Schedule Released, Thomas Graham talks Draft | All Access

season is upon us. The schedule now official, coming up and around seven o'clock, we do know the Bears will open up in LA against the Rams at Sofi Stadium, fourth consecutive. You're gonna play the Rams. A rivalry developing with the NFC teams. Welcome into Bears All Access. We're brought to you by GS Energy with my broadcast partner from news Radio seven eighty one oh five point NFMWBBM, the great Chicago Bear offensive guard Tim. There, good evening time,

Big Jeff. It's gonna be a lot. Like all your dinners, we have a lot to digest. And so when you think about the beginning of the season, you think about the coaches talking today, you think about us getting prepared to be at Hollis Hall to watch rookie miniicamp. When you take all that in, you know, there's a lot of excitement on the table and I'm looking forward to every every step of it. The only thing missing is there a total return of normalcy. But we're knocking on

that door hopefully. But yes, all the assistant coaches, the offensive coordinator spoke today. When you total it up, some two hours, a lot of a lot of questions you might suspect about rookie Minicamp and the arrival of Justin Fields from Ohio State. We'll start with that right now with you and I and the quarterback coach John D. Philippo on the first steps for the Ohio State rookie. The first thing when we talked about this, you know, all we've I guess we've been zooming. I guess last

two weeks. I guess it is. And I mean, I'm not going to share the things that he might share in terms of our short term goals, but one of them was, I'll tell you one of them was to you know, have command of the you know that that's you know, show the other ten guys in that huddle that you have some commanding. We've been working your butt off calling the plays, knowing the cadence, knowing where to

go with the football. It's not going to be a very in depth installation in terms of the the amount of plays, amount of formations, shifts and motions in that thing. But I want to see him. You know, those building blocks of becoming a starting quarterback in the league, and you start at the lowest of love. You start with the cadence, You start with the huddle, You start with knowing your first wide visioning, which is everything that you have before you get the ball in your hand, play clock,

Are we lined up correctly? What's the cadence? Is there? Killed with the play? So the mechanics of playing quarterback, the mechanics of the first step of knowing our offense is what we're trying to build upon to when the veteran players come down, and they do have a body of work from Ohio State too, and his excellence there

at Tommy. Yeah, you know what's weird because now when we talk about college quarterbacks coming out of their system, we have to talk about their presence in the huddle because some of these guys Jeff that they don't huddle up, they look to the sideline, they look at those big

poster boards up and then they call a play for there. So, like they say, you gotta have command in the huddle, you want to have it because the first thing you tell every single guy in that huddle is make eye contact with the quarterback, see what he's saying, and see the quarterback and then kind of filter the information that he's getting out how it pertains to you. You talk about the past concepts that he's gonna have to learn, how he's going to bring the information from the classroom

out into that huddle. And so we're gonna see evidence of that, and all the coaches are going to see evidence of that immediately. And I think it's gonna be really exciting because we're talking about the learning process of the quarterback position and how it fits into this type of athlete and really starting from a square one here, because you're stripping it down to the bare wire here.

And it's big part on the shoulders for Andy Dalton, the starting quarterback at the moment, and Nick Foles, and for I think it was Bill Laser that said it. It's on the kid the rookie to learn from those guys and watch and ask questions as opposed to them trying to, you know, teach him how to do it. Just watch, learn, listen, and go and go do your job and it'll be an interesting scenario when it all comes out there in training camp. But this is just

the baby steps right now, we remiss. We got condolences to tarikoh and Tom and his family with the loss of his brother this week. Super hard, super difficult for anybody, certainly somebody in the spotlight here and rough road after an ACL tear last year. He was looking forward to getting back and working hard through his rehab to get back on the field. But condolences to the Cohens Oh,

no doubt about it, his entire family. I feel so bad for him because when you receive information like that and you're not prepared for it, you don't know how you're gonna handle it. Because Tarik, already in his life,

has overcome so many stickles. When you talk about everything that's always referred to they make reference to his size and how that will fit into football, and he's been able to come in here and Jeff, we've seen his growth process from the first time we ever did an interview with him at an event to how he's the type of growth that he's shown to us in the last couple of years. He's a super engaging, intelligent personality

who I really grown to appreciate. However, he's got to be so supportive right now of his family like never before, and so prayers and everything that goes out from the entire Bears family and us as just individuals, and knowing him as the person that he has become. All right, Coming up on the show tonight, we've got to Jim Miller coming up from Serious Sex, MNFL Radio, the former Bears quarterback. He'll spend some time with us as always tonight.

At coming up at the bottom of the hour, the rookie defensive back Patrick Graham out of Oregon will join the program as he gets ready for his maiden voyage in the NFL as well. Our producers tonight, Jordan Trent Up, Dam Brelly, Julio Rosso and the Score Studios were brought to you by GS Energy. With Tom There, I'm Jeff Jony Act back with Jim Miller and Moore here on Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Hey, 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 Tom there, Jeff, Jony Act, and we welcome in our buddy Jim Miller from Serious Sex m FL Radio is moving the chains with his buddy Pat Kerwin. Happy schedule release day, Jim Miller. It'll become official. We'll have it off for you at six forty five. Much of it's been leaked out all over the NFL landscape.

Everybody works very hard on it. I'm sure you guys had all the important games today as well, but the one that matters the most for US Bears rams to open things up against a team that believes it's the Super Bowl contender, no question out there in La. Yeah, you know, for the Bears one, good to be with you guys again. And yeah, you know they're facing a familiar quarterback who they know and Matthew Stafford. So I think that immediately helps the Bears because that's a tough

road game. There'll be a lot of fans there supposedly, Uh, you know, we'll see what the state does out there. But so far stadium, they are expected to have fans at the game so they can finally christen that stadium correctly. So it should be, you know, a tough road game. You know, it's a it's a tough opening game against the team that's world coached by Sean McBay and with a new quarterback that really can sling it all over

the lot. But the Bears at least are familiar with that style of play for Matthew Staffords and a couple of more primetime games leaked out as well. Looks like the Bears and lines back on Thanksgiving some night games always with the Packers, you're gonna have one of those that you can sketch it down at all times. But again Tommy and I had around six forty five. Will break it on down in more detail, but I you know, you kne who the opponents were. Jim and I brought

this up with Tom earlier today. I just love the quarterbacks. It's it's quite the collection of quarterbacks from young to old. The Bears are gonna face this year from Stafford and Joe Burrow if he's health, thea Baker Mayfield you got, of course, the great Tom Brady. I'm assuming Aaron Rodgers will still be in Green Bay, although Blake Bartle's reportedly

coming aboard late word here tonight. Kyler Murray, the excitement of Kyler Murray, the excitement of Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, I mean, if Trey Lance is going to be in the mix by at some point, or Jimmy Garoppolo's battle there yet, Derek Carr, I mean, you name it, were facing it this year and the Bears defense is going to be tested across the board. Fellas, Yes, they really are. And you know that's a great group of quarterbacks that they're gonna be facing. You know, you just look at

the overhaul on the AFC side of things. I mean, other than you know the veterans say like big Ben Rothisburg, I mean almost entirely, the AFC is overturned from all older quarterbacks to younger quarterbacks. So and these are talented players that are playing right away. They're have an impact

for their team. And we'll see this year how it goes for young Trevor Lawrence drafted by the Jaguars, you know, opening day for the Jets, and Zach Wilson is Sam Donald gets to face them, tries to get a little revenge, but the AFC clearly there has been an overhaul at the quarterback spot. But the Bear's schedule, even with those young quarterbacks, they got some savvy veterans that know how to get it done. And it's a tough, tough group

of quarterbacks they'll be facing me. You know, we talk a lot about quarterbacks, but when you talk about the Bears opening game and you talk about Khalil Mack versus Aaron Donald, you're talking about a monster preparation for both offensive lines over there. Because now I don't think you really have great mobility in Matthew Stafford, so that's gonna put more pressure on the Rams offensive line, and you have dominance by Aaron Donald, So that's gonna put a

lot of pressure on the Bears offensive line. Three sacks in the first game of the year. Throughout his career, Aaron Donald miss Week one in two thousand and seventeen and all those sacks are at home, So yeah, he's only has three of them in the first week of the season. However, it's going to create some sleepless night by the offensive line and where Aaron Donald will line up because there's no guarantee he's gonna line up over

Cody Whitehair or over the right guard. He could be camping out over the left tackle, whoever that is, or he can even visit the right tackle. Aaron Donald has that type of skill in the way his season concluded with tears on the sideline during the playoff game. This is gonna be an emotional game for Aaron Rodger or Aaron Donald, just like it should be for Khalil Mack. And four months they get ready for him, Big Jim

So he's the defensive player of the year. Yeah, to think about him, Tom's already sweating as if he's playing him. Tom's already sweating. I could see it on his brow. Yeah, Tom would have a sleepless night for four months I would think about But you know, it starts this weekend with the rookie minicamp. They're already going from phase one to phase two. He's starting to break these these rookies in and you know, I'm exciting time. You know, I'm

just glad they're they're back in the building. I'm glad they're back in their work and everybody's going to be able to conduct a full offseason here and yeah, they'll have the protocols and everything set up for the players, but it's good to see it's already happening this early around the NFL. From Sean Desai, first year defensive coordinator ninth year with the Bears. He mentioned this the time

he was promoted to the position. He re emphasized it again today what he wants the defense to look like moving forward for the twenty twenty one Chicago Bears. You I want this defense to be palpable. I want people around the city and around the country in the world that's watching this defense, whether it's live or on tape, to make sure they know the type of defense that we are. Whether you're a football fan or not, you're

gonna field his defense physically and emotionally. And I think that's that's that's something that we're hoping to hang our hats on. Tom. When you hear that emotionally as well, that means he wants these guys fired up, playing with the hair on fire, reckless, abandoned the whole bit. And you know we've been asking for that. We've been asked for a very aggressive make it make it so that you dread playing this defense. Do they have the guys

to pull that off, the kype of mentality he's looking for. Yeah, they have the type of guys that can pull this off, and they have growth and development. When you talk about Pro bowlers and all three levels, when you talk about a Key Hicks and you talk about Khalil Mack, you talk about Rokuan Smith, you talk about Eddie Jackson and

how the other pieces fit into place. But then he also talks about the spirit of the defense, the physical approach, and the emotional approach, because look, man, you cannot go out and play football emotionless. On the side of the Super Bowl ring that we want. Mike Ditka has a word and it's called ace, and it's attitude, character and enthusiasm. And whether you're Mike Dipke in the eighties, are Sean Dasai in the two thousands, emotions they got to be

at a high point. When you talk about the way a defense has to play at this level throughout the whole season, all seventeen games, I think it's you know, it's about heart and obviously emotional playing emotional like like Tom talked about, but you gotta have that pride, you know you as a player got to have that pride what you want to accompt here to look at the paris they were on be able to often. You know what we've talked plenty of a soft season about offensive accountability.

That the offense has got to do better is cantem drops on the board and preserve the defense that was really thrown to the Wolves and there were still an eleventh overall defense. I think if they don't love as many plays as they did defensively, they're definitely a top ten defense. Really, all they've lost is the corner in full. So I think, you know this is the that can be a top ten defense again. But we're gonna need to help on an offensive side of the ball some

account of clue there. But heart and pride is what I say, you know will be a little bit more rest. Hey Jim, we're gonna have to have you read dial because you're losing and you're dropping out on your line. Help us out there if you can, we'll get back to you. Coming out of a break up, Bill Shoey, Tom the outside linebackers coach, now really was asked a lot of questions about Robert Quinn and his production and that is a big component of this too. It's not

like there's something broke there. I don't think, you know, I think it's something He's got, the ability, he's got the career production. You know, we we and my job will be to make sure that he's put in positions where he can he can make more plays, and I think he's looking forward to doing that. I also think it's going to come out and balancing out the reps to time we get of the timeliness of getting him into the games of the right situations where he construct,

you know, be at his best. Temmy, what do you think I'd be licking my jobs if I was Robert Quinn, Because there are extremely high expectations for the reason he was signed to come here for the Bears. And when you look at that opening opponent for the Rams, I said, Matthew Stafford. He doesn't move around that. You know, he's not going to be a Kyler Murray. He's gonna be Matthew Stafford. So if they can get that push from Achima Khalil on the other side, Robert Quinn should be

open to those sack opportunities. And he talks about how Robert Quinn has to finish the play, and you finish that play by either strip sacking the ball like he did the first opportunity he had the Russia passer this past year. And I listen, man, I see Robert Quinn out of practice, and he works hard. He's the type of guy if he comes in here, if he's healthy and physically ready to go, there's gonna be concerns from

him for him by every offensive coordinator, all right. And the topic also of Trevis Gibson learning that position without the benefit of a complete offseason last year. That hurts players like that. All the coaches agree on that. And also you got Jeremiah touch You coming aboard as well, pass rusher. When we come back, we'll rejoin Jim Miller, Thomas Graham, the Bear's safety excuse me, cornerback coming up

at the bottom of the hour as well. This is Bears All Access, brought to you by I Gess Energy in Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the School, the Chicago Bears Network presents Inside the Bears, brought to you buy a Verizon our good balient that the Adams, that our friend Laurence Greeden cover the world of Bears football, Hunted off the field, every sundayd I ten thirty five pm on Fox thirty two Chicago, or watch anytime at Chicago bears dot com or on the Bears official app with

Tom Thayer, Jim Miller, Serious Sex, NFL Radios, Moving the Chains, Jim, We're here from offensive coordinator Bill Laser later this afternoon. I'm not certain you got a chance to hear that we're gonna play a chunk right here, but I do

appreciate one. Coaches like himself say that they feel a great responsibility when you got a rot talent like he's bringing in here with Justin Fields to help develop up balancing that act of you know, having a starting quarterback of veteran in uh Andy Dalton and another one on the roster and Nick Foles. I probably think more of a responsibility to the development player like and I've talked to Justin about that. But with every as a coach, I think you feel, you know, personally, I feel personal

responsibilities to these guys. Again, I like working with adults, but you can, I think you can still affect people's lives, you know, in all seriousness, and so I try, I try to have a responsibility to affect their lives in a positive way number one outside of football. Number Two, I want them to feel like I also have their

best interests in mind. Even if if the decision I have to make or the opinion I have to give to Matt and Ryan on personal decisions, it's got to start with what's the best thing for us to win winning games. But at the same time, I want, hopefully I've built the trust with them that they also know that that I have their personal development as a player in mind and that I'm only going to help them

as best that I possibly can. And I think the thing, the thing that I learned when you come to this league from college, is you know, especially when you're a young coach, well, how's it going to be dealing with some guys that are the same age as you? Right, the first time I was in NFL quarterback coach, the quarterback was actually older than me by just a little bit, okay, And so how do you how do you get them to listen to you? Like, all these things go through

your mind. And someone, a friend who predating me joining the NFL told me a start by you know, coaching the young guys, we exactly what you know, and you just as soon as you show them that you can help them be better, that you can make them a better player. Like that, the bond, the trust, it all falls into place and it's just coaching. And so I hope that that that they know and I've described that to Justin, but I hope that they know that I have their best interest as a player in mind also

and that I take responsibility and helping them develop. And you know, there's only so many things you can focus on once, So I let them know I care about him as a person, do what I think is better for the team to win, and then and then hopefully they can feel that I'm trying to help him become a better player. And I really think in the development the long if I can be focused on those three things, and I gotta trust that the big picture is going

to take care of himself. Boy, I counted about six words in their trust Jim Miller about that and that trust thing. If for a quarterback comes into a situation like this, a veteran, a rookie, is that the number one? Uh yeah, I think from the coach said all the things I needed to hear. One, am I making the player better? You know, players will buy in. It doesn't matter you know, where you've coached before, or even if

you haven't played the game of football. A player is going to judge their coach by is he making me a better player? And if you've got that that call buy in, you're gonna work harder and that player is gonna, you know, have that trust because he knows that, hey, how this guy is coaching me. I feel I've made improvements and I bettered my game. And as coach said, he takes great responsibility in bringing quarterbacks along, and that should be true at any position for any coach, because

it's a foundational block. When you get to the NFL your first year, that's that's your foundation, right and then those building blocks are moving on. You know, you keep on building every single year with another building block. And I think for players, they got to be if you teach the player the right tools to equip them to go out and play, then you're going to earn it that way as well. But clearly they're not going to

throw justin fields to the wolves. You know. I don't think anybody should put in a young quarterback who clearly is not ready to play when they're ready to play that's when you put them on the field. I think the Bears have said that every single time, whether it's Matt Nagee, whether it's a coach like Bill Laser, who both have brought along quarterbacks many a time in their

NFL careers, and it'll be no different for Justin. But they've got to get a feel for the player, what he does, what he doesn't do, what the areas that he needs to work on, and they'll give him those tools for him to build and get better. And of course there's got to be to want to buy the player. Justin Fields has got to want to be great, and he's got to buy in and do all the work that is necessary for him to achieve all of his goals to be a starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears.

I like the fact that Bill Fields responsible because I think that's the reason he's still coaching in the NFL. If you didn't accept that responsibility, especially at the most high profile position of any team, he would be in the league and not a league. However, when you talk about responsibility, you feel to the quarterback position. When you walk into the huddle, it affects ten other guys and

when you get that quarterback prepared. You can get him to a certain level where you get him prepared and confident. But Coach Stanfield, our offensive line coach, used to tell us is I can only coach you so much, and then you have to start coaching yourself. Once you learn the things you have to improve on, you start coaching yourself, it's gonna help you be a better player. That's Tim there, Jim Miller. We're gonna step away, break and when we

come back. Cornerback Thomas Graham of this Bears rookie draft class in twenty twenty one, head of the hollis off for a weekend of activities rookie mini camp, starting to make it feel like the seasons around the corner and the schedule he swab the official word six forty five stick around. This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. This segment of Bears All

Access is brought to you by Athletical Physical Therapy. Visit Athletico dot com to request an appointment in clinic or virtually and start feeling better tomorrow. Jeff Jony Actom There, Jim Miller from Serious X in NFL Radio, Moving the chains, joining US as well. So Charles Lettow Junior was released. He's signed in Washington and so now a lot of

attention Jim will be on Tevin Jenkins. Tevin Jenkins will get a chats to compete for that starting left tackle spot, and Winca Stio talked about the reputation that we're hearing that he's developed over time a finished, physical finisher. He just started becoming like that over the last year. It wasn't like he was just a nasty guy like that. He started developing that confidence and the way you play, well, that's the same thing that we're talking about here. Now

we've used this technique and over years. So now that guy's got confidence in what they're doing, it's more natural. Now we're gonna play a little more physical. We're gonna finish finishing as part of when you finish, you play physical. And Jim, what do you think? Yeah, I think Tevin definitely has that in his background. He's kind of an old school type of player. He's kind of a throwback.

So the notes I had on him, he's got extremely strong hands, and that was the note there that he's a good finisher because he's got the torque in the strength in those strong hands to really kind of man handle his opponents. And I think once he realizes that, you know, and Tom can echo this, a lot of it is steelmates in the NFL, But when you can finish physically punish your opponent, and I think Tevin has

that type of ability. I mean, this guy's a big guy, pounds, has the athleticism, but his strength I think is a big part of his game and why I kind of classify him as an old school tackle that does. He does have a nasty level to him that he can take to another level, is what I'd say about him. Yeah, the first thing wants said when he came here is he wants his offensive line to be physical and he

wants him to finish. And if Kevin can bring that along with him and work alongside whatever left guard he's gonna play with, and then the tight end position equally as well, then shoot, I like to see the potential in this guy and the growth opportunities. And again they explain the reason that he didn't have a career at left tackle is because the other tackle is hurt and so he moved over unselfishly. All right, here's the guy we're going to introduce the Chicago tonight. Good to have him.

Oregon's defensive back Thomas Graham, now a Chicago Bear and headed to rookie minicamp this weekend. Welcome to Chicago, Thomas, Jeff Joni Act, Tom Fair, two former Bears. You're not me, I'm just the broadcaster, but Time Fair, veteran guard, and Jim Miller, former quarterback in Chicago Bears, joining us as well.

Welcome to Chicago. Welcome to Bears all Access. How would you describe your excitement level right now about coming into town, getting up at the Hollis on actually getting on grass Man. It's amazing and it feels good. This is like a dream come true for me. I always told myself since I was like four years old that I was gonna go be able to get a chance to play in the NFL. Now I do, so it's just kind of hard working and making sure my dream becomes a reality.

Do you have butterflies? Yes and no. I have butterflies just because more like for the fact that being able to stop on that still and say, like, I'm in the NFL and I'm playing for NFL team, But outside of that, I'm ready for the moment. Hey, Thomas, I was watching the video when Matt Maggie called you to tell you that you were drafted, and I know by your reaction you like me. I'm the same way I

thought I was gonna be drafted higher. You thought you were gonna go hire because you said, they said, Thomas, how are you? And you said, it's been a long day and I'm frustrated. So I like that about you. So what was that the fact there that you know that it became a long day because you knew, you knew that you want you were gonna go higher. Um, yes, I thought I would go higher, but you know, uh, I kind of just I felt like my parents were just talking me down, just telling me like this gona

happened to York. Gets a call, just like wait and relaxed. But you know, being an ancient kid like I was impatient about it. So I was just like, I like, you fund me, when am I gonna get it? When am I gonna get it? And finally I got the call, I knew it was just amazing. Well, Thomas, Jim Miller here, welcome to Chicago. Hey, don't worry about that sixth round, dude, I got drafted in the sixth round and I made

it over a decade. You'll be just fine if you put in the work and obviously just getting your foot in the door to have that operatunity, and you've got it here in Chicago. Maybe just let the listeners know, tell them about your game, tell them about your attitude, the type of player are, and what they can expect for you as a as a Chicago fair that they're gonna be cheering out. You go get a young man that has a very high football IQ. UM. I think my dad for that. He always had me around the game.

He was a coach, so I'm a coach his son. So a lot of the things I do, UM, I try to not. I try to leave my mind always more than I use my physical abilities. But I do have them. A very confident young man that's go walk around with that swagger. You know, I played corner, so it's like that different swagger that we walk around with. Uh. But a young man that's come in and work, Um, I have to do it when I went to Oregon. Uh. I had to do it in high school and I'm

gonna do it now. I know that it was always hard work. I wasn't always the most athletic and stuff like that, but I always made plays. Um, but my name was caught, So I plan on keep doing that. New Chicago Be defensive back Thomas Graham joined the program here for a few minutes as he gets ready to get to have US Hall and Bears Minicamp this weekend with Tom Beare, Jimmler, Jeff Joniac, Thomas. The one thing watching all your highlights, and there's a lot of them,

believe me. I mean, yes, you had to opt out your last year, but you have a lot of experience, and I look at this, it's it's not by accident. You played forty games and you have forty plays on the ball. I mean that's hard to do. That timing you have just speaks of a lot of instincts right there. How would you characterize that aspect of your game and how competitive you are at the catch point? Well, my favorite player growing up, like no matter what sport it was,

was Kobe Bryant. So he always talked about just being more mentally prepared than your opponent and everything you do. So I always kind of just made sure I watched the extra film, I did all the little things. He always talked about doing little things and just having that mindset of just never given up and attacking everything, which are all so I think that's kind of what played a big key and my opportunity to be able to

make those plays on the ball. It was on the state when we played I was probably one of my biggest games my sophomore year was all just being able to mentally prepare for that game. I knew exactly where route I was getting before they run it, so as soon as they run it, I was just like wow, like this is how film really works. And I just kind of kept going from there. You know, Tommy, you had a really impressive list of colleges that were offering

you full scholarships. You're from California, you could have went to anywhere you want. What brought you up to Oregon? Coach Taggart, I'll give him a big credit for that. Coach Tigger brought me up to Oregon. And then my high school teammate Jayleen Red went up there too, and Damado Lanori he's now with the San Francisco forty nineties.

But those two, just those three people all together and recruiting me hard, and they was just like let's come create a secondary and then coach Taggart was just like, let's help rebuild Oregon, and I always like like being part of her, like a rebuilt for a program. Uh. So I was just like, you know, like letting my

class be something. So we always went by twenty seventeen while I was up there, and it was just like kind of a hard decision at first because a coach that ended up coaching me at Oregon, Dante Williams, that in Nebraska at that time point, and I was just like, dang, I really want to get closed by Dante. I don't want to stay on the West coast from you. From your standpoint, like soot, that's year you gotta be esting to get back on. What have you been doing to

improve your your game? I know you you gotta stay and do all things. What have you've been working on? Three dropped out um when I trained, uh basically all the way until pro day. It was working on just my linear speed UM and then kind of just fixing my body. I felt like my body wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Uh, And I started better, eating better. I think probably was the best thing I've probably ever done and give me more like natural energy.

I'm not always drowsy. Eating fast food in college is not the move, so I think that was very big for me. And then since then I've been just working with coach Dantay too if I've been in California and just training on just being able to be on the field, change of directions, working on my press, working on the little things that he seemed wrong when he was up there at organ with me, and just doing all the little things right to make sure my game can be

great and adjust to the next level. Thomas Graham our final moments with the Bears new defensive back, You're gonna be coached by Deshad Townsend in addition to Sean Desai, who's the defensive coordinator. But de Shade Townsend carries a lot of weight as an NFL player for many years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. He also helped out with coaching there is on the Cardinals. Does that matter to you that a guy that lined up with that kind of organization and a physical team

and that's exactly what the Bears want to be. Nasty, physical defense that fit your profile. Yes, it does. You could. Let's go watch the film. I make plays on screens. I make plays in the run game. So it's just like I like being physical. I think it's no point of playing football if you just want to be soft and timid the whole time. I know, I played corner, and that's the position probably with the least contact, people will say, but I always try to make contact as

many plays as I can. All right, well, we'll be looking forward to meeting you, and welcome to Chicago. Enjoy your weekend. Hopefully the weather will treat you right and better. Yet you'll be an instant impact with your teammates. I'm sure that's your personality. It sounds like it is, so Welcome to Chicago, Thomas. Thank you, Thomas, Thank you. Thomas Graham our guest here on Bears All Access. Another segment

with Jim Miller. We'll look at the Bear's schedule as we come back the opening of the season in LA against the Rams. This is Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score What's Big Night. The schedule is a Chicago Bears single game. Tickets on sale right tonight at eight thirty pm, So get yours at Chicago Bears dot Com slash tickets, we hope to see you at Soldier Field and the other nine trips during the regular season. We plan on making this year to

see Bears fans traveling. So let's let's break it down, fellas. Jim, you're ready, Yeah, all right? So it starts with the Rams, you know that the first home game Bengals following weeks with Joe Burrow and the Fellas coming. So I'll just I'll kind of do this in quarters at Cleveland with Baker Mayfield and a team that feels they're gonna be a title contender, and then home against Detroit with Jared Goff.

The road team won both meetings a year ago. On the October third, I'm throwing the Vegas game because that's really the extra game, the seventeenth opponent, as it were, because both teams finished in second place. So Derek Carr and the Fellas in Vegas. So that takes you October tenth, a five pack of games. Jim quick thoughts on that. Yeah, I think, well, you got a couple of playoff teams fen there, right, so they got to be ready for that.

With you know, the Browns, they feel that they're an ascending team, so that's gonna be a tough road game. I would think for the Bears to go on the road and take on the Cleveland Browns that are kind of puffing their chest a little bit. But you know, all those other games I think are winnable games for the Chicago Bears. You know, I think they easily could get off to a good start with that schedule of what they have. So you know, can they go three

out of you know, three and one in that four games? Fan, I think that's a legitimate thought process to win three out of four and every quarter of the season, and I think they're able to do that those five games there, there's three road games, and Tom, I look at the different types of quarterbacks again, and that first five games of the season. All right, let's go to the next group.

Then it's the Packers here at Soldier Field. Of course, the Packers have one nineteen to twenty two Andy Dalton with a one fourteen point seven quarterback rating against Green Bay. Then at Tampa home to San Francisco, and then at Pittsburgh for your first make that your second in primetime opponent Ben Roethlisberger and the Fellows right before the week ten bye week, Tommy, you know, to me, I look at all those games, it is going to be a

rough schedule. They're all gonna be physical and talented. You know, when you go to Pittsburgh, they're not going to sell tickets to the Bears fans. All those other games, you're gonna be able to get in a lot of big, big mix of Bear fans in support. So I always respecting to going to Pittsburgh, and everybody knows what Tappa's going to provide. They got the goat and so it could be a hot day. They got to be in good condition and you're gonna have to make sure that.

All the coaches today they talked about the development of depth, the development of depth that's going to be on display when they play in Tappa, because again, you could get one of those eighty five degree days in mid October that could really challenge your conditioning. And then oh, go ahead, well that second block that that's their toughest stretch. I'm looking at the schedule. To me, that's their toughest stretch.

You're facing the world champion that's on the road. Forty nine ers are a much better team, and you gotta believe Jimmy Garoppolo will be the quarterback for them. They still have a really good defense, and offensively they'll rebound, I think. And then the Steelers they're a playoff team as well. Injuries hurt them down the stretch, So to me, that's that's their toughest stretch of games. And then they'll have their buy week, can come out and face the Ravens,

which was another playoff team. So that's really the meat of their schedule that they really have to be on point.

If you're Chicago, right, it does extend into that next group because yes, Baltimore then at Detroit on Thanksgiving, so Tom, we noticed like there on Thanksgiving, I mean, and then you get home and you get Kyler Murray and Arizona on the fifth of December, and then you go to Green Bay for a primetime game against the Packers, and then you got another primetime game against the Minnesota Vikings

and Kirk Cousins. The Bears have won five of six, So that five pack of games plus the four that we just mentioned that Jim just broke down, that's nine very important games right there. Yeah, you know, Detroit and Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, man, that's their season, and I think this new head coach that they have up in Detroit, along with advisor Chris Spielman, they're going to want to capture the emotions of the supporting crowd of Detroit under the roof where the crowd noise is going to be

unbearable at times. So it's gonna be a couple of different difficult atmospheres of divisional opponents with Detroit, Green Bay and the Vikings. And everybody knows what Kyler Murray, the type of athlete he's he is, and what he has the ability to be. But you know, the Bears defense has to be up to the task. Jim, do you believe Arizona feels it's a title contender now with what they've done. Yeah. I think they know it's starting to heat up on Cliff Kingsbury, and I think they're big

feel it. It's been an arms racist offseason for the NFC West, those teams involving competing. Remember they were the first to land JJ watch. JJ Watt was on the street what maybe a twenty four hours and he signed with Arizona. So they've been pretty aggressive because they've got to keep up with the Joneses out there in the NFC West. I thought Arizona had a really good offseason and they feel that they're going to make a push towards the playoffs. All right, then the final three games,

you gotta go out to Seattle. So not many of these short week games obviously, excuse me, you gotta excuse me. Falthermore to Detroit. This is the short week, you know, before Thanksgiving. Then you get a longer break against Arizona. But then you got a primetime game against the Vikings, and then you go out to Seattle. Hey, we all know what the distraction of Christmas Week can be, and it's a long trip and a loud stadium the day after Christmas at three oh five, start against Russell Wilson

and the Seahawks. Tommy, Yeah, you don't want to blame it out a holiday. I like the late start out there. It gives you a little bit of chance for your body to wake up. However, that is the most disruptive crowd in all of the NFL. In if Seattle has a pack stadium, you could see a really a challenged offense to be as efficient as you will be at home or lesser filled up stadiums and Jim two tricky games to wrap up in January. Now you play two weeks in the two weekends into January the Giants at

Soldier Field with Daniel Jones. You know, the Giants should be improved. We don't know. Obviously, we're doing this off from ground zero here. We don't know how injuries and development or lack thereof will impact these teams. And then to finish up again at Minnesota, and the Bears have done very well at Minnesota in that final game of the year. Will it matter? Should it matter? With the seventeen games? Will it matter? I mean, these are a lot of things we don't know the answers to how

do you shape up those final couple games? Yeah, I think well, one you mentioned it well that about the week eighteen, the Bears feel that they've got copia. They've gone up into that building a couple of times more than once and taken down the Minnesota Vikings. So I do think that will permeate through the locker room because there is a belief that they can get it done. From that standpoint, that's Giants game, that's a team that's building.

I thought their first three draft picks when you look at a zez Ojulari who they drafted and the other two players who they selected, those are all impactful players that the Giants added. And yeah, to remember, that's the game that Sae Kwon Barkley got hurt, right was against the Bears, and he'll probably be back for that matchup. So they are a much better team and the Bears

up beat up on the last time. But it all opens up for Shawn to say and the Fellows against the Rams fourth straight year playing this LA teen moments in each of those games where I'm sure they can look back, you know, Sean mcvaine, those guys, and we can look back and say, here's where the game kind of turned. So I think that that's going to be exciting for us to take on that challenge early in the year. And then obviously, I mean going up against matt for the years I've gone against him, I mean

he's obviously a special player. So now present another unique challenge besides the system that they got there, and they got a different quarterback now, so that'll be fun and Matthew Stafford. Yeah, fourteen point third quarter was the difference in that game for the LA Rams and the victory over the Bears twenty four to ten. It is a tough schedule, yes, but everybody in the division, Jim has the same type of opponents. So the top seven in the league for from the division are in the most

difficult category as we sit here today. You know, obviously it changes over the course of the year. Ye. Yeah, it's it's a difficult schedule, but like you said, it's the same for everybody in that division. Teams are gonna have to wade through injuries. There's gonna be ebb and flows. We don't even know if a quarterback is going to arrive up there in Green Bay that could factor in.

And you got a team building in Detroit that's looking to start over, so they're trying to do a foundational year there and you have to figure out what to expect from them. But you know, the Bears are talented enough to do it. They'll be prepared to play, and you know, you just play the next one that's on the schedule. That's all you can do. So no sense crying about it. You gotta go light up every single week and week and go get it done. Yeah, the preseason, Tommy,

are gonna be off Saturday, games. There's only three. The one that start things off against Miami. It'll be a noon start on Saturday the fourteenth, and then Buffalo the next Saturday, and then Tennessee on the road a six pm start in August twenty eighth, and the season begins in September twelfth, so we're in the past. So that's a pretty good chunk of time from August twenty eighth to September twelfth to get yourself mentally ready for that first game of the year. Do you like that little

break in between there? Yeah, I do. But you know, in the preseason, I'm gonna like to see how the coaches get themselves organized. There's gonna be have to be a line of communication from Sean to said wherever he is up when the booth or on the sideline, and then you're gonna see how the other, often the new coaches on the staff, how they work the sidelines and

they work during the game. So you know, we're gonna be looking at players how they perform on the field, but we're also going to be looking at coaches and how they start fitting into their roles. Jimal, before we let you go, heard from all the coaches was Ted today and almost every single one of them say, Hey, nothing beats getting on these guys hands on on the grass.

This is going to be the constant tuggle war now between what the union wants is voluntary, but the more they can get guys in and the Ota stubbs better they feel about evaluating players. And I agree with them with them, Yeah, well you look at the rookies and the first year players that the Bears added. None of their agents are telling those players to stay away, and they won't stay away away because they know they have to earn a spot on that roster. So I think

attendance will be good for the Chicago Bears. For the Bears, it's already happening all around the league. These players are going to show up and give themselves the best chance to make a roster in what better place to do it with what happened. When you want James out there for the Denver Broncos, he tears as Achilles working out away from the facility. If you're away from the facility,

your contract is not guaranteed. So why not go into that beautiful Clydemeric weight room and get your work done because your contracts could be guaranteed, Yeah, I guarantee. You know, the Bears put together a great working atmosphere in that beautiful facility, and that's a positive working atmosphere led by Naggie. So let's get these guys coached on the field and let them perform during the regular season. Fellas were out of time. Good job as always, Big Jim. We'll talk

to you next week. Thanks for guard joining us again. Buddy ounds good, I'm good, always good. Good to be with you guys, Jim Miller, tamp There, Jeff Johnny App, producer, Julio Rosseo, Jordan Trent up Dam Brially. Thanks to Thomas Graham and all of you for listening. Coming up next, stick you right here. More of this NFL schedule release breakdown of the Bears working minicamp from Anthony here and

ahead on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to score. Good night, everybody, 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 Lite