Get over that Dj Moore episode Touchdown Touchdown Pairs.
I am Jeff Jonihan whitz is.
On Donnie go up.
What was like playing for Coachy Dido.
I don't want to answer any questions like that.
Pressure coming is a big trouble Dotie go Montest Sweat.
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Bears et Cetera brought to you by Geico with the voices of the Bears, Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer.
Big Test in Houston awaits the Bears in prime time, Bears Texans, Rainy Division, whatever the wild scene expected at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Fair.
I'm Jeff, Joniak and Rondo.
Week two after the bears thrilling come from behind win over the Tennessee Titans. Welcome to episode ninety three of the Bears et Cetera podcast, and it's brought to you by Geico.
Tom. How are you feeling? I feeling good? Ready to go.
It's Wednesday, It's work week, looking forward to Sunday Night football. It's gonna be an environment that some of these rookies have never seen before, and it's going to be an incredible learning and growing experience.
For the Bears as a team.
Going to be a white out meeting white jersey, white pants, and probably a lot of white hankies or towels in the crowd of seventy two thousand plus.
They're in Houston and.
The Bears wear an orange, so we're gonna have a cream scool, a cream socle game.
Tommy, Well, listen, wear white gloves and wear white sleeves because it's dangerous when you have that offsetting color, because then holding calls are more easily seeing by the offensive line in the defensive back. So understand the importance of making sure you try to match their color.
Coming up, we have the voices of the Houston Texans joining us. All four of us break down this matchup and talk about all things broadcasting NFL football. Also Kevin Byerd a portion of the interview that you will see on Bears Game Day Live ten thirty Sunday morning Live from Houston and NRG Stadium and the.
Bears player profile.
Okay, as you had a chance to really go through this tape one more time, as we look back in order to look forward offensively, where are the things that are correctible that could really advance the Bears offense immediately against a very good defensive team. They're in Houston with the Texans, especially on the edges with daneil Hunter and Will Anderson Junior, who is the reigning defensive Rookie of
the Year, as is CJ. Stroud, the offensive rookie of the Year from the Houston Texans that made it to the playoffs and won the AFC South last year.
Number One is the offensive line tackle. The tackle has to play a more physical brand of football. If they don't go out and match the intensity of what the Houston puts on the field defensively week in and week out, the Bears are going to have a really difficult time competing against these guys. And so you need to be able to provide the pass protection for Caleb and you know, and what he's growing through, and just in the running game,
you know, you got to set that standard. That's one thing about the Bears in the last couple of years, no matter where they've gone, they've been able to run the ball.
Effectively and physically.
I just think, you know, and then when you look at Caleb himself, he's got to have more patience in himself. He's got to be able to understand that when he calls to play in the huddle, understand the protection and then be able to have time according to the play call to make sure that you have enough time in
your mind to do what you're responsible to do. But I think if there was any one thing that I would want to point out, it would be the offensive line must be a lot more, must be more physical in their performance.
It's because at bird's eye view from the quarterback Cat Williams of the podium on Wednesday at Hallis Hall.
Yeah, I think it was around six throws that you know, obviously we would have hit those. Everything would have seemed a lot different throws that you know we hit in practice all the time on simple routes on enemy and then you know the one or two deep balls. You know, if you hit those the game, everything kind of explodes, and you know, you know, things would have been said differently about about how we playing on offense, and so, uh, you know, we're just we're here getting better.
Obviously it was week one for us. We came out to win. We're really excited for that, like I said before.
And then uh, you know, just just getting back out here, make sure we're focused on the small things, the details, you know, whether it's myself of footwork drops things like that, or whether it's the routes, whether it's the run game, hand placements, all these other things when blocking to make sure that you know it's an offense were successful.
Feel good to get that first game in the the way and not to kind of focus on which you saw.
Now, Yeah, definitely.
I you know, going into that game, it was a little a little weird for me because it's my first game and we didn't really have anything on the decoordinator, so it's a little weird for me.
But when I got out there, you know, I was seeing it well.
Missed a few passes obviously, but you know, going back and watching the film, I was in the right place when I was throwing the ball. Like I said, I had a few also battle balls, but you know, going to the right places, you know, seeing it well, making some O line you know, adjustments and things like that. You know, having good communication on the sideline with my teammates and coaches for adjustments or just you know, constantly
communicating with them. So I think the process, you know, throughout that game was well, whether it was mental or or or the small things you know on the sideline or like I say, communicating with everybody. I think you know that process as well. So that was encouraging to see. And then so waking up, I believe it was Monday or Tuesday morning. You know, you woke up and you realize that, you know, you won your first game in
the NFL. Regardless of how you felt of your performance, you know, we won the first game, and you know, fell super excited, feel super excited about you know, necessarily not necessarily how I actually performed, but you know, like I said, being able to come out with that win and being able to help lead these guys to to to those to that win, and so, uh, you know, it feels good, really excited. You know, it builds confidence
when you come out and do that. And you know, like I said, we're we're we're building on the small things. Make sure we get the small things down so we can go dominate and and and have fun doing it, you know when we get out there in the field as a team as a collective. So yes, it feel really good game.
That you can improve from week one to week two. What do you think it would be?
Yeah, I would say the drops sometimes I rushed my drop a little bit, you know, not not needing to.
You know, one one specific.
Route that uh that I can that I can think of is roam when he was I think it was a ten yard route right over the ball, and I rushed my drop and then uh, you know, try to try to juice it in there a little bit and missed. You know, I didn't need to, Just trying to help him get the ball to him, getting his hands fast as possible so he can you know, make magic and do what he does.
And so you know, just making sure, you know.
Trusting to drop, trusting the reads and things like that and getting through them.
You know.
Uh, I say, that's probably the biggest thing that I'm focused on. And then you know, my finishes on my playfakes or anything like that.
Some of the best quarterbacks in the league struggle throughout their rookie year before becoming.
Really good at it.
Was there anything you saw Sunday that gives you a confidence that it will be a quicker fix than that for you?
Yeah, I mean I think, uh, I think having a realization, like I said before, understanding that you know, it's not throws that I usually miss throughout all the time that I've been playing quarterback, and all the practice that you know that I've that I've had, and and and you know, with other teams here in Chicago, all the you know, all these other you know things and moments and games and all of that. So I think that's one. And
then also understanding it's the NFL. They got good players on the other side, They're gonna make plays like a few bad at balls that we had, you know, right spot, you know, going the right spot, throwing the right shoulder, all these other things, trying to throw it over back, all these other things that you know, sometimes player is gonna get his arm up, you know, bat it down.
So I think those have an understandment of those two things is really important to keep growing and progressing and and and to not lose faith in you know, whether it's the you know, the play, uh you know, the team, yourself, offense, run, whatever the case may be.
You know, keep that that that.
Confidence and understand that, uh, you know, we obviously didn't play as we wanted to us as well as we wanted to, and we came out, uh twenty four to seventeen.
Chicago Bears went for.
As good as a season great as the season that c. J. Stroud had last year, it took him a little bit before he became as good as he was. Does that are there parallels that you can draw just at the early part of your career as a rookie was trying to do the same thing.
I'm more so I was looking at like say, for instance, I was looking at the NFL this past weekend and and I'm looking at all the all the teams and things like that and realizing that, like I've said in many other interviews that you know, the job is hard. NFL is hard. You know, the and the defense is gonna make it tough on you. So you know that's what they're gonna do day or weekend and week out. So you know, comparing you know that too, you know
myself and in his rookie year. You know, typically guys coming in they have to figure it out and things like that, and so you know, that's what we're doing
right now. You know, I didn't have obviously the performance that I wanted to, uh So trying to figure it out as fast as possible, and you know, making sure that we're all on the same page, making sure that we're you know, handling, handling the things that we need to handle, because like I said, all the small things become a lot larger on game day and so, uh, you know, make sure we handle those things, myself included,
and progress from there. But you know, speaking on that and getting back to what I was saying about the NFL. The guys in the NFL this week quarterback wise, you're go and watch. It wasn't necessarily week sixteen for even the guys that you know, I have been playing ball for ten fifteen plus years. You know it's always gonna
be a little rouch rough patch. So understanding that, maintaining your confidence, if not growing it because obviously you know, realizing that you can you know, keep keep getting better. And so that's what we're doing. That's what I'm doing, and we're excited about it.
More from the Texans defense.
Yeah, I expect them to be aggressive.
I expect them to be you know, excited to get out there, you know, be in front of their home crowd. Believe they played at the Colts last week, so you know, get out there, be excited, you know, be aggressive, you know, running around, you know, playing well, playing playing together. You know, that's that's that's how they coach it, I would say, is that you know they you know, play well, play together,
you know, fly around, tackle all these other things. And you know, we get to go versus a great defense again this week. So we're excited. I know they're gonna be out there excited. I know that the stadium is gonna be rocking. So h you know, getting a practice prepare for that, and uh yeah, we're all excited.
Go Bears.
One thing we know about Caleb al righty, he's very aware. He's very aware of everything around him. How he explains it, he's very open, and how he explains what he feels he needs to work on. And and the fact of the matter is it is true a half a dozen passes here or there, you extend to play, you get first downs. They only had two third down conversions. And now you're talking about not having that big time of possession difference in the first half. You're talking about maybe
some touchdowns. You're talking about a different version of the Bears offense in week one.
Right, you know, and and Caleb, you know, when you have time, take your time. When you understand the types of passes that you want to throw, you've thrown them a million times.
Just throw them as efficiently as.
You have throughout your course of your football life in practice and in games. And I expect Caleb's curved.
To be huge.
I don't think he's going to be a slow process of improvement. However, given the circumstances of what they're going to go into in Houston, it is going to be more difficult. But just make sure that you put an emotion the things you practice. And like you said, he's very aware of the things that he needs to do to become a better quarterback in the NFL, and it's evident and obvious by the things he says at the podium.
And even it's the you know, the passing game in terms of amount of yards you have to throw the football. I strongly feel that these weapons are all catch and run guys. So again, when you're talking about finding your skill, letting your skill do your thing, let them do their thing. Some of those third and shorts, third and three, third and four, third, five, I call those third and shirts. They're actually third mediums and NFL vernacular. But I mean, let them go and pick throw it two yards and
make them go get the other three or four. I mean, I think these guys are very capable of that. On ten yards or more exgen stats, Caleb was zero for seven pass on the football on his way to the fourteen for twenty nine in that day. But is eleven yard scramble on third down? You often in the past have said, and these were non running quarterbacks, so he's in that category. He doesn't look to run, looks to throw.
You often come up with a key to the game in the past, quarterback access to pick up three first downs with his legs. You know, that's twelve plays, that's twelve additional place. That's you know what I'm saying.
Yeah, But.
With Caleb on the road at Houston, with really good exterior pass rushers on the outside, if that middle is open, you take the green grass and pick up a few first downs through the legs. How important would that be by Caleb?
I mean so important, But you said it.
With the exterior outside pass rushers they have here, if the two tackles can escort them to the outside and upfield, and then the interior three can take care of the two rushers on the inside, maybe there will be some invited opportunities for Caleb to run and get a couple first downs, but maybe that same type of pass rush may afford Caleb to get the ball into the hands of Gerald Everett and Cole Comet a few more times
in the game. Because I think as much as we've been talking about this wide receiver group all preseason, still the running backs that can catch the ball DeAndre Swift and Cole and Gerald Everett. I think if you can simply put the ball into their hands for that three or five yard distance and allow them to get a couple yards after completion, then you're talking about the offense getting that first down and you know, staying on the field.
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As of this taping.
We don't know what the injury report's going to look like, but it will certainly have Keenan Allen on at Roma Dounza. To say the least, that's two weapons that may or may not be ready to go. We'll find out as the week rolls on. Short of that, what does your attention then go? If that's the case, DJ had a good game. He had a couple of good catches on good throws by Caleb And of course you mentioned the tight ends. And let's not forget DeAndre Swift out of the backfield right and.
Listen, Tyler Scott, this guy, he's a burner. He came up at the end of the preseason and really made an impression on me that maybe he could be ready to take the next step.
And then when you.
Talk about Souch in an early process of the regular season, if he gets on the active roster listen, if I would go into the game and I would see myself on the inactive list, I would put it in my sole intentions to make sure I do something on the practice field to impress the coaches and the special team coordinator to let them know that I should be a game day active.
Here's your opportunity, young man.
If you go into that stadium and you make a couple of those big catches and a couple of big plays that you were able to do in the preseason, right there, you're elevating yourself into that receiver position that maybe you're a week to week game day active.
Bears defense played extremely well in the second half of that football game. Overall, limited third down opportunities kept things in check. Head adjust to the run game. Powdered had some good runs in that game, but overall they shrunk the defense down and put a lot of pressure on Will Levis. We're gonna talk to Kevin Byer here in a moment, more of a feature interview than I did with him, but we'll hear from him in a minute. But I was thinking about this first of all, DeMarcus Walker.
I just saw him in the locker room before we started taping this podcast, and he had this look in his eye, go hey man, nice job, nice step.
You know, we forget.
He had four quarterback pressures. His pressures resulted in the two interceptions the Jalen Johnson at the end of the game, Tyreek Stevenson pick six that was so crucial in this game. And then I think about Andrew Billings. Andrew Billings, I'll tell you what, that's an invaluable guy who's There's not another Andrew Billings that you can just slip in there and say, Okay, go to work. No, Andrew Billings is a vital piece to this defensive puzzle, and he is the value is really high right now.
So we talk about the versatility of the offensive defensive line. The first play on offense, they were an unbalanced line and right tackle Darnell Wright was lined up to the far left outside outside shoulder of Braxon Jones. It was the fifth or sixth player of the defense. Andrew Billings was lined up at the defensive end outside the left tackle, and DeMarcus Walker was lined up over the offensive guard. DeMarcus Walker got on, got pressure and made the play there.
So you're talking about Billings in the versatility of the two lines. If you can do that and you can incorporate some athleticism at a more dangerous point of attack and then get results from it, all of a sudden,
you're starting to increase the preparation of your opponent. And if Billings can do what he did on the inside from this past week, but maybe be a big run stopper on first down at the outside end position, you're talking about the type of versatility that, like you said, you can only you only see it really from a few guys of that size, strength and power.
Yeah, thirty attempts in the run game for the Houston Texans. New running back Joe Mixon that doesn't happen very much. Last year, only six running backs in the league ran the ball thirty times in a game that ted his career high. You had the young man over there in San Francisco getting the start as an undrafted rookie a couple of years ago. He had twenty eight carries.
Interesting.
I bring it up because Slowick is a part of that tree of Shanahan Shanahan. I kept listening to the forty nine Ers broadcast the other night, Monday night, and hearing about a magic number is now thirty rushing attempts for Kyle Shanahan. Here, Joe Mixon, it's that magic number. Slowik is a disciple thirty. Are we expecting this and this tree, branches of the Shanahan Sean McVay tree, to start pounding.
The football a little bit more? Thirty carries is.
A lot for a back, right, So if I got DeAndre Swift, and I got Rashawn Johnson, and I got Khalil Herbert, if you give me that mark, I want to give me thirty five carries in the course of a game.
If I have seventy five plays, and I.
Will distribute them amongst them all, I don't need one guy to give me thirty carries. But if you gave me thirty carries, Jeff that averaged four yards per carry, I'll be celebrating with pom poms.
And that's what I would like to see. And you know that's one thing.
You know that that's what Joe Mixon did one of the NFL season. If you did that weekly, would you wear them out by week eleven in an NFL season?
If you have a stable of backs like the Bears have done over the last couple of years and it was spread out by a variety of guys, I would like to see that if the Bears came, if we are doing this podcast at the last game of the year, said wow, you know the Bears have averaged four point or four point one yards per carry, I would say the Bears are doing pretty well and they have a winning record.
All right, let's listening to Kevin Bayern again our sit down for a Bears game day line by player profile. It all begins with passion. On this Bears defense, they're trying to find as many players as possible team wide, but specifically defensively, they play with passion. Where did that passion get born in Kevin Byard.
Never really had the opportunity to play youth sports growing all the way up. I didn't actually play my first youth football game until eighth grade, So it's pretty much just growing up in the neighborhood. Obviously, my father, my family's big Eagles fans. Growing up, I was a Steelers fan,
so they didn't really like that. But but growing up watching Troy and know that that great Steelers defense was very exciting and just the urge that once I was able to get out there and actually play with the guys, it was one of those experiences that you didn't want to let go. And uh, that's kind of where the game grew, the love of the game grew, and it just kind of took it off from then.
And you've never stopped, never stopped from going from a team where you were beloved and you beloved that city in Tennessee Nashville, and then getting traded by that team, being released by the Philadelphia Eagles, and then signing here. That's a whirlwind. But yet you transition quickly enough to be named a captain again. You're one of the new guys here, not in the league. But what does that say about Kevin Byern.
Yeah, I just try to be myself. I don't try.
I didn't try to come in and try to make it an effort to put my person out to play my person out on this team. It just naturally organically happened, you know that. I think that's just the respect of the guys on the team that they have for me, just the way I come to work every single day, the type of person I am every single day, And I do feel like I'm a natural leader by trade, just a natural born leader. But we have a lot of great leaders on this team. So I always said
that all Pros and Pro Bowls are very nice. Everybody wants those, But I think the two most respected are the most highest honors you can get in the league is walk pay Man of the Year and being voted a team captain. I think we played this game obviously the respect of your opponents, but the respect of the people in your organization, and so, like I said, if you voted captain, it is definitely one of the higher honors that I definitely don't take lightly.
At one point, you were the highest paid safety in the NFL. You never missed practice, You're one of the best takeaway players in the NFL. You've been captains on two teams. Your resume screams excellence and the way you carry yours so also screams maturity and leadership. As you pointed out, are you almost underrated for everything that you've accomplished up to this point because and you're still doing it at a high level. I just get the sense
that that may be true. At one point you were also a top forty NFL player or the top one hundred voted by your peers, though, so maybe not.
Well.
I mean, I always kind of felt like I've been underrated.
You know.
It was a two star prospect come out of high school, didn't have a lot of offers, Kentucky pulled their offers, so I ended up going to Militancy State, didn't get invited to the combine. Most people don't know that as well, nom so my notes. So obviously I've been underrated throughout my entire journey, and I think that's where the chip on my shoulder comes from. But also just my upbringing, having a lot of siblings, watch my mom go to work every single day and do what she did, That's
where the humbleness comes from. The appreciation and gratitude of every single day because you know, I lost my mom a couple years ago, and so I just try to wake very day, which is gratitude, you know what I mean. Like, I'm a very confident person, but I'm also humble at the same time to know that everything that I've done
and accomplished I've worked very hard for. And I know that if I want to continue to have the success, I have to continue to work and continue to grind and this journey for me, my football journey, is far from over, so I have a lot of work to still put in. So if I want to get to the you know, obviously the place I want to get to is obviously being a Super Bowl champion and things like that and more things that complish my career. How
to continue to work. So I just keep my head down, keep working, and you know, I'll look up and kind of really cherish everything I've accomplished once I'm done playing.
Byron and Brisker has a ring to it, the B and B Brothers, the Bam Bam. I don't know, know I'm going to come up with something during the game that's just gonna resonate. Will do you do you feel that connective tissue with this emerging player entering his third year.
Yeah, Brisker is an exciting player to play with. I really enjoy it, just even just being in the meat and just his mentality. I've said this before, but he definitely reminds me of myself when I was a younger player.
When I was a younger player, I had this I still have a chip on my shoulder, but the chip was so huge that, like you said, being underrated, to feel like you know, every single day right if it was practiced in the game, I had to go out there and improve myself and make sure that by the end of the game everybody knew my name. And I see that, I see that energy from Brisker, and I just enjoyed watching him, and uh, I think he's gonna
have a big year one hundred soon. I don't want to make any predictions of what he's going to do, but I'm super excited to watch him this year.
So I've been thinking this through too, because you present to me as a guy that if you wanted to, if you love the game, you can enter the coaching realm after maybe you'll be media. She's a great talker, But you know, I'm thinking, Okay, I know that Don Shula was a defensive back in the NFL, one of the best coaches in NFL history. Tony Dungee was a defensive back. Todd Bowles was a heck of a dv A safety, Dick Leboe, right, you know, Dick lebou absolutely
and Kevin Bien. You know, could you that's a thinking man's position, It's a it's a leadership position, it's a settling position. Everything that we're looking at you for this year, for this team, a blend of veterans and young players. Do you ever see that in your future? Potentially?
Yeah, I definitely could. The way I kind of see it is that it can go a lot of different ways, you know, Like you mentioned media, actually experiment with some media stuff this year as well, so you know, I just wanted to be able to put as many stuff out there to kind of see what post career will look like. I think the first thing that my wife will for sure want me to do when I'm done playing is kind of take some time off a little
bit family exactly. But no, I definitely could see coaching in the future, right if it's in pro football or if it's you know, high school, college or anything like that. I'm just, like said, appreciative of everything I've learned from this game. I've been around a lot of great coaches,
like you just mentioned. Dick Lebow was my first defensive cordion on I got in the league, and just I told you, I was a Pittsburgh fan growing up, and so to be able to be in the room with him and you know, get so much knowledge for him. This guy didn't even have a play call sheet. He literally just called plays off the top of his head, which is I don't know how he used to do it. But I've been around a lot of great coaches, and
Mike Braber was obviously another great coach. He's tell me this all the time, likee, you're gonna be a coach one day, You're gonna be coach one day, so you never know. Definitely just being on my feet at enjoying the moment right now.
So I know.
I mentioned a bunch of members of secondaries and days gone by in the NFL that became head coaches or coaches, and you were quick to point out some others at once were the bear uniform.
Give me to me, Boddy, I'm Jeff Fisher, Leslie Fraser. All of them defensive backs went on to become head coaches and had great playing careers backed up by great head coaching careers. Well, you know, when I was listening to your interview with Kevin Byrd, I had a hard time. He reminds me of DJ Moore because the respect he talks with, the intelligence he talks with, the tone of voice he talks with, he reminds me it makes me think of a veteran that's really valuable to a football
team and to a locker room. And so I was kind of sitting there listening to the interview thinking of Wow, he reminds me of how much respect I have for DJ. And it's I think, two real assets that you can have in the locker room.
DJ, Byerd and Swift all born in Philadelphia. Tough Philadelphia, so interesting backgrounds for all of those. Steinhoffels is an
employee owned furniture and mattress store. Visit any of their for Chicago land locations in Vernon Hills, Crystal Lake, Downers Grove, and Horwood Heights, or shop online at Steinhoffels dot com and Good New Chicago, United Airlines is getting brand new planes with all the bells and whistles, like Bluetooth connectivity screens at every seat in room for Everyone's roller Bag United, Proud to Fly, the Chicago Bears and YouTube all Right, we had fun of visiting with the voice of the
Houston Texans, Mark vandermir and his sideline reporter John Harris. Andre Ware, the veteran quarterback that we might remember from the University of Houston is their color analysts. But we did a little breakdown of what's ahead for this matchup. A big matchup for Houston. It's the first time in a long time that they've been in a national TV spotlight on a Sunday night, and the Bears have had plenty of Sunday opportunities, but the results have not been
very good. So a tough matchup. Let's break it down with the voices of the Houston Texans. What's going on in h town.
Fellas, excitement, excitement galore for Sunday night football. It's gonna be Liberty white out, so everybody's encouraged to wear white to the game. I think if the Bears were white too, that'd be very helpful, But I don't think they will, but the Texans will be decked out in their new Liberty white uniforms. It's gonna be fun, obviously, both teams coming off will when you guys know this is awesome.
It's going to be a jacked up atmosphere. Yeah.
I think what's interesting we were just talking with the Cassario or a GM guys, and we played in twenty twenty two. I mean, it doesn't seem like all that long ago. I mean it was just two years ago. But you think about how different these two organizations are in just two years. I mean, you guys go through, you know, the Justin Fields experience, and then you get
to Caleb this year and just the changes. I mean, Montez comes over last year and I mean just gives you guys such a boost defensively, and yeah, the secondary where you guys are starting to kind of come into shape. But for us, you look back to twenty twenty two and you're like, man, who still exists from that team on twenty twenty two. So even though it was just two years ago, these teams are in incredibly different shape.
And I think that's gonna make Sunday night really exciting.
Well, you know, a part of your recent success. Were you guys curious of your scheduling before the schedule came out about your national audiences? This is a Sunday night game to open up your season at home? And are you happy with the way that your team is scheduled this season?
We do fourteen hours of radio every week, so we have nothing better to talk about.
Then what's the schedule gonna be?
Like, I'm kidding, the off season is exciting, by the way, we have fewer hours in the off season, just five hours of radio a week. But the point is this, Yeah, we were placing little, you know, fun gentleman bets on what the amount of primetime games would be. Now we have seven national windows, including the Hall of Fame game with the Bears six in the regular season, this being one of them, and we knew it would be a lot.
But that's more than I thought because the Texans have the Christmas Day game, so you add that into the mix. You got a Thursday night or at the Jets. I'm not going to go through them all, but it's a lot, and you expect it because you've got a hot quarterback.
And what should be a good team. Well, we're in.
Each other's divisions this year, so we're gonna find out who wins the AFC South and the NFC North. Oddly enough, and we got three out of the first four weeks crazy in the division.
We're both one tozer in the AFC South. So how about that? Yes, yes, thank you for beating Tennessee. We really appreciate that.
Yeah, or maybe we can think Will Levis for that, but either way, Yeah, it's gonna be pretty exciting. I mean, this is the first time we're playing a Sunday night game at home. Actually, it's our first Sunday night game at home. I think definitely the first Sunday night game at home in five years. Haven't been on Sunday Night football since before COVID. We beat the Patriots that night, and then obviously our organization took a turn and we
had every single game at noon last year. Tom to your question, we're at noon every single week last year until we got to Week eighteen against Indianapolis Colts. So to see a bunch of primetime games on the schedule this year, we were all really excited about that.
We're just kind of curious where it was all gonna go.
They're gonna be whipped into a frenzy, and so the Bears are going to be walking into quite the trap over there in Texas.
I mean it's gonna be loud. Yeah, what did you expect? I mean, this is gonna be insane.
And it's kind of a part of my question because when is the last time that you've walked into a season with expectations because of your success last year, the expectations of your fan base, is you match that and improve upon it. When is the last time going into the season that you've had expectations of this status?
Of this status? I have to go back to maybe twenty twelve, right Bill O'Brien, to be fair, look, going into twenty nineteen, we thought the team was going to be pretty good and they went to the playoffs in twenty eighteen. That was Watson's second season, first season back from knee surgery.
We thought, twenty nineteen, let's go.
But they made a big trade before the season, getting Laramie Tunsel. They had to get a new running back because they lost Lamar Miller in the preseason.
They got Carlos Hide.
We knew they weren't as good as this team is projected to be and Johnny, I think you'd agree after this opener, this team has a lot of potential, but you.
Got to keep it going. Obviously.
Well, I think the thing that nobody saw coming was Joe Mixon for thirty carries in one hundred and fifty nine yards in a touchdown.
Like, nobody saw that coming.
He was injured or in training camp when I don't even know that he traveled to Ohio. I think he might have been there, but I don't remember, and I think we talked about it in the booth guys in the Hall of Fame game, I don't know that he was there. And then we saw him very limited in training camp and he didn't play in a preseason game. So everybody's kind of like, well, what's the deal with Joe Mixon? How's this going to look? And we saw
it a little bit in the practice. We had a joint practice with the Rams and Joe had a really good practice and thought, man, if they can put that together. But to me, it was more about the passing game, like, Okay, you can use Joe in the passing game, but look, if he runs for seventy five to eighty yards, we'll be dancing in the streets, and then they just took it to a defensive front that has dominated that Grover Stewart DeForest Buckner front has.
Dominated us for years years.
I mean even in beating them in Week eighteen, we threw the football against him, but we couldn't run for I mean, we couldn't run for two yards in that game. And then all of a sudden, here's Joe Mixon pounding and pounding and it's eight yards, it's thirteen, it's six, it's five.
He just kept going.
And we're talking during the broadcast during breaks like are we seeing this? Because that got us even more excited, thinking, all right, if you are the Bears, what do you go into your defensive meeting room and say, like, okay, we got to stop these three wide receivers. But all of a sudden, man, if we to play a little bit more nickel or dime even, does that mean that they're gonna run Joe Mixon another twenty five to thirty
times And now the Bears have to stop that. And so it just added a whole different dimension that we really didn't even see coming. We thought the running game would be better, but to do that against that team, I think let us know, maybe this is gonna be a little bit better upfront than we thought. And look, running against the Bear is not gonna be easy. I
mean we know that front is really really good. You know Nick Cassaria, we just had him in here and he's like, man, if you thought the Cults were good, wait to see the Bears.
So it's not gonna be easy.
But just to have that element of a run game, to not allow defenses to just go, Okay, well we're gonna we're gonna dare you to run and just sit back there and take away the pass. Okay, well if you dares to run now and now we can hurt you. And I think we showed that on Sunday and that was really nice to see.
So when you look at what the Houston Texans brought in, did you need both Daniil Hunter and Joe Mixon in order to get this team to the next level or could you have won about your business with either facet staying a status quo.
You had to replace Jonathan Garnard because he was leaving via free agency. You had to find a running back, and they were in on the Berkley sweepstakes. Obviously didn't get that Devin Singletary. Nick was very honest that they made an offer to Devin Singletary, who's now with the New York Giants. He was a pretty good back for the Texans last year. Mixon is at another level. You know, mix In is he Barkley is. Let's not even debate it. Mix In is a really good back and he's great
in this system. And I haven't seen a back this kind of back, this kind of production from a back, and the potential since Arian Foster. Because Arian Foster was so good for this team. Arian Foster caught the ball so well Mixon. You look at his receptions throughout his stay in Cincinnati. We haven't had a back like that who could catch the ball like that since Arian. So I'm excited to see all the little nuances what they can do offensively as they continue to move forward.
John, you got your masters of the University of Virginia in accounting, So let me ask you this question. Have you done the yard before contact with Mick in week one and yards after contact? As I'd be curious with those numbers.
You know I hadn't done it yet. Ja, Yeah, but you will. I know you you're a deep diver.
Yeah, but with just eyes just seeing what we saw, I think one you know, it's funny a lot of times they say that stats are for assistant coaches, geeks and losers. Nick Cross and Julian Blackman, the two safeties for the Colts, had fourteen and thirteen tackles respectively. Ouch the other two corners had sixteen tackles between them, and that's forty three tackles in the secondary. And it was pretty evident that Joe was getting to the third level unabated.
A number of times he was reeling off eight, ten, thirteen yard runs and the only people there were crossing Blackman, and if one of those guys ended up missing the tackle, then Joe was gonna end up.
There was one time Joe I made one of them miss.
And I thought he's taking that to the house, and then he stumbled and ended up being a thirteen yard game.
But he really he.
Got to that level, and that's really where he physically like he tried to run them over each and every time he got back there to kind of prove that he has still got that physical presence about him. But those are the guys making the tackles, So he was getting there pretty easily. But the one thing that we've seen from Joe that I think was really interesting was how fast he gets into the line of scrimmage. And when you're running at zone game, he gets into the
line of scrimmage. And so what he does, and I think Tom would appreciate this, is he makes his offensive lineman right. No matter what the defensive tackles do. Defensive ends do, just get on him. Just get a hat on a hat and let Joe go because if you're at least on him, you got him locked up a little bit. The only thing they can do is stick an arm out to try and tackle him. Joe's gonna run through that. So he makes his offensive lineman right.
And I think that was something that we hadn't had in a while because the backs would take too much time trying to read where they were.
Supposed to go, and Joe is two steps and go.
And I think that really helped our offensive line just get even more physical because they knew they could just pop off the ball and just.
Get on a guy.
Just get physical with Buckner and get physical with Stewart, and then Joe's going to take care of the rest. And what that ended up being in the fourth quarter was our offensive line locking them up and giving Joe some pretty good alley ways to not take that contact.
Joe.
One thing about mix and he's got great angular vision. He has a great he can pre predict how the hole is going to open up and where his next step is going to come from. Really fun watching that on tape.
So curious.
You know, we talk a lot about the Bears, and they talk about everybody from Roma Dunza to DJ Moore to Keenan Allen, to Coole comb At to DeAndre Swift. Oh, there's only one football. But when I look at you guys, and I think a Stefon Diggs, does he have the personality to fit in when you got thirty three touches, including the catches by Joe Mixon and the other talented receivers you have along with the talent to tight ends.
Is he a guy that's gonna fit in accordingly?
Or if he doesn't get his predetermined desire of touches, will this become an issue?
Won't be an issue if they run any place again? Because they ran any place? I mean wow, But yeah, great point.
They had Nico Collins six catches over one hundred yards. He was amazing. Dell did his thing with a carry with three catches. Dig Still had two touchdown receptions. The whole band contributed to the sound, and Joe Mixon did what he did. So I think they call it a five headed monster what they have here. And I think, you know, you have to also add in Brevin Jordan. You know, he actually is a pretty good player for
them at tight end. Kate still over played some fullback for them, and he's gonna play some tight end obviously a lot.
Of tight end. That's what he is.
I think Diggs is fitting in very well. He likes it here, he likes the atmosphere. I know, we talk about culture all the time in this business. Let me tell you, Demiko Ryans. I mean, I've been in the bill for a long time. I've never seen it like this. I've never seen football operations like this with this guy in charge. The positive vibes, the positive attitude, win or lose, We're all in it together. He has family Night on Tuesdays with the assistant coaches. He wants the players to
be better men. Husband's fathers want he legit wants that, and I think they all feel that and I think Diggs is part of the mix right now. These are good guys to be around. I can't anticipate that being a problem here. I think he's gonna get plenty of touches. But he knows he's got eyes. He knows they have Nico Collins. He's going to be an a leade receiver in this league. He already is, but the reputation hasn't quite caught up with the production yet.
Busy Heart Seltzer Flavors for every vibe, Celebrate Responsibly, Most course Beverage Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We're with the broadcasting crew. Andre Ware is the color analyst, but we got Mark Vandermer and John Harris the sideline reporter and analyst as well. All right, what are your I see when you see the bear on tape?
Yeah, I always get this question.
I mean, for it's got to start with eighteen, I mean with Caleb because we all saw him in college.
We obviously watched Hard Knocks.
Of course, opponents early in this season are watching Hard Knocks with a fine tooth comb to see, you know what you can pull out of there. But I think it's interesting when Tom asked about Diggs because I think there are a lot of preconceived notions about how Diggs was going to be in a locker room with a lot of you know, a lot of stars around him. I think the biggest thing about Diggs is he's one
heck of a leader. I mean, he's one of the most vocal leaders I've seen on this in this organization since I've been in the lot and been here at with the Texans.
I think with Caleb, the thought was, well, you know, Prima Donna, you.
Know he's he's not gonna be working hard, doesn't no football, you know, paints his nails, all that kind of stuff. And I think what you end up finding about Caleb is that guy loves ball. He loves to play, loves the chest match of it. He has a great time out there. He's a really good leader. Going to be a good leader for that organization. I think it's got to start there. But when you look at the their three headed monster wide receiver, we'll see about Roma Dunsay.
But you know DJ Moore, I think we face him at Carolina. He scared us to death and we only saw him once every so often. But you know, Keenan Allen was the guy the Texans were in on so you know, the Texans were pretty high in Keenan Allen. He's Greensboro, North Carolina guys, so I got North Carolina in the family. So they'll be cheering for Keenan Allen on Sunday, so it'll be kind of tough to get out.
But I think the Bears offensive line has gotten better.
You know.
Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, I think was a little bit of a surprise a few years ago. But defensively, Sweat scares everybody, you know, the way he comes off the edge, and I think and I was watching something about Sweat this offseason and said once after Sweat got with the Bears, they were one of the most productive and best defenses in the league for the last half of last year, So you know that he's gonna be roaring off the edge.
I don't know that.
Laromy Tunsel is quite one hundred percent totally coming off the offseason injury, and the Colts got four sacks, so protecting against Sweat and that defensive line. I loved Austin Booker coming out of Kansas. I think he's gonna be a phenomenal player in due time. I thought the pickup of Taylor was incredible. I was watching a game the other day and I'm like, who's fifty two? He's got
some bursts and went, oh, that's Taylor. I'm like, man, that was a great pickup by Ryan Poles experienced secondary. I think those guys back there are gonna be very very good. Buy Art helps Edmunds and Edwards at linebacker could really be a thorn on our side because Franklin and e J. Speed for the Cults are a little lighter, faster, but I think some of the heaviness between Edwards and Edmunds just their size, can end up being something that
helps them. So to me, the Bears are a little different, differently constructed than us, but I think there is so much talent at key spots that they're gonna make it really tough on us to get Joe Mixon one hundred and fifty nine yards for us not to get sacked four times. It's a really talented team. And if Caleb really gets going with making some magical plays out of the pocket, the rolling right, thrown back left and you know, rolling to the sideline, spinning around and doing what he does,
and you get a few plays. Tom you talked about it. Energy Stadium is going to be jack there's no question. But if Caleb does a couple of those plays and those magical things that only he can do, this place will get quiet in a hurry, and then all of a sudden, it's like, oh boy, we're in a fistfight again, and that's really not where we want to be. So that's something they've got to take away. But I'm looking forward to seeing this Bear squad. It's a really talented
group that we're excited to see. I'll tell you one thing.
Everybody talks about Caleb Williams around the country, and I guess that's natural. Look how the Bears won the game last week. You got to be ready for everything, the third phase, the defense. Look how they won games last year. I know fields ran well down the stretch, but my goodness, you can win games in a variety of ways in Chicago, and you got to be ready for everything as the Houston Texans, but.
I think they'll be ready. It'll be a nice battle.
The last time the Texans played in this building regular season, well wasn't regular season, was the postseason, and they dominated the Browns. And I'm not saying that's going to happen again. But the fans want to see it, so yeah, it's going to be an electric atmosphere.
Just one question about the building. Is the roof repaired? And will it be open? And what is the temperature going to be inside the facility once the game starts.
I'm not telling now. They fixed they fixed part of it for this game. Okay, so if it rained, it would not rain on the field, all right, So that's that's done. They might open it, they might not because it's based on whether and if it's you know, if it looks to be in the seventies and there's no rain in the forecast, I think why not open it?
But that's me, so we'll see how it goes.
I don't think you will not have an uncomfortable temperature situation of the building, regardless whether it's open or closed or whatever. So I you know, expect to have a nice evening weather wise, you know, whether it be indoor or outdoors at NRG Stadium Sunday night.
Can you hear the difference in the noise though with the rough open as as compared to when it's closed.
Johnny can answer that better because you guys know in the booth. Sometimes you don't really get the best measurement of this in an audio way.
What do you think, Johnny. Yeah, when when.
Bill Obrian was here and I was when I started down on the sidelines, he wanted the roof close because you wanted that sound on top of you. And there were games back then. I mean, we played a Thursday night game against the Colts. It was the lottest I ever heard it, and I was standing right next to I was standing right next to Shane Leckler at the time, and we were trying to talk about something that was happening on the field.
I couldn't hear him.
So there's a distinct difference with it opened versus closed. But even at that point, I think the crescendo that will be there, hopefully on Sunday, and then that's gotta be something that I would think that Maddens coaching staff are talking to them about, is look, burst that bubble early and get this crowd sitting on its hands, Like, do something early to get them sitting on their hands, and then you kind of got them where you want them.
So it'll be interesting. I mean, it'll probably be a kickoff probably eighty six eighty seven outside at that point, so I don't think it'll be bad down on the field, but if it's open. But if it's closed, it'll be fine. You won't even you won't even sense it, and I don't even know if you can see the top of it from the booth on the eighth floor. So I think it'll end up being a good and it'll be
fine on both sides. It won't let it be like being in Chicago in September, but it'll be good enough for a Sunday night game.
For as an offensive lineman, I'm worried about the noise because if you cannot hear the volume cadence from Caleb, it can really create some dysfunction on the line of scrimmage. So as an ex offensive lineman, that was my concern. And I'm not a big fan of the extreme heat and humidity as well.
I don't think anybody in Houston is either, Tom. I don't think we like the humidity. But you bring up a great point and that it's only the second game of Caleb having to hear the play and then communicate it, so I would imagine the first quarter.
It's gonna be pretty tough.
But if the Bears hit back and you don't make this a tough game and start getting people in energy stadium a little tense, it might quiet down a little bit.
So that's gotta be big for them.
But if they let the Texans get off to a nice, little nothing lead, that noise is gonna amp up, right, you yamp up for full sixty minutes.
All right, We had fun doing that.
We appreciate and respect all our fellow booths around the National Football League. We gain valuable insight obviously from those discussions because they're in the building like we're in the building. Again, I mentioned at the outset of that set up of the interview, Bears on Sunday night have really struggled. Now it's not the same team, obviously it changes every year, but it's a string of games that have proven to
be very difficult. This will not be any easier trying to beat this Houston team in their own building, which will be rocking and rolling.
Right, It's going to be, like I said, it's going to be an environment unlike rookies or first year players have maybe never seen in their career. If you come from a small program and you never get into that big of a stadium that's packed to the roof and it's as loud as you can possibly get. They have one of these whiteout games where they want the crowd to be supportively dressed in white as everybody on the field is dressed in white. And you know, it's difficult,
you know, to contend with. However, if you bring a defense on the field that you have a lot of respect and you like to travel with, the defense makes a couple big plays early in the game and then you put the crowd into shock. Because even though the Houston Texans were so successful last year, I still think there's a little let's wait and see. Was this in an anomaly or is this going to carry over to CJ second CJ Stroud's second year in his career.
So I guess it's still wait and see.
They did beat Indianapolis in Indianapolis by two, but now it's their first home game and the crowd's going to be excited to see.
Yeah, it was interesting to take a look at that game because they really kept the ball. Forty minutes of time of possession. The Colts had just twenty and still put up twenty seven points.
Yeah, you know, I mean time of possession was a factor in a lot of games this week, and that's what the Bears are fighting to have more ball control and if they can have a defense early in the game that gets them some three and outs and the Bears can compute that into one big play or maybe a physically dominated running series, then all of a sudden, you know, that's the type of confidence you can build off of.
Yeah.
Well, they were limited to three field goals from Kyemie Fairbane from fifty plus, so that that took off a few touchdowns.
Otherwise it would have been a.
Much bigger beating of the Indianapolis Colts, whom the Bears play in Week three in Indianapolis.
One thing up, oh go ahead.
One thing about Houston is they open up an Indianapolis Dome, they go home domb week three, they play Minneapolis Dome. You know, and I know your feelings of indoor football, but.
Yeah, I gotta adapt, I gotta adapt and overcome. Yeah, you know, because that roof is not completely fixed down in Houston from the past hurricane earlier this summer, it is still even if they don't open the roof, because there is a gap, it's gonna be It's considered an outdoor game. So if if per chance there was a storm, and there was, you have to adopt the lightning delay
because of that sliver of light. And apparently that sliver of light will if it's a sunny day, there's like a patch of ten yards of white light that is on the field, like a UFO hovering over the stadium. So you might, you know, you might find that it's a little warm down there. Tommy in the building, it's Jimmy warm. It's a daytime temperature high of ninety four degrees.
But luckily Hurricane fran Scene is going to be skirting to the northeast, so it won't give the deluge of rain that they had earlier this hurricane season, so maybe we'll get through unscathed.
Yeah.
Well, and it was supposed to go towards the Midwest right around our travel times. Hopefully that won't interrupt our travel plans on Saturday, big time.
A right.
Last lastly, well, you know, I'm a little jumpy.
I'm a little jumpy on the plane real quick. Matti reflues to when his Wednesday meeting with the media, one of the first things he talked about was going to the practice field, and we're gonna have a very physical practice. And you've mentioned the kicking game of Houston and he I think he means special teams in general. Frank Bush outstanding special teams coordinator. They had the number one rank special teams unit in the league last year according to
those who analyzed those things. That's a very good unit with a very good kicker, obviously, but I thought, I felt it is interesting that that's the first chink in the armor. Not chink in the armor, that was that was the first bullet that Matt Eberflu's touchdown was special team's toughness for this game.
No doubt about it.
But you know, how impressed are you with the special teams performance this past week by the Bear? Great field position on punt return, really good field position on a kickoff return, block punt for a touchdown. So if it's you know, they're special teams going up against the Bear special teams, you know, I think our group of guys will go toe to toad with them, and Coach high Tower puts a motivated group of guys out there knowing their importance in the overall success of this football team.
So hey, it's part of the battle I look for.
Two and you know it definitely has You know it definitely had.
A hand in the outcome of the game last week.
Visy Heart Seltzer Flavors for every Vibe, Celebrate Responsibly, Motion Course Beverage Company Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois right here at home, driving access toward healthier communities. Through it all, this should be a good time. Tom, We'll see you on Sunday. Don't be late. Special Thanks to the guys from the Houston Texans and for Tom there,
I'm Jeff Jonahak. Thanks for listening. Everybody, please subscribe now in the Chicago Bears Official Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Bear down and congratulations to Tyreek Stevens and Tom. He is the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his pick six and overall performance he had one Week seventeen last year as well.
Coming on, I believe that's his first pick for a touchdown. Though you've heard him out the podium. I was blown away by that. The kids talented plays a cornerback position.
You could have thought somewhere along the line he would have stumbled into one.
Well, hopefully we see many more that'll do it for us. Bear down everybody, most steps