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be with you once again our weekly edition. Here along with Tom Beare and Jim Miller of the former Chicago Bears offensive lineman, super Bowl winner and starting quarterback of the Bears in that fantastic two thousand and one playoff run. Jim Miller from Serious x M NFL Radio, I'm Jeff Johnny Act. Good to have you alongside everybody. Our producer tonight, Sean Anderson. We got a full show schedule tonight coming up.

At six ten, we round out our rookie class cornerback Kendallville Door out of Georgia Southern, one of the three fifth round picks, will joined the program. And then at six thirty or we know we're gonna have a great conversation with Sam Acho, the former Bears linebacker a prominent voice right now social justice issues and ties with George McCaskey, the chairman of the board of Chicago Bears, will be looking forward to that conversation as well, and felt it's

good to have you alongside. The offseason program is over, at least from the meeting perspective for the Chicago Bears. Today was it, and now they get ready for what they hope will be a normal training camp. Tom and Jim. Yeah, you know, Jeff, they've still done more than they used to do in training camp. I mean they've had I mean in the off season, they've had plenty of meetings.

They've had a chance to have at least eye contact with these players, whether they're veterans or rookies, whether they're free agents coming in to learn information for the first time. So when you listen to Matt and Aggie's press conference, it's nice to hear him walk away with confidence that

their team is in a good place. Because we're in an era right now you're not only considering the production as a football team on the field, you're also considering how you make the team more a better working environment than maybe it has in the past. But it's always been a great working environment at Hollis Hall. Yeah, and I just think, how much more install can you do without really taking one rep of what you're installing? You know,

how deep can you go into into the playbook. I'm sure with the veterans it is, you know, a good place where you can go. But I think for the first year players that are new on board, like say a young Kendall Vildore will be joining us this evening

on the show. You know again, I think they can say conceptually they have it, but until you see them in a rep against a different look, whether it's say maybe it's a man call versus a zone call versus maybe a blitz call or a base defense alert automatic blitz on certain plays, I think there's only so deep you can go into the playbook where players can only retain so much, where really the learning is going to be on the field when they make a mistake and

you can physically get your hands on them and really point out the mistakes via the tape of the rep they just received during the practices. Now, now man Naggie wants turn them loose, get himself physically right, get himself mentally right. So you guys both played long careers. If you were just in meetings all this time, when you do show up for training camp, is it going to be confusing? Oh my gosh, do I remember this? Do I remember that? How do I retain all of this information?

I just sucked in over two months and then I had this five six week delay. How you do it? Well? To me? I think this will be the hardest year the rookies have ever had going into training camp, because you're gonna forget a lot of what you meant, but

what you learned. But you know, Jeff, you weren't introduced to the speed of the game through OTAs, whether it's in shorts and T shirts or full pads, there's a certain introduction, there's a certain reality that you get of making sure that you're on the field for the first time, making sure that you understand the speed of the game. And so that's like the key ingredient here that they're missing.

They don't have an introduction to that speed yet, so they're gonna have to catch up to the speed of the game in full pads, in full speed events and

training camp. Jim, what advice would you give to everybody that I would take the physical side of it out of the equation, meaning I am going to show up in the best shape of my life, all right, that you know, were that transition from just being in good shape into football shape is accelerated at a great place because anything else I can learn mentally along the way. If I'm physically up to the task now I'm just

mentally challenging myself. I'll be able to physically go out or even stay after practice and get other reps that I need to do physically, whether it's drops in coverage, whether it's certain pass rush moves against maybe an offensive linement, and maybe I'll ask them to come out, hey, stay for a couple acts to reps, so I would literally show up in the best shape of my life that I ever have. I'll take care of the mental side

and any install that's there. But it allowed me to stay after and get extra reps that I'll make sure I'll be physically able to do to get caught up to speed quickly. Well, it's a tight team, maybe a tighter team after all what's going on here over the last nine weeks ten weeks, and it's a hungry team because of what happened last season. The unfulfilled expectations that they all feel individually. But you got a bunch of guys.

Eddie Jackson, Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith, Jermaine Fettie. We're gonna hear from all these guys tonight as we break down the Bears for twenty twenty. Coming back, We'll have our rookie selection tonight, Fifth round Kendallville Door out of Georgia Southern the cornerback to join the program with Sean Adderson. Top there, Jim Miller, I'm Jeff Jony Act. This is Bears All Access brought to you by IGS Energy on

Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The score back with you on 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.

Good to have you alongside as we break down here on this June eleventh, the Bears of twenty twenty with Tom There, Jim Miller joined now by rookie fifth rounder Kendall l Door out of Georgia Southern, The five nine and seven eight one ninety pounder out of College Park, Georgia. Did I get all the math right on your kendall, Yes, sir, Yes, sir man. I'd love to give you the six feet right because I'm five seven and a half. I'm five seven and a half on a good day, so I

feel you. I mean, I've seen guys come through the doors at allis off for the last twenty four years about your size and there. They can be nasty, they can be physical, aggressive, and you know, pretty amazing. So I think that's part of your makeup. You have that aspect to your game. You're you're not backing down from anybody. Are You're kind of fearless? Yes? They are? Well, definitely,

most definitely. And where did that come from? Um? Just I feel like just growing up from Atlanta, Georgia, Colors part to be is that just growing up you know what I mean, a hard environment and stuff like that. Just always want to have that edge and just older people around me installing that edge, having that edge mindset and I just cant out alone throughout me when I was just playing little league football, middle school, high school, college and now to the poet. I'm gonna keep that

same mindset. Just want to go out there and dominate. Hey, Kendell, you know when I watch your highlight tape, you know you kind of gotta watch it carefully, but I like to see what I say. You're really pesky around the football. But one thing I noticed is when you see the football coming out of the cornerbacks hands and you believe that you have a better chance of catching it than

the wide receiver, you go after a football. Is that a process that you have developed over the three years that you were a starter or is that always that you maintained. If the football is in the air and you can get it, it might be well be yours. Yeah, I say, just growing up being an overall athlete, playing UM wide receiver a lot as well, So when I transition to actually being the four time cornerback, I still

had that wide receiver mentally in my head. Where the balls in the air, I'm gonna make a touchdown, Like I'm playing wide receiver. Now I'm on defense, I'm gonna gett that interception. Playing baseball, that's where I played centifield my sophomore year through my senior high school. That kept moving my ball skills as well, and the way that I actually train when we train it every day with our normal dbut drill we always using the ball, doing

low ball drills and different things like that. So all of that, of course, you know, it's also you know, you have three years as a starter and you kind of, you know, earn and gain that mentality of I'm a starter. So I don't I don't have any size concerns about you. But now you look at a team that needs a cornerback,

a starting cornerback. Is your mindset that you're going to earn one of these jobs, because once you have the mantle as a starter and you do it for three years in college, it's hard to give that up, right exactly exactly. I mean, I know it's an opportunity for me to come out for the Umbars organization and compete for starting spot. I mean that's what they dropped it before.

I just want to be just gonna go out there when I get there, just so what I can do socase my challenge and my abilities for the coaching and just that then't make decision. I want to contribute anywhere I can special teams of course as a big part of the game. So I just want to help contribute anywhere I can early on. Well, Kendall, Jim Miller here, welcome to Chicago. And you know it's got to be

exciting for Jenner your first training camp. And how was the anxiety from that standpoint, because really you haven't been on the field to get one rep. I know you're probably doing stuff individually and doing some things on your own, but how is it all sinking in and how you're applying it in your workhouse to be ready for your first NFL training camp. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy times that we have it right now because usually I would have been up there for rookie mini camps and OTAs and

different things like that. So just really now just digging in into the playbook, just making sure that I I know my assignments, where IM supposed to be lined up, where I'm supposed to be covering, different things like that. So when I finally get there, it's sticking nation to me and I can I'm able to go out there play fans without any of any mistakes and everything like that. So it's something I'm adjusting to and everything, but I'll be ready. Well, that's funny that you just said that

I didn't even think about this. I remember when I got drafted. It wasn't until I put on my helmet for the first time and my my uh shoulder pads that I really felt, hey, this is about to happen, that I'm going out for a p Have you Have you been able to even put on your bearer's helmet yet to feel part of it? No? I have. I mean that they sent me some gear and everything like that, so that kind of gave me a little feeling everything.

But I didn't even putting no helmet on the name yet, So I know when I finally get there and putting their helmet on and do that first predic is going to be surreal. Yeah. Oh you're gonna love it, my friend. So good luck from that temper. Well when you when you're looking at it in the gear that they have sent you, have you been able to apply it in every way possible to make sure you come up and come into camp in the best part possible shape that

you can come in? Oh? Oh yeah, for sure. This stream coach he's been sending this on workouts and everything like that. So I've been following that plan, making sure that I'm doing I supposed to do. So when I'm gonna get up there, I'm in shaping everything like down fast and I'm strong, and I'm detailing my techniques and stuff. Kendall Vadar is our guest here on Bears All Access with Tom Thare and Jimmer. I'm Jeff Joniac, the rookie out of Georgia Southern, familiar school for Bears fans because

of Bears running back Adrian Peterson. We love that guy here. His teammates really respected Adrian for what he had to go through in his life and how he just went about his daily work here and very beloved figure here from the guys who played with him on the O six Super Bowl team and whatnot. And you were influenced by him a little bit. He's ding the director of student athlete development there at Georgia Southern. What were conversations like with him over the years and how did you

guys connect? Oh? Yeah, Adrian Preson, He's a good person to meet um just as him being the situation that I was in coming out of college, having UM, getting having ability to get ready to go to the pros and everything like that. So he gave me a lot of advice. I mean anything I needed. He was always there for me. He was actually UM there for academics part of UM enjoy something as well too. So he hit me with all my class where if I had any issues with any assigners that I needed and everything

like that, you would there to help. So yeah, and he's been a big part of my arm career right now. And it's easy to forget that. Georgia Southern, you know, is a smaller school, but you played big schools. You have faced Auburn, your faced, LSU, your face Minnesota. Yeah, played big against Kelly Bryan and Clemson. That game has always talked about because of your ball skills. I mean we're talking some big time receivers from Tyler Johnson to

Justin Jefferson to Jamaar Chase Um. That's more than just getting your feet feet wet against competition, because these guys are all gonna be pros. They are pros. And did he think the way you faced them and no matter what the results were, that that put a lot of confidence in you that you could do that at this level? Oh yeah, for sure, man. Just in college, I mean it's it's great receiver throughout even in our conference. We have a lot of great receiver that I played against.

Everything like that, So and then I was able to go to the Senior Bowl as well, showcase my abilities that gains the top athlete senior athletes in the nation as well. So just doing that, just seeing why I stand and gets the top, it's preparing me to wirean today,

and I'm just ready to go out there compete. Hey kill, If they were talking to Buster's screen today and the press conference and they asked him, what advice would you give to a couple of the Bears corners the couple of the rookies come in, he said, Number one, I would tell them to be in better shape than they possibly think they need to be in. And number two is make sure you get into your tablet mentally stay sharp.

So as a defensive back, yeah, you can get on your feet and you can do footdrills, and you can have access to a field where you can have running in shape. How do you improve mentally just by looking at a video screen playing a position as difficult as cornerback? I say, it's all about having that mental visualization as well. I know me for me myself personally, when I'm looking that film, I'm visualizing myself being in that position and making that play or playing that that unique playing that

coverage as well. And also when I'm training, I have my trainer here probably called the defense out for me, and I'm imagining my head. Okay, I'm in and I'll run through it and make a play like that as well. So it's it's a lot of things that I'm doing right now that's helped me to prepare for that. Well, I'm glad you brought up the Senior Bowl from your standpoint, kind though, because you went against some good receivers down there. But you know, I know you'll be anxious come training

camp and everybody wants to earn their spot. But hey, if time calls were you gotta go up against uh, say Allen Robinson, Let's say you're first in line and he's first up. You know, so bit, I mean, how anxious will you be to jump in right away? Because I think a lot of rookies they get intimidated by that. But there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, players respect that. I would think the veterans will respect if you jump right into the fire come training camp time. Your thoughts,

Oh yeah, yeah? For me? I mean I love to compete. I mean, I'm not going to back down from anyone, just from while I'm farm how I was raising everything like that. So there's me going out there going to get a guy light all Ron's been in the league most of the years. I mean, I'm want to embrace the challenge because he's gonna make me better and everything

like that. So at that time, I'm really really looking forward to they fight it for it well from that aspect as well, And it doesn't sound like that's in your personality, because I know everybody wants to be a part of something and get to know everybody, but everybody's apprehensive and shy. But getting to know the people you still need to know. I know they've called and talked to you personally and or had a zoom meeting, but

getting to know people that you'll be working with. You know, you'll be working with all those people, whether it's the training staff, the equipment staff, your fellow teammates, everybody. You gotta get to know overall and who you'll be working with in order to achieve the common goal, which is to win all season long, right right exactly? Y'all these zoom meaning that we've been having it's been. It's a good experience for me since we haven't been asked, been

it being in the building everything like that. So just um talking to all the guys on the calls, um, Eddie Jackson, Cow he reached out to me and everything like that, and you, mister, but miss mentioned Buster as well. And me and Buster we're from the same hometown and we had the same trainer day my training and Buster grew up together. So actually want to meet up with Buster soon this all season. Oh, You're gonna like him

because he's all about ball. He's all about staying fit and uh, you know, just even talking to Jayleen Johnson, you're your fellow rookie. Uh, I mean I asked him a question. I said, Hey, anything on the side you like doing outside of football. He goes, Nope, I'm all ball. And I think can appreciate that. You know, there's a roster full of guy is that they are all about ball? Are you that guy? Oh? Yeah, for sure. I mean that's all I do. Man. And I'm just chilling at

the house. I mean, I'm just they sitting up the out pad and everything. I'm just coming on the film, just going going through the film from last year and just setting the guys that played in my position now I'm going to be probably playing in just saying how they played and staying there said lease and everything like that. So I mean it's a foot a football, chuckey. That's what got me to im right now out of College Park, Georgia. Hometown of cam Newton and if I'm not mistaken, ludicrous,

am I right? Ah? Yes, sir, all right. Also the hometown of Kendall Vidoor. Thank you, young man, appreciate it. We're looking forward to seeing you up at Hollis Hall. Yes, thank you, Kendallville Door. Our guests will continue on Bears All Access coming up at the bottom of the hour. Sam Acho with Jam Miller in time there. I'm Jeff Joniyak. We're brought to you by IGS Energy on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. This segment of Bears All Access is brought to you by CDW. People to get

it learn more at CDW dot com. Jeff Jonny Act time there and Jim Miller as we bring you Bears All Access. Coming up at six thirty or so. Sam Icho, former Bear lionbacker, We'll be joining us. And yesterday we heard some Bears players Roquan Smith, who I just feel is about ready and actually is impactfully ready to have a big season. Yesterday, he spoke with reporters and basically told him the same thing, hoping to deliver on a big year. This is about me. I got a huge

chip on my shoulder, just really excited. I don't want much hype going into the year because I know my mindset and what I plan to do this upcoming season. If it's all in God willing I stay healthy, I definitely feel like it's gonna be my best, my best year to day, and I feel like I'm gonna do some things, you know, and you know a lot of people counting me out. So I'm just gonna get back.

I'm gonna get back to like who I really am and do pretty much everything the way I want to do it and make myself the best possible player I can. And yeah, yeah, because he mentioned people counted him, I don't know who those people were. But this former first round pick who missed the last four games with the torn peck now says he's one hundred percent. Four of his final games had tenor plus tackles. He was starting to hit his groove, had some personal things to take

care of. But Tom and Jim, if he's a star, I keep saying this with a lot of guys, but he's entering year at three. If he's the star that we think he can develop into with everything else in that front seven, everything else on that defense, that's huge, huge, I tell you you know. To me, Roquan Smith is a type of guy I put Luke keikley expectations on. And I know that's high praise because Luke Keikley possibly

could be a future Hall of Famer. But when you talk about skills, you talk about intelligence, the ability to play football on first, second, and third down, a guy that can come out of the locker room and be a leader, his play, his role on the team. I'm gonna elevate Roquan Smith to a pedestal that very few guys can achieve. And the only reason I'm putting him on that pedestal is I've seen his abilities at work and I know what he can do, and I know what he can do second year in his system with

the guys that he'll have in front of him. Yeah, I'm with Tom, but I think one thing from last year, he really didn't get started and he wasn't able to finish, And obviously we understand the latter part when you have an injury and you're unable to finish. So I think for him all he's capable of all the things that Tom just said, but it's got to be throughout the entire duration of the season. Need to be a fast starter and needs to finish even faster. He's still in

the growing phase of his career. He's not a finished product right now by any means, and so miss some time last year, we'll see how he makes a ford. He should have a chip on his shoulder and he's capable of anything. His ceiling is so far away from from where he's at right now because he's such a talton young man, so he should be chumping at the bit to not only start, but finishing a flirt yeah up the middle of that defense, bringing him speed to

the equation you know he can tackle. He gets there in a hurry, closes the gap quickly when he gets his eye on the ball and looking for big things from Roquan Smith. Coming up next, Sam Macho, the former Bear, joins us here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio. Six seventy The score back with you on Bears all Access tied offering free laundry services to the families of Chicago then frontline responders until the end of June. Visit Hope dot tide cleaners dot com to find a location

nearest to Jeff and Tom and Jim Miller. Hope you guys are all doing well. Tomorrow twelve thirty Facebook Live, Tom and I will be talking Bears football. Mitchell Trubisky talking tomorrow time all. I hope he has a lot to say. He's never shied away from the podium, but in his season since he was drafted by the Chicago Bears, I think this is probably as the most interesting he's probably had, going to a podium at this stage of

a season. All right, joining us now, the vice president of the NFL Players Association Executive Committee and the former Chicago Bear. Sam Acho, the veteran linebacker, joined the program with Jim and Tom, Jeff, Jonahak. Here's Sam. Good to talk to you once again. Everywhere we turn, we see Sam Acho, we see Emmanuel Acho. You guys have been out there on the front lines of getting the education out and bringing people together, and that's kind of what

you've been on about your whole career, hasn't it. Yeah, well, Jeff, it's going to be back on and it's kind of cool. It's one of those moments where it feels like we were kind of made for this, in particular, just me being able to get back in Chicago, back in the

community and be able to help people find healing. I think everyone now is looking for where they can go and where they can serve and what they can do, and we've been doing it for the last couple of years here in Chicago, and so it's been cool to be able to lead people in that way. Couple things, So we got a lot of questions for you. But your video with Chairman of the Board George hallis McCaskey.

We know we've talked about it on this show. Your relationship with George and his relationship with you is wonderfully unique and really creative and productive. And that video, which if anyone who hasn't seen it yet, you can check it out. Go on Twitter, going to Bears platforms. You can see it. It's a it's a word association game and it's no game, it's reality. But what was the

genesis of that how did you guys come up with that? Well, anybody who knows George knows his heart and his hardest to serve and to help people, especially in situations like these, and so I just called them up. We have a great relationship. I think he saw some of what my brother was doing and he commended him for that. And I said, Hey, would you want to do something? Would you want us together to do something just to try and bring people together. We have a really unique friendship

in relationship, and he said yes. He said yes, And I thought about it over the weekend and got back together and have the idea of making this video that just talks about the differences that many people feel, but also that speaks to how we are more similar than we are different. Hey, Sam, Tom there here. It's really good to talk to you and listen. I thank you, and I appreciate both you and your brother for everything that everything that you've talked about in the difficulty of

some of the subjects. You know, Sam, you've always put yourself out in front, whether it's union leadership, in the locker room, the social justice committee, and you know you've taken some tough challenges, but so not there's no eye in the sentence, where do we go from here? And what do you want to happen next? Yeah, Well, I think where we go from here is we continue to grow when we continue to heal. There are a lot of people who are hurting right now, specifically in the

African American community. There are many people who are hurting and wondering will things ever change? Now? There are another group of people in predominantly the white community, who were saying, wow, I had no idea that I was a part of this problem. I had no idea that me not speaking out against racism or against bias is actually causing me to be a part of the problem. And so there's a large group of people that say, how can I help? But I think the three things you do are simple.

Number One, you educate yourself, whether that's through a couple of books, books you can read, or research you can do. Educate yourself on American history throughout African American lands. And you do step one in order to get to step two, which is empathize. You empathize with people of color, African American people, black people who have been going through years and years and years, decades and decades and decades centuries of prejudice and who have felt the weight of that.

And then lastly, you would advocate, and that's step three. You speak up for those who oftentimes can't speak up for themselves. There's so many African Americans who have been trying to say, hey, look this is happening. We're getting killed by the police or by people. There's no justice, and so now is the time. We all saw what happened to George Floyd in Minnesota, African American man who was essentially choked to death by a police officer while

three other officers stood idly by. Now is the time to say, let's do something, to speak up, to advocate. That speaking up can be as simple as you talking amongst your family members, but it also could be as big as you going into the community and donating your money, donating your time, donating your resources to organizations that are

actually in the community making major change. You know, Sam, you put together a really impressive group of Chicagoland sports figures, and you brought them downtown and you had these discussion circles and discussion groups. I saw a still shot of you talking with it looked like a police officer might have been leading the conversation. He has his arm outstretch. Do they have a message that they want heard? And

how accepting of that are you? Well, the biggest thing that we got a chance to do was to heal people are are are are hurt, They feel the pain they are They've been injured physically and now it's this emotional pain that the way is really weighing on people. And so for us and for the kids who were there as well. They're about thirty kids there and about ten pro athletes and some officers were there as well.

It was really a great chance for the officers to listen to the kids and the kids to air out some of their grievances, asking questions about about is there a better way that you can police? And here from officers saying, hey, not all of us are like what you saw on TV, and then us all trying to come to a solution of well, how do we how do we highlight some of the positive interactions with police

officers but also weed out the bad guys? If it is an issue of bad guys, and if it's not an issue of the bad guys, how do we find out where the issue starts, which it seems like it starts at the top, and a lot of different police systems and even structural systems in general goes through the NFL as well. These biases this uh, this, this this systemic oppression. How do we fight it and kill it and move on together? Sam, Jim Miller here, good to talk to him, and all great points that you bring up,

and appreciate what you're doing. And I did read the article about how you had all the sports figures in Chicago, and I was struck by the of the sentence by a young lady who was in the group and at this field trip, and she said, we need Essentially, she was saying, we need a more consistent message, meaning hey, you're you're here for this event and then you're gone. It needs to be more consistent throughout the year, where it's not when some tragic event happens and then everybody

comes together. It needs to be more consistent. How is that goal achieved from that standpoint in your eyes? Sam, Yeah, Jim, I love that question. Well, Uh, we were back today. I'm actually driving back from that same community, that same neighborhood where about eight of us got back together with those same kids, and once again we sat and we listened and we learned, and so for us, it's not a one time show up and leave opportunities. Is a commitment.

We are committed. And I think it's not just us we're committed. I think a large number of society, people in Chicago, Land are committed. I've gotten so many emails from people saying, how can I help? What can I do? We are committed, and so we're gonna keep on going back and we're gonna make a long lasting change. Yeah, I think so. And I think you're right. Everybody is listening. I think everybody's eyes are wide open to this movement

and what's going to happen and what can change. And I think you've seen that response not only nationally, but I think globally as well. Are you encouraged with the response that has happened as of late, even with the emails that you're saying, because I do think change is coming from that standpoint, I'm overwhelmingly encouraged by the response of not only the nation, but really, like you said,

the world. We're seeing people in Paris protest saying black lives do indeed matter, seeing people in South America protesting, people in Africa pro to everywhere around the globe people are protesting, and so I'm unbelievably encouraged. And then you come back home, come back to these shores and come back to our cities, and I'm getting calls and emails and text messages from people saying, I'm with you, what can I do to help? And so I am overwhelmingly

and unbelievably encouraged. Sam Macho our guests, the former Bears linebacker with us with Tom Fair Jim Miller. This is Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score and All Access is brought to you by IGS Energy. The one thing that I've repeatedly heard from all the years, Sam, that I've and you and I have talked about this, I believe going to the scouting combine and just listening to a majority of the participants are football players and their

situations in their communities where they came from. In a lot of cases, not every case, was a difficult ride, difficult to get to where they were, and they've overcome a lot. But when you mentioned that and the hopelessness and the healing and the listening, how do you tell kids, because it does start with the kids. If you can change their minds or get them to think that, yes, change is possible, because I fear that you hear all the time from kids that they feel, well, it's really

not going to change, so this is my destiny. Well, we did hear a little bit of that last week when we were in the community of listening. They said, what's ever going to change? Nothing's going to change. And I think for me that was hearing those words were devastating because you get met with this reality that people come and they talk and they leave. Politicians come and they talk and they leave. Oftentimes volunteers come and they and they leave. And so I think what's different about

now is that we are not leaving. We are coming, and we are investing in that community specific We're not spreading out. We're focused on one community specifically on the West Side of Chicago. We're focused. And that's why the cool part about about getting athletes from all different sports is that we all have different seasons. So some of us last three times on US won't so US will

have playoffs and preseason and some of us won't. So we are not leaving, and so I think the cool things for me is being able to hear from the kids and allow them to dream and say, Hey, what do you want your community to look like and how can we partner with you in getting that done. You know, Sam, when you think about sports and you have the hope that the role of sports can help the world heal, either from the pandemic or the social injustice that we're

going through. Do you think coaches at a young level have to change the way they talk tough to players? Do you think they need to like soften sports talk and sports coaching. I know it's kind of off the subject, but that's the that's that's our realm of opportunity throughout our life, you and me together, Yeah, Tom, you make a great point as far as as far as sports

having a great impact on society. Two years ago, George, George and I McCaskey and I went on a police ride along in Englewood in District seven, one of the roughest quote unquote districts in Chicago. And while we were in that car with the police officer, I asked him. I said, Hey, I'm a dreamer, I'm superrofertimistic. I said, hey, does us winning games? Does that help your job? Does that make I think then We're gonna win games, win a super Bowl, and now all of a sudden, the

city's gonna change. Does that happen? And his response was astounding. He said, you know what, Sam, when you all win, when the Bears are playing well, or the Cubs are win in, or the black officer win in. When y'all are playing well, my interactions with the people in this community are a lot more positive. So instead of all interactions being you know, good guy, bad guy. Were talking about the game we're talking about Did you see that

home run that Dexter Fowler here? Did you see what? What? Uh? What? Rizzo? Did you see? Mister? It's this It brings us together. And so I think there is a lot of hope that athletes can bring and a lot of power that athletes have. But oftentimes you don't even realize that, uh,

that we that we hold. But those it's interesting you bring that up, Sam, because those were probably the most uniting things in this country, whether it's Jackie Robinson being the first to do what he did and all these things that sports have really broken a lot of those

racial barriers for decades. For when you think about it, you know, um, it's it's amazing how healing sports can be, because I know a locker room is a locker room can heal pretty quickly, you know, as well as I do a locker room Kevin m Hey, Sam, uh, one last thing and we'll let you go. Do you want to keep playing? Yeah, definitely about it, doubt good. Nice. So you you still have plans to return to the

National Football League at some point? Yes, now, you know, and ideally, if I'm being honest with the change you're trying to see in the community, I'd love to finish about career back with some of the best years happen back here in in Chicago. Love to have you. You're a good man in that locker room, good man of the organization, and a lot of great things being done by the Bears organization right now. And it seemingly has always been that way. They've always gotten it from a

social point of view. Sam, good luck with everything. Appreciate all your time, my friend. Thanks so much, Jeff, Tom Jam I appreciate you all. YouTube. Sam sam Acho, veteran linebacker and a former Chicago Bear. This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. Hey Bears fans, it's important stay connected now more than ever, and at Motorola we love that possible. With the new razor, you can enjoy staying connected a little bit more. It's bone,

it's an accessory, it's an icon reinvented. Hello Moto, Hello Bears fans. Jeff Joni Act, Tom there and Jim Miller with you as we take a look at what has been an eventful offseason, but seemingly as you listen to Matt Naggie this week, as you listen to players, a lot was accomplished and that's good for the players mentally in light of everything that has gone on that no one could have predicted in terms of the degree of

which it did. As we have a final few moments here on our show, I want to run some tape from some of the interviews the media did today and I'm gonna go right, Jim Miller and Tom. There's Wheelhouse, Jamada Fetti, the fifth year offensive lineman moving inside try to win that guard job. Is very very high on Wanka Steve. You know, reputation proceeds on you know, he has a history of just making guys better, you know, And how however that he's able to get that done.

He's been able to do it. And uh, you know, you really can't say that for every coach, you know, as much as you'd like to say, especially for line coaches. The proof he's into pudding, you know, with this guy, you know, Buffalo, the Ravens. You know, I've seen the tape over and over again. These guys are getting better when he's coming in in that situation. So and the way he teaches, the way he teaches it, he makes it clear for you, he makes it, he makes it

just a clear picture for you. And fortunate, fortunate that he's here. But I think I think he's gonna I think he's gonna take everybody on the lines game to a new level because it's something different I've ever been taught. It's a different way than I've ever been taught, and I think it's different A lot of guys been taughting. You know. If we buy in, I think he can really help us be a lot better and be that old line that this team needs. Fellas he mentioned something

he's being taught. Thinks he's never been taught before as an offensive lineman. What could that be? Oh, there's a lot of subtleties that coaches are so different about whether it's what type of stance they want him to be in an according to the type of play, how they want their balance associated, according to how their opponent is

playing against them. There are so many little intricacies of the offensive line game that you could you know, one time, Mark Trustman said he could sit there and design a play in an entire day, and that's the way it is with the offensive line. There are so many little details that go along with the offensive line play. And then if a body in front of you shifts one eyeball to the next, it could change the entire working atmosphere of the five guys. So there's a lot of

attention to detail. But one thing you gotta like about Wan Castillo. He's very intricate about how your feet and your hands work together, and it's easy to dissect the process. Jim Eddie plays him tackle, but I think in his mind he sees himself more as a big power guard. Yeah. Well, he knows his role, and that's it's a good thing because you know the steps and all the things that

that time we're talking about. He'll be able to be on the same page with Juan Castile moving forward and that's as a guard not focusing at the tackle position. So could be the trek of the running back, you know, whether it's say it's an outside zone run where the aiming point of the running back is, whether it's a hook play, how guys are working with their steps up to the second level, which is what Affetti's job would do. So I do think what Tom's saying has a lot

of credence. Every coach teaches differently and sometimes a different approach. How you teach it, it resounds with one player more than maybe another, you know, and just how it's taught, and with some players it resonates and it sticks. And maybe that's what's happening for Jermaine Affetti, which is a good thing. And now a little Eddie Jackson, the pro bowler who just loves football, is dying. He needs to

be out in the building. It needs to be on the field, you know, just stand a shape, you know. He he want to see who's gonna be conditioned when you get back to camping and who's not. And that's gonna tell it. Law. You know a lot of guys say we've been Yeah, I'm working, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, but it's always gonna show when it's time to report back to camp, you know, and you know the messagg just you know, just doing what you need to do, stand on top of things, and just getting focused.

You know, this this five weeks right now, it's gonna be a five six weeks however longer this it's gonna be very important for everyone, you know, to be on top of it because, like I said, you're not you're not in the building. You're not going through a routine that you would be. So now you have to create your own routine yourself, you know, rather just wake up in the morning, try to do something, workout or eating

habits or studying film, whatever the case may be. But you know, you just got to use this to your advantage right now. And you've got a lot of time, you know, to take care of your body, to work on all the weaknesses, even the strengths. You know that you gotta get even better. So you just gotta use this to your advantage. And you know, just you know, stand out a newspaper. You know, that's always that's always

one of the messages. You know, when you're going for a while away from the building, you know, everyone just stays safe, stay out of trouble. You know, you got a lot of stuff to represent it. You know, you just don't want nothing like that. So that's that. And Jim, he said earlier, he would do anything, anything to be in a team meeting in Halisah right now. And you know those can sometimes get mundane, but that's how much

a guy like Eddie misses it. I do. If I'm a player right now, I'd be chopping at the bit, you know. I think players they want to go to work, they want to get better, they want to hold their craft. They want to be a better football player tomorrow than they are are today. And they're kind of you know, not that you can't work on and get better at things, of course they can, but they need to hold their craft in a team environment because at the end of the day, it is a team sport. And I think

there everybody understands, especially veteran players like Eddie. You're you're you're only as strong as the weakest link, and you've got to get there and work with your teammates, your coaches, people within the organization in order to come together and work, you know, get that chemistry you need so much as a team to have success throughout an NFL season and tom a chemistry now with a new safety next to

him again this year. Yeah. But you know one thing he said, in this process of getting ready for the season, you have to develop a routine because the one thing they know if they do get a training camp schedule and they look at the itinerary, when does Matt Naggie

like to be active early in the morning. So if you think you're gonna go home for this next six, seven, eight weeks and you're gonna go, oh, you know, I feel like running at seven pm, or I'm not gonna get in the weight room until sometime in the afternoon, that's not the routine that's gonna be the most beneficial to you. You have to go out there and you listen to every one of these veterans through their press conference, they talk about the physical and mental preparation and that's

what it's a part. And one thing about Eddie Jackson, they asked him the time frame needed to work with the communication between a safety or a new corner, and he says it's different between every player. It could take a couple of days, it could take a week, and it could take a month, but I think with Gibson and the experience he has, he may be able to come here and teach Eddie Jackson nuances about this defense in NFL defenses. Interesting comments from Tarik Cohen today. I'm

not sure. I think it was age probably or maybe it's like, uh, I feel like I didn't. I haven't been doing these things, like you know there stretching and I really slacked on that because I feel like a big part of that was me being now I have to be that leader in my running at room. I'm

like the guy so to speak. I had been in before then, so I always had older guys with me that would like keep me on that, like keep me in line with let's go to the training room or I would see them in the training room and that would that would make me want to do it. But I feel like this year I didn't have that, and that goes to another part, you know, not on the field, but that's another part. I'm looking to step up this year's leadership in my position group and then springing it

on to the whole team. Well, he's preferred to bet he kind of you have the leader in there, and he didn't attention to detail body wore down, says he's done a lot more yoga and stretching to get ready for the season. We're out of time, but fellas, you need to have a big year out of Tarik's final year of his contract. Production down a little bit last season, but he thinks they're gonna go back to eighteen in the way they utilized him out of the backfield and such.

So Tom and Jim, let's go Tarike right, more weapons, more point. I think Dave. I think David Montgomery's gonna have something that. Oh yeah, he's gonna want to interject a little conversation there. Yeah, Montgomery's gonna step up. But I think, hey, it's you kind of learned, you grow as a player in it. Sounds like Terrico and definitely has done that. He's listening to his body and you do something about it. So another you know, just taking action in doing something about it. I commend him and

hopefully we'll be the leader they're looking for. All right, fellas, thank you so much for top there. Jim Muller, our producer, Sean Anderson, and our guest Kendall, Bill Dour and Sam I Cho. I'm eff Jonniac. This is Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score Can Night 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,

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