Right justin middle of the field forty five to fifteen. Bring Russ in front of a leading Lions in his way, I am Jeff Jonihacklitz is not done?
Good us? What was like playing for coache Good done?
I don't want to answer any questions like that. Sixty one yards?
What's Sunday stroll for? Justin field? Ye Bears et Cetera with the voices of the Chicago Bears Jeff Joniac. From nineteen eighty three to nineteen ninety two, the Bears won nine straight season opener, something five other teams have done in history, and something Kansas City can match tonight when they host the Detroit Lions. Tom Thayer started on all but two of those Bears teams, so his perspective keenly insightful. As we kick off Bears et Cetera Episode fourteen in
our first game preview of the twenty twenty three season. Hi, everybody, it's Jeff Joniac with the aforementioned Tom Thayer coming out with the program sit down with fourth year wide receiver Darnel Mooney as he comes back from a broken ankle and ready to resume where he left off. As he continues to strive to be the best he can possibly be. A lot to cover as we break down the pack We're gonna do this every Thursday time. We're gonna do a preview like we used to do on YouTube with
the Bear's website. We're gonna go a really deep dive on the Bears Packers. But winning the opener is imperative when it involves a division game. And on the mention of this, you had a couple days ago it's America's game of the week, so it's a national tell. It's big and the Bears tom are eight and twelve in the last twenty years, Week one, two and seven over the last nine openers. I brought all this up because
you didn't know any other way. You started in nineteen eighty five and winning openers every year to nineteen ninety two. Was there a mindset associated with that or were you guys just that good?
No, you had to earn it.
If you go back and you look at the first two games in nineteen eighty five, I think we are behind at halftime at both the games. And then finally the third game of the year when we went to Minnesota and Jim McMahon was inserted into the game and he threw a couple of touchdown passes as we were behind.
In the Minnesota Vikings game, I think that was the game that kind of put the belief in our minds that we could be a good football team and we could go out and challenge anybody because it was a difficult atmosphere to play inside well at Dicka once named the roller Dome in Minnesota. So it's something that the belief and the confidence comes with time. The Bears aren't going to be as confidence at the kickoff of the Green Bay game as we hope they are in week five, six,
seven down the line. However, they need to have a lot of belief in what they were able to accomplish in training camp, the development of certain players and segments of this football team that they can go out there and compete against anybody, especially week one of the NFL season.
All right, I got a good one for you, ready. This is all the stuff that comes out before Week one. There's so much. It's a fresh slate, so everything that's pertinent won't be in a few weeks. So you find out things, You learn things people doing a deep dive. Name the last Green Bay quarterback to start against the Bears without Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers on the Packers roster.
I mean, not that hotly kid.
The last quarterback to start against the Bears without Farvar Rodgers on the Packers roster, Mike tom Zach against Jim Harbaugh.
Mike tom the all time winning his Bears quarterback. He's I know there's some stats surrounding Tom's he started his career ten and zero as a Bear starter.
So but we forget. I forgot he was with the Packers.
Yeah, I mean, you know what I mean, Jim Morrissey, Steve McMichael. There are other Bears that went on to play for the Green Bay Packers.
Jim McMahon.
Yeah, and that you know, Jim McMahon was the one who took off his Green Bay jersey at the White House in exposes Bear jersey because that's we hadn't gone to the White House yet as a Super Bowl winning team.
So I go to the La Times headline. At least Harbass settles one score. This is nineteen ninety one, twenty seven to thirteen. Bear quarterback gets the best of old faux Packers Tom Zach, whose response is Jim who Harbaugh buries the hatchet twice Sunday, once into the Packers by throwing two touchdowns and later with old teammate Mike tom Zach quote, we shook hands after the game and I said, let's bury the hatchet, Harbasch said after the win. So
you take it from there. Apparently bad blood between the two, is that legit?
Well, Jeff, take this into consideration.
Before the headset in the quarterback helmet, do you either brought in plays with the position player, wide, receiver, running back, whomever would tell the quarterback.
Then there is a.
Period of time that the quarterback coach, the offensive coordinator or the backup quarterback would hands signal plays into the quarterback.
So they didn't have that exchange time.
So the quarterbacks on the team, Jim Harball, Jim McMahon, and Mike Tomzack, they go every day and they go through this practice session where they do.
The hand signals as you can see me doing.
Now, and that's how they relay the information in and out of the huddle from the sidelines. So a day before, a couple of days before we get we're playing the San Diego Chargers in a preseason game. The Bear's trade Jim McMahon to the San Diego Chargers.
So now it's.
Such a quick trade that he's not going to play in the game. So Tomzack is on the sideline, Jim Harball is in the huddle. Jim Harball glances over at the Bear sideline and he sees Mike Tomzack signaling the play that was just called over to Jim McMahon. But it wasn't something that Jim was standing next to the defensive coordinator because the time exchange would have not a word anyways.
It was just kind of just some Tom foolery or some Mike foolery, i should.
Say, from the sideline to McMahon, just to you know, kind of extend the friendship that.
We all had together.
And Jim Harball, the serious person that you see him today, was equally as serious as a competitor and or quarterback back then. When he saw tom Zach to it doing that, he took direct defense as Mike tom Zach was trying to derail Jim Harball over to Jim McMahon.
That wasn't the case.
It was just a little high jinks inside the game itself.
Yeah, So tom Zach said in this La Times article. He didn't say anything to Harbaugh and then added Jim who But Harbaugh had a good day sixteen to twenty five two oh nine, twenty and thirty five yard strikes to Wendell Davis and Brad Muster, tom Zach twenty two to thirty nine two fifteen and a touchdown to Jackie Harris.
You guys were ten and four at that point, and this is where you know the difference in eras is you were closer to your seventh which was called the Central Division title, the Black and Blue Division bag and your seventh title in eight years. The Packers were three and eleven, had lost five in six games.
Well, you're talking about first round draft choice quarterback in Jim McMahon, where everybody wasn't excuse me and Jim Harball, everybody wasn't agreed upon that he should be the pick. You got a free agent quarterback and Mike Tomzak, who had a successful.
Career with the Bears in the time he was there.
Then you had had an injury played quarterback and a former first round or Super Bowl quarterback in Jim McMahon. That's getting traded for the first time. So there was a lot of it wasn't bad blood. There was just a lot of competitiveness at that stage of the preseason, and Jim Harball is chipping away at his lengthy career in the NFL, Mike Tomzack is trying to day in his career in the NFL, and Jim McMahon is trying to reinvent.
Himself in his NFL career. So, you know, it's just.
It's something that happened, and it was kind of a ugly situation in the locker room between the in the quarterback room, and you know, kind of created a little bit of bad blood.
Right well, and you were close to the corter, You were close to all these guys. You still are all of them.
Yeah, but you know, at that point, I had a long, a long time friendship with Tom Zach good buddy, business partner, and I liked Jim Harball. I thought he was a great competitor. He was super intense and whenever you get a first round quarterback out of the University of Michigan, uh, then.
You know you'll see you see what you can do.
Jimmy Morrissey intercepted him in the game.
Yeah, Jim Morrisey, Uh, he had that interception. You know, Jim Morrisey had what was voted the number one interception in the history of Monday Night football when we are playing the Minnesota Vikings. It was just an incredible play. And you know, Jim Morrissey probably doesn't get the NFL credit that he deserves, but he's a great guy and he was a great player.
One last thing about that game, the one hundredth regular season win from Mike Ditka.
Fastest coach at that point to one hundred wins in the history of the NFL.
He also had this to say about it, because obviously you're gonna ask coach about it after the game. As for playing against Tom, Zach Dicker said, you don't play people. You've got to play the team and the concept of what they're doing. He's a very capable young man. That was the quote. But that is true. You don't play the people, you play the team exactly.
And it's the same thing.
You know, getting ready for the Bears Packer game, and would you say, it's the two hundred and seventh meeting between the two teams, and it's not justin again, Jordan, it's the Packers against the Bears.
Well, now, it's the Justin and Jordan show. It's Justin Field and Jordan Love. That'll be our focus. They're good friends, they share the same agent, Tommy. They've talked. I'm not certain they socialized, but they work out together at times. So there's a young relationship. And it'd be a great story if these two would now generate the next great rivalry in the division between great quarterbacks. I don't need another great quarterback in Green Bay, for example, but I do need Justin to be great.
Well.
You know, they asked Justin Fields at the podium today about his relationship with Jordan Love because they did do a little traveling in the offseason, and he says, they don't talk about strategy. They don't talk about football between the two teams. They talk about quarterback development and other subjects like that. It's the same thing when my brother in law played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Bears were getting ready to play the Falcons.
We didn't talk strategy.
I didn't give him any hints or clues about our defense, just like he didn't give them to me.
There's a certain.
Sense of professionalism that you have to adhere to when you have those types of relationships and friendship.
Yeah, I would think it goes without saying. John Scully is the man he's referring to. For those young folks out there, he is a very good center for the Atlanta Guard Center Guard No. Jeff Vanot was the center right of the old Atlanta Falcons, and that's that's Tommy's brother in law. And he's a great guy, super smart. But you know you're not giving away company secrets. And I'm sure you didn't ask him either, even in jes right.
Listen, you know I was playing on one of the most confident football teams in the history of the NFL, and he was playing on a struggling Atlanta Falcons team.
So there's no secret that I could give him that is going to change the outcome.
I did root for him to stay healthy and play well, just like he did for me, and he had a couple of awful injuries throughout his career, and it's those are the types of things that we have a great relationship and with it's more relatable to talk about those types of things instead of strategy, just like we're talking about Justin and Jordan.
Take a chance download the Bette Rivers app today. Jeff Jonik and Tom they are on Bears, etc. So please you've joined us, Jordan Love. Tommy's been in the league longer than Justin Fields, but Fields has twenty five starts. Love has one. Mike Holmgren, the former Packers head coach former Seattle head coach, was heard to say back in the day, it took thirty two starts to determine if a quarterback was the guy that's been written about this week in the Packer papers up there. That's where I
got the quote. But I heard him say that in other instances as well. Back at the Super Bowl when Seattle went to the Super Bowl years ago, do you believe in that?
No, go tell Justin Herbert that.
Remember Justin Herbert was in a backup role and then the quarterback in front of him was getting a pain killing injection and they ended up two something more destructive, and Justin Herbert was burst on the scene and he's been great ever since. I think greatness is in the mind of a quarterback. And if it's Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert, or Joe Burrow or some of the other young guys. Was Tom Brady's success predictable after Drew bletsoe got hit on the sideline and he had to be
inserted into the game. So you really never know it until you get your first opportunity to show it.
All right, So, if you're staring at the Bears defense in a team meeting, what are you telling about Jordan Love?
Control, you know, control his athleticism and try to be as you know, a variation of defensive fronts as you can possibly be. Try to make some adjustments throughout the cadence so they don't have time to make their own adjustments. And you know, you have to hopefully the crowd comes and it's a Bear crowd, and they, you know, bring a noise that is almost uncontrollable at the line of
screw image. And once you take away the snapcount and the volume of a snapcount, the defense can be in charge of a lot of things.
How do you anticipate green Bay's defense handling justin fields? Will they try at all costs to keep him in that pocket and avoid the damage he can do with his legs. That seems to be the popular thinking, and then make him pay for it, I guess right, you know, justin making the packers.
Pay right, you know, Justin's a unique type of person to try to defense because you have to worry about the rush of the outside defenders try to if you want to keep him in the pocket, then you have to worry about what type of coverage you want to play against Dj Moore? But how does that factor and the rest of the receivers in the tight end? Can you contain a running game that was one of the tops in the league last year, So there's more concerns than just Justin fields and then if they try to
they're not going to ignore Justin because it's impossible. He's one of the most dynamic athletes on the field. But I think that you when you have a I like DJ Moore that's brought aboard it kind of thing finds out their defensive responsibilities a little bit.
Time for the status from Hallas Town. The first injury report of this season has come out. The Bears today only did not have Dylan Cole, the reserve linebacker still working through a hamstring injury. He did not practice today. Limited duty for Jakwan Brisker, Eddie Jackson on the back end, and DeMarcus Walker. They got groin, ankle, and calf issues respectively. Those doggun calf injuries, Tommy, those are one. I mean it is clearly lingered on DeMarcus Walker. Hopefully he'll be
back to full go. You know, Matty Reflus is at the podium on Wednesday saying that everybody was full goal or was anticipated to be full goal, but Cole did not practice on Wednesday. Calves are particular, but then the groin and ankle for Brisker and Jackson are also something that the Packers will certainly circle and maybe test early in the game.
Yeah. Well, you know, those are questions that linger on us on our mind throughout all of training camp because they don't have to tell you what the injury is during training camp. So this is the first that we are alerted to those injuries. So maybe it's something that you pay attention to during the course of the game. Is a player favoring what their injury is designated to be?
Is DeMarcus Walker dressed or not dressed? If he's not dressed, and obviously the cap is lingering is the two defensive backs. Are they struggling with their injuries that are designated to be and can they last as long as they needed to in the conditions that I think are going to be perfect on Sunday.
But to me, Jeff, I'm not. I don't always think about one game.
I think about seventeen And when you think about players that have fatigued type of injuries, I worry about Tampa Week two.
So if they're all ready to go and practice and they're.
Considered one hundred percent, then they got to be one hundred percent in game time.
Right now. When you spend over two nine ninety nine dollars, it's Steinhoffels, you'll score a one hundred dollars Bears Pro Shop gift card. Is it any one of the four Chicago land locations Vernon Hills, Crystal Lake, Downers Grove, and Hardwood Heights, or shop online at Steinhoffels dot com. All right, The Packer injury report has three players not practicing and their significant ones. It's a young receiving corps. Everybody's two years or younger in the league, including Romeo Dobbs and
Christian Watson, both with hamstring injuries. David Baktiari, that's more rest. He's eleven year veteran. He's played a lot of football. A cranky knee that has been problematic over the last couple of years. He'll be ready to go on Sunday at left tackle. Rashan Gary also in a similar situation
coming off in ACL limited today. That's a big boost to their pass rush, which soured at times last season without them and Dontavius Wicks, a rookie wide receiver from Virginia, also dealing with a hamstring seal three receivers with soft tissues there in Green Bay. They had a much tougher camp,
they say they played them in the preseason. They wanted to look at things from a little different perspective because the Packers have been blown out their last two first weeks of the regular season, and so a little bit of a change by head coach Matt Lafleur. There so things to watch on the Packer roster. My perspective, tom
on all of this is with Jordan Love. The number one thing the Bears are gonna have to shut down is something the Packers did well against the Bears last year, and that's run the football, and they've got a one two punch. In my opinion, Aaron Jones is their top weapon and a most dangerous weapon because he can hurt you twice. He can hit you through the air and he hits you run of the football, much like Khalil Herbert. They had over five yards of carry last year each
of them. They're not gonna give him too much in the run game. They got aj Dillon for that, but they're gonna punish you a little bit and test that Bears front.
What do you think, Well, you know, David Botiari, he's missed a lot of football in the last couple of years due to injury. So I mean, if you're resting a guy before the regular season on a day that's designated your first real practice of the start of the regular season, I do have question marks about that. You know, veteran days off this time of the year is never a good thing because you need that offensive line time to gel and get that chemistry, especially in front of
a young quarterback. The hamstring issues with the talent that they have at the wide receiver position, especially when a guy like Watson puts speed on display through the middle and the end of the season. So I would have to pay attention to the way those guys warm up. Do they really let it go and warm ups are they are they a little bit hesitant, But you really brought up the key ingredient to this offense, and it is Aaron Jones, and it is because he can hit
you in the ground and through the air. And the best thing a quarterback can have that's starting his first game under the circumstances of soldier field and the support of crowd is having a running back that you feel equally as confident handing the ball off to, as well as throwing screens and short little passes. So you got to make the atmosphere a really comfortable for Jordan Love, and that is the way that you're really gonna derail the tempo of the Green Bay offense that we've seen.
In the last thirty years.
Tom young quarterbacks turn the ball over. It happens, It's always happened. It happened with Aaron Rodgers thirteen interceptions in his first season. Peyton Manning, of course, led the league in interceptions. Interceptions. Torment young quarterbacks. If that's the case, Bears defense, get ready, then force them, make them get the turnovers, intercept the ball because it might be there for the taking. And it's a young secondary obviously with
young talent. Jalen Johnson's not young anymore, though, he's the leader in that group at corner, but Codler, Gordon, Tyreek Stevenson, the rookie, whomever's playing out there, be hunting for the football, look for those tip passes, position yourself in the right way to be there for those lucky bounces so they're not so much lucky, and they're there because the strategy said.
So, you know one thing going into this game, I think the multiple defenders they have at the defensive line could be the biggest asset to the Bears defensive backs because if they can rotate a fresh group of guys in there that are getting pressure and making the pocket uncomfortable for Jordan Love, if he's looking to escape before he gets to his final drop step, or he doesn't have a chance to go through his reads and he's kind of stuck on one receiver, then yeah, maybe there's
a defensive back that can take advantage of that. Eddie Jackson and Jakwan Brisker are going to have to read immediately, and then Jalen Johnson, Triegue Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, if they have an opportunity to get in front of one of those passes, they're going to have to take advantage of it,
but they're not going to do it single handedly. And I think the middle of the defense with Tremayne Edmonds is going to be, you know, more clogged because of his ability, his length, and his his way to challenge and coverages. But they got a couple of young tight ends that can really help a young quarterback get the ball out of his hands immediately.
Yeah, well, there's a lot there. There's a lot of speed right now. They got it at the receiver position. They got out of the tight end position, for sure, But in an offensive line, it's a veteran offensive line. All right, let's flip it. And before we do, we should tell you Miller Lite is the official beer of the Chicago Bears. Tastes like Miller Time Chicago. All right, So let's talk about the Bears receivers against this secondary.
It's a secondary that's been maligned at times, especially at safety, but the corners, including JayR Alexander, is one of the best the Bears match up with Dj Moore and jay R Alexander should be a beauty. That's probably one you've got circled. I'm sure how would you stack what the Bears have brought in with Claypool, more, a healthy Mooney, come met Tanyan, the addition of Marcedes Lewis, who won't
be heavily involved obviously in the past game. But all these weapons against that secondary, well.
You know, you kind of think back to the days when Dion Sanders played for the Dallas Cowboys and they played the San Francisco forty nine Ers. So Dion's job was to go out there and take Jerry Rice out of the offense, and then it opened up John Taylor and the tight ends and Roger Craig and the rest of the players that the quarterbacks could throw the ball to. So if JayR Alexander does follow DJ Moore all around the field, all those other guys you mentioned are going
to have to be open targets for justin fields. And I think Chase Claypool with the size he can, I think Darnell Mooney with his route running, he has that ability.
I do think that the tight end position for the Bears, if you look at the combination of Cole and Tanyan, and you know, one thing we're going to have to be introduced to this year because we don't know a lot about it, is the pass catching ability of the running backs, and so when you look at you know, Jaira, Jayira, Alexander, who's gonna take away the other guys have to present themselves as open targets to justin as quickly as possible.
Let's find out exactly what the Bears are thinking these days, including Darnell Mooney as he returns from a broken ankle last season. He had tightrope surgery. It was an eight month recovery. He's back, He's ready to roll. I want to start on the Packers because it's what everybody's been hoping for and thinking about. So let's just dive right in before we just chat a little bit. It feels like it's bigger than one game. I know you guys can't look at it that way, but there's just something
about it symbolic. You don't play him again to a week eighteen when that theoretically may not even matter, right, You guys could ever be locked up playoff spot, you know, stuff like that happens. This This thing just carries a lot of weight for a lot of people. What's a player perspective? What's Darnell's perspective?
H I mean, I've never beating these guys since I've been the elite, So it's definitely a big one. And you Understan and the rivalry many years after, you play multiple games, and it's definitely a big one. First game of the year for sure, and then going against them. It's something that the fans care about, so you you kind of gravitate and understand like why they care about it so much, and then you're just like, Okay, yeah, let's definitely beat those guys for sure.
So didn't you have a team even in youth football or any sport you played you just got tired of you want to beat them?
Exactly?
Exactly?
Are you at that point now?
Yeah, definitely definitely want to beat them for sure. For sure. I mean whatever we got to do to beat those guys, for sure, I'm ready to pull out everything that we have just to take care of these guys for sure.
You know, I went back and looked, and I know what the numbers say. Okay, it has been a struggle way before you ever got here, thirty years of it. Kenny Clark, for example, was thirteen and oh against the Bears. Preston Smith's ten and oh, Matt Leffleur is eight. No, it's just yeah, it just hasn't happened. So it's time for taking when the bully and the block, you gotta finally punch you in the mouth right otherwise Anyway, this is big for you. I know it's big because coming
off injury is a lonely ride. I know you and I spoke months ago and you said you're glad you went through the experience not getting injured. But yeah, just what you learn. Can you put that in the context for the average Why?
It's just uh, you you get a lot to like self reflect, I mean, and just have a lot of self awareness. I mean, it's just you a lot of rest time, and I mean you you get to read some books and just have a lot of loan time. You're looking at the ceiling a lot of times, and you're just relaxing and just thinking thinking a lot, and sometimes thinking overthinking can be a bad thing, but sometimes
it's gonna be a good thing, you know. So it's been what eight nine months since the last time I was actually in a in a game or whatever, So I'm excited to get back out there. It won't be any like fearness or anything. I mean, obviously the preseason was nice. I didn't get the actual feeling, but I definitely will allow myself to have some emotion going into this game, and in what sense, just readiness and just ready to you know, get back to being me and
going out there with what I wanted to do. Last year I didn't get to do as much. But uh, just pick up, pick pick back off of where I feel that, you know, I'm able to perform at and it's easy to do that with a second year and into the offense and just everybody is it is not so much of a newness thing. It's more of a like, we know what's going on, so I'm happy to get back. For sure?
Is it an offense? I mean, just think about you. I can't remember how many targets well over one hundred couple of years ago. Is this gonna be an offense?
Now?
You just gotta find your place for sure?
You mean like role wise.
Role wise, but that's day to day, day to day. Like I don't think this is an offense, and you correct me if I'm wrong. Hey, Darnell, listen, and here's the pecking order. This is how it's gonna go, So you know, don't be anticipating a lot or a Darnell, You're gonna be the feature. No day to day, week to week depends the matchups. Yeah right, what Justin ces definitely matters on all those cases.
You never know, you can be the top guy for this game and you cannot be the top guy for the next game. So it just just depends on who we're playing, and it just matters about matchups, like you said, So we'll see. It's it's big for the first couple of games, honestly to identify who we are and what we like to do.
So see I already think that, Yeah, we love to run the ball, and we're good at it. Justin's dynamic runner. We know all that. Already got the weapon, reason, increased the offensive lines different. Hopefully they'll be healthy. Sure, I don't know. To me, there's not too many surprises.
I mean, it all looks it all looks good. It's just it just has to be put out there and performed. So, I mean, you can you know throughout the whole offseason you have all the hypeness of everything and just like, yeah, we're gonna be able to do this, but you don't really know until you actually go out there and play.
Or how they're gonna play you exactly because I'm thinking, I'm thinking they're gonna play less man. They don't want their back turn to Justin. Don't you think for sure?
You never Yeah, you never want to do that, So it's just a dangerous thing. Obviously he shows you don't do that at all last year, So yeah, we'll see you never you have. You can have some guys that are just like, we don't care who you are, We're gonna do this.
So that is going to happen.
You never know how that how people are going to play us.
So post injury, it's always an interesting discussion because and you said you were gonna have ankle surgery of some kind no matter what happened, and you happen to have a broken ankle. First of all, painful?
Was it when I first injury? At first, I like on the field wise like I knew I broke it. Yeah, because Byron was telling me like get up. I'm like, nah, bro, this is this is broken. It's like, no, there's no way I'm getting up after this. And I'm usually like I'll get up and go to the slide or whatever and then shake it off and then come back again. But this one I knew even going to the locker room, Andrea, and then we're trying to like give me on the stretch,
and I'm like, that's one thing I'm not doing. I'm going to walk off of this field, but I'm not getting on that stretcher. You ready, give me your shoulder. That's the only way I'm getting off the field. So, I mean, it was. It wasn't painful then, but I didn't want to like died down. I got a little painful. And then I got in my car after the plane ride all that all that air or whatever and kind of blew my blew my ankle up a little bit.
But it was a little painful. One too crazy, but it was it was painful.
Do you feel whole again?
Yeah? I mean I felt felt whole, yeah, within it all. I mean, I made a decision when I was in after surgery that this is something I really want to do, so I'm going to continue to pursue what I want and get out of what I want out of this. And I made that decision then, and I'm not looking back.
You look amazing, right, You're you're you're strong. What do you think that'll do for you?
Have?
You have you felt that strength that you've added that muscle, that armor. Have you felt it when you've gone up against dbs even in practice?
For sure? Yeah? Sure I can. I can use my strength more, whether it be like a sneaky push off or just blocking wise and running my routes and not getting bumped off of anything and just just planning some just having some good play strength. Uh. I would say like DJ Man, DJ has incredible play strength, Like he can catch the ball over anybody at any point of time.
And it's just amazing to see that, because it's like, that's what I want to be able to do every time, Like, no matter what happens to balls and airs minds, and DJ does a good thing, good a good act of that, and I want to do that same action of that as well.
You mentioned you read a lot of books during your time rehabbing and getting ready. What would you reading anything that's sticking with you to this Unstoppable?
It's by Tim Grover.
Oh yeah, we all know timmy man. He's the Chicago Bulls Fame.
Amazing, amazing, I've known him forever.
What's the gist of that book?
It's about It's basically about finding your role and understanding, understanding your role and and playing that role into the into the like the the best you can and uh understand it and really going fulfilled about it. So yeah, that was a good book. I kind of read it over and over to remember myself and what they don't want to do.
Like you said, long time, you're all about heart, right, that's going to carry. That's gonna win the day for Darnel Mooney. Have a great season, stay healthy, Let's go get him. Thank you appreciate it. You got to love the optimism and the desire to be great continues to be there for Darnell Mooney. You heard in this interview Tom just how much he wants it, how much he
loves it, and how much he's back. Mentally, he's not scared about going out There's no fear about going out there after that surgery and actually playing a real football game. And that's really the first step in recovering from an injury. Oh, no doubt about it.
I remember after I had back surgery, I needed to hit somebody, and I needed to hit somebody hard, and that was going to give me all the confidence that I needed to go forward. I've always loved Darnell Mooney. He's got incredible work ethic. He has great desire. He wants to be great, which I think is the most
important aspect a player can have in their development. He's still a young kid, So if he can come up and he can be that great second option to DJ Moore and Chase Claypool and the rest of the guys, Justin Field should continue to develop that relationship that he started with him last year. So I pull for Darnell Mooney and I hope that he continues on that trajectory that he has since the moment.
He's got here, total team guy, and he's very close with Justin Fields. They have carved out quite the relationship. They still work at it after practice every day, sometimes for forty five minutes extra throws. He puts in his work on his jugs gun at home, and he is really, really in fantastic shape right now. He says that that bill he's got right now, that he's all he looks like a I'm telling you man, he's thick and he thickened up man. He's strong head. It's helped me. He
feels it against a corner. He can use better strength, certainly in blocking as well, and so that'll serve him well. But you know, I can't have a preview without mentioning Cole Kmet. I purposely didn't put him in the group of weapons that are at the at thel ready for Justin fields because he came on strong. When Justin came on strong last year, Tommy the numbers say so caught six of his seven touchdowns down the stretch, the whole bit.
But Week two last year, that first game when Justin was seven of eleven no targets to Cole Comet not one, And with the suspect safety play there at Green Bay right now that they're still not convinced. And even though Savage is a good player and a former first round pick, I'd rather see a six catch seventy two yard twelve yard of catch average that he had in Week thirteen. So I've got him circle for a big day on Sunday. What's your thought, all right?
I would rather start with one hundred and seventy yards rushing because Cole is blocking the edge so well that the outside zone is opening up in Khalil Herbert and the rest of the running backs that are on the field and getting their opportunities are having huge yards, because if that's the case, then col is going to open up opportunities for himself because they're going to become more aware of him being a great blocker, going to have a less of a defender on him, and then he's
gonna be able to run away from that defender and you're probably gonna have a larger attachment than twelve yards of catch. So Cole the blocker is gonna help Cole the receiver.
Good news, Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes with all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity screens at every seat in room for everyone's rollerbag. United Proud to fly the Chicago Bears and you too, Jeff and tom On Bears, etc. All Right, I left the the most difficult part of this conversation until the end and breaking down the Packers and that is their defensive their defensive line. Tommy, we know what Kenny Clark's all about.
We got a healthy Rashan Gary now that will boost their pass rush. He is a great kid. He works at it. He also wants to be something special and he's back and it looks like he's ready to roll. So with Preston Smith. On the other side, they've got young guys. They can have a rotation up front now to Davante Wyatt and second year didn't get as much playing time a year ago because there were veterans in front of him. No veterans in front of them now.
So this top pick, a first round pick, and that that defense has eight of them, along with a linebacking corps that includes kway Walker in his second year. Again, everybody assumes you're going to take a step after your first year. He led that team in tackles and he's very fast on the perimeter. Can the Bears offensive line handle that defensive front now they have to.
It's not a question if you go If your question mark going into the game is can the Bears offensive line handle the defensive line of Green Bay, then you're already behind. You have to make sure that you have a great deal of confidence in your double team combination blocks. When you have a combination block that starts with the double team at the line of scrimmage then goes up to the second level, make sure that you get the line of scrimmage block first, and that's going to increase
the opportunities in the yards for your running backs. Dev Andre Campbell is a heck of a middle linebacker. They got a three hundred and forty pound nose guard. So those are the types of guys that are going to be have to be moved out of the way in order for the Bears running game to flourish like it
did last season. And if it does, the moveability of Justin Fields is going to create more opening up more open opportunities for him to get outside the pocket and work the edges on screens and like the first play of the preseason this year, a nice comfortable, easy pass to carry blasting game. We need to see a couple of those just to keep them off balance.
All right, Tom, we're on zoom for your folks at home, so that's how we communicate. So do you see my little my spotters chart? Yeah, that is the spotter chart from week thirteen Bears Packers. And look at how many players are only left on that chart. Those are the guys active on that day. Do you see all the spaces on the Bears and frank there's quite a few other Packers. I mean it is a frankly a brand
new team. Let me count it up. Two for six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty twenty two players, So that you're telling me that on a game, So half the team is going to be different on the field on Sunday for the Bears.
Okay, Jeff, save that sheet, save your flip chart from the week one, and let's look at it on week eighteen, because that's the next time that these two teams will face each other. And let's look at the differences in names. Let's look at the guys that have played all sixteen games up unto that point, and let's.
See the difference.
Because the team with the most names on Week eighteen that was in Week one is going to have the better record and the team most likely fighting for a playoff spot.
Great thought, right there. Let's touch on special teams. Bayles Jones will return kicks, Trent Taylor will be the punt returner. The Bears have their operation the same we got ro Santos off a good preseason, but it's totally different in Green Bay, Tommy, totally different. They got a whole new operation. What are the inherent challenges coming to Soldier Field? And granted it's going to be a beautiful day, I don't know what the win's going to be, but we're talking
about guys that have never been there. Anders Carlson will be the kicker. He had a fifty seven yard or in the preseason for the Packers, but he's the new kicker. Mason Crosby is still a free agent out there, and Carlson in his career in college was just five of seventeen fifty plus, so I don't know how much faith they have in him for that. The new punter is Daniel Wheeland, big leg, but he beat out Patrick o'donald, a ten year veteran, and a brand new long snapper
in matt Orzick. For me, the key is is Wheelan because he hasn't been a holder very much in his career. Pat O'Donnell was exceptional as a holder, exceptional. These little things make a difference in Week one. I'm looking at e and minor things like a field goal hold and making a difference in this game.
Listen, if I was Cairo Santos, I would go seek out the kicker in the holder and I would tell them how difficult it is to kick and soldier field, how the ground is uneven and you never know if you're going to have a great ball placement on a center holder exchange, and I would plant the seed in their head because I guarantee you it's not This is not going to be the first time he hears about the difficulties in kicking and soldier field.
They're going to come out there early.
They're going to look up at the skyboxers, They're going to figure out which way the flags are blowing. They're going to go through all this you know, pre weather look, and that's gonna the other They're going to think about it every time.
They hit the field.
So Cairo, he is the most experienced guy of this group of guys that are going to go out and be part of the special teams on Sunday. So you know, if we talk about giving no advice from Jordan and Justin, don't give any advice to the opponent kicker.
I'm sure they chatted up pretty good kickers. Take care of themselves now of each other. I should say, Hey, we're brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears. Any final thoughts, concerns otherwise about this matchup?
You know, I just I'm excited.
I wish it was a noon start because I would like to get to it faster than three twenty five. And I'm so excited to see what Justin Fields is in year two in the Luke Getsy system. What does Luke Getsy remember about the defense of.
The Green Bay Packers?
Where does he feel that Justin is the most confident player going to the line of scrimmage after the.
Play called in the huddle?
And I know that selfishly only looking at one position, and I know the defense plays an important role, But when you have a quarterback that's been in the MVP conversation all off season, I want to see if that starts Game one.
All right, Tom, hope you're not going to be late. We'll be there. And by the way, we'll be on tonight on Bears Weekly on one thousand at six o'clock and our special guest, Chris Berman from ESPN legendary status, he'll join us as well. That'll do it for us Bears Weekly Thursday night, and our podcast will wrap things up on Monday. We'll have head coach Matt Eberflus and Tom and I will break down what we hope will be a Bears win to stop an eight game losing streak.
To Matt Lafleur and the Green Bay Packers on Monday morning. Thanks for listening, everybody. Visy heart Selter, the official heart Selter of the Chicago Bears. Thank you mosten course for your sponsorship, and thanks everybody for listening. Please subscribe now to the Chicago Bears official app, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts spared down everybody, We'll see you Sunday at Soldier Field