Matt Eberflus reflects on Bears' Week 4 victory | Bears, etc. Podcast

Cut over that DJ Moore zode touchdown touchdown pair.

I am Jeff joniha whitz Is on Dottie go up.

What was like playing for coach Digg. I don't want to answer any questions like that pressure coming is a big trouble. Dotie go motes Sweat.

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Bears, et cetera. Brought to you by Geico with the voices of the Bears, Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer.

A seventh consecutive win at Soldier Field includes a second home come from behind victory. Down six in the first half, the Bears lay the hammer down to the second half and send Matthew Stafford in the Rams back to La twenty four to eighteen losers. With Super Bowl Bears winning guard Tom Thayer, I'm Jeff Jonyack. Welcome too, Episode ninety eight of the Bears Etcetera Podcast, and we are brought to you by Geico. That streak the longest since the five six era, Tom under Lovey when they won ten

And the Bears don't have to face that right now, they're five hundred.

It is about your improvement as a football team. And if you know, yeah, you don't want to be one and three. But what's your main focus is is making sure Caleb is getting better, making sure your offensive line is more productive, making sure that your defense is still playing according to plan, because eventually that one in three is gonna be now be seven games deep, and then so on and so forth, and then all of a sudden, the division is going to be hitting you like a pie in the face.

Yeah, exactly, that division is. Has it been more impressive than you thought?

Uh yeah, oh yeah, of course, of course, of course.

You know, I think everybody thought the Green Bay Packers were gonna be good at the start of the season. We didn't know what to think with the Minnesota Vikings after the injury to JJ McCarthy, and they brought brought in Sam Darnold, who was a high first round pick in this league that's been around a couple of teams and the Detroit Lions right now, they're on everybody's radar, the respect radar, and so it's gonna be interesting to be able to watch on TV a couple times before

Right you don't really know if you're you know, looking at the Bears what's coming because there's so much development

Wide performance in the running game four point seven yards average. Now, if you can go and back that up by another game at four or you know that you know what did we talk about?

What was the number that we are searching for?

Four yards and carry?

Okay, so four.

Point seven, that's that's a big advantage that you give your team.

I like the construction of the pocket.

I like the discipline of Caleb inside the pocket to make some big throws. So I guess I'm narrow minded looking at it from the offensive point of view. But defense has never disappointed me, so I wasn't searching for answers there. My biggest take on the defense is you're rotating eight defensive linemen and they are eight defensive linemen that are being pductive. That's not really something that happens

And then when you put him.

In the game, you're talking about putting a fresh stable of guys in the game. That really helps the linebackers. In the defensive backs.

Coming up, we'll hear from Matt Aberfluse in the Status at hallis our weekly conversation with him. Let's get back to the run game, because DeAndre Swift is the central finger in that.

I mean, there were reports.

Nationally that the Bears were gonna look at Roshawn Johnson as the lead back for this game. He played twenty two snaps. I mean, you ride the hot hand, and DeAndre Swift has a belief in himself and he was asking a lot of questions throughout the course of the week of everybody trying to find some more answers, and he found them. Sixteen for ninety three. The touchdown run up thirty six was a beauty, terrific blocking on that play,

Listen, you know, we've been introduced in the NFL in the last four or five years of having a stable of running backs because you can't forget about Khalil Herbert. But you got DeAndre Swift who looks like he's getting a better understanding of what this offense is all about and how the blocking is going to unfold in front of them. You have Roshan Johnson that not only is he carrying the ball effectively and physically, but he's making some catches and he's able to convert him in the

So they sparred a little bit. They sparred a little bit with the Rams in the first half, getting their sea legs under them a little bit, and then things open up and to me, the drive of the year so far, and we've talked about it. We broke it down Sunday night on Bears Game Night Live. You did, and I brought it up with coach after the game on ESPN one thousand. It's just the six play run, six play pass, twelve plays overall to a touchdown, and things were in rhythm. And after that point they had

You got to win your one score games.

Well, you brought up the boxing, so I'm gonna bring up a boxing analogy, and Mike Tyson said, everybody's got a plan until they get punched in the face. And I think the Bears did a great job at the beginning of the game when they held the rams the field goals. Then all of a sudden they took those punches of field goals. Now what did the Bears do to respond? They got themselves and finally got into the touchdown,

That's what I was.

That's what was my point is that you know, even though the Rams scored first with the veteran quarterback, the Bears punched back. And so I like to see that the Bears had the proper amount of fight in them that was needed at some of the most important and points in the season.

So is that an overhand right and then uh brisker on on the on the blitz sack that messed up Matthew Stafford? Is that the uppercut? And then Tory Taylor and his big, big right leg.

What's he is? He is the a combination.

Boom boom kind of the rope of dope where all of a sudden that you know, you got your backed up a little bit and you need a big you know, a strategy to get you out of that corner, and all of a sudden, here he is with three different styles of punts that are extremely effectively done each and there, you know, each in their own flight pattern, and it was just awesome to see the way it happened.

Jab jab jab, knockout Bears get the win. Let's discuss it now with the head coach, Matt Ebraflus and our status at hollis all right, Matt, thank you very much for joining us once again, and congrats terrific win over the l A rams. A lot of connective tissue in this one, all three phases with I'm referring to so offense, defense, special teams.

It was very knitted, would you agree, Yes.

You know it was.

I told the guys after the game how proud it was of them in terms of, you know, playing copmentary.

Football, and they did that.

You know, right at the end of the half you saw the missfield goal by them, and then we drove down and got a field goal ourselves, and then really the end of the game, you know, it was really good. You know, we had a couple of three announcer had a take away at the end. But the four minute job by the offense was excellent too, being able to expire that time from you know, four fifteen or so all the way down to wet They got the ball with one O three with no timeouts for that last drive.

Now we're gonna talk more about him in a minute, but you got one past the media today. It caught my attention because I've heard this before on the Doug Kramer power run for the touchdown for a Roshawn Johnson. You call it God's pla and nobody followed up on it. So explain it because it is a thing for coaches. God God's play is power football. Where did you hear it in your coaching life. I know you've got history with all this stuff, but God's play.

Explain it?

Well, it's it's really just the power play.

You know, you get to have a kickout and you got a polar in that same direction, and uh, it's it's a good play. It's been around forever and you know it's one of the first plays you put in and it's it's it's been effective for a long time, you know, So it's been part of football and it will be a part of football forever. And uh, it's it's a really good play.

Do you recall when that first was referred to as God's played?

I really don't just passed down from coaches from general.

I know my my coach, my former coach that I worked for for a lot of years, Gary Pinkell, was at the game as my guest with his two sons yesterday, so it was great to see him afterward.

And I know he loves that play.

And I know the guy he worked for, Don James, uh of that play too, So it was good for him to be able to see that.

Yeah, the film University of Washington coach Don James correct awesome coach power.

Every coach loves power.

Yeah that power, yep, every coach. It's a good play.

It's a good play, steady offensive performance, high percentage of completions. I think Caleb was fifteen to fifteen with less than fifteen plus air yards according to the Next Gen Stats and NFL analysis. That's that's some really good precision right there.

Yeah, he did a really good.

And his quarterback rating was really good too, at a one to six, and that's his highest of the year. That just tells you that he's playing clean, efficient football and he did a really good job protecting the ball yesterday.

I know we had the one strip sack, but Matt and we're covering that yeah prior, yeah, yeah, at that time. But for the most part, it was really good, clean football.

And the deep shots will come, right, they're getting closer and closer.

Yeah, yeah, they are, they are.

And we had a couple of chances yesterday, you know, to be able to do that, and they covered him pretty good, and he did a really good job of getting the ball to the short part of the.

Field defense, taking the ball away twice nearly a third the blitzes. That's where I want to get into the chess match. And as offensive coordinators have a particular instinct or timing for a play, so to defensive minded coaches and defensive play callers. Do you have a set number in your mind game or do you just get a feel for one, or do you have them predetermined over the course of the week.

Yeah, I think you're go into the game and you know, just like an offensive coach, you have your sequence that you want to operate with, you know, in terms of the first fifteen, and then you kind of feel the game out, you know.

Then you have to you have to feel the game out.

You have to have those particular ones that you want to use at certain times.

And I think that's that's a gut feeling.

But you certainly know when that time is, you know, and it's important that you recognize that as a play call.

Can you lull a team to sleep without them and then boom? I mean, I'm not suggesting the brisker blitzack was one of those moments, but maybe it was. And and then you just know when to pull the trigger.

Yeah, I think it's instincts. You know, I've been calling defenses a long time, so I think it's just instincts with you know when and you know what to call and when to call it.

And that's a fastball gets everybody going, uh blitz Blitzer aside.

Yeah, the man had a great game.

We talked about it on the post game show last night with You with Tom and I on the broadcast.

Uh.

But talking to him after the game, he said he really felt he had a really strong week of practice, he felt free. I don't know what that means, but you can explain it better than I can can ask him. So did you sense that from brisk this past week.

Yeah, he's he's really working harder at his footwork, you know, and he's doing the basics. And that's that's what you do as a as a player. You know, you do the ordinary extraordinary. You know, you don't do extraordinary things, you just do the ordinary extraordinary.

So that's a.

Footwork, that's your base, that's your your pad level when you enter the tackle, you know, wrapping through the tackle, running your feet. You know, he did all those things yesterday and we haven't sent him that much this year so you know, so far. But he's always been an outstanding blitzer, you know, as Is Kyler is also a good blitzer with both of our backers are good pressure players, so we have options to be able to send different

It really felt if Jermon Dexter took another big step this year and nets headed in next direction right now, pressureing the quarterback backside plays had another sack yesterday. I think he's tied with a couple of other guys in the league for interior defensive linemen in sacks, But that would just elevate the entire defense. Is he on that path and is the defense on that path with him? And sweat and everything else that's going on.

Yeah, I think that goes all the way back to the spring. You know, he went back, you know, in the summertime, came back in tremendous shape. And I'm telling you, in terms of working during training camp, I don't think anybody worked harder than he did. I mean, he was running and getting himself in game shape, and that's why he's got.

A fast start.

And I've always told the guys that if you're never gonna be quite in game shape until you start playing games, I said, but you got to be real close, and if you are, then you're going to be playing at a high level right away, so it doesn't take you time. That's why you got a fast start. And then Billings is really doing a good job too. He had a

Yep.

And Darryl Taylor taking him advantage of his opportunities at late pressure there marrying the pressure with the interception to close the deal with brisk Uh. Just he doesn't get many reps. He gets pass rush reps, but they're counting.

Yeah.

I was really pleased with DT this week, you know, in terms he was. He was ill, like I said at the presser yesterday a couple of days ago, and he's the coaches. Travis did a nice job of getting them ready and Booker, you know, Booker really did a good job on his hustle plays down the field on a couple of those screens, and the guys were getting

With this group up front.

The more they see this success, see a pop on tape, see that the coaching you're teaching, the technique that's being taught, the fundamentals and then it plays out. Does this just kind of feed the beast a little bit for these guys, meaning that they can really make big strides in a short period of time playing together in the rush?

Yeah, I really, I really believe that that that that's that's the case. I really want to you know, it's about the players. So you know, you know, you can show them and you drill them and you do the and hold them to a standard, but it's only good when they hold themselves to that same standard, you know, So when it's player led, and that's what you're starting to see with us being in our system for a couple of years now, it's starting to be player led.

By them, which leads me to this.

Then I wasn't going to ask you about this, but all that talk about the communication, the players, leadership, all of that, if you're saying it's players led, this is exactly what you want to see.

Yeah, it is correct, It's exactly because you know, the accountability piece is led by the players, you know, so you know, obviously we hold, we hold coaches and players and everybody accountable. But when it's led from the inside out, meaning that the partnership of the coach and the players are leading the accountability piece, that's when it becomes special.

Which you've always preached, You've always preached, let's tuck DeAndre Swift.

Wonderful game.

Just felt like maybe everything was off his back, you know, it just played played fast.

Yeah, and he was.

He really worked hard last couple of weeks to be able to get to this point.

And I'm excited for him to be able to have a day like that, to be able to have it pay off for him.

You know, he's been working with you know, Chad and Jennifer and working with Shane and Simo and everybody on the offensive staff, and and he got some great feedback, and he really took the feedback, you know, to heart and put it in the drill work, put it into the team periods, and it paid off in game day.

All right.

The blonde Bomber is weaponized. I mean when you talk about inside the twenty, yeah yeah, yeah, but three inside the ten, the English on the ball balls are making right hand turns dead right in front.

I mean, wow, what a day for him. How important is it?

Yeah, I mean you saw the impact of it, you know, Tory Taylor, of course, Tory Taylor. You know, I don't know if anybody gets that big of an applause in the stadium as a punter, the.

People wearing his number nineteen Jersey already.

Yeah, that's great. I love it.

And you know, he's he's proved to be a great draft pick. You know, Ryan Poles drafted him. You know, saw the vision for it, you know, playing really good defense, being able to punt and pin guys down there, and uh, you know it's it's holding true.

In the sixty six yard or I don't want to keep labor. But it was into the wind.

He says, usually to a year advantage. He's not even bothered by it.

Yeah, it was good. And it took a side turn there right at the eight, So it was a heck of a put.

All right. Let's talk Carolina Panthers.

Uh, they got a different quarterback, so a different team. Now, Thy Dalton from your perspective, what you've.

See, yeah, I mean, just a veteran presence in there. You know, he understands coverages, he understands the game, and you can really feel him in there, you know, in terms of operating the offense. And it looks it looks different, you know, it looks like it's you know, uh, you know the Canalis offense. You know that I'm used to seeing. And again I haven't watched a bunch of tape on him yet. I've watched you know, the last game or so.

Man, they're trying to keep it together defensively. Two of three to four unit at Garo Ivero. Very familiar with him, obviously a former RAM, he's been there before with Carolina Panthers.

So anything stick out with that real quick.

Yeah, they've played really good defense under him and he's he's done a really good up with those guys fundamentally sound. And again they create some issues because of their front structure and they do a really good job with their with their coverage contours. You know, they can really change and move. You know, it's interesting to see how they play us. So it's gonna be a big challenge for us.

All Right, Good looking, your prep this week, all right, thank you. Did you get a kick out of God's play? And did you ever hear it referred to as that?

No? Listen, I've I've learned some phrases this year by coach everra Flus and a couple I've had to stop them and ask them about so uh No, necessarily, I.

I've heard about it. I've heard it, but this is I've heard about it. It's this old school coaching mindset. Every coach has it in their playbook, and it's simply power. It's power, which you guys knew very well back in your day. And a little power never hurts Tom.

No, I listen, Ma'm the staple of Joey, a Catholic's offense. I've ran at high school as fifty seven power, and I think, no matter what you call it or how you say it, it all means the same thing.

What else struck you about?

Matt seems very you know, he's very even keeled, So he's not gonna get crazy high about a win, yep. And he's not gonna get in the dumps about a loss. And so you could tell right when he took the microphone after the game. You know there's still some things to work on like this, like that we.

Go back to work.

I think Matt always looks at the big picture and he doesn't take an unrealistic approach to a loss or to a win. He just kind of looks at the big pitcher and understands what you have to work on. And I think that's an you know that's endlessly thought of by football coaches that you're never gonna play a perfect game. There's always something you have to work on

What you're doing is and can work.

Blue crushing blue shield of Illinois right here at home, driving access toward healthier communities through it all. All right, Tom, got to peak your curiosity here and exactly what you liked about the defense and things to work on defensively because you mentioned the rotation the pressures. Sweat gets his second sack, now the fourth most in the NFC since

Hey, listen, man, Adrenaline has cured a lot of game day ills, whether or maybe it's a little bit of a cold during the week. Did you have a flu a couple days ago? But as you start sneaking towards the stadium and you see the fan, the building in there, you're adrenaline kicks in. Then you're also mad, I want to be out there with my teammates. I gotta be out there with my teammates because I expected out of myself and they expected from me as well.

Three content straight holding opponents to twenty one points or less the longest active.

Streak in the NFL.

For this Bears, defense and taking the ball away is still a big thing and it's going to continue to be.

They have the bodies to do it.

Let's listen in to Jalen Johnson about where this team is at right now.

I mean, for us, that's what we want, just for us to put the game on our own shoulders, to go out there and win the game four So we just look forward to it. I mean, even in the previous weeks, I was finding a way to try to win the game if it was pig six. I know, Kyler hate to say, he had an opportunity to go change the game. So just different little things like that. We always trying to find ways to impact the game and to go win the game, not just whom we're up,

Does it feel different when you're up, though, Well.

Yeah, I mean mentality is a lot different situations different. I mean there are two minute drill versus the four minute drills a little different. So the players that they call it they have to go score, so they got to put the ball in the air versus them being up and they can just run the ball and situationally fine play. So it definitely changes the game schematically for us to be able to go out there and try to make certain plays.

You imagine that's the same for your own quarterback too. Is playing with the leads a little different than happened to chase points?

I mean, like I said, the style of players different. When you're down, you have to put the ball in the here. You got to try to get chunk plays, explosive plays to score quickly and then get the ball back. So I mean, just for them, it's the same thing being able to have that leave, being able to run the ball a little more, be a little more aggressive in a run game, try to get that going when you're up.

So, I mean, it definitely changes everything.

Go surprised to you about how good you guys have been first four.

Weeks, Nah, honestly, we haven't been good A no, quite Honestly, I feel like we definitely haven't taken away the explosive players that we want to.

We definitely let some of those go.

We definitely got hitting some of our runs, just not being disciplined, not being we're supposed to be consistently. I mean, things like that are going to happen, but for us in our standard, we definitely haven't. I don't think even scratched the service for what we know we can do because we're shooting ourselves on the foot. It's not like guys are just making the offense, is just making one

Things like that.

So those are all things we can fix so we can be really even better.

What was the point of about Siscen this morning and some of those plays over the middle of the field that they were able to head.

Yes, really, I think just getting in our drops.

I mean it's crazy because we do it so well in practicing, we kind of get to the game and kind of start seeing a little bit too much, so we're just getting in the gaps we know coming against that team that liked on the wall between the numbers, between the hashes. So definitely not being what we're supposed to be. I feel like as far as our drops not getting good enough, debth getting really just closing those windows if it's us on the outside or whatever the

And have that said, what what do you now that it's been four games, what do you like about this defense that you know is better than it was last year?

We're all together, I think for us last year, so trying to find that identity as a whole. I mean, again it was Tremaine TJ first year, so we didn't get tested halfway do the season, so I mean things are definitely different, like we're more of a unit or I guess energy and all. Everything is just coming together again. We had all the last year to build together the second half and then coming in off season and things like that, so we've definitely been able to bond together.

Add in DT with a good.

Addition as well, being able to bring him in just continue to build. So, I mean, everybody that we have on our side of the ball definitely jailing together, knows what we're trying to do defensively.

The leadership group kind of took the ownership last week of saying We're not gonna let this thing.

Slide, right.

No, how would you describe what went in the last week in terms of that part of the equation.

I think from a captain, from a leadership standpoint, I think just being pissed off that we're not being who we know we can be. And I mean every team, any team can beat any team.

In this league.

But I think for us, I was in a game that we could have even should have let go. I think that was definitely a winnable game for us to go out there, But I mean then to day it didn't happen for various reasons. So us really just looking everybody in the eye and just having that open communication and not letting it just be swept on the road. Okay, it's all good. We're just gonna work to next week. But the end of the day, we gotta go out

And what you know, what you know about Andy Dalton, what do you guys have to be all to work for?

Coming up the red rifle that's a good guy. I mean, really just savvy. He's been around for a long time since. I mean that name came when he was at the Bengals, so I mean that was some time ago. So I mean he's seen a lot of coverages, seen a lot of blitzes. So I mean kind of like Stafford in a way where he's going to be able to pick up some things.

So we got to do a good job disguising.

We got to get hits and pressure make them kind of uncomfortable in that in the pocket. But also, I mean, like a lot of the quarterbacks, they get pressure in the face, they kind of tend to throw some some bad some bad throws, make some bad decisions. So for us in the second day, we got to do where're supposed to be and then the front gotta get aforts.

There was another guy, Hey, we could do better, And I love that mindset. They're not they're not banking on anything right now.

They just got to go back to work.

You know.

Jalen's kind of that alpha male that I've been searching for for a long time on this team. And he's not only doing by just talking a lot inside the locker room or at the podium. He's doing it by his performance, and he's going out there and he's playing a physical style of tackling football for a cornerback, but he's also doing the main responsible of a cornerback, and

Well.

The other thing too, he's he speaks his mind too, so you know you're getting the raw truth from his perspective for sure.

That's the alpha kind of what I like out of him.

Good New Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes with all the bells and whistles, like Bluetooth connectivity screens at every seat and room for everyone's roulder Bag United, proud to fly the Chicago Bears in you two. All right, let's loop back over to the offense. Let's talk about the offensive line. Tevin Jenkins eleven snaps and then a rib injury moving forward. Don't know, it's day to day, so I don't know what the severity of that is.

You know? It depends if it's a rib or rib cartilage. There's two different types of injuries there, and how painful it is, and what type of shot are you willing to take if you if they're guaranteed that there's a one very specific spot that they can probably numb it through most of the length of a game. But I would rather have a healthy body in there, a healthy guy that isn't in those circumstances where he's playing with concern and pain. So if it does, then you know,

Yep, he did a nice job. And you can't minimize his size. That's a weird play on words, because you can't minimize the six foot six foot seven dude, that's for sure. Also some really good play by Caleb Williams. Tom the downfield game's gonna come. It's going to come. I have no question in my mind about it. He

The throw over the middle to Colecombette.

I also feel very strongly about twenty two yard strike, good red rush coming at him. Boom nailed it. Ripped the middle of the field like Matthew Stafford did yesterday. Veteran quarterbacks in the pocket, they worked that middle of the field very well, so those are two middle field throws that I'm very excited about moving forward, how about you.

You know, I don't have any concern for Kayleb because I know the process of learning how to play quarterback in the NFL is a difficult process and it takes a little time. I like those throws to DJ and to Cole. They're just so impressive because when you look at the tape of it and you look at from the end zone shot, it's incredible that what a small window of opportunity he threw it to DJ, and then how close it was to the fingertips of the linebacker when he threw it over the top to Cole Commet.

So there's there's a.

Wide variety of throws and decisions that a quarterback has to make in the time frame that he's got to make them, and I'm excited what I think everybody's gonna see out of Caleb. And then his escapability is impressive because if someone thinks they got to share sack on him, if someone has his foot, he's able to get it out, spin out of it somehow, get himself some freedom and be able to make a throw.

And a couple of RPOs just to give him something to think about. A couple of RPOs, but you know, fifteen to fifteen fifteen plus air yards according to next Gen Stats.

He was perfect yesterday, less than fifteen.

Again, that's the exciting thing about going to the Bears game weekend and week out. There's some development in his game that's exciting to see what's coming next. And when you see the DJ throw, you see the coal throw, love him when you see his He's got a demeanor on screens that there is no panic and screen development for an offensive line quarterback. It's so hard to get that perfect, but he knows how to attract attention, how to throw the ball efficiently to whomever his receiver is

He's fun watching our guy Cole Kmet as well. He was at the podium monday at Halisau.

Oh yeah, I thought a lot of good violence on tape up front, So I thought that was really good to see. Obviously, things that we just need to get cleaned up pre snap wise, if you know, we want to stay efficient, stay stay ahead of the chains in that regard. But a lot of good things I thought with violence on tape upfront, and you know that showed with some of the explosives in the run game and then being able to get that that first first down in that four minute scenario before we punted it back.

After the game, Tokon Briskers said that he knew you guys were going to have a good day on the ground because of.

How physical you were in practice, and did you have a sense of, you know, that it would be better improved last time?

Yeah, I thought it was just good details, you know, not even just in practice, but in the walk through in terms of how we were de telling up our walk through, making it a little more game like in that regard and not easy to do necessarily in a walk through, but you know, getting our fits correct so the bass could see, you know, where the ball should be hitting, and you know, all those are good mental reps to have, and I think that's kind of what played into the success on Sunday.

Or what do you make of the false start issues?

Yeah, I think that's just a h I think we got to get fixed, uh as a offense in totality, you know, between obviously communicating up front, being dialed into the certain play calls that we have with with certain cadences, and just everyone being on the same page there. So yeah, look, we're still there's still growing pains that you know that wasn't perfect the other day and those are things we got to get fixed up. But uh, definitely an all eleven thing there for sure.

And touchdown the switch, we see you kind of celebrating with, Yeah, what was that like seeing?

Yeah, it was great. You see a guy with the breakaway speed like that and he make I made the cut block and he was able to just kind of jump over him a little bit as he's falling down and and then I just saw the ceased part and him take off. You know, you knew he was gone. So uh, yeah, DeAndre has got good home run speed there. So that was that was good to see.

Was most notable to you about to play before a little shot.

That Yeah, I mean just a true uh NFL throw throw and catch right there. You know, they step up just enough for him to get the ball over and you know that's considered apen in this league and a play that you got to make and he made it, and it's uh, it's a really it's really cool to

I'll tell you about his recognition of NFL open.

Yeah, it's great.

I think it's great. And I think he's he's gotten better and better that as really since they started training camp, and you know, him recognized. I think he's seeing things quicker now. He's always done a good job like diagnosing the defense, but I think, you know, at first, it maybe took him a few extra seconds to really see what was happening. I think he's seeing it a little bit quicker now recognizing that stuff. You know, he does a has a good understanding and he knows what he's doing.

What do you think you're a punter?

Yeah, he's awesome, man, he's uh, he's fun to w I haven't tell him. Guys like, it's fun to watch that practice. So it was cool to you know, we don't want to be in a ton of punting scenarios, but when you got somebody like that, where again where we know at the kind of in that four minute scenario, we get one first down where you know we're we're in a good spot there and we can we're able to get them to knock down some of those timeouts

Cool with Andy Dalton coming up this Sunday, what was your signature memory of your time with Andy?

I love Andy and and he's I think he's a great quarterback. I know he's always believed in himself, as you know, one of the top top thirty two guys in this league that he that he should be a start in this league.

And I mean he's showing that right now in Carolina.

So obviously a very veteran quarterback, a guy that knows what he's doing, can get the ball off quickly as a has a good knowledge of defenses, and so he's seen a lot in his day, and it'll be a good challenge for us. You know, this is now their team that's kind of up and rising since he's taken over, and it'll be a good challenge for our defense. But you know, watching them from a far so far, definitely happy for Andy And and what he's been able to do for the past couple of weeks.

You got to stay he liked the word violence, Yes, he definitely. He used that a couple of times. And I think there's a lot of different descriptions when you're full back and h back at tight end. You know, whatever, you know, Cole is asked to be, he is, and so I thought yesterday was probably one of his best interior blocking games that I've seen.

You're proud of that cup block. You're proud of that cup block on the Deandra Schoe.

He made a couple that say they ran the same play twice, and he ran those and he ran that block super efficiently both times, the catch towards the sideline than the catch towards the middle of the field. I still want Cole to be a regularly targeted option for in this offense. But I was happy for Cole and the type of game he played.

All right.

So that thigh high that's what you're looking for right at his size, that's not easy to bend there down there, right, No, But you know.

These guys, they don't wear knee pads anymore. They got these little thigh pads in there, and they're more concerned about deflecting that body and that drops their head and then they lose sight of their responsibility. And it's I'm not saying go there and try to hurt anybody. I'm saying, try to focus their attention off of their responsibility.

And that's exactly what Cole was able to do.

Yeah, Michael Hoyte, that's the first thing he did. He dropped his head. Yeah, one hundred percent. Nicely done. We brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears. All Right, both Jalen Johnson and Cole Comet mentioned their former teammate Andy Dalton. You said, hey, don't don't go to sleep on Andy Dalton. And they've got sixty points

No, you know, all of a sudden, you add the element of development to the quarterback position, and that means you adds uncertainty by the receivers. Then you add experience to the quarterback position. Now you're adding receiver assets. And you look at what they have in the different options they have in the game.

What he threw I think forty two.

Times this past game, so they're letting him throw it. It's not something that they're hiding behind Andy Dalton and let the running game take over even though they had one hundred and fifty five yards rushing. It's about we're gonna let Dalton be the quarterback that we brought him here to be, and he knows the system as well or maybe better than a young quarterback because he's more familiar with disguised coverages than a young guy.

Is five touchdowns in his first two games. Bryce Young had thrown a combined five touchdowns in his last thirteen starts. But you mentioned the running game, and so that's got my attention right out of the gate. Chewba Hubbard has it back to back one hundred yard games. He also caught the ball yesterday, first time in his career consecutive one hundreds. And then the change up is Miles Sanders. He ran for almost six of carry limited and then

Young lost their best defensive.

Lineman, Derek Brown. Yeah, so that's two big losses there.

They got a rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace, who came in and so wound up being the green dot guy making the checks and everything for the defense. So that's something to look at. Panthers rush defense early on in the game really good. They allowed only eight rushing yards in the first quarter and eleven for the first half. So don't get discouraged if they happen to have a plucky game when they're you know, stop on the run, stick to the run game. And I forgot about Xavier Legget

So these are these are the early.

Guys to watch six three, two twenty seven. Another big receiver, a draft choice this past year. So when you look at Leggott and at developing a relationship, that's what I'm talking about. You put Leggott in there with Bryce Young. There's confusions on both ends of the football. When you put Leggott in there with Andy Dalton, now all of a sudden, you become a big target, you know, like a tight end sized target. So that's you know, Andy Dalton is really the biggest concern of what this team

Steinhoffels an employee owned furniture and metrostore. Is it any there for Chicagoland. Locations in Vernon Hills, Crystal Lake, Downders Groven, Harwood Heights are shop online at Steinhoffels dot com. All right, a couple of things about the Bear. We didn't even talk about Tory Taylor enough. But you know, hey, like you said, there's jerseys with the number nineteen on it now, and that's pretty cool for a punter. His reputation precedes him obviously, and this is guy's he's only going to

For sixty six yards? Explain this to him.

I think that he's got a unique ability to kick a spiral off his foot, and he knows when he's going to kick a spiral, and then he knows the predominant win direction inside that stadium. And he went to the stadium the night before the game. Oh really, he sat in a stadium to kind of let the wind hit them, to understand how it all feels. And I think when you know the predominant wind direction, no matter what sport or what you're doing out in the wind, you got to know that in order to be efficient

They're living off their foot.

I wouldn't call it weird. I would call it a pro moment.

They're weird.

That's a prefer weeks. That's a veteran move.

What he did.

I didn't know this.

I didn't know that he showed up at the stadium the night before.

Yeah, it's a real it's listen.

I say that out of respect because I say that out of respect because they're so talented with their foot. That's how they're making a living. But there's so many elements that they study and investigate beforehand that they got to they got to know what's going on.

Heck, you know, you.

Could just head over to the stadium the night before as well. Uh, you know, make a little pot roast in the in the slow cooker and you and Tory could sit there and chop it up, love to talk football too.

You know, he's got to make arrangements to have the right people open him up and allow him to get in the stadium. And you go and you sit there and study it. And I think it's kind of cool because there's so many different weather elements and how they affect Soldier Field and what was it we went through through wet. We went through three weather zones yesterday. You know, a little bit of mist and sprinkle in the morning, chill and a little bit of wind, a little chill, a little sun.

You know.

No, it was humid at the end of the day. I mean we were sweating in the booth, that's for sure. And I'm not a sweater like you. Hey, this is funny though, now that you're talking about, because you get you got to the stadium quite quite early on Sunday,

I dream would to have a motor home in the parking lot and live in the motor home, just sit there and relax and then walk into the stadium.

But no, hey, I got I got something for you. I know somebody could hook you up. Jim Harbaugh, your old teammate.

Yeah, well, but you just up the annie when you said having a sweet inside there where. That would just be awesome to walk in there the night before, just relaxed.

And you'd never whine again about anything.

It would make me want to get there on Friday night.

Then Friday, sit there, watch high school football on my tab.

We're as weird as you say, A special teams people are, Yeah, for sure. Visy Heart seltz or flavors for every Vibe Celebrate Responsibily, Motion Course Beverage Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So a

Yeah, you know, I'm still going to bring a carry on piece of luggage. I'm not going to overpack Number one. Number two is you know, in preparation for the opponent. And I don't want to look ahead and start talking about that game. But when you go there, it's it's a huge travel and if you come away with the win, then you come back and you get an opportunity to refresh your mind and refresh the minds of some of these young guys, the Austin Booker and Caleb and Roma

A lot to look forward to. It's going to be a fun year. I just have that kind of feeling. It's going to be dramatic every way you can type of shape it. All right, Tom, that's going to wrap us up. Special thanks to Matt Eberfluss as well and Busy Heart Seltzer Flavors for every vibe Celebrate Responsibly Most in Course Beverage Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We'd be back with you at a real deep dive on the Carolina Panthers on Thursday when our podcast clicks over to episode number

Until then, thanks for listening.

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