and just because his body type, I feel like he's similar to mine, so a lot of times, and then being in the same conference, obviously his tape comes up anyway, so I'll I'm always watching him, So yeah, try to emulate some of the things he does. Obviously he can't emulate everything. Some people are just different, people have different talents.
But yeah, watch him.
Turn out last month when when they were making moves to strengthen the office line. What was your reaction from Afar of seeing day by day have been all that life coming together.
Yeah, I think like for me personally, you know, that's that's really the only thing that uh I really ever wanted, Just like consistency with the people you know they bring in. I mean, I know coach Poe's he does a good job, and you know, he does his job and I try to do mine, and I know the guys he brings in will be a standard that.
That we need.
So I mean just seeing him really focus on that aspect of it, I mean, just being an old line, you know, I appreciate it, and then I think it'll be it'll be good.
What do you think of Ben's a speech yesterday edge to the team. It was good, It was good. He was you know, there's a couple of things he said.
I won't really mention, but he said some good things that you could tell he's made the right stuff, you know.
What I mean, it's made the right stuff.
How so, like you know, he just just little glimpses.
Obviously we're not in full training camps or nothing like that, but just when he's talking, you can see how he gets fired up. He gets, you know, a lot of passion, and I think that's contagious.
So what specifically are you excited to learn from Joe too?
From Joe just him being a veteran guy, like like I was talking about earlier, a lot of experience, and I mean probably it's just the question that I don't even know to ask, you know what I mean, I'll probably just soak up being around him.
So, right, the biggest thing how.
Much interaction have you had with your new old line coach yet?
Uh?
Yeah, we talk a lot. Me and him talk a lot.
But the most thing I'm excited about with him is just, uh, the way he's kind of he kind of inspires me to really like take a leap of you know, a leap of not leap of faith, but just not be afraid to fail.
And I don't know, yeah, we talk a lot.
So the end there is about Dan Roschar and as a coach ever said to you, hey, don't be afraid to fail.
Well, you know one thing about offensive line play the specifics of techniques or the different versions that you want to use on different down and distances against the different talents that you're playing against. Sometimes during the course of the week in practice on the live days Wednesdays and Thursdays, you got to go out there and try different techniques with maybe you're going to fail, but then you also learn how to correct them and then how to improve
on them. And that's the same thing as Dick Stanfel used to say, is look, I can only coach you for a certain amount of time. Then eventually you have to start coaching yourself. And that is part of the process of the development of offensive linemen is the offensive line coach is there to make sure that everything is
being correctly taught and done and learned. But you're going to have to go through that practice process yourself as the player in whatever position you play, and make those incremental improvements so when you use him on the game field that they are successfully done.
You ever remember a moment when you tried something you regretted it in a game?
Oh, one hundred percent, give.
Me one, Give me one.
So we are getting ready to play against the Philadelphia Eagles, and you knew that eventually Reggie White was going to line up on you, and so I go, Okay, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna try to set really quick on him, get my hands to him powerfully before
he can get his strength and momentum going. And so when I tried it, he slapped my hand away before I got any hand to him, and so right there it put like that unconfident chance to do that again to him, and so then it kind of limited me from trying it again.
And then it worked against the I played, but I.
Kind of had to go back into my thinking process, Okay, what do I do confidently and how can I handle this situation against Reggie White again? And so the next time I had a little different philosophical thinking. I asked Jay for a little bit more help and you know, paying attention. And so that's kind of way we went
about our process. When you play against guys like Reggie White, who as big, strong, as dominant as anybody, but then you go play against the defensive MVP like Keith Millard, who's as quick and as fast as any defensive lineman you ever play against, and you have to have a
different approach against him. So, you know, those are guys that are past greats, but it's something you may practice in practice and maybe sometimes it doesn't work, but again that's part of the growth process of any position.
Yeah, and facing Aiden Hutchinson twice a year, I would feel that gives you the same kind of thinking in your head.
You know, you got a brace for what he brings.
He brings so much juice and energy off that line of scrimmage, the spin move and how you'd battle that spin move because he's so great old.
Well, one thing about ad and two and when these guys are going to play against them, so you play him one day, one game of year indoors and one game of year outdoors, and your whole thinking about balanced feet power is different indoors and outdoors. So you know, that's sort of the process that is you really don't talk a lot about, but it's also part of the thinking process of playing against these guys.
This podcast is brought to you by the official beer partner of your Chicago Bears taste like Middle Time Chicago. Go to Middle of Lake dot com slash Bears pod to find delivery options near you. Celebrate responsibily Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ninety six calories and three point two carbs for twelve ounces. Well, the excitement is not just on the offensive side of
the ball. With an offensive minded head coach and play caller of note and Ben Johnson, it's Dennis Allen's defense, aggressive, physical, nasty.
That's the hope.
Jalen Johnson first at the podium among all the players on Tuesday, really excited about the tone set by Ben Johnson felt it was very important to be here right out of the gate to get to know everybody. So let's listen in to Jalen Johnson.
Setting the tone for what we want to do this year and really just having a sense of urgency right now, not just waiting and going through a process and figuring out what we're going to do, but establishing who we are right now and then working towards that goal. Really just the mindset of winning and winning right now and winning a certain type of way too. I think just having that dominated mentality is something that I took from the team meeting, and it starts now. It starts with
the work that we put in. It starts with jeling and being cohesive and understanding what they're going to be asking from us, especially on defense. Just understanding the mentality, understanding the mindset and identity that we're going to establish, and really just chasing that throughout the off season, throughout the training.
Are you the type of guy who gets fired up in April by a new coach?
I know the answer to this of asking any I've been through too many times.
Man, I'm gonna get excited when we win in November, December and we changed some things and get to the playoffs.
That's what I'll be excited. That's an extension of that.
The next five months are going to be all about, Yeah, excitement and energy. How do you navigate that knowing your mindset and not really.
Being don't got nothing to do with me.
The only thing that has anything to do with me is the work that I put it in, work that we put in as a unit, and just taking the steps in the right direction. Other than that, to talk to hype and all that, I mean hype on with you know games. So I mean I've been here a minute, I've been through the hype, and we don't win no games. So I mean, for me, if it's not about winning artist, I don't really care about it.
Yeah, I played in a couple of different styles at the year.
What have you been able to see watch or how do you feel like this would suit your skill set?
You lock up the number one, go number one on number one. So I mean for me, that's what I'm looking forward to doing. That's what I look for for the most, that's what I trained for it, that's what I work hard for. So I mean, for me, it's just going to be about that being ready to go out there and lock up challenge guys make things hard on the offense, just messed up timing and then shoo the dogs up front. They got to eat, So I mean,
everybody just do what they do best. Dogs eat and then the guys on the back end.
We cover Alongos I expect to.
Yeah, Jelen Alongos lines Don Silence historically played more main coverage that you guys have played around here.
Are you looking forward to playing a little bit more man than maybe having the past?
Yeah, I feel like I'm best at.
We don't think of the editions of Grady, Jarrett and Dio and what they can bring for your defense up.
Front havoc from what I've seen, I mean, all I can see is the highlights on YouTube, but for the most part, I fly the aar they CAUs have it. Grady been playing this game at a high level for a long time. I've always been a big fan of his game, and he's in Atlanta, so I mean, definitely getting a dog like that up front, it's gonna help me out on the back end. And I know he's gonna call some havoc too in the run game. Hearing him when I think with a Bill will be a
heck of a sight to see for sure. And then Dio I think him to just seeing how aggressive he is off the edge and just how disruptive he is can definitely help us on defense.
Well, when you studied to feast the Lions offense, what you need to get a band and kind of what this offense will look like.
I mean the biggest thing is eyes, just having good eye discipline, which is hard to do and getting smacked in the face almost every play and things like that, and then the receivers blocked hard. So I mean times you're trying to anticipate a certain blocking and then they run play action pass and things like that off of it.
So I think that was probably the biggest thing.
Just hearing the run game in the past game make challenging the defensive eyes good.
You just following up?
I uh, you're talking about wanting to win a certain type of way?
What does what does that look like? What's the message there? Would you rather win about seven points or seventy? So? I mean for us, that's what keeps out.
Yeah, I mean to me, you're get in a fight, you just don't want to barely win to fight you wanna whoop, You wanna whoop the guy in front of you. So I mean that's what that's what the mentality is for us. It's not just about barely winning or barely getting by, but dominating. And I think for us, that's that's the mindset that we need to have. And it's not just about trying to just get better and take the next step and just win more games.
If we won last year, it's no.
It's about to me changing in your mentality and how you go about attacking attacking thing. And I feel like as a unit, if we can go in with that confidence, that mentality that we're going to go and blow the team out in front of us and that they can't mess with us, then I feel like a lot of times that that will power will get you.
We talked with Ben and Ryan last week about the whole accountability thing. I know we broched it a lot last year.
As one of the leaders of this team.
What do you want that to look like in twenty twenty five as opposed to where there might have been some pitfalls last year.
With that you see you call it out. I think that's the biggest thing for me, and I feel like too. At this level, accountability isn't just talking to but about actions and changing certain things. I mean, I feel like if I can use myself as an example, if I'm not let's say, maybe covering, that's good out of need to to me, it's not just accountability.
Oh yeah, Jalen, just cover better.
But I mean to me, there's a certain action that needs to be taken from somebody else to hold me accountable to that. So, I mean what that looks like is different for every player, every situation. But I think too, you gotta if you see something, say something, and then if it's not going to fix, you gotta do something. So I mean to me, that's that's what accountability is.
See it, say it, fix it if things are not going well. I think he was pretty clear on what he's looking for as a veteran. He wants to win, and if that message is carried on for the other guys in the locker room, then I think the mindset already is completely different changed.
He kind of reminded me of the announcement that you
hear at airports. Now if you see something, say something, and so you have to have a really thick skinned locker room in order for that to happen, because Jalen Johnson has a lot of experience, and so if he sees one of his understudies or even a guy playing across the line across the ball from him, and he sees something that he thinks he can improve upon by some of the same thinking that he goes through before he faces a wide receiver, then yeah, encourage, say something,
and then try to improve them.
But I like Jalen's.
Reference to man man coverage one against one, and that's what his game is all about. That's what they paid him for and that's what they expect out of them.
And I think when Dennis Allen, the new defensive coordinator, gets an opportunity to study him a little bit in Al Harris, the defensive back coach, when they get a chance to understand the qualities of Jalen Johnson, maybe they'll figure out how to balance the defensive back coverage more accordingly to the weapons they're facing across the line of scrimmage from them.
When I talk about a dominating attitude that Ben Johnson set the tone, Dennis Allen's carrying that baton as well. Would you rather win by seven or seventy and you know, you know exactly what that's like.
Momentum of confidence.
And the momentum of confidence is when you go out there and you convincingly beat your opponent, Because what that does that puts a little bit of concern in your next opponent and they're thinking, oh my god, they went out there and held these guys to seven or three, or their offense went out there and scored thirty five against against that team. So now the opponent is already thinking strategically how they're going to limit or hold or whatever side of the ball is, you know, showcasing their
talent more effectively. And so I do think a heavy dose of beating teams convincingly does a lot for your overall confidence.
I've been using this term a lot lately about bread crumbs in the media, asking questions or looking for breadcrumbs, and so they want to, you know, more insight into how a defensive player on the Bears looked at Detroit's offense and Jalen's talking about it demands eye discipline and if you'll think back to last week at the owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, Ben Johnson said, Hey, you know, I really like the way the Atlanta Falcons a few years back would just rush off the line of scrimmage,
so you really couldn't tell if they were going deep, running short, or going to block you. And that's what that's what Jalen referred to. So the receivers in Detroit Blockhart off the line of scrimmage.
It challenges your eyes, you know.
That's a significant addition to what the Bears are going to be looking at from an offensive point of view, but an interesting take from a defensive players position, certainly in that secondary.
Listen, man, that's what play action is all about, Jeff. When you go play action pass and you're an offensive line, you're coming off the ball a thousand miles an hour. And that's the thing about it is how deceptive can you be? We're always taught when you're running play action pass, you keep your helmets as low as you possibly can, because that's an added deception to the defense when they think that you're in a run blocking type of technique when the whole time you're just trying to sell a
pass that's going to be thrown downfield in play actions. So, yeah, the more aggressive that you can come off the ball, run and play action, the bigger plays that you're going to create, And like Ben's press conference a couple of weeks ago when he talks about run after catch, it doesn't necessarily have to be a long pass, but if you can get those defensive back in a precarious position, whether they're off balance, out of position, and a backpedal,
and you make that quick connection, now that offensive player is in charge.
Hey Bears.
Fan Steinhoffels a proud partner of the Chicago Bears and now opening to Orland Park. Steinhoffles is Chicago Land's furniture and mattress leader, with the largest selection to fit every style and budget, and is one hundred percent employee owned shop in storing online at Steinhoffels dot com. Jermaine Edmonds, the last of the four on the defensive side of the ball, was asked what he's heard from Dennis Allen in terms of messaging and what he respects about his coaching abilities.
Yeah.
I think it was very direct understanding where were at as a football team, Understanding you know, how we're going to get there, you.
Know what I mean.
Obviously, the messages, the message like we want to win, we want to win now. And I think saying that and being blunt with it is what we needed to hear because that's how mindset going into especially the guys that's been here, like we want to win and we got the pieces to win. And I think knowing that the coaches understand that coming in, it's not like a, oh, we're gonna take the back here, is like nah, like this is what we got.
Now let's put the plan in action. So it's all about the work, you know what I mean.
I can tell you know just by his energy, his passion, the way he communicated his words, you know what I mean, the tone of what he communicated, it's all geared towards now, like we want this to happen right now, you know what I mean. They don't have to, like we're not waiting for anything, Like let's get this thing. Let's hit
the ground running. And that's what the message is. And you know what I mean, that's what we received as players and more than all, like that's that's what I receive as a player, and you know it's it brings excitement because I mean, we're all excited, you know what I mean, And not just that, but it's all about belief, you know what I mean, belief that we can win now, belief that you know, we could be special right now.
What was Ben's message yesterday and what did that look like?
Was it him in front of the whole team and how long did he talk?
What he say? Yeah, it was him in front of the whole team.
Like I said, some of those things that I just talked about, you know what I mean, it was his message. It was just about mindset, mentality and talking about what we need to do right now starting day one.
As you know what I mean. As an organization. People have talked about his intensive right do you feel that? Yeah, you can feel it.
You can feel it, man, Just like I said, the confidence level, you know, like you said, being a first time head coach, being able to address the room. That's important because you feel that as players, you feel that as you know what I mean, just everybody in the room and you know what I mean, stepped up there with confidence.
You know, guys, was all theirs you.
Know what I mean, gave him the utmost respect and that's what it's all about, you know what I mean. And you feel that as players. I felt that, and I'm like, okay, this got a real deal. Like you know what I mean, we got the same type mindset. So that's the thing that you get most excited about even walking out that room. It's like, Okay, I feel the energy. Let's put the work in as players now right.
You can all sat with the Buffalo and the Bears.
You've been on most sides respectrum, winning and losing, and so you know what it looks like for a team to be in win down mode. Do you feel like that's legit here with the Bears, even having lost ten in a row last year, that this is winning down You guys are capable of it.
Yeah. One percent. And that's what I just talked about.
Like his message, that's what we all think, like is definitely when now mode And that's only mind set to have time with a head.
Coach and getting that chemistry built. Why is this time of the year so important for you guys?
Yeah, I think it's important.
I mean anytime you have new pieces, you know, just new changes in the organization, like you have to be able to like fill each other out, like at a slower pace, I would like to say, rather than just jump right into practice and all that type of stuff. It's like, nah, this is the time, Like you gotta
build your team chemistry. This is the time team bonding, you know what I mean, the things off the field that people don't necessarily see from the outside, but those things are important, and you know what I mean, it's equivalent to winning. And you got to be able to build that as a football team. You got to be able to go through the hard You got to be
able to go through the workouts. And just like the time that we spend in the off season, that's gonna you know, excel us come training and cap that's going to exell us come those tough times later on in the year. You know, when we're thinking back on these hard workouts we have, we thinking back on you know, where we started at as an organization, and like I said, it's about getting to know one another too, you know what I mean. It's a lot of new faces in here,
not just players but coaches. Like each year in the league is different. You got to be able to you know, to understand where this person came from, this background, their background, and all of that stuff happens in the off seasons. So it's just about you know what I mean, getting around one another, you know, filling that energy out and really just building, you know what I mean, because everything starts all over. It's life of the NFL, you know
what I mean. Each year starts all over from ground zero. So it's about building that foundation and being able to take that have that foundation and take us through, you know what I mean the rest of the year.
I did you what did you respect most about Ben as an opponent?
Yeah? Honestly just to mindset I think.
I mean when you ask people about you know, let's just say Detroit, you know what I mean, and what he was able to do just the mentality of I would say what they offense wanted to do to opponents.
It was put up a lot of points, you know what I mean.
And I think you can feel that, like, you know, this guy not just he don't just want to win, but now we want to win by a lot, you know what I mean, We want to dominate. And you know what I mean, I think that's that's that's important, you know what I mean. That just talks about his mentalit it talks about his mondseet is like not like we want we're gonna be the best that we're going to be, want to dominate and we want to pointed to field, that for sure.
So I again, all four of these guys, Tom talked about the excitement the vision that each has. But what stuck out with me is about just what you said, starting the year from scratch right, new new attitude, new belief, Nucius. It's all about belief, and he feels it special right now.
And they all want to win. The messages win now.
You know. And I like that message because Tremaine was asked when he was up there about being on the winning side of football and the losing.
Side of football.
But I think that kind of goes out the window because it's about what they're going to develop with this group of guys inside this organization and this building going forward. And I think Tremaine Edmonds is a great leader in that locker room.
He and TJ.
Edwards are two premier linebackers within this division.
And I think when.
They're going to go and work with the tools and the assistance of a guy like Dennis Allen and the rest of that coaching staff, these guys, you know, their bar has to be set high. And that's why we're sitting here talking about winning after the season they had last year, because I do believe that the confidence starts on Monday, and it's only going to build from there.
As a fellow, it was interesting and important at the same time to hear Tremaine because we all wonder what first time head coaches are like in front of a team and how it's accepted. It could go south on day one, a message could go south and the very first meeting five months from the start of the season, long way from training camp. And clearly that is not the case here because and the player and Tremade admitted it. Yeah, players, eyeball it right out of the gate.
You're not going to have a bad first day. It's going to be excitement, it's going to be encouraging. I think the momentum and just everything that's running through the building is at a super high level, because that's why all these guys are there.
They want to make sure that they show the coaches.
With a handshake or eye contact that what they believe that they're capable of being immediately. And so it was exciting to listen to the guys talk at the podium, and I'm excited to listen to what they talk about down the line. You know, one thing that's I was thinking about the Bears last night. Last year, we talked a lot about where Detroit played a majority of their games. Now this is a Bears team that's going to play
twelve outdoor games. So that's a completely different type of team that you have to get ready because the conditions aren't gonna be guaranteed a majority of the time. They're gonna be whatever the outside environment offers you. And that changes your day to day thinking as an offensive coordinator and a play caller, because if you go out and you're playing an indoor facility, you know what exactly what's
going to be. But then you go outside and you get one of those San Francisco days from a couple of years ago. Oh, or you get thirty mile an hour wins off the lake one day. It really it changes the process of your thinking. And that's where this team is gonna have. That's what they're going to have to be ready for as well.
Yeah, eight or nine guaranteed Dome games plus Minnesota. Yeah, this is you know, you wonder if he's ever had twelve outdoor games to call as a play caller in a single season.
Think about your next.
Question is about for Ben is when you look you look ahead and you're thinking, Okay, we're playing twelve outdoor games, and look at some of them that are in the back half of the season right now. The conditions are unpredictable. The field conditions, the foot conditions, the win conditions, they're all unpredictable.
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Caitlyn Joniak, my youngest, got her degree at the ceremony at high Point University of North Carolina, and Tom, I know you're a proud uncle as well.
So proud of her because just a commitment to becoming educated. And I think that's, you know, a great accomplishment by her, and I think she's going to have a super bright future ahead of her.
Very excited for her. Indeed, excitement is the word of the day. Because looking at those four guys going to the podium today, it just feels like the weight is lifted off. There's now a plan, there is a vision. It's set fellas. We're going to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Yeah, we're going to win, and we're going to win now. And it's going to be super challenging for some of you. And you know what, to me, I like this now that we know about Kayla Williams, because you know, when we listen to Caleb go to do his pressers in the preseason last year, we didn't know if he was going to be the same guy during the season, and he was consistent all year.
And here's a guy that's talking about.
The dudes and the don'ts of Ben's first speech with the whole team. And I think Caleb has a chance to be a leader unlike any other season that he's ever played. And now if he can have some consistency with the coaches around him for a period of time, his upside is unlimited. But each and every one of these guys have a chance to flourish with the new message that's being set forth in Hallas Hall.
All Right, one look at the broader scope of the league. Real quick found this interesting time. As we wrap things up, Matt Vertram Matt Verdram from Sports Illustrated did the exercise of the number one guaranteed full guaranteed money by position players in the NFL.
So we'll go down the list.
None of it's surprising, I would think, but I'll just run it by you to make sure. Josh Allen at two hundred and fifty million is at quarterback. You're running back, Saquon Barkley at thirty six, Jamar Chase at one twelve at receiver, Trey McBride of the Cardinals forty three million at tight end.
Any thoughts quick, Nope, all right?
Offensive discrepancy between quarterback and running back though.
And everybody else?
Yeah, offensive tackle Tristan Wurfs eighty eight to two, and Darren Tampa Robert Hunts in Carolina sixty three million at guard, Creed Humphrey fifty million at center in KC. And now to the defense, Miles Garrett won twenty three to five the number one paid defensive player in terms of full
guaranteed money. As you might expect, the quarterback position and those affecting the quarterback position are key, which leads us to Chris Jones at defensive tackle at ninety five, mil roqwant Smith inside linebackers sixty mili, josh heinz Allen at Jacksonville outside linebacker at eighty eight, Derek Stingley Junior at corner at eighty nine million over there in Houston, and Twine Winfield junior, my guy at safety in Tampa at forty five.
Thoughts, No, it doesn't surprise me.
And listen to you know, these guys have earned the opportunity to go out there and negotiate with the collective barneying agreement and how competitive it is becoming the NFL. And we're not talking about any guy out there that hasn't earned the opportunity. And but you know, it's you know, what are you going to do going forward? What is the next guy on the rung of that ladder shooting
for in terms of what he wants to earn? And congratulations, I hold no jealousy, no envy at all for these guys that are.
Are making this type of money.
Harrison Butker, the kicker from Kansas City seventeen to seven, the punter Michael Dixon Seattle seven and a half million in Tom the long snapper Joe Cardona of New England at two point six Mili, Well, yeah.
I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you here.
You Well, the thing about it is every single snap, no matter what the conditions are, they have to be perfect. And you said he's from Seattle.
I know, Joe Cardona, New England.
Well on New England, Okay, you know it's an outdoor stadium. The conditions aren't guaranteed to be perfect, and no matter what the conditions are, you have to be perfect. That's why you're getting paid that type of money. Congratulations, good luck to them. But I'm a Bears.
Fan and so I'm pulling for my guys right And partly the reason I brought this up is just to see what's out there for guys on this team to develop into these guys one day in the near future.
So it's some's some big salaries out there.
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There. I'm Jeff Jonihak. Thanks for listening. Everybody.
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