Previewing the Colts | All Access

Physical Therapy and CDW. Everybody welcome into another edition of Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy with broadcast Prider top there from news Radio seven eighty and one oh five point at FM. I'm Jeff Joniak and we'll be cranking it up on wb another home game Sunday, Big Tom Bears, Colts three and our Jeff. Every time I'm introduced in doing some type of piece like this on the radio or something, they always say the three and ol Chicago Bears. It's nice to hear. Yeah, it

is for a change. Indeed, they'll try to go four and over the first time since two thousand and six.

Our producers Jordan trut Up Dan really time. We got conversations coming up with coach, analyst and veteran NFL coach Rick ben Cherry, Roquan Smith, a chunk of our feature interview and our Bears player profile that airs on Bears Game Day Live Saunday morning, ten thirty am on Fox, and we'll be joined by Bolingbrook native Anthony Herron, a staple on Bears Postgame Live on Fox thirty two, and Tom. It was great to hear starting left guard James Daniels

on Zoom on Friday meeting the media. We don't hear from him very often, but it sounds like he's very glad he'd be rid of talking about the move from center to guard. First, I mean, the best question has been not answering like the center of guard questions. I mean, every time I interviewed the media, I always got those type of questions and it was just it's just annoying to constantly have to explain myself and answer the questions constantly.

So the first that's the first thing that I like playing one position the same thing is I mean, yes, it was. This was my first camp like running with like the first team offense with like at guard. So it was nice to be able to like with like during camp, to get combos with Cody and combos with Leno, like throughout the entire camp. When I listen to that, when I hear James at this stage of his career doing an interview like that, I hear everything I want

to hear, and that's attitude. That's the attitude of an offensive lineman. And that's about keeping it in between the white lines. It's not taking it outside and having that type of attitude as he walks around. But when he's on the field and I heard you say something he's putting an extra credit or doing work or you know this is a scouting I said it, up said I said, I said it when Money and Hall on Friday morning and my eight am hit scouts say about nasty offensive lineman.

He's looking for work, meaning he has his assignment, he wins his assignment. When that's over with or if it doesn't present itself, he's going to hit somebody. And right now James Daniels from a scouting terminology, is looking for work. He's hitting guys, he's helping out Charles Leno, He's going after guys. He's extremely physical getting him down to the ground. Beth. The key ingredient to a successful running game is the offense.

The uncovered offensive A lineman getting to the second level on being able to make an efficient block and when he talks about working with Cody or Charles Leno Jr. Most of the times of that the details of that job is getting up to the second level at linebacker level. All right, We're gonna also hear from offensive coordinator Bill Laser. He's gonna be talking about Nick Foles. Knows him from seven years ago, getting to know him now with a

coaching step that knows him very well. As he makes his Bears debut as a starter, his forty nine career start your man offensive line coach want cast deal with lots of conversation about what he wants out of the tackles, Bobby Massy on the right side, Charles Leno on the left side. How would you evaluate their performance so far? Because really I hate doing that because it's about the five guys. It's the dancing troop right there, the guys altogether working in sync. But the tackles, how do you

think they've looked? You know, you look at the amount of safety they've shown in their game, A really limited amount of penalties associated to either the snap count, no crowd noise holdings and those types of things, So I think that's a key ingredient there. And then when James talks about how he has the ability to go and work with Cody, Cody's working with James Daniels, but he's also trying to break in five new tight ends in you know, that require their element in helping to do

his job. Bobby Massie, I think they're both playing well. I think it's because there's a lot of attitude and expectation that one brought along with them, so he wasn't going to be satisfied for what they did on the line of scrimmage. It's what they do from the line of scrimmage and beyond. Coming up next from a NFL linebacker, Anthony Harrin joins the program. This is Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy, how Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. The score this second of Bears All Access

is bruss you by Microsoft Surface and CDW. People to get it learn more at CDW dot com. Jeff Joni Actium there and our special guests for the very first time on Bears All Access right here on six seventy to score No Stranger to six seventy to score its former NFL linebacker, former University of Iowa Hawkeye and all around media guy Anthony Herron, otherwise known as Aunt. How you doing, brother, I'm doing great, Jeff. Yeah, good to

be with you in town, man. It's always good to cross paths over there in Fox thirty two and of course listening to you guys all the time, excited to get this discussion rolling. Here Is that a Hawkeye blanket sitting on your You know, I'm an Iowa Staters, so I gotta give you the business a little bit. I gotta give you the business a little bit. Hey is this? Uh? So you're doing just about everything, so you got a finger on the pulse of PAC twelve, Big ten college

football NFL. Are you enjoying this experience now a post post playing career. I am very much so, and especially getting to do it back here in my home sweet Hope, Chicago now like I have for a little while, because for a minute, the weird thing was, guys, we were

actually we moved back here. Why I'm saying back, I'm from here, my wife's from the East coast, but we moved here downtown in twenty eleven, and it was actually right at the time I'd been with the Big Ten Network the first three years of BTN prior to moving here to Chicago. We were living down south at that time when I was coaching arena football down there, when I was first getting into the media business. And actually it was the same year where NBC Sports took over

versus turning into the NBC Sports Network. Got a nice little offer from them to start calling games out west. So we moved to Chicago and I stopped working with the Big Ten Network. And then from that point most of my content was calling college football games during the fall, calling arena football games during the spring and summer. And so I was living here in downtown Chicago for years, doing absolutely nothing here with the city's sports team for

a long time. And then just as things continue to evolve now here for the last few years, like your reference being able to do some radios TV in town. And it's been fun. Is a kid growing up watching time play with the Bears, and you know, seeing everything going on in this city, consuming it on the various outlets, and I'm getting to work for it now. So it's been really great, all right. I got a couple of quick questions for you. Did you play for Johnny Ivlow

at Bollingberth High School. I did not. I played for a guy, the Silver Fox, Phil Actis. So I do know John Ivlow really well, but I predated him. I'm old enough for that. All right. Did you played a couple of years in the in the Arena League? Correct? Yeah? Did you play both ways? Did you play? Ye'd you play? So? I played. The position I played was known as tight end on offense, I was a tight end and a defensive end, but for arena football, the tight end was

essentially just another offensive lineman. I did have one career catch for one career touchdown, so I went one for one. But it was it was a different sport. Like you, I'm sure at least seen a little bit of it, where you got three guys up front on offense and on defense, and even the fullback in the backfield. It takes on like what they called the mac linebacker. It's just another pass protect the essentially, so the ball wasn't throwing a lot to anyone else. But I did have

one catch, all right. Last question about the Arena League is, so, when you look at that league, what position do you think is realistically most transferable to the NFL. Is it the modern day fast thinking of quarterback or could it

even be cornerback. I think for the quarterback position, especially with the way the game is evolved at the NFL level, I really think there are a lot of mental traits, and my mental I suppose I would include even just the muscle memory of quick reaction anticipatory throws that have become an even broader part of the passing attacks in the National Football League now. Like obviously Kurt Warner is the most famous story of a guy who who had

success in the arena league before transitioning to success. He had been in the NFL before, but hadn't hadn't really had a shot or had any success at that level. But to have to throw the ball with such rapid pace, with such ten bo and to be able to take that trade where obviously in the arena league it's more confined, but then to take that outdoors to the big field

if you have the arm talent for it. There have been guys beyond Kurt Warner that have been able to make it at least you know, varying degrees of success in that transition. So I think quarterback is kind of the chief position that it seems most applicable for. But the dbs are on an island. Man. So when you're a defensive back in the Arena League and you you got a receiver coming in high motion screaming at you and you're one on one, I mean to be a defensive back in the Arena League. You see a lot

of carry over there too. Bolding Brooks very own. Anthony Haron our guest here on Bears All Access on Chicago's Sports Radio six seventy The Score. You can catch Anthony Herron with Luke Canelos on Bears post game Live on Fox thirty two Chicago. Anthony, as you analyze the Bears so far through three weeks, from your perspective, what are you seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly? Because it literally is a team meeting staple on Tuesdays and it's literally called the Good, the Bad, and the ugly.

What we've seen from the team so far, the encouraging thing is that they're able to sit here at three, you know, while knowing there's still a whole lot of meat on the bone for where they can improve at and I think, you know, up front on the offensive line, I've been really encouraged by how the old lines played

for the most part this season. I would say the third game was probably the least effective that they were upfront on offense, and overall there were still a lot of good things they did there, but because of the matchup, you didn't necessarily see the commitment to the run game from a play a game plan perspective. I think overall that ends up affecting, as time knows really well, the way you end up blocking, the consistency, the rhythm you

get in with the run game upfront. But my my big I suppose I'll use the term challenge that I sort of had over the offseason to Matt Nagee was to evaluate what he felt like could best suit his personnel. It felt to me at times like coach Naggi was calling the offense for what he felt like could be the best version of his quarterback, of his offensive line, what his system could really be. And it didn't necessarily seem like you know, we've all talked about Mitch ter

Biscuit at nauseum. Here, it didn't seem like Mitch was at that point in his development yet where he could really handle it that way. And it didn't seem to me to always suit the old line best. And I think the most important thing I've seen earlier this season is to me the continued growth and development of Matt Nagge in game play calling, the schematics of how he sort of operates the offensive game plan in game against the opponents they've had so far. I've been really impressed

with that. And I think the you know, to use sort of a blanket term, the balance that we've seen from the Bears offense this season suits either quarterback and now that it'll be Nick Foles, you don't need to see Nick Foles out there try to throw forty five or fifty times a game either. I think it suits the quarterback position. It has certainly benefited the offensive line immensely, and I believe week by week we see a Bears defense where they're conditioning is improving. I think we've seen

a Keem Hicks played better in every single game. We see Khalil Mack being more of a force and an impact and a dominant player game by game. I even thought I thought last week, while Danny Trevathan to me still didn't look like his old self, I thought he was moving better on the field, and we'll see if that ends up leading to more and more splash plays. Probably the star the stand out to me, and I'm not surprised by it, but I'm really pleased to see it.

As Roquan Smith. I think he's playing at a pro bowl level. Every single game he stepped onto the field. I've been just so encouraged by what he's been doing. You had to just go away to the linebackers. I

get it, that's your that's your game. I know Tom and I have talked about this too, about the condition that you bring up a great point, because I'm hearing more and more from around the league coaches starting to say, Okay, this is really entering now the fourth week of the preseason, where you know, the starters didn't play much in the preseason.

But I get the thinking because of the reduced off season, everything condensed, you know that was going to be a likely scenario, and they're seeing, and Tom can agree, a lot more veteran days off for guys to keep their legs and get them built up for the long haul this season, because honestly, guys, we don't know what's going to happen AKA Tennessee. You know this could be a

much longer season than we think. Agreed, and from a league wide perspective, one thing I hope is that we see the NFL going to daily or not not just daily, but testing on game day. I think that was something I didn't even realize testing six out of seven days. When I hear the term daily testing, I thought the NFL was testing everyone seven days a week to learning they weren't testing players on game days. I thought, Okay, that seems to be a hole in the system that's

now been exposed by what happened with the Titans. That I hope that's something the league ends up shoring up, because not only you know, could have potentially put I suppose losing players on game day at risk. Sure it can, but I think then you won't have the scenario we see playing out between Tennessee and Pittsburgh where now the following game is at risk because of not only players testing positive, staff testing positive, but the contact tracing associated

with that. Well. Overall, I love the approach Matt Naggie has taken with it. He's taken it extremely seriously. He has urged everyone within the Bears organization, not just players, not just coaches, but everyone on the support staff, as you guys know better than me, he's been ringing that bell almost on a daily basis to make sure that folks. I love the way he phrases it. Don't just don't just act like someone you're in contact with has COVID. Act like you have COVID, and always have that mask

on to take it seriously. And seems like the Bears have been doing as well as they can with that. So last week I said, Keen Hicks plays over eighty percent of the snaps. Robert Quinn considerably less from what you watch the football the last eight or nine years to the present of Robert Quinn, What do you want to see out of him that will affect the defense to be a consistent impact in the pass rush is

to me, the least to ask of Robert Quinn's. He's at a point in his career where you know, through my lens, I think we kind of know what he is, who he is as a run defender, and I think that's where the combination of he and Barkibious Mingo at the opposing outside linebacker from Khalil Mack, how that's implemented, how those reps are split I think will be key because Mingo he's I think he's played better every week as well. But he's obviously not going to be Robert

Quinn as a pass rusher. But what he can be, and what I think he's showing a willingness to be, is a guy who will attempt to be more stout against the run than perhaps he was at previous stops.

My expectations aren't frankly as high of Robert Quinn in that regard, So maybe it is a thing where certain downs and distances you make sure Robert Quinn is either in a certain part of the formation where that's not exposed as much, but certainly on passing downs, you don't want to see a situation where perhaps he's petered out by the fourth quarter a little bit. And I think that should continue each week, because as you guys know, he wasn't necessarily able to be on the field that

much during the preseason. As he gets in shape, I think you're going to see a really ferocious combo continue to emerge off the edge with Mac and Quinn well gets more touches Cordarrel Patterson or David Montgomery. With the loss of Trique right it's it's going to be David Montgomery. But I think we're going to see Cordero Patterson's role expand even more in the offense because he has that Swiss Army knife ability similar to tarikon where You're not.

I'd always sure he's a better at receivers, he better at running back. He's obviously the best kick returner in the National Football League. And I've been really accouraged, really impressed by the growth he's shown as a back, getting his pad level down, running through the hole and things of that sort. So I think they're going to continue to find ways to utilize him to make the defense

have to account for Cordero Patterson. But overall, I think we're going to continue to see as long as he can stay healthy, n gone would David Montgommer is gonna get a lot of touches. And Cordero does run viciously. That's what I love about it. I ain't know messing around, he's getting trying to get anyway north and south. He'll get in that. Jean you as well, All right, final question before I let you go, Anthony, and so I appreciate it here on bears all Access on Chicago Sports

Radio six seventy. The score were brought to you by IGS Energy. Let's take a sneak peek at these colts. So what's your indications in terms of what they're doing? Because the defense looks good and we know they play physical on the offensive line, and that's good enough for me right there to be. You know, I aware of what's going on with the Indianapolis Colts right big time threat there. It's you know, I've talked to some Colts

fans here and there here from them on occasion. I understand the frustration they have with seeing the way the organization set itself up with the the personnel infrastructure to build around Andrew Luck and then you know, he made the decision that was best for he and for his family. But you know, Philip Rivers is not a bad consolation prize, a guy who who will potentially end up in the Hall of Fame at some point. I think Philip rivers

best days are behind him personally. I have seen him, I believe, play with more efficiency weekend and week out as they haven't had to ask him to do as much. Against Jacksonville, they asked him to do a lot. He threw a couple of interceptions and kind of looked like who Philip Rivers has looked like the last couple of years of his career, with key turnovers at really awful

moments for his football team. Last couple of weeks, they've been able to control things with the ground attack, with that mammoth offensive line with Jonathan Taylor a really excellent running back out of what's kind And if that's going to be the formula that leads to success against the Bears, then they're gonna be golden. But the Bears against i'd say the best offensive line they've faced so far this season, we need to see them control that in some phases.

I think if they get them into predictable downs and distances, dominate that. You know, one of the issues that Trubisky had at times was holding the ball making quick reads. That won't be a problem for Philip Rivers, and I think that he'll get the ball out of his hands

quickly like we saw last season. So the pass rush needs to affect the pocket, condense the pocket, make him sort of throw out of a vacuum, and if they can, then they'll have a great shot at some takeaways, I think, and don't let that big ten product get going Jonathan Taylor, as we know he can. Anthony, We're gonna let you go appreciate it. We'll see you on Fox Bears Post Game Live, and we'll be running into you here down the road quite a bit. You're doing some great work

out there. Should keep it up in good to talk to you. Really appreciate it, fellas talk against all right, A lot more coming up as the Bears meet the Colts Sunday at noon. It sold your feel for about to commence. This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. Welcome back to Bears All Access with Tom Thayra. I'm Jeff Joniac will bring you the Bears in cold starting at nine am on WBBM with Ron, Jim and Ja in the pregame show and

then kickoff at noon at Soldier Field Rokuan Smith. Tom, Really, we all think that this is going to be a Pro Bowl year from him. He's off to a great start in terms of being active. He's done a great job in pass coverage. Yes, the running game is something that the entire defense needs to be held accountable. Horror, right now they are nobody's happy about it on that team or on that coaching staff, giving up over five

yards to carry on the run. But overall, what has your been impression of Roe Kwan Smith at the inside linebacker position? You know, he's a sideline the sideline linebacker. He I think he's got all the capabilities to play really well against the run on the inside, the way he is able to read the movement of the offensive line and getting getting a pre predicted position to help make a tackle. But I admire what he's able to do outside the tackle box and the big picture real

quant showed up in great shape. He rehabbed his injury very well in the off season, being one of the few players that could be at hattlesall and I raised this question to him and our sit down there will air on Bears Game Day Live Sunday morning at ten thirty on Fox. Did you in a sense reinvent yourself a little bit entering this season given what you dealt with last season and how you felt about it. Absolutely, I feel like this season. I feel like I'm playing

at a high level right now. There's obviously some things that I can improve on, and that's that'll never be that'll never change. Actually, there's always room for improvement. But I do feel like I'm playing really good football right now, and so I definitely still have a chip on my shoulder, and I just want to continue to get better each and every week. And I think attacking each and every week the way I am. I think that happened. How would you put it in context for us on how

you did that, how you reinvented yourself? Was it physical as much as mental, emotional, spiritual? You name it, you pick it, you tell me. I think, honestly, I think

it's a combination of many things. Just also knowing my ability, so knowing my talents and knowing what I need to do to achieve each and everything that I want to achieve, and then just also having a support of a lot of family, friends, teammates and things that our nature and just noring what I'm capable of all and then just going out each and every day and just chasing that and keeping a chip on my should and just knowing why once was Yeah, man Naggie off and talks about

this Ryan pace two, But what's the person's why? Why? You know, everybody in whatever walk of life they have, has a why for why they work so hard to do something at this level. What's your why? I would definitely say many. There's many individuals and everyone have that has their different wise. I feel like my wis where I'm from, family, what I did to get in this position that I'm in, and it's just knowing that I never want to go back to where I once was,

like growing up in the country. I love the country, but like just being able to do things for myself, do things for others, and just knowing not I never want to go back to where I once was. So that's my main why and my family. If you had to self analyze yourself self scout yourself, what part of your game that you may have looked at and said, you know what, I need to do a lot more of this. I know I gotta get better and everything,

but I gotta do a lot more of this. What would it be Going into the year, I was more so focusing on all just like my coverage, just like even because I know I can cover really good, but I don't think it. I've always showed that, but just more so focusing on the covering. So that was my thing going into this year. So pretty much a lot of my coverage situation, I felt like I've been doing

pretty good and it's just about building on that. And then I think as I continue to keep getting better at that, I think the sky's a limit with that as well. Is there a lot more on the table for you here as a Chicago Bear with this great tradition of linebackers that you would like to attain that is in your mind. You may not have publicly stated it, or maybe I have it written down somewhere. What's the private side of quin Smith that maybe he's got some

goals in there that we'd like to know about. Absolutely, I feel like I have many goals in the back of my mind. I think, first and foremost want to be the best possible player I can for this team, organization and with my teammates, as well as going down as one of the greatest Chicago Bears linebackers to ever play, and the ring is one of the obvious things. So it's just about just chipping away one game at a

time and chasing my legacy with that. You know, I have a high expectations for him, just like everybody else does, and I'm glad he has those for himself. He's really turning and taking the leadership here and a lot of responsibilities in this defense. Coming up next. Rick Van Terry, the cut them out of the Indianapolis Coats and a homegrown Bears fan as a kid growing up of the fifties Indicator. It's next one Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Welcome back to Bears

All Access brought to you by IGS Energy. Choose clean energy for your home at IGS dot com because every good choice adds up to a better world. With top there, Jeff Joniac, please be joined by our special guests to look at the Indianapolis Colts give us some perspective. Is

a football lifer. There's no other way to describe Vick vent Urry, a Taylorville, Bourne, Illinois product who played his high school football as a quarterback at Rockford Auburn, then switched to peak in high school before going to Northwestern where he played quarterback in the mid to late sixties and defensive back and then Pretty Illinois, Northwestern, the Hamilton Tiger Cats, the Colts, the Saints, the Rams and head

coaching in there as well. Exhausting and now the age of seventy four, you decided to dip your toe back in the water. And you're the color analyst of the Indianapolis Colts. You can't take the football out of your big Rick. No, You're exactly right. I've got one theory. Uh. You know, aging is a process and getting old as a decision, and I won't make that decision. So I'm really thrilled to be back in the game, so to speak. As you guys know, sometimes it just it just doesn't

leave your bones, does it? The game? It does not, will not. I grew up in a coaching family. You know, both my dad and my brother are in the all of my high school football coaches Hall of Fame. I'm the only guy that held a family back. So but it's uh, now, it's really great, you know if this is a great weekend for me. The Bears were the you know, the team of my youth, and really the coach have become the team of my life. So it's

really a good battle that I'm looking forward to. Hey, Rick, question for me for only one of your past stops, and that's Northwestern. Have you had a chance to look or see at their new facility they have over there? You know, I really, I really have it. I've heard nothing but great things about it. It would it would be it would probably be tough for me if you to look at those facilities in seventy eight, they were a little bit different than they are today. But no,

you know, they're spending a lot of money. They're certainly on the right track. So onto the Indianapolis Colts. When you think about these guys bringing in a veteran like Philip Rivers and what that quarterback position has meant to this organization, you know, over the last twenty five years with Peyton and Luck, where are they at right now? Is this you know, is this a guy that they really feel that can fill this void for two or three years or what do you think? Yeah? I think

they really do. And he's really off to a good start. You know. I think they've kind of found their way in the in the in the second two ball games after kind of laying an egg in Jacksonville throwing forty six passes. You know, they've they've only thrown Philisonian down forty six now in the last two games. But what they've done is they've recovered their really elite running game from nineteen, which was number five. You know, and now added it was Rivers within a very quick rhythm, decisive,

get the ball out, keep you off balance. And I like the identity and they're a little bit different team. And I think what you're seeing in Philip is, you know, he's a real smart guy. He really understands that. And so you know, after week one, I mean, he's not turning it over. He said one turnover it was a you know, it was a balance, it was a care and play that was nothing to do with him. And I think he's really comfortable in the fact that Coles

can play with balance. Plus you know, and I don't know if it lasts, but they're playing lights out defense, So you know, this is a team that he can be a little bit more of a complimentary part. You know. He and Frank Wright have a great relationship from back to the San Diego days when Reich was the coordinator. So I mean he was ready day one in you know, year like two twenty that ended up being more critical

than we thought. And so yeah, I think that he you know, if it keeps going like it's going, I think you'll see more Rivers after this year. Is this the perfect marriage between young Jonathan Taylor who's got explosiveness, but with this offensive line where where they can compliment each other. When you talk about being balanced on offense, Yeah, you know, I think that's a good point. You know, we lost the heck of a player in Marlon mac

thalsandy our young kid. But you know, Chris Ballard looks like a genius today for moving up in that second round and getting Jonathan. There's nothing I don't like about Jonathan. He runs low to the ground, he can break it. He was a four three nine guy, coming out, very hard to tackle, more elusive than you think. He's got a couple compliments with Hynes, who's a kind of a loose play our version of what Colin was to you guys, you know, and then he's got a kid Wilkins, who

can come in and spell him. But Jonathan has really added that to it. But I think the key too, though, is the bat. So I mean a year ago when we couldn't throw a people caught up with us. They just beat us with numbers on the run, which you know, as a defensive coordinator, I know you can do. But now when you have to defend rivers on first down, it makes it a lot better. But Jonathan. I just think the sky's the limit, you know, knock on wood.

He's a durable you know, six thousand yards in college, six to seventy in a you know, in a tough league and in a league where everybody knew Wisconsin was going to run it. So yeah, that ended up being a terrific move. Ric VANCHERI our guest here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score the radio analysts this year for the Indianapolis Colts. All right, there's an obsession for old time football guys like myself. I love the history of the game. I love rugged

playoff front. I love nastiness, and that pretty much encompasses Quentin Nelson, doesn't It tell us about him a little bit. Yeah, he's kind of a you know, he's a generational alignment, you know, and as an offensive guard, you know, Tommy, as an offensive aligneman, you don't always get the credit. The only time you're the only time you've ever noticed is if you give up a sack. Nelson is a tremendous athlete. He is a road grader, but he's an

athlete that can protect. He brings a quiet nastiness to this team that this team really needed. I mean, he will puts you on the ground and he will drive you into the ground. You know, like I say, he has a generational talent. And incidentally, this is one of the better offensive line. I think Costonzo at left tackle is really an under the radar guy. Kelly at center is a pro bowler. Our right tackle Braden Smith was a number two draft pick, but he's actually played like

a one. So you know, you made a good point. I mean this team is complimented running wise with a really good offensive line, and so with a quick rhythm passing game, it all kind of go into place. But you know, Nelson is a throwback guy to the you know, as you say, the old day, you know there was no rules between the tackles. Eric tell us about mole Ali Cox, the young tight end that is really blossoming

right now. Yeah, he was another This was a free agent selection by Baalor two years ago, a project if you will. You know, basketball, no college football, and he has just grown. He's a huge man. When you look at him, you would never think basketball player. You just think a big big man that blocks out the sun. But he's very, very athletic. With Doyle out, he is emerging.

You know, I think where he really gives us something because you know, our receivers we've struggled at times in the red zone because our receivers haven't been very big. He gives you that big bank board guy that you can get a match up problem with. He runs a little bit better than you think. You know, he's a body control guy, and you know, those are the kinds of guys that you need in the red zone. When

he gets really the space is tight. You're getting it out of Graham, you get it out of Robinson, and we need to get somebody along with him. We've taken a little hit at white Out with a loss of Campbell, you know, and then the loss of Pitman for three weeks, so we're patched up a little bit there. I think Hilton really has to rus the occasion. But you're exactly right,

Molly really gave us. Gave us a shot in the arm last week, Hey us speed Rick speaking a shot in the arm was Xavier Rhodes and DeForrest Buckner on that defense? Do you think about Buckner on the line of scrimmage and what Xavier Rhodes can and will do in the defensive backfield. How important was it to bring in a couple of veterans like that to this defense. Well, and there were two kind of separate decisions. There was no big decision on Buckner. Buckner, we gave up thirteenth pick.

But I mean, why would you not give up a thirteenth pick for a three time pro bowler. I mean there's nobody in the draft that could ensure themselves they were going to get a pro bowler. I don't care if it's one or three hundred. So I mean that move we knew. Plus, he has a great work ethic. He's only twenty four. I think you watch him, you run sideline to sideline at six to seven, So he means he's a core guy as well as a blue chip guy. And he you know, now that we're playing

much better coverage, you're starting to feel him. He will, he can, he can penetrate and really pierce the inside. Road was a little different. Roads came off a really bad year. He was just expendable. We picked him up. And what the Colts have done is they made a real stylistic change from game one to Game two, actually from two years to game two. You know we've been before that, we've been giving up seventy five to eighty

percent soft zone. Then don't break. And after that Jacksonville game when Minshew went nineteen out of twenty, you know wherever it came from, Aberflus or whatever, we called off the jam. And for two weeks now, for eight quarters, we've been up pressing and getting after it. And you know it's not only made our coverage better, harder to throw into, it's bought that extra step for the defensive line. Rhodes, you know, was player of the week this week. I mean he had a pick six and then he had

a big red zone stop. Yeah, I mean that, and along with t J. Carey, who you know was kind of the same thing big year in eighteen nineteen. So you know, in some ways Ballard has gone out and got a couple of bargains at corner that so far knock on would have really paid off. Rick. Then, Terry, our guest, you're at Bears ow access before we let you go, get a little thought on the Bears and then take us back fifties and six as you say, you were a Bears guy, So need some memories from

you in the fifties growing up in Decatur, Illinois. I mean it was Chicago Bears or no One. You had one game a week, and I always remember, believe it or not, I think it was on CBS. I don't even know, but I mean I remember listening and watching Range to do the color believe it or not. He he always referred to Rick Caserres as Rick Casseyeries. I

used to just love it. Arlan Hill and then and then of course in the sixties, you know then you the sixty three team was Bill George when I'm in high school that you know, the you know, the deep defense, just like the eighty five Bears. So you know, I actually we coached against the eighty five Bears. Now I'm already in the NFL by the time that's there, But so yeah, there's big time memories. I always really one of my regrets. I always wanted to be on that

coaching staff, but it just never worked out. I interviewed with Neil Armstrong, but I was just a kid out of college football and he was great to me. But you know, they were really interested in experience, and I totally understood it. But I did always really want to be a part of that. But you know, I think the Bears are really talented, you know. I mean they're three and ozo now. They you know, they've had some luck to drop in Detroit. I mean two to sixteen

point comebacks. I think that's historical. I don't think anybody's ever done that in a season in the fourth quarter. So there's been some miracles, there's been a drop. But at the end of the day, they're three and OZ because they're pretty damn good and they have a lot of skill on both sides of the ball. I think, you know, Folds, it's going to come down to the we're back. You know you're gonna rise and fall with him. Now, I mean you got plenty around him. Uh, you know

you got a good running back. I think I think Robinson, of course we played years ago again Jacksonville. He's one of my best favorite players in the league. He looks totally healthy. Graham has given your big red zone guy you can run it. And then on defense, you got

a bunch of impact players. I looked up the other day between Quinn, who I was a number one draft pick when I was in Saint Louis, between back and team hits, I think you have one hundred and seventy six sacks and about fifty strips, so we really don't want to be in third and long very much. And then you have two Pro bowlers in the secondary and a lottery figured linebackers, so you ought to be pretty dog gone good. Really, and again this is a validation

game for both teams. I mean it really has. Both teams are coming in coming off of you know, good starts. You know, the one in eight opponents is obvious. Everybody talks about that, so doubters, and so one of these teams is going to validate itself as a pretty dog on team at the end of Sunday, Rick, I one more because I can't resist now, because you're the linebackers coach. In eighty five with the Colts played the Bears at Soldier Field. It was December eight, Week fourteen and a

seventeen ten Bears win that, believe it or not. And Tommy, you guys would have to go back. And I had the privilege working with Iron Mike down in New Orleans, and you know, he was always a guy had great admiration for and we beat him the year before they got good in Baltimore. Was the game that he busted his hand on the blackboard. I think that probably was about eighty three and he was just starting. And then then the eighty five Bears. Those guys, I mean, they

rewrote the record book. I mean, you know, the Buddy Ryan to me, Buddy Ryan and Bill Waltz to me are the greatest innovators defensively and offensively of my lifetime, which is a long time. And you know, Ryan's defense was phenomenal. But the Bears were a lot better on offense, you know, than people will ever know. I mean, you know, with Walter and McMahon in a good offensive line, you know, and the big receiver, the kid from Tennessee that you know, can get deep all the time. I mean, that was

that was just a great football team. It's almost amazing that it was just became a snapshot and didn't go on and on and on, to be honest with you, but you know, the a eighty five Bears were devastating. I mean, they were just devastating that that defense. Nobody had it figured out, you know. You know, as time went on, you know, people began to figure out exactly how to but in those early days, it was just devastating. I mean you you hope that your quarterback made it

out alive. Hey, Jeff, I gotta tell you one story about that game though. Okay, so we played that game. It was really bad weather and Steve Fuller was starting. Dicka came up to the offensive line and looked at it, said, hey, my five blocks granted, I'm not gonna run it. I'm not gonna throw the ball today. We're gonna run it, and ran at the first twenty two plays of that game. You know what, I just I remember playing up in there.

You know, you know, it was really interesting and this has nothing to do with today, but we came back in there. I'll never forget it with Mike Dick. I wouldn't ask the coach of the say as the Saints and we came back into up into Soldier's field and played and you want to talk about and Mike never said a word, but I mean, as assistant coach as you want to talk about trying to use your guys up for a game, and it was amazing. All right, Rick, We'll let you go have a great season and enjoy

your maiden voyage with the Indianapolis Colts this year. Good talking to you. Thanks for the time. All right, guys, we'll talk again. Rick Venturry, radio analysts of the Indianapolis Colts, will continue with Bears All Access after this on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Hey, Bears fans, it's important to stay connected now more than ever, and at Motorola, we love making that possible. With the new razor. You

can joyce staying connected a little bit more. It's a phone, it's an accessory, it's an icon of reinvented Hello Moto Jeff, Joni actout. They are a vital segment. Bears All Access Tomorrow, Bears and Colts not am pregame noon kickoff on WBBM. Let's talk Nick Foles. Tom Let's listen into a little bit how he's handled his career because it has not all been Super Bowl MVP trophies. There have been dips and valleys, and he's had a deal with failures and

also how to embrace success. You said, like Saint Louis being traded from Philadelphia, you know, even this last year in Jacksonville, you know, they're they're definitely bright spots within those years. Absolutely, but all in all is a vocation. There was a lot of trials and just understanding who I am as a person and not letting my identity be framed in you know, how many yards I throw for, how many touchdowns do I throw for? Or even winning

the super Bowl. You know, that's been a huge part of my life and career is not holding tight to those things, like I don't hold tight to the Lombardi Trophy. I I want the you know, success to be a product byproduct of the little things each and every day and stealing into people's lives, using this as a platform to you know, help different people in different things. And then the bypart that is I can step on the field and be a lot more free than if I

put everything on a pedestal. And it's just shown throughout my career. In my life there's been more of a piece are going to work. There's still a lot of things that go on, and it is you know, at times of stressful situation, but you the keys just learning how to alleviate stress by understanding that, you know, what I do is to glorify God first and foremost and not myself, and that helps me when I'm thrust into crazy situations. He sounds like a really level headed guy.

And when you have the trials and the successes and some of the failures that you have throughout a football career, when someone comes up to you and tells you you're cut or they tell you you're traded, you feel that now you have to reinvent yourself. You kind of try to find out what my role can be on this

football team and how can I improve. I know within that press conference, he said that Frank Reich, the head coach of the Indian Appolis Colts, it has a big a lot of responsibility for the way he changed as a player. But I like what I hear out of Nick, you know, and I think I respect it because I know how out of control I am all the time when you talk about situations that you're not in control of.

Bill Azier he worked with them as seven years ago in Philadelphia, and the experience that he's gained then showing now. I think people probably underestimate the fact that a guy hasn't played football for a while, even a veteran, like some of the other veteran quarterbacks have been around and a lot of them still like even they may not like a lot of preseason time, but even that first series or so just to kind of get back in rhythm. When you think about it, for Nick, he didn't have

any of that right. He just had to jump right in in the critical situation he was in. So I thought he handled that part of it really well and still was able to do probably some of the things that you're that you're alluding to as far as is making some decisions out there in the pocket, you know, Nick, I think Nick it really is excellent as far as maintaining his balance, keeping bending his knees, maintaining his strength as far as his base even when he has to

move in the pocket. Obviously, that's so much of the practice times for these quarterbacks is not only you know, throwing when something's clean and on time, but when I do have to move in the pocket. You know, That's what John d. Philippo spends a lot of time with. But but Nick is strong and he's athletic, and so he can make those things and still keep his body

in a position to make a good, strong throw. I also think he's able to make those adjustments in the pocket and really maintain his focus down the field, which is which is critical. So if you can maintain your focus down the field, and then physically keep yourself ready to make the throw. You got a chance to operate in an NFL pocket when it gets dirty, And I think Nick does both of those things, which we did see.

We did see that already on Sunday. Do you like his ability out of the pocket and making place from

the pocket? Yeah? I do. But you know, the thing about to me is, I hope I'm not overworrying about it, but I still want to see the run game as a major influence to overall what they can offer Nick Foles, because if they try to become one dimensional and throwing the ball a high percentage of the time, that's going to take away some of that deception at the line of scrimmage, and that's gonna put more pressure on the

offensive line. So I just hope that whatever the percentages are right now run to pass, that they still keep that, you know, try to keep that number up there. It's forty one, fifty nine run past percentage wise, you know, forty three, I'd be okay with that too. All Right, here's one Castier, the Bear's old line coach, and what he's asking of his tackles. Charles Lenno Junior and Bobby Massey.

We're working on consistency with Charles, you know, to be consistent with his set, to be consistent with his hands, and those were That's what when Charles and I talked about, and I think that's what you've seen from him, the consistency he's been. He's been playing square, you know, we do mix up or sets, you know, and he does a really good job. He's got really good feet, you know. Charles, we've been working thirty minutes before practice, and that's a

credit to those guys. A sacrifice that they said is there's only one way lynman get better by doing something over and over and over. And it's hard when you only have ten minutes an individual and practice. So that's why we start thirty minutes. So with Bobby, it was a little different. With Bobby. We're just trying to get him to play square. Initially, you know, try to stay square. It's hard to get beat inside or outside when you

play square, and that's what we're working on. And now he's starting to play a little square, and now we go to the next step. The next step is the timing of the hands. And then once we get the timing of the hands, we'll go to where we start switching up somebody the sets. So it's a progression for both guys, you know. But I just really have to say, you know, the work that they're putting in is you know, they're sacrificing to get better. Da it sounds like you're

offensive line talk right up your alley. It is. You know. The fortunate side for all offensive tackles this year in the NFL is there is no crowd noise. So if you think about these offensive tackles, if they would have been in Detroit, in Atlanta with the support of the crowd noise, we may be talking about a completely different performance. But what I like to hear is these offensive lineman and the construction of the fundamentals that wants put together.

It's changing their games for a positive. I think this could be a game could get real gritty. What do you think, Like I said, it's an eighties game and it could get gritty, you know again, and it is about the physical play of the offensive line and then how the defense reacts to it. When you think about some of the eighties and the Bears defense the eighty five, they never they brought the action to the opponent. It was never Hey, let's wait to see what these guys

trying to do. It's like, let's go get him from the from the beginning. All right, tom we're out of time. Thanks again. We appreciate talk you tomorrow. This is Bears All Acts, brought to you by IGS Energy on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. Thanks for listening to this Chicago Bears Network presentation of Bears All Access. Podcasts are available on Chicago Bears dot com and on iTunes,

or download the official Bears mobile app. Bears All Access has been brought to you by IGS Energy and sponsored by Miller Litte