Welcome in Tough Bears Weekly powered by IGS Energy by Chicago Bears Network Production. Bears Weekly is brought to you by Advocate Healthcare, Athletic Goo, Physical, Effacly cd Kellaghan, Connie's Pizza, IGS Energy, and Meta Liked. Here are your hosts, Jeff chilliac Ka, the Mayor of Bearsville and is sidekick Tom the Surfmaster.
Thayer Tatus Hall popping once again with phase one of the off season program underway and the draft just weeks away. We tackle all of it tonight on Bears Weekly on the ESPN one thousand and the Chicago Bears Radio Network. Good to have you here tonight with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Thayer and shortly the former Bears quarterback Jim Miller from Serious XM NFL Radio. I'm Jeff Jonaiyak.
Coming up by the program. We visit with passing game coordinator Press Taylor, one of the new editions on Ben Johnson's coaching staff. I want to thank our producers tonight, Dan Brilly, Jordan Treadap and in the ESPN studio Kendra Smith, Executive Pretty Serre. The Bears Radio Network is Eric Ostrotski. Good even the everybody, Tom, how you feeling.
I I feel good, Jeff, for you know, a lot of excitement this week in terms of the NFL as a whole, but for the Chicago Bears most certainly.
And I think the players.
And the staff kind they got a taste of each other, and I think the seriousness of what is the journey that's set ahead of them, all the new opportunities for a guy like Ben Johnson and his staff, and a lot of new opportunities for the growth and the potential of a lot of players on this team. So I think this is gonna be an exciting spring to watch step by step as this team develops.
All Right, so we heard the podium.
You and I discussed it a little bit on bears Et Center this week. Caleb Williams, Darnell Right, Jermaine Edmunds, Jalen Johnson over off. You had to congregate all the different answers they gave.
What was the common theme out of the four in your opinion?
You know, I think the way the season ended last year and the guys visited the podium, and that word accountability was brought up by a bunch of players, and I think the players want the accountability.
To transfer into the locker room.
And you know, it's almost like Jalen Johnson, if you see something, say something. If you want guys to have more dedication or a better effort in the practice field, in the meeting room and the weight room, showing up on time, that hold each other accountable in those terms.
And I think when you bring the leaders up to the podium in the early portion of a new league year, you kind of get a taste of what these guys want and where they want to go, because, like Ben Johnson said when he took this job, this is not a five year project. This is a win now project. And I think that's really an important message that he got out there early and these players got to understand.
Also, what do you think of the demeanor of Caleb.
Listen man. You know that's the thing about it. You and I talked about it. Caleb has never disappointed me.
Some to some of the most difficult podium visits he had throughout last year, to the early portion of when he came aboard, and how confident of a player he was, but he also understands there's gonna be some new parts of his job that he's gonna have to get fundamentally at ease with and it's gonna have to become second nature, and it's gonna have to be like he's taking a breath of air from some of the aspects of his
job in terms of working under center. The footwork that you need according you know, so all that works accordingly. So listen, Caleb has never disappointed me, and he didn't with his first visit, all.
Right, So it can be no other way to frame it. The excitement that we've been discussing from the outside in is now starting to bubble up and outside inside out of the building. Tom, would you agree that is exactly the case from everything you're hearing. The people you talk to here are the players of the podium, just the little scraps on the bread crumbs that we're putting together.
You know, everything that I've heard come out of Ben Johnson's mouth from the time he was introduced as a new head coach in Tallas Hall to what he said at the combine, what he's done at every one of
his podium visits in front of the media. He's never disappointed me as well, and he always said something that's kind of refreshing in terms of the responsibilities of the players get comfortable being uncomfortable, the different things that he wants to do to a quality quarterback and a great athlete quarterback like Caleb, and how he can expand his game, the differences that he sees within this offense.
What he can do with and for a guy like Cole Kamet.
And then the different difficult choices that the competitiveness of these players is gonna help those decisions. And then I like everything that I've heard out of Dennis Allen, and I'm excited to see this new philosophical thinking of the defense and the different types of coverages he likes to play, what he likes to do at the line of scrimmage, how he deploys the defensive assets he has. Like I said, from right now through the spraying portion and into summer camp.
I think it's gonna be really fun to watch it develop.
All Right, you raise a good point. So Tremaine, Edmunds and TJ.
Edwards, some of the drafted players all came here under a regime of Matt Eberflus in a certain style of defense. Now you bring in Dennis Allen. Tremaine is still a young player.
Even though he is.
He has spent a lot of time in the NFL with both Buffalo Now and the Bears. But players like that across the board. Let's even throw in Montese Sweat coming to board a couple of years ago. Does this revitalize each and every one of those players, the veterans that are coming in because they haven't worked with Dennis Allen, they don't they know exactly how he's going to coach them or what he has to offer. Now they're learning
it up there this week, little pieces of it. But will this revitalize that defense?
I do think it's gonna re idolize the defense. But you know, I also think that when you're playing for a new position coach, you're playing for a new coordinator, you're playing for a new head coach, there's a certain
sense of seriousness that goes along with that. Is you have to allow the coaches to see your work ethic, your approach to professionalism, what you do to make sure that you're mentally and physically prepared for what's at stake, because you know, you, I guess you have a reputation, but you haven't earned anything in front of this new coaching staff. That is That's what's at stake is if you have a reputation that precedes you, can you live
up to it. If you're a guy that has potential, can you show this potential and the signs of growth. So there's a lot of things that every one of these coaches, position coaches and coordinators are going to be looking at to see how you can put all the right pieces in place.
All right, Joining us now from NFL Radio Serious XM, the former Bears quarterback Jim Miller back with us. Jim, how you feeling. What's what's the word in the league right now? What's the big news today? I know Abdul Carter had his medical recheck, So that's big news for the Arguably that the top player regardless of position in the NFL drafted in many people's minds, but a player that you know, you got to keep an eye on this.
The stress reaction in his foot is healing, improvement, no surgery, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Yeah, I think he's a big part.
We had you know, I'm not going to name the name, but a former general manager they questioned whether Abdull Carter can really hold up against the run, you know, so it's not only his health. They questioned, you know, how strong is he? How good is he with his hands? Can he shed the blocks? And everybody just assumes he's going to be the surefire, you know, best pass rusher in the in the draft that is drafted, and he comes with a medical history and then probably you know
Shador Sanders, the Colorado quarterback. He's probably been the most polarizing player had into the draft, and other guys seem to be gaining his steam, like Milroe from Alabama. I think Milroe is he really played well down at the Reese's Senior Bowl. He showed all his skills, a big arm. There are college players that said he's probably the toughest quarterback they had to play against. But I think it's Milroe rising and it seems like Sanders is dropping is leading up to the draft.
Yeah, that's interesting, Tom. What's your take on Jaylen Milroe. I mean, when you see him at the Senior Bowl as we did up close, boy, the body looks tremendous. He's got the size, he's super smart, he's a great leader, he's got the athleticism. They're just things in his overall toolbox in terms of technique and fundamentals that need to be short up a bit, and you get him with the right team, the right coach man, you're tapping into a gold mine potentially.
You know, Jeff, let me analogize this because you and I.
Last year we're talking about Joe Milton, and.
Remember we saw him throw some passes that were sixty five seventy five yards and what an athlete he looked like, and you kind of go, Wow, what is the potential of this guy in what can ultimately happen to him throughout his career. I kind of think of the same thing between these two guys. They're dynamic athletes, they have incredible traits. They played at major programs, they showed signs
of athletic brilliance. But now when you're into the pro level game, can everything develop according to the template that we see that's running forty throwing footballs, doing everything that's asked of them to show off their athleticism and that cannect compute into quarterback play.
Jim, what are your thoughts?
I like Milrow to me, he reminds me a lot of Jalen Hurts, not only you know his production running the football, and that's where a lot of different defenses. Defensive players like Hunter Wooler, the safety for Wisconsin, came on our airways and saiday, he said he was by far the toughest quarterback they played against because they couldn't tackle him in space what you can. And I guess his think about this time his ten yard split. I guess that his pro day was like one four to one.
It was something ridiculous. I mean that he basically ran a sub four four forty, so he's in the four to three ranges where he's at. He's my point, and he's not a polished passer. I think you saw it, Jeff, and you were plays in the game where he's not accurate because his feet don't marry up with his arm. But he's got a big arm. He can spin the football. He's just got to become a more polished passer, like say Jalen Hurts, and that's Jalen Hurts.
You know.
He transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma, played really well. He won a lot of games, but then he kind of sat in the NFL and they were kind of develop him behind Carson Wentz and then he bursts onto the scene. He plays well. Now he gets the big contract. Now, he wins a super Bowl and we'll see where he can go. But I think a lot of teams think that that would be the path for Milroe from Alabama because he is extremely talented.
Well, one of the interesting thing is Henterer Wohler Hunter roll a Batman. So if he said it was the toughest, I love that player for sure. All Right, when we come back, we'll be joined by the new passing game coordinator, the Chicago Bears assistant coach, Press Taylor. Here on Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand and the Bears Radio Network.
Well, welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network. Here's your host, the voice of the Bears, Jeff Jonian.
This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by IGS Energy. Welcome back to Bears Weekly on ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network. Jeff Joniek with one of the new members of the Bears coaching staff and our get to Know You series, Press Taylor, coming over for his first year with the Bears, but an extensive career in coaching with Philadelphia. I know I'm gonna miss a few, but last stop was Jacksonville and the brother of Zach Taylor, the head coach to the Cincinnati Bengals, And yes, there
will be a Pro Bowl again this year. So on the road at his place. I don't know what your records are facing each other. I bet you know, though, I think we're tired. Actually all right, played up there, but I think we're tired.
Yeah, okay, Well that's it's a great story of the two of you.
And I was I noticed on an old article that I was researching in the Florida Times Union, there's a picture of you both as little kids with coach did goat it was? It said after an NFL game, where you ad an NFL game.
My first ever NFL game was nineteen ninety two. It was here in December. I think they beat I know this because they wrote an article about my brother playing Jim Harbor because Jim Harbo was the quarterback at the time. Okay, so in ninety two they beat the I think they beat the Steelers like thirty to six that weekend. That was my first ever NFL game.
Do you remember how that all came about?
Like?
Why Chicago that weekend?
So my dad coached at Kansas State and the strength coach at the time was a guy named Russ Reeder, O course strength coach here. Yes, yeah, so we came to visit his family and all that and had a whole weekend in Chicago.
That's pretty cool.
That picture will find its way back to the paper here because it's a great picture.
Do you like the mix?
First of all, do you like the mix of different influences and ages on this coaching except both sides of the ball?
I love it. I mean that's kind of One thing is Ben didn't bring a ton of people to work with them. You know, there's two guys I think JT and Antoine that we're on a staff with Ben. But otherwise it's a lot of people that maybe know them through the through the graape vine or whatever that came to be just interviewed and decided to hire. So I think it's cool to just beat up be able to combine a bunch of different experiences and build something here.
You guys are in the lab, so to speak at this point.
So what is that experience been like with all these different minds, especially on.
Your side of the ball.
Obviously you're side of the ball because you've called plays, you've been an offensive coordinator, Just what is those breakdowns been like to kind of carve out what this scheme will look like.
Yeah, that's the fun part about it right now, it's all kind of just learn what has been done, what Ben did in Detroit, what made them successful. Learn all that, and then as we get to know our players, we get to know what fits us. You start to even hear Ben's kind of evolution through their offense and his time is the offense corder in Detroit, And eventually it's gonna become whatever it becomes for us this season, and it ebbs and flows. Every single season. You thought you're
gonna be something, you become something else. Your players are better, something different, and you pivot as quickly as you can. So you want to build something now that you're able to pivot quickly and seamlessly, and guys understand and grasp why it's called what it's called, or why we teach it a certain way.
Yeah, I've made a big deal out of the point. I think Ben tried to emphasize it as well. Whatever happened in Detroit, happened in Detroit is gonna be the Bears offense. To your point, you're going to construct it to the strengths and traits of your players, and that roster is still yet to be determined before you get to training camp. How important is that so you're open minded to what this offense can be as a staff, Yeah.
I think that's everything. You want to do what your players do well. You want to put them all in position to maximize their strengths, and a lot of it you're gonna buil around your quarterback. So you know, as we get to know Caleb and continue to grow with him and watch him grow and learn the system, then how can we put in the best situations possible?
All Right?
So that being said, you just got with your experience in Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence, what was that like for you as you now continue your career in the role you are here with the Bears and just what you learn from that experience.
Yeah, you learn a ton every single year, every single year of the game just continues to evolve and you want to stay in front of it. Really, But working with young quarterbacks it has been a lot of fun. I've been able to do it with a lot of different guys throughout the course of my career. But Trevor
was no different Trevor. You know, I think there's a lot of growth still ahead of him for his game, but just working in connection with him and locks up with him, and the offense kind of goes as the quarterback sees it. And so you want to come up with new ideas you want to build and build it around him. But you really have to be in sync with the quarterback to be able to really maximize it.
Press Taylor, our guest here on ESPAN Chicago and the Bears Radio network This is Bears Weekly. You mentioned some of those other quarterbacks, Carson Wentz obviously, Jalen Hurts who congratulations to him.
Really love this football player, gritty as they come.
As you know, Michael Vick even at one time, everybody does a little bit something different.
I just mentioned a lot of guys.
A are a mobile, Nick Foles was not right all right, but dangerous this can be and won a Super Bowl. Did it matter to you to as you embarked on this coaching career to try to get as many different types quarterbacks in your background? I mean, obviously it depends where you're at, but has that helped you form thought process on scheme and so forth?
Yeah? I think that's certainly helped. Obviously, you want to be in one place with one quarterback for a long time have a lot of success. That's just not the way it goes for most people. But it's been great. You know you mentioned it, but Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz in two different stops, Trevor Lawrence.
It's just cool to see how all of these obviously high level players, how they process, how they think, what hits their brain, how they handle certain situations because every offense changes. I mean, we went from a year where we had Carson Wentz to Nick Foles and won a Super Bowl and the offense changed over the course of a couple of weeks, and I think it just re emphasizes the need to put the quarterback in the best possible position.
So what has been added to this point As the timing of this conversation with the interior three this league and those who cover it, it focused only on the left tackle being significant. Then all of a sudden, oh, you know,
you got to pay a right tackle too. Now wait a minute, you got to have three and two year guys so the guy can have a nice pocket to step up into the fact of the matter is you need five really good offensive linemen that play as many snaps as they possibly can together to make an offense motor right.
Exactly, And you got to keep them healthy, which is the biggest battle I think in the NFL throughout the course of a season. But yeah, now, with how good these defensive tackles are, and just the speed of the defense, the size of the defense as well, you really can't have a weak spot. You're gonna get exposed, especially with how good these defense cordinas are and creating those matchups.
I saw this stat I mentioned it to my broadcast partner Tom Fair the eighty five Bears.
Starting the right guard. I was shocked. I guess I shouldn't be.
We've had a lot of issues with offensive line stability here with injuries and whatnot. Last season, there was one team in the league that had eighty percent of the snaps offensively with the same five, and eighteen teams less than forty percent of the snaps with the same five offensive line. Now at the top down, most of those teams went to the playoffs, So I'm theorizing, then, hey, this is important as much as possible.
But apparently hard to.
Do, hard to do.
How hard is that for a coach?
I mean, that's tough, but that's what comes with the job. I mean, you have to be able to nobody cares the game. The schedule comes out in April and we're gonna play all those games no matter what. So you figure out who's available, You pivot as quickly as you possibly can. You put a plan together, and then you react to whatever happens south of the course of the game, because a lot of times you're losing guys first second,
third play, first second, third quarter, whatever that is. The game goes on, so you gotta figure out how to put everybody in position.
Your title is passing game coordinator.
But I do believe the Bears are going to run the football too, are So is that going to be a big part of this?
You believe?
I think so. And again it's what are we doing well. I mean, there's a lot of different ways to win a game, and those ways change each week, they change within a game, but I think we want to be able to establish that sort of identity that we can run the ball if that's what it takes to win that week. So we're not going to say we're not gonna be able to do anything exactly.
There's a lot to discuss on Caleb Williams just from your review to this point. Any thoughts on how his first year went and what his future looks like.
Yeah, obviously a super talented player that just jumps off the film as you watch and some of the plays he makes, some of the you know, scrambled throws he's able to make as well in the creation he has, but you know, at times, to be a great play in this league got to be consistent and that's something that is tough for a lot of quarterbacks, but rookie quarterbacks especially, And so that's just something being able to work with him, get to know him, learn him a
little bit, and how can we help him be in a position where he's able to just repeat things over and over and over. What's play calls concepts throws, trying to make everything look as similar as possible for him so that he's ever really thrive and take off.
You know, it's challenge calling his games because you think he's running out of bounds on a scramble at the very last second, he's ripping off a beautiful throat of the end zone. For a touchdown, so he keeps you on your toes. He does for a fan announcer and probably a coach as well. Final moments here with Press Taylor Bears passing game coordinator, one of the new members of the Bears coaching staff here for twenty twenty five. I want to touch on your influences a little bit. Obviously,
you're the son of a coach. Your dad, Sherwood, was a coach in college. You grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, daughter a graduate of OUs, so I got a feel for.
What that's like over there.
You grew up in a neighborhood with just amazing athletes apparently, and had some amazing influences from all those different athletes and sports. But you also worked with guys like Jim Kelly, Frank Reich, Doug Peterson. Is it helped to find who you are as a coach or are you charting your own path so to speak?
I'd like to think. I mean, I think you're influenced obviously by the people you're around, and I'm thankful that the people I have been around have been great. People have been open to sharing their thought process, their ideas. But you're gonna take what fits you and what Again, each year changes, so you reserve the right to change every single year as well. So what I believe probably ten years ago, I probably don't believe as much now
or I've pivoted through. And then there's some things that these are foundational elements of your coaching philosophy or how you view offensive football, whatever that may be, that are time tested. But things change, the game changes. You just want to grow every single year and get a little bit better.
True or false? You kind of came up with the Philly Special true or false?
I get credited with putting it into our playbook. That it was actually stolen from the Chicago Bears. Yes, the direct one was a steal from Matt Barkley. That that was the one we decided to go with and put into our playbook.
That's when you're a young coach and you're scanning the globe for tabet.
A random two point play and a week eighteen meaningless game.
Well, how about what ben Jonson's created.
You know, every player that's come in here from either side of the ball have mentioned the first thing they mentioned about benja He's creative.
Players dig that, don't they absolutely?
I mean it's something that keeps them all their toes. Something's fun and when they hit, especially to the success level that the Detroit Lions had, that's a lot of fun to see and a lot of fun to be a part of.
Why is your first name Press?
My middle name is actually Press, but I'm named after my dad was a diehard Pepe Marritage fan. Ooh, it's so beat yep. And he was coached by his dad and his dad is Press.
Marriage So Okay.
Before I was born, my dad was telling my mom the story, heard the name and she just said, that's his name.
Okay. That's a great That's a great one to have.
Anybody who has never seen this young audience that we have, go YouTube pistol Pete Maravich and his ball handling mastery. I loved that player. Anyway, Welcome to Chicago. Great to be a part of the Charter franchise. I'm sure that has a lot of meaning for a man who loves football like you do, and we look forward to great things moving forward.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you appreciate it.
That's Press.
Taylor will continue with Bears Weekly, Yes P in Chicago and the Bears Radio.
Networks Bears Weekly with the voice of the Bears for twenty four years Chef Chef on the Bears Radio Network.
This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by Athleticophysical Therapy is at Athletico dot com to request at in clinic or virtual deployment that start feeling better tomorrow. Jeff and Tom and Jim Miller from Serious x MNFL Radio just heard Taylor in our last segment, the Bears passing game coordinator. So many things to talk about their Tom number one, he brought up that ninety two Pittsburgh game. That was Tom reminded me that that that was Mike
Singletary's final game. And and I talked to Zach, Taylor, Jim and Tom about that game as well at the owners meeting the other day last week, and he said all he remembers about coming to Soldier Field was, I mean, they had sideline passes the whole bit. Russ Reeder, the former strength coach of the Bears, whom we all know very well, but he said, we remember is the fights in the stands.
Was the first NFL game they ever went to.
You know one thing about that game?
So we started out really hot that season and so we started out like four and zero, and then we went on a losing streak. Dan Hampton got hurt and we lost like maybe eight or nine in a row, and Dick des said to the press, I don't think this team is good enough to win another game the rest of the season. And then they had the last home game and the celebration of Mike Singletary's career, and we had no business beating the Steelers, but we went
out there and beat the Steelers. And I remember that game like it was yesterday, and he brought it up.
I you know, I have still photos from it.
I have a bunch of pictures, but just that whole day, I remember like it was yesterday.
Because we got threatened with our jobs.
We went out and won that game. It was a great sendoff for Mike Singletary. And then now you got Press Taylor, the new Bears passing game coordinator, was at that game and takes a picture with Mike Ditka.
Just and Zach Taylor. Jim.
Yeah, the veins and arteries of football. I mean, you never know what you're gonna learn. You know, these guys at the University of Oklahoma were just toddlers when their dad was an assistant coach there and the neighborhood they grew up in and maybe Jim, you've heard about this story from talking to Zach Taylor over the years or whatever. It was called the Trails neighborhood there in Norman. It was thirty three kids were in this cul de sac,
most of them were boys. So they created so many games. They did something called cutthroat football on a forty yard field they made up. They videotaped their games and broke down the tape as kids. I mean, they had the Ryan Broyles, Zach Selman from this, you know, the famous Selman family, Kellen Sampson who just was in the National title game assisting his father, the Houston Cougars basketball coach.
So I mean crazy stories like this, Jim.
Yeah, I mean, well, you know, I just think you know, when you grow up in it and it's a part of your family and it, you know, it just became comes a party. You know, when you're around it and you experience it, and you know, those are probably all the stories at the dinner table and the big games, you know, in the upcoming game and what you're watching, what you're doing, what you're participating in it. It all has an effect on you, and it's you know, obviously positive.
For him, it's something that he wanted to be a part of, to make it a part of his life, to be in it in one way, shape or form, because he was around it so much. And that's you know, I just know for me, I know Tom Thayer is because he's a football lifer.
Jeff.
Here, I just hear you know, as we welcome you know back to you know, or get reacquainted with the show, and they welcome back. You're twenty four years with the Bears. Now it's a part of you.
You know, it's yeah, this will be twenty five for us.
Yeah, yeah, And you know I'm a lifer. You're a lifer. Tom's a lifer. And when you get that football bug. And for me, it was when I first started playing and Pop Warner and you kind of never look back, and I kind of knew it was something that was going to be a part of my life. Even when I retired from footb well, I knew in one way, shape or form, it was going to be a part
of my life. You know, here, I am fifty four now when it literally has been a part of my life out of the fifty four years on this earth, basically forty five of them, you know, forty five of them, and so that's you know, it's just becomes a part of it.
Yeah. I mean, it's the greatest sport.
I don't care what anybody says, and people who are in it try to stay in it for as long as they can until somebody says, you know, we can't use you anymore.
In whatever regard it is on the field, they're off. Tom.
Let's look at from an offensive passing game coordinator perspective here his quote of offense goes as the quarterback sees it. We hear that from Ben Johnson that from the coach to the player to the center, they all have to see the game the same way.
But the truth in that is so significant.
The offense goes as the quarterback sees it, and yet on the other side of the ball, the defense continues to make it hard to see what you're looking.
Yeah, you know, the first thing, the mental part of seeing the game correctly and how efficiently what you're saying that you're able to see.
And then there's the evaluation.
Process that they go through with these individual players in what Caleb does well, What are his true gems, what are his assets? How does he throw the ball against these different patterns that you already have design and that you put him on a blackboard, But now you have
to take him out to the field of play. And it's a continuous evaluation process of the quarterback, what his traits are, what you think he can do well, and then how the offensive line is going to complement the protections, and then how the offensive line complements the protections, and how the receivers threaten the downfield opportunities.
And that's one to me. What I like about Ben the most is he.
Talks so passionately about play action passing because I think that can really do the most to benefit this offense because play action feeds off the running game. You have to run the ball well in order to be deceptive about the play action passing game. And I think with the athleticism and the talents of Caleb, He's going to flourish with a play action passing game, and I think it's going to open up more opportunities. And I think I was looking at stats as last two years ago,
Cole Kaman had seventy three catches two years. Last year he had forty seven.
It was something like that.
So, I mean, you know, he's a guy that really hads a real upside from play action passing as much as anybody does in this offense. Just like all the tight ends, not only Cole, but I think all the tight ends can benefit for the vision that Ben Johnson has.
Jim, I don't know how you feel about this, but I've said this a time or two over the course of my career, just meeting so many coaches in my life already, and you experienced it from inside the huddle and inside of the room. But uh, there's a tendency for offensive coordinators to become stubborn. Now that could be
a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that you got to believe in you and what you believe in, and you got to stick to it because if you're wishy washing, no one is, no one in your room is going to believe what you're saying the next day. The other part of it is, though, do you take input or do you adjust that will allow you to put yourself in a position to win the game. And I like what Press had to say, you will do what we need to do to win
a game. So if you go on to the game plan, it's just not working.
You go to plan B. You gotta do whatever you can to squeeze out that win.
Do you believe that that stubborn factor sometimes haunts offensive play callers?
Yeah, I do.
I do.
I specifically remember games where you know, where we would run on first down and then if you get no gain, they are calling to pass. Really the second play they you know, the call play caller will lose the confidence in it, and you know, and I always bring up that example oftas I remember being on the road at the Oakland Raiders were out in Oakland. The place was just you know, it's Steelers Raiders. It's a big matchup.
It's a rivalry game type of you know for the AFC because of great postseasons, you know, the the great postseason games that they've been in. So there was a lot of passion, there's a lot of excitement. The crowd was loud. But I remember going into the game where Bill Kawer said, we are going to have a lot of negative plays. Their defense was so good. He said, they're going to penetrate. He goes, but we will wear
them down. It will be the second half where we will run the football well, but we have to stick to it and we have to be patient and you can't get to lose your confidence, so to speak. And he preached it all week and so much so that we believe that player. And it was it was ugly the first half.
It was ugly.
We'd rush for no yards and then it'd be minus four. But we were calling the run. We were calling the run plays and we can we would wear them down, and a lot of play callers would not do that. If you get a negative play right away on second and fourteen, they're throwing a pass, but not the Steelers. We were second and fourteen, well guess what, well, let's go draw play here. You know, we're calling run plays because we knew over time we were gonna do it.
So that was stubborn by Bill Cower. But they knew the game the game plan was going to ultimately work, but they had to tell the players, you need to believe in this. This is going to happen and it'll work. And I've been in other games where you know, we did think the game plan was going to work, but hey, coach, they're not rushing the way you thought, or they're not
playing it the way you thought. We need to go to this play or that play, and this is what they're doing, and the coach would adjust, because that's what coaching is, is making adjustments. You've got to adapt and adjust. They're not, you know, playing the defenses that we thought that they were going to play on down into and we had to change up the game plan. We went off the script and right away we're onto something new because we knew what we had practiced was not going
to work. And so you've got to be able to do that, and you have to listen to your players. You know, in terms of receivers coverages that they're playing. Hey, coach, yeah they're playing press coverage, but it's a press bail. You know, at the snap of the ball, he's not playing me hard as a hard corner. He's bailing right away. So we will have a hitch route on the outside. He'll be seven yards off and I can just hook
it up at four yards and we'll be good. And if the play callers listening to the players, you can get a lot of information about down in distance and things that maybe you should be focused on that maybe you weren't earlier, and it just as a game goes along.
Sorry, Jimmy, you know that's one of the things that I was encouraged by Press Taylor when you asked him Japan you brought up the statistics of the offensive lines is because he immediately said, look, everybody's gotta be ready to play.
You never know when you're gonna lose a player.
So when you talk about concerning a game plan, you're talking about making sure everybody is on the same page. So if they have to go in and play, you're not gonna skip a beat and you're not changing your game plan and you're not changing the thinking of the game plan that you went into that game accordingly. So you know, it was like a off the tip of his tongue question that fit in perfectly, and there was no hesitation about that.
All Right, we're gonna take a break. When we come back, we delve into the draft and different ideas. And I'm not joking. Tom's brought it up many times. He keeps going to the thirty year mark. I don't know if it's true, if it'll be true. The most challenging interesting have no idea what's gonna happen kind of draft for the whole league, let alone the Bears. We discussed next on Bears Weekly here and he has been one thousand have a Bears Radio network.
Well, welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network. Here's your host, the voice of the Bears, Jeff Jody.
This second of Bears Weekly is brought to you by CDW.
People do get it Jeff and Tom and Jim Metif from Serious x MNFL Radio. So let's let's discuss some things. First of all, Tom had some some starters. I asked these guys, Hey, you got any topics. Jim, he's got some starters. You ready for his starters?
Here we go.
Let's hear it.
Man three no pad priorities. As we start the off season program Phase one. Tom take the floor, buddy, I mean, what do you got, Tom?
Three? No pad priorities.
Well, go ahead, you read the first one.
Because Caleb Williams getting comfortable under center with his footwork.
Right, Because I hear a lot of conversation, that's questions asked him at the podium day one. And when I was growing up and Jim was mentioned, and you know, football has been.
A part of his existence for forty five years.
The same forty five years of football has been a part of my existence. In the first fundamental aspect that any quarterback ever learned throughout the starting point of their career is how to take a center quarterback exchange from underneath center, and they ran the entirety of their offense from there, and then things started to pan out the more experience that you got throughout your time at the position.
I don't think Caleb will have any difficulty at all mastering the under center quarterback exchange in being able to run an entire offense if that's the way it was for him.
So I think those are one of the things that you can.
Master with no pads on, is the footwork that is relatable to every single play action, every single run play, every single dropback, roll out, whatever you're asking the quarterback to do. I think you can master the fundamentals with no pads on. And on that one fundamental development.
Jim, what's the adjustment?
Obviously, if you're going to pass off at under center snap and you turn your back to the defense, it's like an I just sketch. Everything changes from what you saw at the line of scrimmage. That's that part. But the footwork, the technique, what's the biggest adjustment.
Yeah, I mean I agree with Tom, like a three step drop, five step drop, seven step drop. It'll become rope memory where you don't even have to think about it. It just you know, when you take the snap from underath the center and say ninety hitch is called one two,
three balls out of your hand. You know when the five step timing and seven step timing comes out, and then when you mix in the play actions one thirty four and then if it's one thirty five, you know it's going to be different because your back is to the defense, So getting that coverage before you leave the center,
you get that last peak. Are they rotating anything? Because right now I'm seeing cover three, But when I turn my back to the to the defense, you know, when I come back to set up, are they Are they in cover three?
Like I thought?
Did they rotate the safeties? You better look and take another and it all happens quick. You know, they could go from cover three to cover two or to quarters or whatever, and so, but your indicators are when you're in your snapcount, you know red eight, red eight. All right, here's what they're showing me now at the snap of the ball, are they rotating to anything different? And you have to trust that your footwork that has become rope memory.
You can't be thinking about that anymore. Your focus is on the defense and what they're presenting you. And for some guys it's tough because when you drop back from underneath center, you get that initial push of the defensive line and it feels like that offensive line is starting to come in your lap. You've got to get that separation.
You better explode away from there so that you can get back to separate yourself, to survey and confirm what you thought from underneath center, and so all those things are important. I don't think quarterbacks do it enough. I go up to the local high school. Everybody's running shotgun, everybody's running RPO. Everything's a wide receiver screen. It looks cookie cutter to me. You don't see underneath the center. Because in professional football it's still a part of the game.
And as much as the college game is infiltrated up, you're gonna have to be able to do that in short yardage, in goal line. And it it bothers me when teams are down at their one yard line and they're in shotgun. All it takes is one bad snap. That center's got to get low to the earth because those defenders are still getting low, they're going to respect that. Hey, they could still hand off to the back. So it's
about leverage down there. One bad snap and you know, first and goal at to one could become second and eleven, you know, and you're outside of the ten yard range.
So yeah, you know, je Tommy's champing at the bit because he's an offensive line.
Well, it's because of Jim, you know, Jim and Jeff.
The stumble play that Detroit pulled on us this year was from under stumble bump.
The stumble bump that was from under center.
So as Jim is saying, the footwork of a quarterback, you know, yeah, if you lose it, you still have to gain control. But if you're losing it on purpose to be in control, that's also part of it as well.
All right, well, listen, we gotta take a quick break out one segment ago. I don't want to rush the last segment, so let's take a break right here. This is Bears Weekly any ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.
Well, Welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Wineo Network. Here's your host, the voice of the Bears, Jeff Jogi.
This segment of Bears Weekly he brought to you by Igs Energy. We have about five minutes to go tonight's show, So time of the whip A round round, guys. So many things to touch base. Larry Mayor of Chicago Bears dot com just wrote an article on All the Right. He's picked twelve writers and their mocks. It almost made me crack up. Tom and Jim. Ten different choices for the Bears at number ten, Shamar Stewart at the edge out of Texas, A and m Kenneth Grant, the defense
tagle Onan of Michigan. Cornerback Will Johnson Michigan, Tyler Warren tight end Penn State, Will Campbell, tackle Lsu Ashton Genty, the running back from Boise State, Nicknam and you the safety out of South Carolina, armand Membo, the right tackle out of Miszoo, Calvin Banks, the offensive tackle out of Texas and Abdul Carter.
Is this what we're looking at here?
This is a potpourrie of choice's, Jim, I mean, my goodness, there so many different ideas. Let's throw in Mason Graham as well in that mix, Mikel Williams, Josh Simmons, these are all names that people have been mocking.
Yeah, and they all good players in their own right. I mean, I think we know, like the first round, there's probably about seventeen guys that are true first rounders, is what it is. But where the Bears are picking, they're gonna get a marquee guy. So it's really take their pick and some will you know, I remember, oh, shoot, why am I forgetting the defensive tackle where they Jacksonville took a defensive tackle and everybody said, oh, that's a reach,
that's a reach. But they were kind of pigeonholed, and so they selected the d tackle because that's what was their kind of their need, and they ended up the guy ended up playing played for the Stea Dealers. He ended up playing like fourteen years and so like it wasn't a bad pick at all where he was picked by Jacksonville. And so, you know, I just think the
Bears are a prime opportunity. I do think some good tackles will be there, some of the top pass rushers will be there, and a lot of it is because I don't think quarterbacks are going to be driving the
top of the draft. So I think what the Bears if they truly want to take what they feel is the best player on the board, whether it's tight end, whether it's tackle, whether it's a defensive tackle, whether it's an edge rusher, or say either of the top safeties that you just mentioned, a couple of them, me Man
Worry and obviously Starks out of Georgia. But there's going to be good players right there with where the Bears are selecting, no matter where they're picking, and they will be a true first round back draft pick is what they'll get.
One thing about this draft I'm looking at is after the first three picks, are is every team after that going to be looking to move? Is every team after that beginning look in the trade to see if they can increase the amount of picks they have round two through seven or three through seven. And so this is the confusing thing about this draft is because there is
no you know, bonafide top tens. There's a bonafide top couple, and then everybody else is looking to maneuver, move or see what their biggest need is.
Tom and Jim when I first started working with the Bears in ninety seven, and shortly after that Jerry Mark Bright, the Chicago native. He retired from the NFL in nineteen ninety eight after twenty three seasons. He had twenty five playoff assignments, four Super Bowls. Used to write a weekly column, if you might remember, for the Tribune. So it was brought to my attention by Tom. Today the NFL cracked
down on accountability among officials. Three were relieved to their duties and sent to the college Football Power Five Conferences by the VP of Officiating Training and Development, Ramon, George.
Is this a good thing? Is this a sign of the future? What do you think, Tom? I think it's a good thing.
I think there's accountability for every single official that has retained their job in making sure that hell do a different set of circumstances, that times are changing, that because of the public accountability for the outcome of these games or miss calls, that every one of these guys are going to face a different scrutiny.
And Jim, we only have thirty seconds. But Mark Bright used to come in and analyze the other officials watching tape, and Tom.
Would come in there red faced after. In the world of podcasts, I wish that was one of them. Jim.
Yeah, well, hey, I think everybody just wants accountability and it's been far too long. Players get released, coaches get released, and for officiating, they got to be held to test too. They've got the responsibility and if they need to move on or move to a different league, so be it.
All right, boys, great show, Thanks you Jim, Thank you Tom, Thanks everybody for listening.
Thanks to our producers, including Kendrick Smith in studio.
This has been Bears weekly on the new radio home with the Chicago There's ESPN Chicago Blecking.
Of Donna our next. Have a good night, everybody,