Previewing the Packers, '85 Bears memories | Bears, etc. Podcast

Right, what justin middle to field forty five to fifteen bring Russ in front of a leading Lions in this way? I am Jeff Joniadicklitz is not donig up her.

What was like playing for coach Bigdom?

I don't want to answer any questions like that. Sixty one yards?

What's Sunday stroll for? Justin Field? Bears et Cetera With the voices of the Chicago Bears Jeff Joniac, It's that time again. It's Bears Packers trying to be dramatic time trying to set the scene here on the Bears et Cetera Podcast, Episode forty eight. The season began with the Packers with the Bears in week one. The Bears are a different team as we enter Week eighteen, nothing else to play for but their own ride and their own big finish as a platform to twenty twenty four, which

You learned a lot of stuff you never knew, didn't you?

One percent? Yes? And I every time I think I've heard every eighty five Bear story. That's why Tom, as we digress for just a smidge, No documentary that has ever been done or will be done, could ever capture every single strain and thread of that eighty five Bear team. You can't.

You can't because first of all, you can't do a documentary long enough. And then, you know, it just happenstance that you and I got on different subject matters and different avenues of interest that affected both myself and Mike because we are incoming Bear rookies together. You know, it kind of kicked off of friendship that has lasted this long and beyond. I'm friends with this entire family, was

Until you actually sit down and talk about them.

I think people will really get a kick out of some of the chance meetings and some of the things that happened throughout our careers together unreal.

We're also going to hear the entire news conference from Wednesday from Bear's quarterback Justin Fields. Thought it was his best one of the year. I think he's in a really good place mentally. He's in a good space, and he feels he feels good about the progress that he's made individually, the team made as a whole, and he puts everything about the team, everything about what is right now. He's not really engaging on anything beyond that.

That kind of frustrates me about the press conference is because they ask him so much about his future, which is irrelevant. In Wednesday of Packer week, it's about the Bears Packers game.

What have you done to improve.

From the first time you played the Packers Week one? What are you doing right now that makes you feel more confident going into lambeau Field. Who on your team have you developed a working relationship with that can help you beat the Green Bay Packers Sunday? And that's all those questions that go on and asked because everybody wants to get the same answer to the same question of that everybody asks and so to me, SIS be a

Good new Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes with all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity screens, hit every seat in room for everyone's rollerbag. United Proud to fly the Chicago Bears and you too. Let's get the status at hallis some movement on the roster. Colin Johnson the big receiver, big number eighty and now the active roster. They wave linebacker DeMarcus Gates, long snapper Matt Overton an emergency addition on the practice squad. With Patrick

You know, outside of quarterback, cornerback.

Is the position that you have to have the thickest skin because if you think of a quarterback throwing in interceptions his approach to the sideline, there's a million things going through his head.

You are cornerback and you give up a.

Touchdown, there's a million things going through your head, and then there's a lot said about you after the game. I admire Justin Fields and I admire Tyreek Stevenson because of two of the thickest skin positions on an NFL team. Both of them have put that on display.

And the NFC Offensive player of the Week is who the Bears will be facing. Jordan Love. Five games with three or more touchdowns and a one hundred plus quarterback rating, time for most in the league. In the win over Minnesota, we touched on it in the Monday Podcast. Three touchdowns passing, one rushing, and two hundred and fifty six yards of passing and a one to twenty five quarterback rating. He is elevating, he is, He's elevating at quarterback. It'll be a heck of a matchup.

Yeah, you know, Jordan Love will probably tell you he's the most fortunate player in the NFL to have the opportunity to be drafted in the first round and sit behind a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers for that long before he was put in as the starting quarterback. Because you can see his mannerisms, the way he looks at the offense, the things that he has seen repetitiously in the meetings that has spoke to him by the coaches, and he watched Aaron Rodgers do the way he handles himself in

And the Bears have two pro bowlders, Tom announced last night and they were done so so kind of interestingly by the Bears Ryan Poles, the general manager, and Matt eberfluss in on it. So they called in cornerback Jalen Johnson and defensive end Montest Sweat on their off day on Tuesday, said they had some things for them to look at on plays from the game on Sunday, and so while they were both hesitant, they did arrive and there were GoPros in the office when they showed up

I believe I'm all for Montese sled, I'm all for Jalen Johnson.

I think TJ.

Edwards rees, you know, he deserves the Pro Ball as well. I think justin Fields should get consideration.

Let's listen in to Justin Fields at the podium and have us all on Wednesday feel like you were showing the world.

Kind of what you're capable for.

I mean, it just felt good to go out there and get a double with my teammates. You know, I think everybody played well offense, defense, special team. So you know, it's always good, a good feeling when you get a home.

Is there satisfaction though, when when you play a good game, man you get the win.

Man, I'm just doing my job at the end of the day, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. You know, in my eyes, I could have played better, didn't play good enough. But like I said, good team win. Everybody played well on all three phase of the football and good team win.

So how much better have you got and this team gotten since the first game against Green Bays start year?

Yeah, I mean, I think we've improved tremendously in all phases. And I think that's players and coaches. So we've grown a lot as a team. Our chemistry is going with each other. So excited to go out there Sunday at three forty five and well up.

So that's a long time ago.

But does that factor end?

Is there any kind of motivation or incentive to be like, hey, we want to show the Packers what we are? What to that beating you guys to start the season.

Does the factor and that they beat us earlier in this season?

Yeah?

Yeah, I mean we want to win every game. It doesn't matter when they beat us. We're not thinking of that.

Uh.

You know, our mindset is just go out there and playball like how we've been playing, and you know, win the game. So every game we want to win, no matter against just the your field part whatever you know team or the green bad Packers. So every game we step on the field, we want to win the game.

So early this year, you pointed to the Lions of last season, the turnaround that they had and kind of setting the foundation. Obviously, the parallels are starting to become more clear now with the success you guys have had as elated.

Do you think back to that could all? Do you look to that as an example still?

I mean I was just kind of given an example, but now we're not basing our team based off of their team last year. I was just just simply comparing, you know, our season this year versus theirs last year.

But yeah, they did finish last year with a week a team winning lambo. What would it mean to to cap the season off with the victory there? And rival You're not the significance for you guys.

Within you know, I think it means a lot to uh, you know, the team, the fans of the city. I think it'd be great. You know, we know that Green Bays playing for a lot at stake. They're playing for a playoff spot right now. So I just think with you know, kind of all that on the table, I think, you know, it would be great, a great feeling that you know, in the season off with the winning lambo up there.

What's at stake for them?

You're going to walk into a pretty big game environment on Sunday.

What's the value for a.

Team like you guys and just gaining experience in those big game, big stage moments.

I don't see it being that much different.

I see it, you know, because everybody always the rivalry or whatever I think it's going to be, you know, the same environment, so I don't see it being too much different. But I mean, like I said, it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be a fun environment to walk into. You know, their home field. I know their friends gonna be loud because it's not much to do in green bags, I watch football.

But it's gonna be.

A great environment to us for us to play in and you know, hopefully have a great game and get the double on Sunday.

So where where do.

Where is Having DJ as a teammate helped you grow as a quarterback the most this year.

You know, I'll just talk about, you know, how smart he is, how he understands leverages, coverages, has tempo you know, in and out of his routes, and of course he's just a great play player and playmaker. So you know, it's it's it's great having him on the team. He makes my job easier. Like I always say, you know, he's pretty much always open unless they double team him. But I mean it's been great. You know, anytime you can get the ball in his hands, you know you're

I've been a catch of his this year. That eat in game that you.

Were even astonished by, I think the I think the last game was one of his best catches that I've seen, the shoulder. I think it was a third down or something like that. Yeah, that was a that was a pretty cool catch. But I've seen him make, you know, playing catches and practice that were wild. So you probably haven't even seen him. But I can't really think of any others that comes to the top of my head, you know, from game. But I think that one last week is pretty cool.

That we talked you.

Earlier about compartmentalizing whatever your future might be and just worrying about the next game.

What happens next week? When there's no next game to worry about?

Do you do you know whether you'll have any more clarity about your future and how do you deal with it when maybe there's not the focus you need so intensely every day where you might let your mind.

Wander next we I don't even know if we're gonna get next week, brother, So I'm just worried about the rest of the day and you know, the rest of the night. So got these meetings I'm about to head to and you know, like I said, we got a game on Sunday.

I'm not focused on you know what happens after that.

So justin what have you appreciated most about the brotherhood in your locker room?

Uh, you know, just how tight knit we are. You know how much we've grown over the season. You know, like I said, it feels like almost a college locker room where you pretty much live within the ten minute radius of all the guys. You're always hanging out and stuff like that. So the chemistry we have, the closest we have within our group is amazing to see. And

So a little bit the way your defense is playing right now comparatively to where it was, what's your level of appreciation for that side of the ball and what they've done to kind of fuel s.

Yeah, I mean shoot, like I always say every the game, it makes my job easier when they give a short fields and take the ball away and really on offense, if you're having a slow, slow day, you can really just worry about field position, like I think Cleveland was a great example kind of the first half. You know, it was kind of a defensive battle at first, and field position was really important. You know when you have a when you get a team backed up or we're

Most NFL quarterbacks get support from their teammates.

But when your teammates talk about you, they really really gush about you.

What does it mean to you to have that really strong support from the guys around you.

Yeah, I mean, I just I think that just shows on how much we love each other, not only as players, but you know as people as uh, you know, people outside of the building building.

Uh.

You know, we've been a lot of We've been around a lot of guys you know, in the past on different teams and stuff like that, and you can kind of tell when people really love the game and really are passionate about the game of football. And you know, I would say all the guys in the locker room are so when you just see their work ethic, how much they care about the game, how much they care about you know, the team and winning the team success.

So all right, you listened to it, Tom, and I did as well. I thought he was real strong up there, so.

Do I I really admire justin from what he's gone through all season.

And not only I.

Like the fact that when he talks about how close the locker room room, as he referred to as a as a ten minute radius, and that means, you know, just to analogize that the closest group of people in your football life for the guys inside that locker room, and a lot of times with the modern day world of cell phones, a lot of your closest people in your support are only a phone call or text message

Well, it's time to tackle some game day deals. Then go with a grocer who's been part of Chicago since eighteen ninety nine, Juelasco, the official grocery store of the Chicago Bears. All right, in terms of what he's looking at. As we're going to start with the Bears offense against the Packers defense, you obviously got to talk about Rashan Gary on one end, Preston Smith the outside linebacker around the other, and of course Kenny Clark on the interior, Mattiebraflus, circle,

You know, you always have to start with the Bears running game, and if you can block Kenny Clark and kind of keep Preston Smith and the other guy you know, pushed to the exterior of the offense with contained concerns for justin fields and you can open up some of those point of attack runs with both Khalil Herbert and Roshawn Johnson, then I think that's the best exposure of success that you can have right through center field of

And certainly we cannot forget the first series in Week one. The inability to convert on third and fourth down kind of became a perpetual issue over the course of the season at times, and that is a cleanup area for sure. The Bears got significantly better in many phases, and that is one that continues to need to be addressed right well.

In short yardagin the two plays they ran the first game of the season. They gave so much pre identification where they were going to run the ball, and then you see the defense of the Green Bay Packers condensed down and they get inside the exposed lanes of quarterback snakes or a snake by Cole Kamet, and then all of a sudden, now the defense is in your lane that you're trying to create, and it's difficult to move guys on those instances. So you have to have a

I'll ask you about that too. And when you get to the line of scrimmage, are you a proponent then of what you're saying is you get to the line if you if it's third and one, fourth and one, you get to the line of scrimmage goal.

Yes, you break the huddle first boom, you go, and everybody's got to be ready for it. They know they're not going to be in their stance for an extended period of time. And as soon as Justin gets to the line of scrimmage, first sound go. And it's going to be difficult because you know what the crowd is going to contribute on third and fourth and one. They're going to be insane. So it's not going to be simple. It's going to take discipline in order to pull that off.

All right, we're gonna step away from the game plan talk. We'll talk about the other side of the ball, of the defense, Jordan Love and Aaron Jones and the Fellas. But first, our conversation with former Chicago Bear nineteen eighty five undrafted out of Ohio State, Tom's old rookie teammate and longtime friend, Mike tom Zach. He looks like a little Tom Cruise right now. He's got the shades. He looks good. He has an aged Why is Tom not looking like this? He looks more. Tom looks more like

It's our choice, right, Jeff.

It's our choice in life to either look good or either that or work hard at it.

Listen, That's why I hung around when Mike when we are both young Chicago Bears, because it was right when top Gun came out and Mike used to wear those Aviator sunglasses, and you know, he used to track a lot of attention because of it.

I used to like the attention that Mike attracted.

I was just trying to drive membership down to my parents' health club down in Mokena and Jolliett.

Those of you out there are that are newer to the Bears and don't remember all the eighty five Bears. Big Mike is Chicago born and bred, Calumet City, Thornton Fractional North High School, Ohio State, then Bears, then several other stops in the National Football League. And are you still doing the volunteer assistant coaching at Youngstown State?

I am, Jeff, and I'm having a lot of fun doing It'll be my eighth year coming up here in the spring, and have a lot of fun with it, getting a chance to inspire young men and that are serving the community well and serving the university.

Well, so it's been fun.

Jim Trustle has been to con and do it for many years, and he retired a year ago in January. You know, YU is a good place for me right now, and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Are you working with quarterbacks or all players or are you just there to lend.

Support kind of combination?

You know, for some reason in some way I kind of migrate towards the quarterback room, right oh yeah, and kind of getting the here of the offensive coordinator like every fan wants to do SAT Chicago.

But no, it's been great.

I've been advising Doug Phillips, our head coach going on his fifth year, and the Missouri Valley Conference. Guys, I don't know if you know it, but this weekend, South Dakota State versus Montana for the national championship on Saturday, and it'll be one competitive battle for sure.

Hey, Mike, I'm not gonna dwell on it, but I'm gonna ask you one question about the college uniform because our good buddy and teammate Jay Hilgenberg sent out a tweet yesterday about his dissatisfaction with the uniform of the college player today, and the fact that most of these guys look like they're wearing shorts instead of a football uniform. Is it something as a coach that you just have to go along with to satisfy the kids or are you okay with it?

I'm not okay with it. Our head coach isn't okay. You know what.

Happens a lot of times, Tom, whether it be high school, college or the pros. Either you coach it or you allow it. And if you allow it, the locker room will take over. As you well know throughout your high school, college and professional career. And Jeff, you probably feel the same way a lot of things you do in life, let alone out of household or running a business. You know you got to coach them up consistently. Here's one thing I've learned about the college game. Assume they know nothing.

So again, either to coach it or you allow it.

I tell you some of the most educated points made that we've heard on this podcast. Now we've been doing almost fifty times, which is good to hear, super encouraging, Mike. But listen, you know, when Jeff introduced you as a former Chicago Bear, Ohio State tf North, the whole deal, you're also a former Green.

Bay Packer when we get ready for this rivalry.

We've always been Chicago Bears, and that's where our roots in the entire growth of our career is bred. Outside me playing one year for the Dolphins, you know, you had a chance to play it on a couple teams in the NFL. How do you look at the Bear pack Bear Packer rivalry at this point in your life as opposed to when we were both in our twenties and thirties.

Well, that's changed.

Obviously, the numbers stayed the same, but the names changed in the back of the jerseys on both teams. And it's been three plus decades since I played for the Green Bay Packers, and you know what a treat that was for me. You know, I was probably one of the first quarterbacks in Chicago Bear history that crossed that state line and went north to Green Bay, and I was grateful for it. I truly was Indian fante and ron Wolf and the ownership group welcomed me up there,

Oh yeah, for me, it's coming up on well twenty seven years. But you know, I graduated from Iowa State in eighty December of eighty four, told to go cover Bears training camp. And I have cassette tapes at home in boxes. I mean and now and I look back. We're all the same age. Like you know, I'm sixty one. I believe you are as well. Tommy's sixty and it just I was. It was an intimidating bunch in a good way.

But you know what, I really I realized the rivalry was real. There was a guy named Ron Holstrom, Tom remembers, and he played at Iowa and it was our first spring workout and there were three stalls in the in the bathroom, three three poopers, if you will, and I'm in the far one against the wall. I didn't realize this, but there was no toilet paper. Long story short. A guy gets in the stall one and I say, hey, my man, can you help me out?

He goes, who is that? And I said Tom Zech. He goes fu Ron holds. He left me hanging. You know.

That's when he said, hey, you came from the Bears. You came from the Bears, So it was real. But again, your loyalties are with the colors you wear. And I had a good time competing against the Bears for two years. I was in Green Bay, and I always remember those games as being special on both sides of the sideline.

Mike, when do you look at quarterback like justin fields when you think about, you know, what he did in Ohio State and what he's doing in the NFL. What is the most attractive part of his game to you? As a former Ohio State now a college coach and a professional quarterback.

You know, Tom, this is something you guys have never seen before from the broadcast booth. He has thrown off schedule. He has made more plays off schedule than he's made on schedule. And I think you guys know what I mean. You know, plays call for a play action pass, he hits that fifth step and throws the ball. You know that might happen forty to thirty percent of the time, but the other sixty to seventy percent of the time

In the pockets.

So well, you know, as a former Buckey, I wish him a long career because I've been holding that belt for a long time now, and I hope it's a healthy one because he's been banged up, you know, in the early part of his career, and he's missed you know, a number of games. You guys will know better than I, and I just wish him good help and hopefully everything works out in Chicago for him. And I wish I was a lot more like him. I wish I had some of that talent.

There's a new wrinkle every week. I mean, you just really know as a broadcaster, and I mentioned this last year and Tom Tom's heard me say this. I had a hard time catching up to Justin when he started the running aspect of his season because he has options. He might throw it, he might stop and pop it looks like he's rushing around the end. He'll throw back the middle of the field, and so I never knew what was coming. So I had to kind of slow

Yeah, you've had to adapt in a broadcast booth and you slowed your broadcast down because you don't know the outcome. Tom, you would agree he's an outlier very rarely do you see. You might have saw Russell Wilson early in his career, right, that might have Randall Cunningham take it back, you know, three decades Michael Vick. But he is so different than everyone, and I enjoy watching the highlights. I don't see a lot of games, but I enjoy watching the highlights when he performs.

You know, Mike, But as a coach, if you say he throws off schedule fifty maybe up to fifty five percent of the time, and you're coaching your receivers, you're coaching your offensive line, and you're not you know, you're you're coaching those guys.

How do you coach them?

If you talk about a quarterback that doesn't throw on schedule into the design of the specific play.

Yeah, yeah, that's a good point, Tom. It's a challenge. It's a challenge.

I think everyone in that hallis fall has had to adapt on the offensive side of the ball. They've had to tell the offensive line sustain your blocks. You know, I know you don't have eyes in the back of your head, but you know, slow your pace down. You know, best thing you do is just play man to man defense with you know the opposition, and just hope that you're doing the right thing.

But you know they've been they.

Have been clicking, right, they've been clicking the last couple of weeks, three weeks, you know, with their offense. And I think they're okay with all schedule stuff because he gets you out of trouble and he gets you in a position where either we're going to go forward on fourth down or you're gonna go.

Ahead and punt the ball away and play defense.

Have you had the opportunity to watch Jordan Love since Week eleven? Sixteen touchdowns, one interception?

Wow?

Well, yeah, I tell you that's another dude that is really playing out of his skin.

Right.

You know, who would have thought that I'd like to have those numbers. Sixteen touchdowns, one interception. I mean, that's that's kind of an outlier for the last.

Eleven weeks, right. But you know, one thing you look at Jeff, you know.

His durability, He's remained healthy, He's had other complimentary players on his side of the ball. There's a great confidence right now the way they're playing so It's going to be a competitive battle, and I think both these organizations want to go out on the high note. So it'll be a sixteen minute game for sure, and a lot of blood left in the field.

Hey, Mike, So the quarterback position, you look at farvar to Rogers, Rogers the love do you think that the template of success for the quarterback position is to draft a quarterback and have a good fortune of him sitting behind the quality of the quarterback for a couple of years.

These quarterbacks nowadays, Tom, don't want to sit. You know, it's pretty obvious that they're going to play the younger guy if they can. Green Bay was a luxury, a great luxury, and the way they transition, you know there was, you know, kind of a plug and play. The stuff they're doing in Cleveland right now with their organization, with all the injuries they've had, and I look at the same scenario in Green Bay. You know, they had opportunities to,

Tom.

That's one thing that organization has done. They've been loyal and they trust the process of getting these quarterbacks to play at a high level.

That Active on X otherwise known as Twitter, and I've noticed these, uh, these sayings that you've put out there, these uh, these thoughts, and I jot and I read them every day because I I'm interested in them, and a lot of it does speak to me. So here's one I think it was Today's Instead of crafting extensive lists of resolutions, we may want to choose a single word to guide our year. Stick toitiveness with exclamations, and then you punctuate each one of your phrases every day

Is this?

Is this something that you've always are? Are these your original thoughts? And now you know why you put it out there?

Yeah, it's a great question, Jeff, real good question.

And you know, we can draw a different inspiration at different times in our life, whether it be a tragedy, whether it be you want to inspire other people. And think the older you get in life, the more you realize it's not about you. It's about serving others to whatever capacity, and being around these college student athletes. You know, they're so mobile, they're media savvy, they're putting out stuff. And when I started doing that, a lot of players would come up to me and say, hey, Coach, I

Haven't arrived yet. We haven't arrived.

And that's why I always say on because in football and in life, it's the next play, it's the next series, it's the next day, it's the next opportunity. And that's the way I correlate my life. After three three downs, you don't get a first down. You got to punt the football or go for it on fourth down. So it's always onward and upward.

I have one more, tom, let me read one uh, and this is this is true for all of us. I hope you're living the life you want, and if not, I hope you have the courage to turn around and start again. And that could be used in any any any walk of life, any business, any personal situation. And that one's big on me and Tom this one too. Uh, don't exercise to be thin, exercise to be strong. It's Tom, he's been. My daughter is a competitive weightlifter now and

Hey, sometimes it takes a message, the same message from a different voice that will Yeah, you know, touch your heart. And you know Tom and I, you know, we grew up working out a lot, my parents being in the health club, my brother being in the health club industry. A lot to be said for that. But the older we get Jeff in our sixties. Pliability, stick to itiveness, discipline. Those are three strong words that you can use through every day of your life. But how often can you use those?

Right?

It's building, building, building, building, and a discipline kind of just as your foundation.

But you know I talked to I talk about him multiple times weekly in my life, and I think Clyde Emerck had as much of an influence on Mike Tomzack's life as he did on my life.

And I remember Clyde to the.

Before he passed away talking about Mike Tomzak doing sixty one dips and just the displays of strength that as a quarterback Mike put on.

And I think, when you have a guy like Clyde.

Emrick that can be such a positive influence in your life. I think when I listen to to the message that Mike puts out there, almost listening to a Clyde Emrick type uh message deliver, you know, and all the things that he said to us repeatedly throughout our life, and how important he was in our future life.

Great point. Jeez, what a mentor.

I miss Clyde daily and he was an inspiration now only to a lot of former players or people in life, but the Bears organization.

What do you do?

Six decades? I believe, yeah, I think six decades and just a huge impact. And you know he was. He was the kind of master link to that chain for a number of years. And hopefully somebody is picking up the picking up what he left off on and carrying the torch for him. But you know it's a great point, Tom, wonderful point about Clyde. And you know one thing Tom, Tom, good lift, but.

Good lift hips hips.

You know, I always say when if your bio starts, the first man in the world too, whatever it says after that, if it's a positive, it's going to inspire a lot of people. And Clyde was that way, the first man in the world to lift four hundred pounds overhead under a two hundred pound body weight, and what everything yet you had to do in order to accomplish that.

People don't see that.

They only read the sentence, and it kind of interest you in what he was able to accomplish. And I think that's what every way program across the country, high school, pro college, whatever it is, that's the influence they try to have.

Absolutely, Mike st a lot in college football.

You know, one of the most valued assistants in any college program is a strength and performance coach.

Without a doubt, Mike, you had a long career. Did you think you were going to Oh?

I was a lot like Tom in some regards. You know, going to work every day thinking that you might be cut, having a poor performance on Sunday, you know, four interceptions against San Francisco acquiring a nickname Lotto picked four.

Oh god, you know some of those meetings, you know. But I learned this a long time ago.

My dad always said this, it's never as bad as you think it is, and it's never as good as you think it was. And he said that early in life to a lot of players that he coached. When I was in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, and then when I got into high school, it kind of was that mantra. You know, so don't get too excitable, stay humble, keep on working at your craft. And that's one thing that I did. I worked at my craft. I trusted my confidence, and I firmly believed that I was a

And I didn't do it.

You know, My biggest growth year, Jeff and Tom was my rookie year with the Bears, when Jim McMahon and Ed Hughes sat me down and said, hey, this game is simple. Just watch the safeties the two dudes that are underneath the goalpost. One's are free, ones are strong. See how they rotate. They're all on a string. And once that, once I absorbed all that, the game slowed down tremendously for me, and I knew I could play

Yeah, that's a very proud, proud statement.

I don't like to be boastful, but a lot of players helped me along the way when to get that, you know, title, Jeff and I was shocked when my son shared that with me six months ago. I was shocked that I was the winning his quarterback.

I truly was.

He Mike was the last remaining member of the eighty five team to be on an active roster in the end.

That's what I was going to say.

For going from free agent to the longest tenured member of the eighty five Super Bowl team, that's one hell of an accomplishment. When you think about some of the young guys, like that was my first year with the Bears. You think of some of the other the rookies on the team at that time, and Mike, Mike dow last us all. You know, that's that's you know, there's a lot of jerseys hanging on the wall.

Now, you made it to you made it to two thousand, right, you made it too, But I think you were with the Lions.

Yeah, I made a two thousand.

Brooke my leg the third preseason game, got a pay got a paycheck for sixteen weeks. Got a phone call from Matt Millen, the new uh general manager of Detroit Lions, Steve Mariucci's protege, and Matt told me your services are no longer needed, even though you have one year left on your contract. We're gonna let you go and bring Jim Harbaugh in. And I said, Matt, I'm a fighter, I'm a competitor. Bring us, bring me in, let me

Yeah, oh yeah.

Tom knows and Jeff, you've been around enough of these players.

It never ends well.

No, you know, I don't care in Chicago, Yeah, it kept you know, in Green Bay now you know, Cleveland, Cleveland, bo Pittsburgh. You know, it never ends well because when somebody terminates your contract, you got to find a job. I mean, you know he'll get And I always talk all the time. It have been better for them to cut us as free agents our rookie year so we could start our real life.

Right wow. But that's uh, that's stick to itiveness to a t yeah by you right there. Wow, that is a fantastic story. See these podcasts. We're new to this this year. Right this is episode forty eight of the Bears et cetera podcast, And we sure do appreciate you listening. We appreciate our guests. And we've just out of happenstance. I thought comes into Tom's mind and we start and I threw your name out there. Hey, can you get a hold of Big Mic We be eve been getting

Well, we've had three of them.

We had Ron Earhart, we had Chen Gaily, Yeah, Ray Sherman, and then Mike Malarkey. So in the seven years there was a lot of turnover and offensive coordinators and different philosophy, but a lot like justin fields.

Is going through.

Yeah, So how does that impact you?

Know, it's funny because the way Joe Flacco has been playing, I think a lot of that stuff is overrated. As far as the offensive coordinator. You know, you have a great skill, go out there and perform. You need to have a great supporter in your left ear to tell you, I'm gonna put you in the right play, You're going to succeed, You're gonna do fantastic, You're gonna lead these guys down the field. And you have to have that repeatedly.

And sometimes it did, but most of the time it did.

So you need somebody that you could trust and It takes a while developed, trust guys, you know, it really does, especially when you're at the quarterback position. I've had a number of quarterback coaches and offensive coordinators that if things went bad in the field for me, they would turn the other cheek, right, you know, they would like run up a tree.

And it's like, okay, you son of a bitch.

You know, I had your back for many, many, many weeks and many years, and now you're gonna run up a tree. But by and large, nothing to be this grunt all about. I enjoyed everything, every every training camp, every snap, every practical joke, every opportunity to get to know my teammates better.

And it's been a great ride.

And I'm just fortunate enough to be able to talk to you guys still and still be alive, you know, be quite honest with you. A lot of our teammates in eighty five and throughout that run in Chicago and no longer with this, and some are struggling today and it's just great to hear you guys voice very familiar voices.

Last real funny story, Mike and I were the Bears are playing the Steelers, and Mike and I were walking through the lower part of the Steelers Stadium because they had an alumni weekend. And Aston Kircher, I think that's how you today his name, the guy from the seventies show. He was walking in and Mike wanted to go up and say hi to him.

Before Mike got to him, he saw Mike and he goes Mike. Tom's at from the Super Bowl shovel. Oh my gosh.

So you know, I mean, you think of just the route in the course and the people that get to know you throughout the course of time. It's just, you know, an awesome story book life.

It really is Tom and and you know Aston Coocher, a huge bear spend I stood on the sideline with him and uh you know his current wife, Uh saw on the bear sideline.

Actually, yeah, I remember that.

I have a picture with him in the background. I was too shocked. I was too I was too afraid to say. Got to get a pick with you, right.

And you gotta make choices in life, Jeff. And sometimes those are still you know, you can go to the edge of the cliff and sometimes you gotta a jumper or take a leap of faith.

But you know, Tom a good friend of ours. Here in Youngstown. Boom Boom Mancini. Yeah, well, here's a guy we met, you know, in the mid eighties, you know, through Tom Drees and everything, and Boom Boom's been you know, familiar face, you know, to be associated with an occasion here in Youngstown.

And you know, he's a.

Guy that absolutely loves the Chicago Bears. I mean, he tells me stories and his hands go as quick as his mouth goes, and he's just a fun, fun.

Dude to be here.

Roddy really is.

Jeff.

I know, I know that you have to go, but next time we're on the podcast, remind me I have a funny story about Boom Boom Mancini, and we have to get him to be on the pocket.

We'll get him on the podcast for sure. All Right, real quick, we do have to go, and you're busy to Mike, but we appreciate this for those, again, the younger crowd. We got a younger audience these days as well. You played in the Super Bowl kick off return correct punt punting, Oh punt team? All right, break it down for me, what the hell happened?

Well, you know, the last thing you want to do, as any player that you get to at a certain level of life and professionally playing the Super Bowl and have a d NP.

Nice to your name did not play.

And here we are, four minutes and forty three seconds left in the game, and Steve Fuller's hand the football offer, you know, to Calvin Thomas or Thomas Sanders, and I'm looking to my left and looking to my right, and I'm thinking, damn, I'm the only player hadn't played yet. So I'm mentioning closer to the field and Steve Kay's are standing next to me.

I said, hey, case, I'm going in. He goes where I said, you wait and see special teams.

As soon as fourth down came, Jeff I sprinted across the field like I stole something. Told Sean Gale, who happened to be the gunner on that side of the field. I said, hey, coach Kaes wants to see it as a former teammate. Sean said, all right, man.

Oh my god.

Willie Claiborne all told defensive back lines up across me. He goes, what's up, And as Susie said what's up, the ball was snapped and I'm running down the field and he shoulders older with me. So I grab his face mask, unfortunately, and throw him down. I figured, you know, the former wrestler, the body goes where the head goes.

And here comes irving front of.

My way and I kind of sashet him, push him out of bounds or whatever. And watching the replay and the big screen, I'm all the way to the sideline, the bare sideline, Dick. It hits me right in the chest, that nice little shiver, and he goes, what are you doing? I said, coach, I don't have time to tell you. I got twenty family members. They're all from Chicago Land. This is a dream of mine to play in the Super Bowl for my favorite team. An he questions, He goes, yeah, you're in the next series.

I would.

I would have never kept the game ball because I knelt down the last play and in the locker room, my bag and I came back out and celebrate with Tom and Jay and everyone, and so you had to do it.

So you took the game ball.

Oh, it was the last one to head it on a kneel down. Yeah, where is that game ball right now? It's sitting on my mantle.

That is a fan task store. Yeah, yes, it's it's I'm surprised. I mean, how did you not get you know, reamed for it is the question.

Well, he got called for face mask. I know he did throw the pedal.

Oh my gosh, you guys really were forty six to ten.

I know, six to ten.

But you know how coaches are here, You know how coaches are.

Coaches want to coach right, Coaches want to coach and correct. And I looked at it as a positive thing because you know, I was Dicka's favorite quarterback and every year I call him on his birthday and said, this is your favorite quarterback and he says, you're right, You're my favorite quarterback. Because I would say I saved his ass when he had a heart attack on that Wednesday.

I'll tell you a funny story real quick. I go up to Hallas Hall. We had a terrible game against New England. But back and forth the.

Oyo McMahon, Tom Zach, McMahon, Tom Zach, then all the horror ball blah blah blah. I didn't shower after the game. I'm ready to quit football. I'm ready to quit football. In nineteen eighty seven, I'm tired of Dick all this stuff, and I'm driving up to Hallas Hall Monday morning and a WBBM breaks in and says, we've got a developing story. Mike Dicka had a heart attack. I said, yes, yes, there is a holy spirit. He's been listening to me the straightness' rear end out.

And that was on a Monday. Wednesday.

I went to see him at Lake Forest Hospital only say kid, you're my favorite. I'm never gonna yell at you again, never gonna yell at you again. We went out and to play the Redskins. Remember at toms On that Sunday. Yeah, probably one of the better game. Our team offensively, had a great game and never had any more issues with Dicka.

Gosh, great stuff. You also quarterback the Alays. You also quarterback the Fog Bowl. You won her first ten starts at quarterback. That set an NFL record until Big Ben broke it. You had the highest scoring game in the history of three Rivers Stadium, your quarterback the Steelers against Tennessee. So much great stuff, a great long career, a very productive life, and your love of the game still pouring through. We appreciate you being Mike.

Yeah, appreciate you guys.

Bear down, bear down, all right, all right, Tom people probably, well, everybody who loves the Bears and eighty five Bears know a lot of the history of you and Mike. But you guys had TNTs back in the day. Tell us about that for people don't know what them you guys. You guys were restaurant tour bar owners. And it was a popular place, wasn't it.

Yeah, it was.

It was a successful restaurant in Joliet T and T stood for Thayre and Tom Zach. The telephone numbered ended in eighteen fifty seven.

His number was eighteen. Mine was fifty seven.

And it was a restaurant that was predominantly run by my brother and my mom.

My mom and my brother, however you want to put it.

And it was a great place at the time, and we put a lot of time.

And effort into it. We are down here weekly.

We came and we did a cable TV show out of here every Tuesday during the regular season. We would come and sit behind the counter and sign autographs for hours at a time.

So it's something that we took a lot of pride in and uh.

The really the theme of the restaurant lasted into just about five to eight weeks ago when we ended up selling the final version that ended up being Fair Brothers, Deli and Grill. But Mike and I he because he was from the Frankfurt area, which is about eleven miles away from Joliet, and he went to high school in the area. I went to the high school in the area, and we took a lot of pride in it and it was a fun place that.

Was supported by the community.

Uh.

The location was built across the street from my high school football field, and uh, you know it was it was a mainstay in the area, and I thought it was really important if we were ever going to get involved in something, to do something that could help the support of our hometowns.

And that's exactly what it did.

Who came up with the idea I did because the restaurant that we put it in used to be a restaurant called Sirloin or Pub and my mom was a waitress there her whole life as we were growing.

Up, and it was a place with a big fireplace in the middle, high vaulted ceilings, fun And then we went in there and we renovated it. The same guy owned it that owned it when my mom worked there, and we we leased the restaurant for a period of time, did the renovations. It had a big parking lot, it was on a busy street corner in Joliet, and I think it's kind of you know, Difka had a restaurant and with the popularity of the team, and we were both local guys and so we kind of, you know,

The fun conversation with Mike, and he seems like he's in a great place. He's got a lot of knowledge, and he's given back, he's given back to football. And he's certainly the son of a coach, a prominent coach at that and in a prominent career in the National Football League. He's done a lot, he does. He looks great, So it's always always good to see some of the

Mike's dad, Ron Tomsack, as you mentioned, was a successful high school coach, and he also owned a health club, a fitness club. His brother, younger brother, Steve, owns a health club fitness club here in the area in his whole town. And his son plays for Mike tom Zach at Youngstown State as a receiver.

And then Mike's.

Brother, his other brother, Ron Tomzak, is a college football official.

And the nephew is a very good kicker. Yes, take a chance download the Bent Rivers app today and we're brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears. All right, back into the Bears. Let's look now at the Bears defense and what they're going to expect from a young, very talented group of receivers that has a hot quarterback.

Well, you know, I think Bears defensively, they're bringing in an entirely different focused defense that they had Week one. I think they're taking an entirely different team from first level, second level to third level. I think they have more players on the defensive line that come in there at a fresh rotation, and I think that can take a toll on their offensive line if they're had to make

Do you know that the Bears right now are holding opponents rushing game better than the eighty five Bears defense?

They run the ball a lot less nowadays than they did in eighty five. I mean, there's all these reasons, and sometimes it's.

Hard to compare.

However, the Bears defense has improved at such a.

Dramatic rate that it doesn't.

Surprise me that they're turning teams into teams that have to throw the ball more than they have the luxury of running the ball. And when you see it against some of the opponents that they faced as of recent especially the Detroit Lions, who has the one two punch of their running game, the Bears have done a great job against it. And I think this is probably the most formidable front seven that they're going to face since Aaron Jones has been a part of the Packers.

I got hurt in the opener, ran off to the hamstring. Yeah, and that's always been problematic, all right, Tom, You know there's many a game you can't just focus on one. I'm focusing on making sure you protect the ball and taking the ball away, but I'm also in my mind formulating a plan here. You better have a quick start. If you have a fizzled start, that place gets a

Well, you know, they better take a look at last week's game plan because the Atlanta Falcons missed two field goals to open up the game. And if you want to talk about starting fast, Okay, if you hold them to three, I think that's a win by the Bears defense, But you can't give them the opportunity to get in the red zone and convert it into a touchdown. Then all of a sudden, you have the crowd involved in the game and you're fighting an uphill battle of the

You have to do that.

And it's not all about offense and defense. It's about the contributions of the special teams. And I know the Bears. When the Bears do punt, they can't allow their punt returner to have significant first down contributions.

To the start of the drive.

So yeah, it's going to take the Bears offense, you know, starting starting fast, And Okay, it's like this, so the Bears have taken the ball if they win the coin toss, and last week when Atlanta won the coin toss, they took the ball first. When you look at Bears starting fast, do you want the Bears to keep the ball if they get if they win the coin toss, or do you want to give the ball to Jordan Love and put your defense on the field first, Because.

I think I think I want a significant decision.

I think I want to take the ball for this one. You do, Okay, I'm coming in with some swagger. I've won seven of twelve. I got a jazzed up group of guys that have played hard all season long. They're hearing every single day about oh gosh, can you knock the Packers out of the playoffs? And the messaging is, whether you agree or disagree, is we're worrying about just

For saying that question about that same thing though.

So the balls take the Bears take the ball first, So does Luke Getsy think, Okay, I know what Green Bay's thinking. This is all I want to do or does Luke Getsy say hey, I know what our offense does, well, this is what I want want to do. Sometimes, Jeff, when you get caught in these scenarios where you get an ex coach that's familiar with the products, sometimes you start thinking too much. But I think Luke has done a really nice job of designing first possession drives. Yes,

Yeah, I need I need wins on my first first possession here. I need win winning plays. I need that confidence to go in there. Because you're going in with confidence. Don't let it get muted right out of the gates.

The first game of the year, you got Alan Williams calling defenses. Now you got Matt Eberflus. The first game of the year, you had Luke Getsy calling offensive plays, and now you've got Luke Gatzi calling plays in the eighteenth game of the year. That's almost an entire lifetime. Yeah, for an offensive coordinator for the length of one season.

Tom, it's a I mean it's a different team I have. It's a different team. This is a different This is not the Week one Bears. Nope, Nope, not by a long shot. Busy Heart Seltzer, the official Heart Seltzer of the Chicago Bears. All right, Tom, we're going to wrap up here. Great show, by the way, it's been a lot of fun. Can't believe we've done forty eight of these and we've got.

One more question for it on the profession, on the professional side of it. So your your flip chart that you make when you do a broadcast, second to none.

I got more information than you can possibly use. Do you make a new flip chart since it's week eighteen.

Or always a fresh one?

Okay?

So I was reading my flip chart this morning that I made week one, and it's interesting to see within that period of time, who wasn't there, who is there, who's not playing, who's now earned the starting.

What have you learned? What have you learned? Because I I haven't done my board yet.

Well, you know, Watson was injured the first game of the year, and now there's speculation that he will be back on the field come Sunday.

There a lot of Bachtiari is not there.

Yeah, the offensive line as a whole, you know, there was a lot of injuries and stuff and just you know, just something when you talk about there's a whole life in between week one and week eighteen. It's funny when you can read the charts that you made week one.

Just wait till training camp when we get started again. Things look so weird, that's for sure, all right. So we talked to Mike tom Zeck. As you heard earlier in the Bears et cetera podcast here and there, I told you about his his Twitter x comments every day. Here's a couple more because they are really good. They're really good, and I've been I've been reading them for weeks. Give me a critical attitude toward my own faults and

You're right, you're right, because.

Sometimes you and I are not tolerant even of each other. Sometimes, right we can get under each other's skin. Come on, but this one, this one. This is Chris. This one, Chris is crystallized Tom Thayer. This is all about Tom Thayer. Ready, it's not bad, but maybe it's not the exact. But speak the truth, even if your voice shakes, because sometimes you get angry, but you speak the truth. Onward, Tom, Onward, Onward. Bears fans listen.

I admire Mike and I'm glad to see that he's giving us some of his knowledge.

No, it's impressive, it really is. And the and the I'll tell you what's even more is the volunteer. We didn't get into that, but the volunteer aspect for eight years as opposed to getting a paid position in college. That's quite the that's quite the love of the game and giving back, Yes it is.

Yeah, it's a lot.

It's I think it's the admiration for the kids that he's working with as well.

Yep, Bears fans, you can be there for live NFL action all season long. As the official ticket marketplace for the Bears in the NFL, Ticketmaster as a wye selection of tickets available for every game. Find tickets today at ticketmaster dot com. Slash Bears. We are going to find out a lot more in one game, which happens to be the finale from Your Chicago Bears on Sunday starting

Where I.

Mean, I'm already so angst that when I get on that bus after the game, I want to be I want to have.

A smile on my face. It looks like I have a hanger in my mouth.

I mean, that's how much I want to be smiling because I know how I'm going to be if it's the other way around.

Well, you know, a couple of years back, when Jaquem Grant returned to punt for a touchdown and there's a there's a go pro in our booth, it's not always there. The Bears decide when to do that or not. And I'm losing my mind and the Bears are losing the game, and Tom's just watching and he's not even moving a muscle, and Mike Golick in the booth next to us is laughing. He's seeing me go crazy, and he's pumping his fist like way to go. Tom's inconsolable. That's how he is

Goll Bears?

That's it, Thanks for listening.