Nagy on Fields development, Bye Week | Coaches Show

Monday night, but falling short by two this one. I'm sure we'll sting for a bit as you go into the bye week, i'd imagine, but given how the second half took shape and what was overcoming, how Justin Fields played, and how the offense elevated because of it, it must give you a big boost of momentum into this bye

week and beyond. Yeah, Jeff, you know, I think you know you're right, and it's it's the difficult part is you just for these guys and for all of our coaches players, you know, everybody's city, the fans, everybody you know, you you you know, you put in a lot of work and you want to get to win. And that's an emotional game last night, and it's it's not an easy environment, but it's it's fun to be a part

of that. And for the guy to continue to fight to the very end and come down to basically the last play and be on the wrong end of it. That that's where it's tough. Um, it's an emotional time, but you wake up and you realize, like you said, you know at the same point in time that you know justin at that moment the end of the game to come down and help lead the team to score

is huge. And that's one of those moments that in his career he'll always remember, always be in his rookie year and Monday night football in Pittsburgh and soum he did it, and he proved to us that he was going to do it. He told us he was going to do it, and he did it. And that's kind of where we're at. How'd he tell you he was going to do it just by his emotions and his

the look on his face. Like I said this morning, he just we walked over to get ready to give him the play and get out there for the first play, and before we did it, you know, just to kind of see where he's at, and you get a sense of where guys are and to look in their eye. He just had this big grin on him, you know, this big smile like this is this is what he was built for, and it's just it's just rare to

have that. And so then you know that. But then when you see it actually come to fruition and it ends in a touchdown or an extra point puts you up by one, it's one of those moments that we'll always remember, you know. I wish we could have came out on the other side, but for his growth and for who he is in our offense, it was a special moment. You mentioned his growth, and it seems as if the entire population is so focused on just his growth, but with his growth comes growth for the football team

in every phase. So sometimes that lost in this because it's justin fields, the eleventh pick in the first round of the NFL draft, and he's got this potential to be great. Yeah, I think there's a it's an interesting dynamic. You know, you have a you have a first round draft pick that you move up to get at the quarterback position, and who now has you know, heading into you know, really, I mean he's he's heading into six seven starts now and getting lot of reps and you're

seeing the growth, you're seeing the excitement. He's made two really big plays now in big time moments back to back weeks, and that's what you feel, that's what everybody feels, and there's the excitement. The tough part is when you lose, and Justin will tell you that's all he cares about, right, and he understands everything that comes with it. We understand

everything that comes with it. But at the same point in time, this is a team game and we're doing everything we can, like we said last night or one eleventh, to help this team win, and we haven't done that in the last several weeks and we gotta we gotta do that. We gotta do more of that so that we can win. What changed that allowed Justin to really go downfield so much more in the second half and just the decisiveness now two weeks going, but there's a

heck of a lot more plays downfield in the second half. Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, you know, when you head into a game, it's it's it's kind of like a boxing match. Those first several rounds, you're just kind of seeing what the game plan is right, You know, what are you coming with a run game? With a past game? You saw we had that bootleg on the one player where Justin rolled out to his left made a great throw, and then two plays later we ran

one and they sacked us. And so there's a feeling out procedure of really where you're at and what you want to do. Once we could get a good feel of where they were and what their game plan was, I think builded a great job, Bill Laser of of getting our guys into a rhythm. And then the guy's got to make plays. And you saw more shots and they're not all completed, but it stretches the defense out vertically, which can open up the run game in a quick game,

and that's probably what you saw. And then Justin just made some plays and some throws. You know, that one throwy threw to Jimmy Grammers was as as good as it gets. And so when you make throws like that, you just instantly have more confidence in yourself. It seems to be also a national discussion on just the hits he's taking, some of which can be described as late or unnecessary, but not drawing flags, and you know it's not the NBA. It's not you know, MJ getting because

it's MJ not getting those files. But maybe there is some of that I don't know, Or is it because he's considered a running quarterback and that throws some things out the window from an officiating perspective, maybe even subconsciously. Yeah, I think you know, regardless of who you are or where you're at on the field, you know, the nature of the game is to always protect all players, and let alone the quarterbacks when they're running with the football and it's a it's a quick game. It's a fast

game down there. Those referees have some tough decisions to make when it's it happened so quickly, and it's a part of the game. The biggest thing that we can do is to help justin limit and minimize the amount of times that he takes those those hits. Every now and then, there's gonna be one. You know. He had the one on the sideline where Minka came over and hit him pretty hard. He had the other one where he kind of went for a slide and got hit

from behind. And he had a few where he slid early which was great and didn't take a hit he got somewhere, he ran, got out of bounds. So, um, you know, next week or two weeks from now, we play Baltimore, We're going to see a quarterback that takes a lot of hits a lot of times. Um. So it's just a balance of how many you take and how hard, how hard they are. What do you do by penalties? Well, we got to fix them, and that that's that starts with me. I got to make sure

that we continue to emphasize it to the players. And then when the players are out there, they gotta you know, they got to make sure that they follow through with the execution. I'm not having them. There's gonna be some penalties here or there. It's the outliers and it's the max number of penalties that hurt. And we need to be a better and more disciplined football team. Um, you know, whether it's an unnecessary roughness, a flagrant foul, whatever, whatever,

any anything that's just controllable. We need to do a better job at controlling our emotions and the false starts to jump off side, you know all that stuff like we can we can get better there too. So it's gonna be an emphasis. It has to. Yeah, that really is the key word, the control part and that offense. We know about the emotion of the game, and you played it at a high level as well, so you

know what it's like. And you're on that sideline. But at this point, just because it's gonna be called clearly, it's gonna be called on the taunting, is there any way to make an edict? Hey, No matter what, I know, it's a great play in a great moment, Come with your teammates the sideline and celebrate with us, and yes, end it right there? Is that a possible message from you? And this absolutely, without a doubt, without a doubt, that's I mean, that's that's really the way that we have

to go. And the players need to understand that it's hurt us too much and it's kept teams. I mean, you worked so hard to get a team off the field and then to have it happen where they get a free player to get back on that's a backbreaker. So, um, you know what we got to do and what I need to do is make sure that they follow that lead. They understand it, and any point in time that it happens, it's unaccepted, you know, And so we got we gotta really make an emphasis to that, so they follow through

and they don't do it. Snap the fields under pressure, leaving the pocket. Tuck's gotta fire into the end zone. Catchus Beard theft corner of the end zone. Touchdown, darn Old Mooney touchdown. Bears Welcome back to the Bears Coaches Show. It's brought to you by Whippley CPAs and Consultants, a proud partner of the Chicago Bears. Learn more at Whippley dot com. There was the fields to Mooney touchdown. I literally jumped out of my seat, although I wasn't sitting outstanding,

so that's how excited I was. But boy was at a throw man and this the throwing to his left as a right handed quarterback. Honestly, it's you don't see it very often done as well and as precise and with accuracy as he's showing. Not just that thrown, but it's happened more than once. Is this unique to justin Fields? Well, I think we're starting to see some of his strengths

of what he does well. And every now and then some quarterbacks will develop some some some favorites or some habits that team start to see Hey, this guy really he throws well to the left or he throws well to the writer. He's he's a good hitch hitch throw

type guy from the pocket. Um and we I mean he had the bootleg where he rolled to his left and threw a nice ball to Cole Comet early on too, where again you're starting to see that now, and um, we loved seeing it because especially that last one for the touchdown is it wasn't a roll out. It just it was a it was a drop back pass that wasn't there. So we rolled out and became a runner and then all of a sudden became a thrower and made a great throw. Mooney made a hell of a catch,

got both feet and at a big time moment. And that's probably the biggest thing is you know that I really feel is that he's making big time plays in big time moments. And that's what's exciting too. All right, So you gotta get you your body square at some point to make that an accurate throw. But what is so pronounced with him just from my analysis and you you're the quarterback quote here in this in this particular question, but his follow through no matter where his arm slot

is whether it's right arm, it is very thorough. Is that where the accuracy comes from or is it more complicated than that. But he seems to really really be good with making sure that follow through. You can see it very clearly, and he just it's like a laser. Yeah, well I would I would relate it to or compare it to like a free throw. You know, when you follow through on a free throw or say it's a fade away three, you know, and you just kind of feel like you know it is it's you know it's

going to be a great throw. There's more of a feel to it, is what I'm saying. So it was very similar right to his touchdown throw two weeks ago against the forty nine ers, the Jesse James I'm very similar throw where he kind of threw off his right foot, got both feet in the air, how to follow through, stide arm and and so it's a natural feel that he has. It's honestly, it's more DNA than anything. How

the offensive line do. They did a lot better. They really did a good job against a tough defense to front in that environment. I was proud of them. I thought they grew. I thought they got a lot better. You know, that's not easy on the road silent count. You know, we unfortunately, we had a couple of false starts with which hurt us, and the guys understand that and know that. But for the most part, I really thought they did a good job. And that's another part

of the growth that we're happy about. With the offense, We're getting more explosives. I think we had eleven explosives yesterday. Eight passes of sixteen or plus yards and three runs of twelve or plus runs. So, you know, being able to have that sometimes eliminates going twelve and fourteen play drives because you're getting big place and it's first time in three years a Bear's quarterback had a stat line with a yard propositive attempt of ten yards or more. Yeah,

it's been a minute, but he had it. I'm undenied in Pittsburgh. All right, Let's let's go to the defensive side of the ball. Concerns, positives. What do you take out of this one? Well, you know the positives. I'll start off with that is, you know, at what we were able to do. We were able to hit ben Um. You know, we had four sacks. We kept them. The two hundred and five yards passing two hundred and eighty total yards of offense for them. So that's the good.

And also I think we we held uh Naji Harris to a pretty low yards per per carry. That's good. Um, well, we gotta be a little bit better at of situational football. Is again that complimentary football when we need to stop getting that stop when we need it. Now, we always need to stop. We get that. But uh, there at the end of the game, would have been really good to be able to not allow them to get down there for that field goal attempt. A couple of things

here there we can get better at. But um, you know, for the most part, the other part that we're emphasizing as the takeaways. You know, we didn't come away with any takeaways on defense, so that can help flip the field. But we uh, we really feel like, um, you know, get healthy here, get some guys back and get get rock and a rolling Yeah, the third along the third and six plus going into the game, twenty eighth in the league defensively, and so they hit on a few

more of those. It doesn't seem like it's a killer, but those lead to scoring drives when you convert those yeah, they do. They just keep the drive going. And they had a couple of those third downs like you're saying, and even some third and goals you know that they were able to take advantage of. So I know that's an emphasis that Sean's really focusing on, and our guys understand it. Again, this bye week will really allow us to reflect us to where we're at, how we're going to.

Certain areas can get better. You know, it was a terrific comeback because, as you said, the environment was it was really loud in there. I know my ears are still ringing Montgomery again a little while, Keah, this time we give it the Mooney left to the tenth, to the five into the end zone, put a touchdown and David Montgomery pumps his piss because two Steelers thought he

kept that ball. Terrific ball, fake Montgomery, the Mooney, David Montgomery on the cat and the gift to Darnel Mooney a second touchdown for the Bears wide receiver in their loss to the Pittsburgh Stealers. Back with Matt Nagge here on the Bears Coaches Show. Download the Chicago Bears app to play a new predictor game Risk get brought to you by Bette Rivers for your chance to win two hundred and fifty dollars in free bets and a custom Bears jersey. Here with Matt as we look at that wildcat.

David Montgomery ran it very well yesterday. He did a great job. He's done really well with that and it's just a little change up. The defense has to prepare for it. There's different things we can do out of it. But the execution level was really great by everybody. And then Cole Comet he had one of those explosives. A really good day for him, and Jimmy Graham good to see that working obviously, and it just and Alan Robinson

the whole thing. And here again this goes back to justin fields because if he plays well and throws the ball well and he's protected and they're getting the running game going and all these other weapons that everybody's been asking for and getting targets to start to get those targets in the big place. Yeah, I felt that yesterday, Jeff, where you were able to see some different guys getting

getting those targets. Like you're saying, you know, whether it's a short pass, whether it was downfield, rout and even whether it was complete or incomplete, but you saw us getting the tight ends, evolved the running backs a little bit here there, those wide receivers, and I think what's happening is you're starting to see just and feel more and more comfortable with these reps he's getting with these particular receivers and running backs. And now we got to

grow off of that. We're kind of finding a nice little balanced schematically with what we like to do with them. We're finding out what his strengths and weaknesses are, and we're trying to put it all together to make it the best for us. All Right, we all know it's been a tough schedule. Your opponents of one forty three games, most in the league. It's a it's a treacherous road.

We knew that was going to be the case. In addition to that, you guys faced According to Pro Football Focus, who are the four highest graded defensive linemen in the league. You faced Cam Heyward last night, Aaron Donald, Miles, Garrett, Max Crosby. Top four receivers in yardage, Cooper Cup, Deebo, Samuel,

Jamar Chase, and Dvante Adams. So the record is three and six, But you faced a lot of things that theoretically sharpen you for the rest of the road here, getting your guys against these type of players and quarterbacks and future Hall of famers. How would you assess it all as we hit this midley point. Well, the good part is that it calases you for sure, because you're going up against those those great players, like you just said.

But what we got to be able to do now is take that and use it to our advantage moving forward, because you know, you know the schedule better than anybody. I mean, we got we got some really good football teams ahead of us, so and that's how it should be. We get that we need to be able to beat all of those teams that are in front of us, and we really feel like with who we have and getting getting some of our guys back is going to be crucial. But it definitely makes you better, that's for sure.

And I think really for again looking at Justin, for him to be able to play some of these defenses that he's seeing, he's done a he's done a really really good job of, you know, making the game slow down a little bit on defense, but yet still making plays and being great Monday, you know, through Saturday, and

that's where we want to keep growing. In addition to what you do and say as a head coach and your staff, would you know because sometimes these situations, not that these guys are quitters by any means, they showed that fight perfectly example last night, but you are three and six. Would Justin's presence and development alone help everybody else stay in tune here and keep going. Yeah, and and I really I know that for a fact, But I also know who our players are and where they're at.

And again, Roquon, I thought had a great message, you know, just just talking to the to the guys last night at the end in the locker room, just not not a lot, just short and sweet to the point of it. You know, it's it's time we get back on track. And so when you hear that coming from your players and your leaders, it really is is great to hear from the coach's perspective. And I know that the players feel that too. So they're gonna get away for a

little bit. They're gonna come back in a week and be able to be refreshed and rejuvenated and be ready to attack these these final guaranteed eight games and what do you want out of the week for yourself and your stuff? Well, you know, it's h It's something where for for us as a staff, we're already attacking the

self scout in all three phases, which every team does. Um, we're able to some of the coaches will be able to get away and um, break away for a little bit and get some time for their mental health, which is which is great and important, and be able to come back at this thing and get refreshed. So for me personally, I'll be able to really look at all three phases. I kind of had a sneak peek to it last week when I was, you know, out with COVID.

So it's almost like two weeks now that I'm able to do this and really get back on track health wise without specifics, because that's a wait and see. Will you feel are you leaning more towards optimistic than yes and miss? Yeah, we are, we are. That's that's a part of the game or injuries. Every team's going through

it right now in some significant positions. But I really do feel like you're heading into this bye week and then into the next week when we prep for for Baltimore is we are starting to get a lot of death back and it's a it's a great time to have the buy right now. So I would say, yeah, definitely lean more towards optimism. All right, Hopefully you have plenty of play sent to the league office to get a good look. They can spend some time in the buye week too. That's that's all we'll say at it.

How about it? Right? I hear you, Thanks Jim, all right, and enjoy your bye week. We'll talk to you next week. Here's the punt O Donald backs up. Ray Ray McCloud, who was twenty comes better with a field off the hash of the twenty five of the Bears broup start up like the HC twenty fifteen ten up Touchdoctor Wow. Select single game Bears tickets are available, but you're on the Monsters of the Midway Live. It's wold your field this season. Visit Chicago Bears dot com slash tickets for

more information. Jeff Jonny act joined by Chris Tabor, my good pal, special teams coordinator. After the loss in Pittsburgh, and you heard the DeAndre Houston Carson Johnny on the spot scoop and score, but a whole lot more to that play. Break it down for me after watching it all on tape and watching it live on the sidelines, because it was a big play in the game. No,

the guys came through. I mean, you know, we had had we had the turnover ourselves after that good kickoff return, and defense did a great job of not allowing any points on that. But we felt, you know, we felt we needed to to right the ship and where where we were at. You know, Pat, you know, hit a big punt and the guys did a good job of going down and covering. I thought they covered well in the pots, an area we've been trying to improve each and every week, and last night the kids did a

great job in that area. But we talked all week. Um, you know Ray Ray is a good player, but there there's been times where he's put the ball on the ground and and uh kind of when he twists and moves a little bit, you can you can get your hand in there and punch it out. And Iggy did a good great job getting down there and punching that out. And then DHC just to have the no withal to pick that thing up and scoop and score uh and get us get us going again because I think I

don't know, I can't remember. Was there about seven minutes left in the game and that kind of resparked you. Oh so that that was that was big play and glad that we executed there. Yeah, I believe Thomas Quo was after that. Couldn't happen a nicer guy. And that's the case, because the love fest for a DHC over the last couple of years is you just you just so well thought of. And I just completed a TV feature with him a couple of weeks ago, and a lot of depth to the guy out, a lot to him.

So but again, you know, it took a whole unit to make that play, but you know, to have him scoop and score that was that was off on night. Yeah. No, I mean, hey, it's if you're really if you're talking to young kids, are you even talking to pro players a guy that goes out a half hour early each and every day to work on his craft. It just it's not coincident. I mean, things are going to happen for those guys, and he's done that. So, uh, you know, that's why I always say he's a straw that stirs

to drink. Yeah, you know. Damn Pompey, the Hall of Fame writer and my good friend I wrote today that every good team, I think he said, every good team needs a guy just like DeAndre Houston Carson. All right, so, uh, let's break down some other things in this game. Let's go with the sixty five yard field goal try two seconds on the clock and looking at it again, it was right down the middle, right down the middle. Unbelievable,

just a couple of couple of yards. Yeah, I know, I mean that's obviously that's a that's a tough kick, Hindes, but that's you know, what are you gonna do? You gotta you gotta give a shot. And and uh and he did. I mean, the guy, the guy is accurate. I mean the ball, it wasn't like its sprayed left or duck hooked or anything along those lines. I mean it's right down the middle, just you know, just it's just too far. Yeah, So did you calculate how many

yards that would have been? Short? Two or three? I was so longer than that. I think it landed. It landed. It landed on the b in the Pittsburgh black lettering. Yeah, so I don't know that m Yeah, you're probably five yards or so, you know, and that's you know, we tried to tried to steal some yards right before, but but Walt knocked it down there, and uh, you know every yard at that that deal obviously is it gives you, It gives you a shot. Did you see they still

shot of a potential offside Pittsburgh? I saw it live, So yeah, I mean we you know, we did everything that we can alert the officials just with the linements and those type of things. But I'm not that's not that's not my area. So right, I got you. I don't know that five yards would have made a difference potentially. So welcome back to the Bears Coaches Show with Chris Tabor, the Bear Special teams coordinator Jeff joni Q with you

until eight o'clock tonight. Before the break, we were talking about the sixty five yard tribe by Santos and Cole Commet on the edge and I don't know what you call him in your special team's position, but he had to deal with Minca Fitzpatrick, a very aggressive player on defense as it is, but he had to deal with him on his inside and a cornerback Cameron Sutton on the outside. Did in Sutton got through to at least get in the area of Santos, Did that prevent Cairo

in any way of completing his follow through? And what this commit did his best? He had to do both. He had to He had to somehow defer or deter are the penetration of those two players. No, it didn't have anything to do with the kick. In fact, in our world that's a very common common deal. There you have a comet, we call him the wing, and he's responsible, you know, we're always protection is built from the inside out, and Bars is the tight end right next to him,

and he's hooking anything in the d gap there. And then comets handling inside and outside because you always think that your operation, if someone comes from around the outside, that your operation can handle it. The actually on the game where we went up by one and they jumped offsides, Pittsburgh is known for what we call using a hand key, where they're watching the holder's hand and once he opens his hands, they get a jump on the ball. And so we elected to do two of them on the

previous one and they jumped off sides. Because then when we attempted the extra point there to go ahead. Then they had to kind of pump their brakes, which made it made it much easier. So then on that last kick we did, we tried the same thing and Pittsburgh actually tried to move they stemmed on the inside to try to draw us off sides to push it back five yards, and we actually tried to draw them off sides ourselves to try to pick up five yards. So

it was a game within the game. But you know, protection wise, those guys up front, they did a good job. And uh, you know, no, it always looks closer than what it really is on a field goal and a field goal block attempt. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I guess I guess you would be right on that for sure. So the streak ends at forty Buddy hit forty, so tied for third all time. That's a heck of accomplishment over of course, the two seasons for Cairo Santos. No, yeah, you know it is, I mean, really proud of him.

In fact, i'm work. You know, I think what Tiger Woods when he won the Grand Slam, they called it the Tiger Slam where he won two and then it's kind of a lull and then he won the first two were gonna go. We're gonna call it the Cairo streak. I mean sixty five yard or that. That's that's that's you know. Uh so we're gonna in our own little world. But really proud of him. I mean, well start a new one. Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, you gotta pick yourself up.

That's the game of football. Um, let's talk. Let's talk Jachem Grant on his fumble and you know, you think he's a he's a small guy like me, but James, James Pierre had he got lower. He did, he got he got lower, he got low and uh put his helmet on the football and did a good job. And Jachem was was trying to go two hands on the football, but kind of rolls it over and exposes it and

that can't happen. I mean, that's they're a really good coverage team and we feel like we're a good kickoff return team, and we were chopping wood all night and then we finally get the breakout right there for good field position and then turned it over. That's that that really stung. But credit to the guys of coming back and then whatever that was too series later or a series later, causing r fumble and picking it up for a touchdown. So really, how the guys were resilient there,

I do I appreciate that about him. So Tom and I were talking on the broadcast on the punt that he was surrounded by Steelers and they were trying to maybe push him into the football. And Tom said that that used to be taught in the old days, and that was allowed. You could knock somebody into the football. Is that still allowed? He used to Okay, so number one, he should be away from that football, yes, but number but number two, the rules have changed. Yes, you used

to be able to push guys into the ball. The rule now states if a player is standing around a ball and he is not actively engaged in blocking someone, you can't push them into the ball. So when I saw the replay, I was upset that he was around the ball. And then so we got that corrected quickly. And then, uh, when I saw the replay and he was just standing there and I saw him push him, I knew that we were in the clear because they can't do that. Yeah, made Tim a little nervous, using

I don't know, I don't know about this one. I don't think Tom lose his hair exactly exactly. That is the game of football sometimes, isn't it You you lose your hair a little bit. Overall? What will you look at in terms of what you're looking for for a second half to improve special teams all? Over well, I think that I think that, you know, we took some steps in the right direction. I've been the punt coverage has been a thing um that we've been harping on.

And I thought that we thought that we took a step in the right direction last night. But other things that I always I will always only worry about the Chicago Bears and what we need to do in order to get better. And there's there are some things that was a good special teams unit that we played last night, and I knew it would be. And when we come back and we have Baltimore, uh, just knowing Harbors and how they play football over there, it's another AFC North opponent,

I mean, they can play good special teams too. So we got we'll continue. We got to get better at our fundamentals. We got to get better at just the little things. And that's my job as a coach and to help him with that. So we'll just we'll kind of stay the course and like I say, I say it all time, just keep chopping wood fellas, and and uh, good things can happen. Now it's time to look ahead.

Brought to you by Bette Rivers, the official sports book partner of the Chicago Bears, Jeff Joniak, and our final Moments with Christieber Bears Special teams coordinate so you touchdown in the last break up For those uninformed, John Harball was outstanding special teams coordinator in his day and out of the head coach of the Ravens and a very successful operation over there. And because of that is he always made sure that emphasis on special teams is high.

No he has and they they have. They have a lot of good players that play on special teams. I mean, and they you know, arguably have one of the greatest kickers of all time and Justin Tucker, a guy that could hit touchbacks, a guy that could put the ball on a kickoff at the two yard line with four

two or four three hang. I mean, so they're going to present a lot of problems, but you know, they're they're they're physical, they keep coming after you and it'll be just another one of those uh, you know, if you punch them in the mouth, they're going to punch you back, and then you just you just kind of keep trading punches and you go. But this will be, uh,

this will be another big test for our group. And after this week's by the Bears, we'll host the Ravens Sunday the twenty first at Knew and Lamar Jackson leading the Ravens wh an overtime went over the Vikings on Sunday, his tenth career game with at least one hundred rushing yards, tying him with Mike Vick for the most games buy a quarterback of that nature in NFL history, certainly something to keep an eye on for those fans of mobile quarterbacks.

Lamar and Justin Fields, How did Patio do in the first half of this season? Patio doing well. You know, you know, there's been a few games where you know, I know that he's wanted to perform a little bit better, but have a lot of confidence in that guy. I thought his location yesterday was really good and uh, and I think that was also a reason why we covered better too, because he you know, he really limited the field.

Ray Ray was a guy that could take the ball to the perimeter and those type of things, and we wanted to keep him. You know, obviously, the less field the better for us. And I thought he did a really good job there. So he keeps him proving, and I like where he's at, and but there's still room. He'll he'll, he'll be the first one I tell you. He says, I know I could get better, And that's what we're going to work at the second half. Here a bunch of young guys finding the roles on special

teams that are developing. Talk about some of those guys before, Yeah, you know, let you go after that, you bet you know. Yesterday I thought, I thought Xavier Crawford really played one of his his better games up a play that no one will talk about is the missed extra point by Boswell and in the pressure that Xavier comes around and gets long and gets extended, makes it really close. He's almost there, and I don't, you know, obviously you're always trying to block a kick, but if you don't, you

want to affect the kick. And I thought that was one where it was close enough where he affected it. And I told him, I said, that might have been for as good as your gunner reps were yesterday and and then just the things that he does force on kickoff, I'm not allowing the ball to get back out to to the to the field. That was about as big a play as I've seen. And I told him, I said, and no one's even going to talk about it. And I said, that's the world of special teams, buddy. But

I said, I appreciate it. And I said, in our room, we noticed that. We talk about it, and then you know, try to hold each other accountable on it. But he's he's he's doing well. And then you know, we had Iggy's really been been playing well the last few games and playing like I expect him to play. And uh so that that's that's encouraging. Were we still got plenty to work gone, and I know we can get there. It was just it's a it's a work in progress.

All right, Chris, We'll talk to you in a few weeks. Appreciate it, enjoy your bye week, all right, Thank you, all right, everybody that's going to ramp up tonight, Shoe appreciate you listening. Thanks to our producers Jordan Trudup and Dan Barilli for coach Naggie and coach Tabor. I'm Jeff Joniak. Bears will be back at it against the Ravens on the twenty first It Soldier Field, nine am pregame in a noon kickoff. But we have another edition of the

Bears Coaching Show next Monday night at seven o'clock. That'll do it for us. Right now, this is News Radio one oh five nine w BBM. Good night, everybody,