Ifedi and Pineiro talk season start | All Access

Jeff Jonny Act, Top Bear, Jim mellerback with you and our weekly edition of Bears at Access brought to you by IGS Energy with Tom There, Jim Beler, I'm Jeff, jonyac our producer Tonight, Adam Stezinski and our Scores Studios and Jordan tread Up, Dan Burley, Thanks is always coming up at six ten New Bears offensive. I'm in Jamaineffetti six thirty. We're booked with Eddie pinetto the second year kicker as he prepares for twenty twenty. Fellas, how are

we doing the night? All sorts of info going on across I'm just gonna say football in general, just now the NFL. We're also looking at the college game because the reverberations are clear. It affects the NFL and in their various ways into certain determining what's gonna go on here Tommy and Jim. But overall just trying to get to camp nineteen days away. But not everybody believes that will happen exactly on time. No, but everybody knows if

it's gonna be pushed back or what. But the union working with the NFL and the owners and trying to figure out what the best plan is it is, you know, it's that way across the board. It's that way across the landscape of football. My brothers the freshman coach here and Joliet and they started their program on Tuesday, and it's social distancing practicing. It's the get kids more of a combine atmosphere where they're learning about their feet, they're

learning about their talents. And I think, did you go out there, Yeah, you go out there and you know, take a look at them minutes. You know, it's just kind of you can see the excitement in kids at age. So all right, let's bring it up to the college and NFL level. Because again I've always said, you have to have some plans in place to the protocol of football because there's so much distance, so many people involved. So if it goes according to plan, then then that's

the best case scenario. But if they have to make adjustments along the way, there has to be a starting point and they have to have alternate plans in place in case the best or the worst case scenario presents itself. Jam NFLPA president JT. Tredder writing on the NFLPA website, sending it out on Twitter to players, you know, he still has a lot of concerns, says the union doesn't want to play the preseason and they feel they need to know prioritize players safety, and he believes that that

they're not there yet in negotiations the NFL. What are you hearing from your sources and what's what's your opinion on JC at this point? Yeah, I think, well, you know, I think he's right. There's a lot of questions that continue to come up from that standpoint. Once you've come to an agreement on one issue, there's like eight others that I think pop up. The other pro sports have elected to do opt outs for the most part, I don't think a lot of you know, NBA players or

pro baseball players have really opted out. The guys that have are due to other injuries and things like that, but their seasons is going to be shortened. We know it from that standpoint, So I think that option is still on the table, whether they agree to no preseason at all. I think the NFL's vision of the preseason, even though it's cut to two games, they want each team to have a home in a way dry run,

meaning how are you going to travel these players? Because I think everybody knows you're gonna have to travel more players, right, Let's god forbid. If you're out there in an away game in the night before game, the players are tested and two guys maybe come up positive with COVID nineteen, so you're probably gonna have to take your entire practice squad,

I would believe for these teams. So I think the NFL wants the teams to have a dry run and just how they handle it checking into the hotel, how are they going to handle all these things because teams are going to be highly responsible from that in the charter flights and the distancing and all those type of things. I think the NFL wants a dry run. I don't

know where it's going. I think they would like that to happen, whether they can come to an agreement, because I know a lot of those young players probably want a chance to be evaluated, you know, rather than just going into a training camp practice and they don't see them in live action at all. So I still think

plenty of things need to be discussed. We're about what three weeks away, Jeff, and we'll see if some things really fall by the weightside as they continue to pick these But they are talking, and the other two sports have agreed, and I would think these two will come to an agreement as well. And NFL teams apparently, according to reports today, no postgame interactions within six feet of each player and jersey exchanges will not be for per

minute during the twenty twenty season. We'll talk about some things now as the Bears get ready for their training camp with Jermaine Fetting coming up next at six ten Edipanero at the bottom of the hour. There Jim and time. I'm Jeff jony Ak. This is Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Welcome back to Bears All Access. It's brought to you by IGS Energy, a proud partner of

the Chicago Bears. You're finding electricity, natural gas, and home warranty products to over one million customers across the country. Learn more about IGS Energy at igs dot com. Jeff Joni Act top Day or Jim Miller and I couldn't quite hear our producer Adam Stadzinski, But do we have our guy on the line? Not quite yet. Okay, we're gonna get jermyn Effetti joining us here and Eddie Pinnett are also at the bottom of the hour as we get ready for what we hope to be a camp

that starts on time up at Hollis Hall. Lots of things to discuss around the league today and and just some you know time you said it last year at this time we just were wrapping up probably a few weeks after the Bears one hundred, you said this was this was the time for rankings and every single day without the benefit of games going on just yet the NBA, Major League Baseball soccer blah blah blah. That's all getting going. But a lot about poles and rankings and how everybody

feels about it. And we could go through these things over and over and over again. But one caught my attention today. It was on the top ten running backs scoring to with ESPM poll with fifty NFL personnel Top ten running backs Jim and Tom sae quon number one, Christian McCaffrey, Zeke Elliott Kamara, and Derrick Henry, followed by Dalvin Cook, Nick Chubb, Joe Mix and Josh Jacobs and Levian Bell. So my question to you is if in fact, you guys feel that's pretty much a good representation of

the running game. We want to see more from the running game here in twenty twenty. Can you start to see David Montgomery slip into this this group top fifteen or so? And the commonality for me on these guys is a dynamism that includes catching the football. Yeah, you gotta be multiple dimensional now when you're playing running back in the NFL. I think if you'd put one guy in that group, Derrick Henry, he's probably the most powerful running back right now in the NFL. Is he too

much one dimensional? Or is he is explosive in his running game and what he can do by catching the ball to to be that assistant running back. But there's a lot of there's a you know, you can't even put Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry in the same sentence, in the same comparison, because they're so different. Say, Quon Barkley is more of a realistic comparison to Derrick Henry than Christian McCaffrey, because Christian McCaffrey is more like a

Swiss army knife. He's multidimensional. He can he can line up everywhere, so can all those other running backs. However, I just think there's a little difference in Derrick Henry when you're talking about a running back. Big Jim, Let let me interrupt you, because I don't want to keep Jermaine on the line. He is joining us now we'll get your thoughts on the running back thing coming up. Jim, you could have the first question since I cut you off.

But Jermain Effettie, thanks for joining us tonight. How you doing, How things going where yet? And uh what's your mindset right now? A few weeks nineteen days before what we all hope is to start as training camp. I'm good, I'm good, Thanks having me on. Um, I'm still down here Houston. Uh, you know, getting prepared to uh make that move up there. Uh, and I see in a couple of weeks and uh you know, just excited to get started. You know, hopefully, hopefully we can figure things

out and report on that date. But you know, we're we're all just kind of waiting to seeing at this point. Yeah, you're you're right, Germaine one, Jim Miller here, welcome to the Chicago Bears and come with a lot of experience. But I guess any apprehension all from that standpoint, you know, about reporting to camp, to travel from Houston to Chicago and and just everything that is on going there, any

thoughts in concerns. I think everybody wants to play. Every player I've talked to, they want to get back to work. They want to play football. There's no doubt about that. But what anxiety maybe is going through your mind? Yeah, no, I mean there's no apprehension. Uh, we just uh like you said, um, most players are ready to get back and want to want to start playing. You know, most thasu league haven't had a layoff this loan far in

since ope enter or something in their entire career. Is not being able to doing your teammates and get into those meetings and all that. So you know, we're all excited to get started. Uh. You know, you know the risk associating with traveling and doing all that. But you know, you just exercise all the precautions that we've all been trying to exercise you by a few months in and just hope for the best. Hey, Jermain, this top there.

I spent my whole career at right guard and you know, and then they're talking about you moving into the guard position. They also talked about how the offensive line has to be a lot more physical and there's ease even gonna be that type of challenge in training camp. Jermye, do you think that you can bring a more physical approach to football from that interior position? Not because I mean because there's a lot more moving, a lot more trapping, a lot more pulling, You're hitting a lot more body.

So can you add that element of a physical style if you do move inside to offense of guard? Yeah, you know it's that's always been That's always been a staple of my game. You know, big physical, uh, you know, getting hands on guys, just uh, trying to finish. You know, that's the that's the key, that's the key of you know, I heard that talking about the run game. You know, a successful run game and committing to it and just

having that mindset. Uh you know, you know we'd all love to pass, block into all that stuff, but uh, you know, running the ball. Yeah, good to run the ball because that that softens the defense and it makes them, it makes them, uh have to have to play on it's have to respect you and uh, you know, I do believe that. You know that that's a lot of

us in my game. What's my DNA. We've had a my last couple of years, we've had top five rushing attacks and uh, you know, we we we really took pride in that and being able to run the ball. You know, when the other team knows we want to run the ball, we still able to run the ball. So as we've been introduced to Walker Steel throughout the season and we got to listen to him on a zoom conference. He repeatedly pounded the desk and talked about how you guys are going to do things repetitiously time

and time again, that's how you learn them. So in the modern day of offseason football, when you're when you're in a zoom call and you're trying to learn how your center feels about certain combination blocks or how your offensive tackle, feels about combination blocks. Can you get a feel for that, um from the experiences that you've already had in the league sixty game, sixty starts, which is

really impressive. Can you get a feel for your working mates throughout the course of zoom meetings and that type of contact. Yeah, and you know that's that's a that's a part of it as a part of you just uh, you know, getting to learn those concepts and different schemes together. But also it's film study. You know, I've I've study the guys I'll be playing with expensively hot study how they play. And you know that's a's a more of

the solid group. You know, they they know they they bring a ton of experience and uh, you know you play enough, you play enough football, you know, Um, there's never gonna be oh I'm not comfortable playing xt this guy, I'm not coming to playing with this guy, you know, looking always ad because you just have that experience, he's been able to adapt to playing with different guys. You know, because on the offensive line, Uh, there there are a lot of injuries, so people do have to sub in

and out quite a bit. So uh, you know, you get used to it and you lean on your experience, and you lean on what you've always known, just playing ball and communicating. Jermaine Fetti, our guest here on Bears All Access the Bears, competing for the starting right guard job for the Bears in twenty twenty with Tom There, Jim Miller, I'm Jeff joniak. I'm gonna go back to the Russian game because I'm old school. I love it.

I know the league is what it is. Nickel defenses on the field most of the time because the three wides and whatnot. But you know, you you open the door for me because Seattle number one of the league and eighteen. You guys have average one hundred and sixty yards a game on the ground last year, fourth in the league. Don't have exact numbers in terms of what that was per game, but I think it was it was one thirty seven and a half a game, So big boost the last two years in Seattle, the previous

two years ranking in the twenties. What was the big difference in your running game and what did you gather from it as a as still a young player in this league and still trying to U continue to grow as a as a guy that's ready to start a new journey here with the Bears. You know, it was more it was more about us just committing to it. Uh, guys knowing, Okay, we have to be able to run it. That's gonna be our identity to be physical. And it's not you know, it's not always the not always the

prettiest things. I'm always the funniest thing. Doesn't feel great, but you learn a lot to do it. You learned a lot to impose your dominance on the defense, and that's how you're able to wear out, wear down NFL decens is I know. Um, you know the quarterbacks all put up fancy stats and and throw the ball around.

That's cool too, but when it's time to run it, you know, you have the offensive line has to be able to say, all right, we're gonna run it, and um, we're gonna give our backs room to do their thing because we have dynamic backs back there. And I once you had that mindset day in the day out, you just work it over and over and over again. The results are didn't come. The results are gonna come, and you can lean on it and it just opens up

everything in the passing game so much. It takes It takes so much pressure off of everyone to play easier, to call plays. The quarterbacks doesn't have to worry about as much. So it takes it takes the pressure off of everybody. And you know, as offensive line, you got to be going forward and and and hitting guys, and you know, having to go back in and pass the tech because you can't run it. You know you want to.

You want to passing tech because you because that's just the next option, not because you have to because you're not either run the ball. And I know on is all in on us get back to that, and I know the group in the room is more than ready to take on that challenge. And you're definitely ready because for the listeners out there, Seattle Seahawks last year they were committed to run the football. They're attempts four hundred and eighty one rushing attempts at his third most in

the NFL. And just maybe just talk about that, that type of commitment and knowing, like you said, it's coming and Pete Carroll is going to continue to call it and that's not what's it in your mindset as a as an offensive lineman, and just how you guys practice out there. I was always amazed. You mean, how quickly the high paced practices you guys had as Seattle, And how have you incorporated that maybe into your offseason training

so you show up in tip top for the Bears. Yeah, you know, it's it's an everyday It's an everyday commitment. It's an everyday type of type of work because it takes a different type of energy system to be able to run it and run it and uh running some more. You know, it takes it takes a different type of interstance. Man. You have to prepare that way, so about it's all about preparation and then on game day you're able to make it. It almost is easy because you've done it

so much. You've you put it in the hard days. And that's what it's been like this offseason, just with the extra time to be able to learn the playbook and uh noah one is installing and uh know all the schemes and all that. Uh and it's it's stuff i've you know, stuff I have in my path. So it's just about, okay, getting your body ready to dish out that punishment to the decense because like you said, four under eighty one times Uh, you know, it's that's it.

That's it. That's a fair amount of running the ball and with having to throw it also, so uh you you you just you prepare, you know, it's it's preparation, like one or said, doing it over and over and over again is when you start finding your results and you start finding that consistency and doing it. You're main petty. Thanks for you. I guess my friend will see you soon.

Stay safe down there, and I know it's a very serious time obviously, but hopefully you'll find a little bit of enjoyment with you and your family and maybe some teammates down there. Be good. We'll see you soon. Yes, sir, thank God for having me. JERMAINEA fetti, Thank you for your time. For Tom There, Jim Miller. This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy eight The Score. Back with you on Bears All Access Jeff joni Ac

along with Tom There. Jim Miller just heard from Bears guard Jermaine Affetty, mostly a tackle in his NFL career over eleven hundred snaps last season with the Seattle Seahawks. Back with you as we wait. Eddie Pinetto at the bottom of the hour short segment here before we head over to the kicker down in Florida. But your impressions fellas of Jermaine and you know what's the what's the big step for him? Now? After a career in Seattle that started off his first pro contract for four years,

you know there's a lot. You know, you're gonna change your stance, You're gonna take change your responsibilities. You're gonna change the option of working with several different people. According to the position you played, offensive tackle. They always say you're on an island, and so that means you have a lot of individual responsibilities, either at the point of attack or away from it. I'm really excited because you when you listen to Wan Castill talk about him, he

just talks about the size of these guys. Three hundred and twenty five pounds plus twenty five twenty six years old, already has sixty starts in the NFL. That's an impressive resume to come here to fill the void of a position they really need someone to be involved in. Yeah, he's a big guy. He's definitely going to help in the run game. I mentioned how committed Seattle Seahawks are to run game, but making that transition into guard as

time will mention, that always happens quicker inside. And for Jermaine, a lot of it's just been about the penalties. You know, he's got to clean up the penalties. Had far too many penalties, whether it's false starts, holdings, things like that. So he's got to focus in and play his best football and eliminate some of those penalties that that really, you know, cause your offense to shoot their foot early in the downs. Do you guys like his mindset from

what you're listening to, absolutely? Yeah. You know what I like about his mindset, Jim is the fact that if a guy comes in and he's got the pressure that he's got to play quickly because he's a draft choice. But then he steps in there and he plays every single game. And he talked about the injuries on the offensive line, and he's able to adapt. So I'm really excited that the Bears brought in some experience again to come in here and compete on this. You know, in

the offensive line. Yeah, that's been a Hey, that's been a good running team out there and see it and you know, passing the football too. Russell Wilson's a talented guy, and you know he's capable of doing both. He's got the talent and he's got the ability. And even with the penalties. You know, when you look at Pete Carroll, they knew he was the most talented guy that they had to have out there. So he's just got to you know, he's not a finished product. I think we

all know that about Germina Fetti. He's looking to take the next step forward in his career. He's got all the ability to do it, and now let's see if he can put it to work for the Chicago Bears. Eddie panetto coming up here at the bottom of the hour. Jeff, Tom and Jim with you on Bears All Access. Hey, I found a story today. Jim. This is for you

because of your relationship with Marty Booker. Mina Chimes from ESPN wrote a big, long story about the Fade to the End Zone, which is, in her opinion and her research, a dying play in the National Football League. But they interviewed a bunch of people, including your former wide receivers coach, who said that he cooked up a route that he sweared by called the fall Asleep fade in which Marty Booker would fade a block before springing for the back

corner of the end zone. Do you remember this, this is this something of accuracy. Yeah. We unveiled it against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lull their corners to sleep and Marty got one foot in. We called it down at the one yard line and Marty did. He lulled the Tampa Bay secondary into sleep. I believe it was Barber's brother, Ronde Barber that he put the fallow fall asleep fade to work and Marty, you know, they were

At first the officials called it a touchdown. Then they wanted to review it, and sure enough, Marty Booker toe tapped it and got both feet in for the touchdown. But we worked on that play all week and Todd Haley was bragging about it, the fall asleep fade to trust me, this is gonna work, this is gonna be great. And sure enough, and that paid huge dividends in that game and we were able to beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was great. You know they're doing though it's a wide receivers are taking a little bit of credit from the tight ends coach Jim because you know, they always have that backside fall down tight end play act like you're blocking fall down. Let the quarterback in the open. Then he comes across and you hit him because he's unsuspectedly uncovered because they think he fell down by accident,

not on purpose. So it's just kind of like stealing it from one position to the next, receiver to the outside. I think Toddy he takes full credit for that because he brought it up to me. I was doing Steelers camp and so it was me, him and Bed Rosford. He remember when I came up with the fall asleep fade? I go, yeah, I remember. So he wants full credit for that, for that role he can have, according to her research, thirty seven phades according to Sports Info Solutions

last season from five yards or less. The number one quarterback throwing phades last season was Cleveland's Baker Mayfield. All right, we're gonna now be joined by Eddie Pineto, so we'll stick here, we'll avoid the break and bring in the second year kicker down from his I'm assuming down there in Florida, right, Eddie. How are you doing tonight? Hey? How you guys doing? Yeah, you're still down there in Florida. Are you back up here? No, No, was still in Florida.

All how are you doing? What are you doing? You're still doing the same drills that you did, you know to get ready for what was going to be you know, a mini camp that was canceled and whatnot. Or are you trying to give yourself the proper amount of leg rest before a training camp? And what what's your plan right now in nineteen days out of what is still for the moment anyway, scound you to the start of

a camp? Yeah, I mean, you know, still working hard, you know, Monday through Friday, go to our facility and just work out there and you know, kicking with Pat two or three times a week. So just on the same same routine, getting Eddie Eddie. When we got talked to Chris Tabor through the Zoom conference, he talked about you had a little bit of a weight gain. So are we gonna notice you when you come back you're gonna be all jacked up with the tank top on?

Or are you able to distribute the weight? You know, more seriously, are you able to distribute the weight within your body where you can feel yourself stronger as it a faster leg swing or is it just more power when you hit the football. Yeah, I can definitely feel that. I mean, I think my leg speed is the same.

I think I have more strength. The thing is I wanted to put on some way, and they wanted me to put on some weight, you know, to towards the end of the season when they starts to get colder and you play those colder games, you know, to hit more touchbacks and stuff like that. So it should definitely helps for sure. Eddie, Jim Miller here. Good to talk to you. I hope you're having a great offseason. You know.

We talked to Chris Tabor as well, and I remember going into last year just about you know, pressure on the kickers and things like that, and even Chris Tabor brought it up about ratings of great kickers, whether it's Robbie Gold or even the great Adam Vane Terry. A lot of those guys even came in at the high seventies or low eighties in terms of the rating and lo and behold, you know that was considered a good first year and a good stepping stone for those kickers.

And how do you rate your performance so far as a bear? Because probably your best football is ahead of you in terms of kicking. Yeah, you know this the first year with the Berries was a good learning experience. Um, I think there's a lot of room for improvement. I think I can get better and you know, I'm hoping for another, you know, successful year this year and hopefully

I can get my percentage up a little bit. And you know, the biggest thing for me, the biggest learning experience for me was you know, kicking in a windy game and then going to like a dome, you know, that transition and stuff like that. So you know, you know, I feel like I've matured a lot as a kicker, and you know, hopefully this year, you know, it goes good from yourself. Eddy Pineto, our guest here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score.

Good to have you a long Eddy, and again thanks for taking the time. Obviously, everybody focuses on what you're doing with field goal accuracy, but in the special teams world, the hidden yardage that is found when you break down returns kickoffs, where the ball lands where your coverage unit goes is also significant. And by virtue of the fact that Bears did not score a lot of points last season,

didn't score a lot of touchdowns. You didn't have that many kickoffs when you get right down to it, twenty eighth in the league and number of kickoffs with just fifty. But were you happy with what you did in terms of how many balls make it to the end zone, where it lands in the field and whatnot. What was the review that you got from Chris Tabor on your kickoffs? Yeah, Um, they were happy. I mean, towards the end of this season,

I felt like my leg got a little bit weaker. Um. You know, remember I've only played two years of college and I was always so used to playing like ten or eleven games, you know, in season. So playing sixteen games was big for me this year. And but I mean they were happy. They were overall overall performance wise, they were happy. I mean, Tabor was happy. You know, he called me in by before we left and just you know, just told me to get stronger. And that's

what I've done this off season. Just gained a little bit of weight so I can get that extra edge towards the end of the season when you know it starts to get cold and stuff. Hey, Eddie, for nine years, I came to Bears training camp as a starter every year, and I felt that the pressure was amped up every year. How is the pressure different to you this offseason because you were the most well publicized story in football last year.

Now it's kind of calmed down a little bit. So what type of pressure do you put on or do you feel for yourself? Yeah, I mean, um, I you know, you still feel a little bit of pressure. Obviously, you know last year was was pretty crazy. But um, I mean to me, I'm going into the same mindset. You know, if you started missing kicks, you'll be You'll be that You'll be you'll be that guy again. So I'm not trying to be that guy. And I just don't want to make my kicks and and and and you know,

and score for the team and stuff like that. So but I mean, obviously there is pressure. I mean, they obviously brought in somebody to compete and stuff, and you know, so I gotta compete. I gotta win my job. And you know, like everybody else, everybody has to compete and win their job. That's that's the statement that you know the Bears make, So well give it. Give the listeners an idea of what is a big work day for you.

I don't want to talk about the weight room stuff and how you're getting strong or say number of kicks. Like let's say you go out, you're you're banging from twenty you back it up from thirty yards. How many kicks are we talking about, whether it's right half, right, hash, left, hash and middle on really your big work day, your load up day that you're gonna try to wear out

your leg a little bit to get stronger. Yeah, Usually those those days are towards the end of the week, you know, if we don't obviously we don't have games during the week or whatever. In preseason, you know, we we pretty much you know, we hit a bunch of balls and then we go and I probably hit maybe about from twenty to thirty balls, and then we'll kick

like six or seven with the team. So with team sets, actually we probably have like seven or eight with the team, and then the rest is kind of just warming up, getting ready, and then as far as hashes, you know, I mean the way I warm up, I go left hash right house, left hash right hash, and then I'll throw a middle in there once in a while. But the majority of my kicks this year, where like either in the left hash or the right house, I think I only have maybe like two kicks or two or

three kicks in the middle. So Eddie Pineto our guest here on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the scorers. This Bears All Access brought to you by Igs Energy, remaining moments with the Bears kicker from his Florida home. You took two tries from fifty plus last year. Obviously these

are coaches decisions and time of year, year and whatnot. Overall, is that another plateau you'd like to reach, you where the coaches have the faith in you that you're going to be able to bang it because you do have a big leg and it's just a matter of trust. I would imagine over the course of time situational football, what the score is, whatnot, where you're at, the wind,

the weather, the temperature, you name it. But you know, I remember when you were working out and trying to win that battle, you could hear the thump of the ball coming off your foot. Yeah. You know. The biggest thing too, is, you know, having the coaches trust you and you know, and like in last preseason I was able to hit a fifty eight yard in preseason, I guess the cold. So you know, I was just trying to show my coach that, you know, you need to hit one. I'm long, you know, to give me the

opportunity and stuff. But yeah, just trying to get some trust from the coaches. That's the biggest thing. Hey, Eddie, timing is essential and your craft. So I know Patrick, he's one of the best holders in the league. Are you have access to a snapper or are you kind of doing this just you and Patrick together that way? Yeah, we turned with a couple of snappers down here from

different NFL teams. I'm not gonna see which teams because I don't want to put them out there, but um, yeah, I have a bunch of snappers that we snap here, starting snappers in the NFL that we work with. And then you know, Scales is coming down next week as well, so I'm going to be able to work with Scales for about two or three weeks before before we get

back up there. So that'll be pretty cool because sometimes just picking back up off of what Tom said with Patrick Scales, I know last year Tabor talked about the presentation of the ball. Just to give you a little bit more time to see it from your standpoint, How was that sped up for you here this offseason, because I can only imagine it has for you. Yeah. Um, you know, the longer you can see the bar, you know, the more comfortable comfortable it is for a kicker, you know,

necessily snapper back there and stuff like that. But I feel like Scales has done a great job last year, um, not only as a snapper, but as a mentor too, and just you know him and Pat really helped me here and it was it was, it was good son. Eddie Panetta our guest. One final question before we let you go, Eddie, and again thank you for taking the time. So you're down there in Florida, you're paying attention like everybody else is, to the COVID numbers and the different

things going on. That's an area that is of concern down there. How do you process that as you're trying to get ready to get yourself to training camp on time and hopefully healthy. Yeah. Um, you know, me and my family we've done a great job just staying away from you know, from friends and big crowds and stuff like that. Um, it is kind of weird. Um, everywhere

you go you have to have a mask. They just actually just closed down um dining in for restaurants, so the only thing you can kind of do now is pick up the food or go to the gym. It's pretty much the biggest thing down here. But it is weird times. I can tell you that it's kind of weird, but no, we'll get through it for everybody, right, everybody in this country, in this world. Crazy times, Eddy, stay healthy, my friends, to your family, and thanks you for joining us.

Eddie Pineto, Bears Kicker, coming up next to break things down with Tom and Jim on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. This segment of Bears All Access is brought to you by CDW. People to get it, learn more at CDW dot com. Jeff Jony Act, Tom Fair on Bears All Access with Adam Stadinsky, our producer tonight, Glad you're alongside. We've already heard from Germain Efetti and Eddie Pineto. Jim. These guys got to

be climbing the walls a little bit. I mean, you're talking about two guys in hotspots right now in Texas and Florida and still trying to get ready professionally weird times, my man, weird times. No, every guy I've talked to on serious second day are chopping at the bit to get back to work. I interviewed Joe Flackley's like, hey man, I cannot wait to start up with the New York Jets. Caught talked to a couple of second year players this week,

like Andy Isabella, wide receiver. You know, it's different because the younger guys, they've got a lot to prove, right, They're looking to make that big jump from year one to year two, like Andy's Isabella or Zac Gallen, who's a defensive end. We interviewed out there today. I talked to our sega, our jj R Sga Whiteside that he's a wide receiver, second year wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles out of Stanford, and he knows a lot it's

gonna be coming. But it's different. You know, they're not married, they don't have kids. That's all they're doing. They're working out. I mean, JJ said he goes Basically my routine is I go work out at the gym, I come home, I get something to eat, I play a couple of video games. I hop back out I'm doing a second workout and he's like, camp is not coming fast enough for me. You know, he goes, I've got a lot

to prove, and then they're chopping at the bit. And not that the older players don't want to report because certainly they've got wives and kids and families that they're thinking about, and some of those may have underlying issues that maybe they're thinking about. They don't want to put their family at risk. And I talk to some players that will totally seek question You're basically quarantine themselves from their families. They're determined that, hey, I don't want to

miss a year out on my career. I'm willing to take my wife is willing to take me five six months away from the family, and I'll talk to them via FaceTime every day and catch up and make sure everything's going okay. But they're they're willing to take that risk, and I think that's why players will ultimately strike a deal with the NFL, much like the other pro sports

have that we talked about earlier. Well, you know, and I think this is the most important part time of the year for preparation, So you know, back, I hate keep saying back when I was, But the last month, the last six weeks before you get ready to go to training camp, you're almost you know, isolated yourself because the only thing you're doing is you're living in the gym and you're out there doing running, whether it's with the team on your own, you're you're getting in shape,

and I think that's all you know, that's the business, that's the way you go about business. And then when training camp gets here, you know, you're isolated with just your teammates. So I think it's kind of almost normal football protocol towards this portion at this part of the year because you're only getting ready for football. This is not a vacation time of year for these guys, and if they are, they don't last in the game very long.

So then if you have the suspicions of what the COVID could attach to the season, you gotta be ready, you gotta be prepared, you gotta stay healthy, you gotta stay isolated. So this is probably contributing to guys maybe doing a little more during this time because they don't have access to the outside activities that maybe some of these guys did during this time of the year. Jim, did you see Malik Jackson's quote today the Eagles defensive tackle, No,

I didn't see it. He called it unacceptable and utterly disrespectful for owners to set a camp date of July twenty eighth with no safety or financial guarantee agreed upon for us as players, and went on to describe the concerns that he has about the risks about going to camp right now. Sure, and players may be probably given that option to opt out like the other pro sports that I mentioned. For the young second year players that

I just mentioned, they're not opting out. You know, the players that have maybe have been financially set, like like Jackson, you know, he probably has that luxury to do that. I don't think the rank can file in the NFL can do that. And I also say this, I know the players are upset because the league proposed about putting thirty five percent in escrow um, which basically falls in lines with ticket sales and merchandise and all those type

of things. Um So I think I think from Demorris Smith, who's the executive director, I think he understands why the league proposed that because people, you know, the big chunk of the salary cap comes from the TV revenue, about thirty percent of it comes from ticket sales, concessions, parking revenue.

So that's not out of the that's not out of the realm or it's you know, basically smoke that the NFL is proposing that they're proposing that because they already know that most most teams, what Baltimore came out yesterday, they're only going to allow fourteen thousand fans in their stadium. Steelers basically announced the same today what they're going to do. Other cities or states aren't going to allow fans at all. I'm in one of them, the state of Michigan. Lions

won't have fans at the game. So I don't think that's out of the ordinator for the owners to request that, because that really falls in line with where that percentage comes from through the salary cap as those ticket sales and revenues and all the concessions and parking that we've talked about that everybody knows will be going down this year.

So and I think the union is you know, the players don't like it, but I think the people that lead the union, they understand where the league is coming from. Also a time on an injury front, because this is going back to your preparation point of view. So jac Tredder, the Players Union president, said, after their research after the two th eleven lockout, injuries are up twenty five percent,

Achilles doubled hamstrings are up forty four percent. So they are wanting to do more time in camp, a longer camp as opposed to preseason games to avoid not only the COVID issues but specific injuries. How would you respond to that as a player right now? I mean, there's got to be a responsible length of time that he's talking about. Again, in my life and my experiences in football, I lived with no preseason games and eighteen regular season games in the USFL, So I know the amount of

time that you need to be prepared. And you know, if there's a bunch of guys that are coming out here and getting injuries after the lockout, then that's just kind of an indication that they really haven't been doing a lot to fulfill their end of the obligation in case with striker lockout, whatever the case was that ended. When we went through a strike in eighty seven, our team gathered multiple times and we had workouts to stay

active to keep our bodies going. I think you're silly of any professional athlete of any professional sports who think that you can go and be a couch potat for three to five to six weeks and then just go out and start and flip that switch again. You can't do that. It's about taking some type of concern for your career year round, as long as you're playing whatever sport you are. All right, We're gonna step away, take

a break. When we come back our final segment, we're gonna get into Bears talk out a bunch of dual ideas here for the fellas to break down. Give some quick answers on some big topics as the Bears get ready for the twenty twenty season. This is Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Hey Bears fans, it's important to stay connected now more than ever. An am motorola. We love making that possible. It's a new razor you can

enjoy staying connected a little bit more. It's a phone, it's an accessory, it's an icon reinvented. Hello Moto. Final moments here with Tom There, Jim Miller, former Bears and This is Bears All Access with Adam Stadinski, our producer. I'm Jeff Joniac. All right, I'm gonna go through some

quick topics, Fellas. Quick topics, all right, in your opinions, toughest coaching job with what is expected to be a short camp at least as it stands right now, toughest coaching job on the Bear's staff with a short camp. Will kick it off with Tommy Well, I'm not saying this just because optimisive. No, I'm not. Because you're talking about an offensive line coach that has to coach about fourteen guys, and some of them are interchangeable, but most

of them aren't. Now you're trying to make sure that everybody understands their assignments at the same level in case you have to move people around. You're still trying to figure out what positions best fits certain guy. You're going to insert Jermain Effetti from tackle to guard. You gonna have a lot of polishing to do there. You gotta figure out where we're Shad Coward fits the best. You got to make sure that the center position is solidified.

So to me, I think the offensive line coach with that amount of bodies and that differences of assignments between each one. Jimmy, you're going you go with your position too. No. I like Tom's answer, because they do. They gotta get all those five guys to jail. But I'm gonna say tight end right, because you got Jimmy Graham. He's new to the system, the offense and what's gonna be run, and you're gonna try to get a contributor in Cole Commet.

I think he's, uh, you know, how quickly can they get him up to speed and utilize his skill set. I think that is gonna be a big challenge because he's, you know, obviously a second round pick. He's extremely talented. That position has been lacking, So that to me, that position again is under the microscope and coach Barone and he's going to try and get that group cranked up and we'll see how quickly they can get it done.

I'm gonna go QB because it's the story. It's the story of John D. Filippo getting face to face with these guys. Nick Foles is even yet to be here to introduce himself face to face with the players. Who knows what the system's gonna look like with the tweaks with all the different coaches and all the brainstorming they're going on. So I'm gonna go with quarterbacks. That's gonna

be the story of training camp, all right. Most difficult position to analyze with a short camp, or do we look at it instead of saying the word analyze, is the most difficult position with a short camp to win a starting job because you can go to different spots and figure those out. Right Now, we'll start out with Tommy Well again, I'm gonna go the safety corner combo, the two of them together, because they filter so much

information for the width of the field. They face so many multiple offensive fronts that they're gonna be moving around, and so you gotta make sure the cornerback, how fragile that position is and how attackable that position is. You gotta make sure they have that communication across that whole back. Four or five or six defensive backs at time. I'll go with defensive backs as well, because much like offensive line, there's a lot of positions there that you've got to coach.

How quickly can they get Jalen Johnson up to the mix already burns as a new player that's injected into this defense as well. You know you've got some continuity with Kyle Fuller, buster Screen, Eddie Jackson, obviously Dion Bush that are back there, but I think already and Jalen Johnson. That's gonna be an interesting to see what player emerges there for the Chicago Bears and Sean Gibson battling for that safety job with Dion Bush, which leads me, because

you guys are talking about the secondary. Doug Ferrar writes for USA Today's The NFL Editor, this whole idea that Nicol is the new base. His research fifty nine percent of on dropbacks in nineteen. But defense has played more dime than base last year in the National Football League. Hey man, that's guys. You guys, no guys like Pastor go Holmes come into the league, they better be ready for seven defensive backs eventually, because this guy is on

the ten year program. So I think it's gonna change the way the way defensive coordinators change their personnel groupings because of multiple set receivers they are going to continue to face. Yeah, a lot of dime is for the three wide receivers, and what are teams doing. They're flexing the tight end, So you bring in a dime, which is basically a six defensive back. Because those tight ends are so versatile. There are teams probably if you go look at how the Arizona Cardiners are built, you will

be playing nothing but dime against that team. They run on what we call a lot of ten personnel, which is four wide receivers. They don't even utilize the tight end. So you need six dbs on the field at all times. So many teams better be ready to play dime the whole time. Yeah. So they always say you can't have enough pass rushers, you can't have enough impact players, but you can't have enough defensive backs. All right, most hope

high profile player that needs the biggest year. I'm gonna I'm gonna start out with and I'm gonna go huh you started, Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go with Kalil Mack. I mean, Khalil Mack is already a great player. But boy, I just got this feeling and we brought this up a couple weeks ago. Uh, the little birdies are telling telling everybody that he is driven, driven, and he has he was driven when he got here, but just to

be that dominant player in every way. That'll just lift the entire second, lift the entire defense, which in turn helped the offense. I'm going with that guy. Who are you going with? Tom Well? I'm gonna go with Roquan Smith. I think he needs to have such a first, second, third down impact on this defense. He's got to stay healthy for the whole season. He's got to be the guy that the Bears drafted him for a couple of years ago in turn into that, or start to look

at the Luke Keakley type of responsibilities. He's got to be a major player. Jim, I'm I'm gonna go with Robert Quinn. For all the things you said about Khalil Mack, I thought, when you look at it, Leonard Floyd should have been cleaning house playing opposite Khalil Mack. Robert Quinn, I believe Will. I think he knows it, he's already said it. He's in a good position to have a big year. I would think for Robert Quinn. Interesting, none of us picked the quarterback. All right, what division team

has the advantage with a short training camp? And we should say because we don't know how long the training camp will be, but the obviously with no offseason to speak, what division teams, I'm gonna go Aaron Rodgers and the Smith brothers. So I'm gonna say green Bay. When you have that arm talent and you have those two pass rushers, I think that's a good foundation. Yeah, the veteran Leyden teams, and I'm with Tom there. I think green Bay They've

got a lot of veterans returning. From that standpoint, so do the Bears. But it's all about the quarterback position. So you bring up a good point, Jeff about Mitch, but we'll see where it goes with him and Nick Foles. He's got to prove it. Certainly the microscopes there will you give Rogers the edge. Vikings also in that category with a veteran team with some changes obviously, but every

team does. Fellas were out of time. Thanks is always Tom there, Jim Miller, our guests Setti Pinero and Jermaina Fetti, and our producer Tonight Adams, Tezinski, Jordan Trudop, Dan Brealley. That's it for us. We'll talk to you next week on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. 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