Right justin middle of a field forty fifteen bring Russ in front of a leading Lions.
In his way.
I am Jeff Jonihaclitz is not Donny go us. What was it like playing for Cochi gooddom go I don't want to answer any questions like that.
Sixty one yards? What's Sunday stroll for? Justin field? Yes, Bears et cetera brought to you by Miller Light with the voices of the Bears, Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer.
About a half hour outside of downtown Indianapolis, in the suburb of Carmel, Indiana, at Westfield, a nice practice field with the Bears in Indianapolis Colts to get the week underway. I'm Jeff Joniak along with Tom Thayer wrapping up what was a very entertaining practice on a gorgeous night here in Indiana. Mild temperature, sunny skies, and a big crowd I believe to be around eight thousand people. This is Bears et cetera, and we're brought to you by Miller Light,
the official beer of the Chicago Bears. Tastes like Miller Time Chicago. I happened to ride on the bus back time drove back because I needed to listen to some of the news conferences. But I was on the bus with the players and I gotta tell you, man, they
were funny on the bus. They enjoyed it. I think it was the perfect time for them to have this kind of practice, and I think Cole Combet said it in the postgame interviews post practice interviews, and it was just it felt like real football, and it was a great night and energy was very high.
Yeah, you know, but it's all in the setup. It's a great facility. There's enough area of space for both teams to get done what they need to get done. And then the practices were physical, they are fast, they are exciting. They got a lot of good work done. The crowd responded in every way, shape or form they could. The weather conditions were perfect, the field conditions were perfect. So I will say of the ten or fifteen joint practices I've ever been to in my career, this was
probably the most efficient run. But there was physical that didn't didn't erupt into fights. It was a physical play here or there, and yeah, you'd hear a little bit of John going on, but it didn't take away from the practice and it was not distract.
You know, it's funny because obviously a game starts with a special Teams play with the opening kickoff, and so when they got to the special teams period, sure enough, this is when it starts. You hear the John, and you know that group kind of sets a tone. It's an agitated group. I don't care when they practiced, but boy, they were loud on both sides and nobody was backing down just a little John for the fun of it.
But didn't you get a kick out of that though? But you know, so I was caught.
I was talking to coach High Tower on the field and I was talking to him about the training camp practices at Hallas Hall, how the Special Teams they start the practice and he says, I feel responsible for getting the momentum of the practice pointed in the right direction. And I think it was a great point by him, because you know, special teams a lot of times they.
Get over looked.
But those are the guys that are looking to make the team. They're looking to make an influence or an impression on their coach. And I think that the way the Special Teams went about the business today, the guys that aren't on the special teams were able to join in on the excitement, and I think that was a fun part of it. And again it wasn't fisticuffs, it was more physical.
Now that could come, It could come tomorrow.
That's always a part of football.
You know.
Listen, it's like you lay the groundwork or something right. If somebody gets under right.
Well, I mean, these guys are gonna come back and they're going to watch the practice team, and so all of a sudden, if there's somebody that takes offense to something somebody did to him in today's practice, we'll probably see a reaction to it in tomorrow's practice.
And if it happens, it happens.
I'm okay with it because I think when coach Eberflus came here and he talks about developing a callousness within your own team, this is the way you go about it. And he's got familiarity here because he was a coach here one time. But it's all about the effort that the players are putting on the practice field so they can become better football players.
Which leads them to be a better team.
Game day snacking calls for good foods, chunky guacamolele made with has avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a squeeze align juice. It's the perfect snack to watch while.
The Bears win.
Score some today at your local grocery store. Game Day is Guak Day. Jeff and Tom on the Bears, et cetera podcast coming to you from outside of Carmel, Indiana and a great setup. The Bears have the whole hotel, so it feels like it's it's you know, they have this thing Rams House out in LA they set up for training camp, and this feels like Bears House here.
It's just all Bears.
They got a separate area for the players to have a little time if they want to play some games, ping pong, whatever, get the food down there. And you know, Cole was talking about this and Kyler Gordon that it's allowed everybody to kind of hang out a little bit more, you know, because they're going out to dinner. You know, they're going out to have they have some time to do that if they so desire. Yesterday and you didn't to know each other in a different way.
So I've never been a part of a training camp that is this luxuriously run but there's no distractions from just some businessman checking in to see what room he's going to get and walking down the hall or No, it's all business. It's all business all day. And I didn't know what to expect on my drive down here today, but I just I really enjoyed the practice, the atmosphere. We got to catch up with a lot of old
friends from the Indianapolis Colts. But at the end of the day, they got something out of the practice, and I think that's exactly what they wanted to do.
All right, what'd you see specifics?
Well, you know, you sit there and you go and you watch one on one, so you get the Bears offensive line against the Indianapolis Colts defensive line and they have a couple of good defensive linemen, and then you want to see how your guys hold up. So the guy that really hasn't disappointed me is Darnell. Right, here's a guy that's a rookie finally getting some look at some outside guys for an extended period of time because he played longer today than he did in the preseason game,
and he didn't disappoint me. Braxton Jones, you know you hear about the unlikely a guy that started every single game and I played every single play.
Yeah, he is improving.
He looks better, he looks more fluid, and Cody whitehair look good. So now it's about the rest of the development. Cole komet I like his attitude after he catches the football because.
He is made right and that's what I'm saying. You're going to avoid me. I'm not going to avoid you.
I'm gonna lower my shoulder and if you want to hit me, we're gonna have contact.
And so I like who.
Johns.
Yes he does in the news conference.
Now, I don't know how this is gonna go over, honestly, but this is how he thinks. He goes I use my body as a weapon, of course, I mean right, I mean I love that quote from this young man from Texas. I use my body as a weapon. The guy he invites contact and he he's not like absorbing, He's delivering.
And there is the difference.
Well, you know, as that one play that he ran and you, I and Jason McKee were sitting off to the side, and you know, it's nice to have Jason's perspective because he's a running back and he sees things a little differently, and then he has some terms that he uses that you know, you kind of get introduced to,
you kind of get used to hearing I'm saying. And you know, I like the fact that he's impressed with ro Sean and so am I. I've been impressed with him since no pad practices, and I wanted to see how it carried over to full padded practices. I was super impressed with his run in the game the other day, how he ran through an attempt to tackle by a linebacker, and then in today's game he made contact. It really
didn't make him go in a completely different direction. He bounced off the defender and kept his feet going lively upfield.
Yeah, taking some first team snaps he did on Monday up in Hallisaw, and he is doing it again.
I don't want to dismiss Khalil Herbert either, because he had a couple of nice runs and the nine on seven period. Nine and seven period is the defense knows you're going to run the ball at him, and that's an offensive run period. In Khalil Herbert, he's got good vision, he's good has good outside instincts. He's got the ability to get low and stay with his power. So it's not the Row Shawn Johnson show, but he's part of a running back room that's really talented.
Dante Foreman yea, yeah, he slowed through a nice hole, got small in the hole, ripped off a big chunk. Obviously they're touching off or thudding up as they say, but you know, I'm trusting that he's going to get yards after contact, which he did.
Thud against your own team is a thud.
It's kind of a noise at the end of the play that the defense isn't going to come up and rock you.
Thud.
When you have a practice against another team, it's more of a hit and so.
But you're not going down to the no But.
It's also it's impacts the way the running back shows his balance, shows his ability to bounce off tackle.
So again, I like what I saw.
All right, let's talk about V twelve Vaylas Jones junior number twelve. He did take some punts cleanly, received all of those, but where he made his mark on this day was his speed to stretch the field and he caught two very nice passes, one for a touchdown assuming his feet were in and we were standing right there were saying, you put your hands up, you were excited, you were right there break, you were making the call. Tom also at one point boot the officials. Yes, I
want to hear about that too. I mean, we had a great spot between two long fields, and so you really are your head's not a swivel. You can't there's so much going on, you can't absorb it all. Even one of the Bear scouts was talking to me, goes man, I just there's so much going on, you know, And but tell us about Baylis on those because if you're going to be a field stretcher, you got that great speed, you got to finish through the catch again.
And he did just a backtrack of half a second talking Ryan Poles on the field.
And this is like going to a college practice to scout. You're trying to look at so many guys that your head is constantly spinning. And I've said the same thing. I said, I don't know where to anchor myself. And so that's kind of the example of how much you're looking at. And when you talk about Vayalus today, I'm glad that, first of all, he was catching punts in an open air stadium where there's a little flight to
the football. I think it makes them concentrate a little harder because the flyers of the opponent of the Indianapolis Colts were coming down at your hard and fast, and so it elevated the concentration and I'm glad he rebounded it. I know there are still some people that are disappointed in what happened on Saturday's game, but the thing about valis it can't happen again. And then to rebound and
make the big catches that he did. He's able to track the football in the process of having a defensive back right on your heels but never losing sight of the catch point and being able to turn his body in mid air make the catch and get to the two feet inbounds.
And the official even.
He backed me up when I knew it was a catch, and so I was happy to see it because listen, man, I want to see Valas succeed. I don't ever wish for a player, ever, ever, ever to fail. And so when you look at the skills and what Vealis can contribute to this football team in a lot of different ways, from a punt returner, from a kick returner, from a wide receiver, from possible running back position. He's you know, he's got a plate full and I want to see him do well.
We're brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears, Jeff Joniek and Tom Thair on the Bears, Etc. Podcast as we break down a Wednesday practice. Join us on Thursday night, six o'clock Chicago time. Tom and I have a show called Bears Weekly, and we will be talking with Khalil Herbert. He was kind of enough to spend some time with me earlier here in this week at Indianapolis and broke down how he's looking at his future with the Chicago Bears. All right, let's talk about some
other things that may have popped in your mind. Why did you get mad at the official.
Because they were going through a special team period. And one thing I really like about Coach high Tower is he's very very serious about the physical element of special teams. And the Bears did a great job of protecting for the punter and the one of the blockers had a perfect angle of attack and he earholed the guy and he went down to the ground and he took offense to it, and then the official through a flag and
I we don't get the explanation. So I don't know if he was thinking it was a bad block in the back or a helmet to helmet contact, and so I boot him because he deserved it, and it was.
A great play it.
You know what the thing about it is is, first of all, before the conclusion of the play, you watched the effort during the play, and that's what I was most impressed with, was the effort for the Bears personnel to get in the right spot to make the block. Because if you make that block in a game, the punt returner is going to have a long gain or possibly a touchdown. But that's the effort that you have to have attached to these plays because that's the effort you need in the game.
Let's talking about QB one. I don't know how much you saw. I broke away from you after one on ones and kind of did my own thing for a bit and we just kind of moved where we moved. So what did you see from QB one? Anything stick out?
You know the thing that it's hard to escape how well justin moves. But the fact of the matter is is, you know DJ Moore is still evident he didn't have Chase Claypool e Q Saint Brown is out there. Nice catches by Cole kamt to me, I think if you go to tomorrow's practice and then you see this practice the second time around, I think Justin will have a better practice.
I don't think he had a bad practice.
However, whether whatever you think about Justin, he's still in the learning stages of playing the quarterback in the NFL, and I do see growth and I do see improvement. But I think because of Justin is who he is and where he is fantasy football and what they expect out of them, people always expect the super play, and I don't deny it.
So do I.
Well, I hope they both play on Saturday Night, and I'm assuming they will. But Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick, the kid out of Florida named a starter today by Staying Shane Steichen, the head coach, the new head coach, the former Eagles assistant, obviously work with Jalen Hurtz. He's worked with Justin Herbert and now he's working with this unbelievable athlete two hundred and fifty pounds with very little body fat on him and his arm. He just flicks it.
The ball travels a great distance in a tight spiral. But you're talking about two tremendous and different, dynamic athletes to share the field on Saturday night to start the first quarter of this game against the Colts and Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. I hope I get to see it. I hope that's what happens too. We'll find out the coaches. But you just can't help take your eyes off either of them now. I mean, every movement is just they
move like Gazelle's. It's almost effortless movements, you know, as the mobility of these guys, and just how they throw deep balls, I mean, pretty impressive. Obviously there were some, you know, some bad plays and some good places for both teams.
Well.
Again, having a chance to meet old friends talking on the sideline with Chris Ballard, the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, and we are talking about Anthony Richardson at the Combine and he says, you know, as soon as I saw him at the Combine, I knew I was going to draft him, and I didn't was never convinced to move up in the draft because I knew if I just sat in that position, I was going to
be able to get him there. And then he just talks about the quality of character this young man is and the type of quarterback he can eventually develop into, and he goes, well, he's you know, he really was something at the combine. And I said, Chris, he's the most exciting player at the Combine that I may have ever seen, you know, with all everything he did, strength, height, jump, throwing, all the kind of stuff. And so now that you named him a starter, you're he's going to have to develop.
And if you cannot play him in games when you got to see him develop before the first regular season game, when you talk about only three preseason games and then a big gap in between the last preseason game and the first regular season game. And the way you protect a quarterback is giving him as much knowledge as you can possibly feed him as quickly as possible, especially their rookie year. And I do believe that he'll play this weekend.
I'm just that's only my own instincts. I was not told anything about that, but and I hope he does, and I hope Justin plays.
It's a gutsy pick because you've got to be he only had thirteen starts in his college career. But again, you can't. It's it's just it's unique talent, and you know that you kind of have to invest in and yeah, you gotta, Hey, there have been lesser quarterbacks you've rolled the dice on as first round picks in the top five across the landscape of the National Football League.
So him I would have picked him was a GM. I would have no problem.
You know, when you go back and you look at my draft and you think of guys like Todd Blackledge and Ken the kid that Brian Ken O'Brien and stuff that their question mark picks in the first round and their careers and many of those eighty three Tony Easton and stuff like that. But then you look at the traits that Anthony Richardson put on display in what we've already seen out of Justin you're probably looking at two of the most dynamic athletes at the quarterback position in the last ten years.
And it just occurred to me at Jervon Dexter, Florida Geter as well, peering over the line of scrimmage looking at Anthony richards and he could probably tell us a few things about him as well a couple of notes, just because when you're on the field that close and
you're seeing guys with pads or without pads. I got to tell you seeing Kyler Gordon flying around and then talking to the to the media afterwards, the confidence with which he is now speaking and how he views the game, and how excited he is, and how you know, he got he got strong and he is I got to put him up there with another one of the guys
that I'm really looking forward to seeing, you know. As much as he'd like to play outside and be a full time player and then kick inside on Nickel, he admits that playing in that one.
Spot is really that's it.
That's it's narrow casting, okay, And it's a hard job. Let's not forget it is one of the most difficult positions because of the requirements of the position are multifold. But I'm expecting big things and I was hoping Brisker would be back because he's another one again. Sat next to me and he's talking football. He was talking football Tremaine Edmunds on the bus. They were talking defense, they were talking this. He was engaged. It wasn't just a throwaway.
He was engaged running across the field with emotion when things were getting a little chippy. You know, he's not in pads. He was not practicing today, And I just love that.
Then, the thousand bus rides I took as a football player from college to pros, I never sat and talked to the guy next to me about something that was completely frivolous. I talked about how I played good or how I played bad? How did you play?
What do you think?
You know? What do we have to do to improve? That's what the conversation is. But I think Kyler Gordon is really fortunate to have a coach like John Hoak because John, he's an experienced defensive back throughout his career and he's got the demeanor that you would want to be coached by. So the upside for Kyler Gordon he is still untapped potential. But you need all those guys, you know, a defensive backfield is kind of like an
offensive line. You need all those guys in place to make sure the communication is positive and that everybody knows exactly what everybody's assignment are. There's no mistakes in transition to coverage, and you know, Kyler Gordon mad a couple of big hits in the first game this week. Defensive backs tight end, are wide receivers tight ends.
They're going to take note.
United Airlines official airlines of the Chicago Bears and score huge savings on an impressive lineup of items that juelasco for you. This handy app features hot digital deals and everything from premium produce and savory snacks to butcher fresh meat and more. Get additional details at jewel osco dot com. Jeff Joniyak, Tom Thayer, This is Bears et cetera, wrapping things up after our first review of the Bears and
Colt's practices leading to kickoff on Saturday. We'll have that game for you starting at six o'clock Chicago time, seven o'clock Eastern time. Fair amount of Bears fans, maybe Trek I heard them. They were loud, but it was a heck of an environment. I think players got a kick out of it. They realized that there were you know, there were eight thousand people in there in close proximity to the field. So it felt even though it wasn't a game, it felt a little bit like a game.
It was neat for me because I got a couple of greetings from Bears fans standing along the sideline.
And it's nice.
That either they travel here or they have an opportunity to come to this practice, to experience the practice itself, but get a chance to look at the Bears lets.
Cole Cole was saying, Cole commencing, a lot of Domer fans were there because they were of course they were yelling his name out.
So right, I mean, there are you know, there are the Domer for the Notre name fans that are around because it's close to here, and you know, it was just a neat opportunity to be a part of this practice time.
A couple of quick hitters here, Robert Tunyan, nice catch on, a nice design play in the end zone. I'm thinking we got a circle number eighteen that the man they call Bobby and they don't call him Robert, but they call him Bobby go Tuberflus and everybody else. But I think he's really excited. He knows the offense. He certainly knows Luke Keetzi's offense and a nice compliment to Cole Comet and vice versa.
Yeah, it's hard for me not to think of Mike tom Zach when I see eighteen running out there.
You know, and it's hard.
You know, when he first was out there in eighteen he showed up and he had a really long hair and then he cut his hair really short.
And wearing that businessman out. Yeah.
Yeah, but he is a nice addition to the tight end room because it's a legitimate wide receiver. He does have blocking ability at all positions that are asked out of the tight end. So when you look at put another receiver out there that the quarterback can become familiar with, it only helps the offense overall.
All right, Chase Claypool walking around out there, still not ready to return about a week ago. But I will say this though, you even just look at his legs, the muscular structure of his legs is unlike a normal wide receiver. He is a ripped individual. And I'm just hoping Tom he gets healthy, gets back on the field. He brings the emotion even when he didn't got chippy. He's not even in pads.
And they had that collision that I was talking about where the flag was thrown. He walked up to the front, was trying to John a little bit, and the guy from the Indianapolis Colts.
Took a sception to him. Hey, I believe it.
Was Tony Brown, the former Alabama You know, somebody told me he's been that way his whole life. Ase Tony Brown is always getting into it a little like like CJ. Gardner Johnson out there and Detroit.
Well, I'll have to.
Deal with but ah, man, it's just as a football player. Man, you walking talking football player right.
There about Claypool. Yes, yeah, you know I agree the same thing. But you know he's got the assets to be that football player. You know what, the blocks that I've seen him make in training camp. How big of a player he is. Linebackers and DB's better keep their head on a swivel if he's in motion, if it's a run play, and if you are on a blockable position, because he will earhole you, you will feel it and it'll show up in films.
Miller, like the official beer of the Chicago Bears, tastes like Miller time Chicago.
All right.
He keeps making place, Okay, he keeps making place. Number forty seven the Chicago Bears. Mister Baskerville from LSU interception to end a two minute drive in the end zone. He's a two hundred and eighteen pound linebacker. You probably could play a little safety. I don't know what is time to I don't have a memorized but I'll tell you he's just around the ball. I don't know if he's gonna make it, but he's around the ball constantly.
It's kind of funny because you see a big say six two ten oh, this guy could probably play linebacker. No, he couldn't. Then you see a linebacker that's six three two eighteen Oh, he could probably play safety.
No, he couldn't.
They are playing the position at this level of the position they are blessed to play. Baskerville put a really high vertical jump on display a tipball, came down with the interception, made plays the other day in the game, and it's a competitive position, and they want the best possible athletes that they can put on the game day roster to come out there and be a part of the special teams and be a part of the defensive rotation.
And every single time he goes and makes that play, he's opening the eyes in the minds of not only Ryan Poles and the scouts, but his position coach.
And every team in the league. And if he makes those plays in an exhibition game, preseason game, and it's on tape. United Airlines, official airlines of the Chicago Bears, our sponsor as well, Big Tom. Before we go, you talk about some of the faces and names of people that have crossed our paths. You of course got a lot of people, but you know Rusty Jones, who was, you know, very popular figure in the Bear's family. He expressed how much he loved his eight years in Chicago,
some of the best years of his career. Certainly he was with the Buffalo Bills during their Super Bowl runs back in the day and looks great. Just celebrated his seventieth birthday and looks fantastic. But it's people like that in the league that you just love that you had the chance to develop those relationships. And I know you've got a hundred of them, as do I now. But isn't it wasn't a great to see.
Us, it was, But you know, so Rusty's Jones's first cousins, who was my driver's ed teacher and my high school wrestling in football coach Dale O'Connell. So their first cousins. So I've known of Rusty back years and years and years ago when he was coaching for Buffalo, and then when he came to the Bears, we kindled a friendship that will never go away. His wife, sharing his son, Tyler,
We are great friends. But he's just a guy that lives and breathes the physical element of football, the hydration, the diet, the training, the muscle control. So he's got a unique way, a unique niche that he has in the football business. You would never mistake him as a former player, because he's not. He's, you know, one hundred
and sixty two pounds. But his graciousness for what he was able to do with the Chicago Bears, he has such an appreciation for it that it spills out of him every single time we see him.
We love talking to him, and we can't wait to see him when we get back on the practice field. All right, Gunny, final thoughts. Otherwise, we're going to wrap up and send this bad boy to bed now.
Just looking forward to sleeping for the first time without two dogs in my bed.
And I've been waking up at one o'clock in the morning the last three nights and not able to get back to sleep until five or six. When it really you know, it's kind of worthless at that point. So hopefully I can sleep, but you know, you fall asleep, just can't stay asleep. I guess those are medical problems that nobody cares about.
Yeah, hey, listen, Matt, Insomnia is a big part of my life and I just hope it doesn't happen tonight.
All right, Well, that's been our Bears et cetera podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. As always, we'll have more for you later in the week. Don't forget Thursday Night, Bears Weekly, and a lot more coming up. All the great content put together by the Bears. They are out here in Indianapolis. They will have you all covered on all the different places Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, you name it. You got it. Nothing that time's on but
that's okay. Twitter, But he's on this podcast. You never thought you were going to do that, that's for sure. But thank you for joining us. Thanks for listening. Please subscribe now on the Chicago Bears official app, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.