Welcome in Tom Bears Weekly powered by IGS Energy by Chicago Bears Network production. Bears Weekly is brought you by Advocate Healthcare, Athletico Physical, Apparently, C D. Gallady, Connie's Piazzer, IGS Energy, and Meller Liked. Here are your hosts, Jeff Chiliac, aka the Mayor of Bearsville and his sidekick, Tom the Surfmaster Thayer.
Well A week from tonight in Canton, Ohio playing the Houston Texans the Bears in the Hall of Fame game heard right here at ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network. Seven o'clock the kickoff and Tom Thayer is ready to go. The Super Bowl winning Bears guard here as we begin the march of the regular season with pads coming on tomorrow morning on day six of training camp. And thanks to our producers Dan Brilly and Jordan Treadup and in the ESPN studios Kendra Smith, the executive producer
of the Bears Radio Network is Eric Ostrotski. Coming up, We'll visit with for Bears running back DeAndre Swift in our second segment and we'll get the latest from practice today. Time is grinning ear to ear because pads come back.
Well, I was gonna say, Jeff, slow your role because you're already talking about the Hall of Fame game, which is gonna take place next Thursday. But in the schedule of events and their role of importance, tomorrow is probably the most important day since the draft took place, since OTA started mandatory mini camp, the beginning of training camp. But now finally we get to see what this is
all about. We get to see real padded football where collisions conclude the play and not just a whistle or somebody running by with no pads on.
Are they teases nowadays?
Don't they a lot of practices before the pads come on? And it's league wide, it's not, it's not anything different, but wow, they do tease you a little bit. Now, you know, some false some false security, I would think in certain situations by without the pads, because that's when you learn, how do guys carry their pads? Are they as quick? Do they run as fast? Are they as physical with the pads on? And all these things are going to make a difference now, and that's where your
evaluation comes in. The first thing you do, you go right to the one on ones between the offense and a defensive line.
Yeah, just starting from the point of the players. For me, it took me three days of practice to become comfortable in my paths, no kidding, because there's so many difference of feelings. The way your helmet feels with your shoulder pads, on the way you can bend and get in your stance.
Not as easy as when you're out of pads.
And then all just breaking in your helmet that got reconditioned or it's a new helmet from the offseason. You need to get a little sweat into your shoulder pads so they form fit around your body.
So those types of things.
It takes a couple of days, and I hope it's hot and sweaty out because it helps those pads kind of form to whatever your body shape is. And then yeah, then you talk about the reality of real football.
I love I want to see one on ones.
There's guys that I have a peak interest in, and I think Jabon Dexter Senior is probably the most talked about guy in training camp thus far this season outside of Caleb, because he has such a high expectations. But now we're gonna see the performance portion of it and how all the details and everything he did inside the weight room throughout the offseason pertains the actual football.
And then nine one seven or Undro's that's also a big one. Can't really determine how the running game is without that.
It's probably the most physical portion of team practice. It is nine on seven because it's the amount of offense and defensive players. It used to be nine offensive players against seven defensive players. And then when Buddy Ryan introduced the forty six defense and he hadded the straw and the safeties, and then it became more of a nine on nine drill. So it has changed a little bit. But once you get the teamwork, there's more of a
tempo to teamwork. But one on ones nine on seven's it's more of a super aggressive period that you can get the finer details of interplay between offense and defensive lineman, tight end and linebacker.
Right.
So that being said, in phase a stack of practices, coach Eberfluchle likes to refer to the miss stacks.
What was accomplished, In your opinion.
They understand the speed of the game with the understanding of all the mental part of it that they've been teaching these guys now for a couple months. You got to put that into practice, and so I expect the speed of the practice to continue as it was with no pads on, and I do have high expectations for that because it's not where they're going back to relearn the mental part of it.
They've just been able to reinf force it over the last week.
But now it's it's in the UH in the real football, and there's a lot of time instances that change in full pads. So I'm excited to see it tomorrow and I hope the crowd that surrounds the field is enthusiastic, and I hope they contribute to the volume of noise that the players can hear.
Today. Kader Gordon not available.
He's working through some uh some stiffness in his body. They don't have to tell you where or what what what the issue is. And Braxon Jones is still rotating at left tackle as he's ramping himself up. Other than that, no, nothing serious in the injury department, thank goodness. Knock on wood. Uh Kayla Williams getting high marks for overall accuracy and how he's moving in the pocket so far. A lot of work in the red zone today, UH and so
there were wins. There were wins by the offense, there are wins by the defense, and a lot of pressure from Montese Sweat today.
That's for sure good.
But again, you know, but you know my argument with no pads between offensive defensive linemen. I think no pads gives defensive line a false sense of security and it makes offensive linemen a little bit more insecure. So when you add the physical element of pads, do it. I still expect Montes Sweat to shine unlike a lot of others.
But I think when you add what Darnell Wright can do in full pads and you allow him to be the big body, talented athlete football player that he has has, it'll be more confrontational.
Got to also give a thumbs up to the secondary overall from the time this started, they're they're playing at a very high level. If they are completing passes, it's in small windows. They are on it at every at every stage, at every level of the field, and every stage of practice.
Yep. And again I like it too.
I like it because I think the receivers that they're going up against the first tier and all the backups that they're going up against, our quality group of receivers. But I think it benefits the receivers in the quarterback position and everybody else to practice against quality players. We'll see some practices with Cincinnati and the Hall of Fame game with Houston, and so on and so forth with
the other preseason games. But when you have that good competition against your own team for multiple practice, it really benefits you to make yourselves better.
And coach is always talking about playing at game speed at practice, So practicing at game speed and so the windows can be a little more realistic than unrealistic when you're a rookie quarterback throwing the football or a receiver that's being covered by a dB, a safetyer corner. So I think there is you know, that's a requirement. That's
what he's demanding, and they are playing like that. There was a great play today by Kevin Byerd, who is looking quite quick and triggering quickly on the back end of the defense. He almost had an interception, but it went out of bounds. I don't think he got his feet in, but that that excites me too, because he's a ballhawk and he knows defense.
He's a vent. He's communicating well, helping settle the back end.
Well, that's why I think these nopad practices are going to be beneficial to the padded practices, because when we went to training camp, we drove the platfell, we put our equipment on, and we went to work and then the pace of practice seemed so slow for a couple days, and then it started to pick up the pace. I think they're going to be the pace is going to be picked up immediately starting tomorrow because they've had the benefits of OTA mandatory mini camp in a week of unpadded practices.
Time for our first break on the other side, will be joined by running back DeAndre Swift. This is Bears Weekly on ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network.
This Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff on the Bears Radio Network.
This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by igs Entergy, Jeff Joniak and Tom Payer with you a fifty year running back, a pro bowler in Philadelphia last year, and a guest of ours earlier today on the birthdate of the late Walter Payton. With Swift now wearing a Bears uniform, here's a logical question to begin the interview.
Does that resonate with you in any way, first and foremost.
Yes, yes, yes, somebody I used to watch coming up, great great, great, great talent, great talent in the field, so as well as you probably know, just a great person probably to block four to be a part of but somehow, but I've really really watched growing up.
Tell them the story about when you first got to the Bears. Because Tom played in the United States Football League USFL in the original version, and so he played a whole season, went to the playoffs, got in his car, came to Bears training camp when they had two a days and with Mike Ditka, and then played the whole way all the way through the Super Bowl. So he played how many games in one calendar year?
Forty four?
Forty four games in one calendar year. Yeah, he's Deandre's sitting here a little stunt. But talk about that first time because he grew up in Juliet, South suburbs of Chicago and grew up a Bears fan. So when you first walked in the huddle time with Walter Payton.
It was amazing.
You know, I had a hard time being overly excited about seeing him because I hero worshiped him and I grew up in this area. And so there I was standing in the huddle with Walter Payton and then they call a play that your block is instrumental in his success or failure.
So it kind of puts that excitement, you know.
That's one of the things like when you went to Philly, but you also went to prep high school in Philly.
I kind of liked the pressure and everything of it.
Did you like that part of it as having where you grew up around you?
One hundred percent. I looked at it.
I had no other option but to perform at a high level being somewhere I'm familiar where I grew up when I played ball at and had a great mentality every day I woke up and went to work.
Back in nineteen eighty one, I played at Notre Dame. We played Georgia for the national championship game. We got beat and that was herschel Walker's freshman year. So when you consider all the talent you played around in college, was the reason you went to Georgia to stay inside that the competition that's unlike any other in the college atmosphere.
One hundred percent that played a part in it.
Wanted to get out of Philly and kind of do something a little different, had the opportunity to do so, but the competition down there. I not wanted to play SEC ball, wanted to play in the best conference there was just Yeah, joining the running back group with Sony Michelle, Nick Chubb, guys like those, I don't. I'm never the won a shot from competition. I kind of run to it.
So that was definitely played the part in it too.
Well.
Six point six yards per carrying college is pretty impressive, especially when you're playing in the biggest conference in college. Also, the second thing is when you're taking considerations some of the running backs that have played on the pro teams
that you've played for. When you look at Walter Payton and Gale Sayers, and you look at Barry Sanders, you look at Wilbur Montgomery and Ricky Waters and those kind of guys, it's an oppressive room group history of running backs that you've been around, not only in college but also at the NFL level.
Yeah, my first year I was in the room with Adrian Peterson. I didn't think I'd never been a somebody like one of the running backs that I grew up a big fan of. So just having them vet guys around early, you know, I feel like it helps you in your career, especially seeing how it's supposed to be done as far as the nutrition aspect of the reheab So I was I was fortunate enough to be a
part of that. Uh, kind of watch and take some of those things that I learned, you know, implement them in my own routine.
Adrian Peterson, Uh, no matter where your allegiances lie as a fan, right, we called so many of his games when the Vikings came to town and we went to Minnesota. Just a unique, vicious runner, ran tall, but boy he was something else, something else, and you have so you know, you think about a guy like that, that's a guy like he was just born to.
Be big and strong.
Right, I don't even know what he did to enhance that, but everybody has to. But do you appreciate that when some guys are just born and built to play the game at a level that is almost unattainable.
I appreciate even more of seeing how they worked, just seeing the hard work day in and day out. Know they have natural boring ability and talent, but the work that goes into it is something you appreciate you much more.
Andre Swift, our guest here on Bears Weekly on the Spno. One thousands of the Bears Radio Network. All right, let's get into into the room. First of all, you're you're running back coach Chad Morton. He's insane, Like I mean, I love the way he coaches the sprint. You gotta tell me where all this started with the sprint thing? Did you know this was gonna be his thing from the first time you saw him in the offseason and as it elevated to a level that is absolutely unique every single day.
Break it down for me.
When I first met you, I didn't think he was as energetic and the personality has It's like when he's on the field, it's a whole different way. But like you said, you seem sprinting, trying to beat us to every trail.
And stuff like that.
This whole thing is about finished. But he has fun with it too. He makes it funk of you on play for.
Yeah in that room now with you and Khalil Herbert, Roshawn Johnson, Travis Homer, who has a history with Shane Waldron, and the undrafted rookie out of Howard University, Ian Wheeler number thirty three. When you come to training camp tomorrow for first padded practice, you're gonna notice this guy.
He puts in a lot of effort for every touch he gets. He's not getting as many obviously.
And then Carrie blashing game, give us a little snapshot on each and how that room is operating right now.
Oh man, these guys, the way we work, the mentality we have like Lil Herbert, it's no drop off for whoever's in there. Ian just the way he approaches every single opportunity KB is his attention to detail on the RYK game, his blocking responsibilities, home or well he finishes, ro shun, well he finishes if the speed he breaks with is not in the day with the guys who got.
In the room, And that's when what's your snapshot? You know, you got to give yourself something. What do you what's yours?
Being able to do it with them makes you do it the best of my beliefs. Man, Just trying to focus on being consistent, coming here, coming tomorrow, being better than I was the day.
That's what don't focused on, you.
Know, DeAndre, this is your third system in three years. But all you guys together in that running back room with the Chicago Bears, it's the first year in this system. How long does it take you to feel comfortable with the terminology of these modern day offenses so to where it becomes second nature?
And then does it go hand in hand.
With the way you read and understand your offensive line in terms of knowing the terminology and know how it fits to your offensive line.
It's something that takes time.
It takes time, but uh, coach, you do a great job with installing the detailed install So how I look at it is how I've approach it. I try to make sure I'm one hundred percent for that day, So I look at the please with install and making sure I'm fine for that day, and at the end of the week, I go the whole week, but making sure whatever is put in the night before, get that down, focus on the day, one day at the time, and then collectively kind of study that way.
That's kind of how happened.
You know what's amazing for me is I've been around the Chicago Bears for almost forty years and we are a run oriented offense. When I was here, and it's kind of a run oriented offense. But now I see the development of the importance of the passing game through
the running back with this offense. It amazing thing about you running backs is the variety of passes that you have to catch, whether it's a swing pass, whether it's a play action, whether it's an immediate bubble screen or a slow screen, or if you're running a route off the line of scrimmage. Your pass catching ability is it are you are you naturally gifted at it or is it something that you've had to learn throughout your NFL career.
I will say both.
I'm naturally I've been naturally gifted at it, be able to have hands, but some not work at like time and and time out every single day.
Something I don't take light because I full as dough.
Like I said, the more you can do at the running back position, the more valuable you are. So when you ask to line up out wide and run anything they asked you to do, when you do it at a high level and have success at it, is only only helps.
You hands one thing 'ro out running a whole another right, gotta be crispy, Yeah, I mean, and that's a skill too, as a skill too, So Tommy today at corner out in red zone from Cata Williams. This man working on Jakwan Brisker makes the grabt for the touchdown and everybody went Bears win, Bears win.
So you get in the end zone.
I think twenty of your rushing touchdowns have come inside the ten here in the last couple of years.
You have a nose for the end zone.
Is that something you're one of the most things you're proud of about you in your career?
One hundred percent.
The more you're able to do, is it helps you being able to run the ball any yard line, anywhere in the field, red zone, backed up, it only helps you and then be able to make people miss.
It's something I take very very well. Don't take lightly.
And being able to catch the ball to bag for run routes, catch the ball, protect the ball. That's something you want to be able to do as a back in this league.
Do you feel that this is the most highly explosive weapons that you've played with in your NFL career in terms of if you put everybody on the field at once, is this is this the best group of guys that you played with, or is it in comparison to the other teams.
It's up there for sure. It's up there for sure.
Look, you got Dj Moore, Keenan Island Roan, Cole Gerald, Efverett, you got Caleb back there saying, so it's it's it's a great group we got.
It's up there for sure.
And how's that going with Caleb.
He's got some rare skills obviously, he's got humility, and he wants to work and he's crazy passionate about winning. Uh uh, that's that's all you need. And now you got to work and grow, right, So how's that. How's that adaptation coming?
It's been good.
That's what you want to see, especially early on in the young guys, correct the quarterback position. Just the urge to get better, to earth, to learn and command the offense something you have to do.
And it's tough.
It's tough when you get thrown in there early on, new group of guys, being able to in.
A huddle with ten other men. You got to command that huddle.
And he's doing a great job at it, getting better every single day, taking the day by day.
Tom Last question from you, Tommy, last question from you?
Ready for padded practices?
Well, if you have a different feeling walking into the building tomorrow morning when you know that there's gonna be uh full equipment rather than the practices that you've been going through since you got here.
One hundred per I feel like you don't turn your music up a little bit louder in the car on the way over here, and you do yourself with disservice, and you gotta be a little different when you wake up.
All right, last question.
You got the hard knocks cameras around, I understand from coach everflues players even admitting it, you don't really notice it. It's just a part of the they're doing their thing, They're getting what they need to do.
And have you have you noticed anything?
Have you noticed guys you know, looking for the camera and and have you been miked up yet?
Y'all was miked up Monday.
I was miked up Monday, I believe. Yeah, But you don't really notice it. They do the job of kind of staying out the way. The only thing Tommy noticed is we look up, you see the microphone over your head.
But other than that, they've been good. They're not the way.
Yeah, it'll it'll be a fun to take a look at it when it's all set and everything.
On the fool and what they put into these episodes.
And the most fun you've had so far in training camp? What would it be?
Would it be in when the auditorium at team meeting, rookies getting up there, what do you got?
What's what's the most fun so far? What's made you laugh?
What's made me laugh? Yeah? Uh? In the auditorium, the rookie singing, Kayla.
I don't know why he thought there was gonna be the lyrics, like you've sing the song, and the rookie song, the lyrics is going to be shown. He was just gonna be able to follow the lyrics like he thought it was gonna be that way, like he didn't have to know the song that was.
Funny, no lyrics, and he was going to karaoke.
Yeah, exactly, brother, you remember the song.
Thank you so much for your time, Deandre's if you're delightful and we can't wait to see in pads tomorrow. But when the regular season kicks off against the Tennessee Titans, thank you.
For your time, thank you for having me.
That's DeAndre Swift. We'll continue on Bears weekly after this breakout. He has been one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff Jony on the Bears Radio Network.
And this ligment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by Athleticophysical Therapy. Visit Athletico dot com to request it in clinic or virtual appointment and start feeling better tomorrow. Jeff and Tom with you here on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network. We'll get the Tom's thoughts
in a minute. First of all, as I mentioned, as we mentioned in the interview with DeAndre, number thirty four of the flag flying at Hallis Hall today with Walter Payton's birthday, the late Walter Payton, and they put out a quote, the most complete player in the history of the game. Happy birthday, sweetness, And we cannot argue with that whatsoever, not at all.
You know.
I just I recently ran into a neighbor of mine here down in Joliet, and she sent me a bunch of pictures of Walter Peyton when he visited my family, sitting in the backyard, and you see Walter.
And Pads, and you see his greatness.
On the football field, and we all know what he was like around the Bears facility. But when I look at these pictures of Walter Peyton the greatness, it's amazing how he ingratiated himself with so many different people. And when you see the people in these pictures and they all have smiles on their faces, They're just amazing. And if I was on social media, I would share them with everybody, but I'm not, so maybe I'll.
Give him to you and you can there, you go, we can make that happen, Tom, we can make that happen. Meanwhile, I know Treach Stevenson is both of one of our favorite players on this team.
We love Ethic and uh uh.
He was at the podium today up here at Halla saw talking to the media for the first time. Uh He's asked if he feels different in practice covering the quality of receivers that the Bears are putting on the field at every snap.
Yeah, definitely, these receivers bringing out different problems. So just just covering them, covering different covering room, covering Keenan, covering DJ covering Tyler, just give you a different aspect of the game of what they bring to the table.
So pretty much in the receiver.
I see this year already done, seeing the best of the best in practice and keen keenham. Just just the fact that he can stop me route, change his whole route, or just the fact that he gives you something different than what you what you're expecting, like he might break inside, but he's just doing that just to see on the next play how he can get you on the route that has coming to him. DJ just gonna be DJ, DJ gonna run arout and not gonna stop it pretty much.
So it's like a mind game almost.
Yeah, because just just just watching him practice and watching just watching he plays, like even if he ain't getting the ball, he runs a whole different route or he does something different not even let you know that route is there. So if you come back to it or they run that same play, you go to where he where you thought he was last time, and it's a whole different.
Route going against Rome.
What is what has struck you about his building?
What do you think he brings to the sload of the group.
He's sneaky fast, like like like like off the line, you might not you know, you might not realize he's closing the cushion is fast, but once he owned, he owned you. So just the fact that he's able to run the whip routes, he's able to break down and run the digs or if you let him here, run right by you. So just the fact that he's you know, he can pretty much do every rode on the route.
Tricking the other day about the not only collect the confidence of the secondary starters, with the trust that you guys.
Have that everybody's gonna handle their business.
How do you describe kind of what that is right now? Like Cohet, let you guys know, as a group of five, all.
The guys want to win, and all the guys know we the best secondary in the in the in the nation. So just the fact that we come in and film and we check each other, or like after practice, like I ain't like that, could you help me here? Just knowing that certain coverages we might need help, Like you know, cover fours, I got to help the safety, I gotta take some weight off the safety, or cover two I have to take care.
Of number one. So just knowing that we're.
Going we going to these meeting rooms that we really like, you know, get on each other, not not harsh, but just.
Let let each other.
Know that you know just what I need you to do, so I can play confidence and it's just a vice versus thing.
Charles a couple of practices. They've seen him talking to you. What's that been like working with him?
Were you a big fan of his when he played? And like, what type of advice does he give me?
Oh?
He just giving me be a doll. You know, every time you step out on the field, just play your game. You know, if your game is press coverage, press coverage, if your game is off man, off man, whatever your game is, use it to the best of your ability. Because at the end of the day, you got it's a team sport. You not only got on the field. So if you can use your ability and turn that into a superpower and all the other guys turn that into a superpower, then you know we want to stop up with defense.
I wonder do you want to return punts?
Yes?
Yes, that's been going all right.
I had some hiccups today, but definitely, you know I'm not up on the list. You know we got other fast guys, but definitely just want to be back there. My number is ever called is no house win?
You learn you learned some hard lessons. Last year's part of the process of getting the europ corning up at the end. I know they say you have to have a short memory, but in reality, how difficult was that to kind of get through that? And do you think that those moments actually made you better?
And I definitely agree it definitely made me better.
It was a hard pill to swallow, coming from being one of the dominant corners in college and just coming here and giving up passes, giving up deep giving up stuff that I normally do not give up.
So it was a hard pill to swallow.
And just looking back on it, I just take those examples and teach myself not to do those examples, and teach myself to be in a better position.
Use my hands, use.
My feet, you know, look at the quarterback read three steps. So just taking those and just stacking them and learning them and just keep pushing forward.
So are there things like that happened last year that you just know that either weren't happening at the end of the year or just won't you know, you just be from your knowledge of the game, you know won't happen this year.
Where's the improvement? I guess.
He gave a blast year that you won't this year.
What kind of things hang on? We say all day.
I'm a big critic on myself, but I would say far as like just some time, I would say, you know, just that you'll play tackling, just coming with a certain levers. I know some players, I missed some tackles. I take Cleveland game, you know the Joku on the overall, if I would have tackled him, it would have been you know, we put the defense in a better spot. Just the fact that I missed that tackle put us in the
worst spot. So just tackling, making sure I come with the right leverage, making sure I use the hamscreening drills that we using out there, and just tackle the best way I can.
So that's one aspect of it.
And he has always been brutally honest with himself, and he's Yes, he was the most targeted corner in the NFL last year one hundred and twelve times. Tommy, do you suspect that won't be the case until well, I guess they might test him until he can prove that he can con instantly shut you down, because you look at what he did. He had four of his picks in the final seven games of the season, and he also had seven pass breakups in the final seven games
of the season. So he's very tough, very physical, but you think he'll be less attackable with this.
It's kind of a double edged sword.
If the Bears can provide enough pressure on the quarterback with a media se they're going to try to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible. And if they feel Cherique Stevenson is the best option that they can go at instead of Jalen Johnson are one of the safeties, then he may face that challenge
again early in the season. However, when you're going against these types of receivers that are saying such great catchers of the football, it makes you become a better coverage cornerback because of what these receivers are capable of doing. So I think his potential he has still has a tremendous upside. John Holk is a great coach for him in the early parts of his career, but he's not going to be able to do it single handedly if there's not pressure on the quarterback from the pass rush.
So every great cornerback can really talk about the type of pass rush that's up there helping him with a limited amount of time at the receiver as a chance to get open.
Time for another break. Here on Bears Weekly, when we.
Come back, we'll hear from Gerald Everett, the Bears new tight end coming into a system that he knows offensively, his excitement about what's next as well. This is Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff Jonyik on the Bears Radio Network.
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on Bears Weekly. We'll get to Gerald Evert in a moment first time for Tom's thoughts, Tom, well, you shared some thoughts.
With me earlier today.
You feel we should be talking about kicking, kick return and punt return game. I do.
It's it's gonna be such an It's just an enormous difference of all the techniques that they've been teaching in the NFL for one hundred plus years, and now you have such a faster paced play with the blocking schemes of guys that they don't do that with regularity. When you have defensive guys that are on kickoff return in just the fact that they're only five yards apart, it's just a whole amazing transition of such a big play.
And I just say it for reference.
I was on kickoff return my whole career, and I played back in the wedge, so I would line up on the twenty five yard line. After the ball was kicked, you wanted to make sure you saw it being kicked. So you saw it being kicked, and then you dropped
in a retreat for fifteen yards. You positioned yourself appropriately in front of the deepest ball carrier, and then whoever you were working with or you had a single block, then you started approaching a guy that was maybe twenty five yards away, and then you had to make sure that you stayed in the right position, you kept the right angle on them, and you tried to make sure
that you could create that scene for kickoff return. Then the guys in the front line, they were retreating back after the ball was kicked about twenty five to thirty five yards and then trying to get in a position to make their block. All right, Jeff, throw all the away. Whenever you've been calling the Devin Hester returns and all the great returners in the history of the NFL, that is all forgotten about. Now you have two guys lining
up five yards away from each other. The ball is kicked off, and then by the time the kicker or the returner catches the ball, there's not a great deal of separation between the first line of tacklers and the position the ball is in. So if one of the blockers gets beat immediately, it's immediately going to change the position and the route of the return. So after we finally get a chance, they get into training camp and you get to see these eleven on eleven kickoff simulated
kickoff returns. I've never been more excited about a play that's been introduced into.
The NFL after one hundred years.
Then kickoff and kickoff Rey and I think it's just gonna be amazing, and it's gonna be such a factor in some big, big games.
I just hope that teams just don't take the easy way out and just kick it out of the back of the end zone and the ball will be at the thirty. They'll give up the five yards and put their defense on the field.
I mean they could in the beginning.
I would have if I was a kickoff coverage I would have more faith in a couple of my guys being able to defeat an attempted block immediately and make a tackle from inside the thirty. Rather than just saying, all right, let's kick it into the end zone, let them catch it and take it out. I would rather challenge that group of ten men that are right there, so close to each other in that fighting position, to see how that's gonna work out.
All right, So I would imagine length and strength at the line of scrimmage. You're looking for, big, big, guys with length and speed everywhere else.
I'm talking about.
Okay, let me let me let me rephrase that on the coverage unit, speed and size and length A.
Speed, size, length, escapability. And that's the thing about defenders. Linebackers, they're gonna be more used to it because they're usually approached and blocking by offensive linemen coming up that four yards or running backs, and they know how to get in a position where when we call ola, where they can just arm over or have immediate escapability and then be in an open field ready to tackle or reposition
the returner. So you know, but then there's gonna be offensive players that are gonna have to develop those types of skills, just like defensive players that are gonna have to develop blocking skills.
All right, here's one thing that worries me because of the safety of the game and the league's constant talking about that. That's why the kickoff rules have changed to begin with. The first time a prompt a kicker gets hurt on a breakaway back, a breakaway returner, he tries to be the last line of defense, and you know, breaks a leg, tears an acl you know what's it's just it's gonna bring a.
Lot of it. I know where you're going. Don't say it, but.
You know what I mean.
I mean, these are that's in play.
Just watching some of these XFL returns, Uh, there was a lot of last line defense and it's the kicker.
So but you know, there's there's gonna be some special teams coaches that aren't going to have kickers kicking off. True, they're going to have a talented athlete kicking off to be a part of.
The tackling crew.
Well, you know, remember when Martin Gramatica jumped up to celebrate a field goal and he blew his knee out.
And Tapa Bay.
Yes, listen, there's always a chance that if you leave your feet that you could get hurt. So you know, don't worry about the you know, worry about every position player, not just the kickers.
Okay.
Gerald Everett, new tight end with the Bears, asked today what he brings to the offense as we listen.
In Well, for one playoff experience, I still consider myself young, even though I'm thirty years old going in the year eight. But we have Marceides in the room, but you know, find myself in the middle of the group.
So we can all learn from each other.
I mean, I don't think that I'm too good to learn or I can't learn from anybody or can't teach anybody.
I think we all had that good characteristic.
We're allster students of the game, so I think it'll really translate well for us.
What was most appeeling for you coming to Fairs.
The potential, I would say the potential for sure, and also what they were trying to do and turn it existing around one of the ways in which.
You think you can be a playmaker in the offense.
The same way as that I've been before, just being interchangeable with the receivers and the tight ends and even the running back. I mean, I don't think there as many titands that's kept doing chet sweeps or catching screens.
So hopefully to.
Implement that as well as I did any other year that I've been in the league, So I think it'll be progressive this year.
You mentioned that you're thirty, but yeah, in your own room and in the league like more than a decade, right. What's it been like working with Mercedes?
Well, it's kind of too soon to say, but I met him my rookie year when he's playing in Jacksonville.
After I scored my first touchdown and I just chopped it.
Up with him.
I kind of got some wisdom from him then.
But to be playing with him now, we're going to have a fun year and just off the field stuff up to this point is what we've talked about. But obviously the guys played almost twenty years, so I'll definitely be picking his brain.
You guys are playing in the NFL at forty.
I can imagine it. I don't know if I'll do it, but I can imagine it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now you defensive practices and can you start to see what if you and Cole and Keenan and DJ are all really good types of things to do the defenses.
It's scary. It's scary. I'm sure you guys have seen it.
But even today we get the defensive to look at something they probably weren't ready for it. But like I said, being interchangeable, even with DJ and Keenan and the guys in the receiving room, and we're going to want to play all the spots, so whether it be right direction or that direction, we're all going to be flying over the field.
What are your early impressions of Caleb and how he's handling everything.
He's a complete pro, I mean from college to now, just being able to see him from Afar. Obviously we both played in LA last year, but him at the amateur level of me at the professional. I kind of caught a few of his games, not knowing that he'd be my quarterback this season. But I can't say enough about him. He's a He's a great guy and even better football player.
So we'll see.
Surround him with patrons, whether it's you, whether it's Keenan Swift. That's that's a pretty unique situation for rookies for sure.
I don't think it's ever happened in the NFL a guy coming into a situation like that, being up rowing overall. But I think he's gonna take it, and he's gonna roll with the punches and it'll be a great year for.
Us do a sensible kind of leader. Caleb is gonna be on the field, in the room.
Yet I have a sense of it.
I can't put my finger on it just yet, but he's very vocal and as he's still coming into his own as an NFL quarterback in his rookie year, but he's not shying away from it. You can tell he's doing his confidence day by day.
Tell is it hard to tell what a quarterback hands? I guess what they call the in factor? Do you see that? And I mean, of course what I mean with a guy like Caleb, it's a big part of his game.
Of course.
Can you see indications of that?
Is evident?
For sure?
For sure, he definitely has that in factor as a door at quarterback. He's not afraid to run, and he's definitely got the armstrend. So he's shown that from Otia so now even while he was trying to grasp the playbooks. So to see his confidence build day in and day out, it's a sight to see.
When he does take off and look down field. What are you learning about him in terms of how you need to get open? You know, beyond just kind of your basic scrambled grills.
I learned that from him last year just catching a few of his games at s see, just keeping the play alive and keeping his eyes down field. He's got great poise and his pocket presence is phenomenal, and I don't see why it wouldn't translate to this, to this level.
That's something that's difficult for a lot of quarterbacks to do, is to just still think past even when they're running away.
There.
For sure, some guys happen naturally, some guys have to be coaching. But Caleb seems like he naturally has it. So I think him being coached by Shane and carry out, I don't think. I don't see why he couldn't keep going further and further.
Gerald Evert would know he was coached by Shane Waldron as well played with him with the Rams from seventeen to twenty in Seattle in twenty one, So with Gerald Everett coming aboard Tom, it's really the first time for cole Kmet to have a guy with that kind of past catching ability lining up next to him. Okay that it just adds a dynamic to the passing game. And the three years the number two Bears tight end as a combined twenty nine catches, So I mean we're talking
about a big difference. His best season was twenty two fifty eight, five point fifty five and four touchdowns for Gerald Everett, but what he's done in his career would already rank in the top twenty of all time receiving in Bears history.
Well, so I have a couple concerns.
Gerald Everett is the smallest tight end that the Bears have on the roster six three, two forty. I'm glad Shane Waldron has some experiences with him because I want to see the type of packages they envisioned for Gerald Everett. Is it gonna be two of the two tight ends and a short yardage and goal line set or is that Mercedes Lewis or Steven Carlson or Bates you know, the bigger era mix and sweet? Uh? Is it Tommy McSweeney,
Tommy Sweeney, Tommy Sweeney. So all these guys that they have size, are they going to be more competitive blockers than Gerald Everett? So I just I'm glad that Shane is here because I'm interested to see what type of packages are design and designated for his type of skill sets.
And I think we'll start seeing more of that as pads come on.
All right, our final segment coming up next here on Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio.
Nocus Bears Weekly with a Voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff n on the Bears Radio Network.
This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by CDW IF a little to get it Jeff and Tom at our final moments the Bears on their Twitter page at Chicago Bears just posted a video about an hour ago. Tommy is a play that I forgot to talk about today. It was Caleb Williams rolling to his left, throwing against his body and a pinpoint pass to Keenan Allen in
the end zone and he got himself square enough. But it's that armslought in, that unique ability that he has to get the ball where it needs to be with a spiral on time and easy to catch for a touchdown.
As a heck of a heck of a play.
You know it is.
It's also trusting your balance, because the worst thing a quarterback can do is try to throw a difficult style of pass and be an off balance and then you have a less velocity on it and then you make it, you know, almost bait out there for defensive players. If you trust your balance and your athleticism and your core, you can throw passes like that.
Well, his feet were not on the ground when he threw it out. Yeah, I mean it was something else. All right, Let's look at some other topics of conversation before we depart and get you up here to I know you need a good night's sleep, he as DeAndre Swift told us.
You gotta crank that.
Radio up a little higher, Oh man, on the way here tomorrow morning, I'm gonna have ESPN one thousand playing at the loudest level I can possibly hear, and show up angry time, show up with a little attitude, get us, get us going for the start of the real part of football, all right. Jonathan Owens talked today getting ready for his trip to Paris here at the end of the month with some owned Biles, who's won thirty four medals in major competitions, twenty seven World Championships, seven Olympic
medals and going for her fifth gold. So that's that's a fun story for the organization too.
Now, Oh, it's awesome.
I'm super happy for him, and I'm glad the Bears have given him the respect to the opportunity to go there and watch his wife perform. And you see the commercials of what her athletic ability is.
There's nobody in the world that can do it.
And Jonathan brought that up at the podium and It's just amazement and I couldn't imagine being there in supporting white family member, whatever the case would be, in that talent of a stage.
Minnesota cornerback Mackay Lackman towards Aco in the first practice of training camp awful.
I feel bad for him, but you know it happens every year in football because of the unpredictable body movement that you have to put out there.
And you hope that you did a.
Lot in that's six weeks off to be in shape for whatever you're is going to be.
You're gonna be challenged with.
Have you seen the new hairstyle of one Joe Burrow, who will be here at Bear's training camp before the Bengals game in one practice session?
Love it? You know, anytime that you can, any time that you can cut your hair that short, knowing it's gonna grow back. I envy that. I wish that I could do that.
He became a blonde.
Yeah, you know that.
Well, that's another good fortune of having hair. You can do those kind of things and get away with it. Hey, listen, man, there's no one that inspired hair News better than Nick Mahon back in his days when he would come in with mohawks and spiked hair.
You're right about that. He'll be fun to watch.
Tom.
We'll see you tomorrow up here at Alasau. Thanks for listening, everybody. Thanks to Kendrick Smith and Studio for Dan Brilli and Jordan Treadup and our special guest DeAndre Swift.
I'm Jeff Joniyak. Thanks for listening, everybody.
This has been Bears Weekly on the new radio home of the Chicago Bears ESPN Chicago.
Good Night, everybody. Black and Abdallah are coming up next. Stay tuned.
Thank you for listening to the Chicago Bears Network presentation of Bears Weekly, coasted by the Mayor of Bearsville, Jeff Juniat and Surfmaster Tom Thayer. Podcasts are available on the Chicago Bears Official Bears Weekly has been brought to you by Apple Podcasts, Bet Rivers, Eye, G G Has Energy, and Miller Lite