Hiring Process Discussion, Senior Bowl Preview | All Access

continues with that selection committee. We'll talk about it tonight here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. It's brought to you by IGS Energy. I'm Jeff Jonny Acalama, broadcast partner from news Radio one oh five nine WBBM, the ex Chicago Beartown Fare with our producer tonight, Brian Callahan, Thanks, as well as Dan Burrelli and Jordan tread Up. Tom. How are you, buddy? Oh?

You know, Big Jeff. As soon as the season ends, we're kind of sitting in the seat of immediate playoff jealous and so you kind of have to watch how the other teams are doing, what the narrative is around the league, what type of injuries take place, how to affect the upcoming games and stuff. But then on the other side, you have the information that you have to pay attention to us about the selection of the GM and the head coach. And then initially everybody gets an opportunity.

Then you start looking at, Okay, this team's got a second interview on the candidate that you guys have already had an interview. And now that's like the third level of effect of the off season. From the jealousy of the playoffs, the idea that you have to interview a head coach, then all of a sudden, the real competition for the head coach when multiple interviews take place from these guys around the league. Let me touch on that

playoff jealousy a little bit more. I never used to be so crazy about that because I covered the Super Bowl, but I'm not going to be doing that, and I didn't last year, and so it was always a prep ration situation, right, You're preparating, you're preparing to get ready for the Super Bowl, and so you were keenly interested. But now it is it is total paid playoff jealousy. There's certain people certain teams I don't want to win because it's just gonna aggravate me to no end. And

I'm sure Bears fans feel the Stars fans feel the same. Yeah, But you know that's the thing about it is that's what you need to try to accomplish in the next move the Bears make up there is they got to figure out a way, shape, form plan going forward how they're going to come in here and compete for the division. Because you know, you, yeah, off in the horizon has always win the super Bowl, but you gotta start by

winning your division. And so I think that has to be an immediate goal, whether you know, no matter who's on any other team, as that's what you have to set your sights on. One wildcard team left San Francisco, forty nine Ers. They're going up to Green Bay. We'll touch on all the playoff games coming up this weekend in our last segment tonight. Coming up, we'll have, of course Jim Miller from Serious Sex MNFL Radio are weekly guest, and at six thirty the executive director of the upcoming

Senior Boat, Jim Nague, will join us as well. So lots of interviews with general manager candidates. They'll continue. More are expected here over the next couple of days as well. There's too many to go down the list. But the hardest part of it, and now you and I talked about it. It's one thing to say, oh, I'd love to have this guy. I'd love to have you know this guy as well for GM, But the pairing of

the two. How do you go about processing that with all these names and boiling down the right fit, right fit for your team, what your future franchise you want to look like. And it becomes a lot more difficult than just saying I want person xerson one person, don't you get you know, yeah, I just wish that somebody stood out above and beyond all the rest, in one one or the two GM or the head coach. And then you said, Okay, we don't want this guy to

leave our building. But now that we don't want him to leave the building, we're going to include him in our second half of our selection, because I just think that would be an important way to go about it.

You know, you don't want to be having an introduction to two candidates the first day they're on the job together, because you're talking about learning their roles, their new roles, if some of them haven't been head coaches before, their new roles, if they haven't been general managers before, and then trying to get to know each other in what their football background is and what their vision is of putting a division winning football team out there for the Bears.

A bunch of intriguing candidates, certainly on both sides of that fence, head coach, general manager, or if you prefer to say general manager, head coach. I think that's how most teams would want to look at things. But you're also competing. You're competing. The Giants are now through two rounds of interviews with their GM candidates, so they might be becoming and guys that the Bears have also talked to as well, So they're going to be making a decision,

possibly sooner rather than later. Do you feel any fret about that? I don't. I just want to have conviction on the choice of the person they're going to bring in here on both in both roles. Um, you know, do you do you want a first time guy that has no experience in dealing with the complexities that you deal with on an everyday basis. In terms of the

GM because there's candidates out there that have experience. But then if you get a guy in here that you want to bring in as a head coach and you feel he's the most responsible to get you where you're going, and I said, allow him to have an input on the GM. You know you have to, you have to trust him. But I would trust him because he's the guy that wants to succeed more than any any decision

you're making. And the Vikings also interviewing some of the same candidates as the Bears in four different cases here. So those gentlemen from the Cleveland Browns, Quesciadopho Mensa and Glenn Cook Manias and Ford from Tennessee and Elliott Wolf, the executive and consultant with the New England Patriots. How we're gonna step away. We'll be joined by Jim Miller here coming up next from Serious XM's NFL Radio with Tom Fair. I'm Jeff Joniac. This is Bears All Access

on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Welcome back to Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy. Choose clean energy for your home at IHS dot com because every good choice adds up to a Better World with Tom Fair, Jeff Joniac and now we welcome in our weekly guests from Serious x M NFL radios. Moving to James with Pat Kerwin. The one, the One, the One, the Only Bearers quarterback Jim Miller. Big Jim. I know you've played for a lot of teams, but you're Bears quarterback.

You're down with that. I am done with that, Jeff. So, yeah, excited for the offseason to get here. Certainly, have you know, excited about the divisional round of the playoffs. This is one of the greatest weekends a football I think you know it. The teams are right, the best eight teams are are left in these contests, and so it's gonna be a great weekend. Man. But yeah, always fired up for the off season. And you know, like everybody else

interested and what decisions are going to be made. Who you know, who slides in as a general manager and the head coach for the Bears, and you know, we'll see where it goes going to be. You know, there's eight openings, there's a lot going on, there's a lot of news flying around with all these interviews going on. But uh, you know, it's always interesting. There's never a dull moment. Let's put it that way. It is three

sixty five twenty four to seven in the NFL. The pods of candidates, there is certainly a cross pollination and some of these organizations. I just want to know what your thought is on the list that has been revealed by the Bears in terms of head coaches and gms and and how as this committee looks at all the positives and how do they pair the two that are

going to be right. And that's to me the biggest question. Yeah, Pat and I you know, we talked about a lot this week in what I understand some of the owners. I'm not saying this is the Bears, but you know, they wanted it to be the traditional model where they hire the general manager and the general manager hires the coach. And now multiple of these candidates have the same head coach in place, so they're almost thinking that they may have to change gears and lock up the coach first.

So you know, we'll see how it unfolds. I think. Obviously Dan Quinn is a very hot coach. I mean from what I saw, he had four interviews in the last forty eight hours, you know, and obviously Minnesota and the Bears, and I believe he just left South Florida, so you know the Miami Dolphins there in didn't. I know, Denver is extremely interested in Dan Quinn, so he to me, he seems like the hottest candidate right now of all

the coaches that are being considered right now. You know, I'd like to get both of your take on this. In the modern era of interviewing because of the pandemic, do you think that the whole zoom interview complicates it, prolongs it, or makes it more difficult to make the final position decision because you don't have initial eye contact. Will probably the second go around. Well, well, I think it's expanded the number of people that you're going to

talk to because it's efficient, right, Jim. I mean, you're you're able now to take care of a lot of the travel and coordination out of it, because even if these playoff coaches are at work, they can flip on a zoom call and bam, you can get a couple of hours. I think that's the max, right, a couple of hours, and then if you really if they strike a chord, if there's some connection, if there's some gut feeling then you bring them in. Yeah, I think that's

what it is. It's more peripheral and you know, kind of a feelout, you know, almost like a screening is what that is, what the video is or the you know, zoom in, whatever you want to call at that type of meeting. And that's from what I understand, that's what it's been for, you know, for the Giants and the other teams. You know, so it's just kind of screens

them and you go back. That's how Thomas Dimitroff got his general manager job with Atlanta, you know, because at that point the Patriots were in the playoffs and he did it all by zoom and it went pretty extensive from that standpoint. Now, I think how they've set them up with the first interviews, it's just more of a screening. What are you call it, speed dating however you want

to refer to it. It's very short, it's very you know, just gets to the finer points of, yeah, this is a guy we want to bring in for a second interview. You know, Jim, you get to talk to a lot of people around the NFL. Is there a tier to this group of coaches right now? Out there amongst the general public, not from the bears or just the general feeling, because you have a wider variety of people that you talk to that are involved in the business in so

many different way shapes and form. Is this a one tier two tier type of a group of head coach and gms or are they kind of all equal at this point in the selection. No. I think while you look at Dan Quinn and Peterson, Doug Peterson, they've led teams to super Bowls, right, So I do think that there's a reason why they're kind of leaders in the clubhouse. And at least from Peterson's standpoint, he's brought along young quarterbacks that we know has been a hot commodity around

the NFL. He has done that, you know, so I think from that standpoint that experience matters. But again, other teams want to go in that younger direction where they've got no problem, uh, you know, getting a guy who they think an up and comer, you know, whether it's a you know, Matt Lafloor. And that's how everybody's talking about this division around Matt Lafloor, Sean mcvagh, Kyle Shannon, they were all on the same staff. You know, and

they're looking at those, even Zach Taylor. You know, it's got a lot of love from that that they're young, up and coming coaches. I think if that's the direction the team is looking to go in, there's candidates from that standpoint as well. I mean, Luke Getsy, the quarterback coach for the Green Bay Packers getting interviewed now, is that Aaron Rodgers? Is that really the greatness of Luke Getsy?

You know, I don't know, you tell me so. Jordan Love didn't fare too well in my opinion down there in Kansas City with his first start, But you know, I think it's it's their coaching tree, their scheme, whether on offense or defense, that seems to be factoring in and into it where you say, hey, this guy could be the next up and comer from that quote unquote tree or family of coaches and where they've come from. Well,

what do you think? So does Floors and Kingsberry? Do they help this whole process or do they hurt the process because here they you know, one guy is a you know, had I don't know, a confused experience in Miami and the Arizona coach initially started had looked like a whiz kid. Then all of a sudden, you know, they went down the tubes at the end. So you know, when you look at their not only their future, but how do you project other guys in that same role,

do they hurt or help? Yeah? To me, for Flores, to me, it was all about relationships, you know down there from what I understand. I mean, it's not like he's I think everybody understands he's a really good coach, But why what deteriorated on those relationships? One your relationship with your star quarterback who's young, who you selected in the first round. Your relationship with your general manager, who you came in there with a long vision of what

you wanted to build there. And then look at the number of coaches he's gone through. There have been coaches that have left that staff. So I would have some question marks from from ownership standpoint of, hey, well what happened here? Well what happened here? Well, you know, how do you how did you want to bring along the

young quarterback? And some of those have been pretty public, and so I think you'd want to dive into those areas that are really critical to your team, especially when you got a young quarterback of your own in Justin Fields, who really is going to be the face of the franchise, and you want that to be a solid relationship moving forward, because let's be honest, Justin Field's not going anywhere. He's not going anywhere, and the coach who comes in there is going to have to be able to work with

Justin Fields. That's Jim Miller toomp there, Jeff Jonny yac Karan, Bears All Access DON Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The scarts brought to you by IGS Energy. We talked a lot about the head coaches, but the general managers are also a big part of this and how it paints the future for the Bears franchise. So there's a long

list that they've already interviewed. A few more on that list that probably have not been revealed yet, but from the in house candidate in Champ Kelly seven years with the organization, Assistant Director of Player Personnel Morocco Brown had some interviews obviously in the last couple of years. Familiarity with the organization, Jeff Ireland, Quesco Dopo Mensa, Glenn Cook, Monte Asenford, Elliott Wolf, Joe Shane ed Dodd's reportedly pulled his name out of the mix and Rancarton as recently

as yesterday with San Francisco. Is there any theme to this group, Jim from your perspective, because there is a lot of inexperience there in terms of being in that job before we talked about this last week. There aren't that many that have had the job before, So you're going to have a new blood here. Yeah, yeah, definitely probably the most experiences. Jeff Ireland. Right, he's done it, he's called the shots, he's rand drafts and things of

that nature. You'd like to know, you know, say, I'll give an example of say Brad Holmes, who's now the new GM up there for the Detroit Lions. From what I understand, he conducted the last eight drafts for the Rams, even though Less Sneat quote unquote is the de facto

GM for the Rams. But Brad Holmes ran all the drafts, you know, trading guys away, acquiring guys, moving up and down the players that they picked, you know, things of that nature, and obviously did a good job, you know, And so you're gonna want to dive into that about some of these new newbie candidates that are, whether they're assistant gms or a part of the player a scouting

department and things of that nature. Like Elliot wolf of you mentioned of the Patriots earlier, just how much experience they have, and I think that's why Brad he became very highly recommended, recommended where the Lions did that. They knew he had a background of conducting it and doing those draft So you know, all that's gonna come out, But you know, for a fact, just at face value,

Jeff Ireland's done it. He was in Miami, he was the GM there was with Mickey Loomis, who's terrific in New Orleans, and he's been the assistant GM there for quite a bit of time. So that is a season guy that knows talent and he probably comes with the most experience. If that's the direction the Bears are looking to go in, or do you want the newbie guys like you said, where you potentially could have some growing pains.

Time for a break here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score with Jim millertop there, Jeff Joniac coming up at the bottom of the hour, Jim Naggee from the Senior Bowl to talk about the college draft and the initial process of scouting the next wave of NFL players as we continue to break down the Bears look at head coach and general manager here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. This segment of Bears All

Access is brought to you by Athletical Physical Therapy. Visit Athletico dot com to request an appointment, clinic or virtually and start feeling better tomorrow With Tom There, Jeff Joniak, Jim Miller from sirius XM NFL Radio is moving the chains our special guest each week, let's talk beyond the head coach and GM search. Just some thoughts here on the Bears. I know Tom wanted to touch on some of this stuff last week. We didn't get to it,

so I'll start with you. Tom and Jim just jump in whenever, what do you want the Bears offensive identity to be or maybe phrased in a different way again, regardless of coach or general manager. YouTube guys are the guys who played the game what it should be. With Justin Fields, knowing he's the number one quarterback, I still think I'll should lift through David Montgomery and I'm gonna

include Khalil Herbert in that. So when you go to the line of scrimmage and you call the multiple plays within the huddle, you know a majority of the time, if it's a run, you know issued play, then it's going to start with David Montgomery obviously, but it's kind of got a excuse me, it's kind of got a feed off of that, whether it's play action or they see a coverage they can take advantage of, or even a play action fake to David Montgomery that puts Justin

in a more favorable throwing position and then keep your offense on the attack even though it goes through Dave Montgomery. When you go back and you look at the teams that have Super Bowl success, ultimately they average over twenty seven carries a game at about four point one yard to carry. So if your ultimate goal is to win a division, get yourself into the playoffs, into super Bowl caliber team, you have to have an identity and I don't think there has been any identity of the Bears

offense in the last couple of years. It was a week to week a game plan that they put together. Now you need that foundation, and I think as good as what Justin can be what Darnell and Cole Commet can be. I still think the foundation of your offense is Dave Montgomery and the offensive line. Yeah, and I think you look at all the teams in the NFC North, it's running the football. That's what Dan Campbell did for

the Lions is the best saver. Run the football. Since he's too taken over, he knows they need to run it. Look at Minnesota what they do with Dalvid Cook. Oh, wait for it, Green Bay their top ten running the football. They're top ten, all right. So Aaron Rodgers needed to me there's just there's a style of play that the Bears need to play. I think they're always going to

be good defensively. They've always, you know, had that feather in their cap, and I think no matter who comes in there, it's going to continue to be the process there. So I mean, again, run the football, protect a young quarterback. Isn't that what Philadelphia did with Jalen Hurtz for Week eight on who was better than them? They're in the playoffs and the Bears have a better defense. They can

do this and so and then expand the offense. You know, I just don't think that style of play in the NFC North, just wide open, chuck it all over the lot that it's not going to win your games, all right, Matthew Stafford in the Rams just won a game playoff game throwing the football seventeen times, seventeen times with a veteran quarterback who hasn't won in postseason. So it is about running the football. It's about protecting a young quarterback and let him grow. He'll be learning now a whole

new offense. No matter who comes in there, there's gonna be different terminology. It's gonna take time. He's no finished product and he's not gonna have a gold jacket and decant right now. So give him the best things that can help him out. A good defense, a running game, and put some weapons around him, and let the passing game, you know, grow as he grows as a quarterback, you know, and hopefully that's the case. I think that's what everybody, you know, hope unfolds. And maybe one day he will

be able to carry the team. But it's not right now. It's not now. And knock on wood, he stays healthy and so you don't have multiple quarterbacks going in there, there will be no debate he'll be the number one quarterback when the season begins and training camp begins, the offseason begins. Did the multiple quarterbacks? Do you think guys affect or challenge the identity definition? I think it affects

it definitely because you got different styles of play. I mean, Fields offers more than what Nick Foles than Andy Dalton could do, and he just brings different attributes to the position. And like anything else, when you're shuffling guys in and out of the lineup, especially at the quarterback position because he takes every snap, you know, it's you know that's difficult. You know, you got a different cadence, different things that they're good at in terms of play calls that you

run that everybody's different at. Because Fields can drive the ball. You know, I don't think that's the strength of a Dalton. He can make all the throws, but you know it's different than how Fields could do it. And that's the same for Nick Foles as well. So protections are different from that standpoint. To me, I would call totally different protections if Foles in there than what I would with

Dalton or Fields, because Fields in his escapable. You know, things are different from that standpoint, So yeah, I think it definitely affects it. You know, I think when you look at the very beginning of training camp, I think, as fans of the Bears, and as you know, even guys in the background like us, we always thought it was a two man quarterback game. It was Andy Dalton

and Justin and Nick was always in the background. So you're trying to formulate a plan that immediately best fit Andy Dalton in the Bears offense, and how could they go out there and compete. Unfortunately, he got hurt so early in the season. It almost made him transition to what they believe that Justin Fields was capable of doing.

And then they went into Cleveland and had an awful game plan form from the line of scrimmage downfield, what they're asking, that's a point right there, Tom, I mean, you go in there and running empty with a quarterback who's not ready to do it against that pass rush, I mean, that's you're looking for disaster, and that's exactly what happened. Yeah, I'm just saying that environment too. There. It was a difficult environment to start just in his

first game. All right, we gotta take a break coming up next Jim Neegi, the executive director of the rec Senior Bowl. Coming up next here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Welcome back to Bears All Access here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. This segment of Bears All Access brought t buy CDW people to get it with Tom Bear, Jeff Jonihak and Jim Miller from Sirius XM. NFL Radio is moving the chains

with Pat Kerwin. Shout out Boys to Jimmy Graham, the Bears tight end, a finalist one of the three boys for the Official NFL Salute to Service Award. And we know what he's done for veterans and how committed he is. He says he will always be that way. He's done some great stuff. But this is the eleventh annual award presented by USA. A tight end and fullback from the de Ver Broncos. Andrew Beck is also a finalist in Baltimore Raven former Braven. Uh. They call him legend Jim

Jared Johnson. So those are the three finalists. Well, yeah, congratulations to Jimmy Graham. And you know, has he made an announcement yet? Did he? Did he call it or no yet for Jimmy, I have not heard that, but uh, yeah, it's it's something that's possible. I would imagine. But tom uh, you know, he's had he had a great career. But it's stuff he does off the field that gets a

ton of attention as well. And you know, and he should still get credit for what he does on the field if you're looking the totality of a position and how it affects a team, and you may not have a Travis Kelsey playing short yardage and goal line or well, you know you will. I'm just trying to use a you know, a comparison. But when you look at Jimmy Graham in the red zone, what he does on the goal line, you know what he can do on on matchups that he know that he's favorable every time you

want to throw him the ball. You know, I never got tired of having Jimmy Graham here. There's a lot of people that wanted to sit here and say, oh, the game has passed him, buy and stuff. I don't

think there's a k that's the case. I think if you're looking at a team that has an offense that's interested in getting first downs, I think Jimmy Graham can fit into an offense, and if you put him into a Bill Belichick type of system where he loves the two tight end threat, he could always be a secondary tight end that would be an asset to your roster. We're waiting for Jim Naggi, the executive director of the recy Senior Bowl, to join us. We'll talk Senior Bowl

and get it some early. Look, I mean, I can't believe Jim because of all the different writers now out there, podcasts, you know, draft experts out there. There's already a ton of mock drafts and not even sure who's actually in the draft yet. Right Well, you know, we talked to it, started about it, I'd say about a month and a half ago. We invited Jim Naggie on because we'll be down covering the game, and so he comes on to announce obviously at you know, the Jets Robert Sala and

Detroit Lions Dan Campbell. They'll be down there to coach both what used to be the North and the South now it's the National and Americans. So Jim's made a lot of changes down there that really you know, helped incorporate the guys or what it's like to be at the next level in the NFL. You know, in terms of the draft coming up, I know this is a very deep tight end class. Jim said he could literally invited like fourteen tight ends. That's how the depth at

the tight end position. Typically, players are going to increase a round or two with how well they do during the week. Last week or last year was coveted by a lot of players to be there because of what covid. There was no combine, so players wanted to play in the game last year and it increased their draft stock. About ninety percent of the guys that are invited to

Mobile will get drafted. Like I said, a guy could start out as a third rounder, could move up to a late second or first rounder depending how they do Dona Mobile. It's a lot of one on one. It's how they practice. There's a lot of NFL principles and what the coaches and the general managers want to see. So I'm excited for it. They moved it over to South Alabama. They've got a great new stadium, and it's

a terrific week for the fans. They've got a concert on Friday and Saturday night, so it's terrific, and you've got Martagral going on. So you know, we're gonna let the man himself. We're gonna let the man himself tell us about it. How about it? We got him now? We got him now. The executive director of the rec Senior Boat, Jim Nagee, kind enough to join us for a sneak peak tonight here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score. This is BEARS All Access brought to

you by IGS Energy. Top there Jeff Joniak and Jim Miller and Jim Nagge. Jim Miller trumpeting your work on the Senior Bowl over the course of your time there as a long time NFL scout, but you've you've done great. And I love the fact that the hashtag on your Twitter account, which is at Jim Nagge underscore sp the Draft starts in Mobile and that could not be any truer than that. Jim, Yeah, guy, Sorry, Sorry, I I

was a little delayed. We just had a community service thing over in Pensacola with We've got about fifteen players training over here for the draft and for our game, and we just did a little thing over here and I just step outside We're at a Brazilian steakhouse with fifteen future Run Hope players. So they saw they saw us walking the door, and I don't think they were very happy. But so sorry I had to jump out of there. But no, I appreciate whatever Mills was saying

on the air. I appreciate what he was saying. Uh, you know, he's a senior Bowl alone. He played in the game, he knows, he knows the value of it, and we're just excited here to be kicking off here in a couple of weeks. Hey, Jim, So when I came out of college, I went to the hula ball. It was kind of like a reward game. Jackie Cheryl was our head coach. Dan Marina was our quarterback, and we threw the ball a lot and we had a

lot of fun and practice. However, when when you look at these guys and you get a chance to see them eye to eye after a couple of practices, is this the first recognition of the quote unquote speed of the game, Because that's everything they're gonna be talking about their first two or three weeks when they go to training camp in an NFL. But I gotta believe this is faster football than they've ever seen up into this

point in their life. Yeah, there's no doubt. I mean, in time you bring up Marino playing in the Hulah Bawl, he also played in the Senior Bowl, which tells you that that was a very different era because I don't think we're you would get you would get a first round quarterback playing in multiple All Star games anymore. But uh no, it really is. You know, obviously it is for guys like like Quinn Miners from Wisconsin Whitewater Division three school last year. Um, you know, obviously waste be

the game, speed it up, set up. But with all these guys, even if you're if you are an SEC player, UM, I mean, these practices are intense. I mean there's there's you're going against NFL guy after NFL guy, high one after you know, one rep after another. So it's an intense week, it really is, um, and things happen fast and the coaches coach at a faster pace, and um, yeah it is an intense week. And it's an intense week both on the field and off the field. I mean,

just I mean, you guys have been through that. They're learning new new playbook, learning new teammates interviews all night. I mean, it's it's really a lot on these players. But I think that's also part of the evaluation process for the NFL teams is which guys can manage the week, which guys can handle it, which which guys struggle with it, because as you know, that's such a big part when they when they get to a team like the Bears

in the offseason. I mean, those rookies they think or swim based stuff if they're ready to be pros, and that's more of being pros off the field. So um, that's all kind of built in the Senior Bowl week is which guys can which guys can manage the stress of it? Hard to believe just over a little over two weeks away, fifteen days, seventeen hours, Jimmy, So I'm fired up for you. You know that. Well, I tried to explain to all the Bears fans that are listening

to Bears All Access. I mean, typically about ninety percent of the guys get drafted, is what I said. And guys can they can really improve their stock, you know, the talk about a round or two guys could potentially jump, like he said, with how they present themselves as pros and their play on the field. Yeah again, Mills, I think at all different levels of the draft. I brought up Quinn Miners a second ago. You know, the guy

came in. Um, he's really the only time we've we try to try to stick to about the fifth round in terms of our draft grades and in inviting players. UM, but Quinn, we we kind of deviated from that. I just felt like the kid needed a chance. They didn't have a season last year at Whitewater. He was training with Ray shawns Later you know, right in your backyard Northwestern player. Um. And yeah, I said there there. The

agent did a great job. He just was, you know, sending me videos all fallow, those two guys training next to each other. So I just I felt like Quinn would have a good week, and obviously he went. He went the third round. So we went from you know, probably not even getting drafted or being a seventh round picked to the third round. I think Terry mcclorin's a good example. A couple of years ago, everyone kind of

saw Terry as a special teams player. He came down here most of the league at fifth and sixth round grades on Terry he ends up in the third round. You know, now, in hindsight, he should probably should have been a first rounder. And then you look, you know, you just look in the like a Darius Tony last year came down probably somewhere in the thirty to forty five range and he goes twenty overall, and you know you jumped ten or fifteen in that part of the draft.

You're talking about millions of dollars. So, um, no matter what level of the draft you're at, all these guys can really help themselves. Senior Ball Executive Director Jim Nagiar guest here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. This is Bears All Access. I'm Jeff jonny Ac with Tom There and Jim Miller from Serious XM NFL Radio.

So is this a political process a little bit in selecting or do you just trust your eyes as a scout, a veteran scout and your staff or are the agents like you alluded to with Miners, they are they in your ear really early on in the process as you go through this and try and select with a one hundred and ten guys that are going to be going. Yeah, that's that's a great question. Um, and you know that's something that I was warned about going into the into

the position that the agents do. That did play a huge part in it. And I'll say this, we you know, we didn't have tape in the office when I got there, which was shocking to me that they All Star games, that the league office had never given access to tape to All Star games. And I wasn't going to do the job I'll being able to put my eyeballs on players. I mean, that's just not that's not the right way

to do it, because then it does become political. So, um, you know, we've hired I've hired a different staff every year, former NFL scouts kind of guys, guys that get let go m in the previous hiring cycle, firing cycle, which you know, there might be some Bears guys let go this year that could end up working for the Senior Bowl next year. But we try to get an experienced staff.

We had one hundred and twenty years of experience this year. Um, obviously you know spent my twenty years in the league, and so we just tried to do it the right way. And then at the end of the process, when we get to November ready to invite players. Um, there's no ego in this. Of course, you know we're going to

miss on players too. So that's where the relationships come in with the NFL, and you know, guys that came into the league with that are now most of the most of the guys that came in with our general managers out of them. So then we just go position by position. We have really you know, exhaustive phone calls with these teams trying to figure out who they want

because the rosters are for them. So yeah, if we get in those conversations and our staff has a guy graded a little higher than they do and they want to see someone else, will will obviously defer to what the league wants to see. But that's that's kind of our process in a nutshell. But doing our own work

really takes the politics out of it. You know, Jim, are you at a disadvantage though because you don't know the coaching staffs until this portion of the year, and specifically about the quarterback position because you got runners and you got throwers, you got Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, those types, justin fields, Jalen Hurds, Zach Wilson, Baker Mayfield

and those types. So is it difficult to pick that position specifically because you don't know the coaching staffs that are coming in And do you have more than one system? If there's two quarterbacks that are drastically different? Now those are those are really good questions. Now, I mean we just stick to the straight orderback evaluation and we take them off the board as we have him graded. Um, yeah,

it certainly would be nice to know. Um, but again, we're we're we're we're picking these players for all thirty two teams, so regardless of who's coaching the game, Um, they need to they need to be graded well for all thirty two teams because that's who we're that's who we're catering to, not just the teams that end up coaching. But you're right, Um, it is, it is. You know, it would be nice in some instances, and when it comes down to the roster right now, I mean we're

kind of in the process. We're losing some players right now. We're we're I'm getting calls from agents that you know, hey, my guy played in the Bowl game and he got hurt, and you know, we don't think he's gonna be able to get back. So now we're we're plugging some holes in the roster. And now that the teams are in place, now I now I am directly dealing with the Detroit

Lions and the New York Jets. When we come to filling our holes, um again, those phone calls will will be like if we lose a safety, you know, I'll call up the general manager of that club and say, hey, these are the next couple of safeties we've got, you know, stacked on our board. You know, do you like either of those guys or there's someone else? And that's when we start working in hand in hand with trying to plug them in guys they want. But up until that time,

we're really just picking players for all thirty two. Jim could you give the listeners the Bears fans out there areas of depth at positions in this year. I remember, I think last week you said you literally could have invited like fourteen tight ends to this year's Senior Bowl. What are strengths strength positions in this year's draft? Do you think, Yeah, Jimmy, you hit it with the tight ends. I mean, that's that's been that's been a tough position.

In the last couple of years, we've struggled to bring six Toomobile that we feel good about, you know, solidly being drafted in that that top five round rage that I talked about this year. Yeah, I mean it's more than double that we could have went to twelve or fourteen. Um. I think offensive tackle is a really good group. You're gonna see guys like like Trevor Penning from Northern Iowa and Darren Kinnard from Kentucky. UM, some really good ones

down in Mobile. There's some juniors in that mix that are that are going to be first round picked. So so tackle is a good class. Um. You know, you flip it to just to the ed rush category, whether that's outside linebacker like a pure edge player. UM, there's some there. There's some pass rush pass rush depth in this class. You know, the Bears got got Gibson from from Tulsa out of the Senior Bowl a couple of

years ago in the fifth round. Looks like it could be a steal of a pick um for for Ryan Pace. There's gonna be those guys in the fourth or fifth round of this draft that'll come in and could be a six eight. You know nine that that guy pretty early in their careers. Jim Nagie, our guest a couple of minutes left with the Senior Bowl executive director here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the score you already met. Yeah,

I had a couple of names on my list. Penning was one of them because he's a big dude from Northern Iowa that's underrated football program. I'm a cyclone, Okay, I gotta fest it up. I'm a cyclone. So I'm glad Jolie Charlie Cohlar is in there. Um. But the Daniel Fallee, the tackle from Minnesota Tom, I know we've talked about him, six nine, three eighty. I don't know if he's gonna tip the scales at that. What do scouts say? What did your eyes tell you about him?

Beyond the size, Well, he's got rare size. Anyone has a rare trait. You know, you got to take him seriously. He's very nimble for a big man. What really sticks out for a guy that's six foot nine in his path level, this guy can really bend. I mean, it's not out of the question. He could play guard. I'm just I'm being. If you go to some goal line package stuff. This guy's coming off the ball lower than the other guys on that Minnesota offensive line who are

six three. So you know there is some question as he more of a guard is a tackle. I think you could play guard. He's a big, powerful human being. You know, I can't remember a player that's that big coming out. I mean, it predates my scouting time, but I do remember Aaron Gibson from Wisconsin, the former Detroit Lions number one overall pick. I mean he was around four hovering around four hundred. I think Daniel right now might be in that range. Just a huge human being

and a very talented one. You know, he's from Australia. I think he's kind of just scratching the surface. I think, you know, he's got a chance to be a high end right tackle in the league. But I wouldn't rule out guard just because he's been so well. Jimmy, you know, you're you're having an All Star game and protecting a lot of players and watching a lot of college football. I watch a lot of football. I see all these

guys wearing no knee pads anymore. Is that something that you can enforce is that something that you can enforce or it's like, Okay, this is your first pro game, you gotta do what you want to do. Because I think this no knee pad thing is really harmful to a lot of guys coming up. Uh you're yeah, and you're speaking to a to a dat of a son in the high school player that thinks he wants to look cool like those guys and tries to pull that up himself. So um, No, it's you know, honestly, it's

it's nothing that we really overly enforce. I mean, the NFL officials on game day will have kind of the same crew that that enforces stuff for the NFL on game day. So um, but in practice, it's hard to go up to a guy that's come down to an All Star game and tell him to, you know, pull his pants down or something like that. So that that's a tough one. Well, it is a great week down to Mobile if anybody wants to travel. You've got the concert set up for for I believe late in the week.

You've got the players doing all the things in the community, and plus you have Marta Rock going on. Just the atmosphere leading up to the game is great. Jim, So maybe just touch on that if anybody wants to come down and enjoy a week in Mobile. Yeah, that's really been a goal Mills. I appreciate you bringing that up. I think it's something that we haven't done great as a game in the past. Um, it's really marked our game to the fan base because I think it's such

a unique time. Mobile's not a not a very big town. Um, the whole NFL descends on the city. We've got over a nine NFL guys. Sou You can walk up at down Dolphin Street and in which is kind of the main Dragon town where our headquarters is, and just walking to a bar and there'll be three head coaches sitting there drinking a beer together. So it's for a fan that's you know, that's pretty cool. Our practices are wide open,

Like you said, Mills. On Tuesday night, we have a Senior Bowl Thumbit event kind of a panel style event at an old historic theater down on Mobile with Kirk kerb Streets moderating. It's gonna be Nick Saban, Brian Harson, melt Tucker, James Franklin, some great college coaches, and you said Friday, we've got our players, Marty Gross parade because Marti Gross, you know, Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Grosse. Or our players are gonna have a Mardi Grass parade,

throwing autograph football all through downtown Mobile. That's gonna be a blast. And then yeah, Friday night to the concert with Portugal the Man, Downtown Free Concert, Downtown Mobile and Cathedral Square and then game on Saturday. So it really, you know, it's a great football if you're a football fan and you love it, you're passionate about it, you come down Thursday, catch practice and do all those other events.

It really and I sound really bias it in the chair that I'm in right now, but it is like a football if it's a football fans paradise because you're you're immersed in NFL culture, which which you never ever get. You can go to the Combine in Indie, but Indie's a huge city, like this is a small account and the whole NFL is there. So just just a really unique time. I'd encourage any fan up there that hasn't been down to Mobile, come make the trip. You won't

regret it. Appreciate the passion that you bring to the table. I mean, this is this is what it's all about. The love of the game and passion is a big part of it. So appreciate your time. Hopefully get you on again shortly before the draft if you have the time, because you will be busy, appreciate it. Jim No, I appreciate guys, I'll have the time, and good luck with the GM and coach start. I hope, I hope you get two good guys. We do too, We do too.

The confidence is key right now. Hopefully it will turn out great. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Naggie. Time for a break with Tom There, Jeff Jonyak and Jim Miller run series on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy The Score back with you on Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy. A few more minutes to go with Tom There, Jeff jony Act, Jim Miller from Serious XM NFL Radio. Jim, real quick, we're gonna talk to playoff games here. But two key positions in the draft that

can produce starters in any round for the Bears. What positions would you be dialing into. Oh, definitely, Like you said, this is a tackle group. I think that's going to be presented donomobile tight end group. Like he said, it's it's the best it's in a long time. Like you said,

he would scramble to get six. There's literally fourteen guys that can play, that can play and so and like you said, edge rushers, you know, if it's a situational type thing where you can get a guy in a key situation on a third down, if you've got to rotate in or have a rotational player, I think, I mean, just look at the young rushers and how well they played this year. Ojulari, you know, he had a nice

year for the for the New York Giants. So I love the kid that they drafted up there in Buffalo. So I think pass rushers is always a good bet. You know that you can get a guy that can make an impact, and you know minimum if you're getting a rookie getting eight nine sacks. I mean, I know Micah Parsons is a is a first round draft pick. Dude, that guy's All pros first year. You know Penn State. You know that not only as a linebacker, but as a as an edge rushing defensive end is what dan

Quinn put him at. And he had an instant impact from that standpoint for Dallas, so yeah, right away. And of course receivers. I think this year, I don't think this receiver's class is as good as last year's. But look at the guys that he mentioned. Kadarius Tony led the New York Giants. Look what Jamar Chase is doing for Cincinnati. My goodness, you know, so good receiver class and guys that can come in and play. Right away, Tim, I'm about positions for you that impact the Bears here.

You know, looking at what their draft choice or what their selections are, I think you could go out there and find a safety and a playmaking defensive tackle. And you know, you look at some of those guys from the bigger schools, the bigger programs, and you look at what they can do to insert themselves. Immediately. Give me a safety, give me a defensive tackle. With the Bears draft choices, I'll be happy. You're gonna have to look at corner for sure, no question about it. All right,

NFL playoffs. This weekend division around is Jim alluded to at the top of the show. It's always, in my opinion, the best weekend. So let's let's start in the af See Buffalo at Kansas City. Uh Steve Speck No, I see his quote today. They're trying to do trackle tackle drills because they gotta tackle. Josh Allen Jim, we don't have a lot of time, so you gotta be cool. I will be taking Buffalo. He's a hot quarterback. This could come down to who's got the ball last. Both

quarterbacks are playing out of their minds right now. I'm going Buffalo. Tennessee hosting Cincinnati tomorrow. Decision tomorrow, Jim. On Derrick Henry, do you think he'll play? He's playing in I got Tennessee in the in that ball game. They're they're to me, they're the better team all the way. That decision is not being made tomorrow. For goshly that thing. I'm looking I'm riding Derrick Henry all way to the

Super Bowl, all right? Green Bay hosting San Francisco. Looks like the Packers could get Zadarius Smith back, Box Tri back, Jaire Alexander back, Whitney Merciless back. Jim, where are you going? Because the forty nine ers still have some guys questionable too, including Nick Bosa. Looks like he'll be out of the concussion protocol but where do you see that thing going. Yeah, he's playing, but Packers are healthier. Aaron Rodgers could be, you know, winning back to back. M VP's playing at

a high level of Green Bay. I will take at home in Lambau to Aaron Rodgers has been the number one seed five times and he's lost the first four. So I'm listen. I'm not pulling for Aaron Rodgers or the Green Bay Packers, but the temperature I think it'll change the ferociousness of what we've seen out of San Francisco up into this point. All right, So what you're saying is Packers. Yeah, Tampa Rams to me the most difficult one to handicap because LA is feeling good about

themselves right now. Jim, I know t TB twelve is still cooking, but his offensive line little banked up, a little banged up. Where you going, healthy, cam Akers? But yeah, I'm still gonna go with Todd Bowles in that defense. I think they'll shut it down and they'll get a turnover to Matthew Stafford. Give me Tampa Bay at home. It's not gonna come down to TB. It's gonna come down to tw and that's Tristan Worth's the right tackle of Tampa Bay. If he's not healthy, they can't win.

That's Tom there. Jim Miller, thanks boys, appreciate it. Talking next week, Jim sounds good man, And thanks to our producers here of course, Dan Bili and Jordan Trentup and Brian Callahan for helping us out here in the Score studios. We'll talk to you next week. Thanks to our guests Jim Miller and executive director of the Senior Boat Jim Naggie. Thanks you all for listening, and this is it for Bears All Access on this Thursday night on Chicago Sports

Radio six seventy to Score. Good night, everybody, thanks for listening to this Chicago Bears Network presentation of Bears All Access. Podcasts are available on Chicago Bears dot com and on iTunes or download the official Bears mobile app. Bears All Access has been brought to you by IGS Energy and sponsored by Miller Lite