Welcome in to Bears Weekly powered by IGS Energy, a Chicago Bears Network production. Bears Weekly is brought to you by Advocate Healthcare, Athletico Physical, Effaicly CD, Jawad, Connie's Pizza, IGS Energy, and Meller Liked. Here are your hosts, Jeff Chilneact aka the Mayor of Bearsville and is Sidekicked, Tom the Surfmaster Thayer.
Well, we are one month from the NFL Draft and another hal of player additions to a roster that is the talk of the off season of the NFL.
We tackle all of it.
Tonight here on Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand and the Chicago Bears Radio Network with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Thayer.
I'm Jeff JONINGYC.
Jim Miller unavailable Tonight coming up on the program, we begin a series of shows introducing you to the new members of the twenty twenty five Chicago Bears coaching staff, and we begin with offensive line coach Dan roschar Our Producers Tonight, Dan Berrilly and Jordan dread Up of the Chicago Bears and the ESPN Studios. Charlie bevins Our, Executive producer of the Bears, radio network is Eric Ostrowski, tom good Day. We got a quick turnaround from last week's show.
Not a lot of news made since that last show other then getting a really good kick return punt return guy in Devin Duverne. Tommy, he's a two time Pro bowlder and an outstanding addition to the roster. Not only that, but he also can play that receiver position as well, So more competition with a Lamide Zacchias, Tyler Scott, maybe even Maurice Alexander who comes over from Detroit as a free agent in the offseason as well.
Listen, punt returner is one of the most important positions throughout the NFL season, whether you're gonna play a majority of your games indoor or you're gonna play in some outdoor hostile conditions.
And I think it's a key ingredient in.
The success of the special teams and Coach High Tower is always a guy that's doing is R and D about these guys that can come in and help you immediately, get you a lot of reps in the open practice atmosphere of Ellis Hall and kind of see.
Where the chips fall.
But I think still it's one of the most important positions to become decisive on. You don't want to question Mark for seventeen weeks in the NFL season, who's going to be your punt returner? Or do you have confidence in certain conditions? You got to be confident in every single time you send that punt return team out on the field.
Would you also consider Josh Blackwell in that position?
Listen, I don't think there's anything Josh Blackwell can't do or wouldn't do. He showed up so many times on the game film in terms of special teams or regular defense and has done a great job. So I think that you know, Jeff, when we go out to training camp and you see how long some of the lines are, you see the guy at the end of the line just waiting for his opportunity to get to the front
of the line. And I think that's kind of unique about the special teams because sometimes your only opportunity to open the coach's eyes immediately is what you can do on special teams and what they believe your every game contribution can be. And I stood at the back of that line at one time, and I just waited for my opportunity to get to the front of the line and when you get to the front of the line, make the most.
Out of it.
At last training camp, we saw room with Dunesday and DJ Moore collecting punts, So those are emergency options obviously, but you know you can't discount roam in a key pinch. You know everything's down the table. With a new coaching staff as well, Ben Johnson is creative. Will that creativity extend to defense and special teams with his input over the course of the season. That's a great question to ask.
Listen.
I think if you're a new head coach and you're as creative as what you've shown on the offensive side of the football, you're going to explore the creativeness of all of your coordinators and you're not going to close a suggestion box. It's going to be open to against every team you play in all year round.
And we might see some fun things.
In training camp this year, like developmental plays, plays that they may have in their back pocket until that very specific instant and time when they need it. So we're going to have to pay attention as much as the coaches. But I think creativity is going to be in an all time high from all coaches.
Look at you you know, a guy who's never been in a boardroom.
You're using words like rn D, putting things in your back pocket for future use. You're using a lot of business terminology today. What's going on with you?
No, I'm just taking where we're at this point in the season, where we're at with the coaching staff, the exploratory surgery that all these guys are doing to try to what players are going to fit best, who can we give them opportunities to and then what cream is going to rise to the top. It's all those things you have to take in consideration. When you're a month
out of the draft. You got to go in there with Ryan Poles and his staff, the assistant coaches and every one of the guys that are position coaches here, and now you've got to get very specific about what do you feel you need to target in the draft? In college free agency, you.
Ever in your career jump in line and get reps that maybe it was somebody else's rep in training camp?
Did you jump in front of the line ever?
Listen, the only reason in my career I was ever on kickoff return is because Steve Kazar, the special teams coordinator, had Jimbo cover in that position.
Believe it or not.
And I went up to Steve and I go, Steve, I'm not playing I can do that. Take Jimbo out and give him the rest and let me do it. And if I think, if you volunteer and then you do good at it, then you know you're going to have a jersey in your locker every game. And I played a really important role of me getting on the field. But you know I did it honestly to save Jimbo some wear and tearror and Abortsy and Bortsy and I were both in the same up back positions on kickoff return.
I still can't believe from our conversation with Mike tom Zek and those who don't remember, he jumped in there and took on in the super Boy when I kick returned coverage, didn't he and.
Got a penalty.
And you know the thing about it is he wanted to go in the game. He volunteered, and he got in on kickoff coverage, got a face mask penalty. Dick brought him over to the sideline, yelled at him, but then kept him in the game as the quarterback at the.
End, just so you could get that on paper right that he made the Super Bowl.
Oh my gosh. Some great stories as always, so with the.
Draft coming up here in a month, pro days are now top of mind with the coaching staff and gentlemenager Ryan Poles and his crew. So Ben Johnson signing at Dennis Allen signing at the Michigan Pro Day last week. It was on Friday, So certainly there's players of note there that that could be Day one picks, like Mason Graham,
Kenneth Grant, the two defensive linemen. You've got Will Johnson, the cornerback and tight end, Coaston Lovelin, a bunch of running backs there, I mean, really good players on at Michigan. That won't be the last Pro Day that Ben Johnson will be sited at, but it certainly started a chain reaction of conversation on the internet. I mean, the web was exploding with the vision of Ben Johnson at Michigan.
Right.
But you mentioned those four guys. There's four guys that you really want to see and you could draft. You know, you're not going to draft them all, but you could draft any one of them. So I think it's really important to have an eyes on approach in a really comfortable, setting an atmosphere for these guys to go through their
pro days and you know some of them. Yeah, I would like to see more of them at the Combine because I think it's a more competitive scenario and they're not in their comfort zone.
But when they get dressed.
In the locker room and then they have the teammates that they're throwing to and they understand the conditions of the stadium they're throwing in, all those things you have to take into account, but I think it's important in the reflection they leave on all NFL personnel who showed up to watch them.
Yeah, and then you know, you might be able to sneak at dinner with one of these guys maybe after the pro day or.
Something like that.
I know there's a lot of teams that represented all the teams that are listed there at all these big schools obviously for the top players, but you never know what you might run into.
You're doing information gathering at all times.
Also, these videos that pop up, and there was one fans blew their minds when Montes sweat, Grady Jarrett, R. Von Dexter, Senior, Austin Booker all were working together with a pass rush specialist Tommy by the name of Brandon Jordan. He started something called Trench Performance back in twenty eighteen, so he's working with elite defensive lineman at high school level, college level, NFL levels. But it was just like a
twenty second clip. But it just makes fans feel better when Bears are working together in the off season away from Haddish Hall. It's an interesting concept because any little bit right now, fans are thirsting for it.
You said a mouthful.
You know they're really I don't necessarily care who they're working with. I care that they're working together because now you start this camaraderie, You start these relationships that are going to be forged even further when you're tired and you're fatigue walking off the practice field. But you know
that's that you put it in the off season. They're paying dividends during the regular season, when you're getting sacks or getting tackles for loss, you're running stunts on the line of scrimmage that you kind of have a better conception how to set the guy free that you're working with.
And I was watching some tape this weekend of Grady Jarrett. Listen, man, this dude Not only does he have a motor, he's got leverage, he's got speed, he wins rushes against running pass He's able to chase down quarterbacks after he beats the offensive lineman at the line of scrimmage, and his enthusiasts. His enthusiasm is contagious and so listen. I'm glad these guys are all working together.
All right. That's Tom theare I'm Jeff Joni. Yeah.
Coming up, We're gonna have one of Tom's best segments.
Of the entire year.
We introduce you to one of the new coaches on the Bears coaching staff, offensive line coach Dan Rocharer. He's coming up next here on ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network.
Is Bears Weekly, with the voice of the Bears for twenty four years on the Bears Radio Network.
This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by Igs Energy.
Welcome back to Bears Weekly, everybody.
Jeff, Jonny Goat, along with Tom Thayer and our special guest is We're getting I Get to Know You series with the new coaches for the Chicago Bears, Dan Roeschier, the offensive line coach, Born and Brett and Clinton Iowa, but by way of Northern Illinois University, and the man played quarterback and now he's coached offensive lineman his whole life. Welcome to Chicago, Welcome back to the Midwest. Tell us how you got here from quarterback to O line.
Oh, thank you, Jeff, I really appreciate it.
You know.
I played quarterback for a guy by the name of Bill Mallory at Northerndo University had a lot of success, and I grew up with the high school coach, my father, and always kind of thought I'd be interested in getting
into the game of football. And when coach Mallory left for Indiana, Lee Corso came on and Lee Corso was putting together a young staff at that time, didn't have all the pieces in place, and he asked me if I would be interested in being part of it, and I certainly was, And in that time I started to work with the tight ends, which were very involved with the offensive line. And we had two really outstanding line coaches at that time that I learned a lot from
and that began. That began my introduction to what these guys do up front. And then as you grow in the industry, you end up finding I think what your passion is, and I've always enjoyed working with the guys up front. I feel like we're kind of the heart and soul of any organization, and hopefully that'll be reflective in the style of play.
Dan, do you think the technique has changed since the beginning of your coaching career on the offensive line to the way they're coached.
Now, Tom, I think that's a great question. I watch a lot of football at all levels. I'm still of the mindset that you know, blocking is leverage. We define the leverage with our hands being underneath the defender, our pads being under their pads, and then it's acceleration and leg drive. I listen to guys talk about things that I just have no interest in exploring because I don't
think it's blocking. I think it's tilting, it's pushing. It's these things that just in my opinion, don't bring strongline play, whether that's run or protection. There's certainly things out there being taught that I think are really cool to listen to. But Tom, like you, over my years, you end up
developing philosophy mainly because of trial and error. You believe in something, you teach it after time you're like, that's really good, or man, we're struggling with this, and if you really believe in it, you adapt to what you believe in. I think back to I left Butler University in nineteen ninety one to go to the University of Rhode Island. I was the offensive line coach. I was the offensive coordinator. Who were a penn and pole wide team. We're a power counter team, and we ran a week lead.
Those are really the concepts we ran. I had never been exposed as his own football. In nineteen ninety one, Bob Wiley, who was a Jim McNally disciple, I was going to the University Rhode Island. He was from there, and he came and spent three days with me and taught me inside and outside zone exactly the way McNally and exactly the way he was coaching it. And I coached it exactly the way it had been taught to me, and we were getting our fannies kicked. We were going backwards,
not forwards. Well, I believe in the concept. I love wide zone, but I wanted to find better ways to teach, instruct and get what I thought we should get, and that was going forward and attacking the target or laterally to attack the target, and you know, you just kind of adapt and adjust. So that's a long answer to your question, Tom, But I believe in just basic fundamentals.
You're just coming from college. Do you coach college the same as you do pros or is there a significant difference in what pro guys know as to what college guys know?
So, Tom, when I left Michigan State in twenty twelve to go to New Orleans, you know, you spend at that point twenty eight years in college football and you feel like you've been exposed to a lot. When I got to New Orleans, I had a great transition. I started with the running backs, and Sean had hired Sean Payton had hired a couple of former offensive line coaches to coach that spot, and I saw the game differently
from that perspective. And then you know, through time moving to the tight ends and then into the offensive line room and having those guys for six years, I learned an awful lot before I got a chance to go into the room from the player, watching how the player did it, how we communicated, and you know, you watch a guy that maybe's not a super talented athlete play at a high level, and you go up to him and you're like, Hey, what do you do? Why do you do that? Well, you certainly pick up a lot
of things. The more gifted athlete, there's probably less conversation because he can do things that are unique to the player. I went into the college game for the last two seasons. I went back after leaving New Orleans and spent two years at Tulane. And Tom, to answer your question, I coached him exactly the way I coached the New Orleans saying, and there's an adaptation for all of us as coaches.
We find ways to help a player become better. If a guy can't take a step or can't get in a stance that you think's functional because of limitations, you find different ways to help him get the job done to the best of his ability. But no, I didn't. I coached him exactly the same way.
Dan rochar our guest here on Bears Weekly at a NFPN Chicago, Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer please to be joined by this veteran offensive line coach and during his five seasons as offensive line coach, the Saints had one of the highest ranking offensive units in the NFL. Points were popping, Drew Brees was offering a Hall of Fame career, and now I got Ben Johnson that brought you in, who put up numbers that were I popping over there with the Detroit Lions.
What what has that been like?
As you guys are creating a Bears offense, it's not necessarily going to replicate exactly what they did up there. You're going to adapt to the players you have and the new ideas that have brought in here. But your backgrounds and everything has it I'll mention it well.
Jeff, It's been fantastic. When I came to interview, I didn't know Ben. I had spoken with him on the phone. We had mutual relationships, but he and I had never been together. And I've interviewed with a number of play callers and they're all unique in their style. But Ben was the first guy that I've been around that spoke offensive line language. He knew technique, he wanted to understand technique, and I've found it from the day I've gotten with
him too today very consistent. He has a strong vision. When I watch his team's play, you certainly see the physical aggressive style of play. But there's a lot of variance, and I think for Tom he'd appreciate it. You know, in New Orleans we were really a unique style of team because Drew was a dropback, shotgun quarterback and we were limited in the run game with him, so our runs came from underneath center more downhill, if you will,
And that was a challenge in itself. Now when you put it all together, our ability to move the launch point, to have guys be aggressive in their set patterns or their run action patterns and their or poll or that's all related to the run game. And if I were an offensive lineman and I was looking around for what's gonna what's gonna help my game the most, it's gonna play. It's gonna be playing for a guy like Ben.
Very good to hear.
And I bet you the three and two year guys that are now here too by trade one, by free agency to shore up the inside feel the same way.
When they when they when they're able to get with you.
Guys, they're gonna be excited and the leadership they bring, how important is that going to be?
I think it's it's huge. It's everything for us having been part of helping organizations turn around, it's start with culture. And in those three guys, you've got great fits there. They're phenomenal human beings. You can just tell that they walk and talk the way you want people to. They treat people with respect. They're all humble in their own ways. Joe Thuni just jumped off with his humility. I was just taken back by it for all the things he's
done for such a high level. And I do believe that they know what Ben's done and they want to be a part of that. I think it's Look, this is an iconic organization and if we could if we could get ourselves close to what was replicated in the eighties with that guy, With that guy, we're going to be going in the right direction. And there were there were a number of them.
Well, you talk about the separation between tune a and a rookie, and then you talk about you teaching and learning because the offensive line with the terminology and understanding what the terminology means so specifically and then being able to.
Go out there and teach the techniques.
Is it difficult to do both or the more you learn incrementally, do you always have the teaching in the back of your mind how it fits to what you're learning.
One hundred percent. I think one of the things that we at New Orleans made a significant commitment to wide zone. Tom and I brought Alex Gibbs around quite a bit. I felt like he was the father of it, and I thought if I could learn from somebody, it would be him. So I have a lot of lessons good, bad, indifferent through his eyes in teaching us that series. Well, that would be the staple with Ben's offense. Wide zone, So we'll have the terminology and there will be an adjustment.
But like I said to Joe Toney, I said, Joe, you've played in New England for Dante, and you played in Kansas City for Andy, and I said, you've never majored in that scheme. So like right away, he's excited about something new coming to his career, and I think that we'll be able to put it all together and hopefully very quickly.
Well, it's great having guys who played the offensive line and coach the offensive line getting together, in this case, not face to face, but on zoom with Tommy here, because we could talk to you all day time. Is of the essence, though as we are getting set for twenty twenty five. Great to meet you, Dan, heard a lot about you, all great things and can't wait to see your coaching style and your teaching style and can't wait to see a great offense bloom here in Chicago.
Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks Jeff, appreciate it. Thanks Tom.
That's Dan Rochar, our guest.
Bears Weekly continues after this on ESPN one thousand and the Bears Radio Network.
Well, welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network. Here's your host, the voice of the Bears, Chef Joian.
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ESPN Chicago. Just heard the interview with Dan Roschauer in our last segment, tom Time to reflect on that a little bit, because as important as the interior three have been signed, the importance of Darnell Wright having a big third year with the Bears, the recovery of Braxton Jones, whatever else might be added in the draft or yet in free agency, the rotation of players that you get there to be the eight or nine that are going
to be active on game day. He's as important as a higher as any member of the coaching staff, and after meeting him face to face talking to him, I feel his excitement. He's back in the Midwest after his time at NIU, both as a player and a coach. And as you heard, he was a quarterback at NIU and became an offensive line coach of note in the National Football League. After your conversation as part of that, how did you feel about Dan roschar In, a Chicago Bear offensive line coach.
Well, first of all, he has roots as a quarterback, so he understands the little intricacies of an offense and how they all have to work together in order for them to work efficiently.
So I did admire that.
Then time on task forty one years of coaching, the dude's been everywhere. But what I enjoy most about meeting Dan for the first time is the people that have reached out to me. Guys that I have a lot of respect for that both coached in the NFL and college football, and they want to brag about his character, what a good person he is, how diligent he is about the specific techniques and fundamentals of the offensive line game.
And I'm excited to see that. But one thing when I think about Dan.
Coming to the Chicago Bears is there's three guys Jeff Board that he doesn't have to hold their hands, and that's the three free agents he brought in here. Now, what he can do is he can focus his attention on the corrections of a guy like Darnell Wright, what's going to happen to left tackle or every guy in a backup role, or what he talked about during the course of the interview cross training. You have to make sure that you get players that can play multiple positions,
and then you can pay attention to those details. And then when you look at Jackson, Toney and Dollman, you got these guys that can come in here and really help either improve the guys that are in line behind them or the guys that are playing next to So I think this offensive line is their arrow is pointed up already, but it's also the assistance that the offensive line coach with a tremendous amount of experience will be able to get from his really experienced veterans they've already
brought aboard.
Now He's had a long coaching career, a lot in college, also in the pros. But at New Orleans when they drafted Ryan Ramchick, Will Clap, Eric.
McCoy, Caesar Ruiz.
They are all still active in the NFL and one's a Pro Bowl another an All Pro in Ramchick. So there was an big impact right then and there into the college game. And I know you asked him about that last couple of years. Being at Tulane gives them insight into guys that he trained in the college game, what he saw in the college game throughout those last two years, which should also benefit any instance of help
in terms of scouting for Ryan Poles and his staff. Hey, you know, everybody's looking for touch points for guys, making sure that they have every box checked, every I dotted in, every tea cross. I loved talking to him about all of his experience, not just with the Saints.
You know, nowadays, when you go to college, you have to understand things socially and physically, because this is these college kids are on a completely different level than a thirty plus year old Tony So I think you can learn a lot about the young developing up. You know, these kids that are coming up the ladder that are waiting for their NFL opportunities, and then you think about
the fundamentals and the techniques of the professional game. They're a little bit different because a lot of these college teams don't huddle up. So now you have to say, Okay, how can I transfer the importance of the huddle in such a subtle way to make sure that these college kids know that what we do in the.
NFL comes out of a huddle.
It's not from pictures that they're showing on the sideline and you're trying to speed up the process at the line of scrimmage.
You are in some instances, but for.
The most part, you're talking about flow that starts in the huddle and transfers to the line of scrimmage. All of his experiences through coaching the NFL is always going to help him at his next stage.
I got a question for you about the meeting room.
Obviously, fans, there's a there's a team meeting after games, maybe maybe more than once throughout the week for a few minutes anyway, but the most of the time is spent in your position group meetings. So you know, coaches run those meetings, but in some cases they allow the players to also run those meetings, and you know, kind of take accountability that way. Is that the case in an offensive line room or is it just one voice?
Oh no?
All right, So I'm gonna give you an example. And it was always kind of interesting to see how how it all worked out. So as long as guys before I got there, Van Horn and Hilgy and Becker and then Jim Bow and Boorts and stuff. The first thing Dick Stanfel did, here's a hall of fame player, a hall of fame coach, and so we have a binder that was our playbook, Jeff.
That was probably in between.
Six and seven hundred pages, but the very beginning of the offensive line segment was about two and a half pages of printed out material that explained Dick's philosophy in terms of offensive line play.
So man demand, Jeff.
We went around the room and every single guy read a paragraph out loud in front of the next guy.
So now you take this into account.
So the guys like Horn and Hillgey and Jimbo and Becket, those guys have already done in a number of times, so they're just reading through it and they know it's coming. So then like I'm there for the first time, and some other offensive linemen are there for the first time. Now you're a little bit nervous in front of your peers because it hasn't been a common occurrence throughout your life. And now you're in your professional life and here I am reading a paragraph out loud to the rest of
my teammates about a three point stance. So after your first year, you get through it and you are a little bit nervous, but then after that you know it's coming. So now you're nervous for the rookies who are in the room because it's.
Always a little uneasy and a little unsettled.
But is there one voice in the room, Yeah, it's Dick Stanfeld, But Dick Stanfeld wants to hear from everybody because he always used to make this comment. Look, I can only coach you for so long. Then eventually you got to start coaching yourself. And I do think that's a really important lesson for a lot of these guys. And like I said, the three veterans that are already in that self coaching specifics of techniques because of.
The experiences that they went through. But now as they learn new terminology.
And new offensive philosophies, you know, they'll go right back to ground zero with that.
You know.
One of the things I appreciated about training camp over the years is the acknowledgment that the five offensive linemen, or the whole group for that matter, but the five that start that are at least penciled in as the starters when you start training camp. They eat together, they move together as one. They're packs, They're packs of players, and when you don't see that, you start to wonder why.
I hope I see that, and I'm assuming I will, And it's gonna be It's going to be those three interior guys that you mentioned and the younger tackles that'll be right there at the front of the line leading this football team.
I don't recall, honestly.
In my now almost thirty years with the organization in some form or fashion, and certainly now heading into twenty fifth year as the play by play team here, that as much discussion about offensive line play has been had already and we haven't even gone to a mini camp yet. The offseason program hasn't even begun yet. It is really significant. This is you know, and football fans who love this game and know this game, they know it. This is this has to be the year that the offensive line
comes together and does something significant. And there's a first step in that right direction. But do you recall in recent vintage and our time together as much discussion on offensive line play.
No, and let me tell you why.
So leading up to the Super Bowl, the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, every commercial, every topic, every conversation, every interview you hear is about Patrick Mahomes And that's just the way it's going to be, because he's got greatness all over them, just like Steph Curry and the NBA and a baseball player.
But when you look at the reason for the.
Outcome of the Super Bowl, it's because of the offense and defensive line.
And I think it's.
Really hard to ignore that because when you go back and you look at the two Super Bowls that Patrick Mahomes lost, the first one was because he was getting chased down by the defense of Tampa Bay and that affects his offensive line. And then when you look at the dominance of the Philadelphia Eagles. It's because of the
offensive line and the defensive line. So I think if you ignore the role in the importance of Super Bowl success and you don't first look at the offensive line and equally as important as the quarterback, I think that you're missing something in terms of what these two segments can do for your Super Bowl chances.
And we carry that into our next segment when we return, we'll discuss this impact on Caleb Williams and as he gets the terminology and the playbook from Ben Johnson to the offensive staff. It's all coming up next here on Bears Weekly on ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network.
Welcome back to Bears the Bears Radio Network.
Here's your host, the voice of the Bears, Jeff Jonian.
This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by CDW People to Get It with Tom Fayer, Jeff Joniyact Jim Miller off this week as we get you set for the start of the offseason program, which is coming up in the first week of April. Here as the Bears get everybody together and start learning what's ahead, especially the offense, and I gotta say the defense too. Obviously,
we've got a new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. But the offense and the magnitude of it, with Ben Johnson's creativity, what they've been doing in the lab, I keep saying that, But it is the lab.
A lot going on.
We talked to several coaches, and the angle of this is just not the players learning this offense again.
It's going to be a Bears offense.
I keep emphasizing that because Ben Johnson keeps emphasizing that, and the coaches keep emphasizing it's not a replica of Detroit. Will there be pieces, will there be elements? Will there be concepts? Certainly some of the coaches have to learn this offense too, to reach a level where they can teach it to the players. Different position groups, guys who have never known Ben Johnson, and as we know, he did not hire people necessarily that he was best friends
with that he knew all from Detroit. There's a handful, but a lot of guys are going to have to teach the offense back to the players. So you're counting on these coaches obviously ingesting this and understanding it. And these guys have been around a long time, pretty much a veteran staff and then the rest of the crew that may be younger Tommy are known as very smart football coaches football minds.
So this is an.
Interesting concept to grab that the coaches also have to learn it.
Well, one thing you can guarantee about every one of these coaches, they know how to learn football. And that's really kind of a process. When you get into the NFL, you and get to a new team, you get to new terminology and new philosophical beliefs in what you're the
points you're trying to get across. But every one of these guys they can kind of look at some new terminology that they're learning and then they can say, okay, this is relatable to the terminology that we used at this Stay okay, and now they're calling this type of route this is what we called in my last day, or blocking philosophy, or you know, different terminology in terms
of the types of blocks. So during my football career, there's probably five or six different ways that we called the same combination block, but every offensive line coach had their own spin on it. But guarantee you from the young guys that are ex players, they know how to learn football because they did it throughout their career, and now they know how to teach it because they've been
experienced coaches ever since. And then when you have a guy like Dan Roshar who's been around for forty one years, darn, there's probably not a football terminology that hasn't heard or doesn't know already. And Dennis Allen, same thing for him. So all these guys they know how to teach it. But now it's about the players taking what they're learning and investing some personal time in knowing what they're going to hear the next meeting session.
All right, which brings us to quarterback and catab Williams. Last season, you had to put together a plan for him. He knew he was going to be drafted number one. There were plenty of conversations about that from team to player and whatnot. But there are NFL rules you can't you can't do certain things. So I guess your expected time of arrival on the terminology and the playbook may have been the first of May for Caleb Williams.
Does he expect it sooner? You know?
To me, I do expect the learning curve of Caleb Williams to be expedited because he's going to have his hands on information a lot.
Quicker than he did last year.
Take everything into consideration that Caleb went through last year from the end of his college season. Then you start meeting agents, and you start meeting the different representations. You talk about all Star games, yes or no. You start thinking about the combine and what you're gonna do, what you're gonna try to accomplish there, and then you talk about your pro day, and then everything after that is still exhaustively until you go to the night of the draft.
And then in the night of the draft, you're all dressed up, you got your family there, You're trying to make sure everybody's in the right place. Then you hear your name called. Then you kind of sit there for a couple more hours. And then we saw the way he embraced Roma Doonza when his name was called. Okay, Boom, let's stop it right there, because now you're completely exhausted. But now is when the seriousness starts. So now you're going to go from Detroit and you're gonna come to Chicago.
Now you're going to be introduced to the facility and brought all around this campus style facility that the Bears have now not only it's not there to impress you. It's showing you what's offered to you to better your career.
And all those things are good.
You get a bunch of swagged Tony medlins there, you get me all this kind of bear's gear you hope you wear the rest of your life. And then boom, reality starts. Here's your playbook, here's your tablet. Let's start learning now. And so when you talk about a young quarterback like that that's guaranteed to be a starter in his first NFL game, that learning rocket is going straight up in the air. There's no learning curve to it. It's,
you know, forge ahead. But I think this year known a little bit about learning, know a little bit about how things are going to be taught. I do expect Caleb to have a faster spring than he did a year ago.
Yeah, and even though there as they said, they're going to tear him down to the studs. Now, it'd be silly to think any other way, no matter how mentally tough a player is, and I do believe Caleb Williams is, but to think what he went through last season, and just the change alone in season change more than one the amount of pressure he had on him and during a ten game losing streak. The mental part of this
had to be exhausting. And I have not spoken to him other than one time when Ben Johnson was hired. I did sit down and talk to Caleb Williams, but I just wonder how much of a refresh do you need and how exhausting that was mentally well physically.
We know he's tough because we saw what he did on the practice on the game field last year. And you know, I even had with sympathetic form towards the end of the season because I don't know how much more physically he could have taken.
But he's a mentally tough kid. And I think we.
Learned a lot about Caleb Williams last year that a lot of us didn't know, even though we watched him throughout his career in college. And Ben Johnson the reason that he I'm sure that he had some excitement and coming to Hallas Hall because of the one player in Caleb Williams. So you imagine if Caleb Williams takes thirty percent less of the abuse that he took last year, and how much fresher mentally and physically he could he could be and what the results of that freshness will
relate to on the game field. So everything has got to be about the learning process for Caleb, and I think he's got good support in the quarterback room with Tyson and the rest of the coaches and the fellas.
So I'm really.
Excited to see how Ben and all the quarterback coaching staff matches up with the physical gifts of Caleb Williams.
You know, next Gen Stats had this stat on catob face the most unblocked pressures one hundred and five and the most unblocked sacks thirteen in the NFL last season. The reasons why it could be many, but that's too much. So I'm hoping your thirty percent is actually fifty percent less hits and less.
But I'm I'm just trying to be a little bit more realistic about it because it is a new system, a new quarterback, a new coaching staff, And maybe it is fifty percent, But if you take away some of those abusive hits and sacks that he faced last year, and you turn those abusive hits and sacks into completions, now you're talking about points scored for the Bears in a little refresher for the Bears defense.
And I think, you know, seeing the offense through Drew Dolman's eyes at center, then through Catob Williams eyes, through Ben Johnson's eyes, and that will be the significance when that all clicks, when they are seeing the offense the same way through the same lens.
And how quickly does that happen?
Tom, should we have quicker expectations from this given how Ben Johnson does teach an offense and what he has planned for an offense and Caleb second year.
One hundred percent.
But you know the thing about it is it's nice and Drew Dallman has two experienced guys to his right and his left. So now if Joe Toney sees something out his periphial vision to the far left and he starts alerting the guys about a possible blitzer, or they do it on the right side with Jackson, and then he alerts everybody that, look, we could possibly have free blitzers. And so just that alert can help the quarterback's decision
making process. It can help the hot reads that the receivers are committed to if they see a blitzer coming to their side. So all those types of things not only on Dolman's plate, but also on the two experienced yards that are already in place.
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I'm Jeff Joniac. Tom. A buffet of topics you've delivered my way through email this morning.
So let's dig into some of them. Let's begin on the defensive side of the ball. And you know, maybe one of the most underrated question marks that we all have because we have not seen him. We believe he's ready to go, but it's Jakwan Brisker. You know I love this player. I know you love this player. We love his tenacity, we love his physicality, we love his deployability. He's an outstanding sacker. He's an outstanding tackler, and he'll get around the football. He seems to all always be
around the ball. Guys like that I want on my football team. Are you still concerned in any way, shape or form, and what are your expectations as he enters a very important year for himself.
So my expectations for Jaquan Brisker is to be an all pro. He's got the physical tools, he's got the gifts, he's got the willingness, he's got the intelligence, everything that it takes to be a dominating safety in the modern day NFL because there's a lot of different d job requirements that come to the safety nowadays that maybe didn't ten to fifteen years ago. So the sky is a
limit for Jaquan Brisker. But the last thing I have in my memory is him coming up hitting the tight end from Carolina and the Carolina tight end laying there, and then him going back to the huddle and finishing the game, and then later that night concussion getting put in concussion proto call. And that is disturbing to me because I admire and I think that Jaquan can be
one of the better safeties in the league. But then when he didn't come back to play any more football last year, that's where my concerns are.
I'm more concerned for the.
Human So I'm the football player, but I still want him to think and through the support of his family and the decisions they make, if he's healthy, ready to go, then come out here and play and give it at your all. Listen, Chikwan, maybe you have to wear one of those guardian helmets the rest of your career and if you do find because the other guys worry him.
But when I look at how gifted of a young man he is, darn and being a selfish Bears fan, I want to see him on the field as much as he can possibly make it.
Tyreek Stevenson outstanding talent, as you say, probably the best tackling player in the secondary, a guy willing the most willing for sure, Tyreek Stevenson always gets a lot of tackle numbers. What will be the impact of a guy like Al Harris, who players are going to know right away?
This guy means business.
He had a great career in the National Football League, A real tenacious player as well.
And what kind of competition do you expect from Terrell Smith?
I expect a lot of competition at that cornerback position because you're talking about two different types of bodies. But I do think Treike Stevenson is the most physical and willing tackler in the secondary. But I think both of these young men got to go and read the resume of Al Harris because he's left a lot on the field and he's got a lot of information to give.
But you also have to have that discipline with inside yourself that you can never let the emotions capture you on the field more than what your responsibilities is on the field. We'll see going forward if Treike Stevenson lives up to what he can be, because listen, he's got the traits, the willingness, the desire, the enthusiasm, everything that it takes to be a cornerback in the NFL. And if he scratches the surface of what he still has left to give, I think he's gonna make it tough
for Terrell Smith. But I think it's Terrell'smith is going to make it tough for Terry Stevenson. It's going to be an interesting battle over there to see how it all works itself out.
Dennis Allen, in his history, expects a lot from the defensive backs. He's one of the best, as Jim Miller said, probably the most three level blitzers in the National Football League among defenses that comes from a Dallas Allen scheme. Whether or that will be the case this year yet to be seen, but and it asks a lot of man coverage. So those are two things to keep an eye on during training camp. I know, you know, we all love Jack Sanborn. Tommy love again. He's just a
pure football player. He's off to the Dallas Cowboys. But he did a lot of great things on the defensive side of the ball and in special teams. So there's a position there to be to be one. Do they have a candidate on the roster. We don't know that just yet, but you know, the draft may bring another linebacker. But there's also a former Kansas City linebacker that's on this team, Swayze Boseman, six one, two twenty four out
of Southern Mississippi. Undrafted by the Chiefs last year. He really had an impressive athletic resids to make at that pro day. He did not get invited to the combine, but he would have had one of the best among the linebackers in the bench. The broad jump, shuttle, three cone drill ran a four five to five. A very athletic player that we don't know a lot about yet. So you add these pieces to your puzzle every off season.
Could that be one?
Oh?
For sure.
I like Bozeman's athleticism, and I like what you said that he would have done at the combine because here's a guy that, to me, that's invested in football, that's invested in the weight room, that plays an important role in the overall long term success as a player. Jack Sanborn was a free agent. Bozeman as a free agent. So because of where they came from doesn't mean they
can't do what we're expecting all of them. When we looked at the sideline before the start of every game, Sanborne stood there next to Kyler Gordon, and depending upon the personnel that came on the field, that's kind of what we looked at of who was going to start the game. And the Bears never shied away from using Sanborn, and I don't think they would shy away from you a guy like Bozman or the competitiveness of the position. Now, does Kyler Gordon get a few of those extra reps?
Do they believe that he has the ability to do what a linebacker could do on first down and be more deployable, like you said, Dennis Allen likes to do.
And I think it's going to be a super interesting.
Decision because Sanborn's not sitting in the back of the mind Dennis Allen. Dennis Allen is looking at a blank board and trying to fill in the pieces accordingly. So you know, we talk about that line over there of who can be linebackers. Everybody's going to be fighting for the front of that line for the third linebacker.
All Right, Tommy, job, well done. Thanks for doing this on a Monday night. That's going to do it for us. Thanks for listening, everybody. The executive producer of the Bears Radio Network, Eric Ostrowski, Thanks to producers Dan Brilly and Jordan Dreadup and in studio Charlie Bevens. And thanks to Dan Roscher. Our guest tonight, the Bears Offensive line coach. Four to top there, I'm Jeff Jonniek. This has been Bears Weekly on the new radio home of the Chicago Bears
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