T.J. Edwards on the Bears' secondary: 'There's leaders everywhere'

Welcome in Tough.

Bears Weekly powered by IGS Energy, a Chicago Bears Network production. Bears Weekly is brought to you by Advocate Healthcare, Athletico Physical Therapy, cd gwany Connie's Pizza, IGS Energy, and Mener Liked. Here your hosts Jeff Chilliac aka the Mayor of Bearsville and his sidekick, Tom the Surfmaster Thayer.

Everybody, it starts to get real right aim on the corner.

Here a new and start for the Bears on Saturday, preseason Week one in Buffalo. The starters are going to give it a go, including rookie quarterback Kato Williams. Bears Weekly right here on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Thayer. I'm Jeff Joniyat coming up. We visit with Bears linebacker TJ. Edwards and we're getting ready for Week one of the preseason.

So it's here.

Now.

I know we had the Hall of Fame game, but now you're going to see starters, and that's what I'm most excited about.

You know, I'm most excited that it's a noon start because if you think of the first regular season game for the Chicago Bears, it's a noon start and Soldier Field against the Tennessee Titans. Now you really get to fall into that pregame rhythm of how it's actually all gonna happen. What are the times of the pregame meals, the pregame meetings, What time do the busses leave, What bus do you want to be on? When do you want to get into the locker room and start getting

The funny thing is, you never looked at the schedule, and so you thought, just you know, assuming it's Saturday.

Night, Yeah I assume, Yeah, you know, that's you know.

That's why you should never assume, as you know, during a football season. And I'm super happy that as a noon start on Saturday. But for forty years, preseason games have always been at seven o'clock at night, especially in Buffalo where you know.

That seems to be when the fans want to come out.

Yeah, they'll be out, they'll be out, we heard Tevin Jenkins say, And we're going to hear from a bunch of guys who are at the podium today.

We'll start with Matt Eberflus here in a second.

But everybody's talking about how things are working out here. We've been to every practice. We've got our thoughts as well, so we'll share those with you. Injury concerns remain some of the storyline here. There's nothing quite serious in terms of something that season ending or going to be out a super long time other than what we heard on THEO Benedette could be about five or six weeks. We learned that from what we saw in Hard Knocks the

Here now, so it sounds like he he's on the mend on.

The way back, and hopefully he'll be getting out there promptly because that chemistry. We're only focusing on the offense, it seems, but that chemistry in the back end of the defense is also as important as anything.

Well.

I have no worries about Kyler Gordon.

I really think he'll be there to start the regular season and hopefully a little bit before. But what was one of the results of some injuries in the defensive backfield last year.

It's the development of depth.

So if we're sitting there and Kyler Gordan's missing a couple weeks of training camp practice, we're not scratching our heads saying, oh my god, this sea is already in a downward spiral. No, there's other guys, other candidates up there that have had time to play and prepare, that can step in and this defense can function efficiently.

Yeah.

One of the guys that has really done well is Jalen Jones. He has been here for several years. He knows the defense, He has done great on special teams. Is he core special teams player as well? Josh Blackwell is one of them as well. Ready Steward, an undrafted free agent, is also turning some heads as well.

Tom.

Without further ado, let's listen in how Matt Eberfluss is looking at this preseason game in terms of snap counts for the starters.

About that, guys are just about it in terms we have a really good plan and a good process for that, and we have a range of plays that we feel that are going to be good for those particular groups. I'm not going to get into talking about numbers, but we want to see a good flow and a good rhythm to it. But the starters that are available to us will play on Saturday. But we're excited about the opportunity to show our execution and really for the individual

Of there from going offense Saturday.

Just more what we see now where he is in terms of the progress, you know, and this is this first time in live action. He's been getting a lot of good reps with our one defense, so I think

Kyler Gordon and probably about two weeks, can you kind of update U something.

Yeah, he's it's a work in progress. We're getting close. We feel good where he is. And again, this is something that in training that he did and then it just kind of came in with it, you know, So

Are in theory very small, very early steps and what you expect to the alarm room.

Yeah, that's that's a good point. And I would say that he's right where he needs to be right now. He's having some good days, some good periods and then some other ones that you know, he's learning from adversity, you know, and a setback, and I told him to just lean into that. So when you have a setback or have adversity, don't shy away from it. Lean into it and then learn from it and then get better from it, you know, because a lot of people want

Matt Billis he's been a running back for three days now, it's not enough to get him a couple of carries.

In the preseason game.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think that he's done well back there. He's certainly got speed. We know that he's very durable. You know, he's got some good lean mass to him, so he can knock it forward pretty good. So he's got some good acceleration. He's going to be a threat out of the backfield in terms of the passing game.

So I'm excited for him.

And again we're going to evaluate that. Like I said, I believe earlier in the week Stacked by Stack in terms of the practices, and we'll reevaluate that after Buffalo's Pro A trickier.

Topic with some of you.

It is.

It is because it's new. It's new to him. He doesn't have that experience doing that, so again it's new. But I know he's stout, I know he's tough, So I just we'll see where it goes.

Yeah, we saw some of that the other day.

What are you just having that one on ones with the linebackers and pass pro And yeah, that will be an adjustment. So a lot to unpacked there. Let's hit on the key points, the things that stick out for you.

You know, that's the one thing about defense.

If guys have experience in the system, they're playing at a faster tempo on the defensive side of the ball. And a lot of times, defensive football can be taught simply as when the ball is snapped, you go do your assignment and you chase the guy that has a football and tackle him. Whereas an offense development, especially when you're teaching a new system, from a new offensive coordinator to a new quarterback, the difficulty of that whole process

And I also agree with Matt.

I think Caleb is progressing at the rate that you expect a guy coming from college to professional football.

There have been wins, there's been past plays downfield, swing passes out, DeAndre Swift really shining out of the backfield, all the backs, and this one offensive line is still trying to get the five guys they want, trying to get healthy up front. So there's been some change and experimenting going on as well. All right, hold that thought. We're going to go to our first break when we

Bears Weekly with the Voice of the Bears for twenty three years Jeff Jonak on the Bears Radio Network.

This segment of Bears Weekly is brought to you by CDW IF people to get it with Tom Dare, Jeff Joniak, and our guest this week is Bears linebacker Taj Edwards.

Thanks for taking the time. How you feeling doing?

Good?

Man who always has a smile on his face?

I tell you that right now, bless hey, hey, right, tell us, Why tell us why you're blessed?

You know, my dad told me a long time ago.

Anytime you can go to work and put sweatpants on to enter the office, you're doing something right.

So keep being blessed for sure.

Yeah.

And the man playing a kid's game, absolutely right.

Ever since the early days of those Bears jerseys on is now that you're deep into your Bears career, do you reflect it all again back? I know you've been asked many times, but you wear that uniform with a lot of pride, and you're one of us, You're one of the fans of the Chicago Bears.

Yeah, I mean absolutely, you know, I take a lot of pride in the hometown team and now being able to you know, obviously play for it and try to make a name for myself. Is it's really cool? You know, you try to take it all in because it goes quick for sure.

You know.

Jay Hilgenberg always used to say football is a great job when you don't have to shower before you go to work. I also want to bring him up again, TJ, because I've heard so much about you crushing a golf ball throughout the whole offseason, and Jay said, and Jay's a really good golfer, but he says, one of the most impressive big hitters he's ever seen is TJ.

Edwards.

How did that come about? Who taught you that? Is it just natural talent that you have?

I mean I think, I mean you said natural talent makes it seem like I'm really good. But I think growing up as a baseball player and it kind of it kind of just related. And my dad loves the golf and something I did at a young age, and I just enjoy it, man, being outside, being you know good, three four hours off there and uh yeah, I can. I can hit it a decent way. I couldn't tell you always where it's going, but it's going to go a long way.

Well, I hear your crush.

And I know you got a birthday coming up, so happy birthday in advance.

Mine's the sixteenth, yours is the twelfth.

So TJ, when you think about a year ago when you came to the Chicago Bears and you started training camp and the speed that you picked up throughout the course of the season, are you playing at the speed that you left off at the regular season or are you and Tremaine playing a faster pace of linebacker play now that you're kind of more familiar with each other in the system.

Yeah, I mean, I think you know, even coming in last year, it's a it's a unique system in a lot of ways, and just in terms of the movement that we play with and kind of the read and react things off of the D line, which is which is awesome when.

It when everyone's working on all cylinders.

But it definitely took a second, and I think you can really feel kind of what it looks like right now, you know, and and guys are flying around, guys are confident what we're doing.

It feels like we're off to a really good start.

And obviously you know, it's camp, and the offense knows us pretty well by now. We know them pretty well by now, but I'm excited just with kind of the chemistry that we have and kind of knowing how each other play. It's gonna it's gonna definitely translate for sure.

You know.

One of the things that you're you're seeing a lot of screens, so it'll set you up for the regular season. Sniffing out those screens is always a challenge. I mean, if it's done right, it's done repetitiously by the offense at nauseam.

Does that help you guys flow quicker to the ball?

Absolutely?

I mean I think you know, it's it's one of those things where you want to see all the all the problems you can't right like, you want to see all the plays that are tough and all the plays that maybe don't fit how they should on paper, just so you can talk about them and see them. But our offense, I would say, is definitely given us a good amount of them, and they're they're good at them right,

But it's really good for us to see it is.

What's different about the defense this year.

I'm not you're not getting into scheme with me by any means, But do you feel there's more pages in the playbook from the jump? Is that going to create some more creativity maybe and some more frequency of things that maybe we all like to see a little more pressure from all levels.

Yeah, I mean, and it's again, it's camp, right, so you're kind of trying out all those things against a really good offense and you're you're getting to kind of see what's what's going on. But I think we've done really good job of mixing things up and just kind of seeing how we handle certain things and with with new looks every day and kind of giving the.

Offense a new look too.

So it's been it's been really good, and I think Flus and coach Washer have handled it really well.

You know, TJ and all the stats, you had one hundred and fifty five tackles, two and a half sacks, three interceptions. So last week I go back and practice, they're running a sleep to the left and Carrie blasting game as a lead blocker.

You go and you meet him in the backfield.

It was a pretty good collision and it's not something that you don't make the tackle, but you make the play, okay, and then I'm gonna say, Okay, that's part of TJ's game. And then you look at the receivers that you're playing against this year and the interception and everything.

What part of your game do you enjoy the most?

Is that a line of scrimmage physical style or is it the athleticism downfield style?

Yeah, I mean, I think growing up and kind of the first thing that attracted me to football was the physical, you know, the physical aspect of the game. Being able to, you know, especially at linebacker, being able to run downhill and kind of just meet someone right where they're at and see, you know, who's gonna win. I think I enjoy that a lot. And also I think, you know,

It's something I enjoyed too, especially.

You know, people don't think I can do it, so I love, I love, you know, proving people wrong in that aspect as well.

Which leads me to this.

NFL dot COM's Kevin Patrack at the end of the last season called you the young Sun, hero of the Bears, defense, the glue and Pro Football weeklyes excuse me, Pro Football focuses Thomas Valentine, the secret superstar, the tent highest rated linebacker Top twenty, and run defense and coverage.

I know none of that that matters to you.

But when you said people don't think I can do it, you know these terms of unsung and secret. You're not a secret or unsung. You're just a damn good football player. I think you would agree. And how do you process that?

Yeah?

I mean, you know, at the end of the day, I feel like I know what I bring and I know what my you know what my best football looks like. But i'd be lying if you know, those things will seem to keep me going, right, I think you know, still it's still going back to coming out of you know, being one of the guys that was supposed to go and didn't get a call. You know that, you know, every single team passed up on me, and I still keep that ship with me knowing that I got something to prove.

Every single day I call general manager Ryan Pulls the quiet Storm because he's he's very transparent, but he really never shows you that emotion that may take different ranges neither, do you would you also be classified in that quiet storm.

I like to think that I live kind of right in the middle.

Right, I don't live kind of in that range of you know, I'm too amped up or I'm too louder. You know, I'm not as quiet as I'm Also I like to I like to kind of right in the middle and keep people guessing, but also knowing that I got something to prove for sure.

At this stage of your career. What's your preseason game attitude? Are you all for taking you know, a couple series and just to you know, get your pads broken in and maybe have a collision that happens after this, you know, after the snap of the ball of an offense, you're not seeing that much. Or do you like you know, do you like the fact that Cincinnati's coming in here and you're gonna be able to have an equally as important practice as some of the preseason games.

Yeah, I mean I think it kind of goes both ways. Right again, you know, coach has a pretty good plan for I feel like what we kind of want to do this preseason, and you know, it's always good to kind of get the pat set a little bit, you know, go out there and get under live bullets and kind of go play, you know, just be free and kind of have a menu going into the day and then just go play and kind of see where it is.

You know.

I enjoy a little bit of that not you know, you know, I'll go out there as long as I need to, as long as as long as coach feels. But with Cincinnati, those joint practices, man, I've been a part of a couple and they're big time right right. Those are full out games. They've got a bunch of their install in. We've got a bunch of our install in. You kind of get to see where you're at a little bit. So I think the importance of the joint practice is huge, and I know our coaches understand that too.

Well you're gonna get in the team meeting, you know, Cincinnati is gonna come in and coach Flus and say, look, we don't want.

Any fights out here.

We need to get some productive work and let's just control to that. So you know, one thing that's impressed me as being a lifelong Bears fan.

Is the back seven of this defense.

It's probably one of the best that I've ever been around in the history of this organization. Is there an alpha standout in that group or all you guys kind of like confident and competing against each other.

Yeah, I mean, I think it's it's every day we come out and we kind of look at each other like who's gonna go get the first turn? We're right, and who's gonna who's gonna be the one that start it off. But it's such a solid group, Like you said, man, I think there's there's leaders everywhere with you know, with kV coming in now, I think he's been great for that group. You know, briskers looking at the chops to kind of get back in and get going, and I'm

So it's a it's a great group to be around.

It is I know a lot of people were talking about the attitude Jalen had at the podium the other day when he said he I like that though, TJ. Because someone has to speak their mind, and whether it's Montese talking about beating Green Bay or the confidence that you guys have in yourself or the self confidence that Jalen has in himself and one of the most difficult positions to play.

I was I was actually happy to hear that.

Yeah, I mean, and we know we know Jalen, right, He's gonna speak his mind and he's gonna speak what he feels, and that's one of the things you love about him, right, He's and just kind of like you said, like for me, like I want my corners to be super confident and everything that you're doing, right, that's a tough position to play, and as long as they're confident, it makes me feel a.

Whole lot better too, So I love it.

I do you have some chrippers out there with t J. Edwards Bears starting linebacker. What's the huddle like after a big play? Even you know, we hear it, but when they're they're lining up or after play, But what's the huddle like?

It's it's fun man.

I think you got you got a bunch of Like I said, you know kind of earlier, there's just so many different personalities, right, there's just a lot a lot going on. You got Test saying whatever he's saying. You got d Walk saying what he's doing.

I forgot about d Walk. I mean, I mean, are you laughing? I mean forget you guys? Is there times when it's just funny?

Yeah, it's just I think we're just having fun out there in general, right, Like it's it's one of those things. We've been together for you know, a year now, but we're just going out there and you know, playing ball man. Like I said from the start, you know, doing what we love to do and doing it with some great people.

All Right, Tom mentioned you know, fights and stuff.

You know, I didn't know this, but the league set out of Membo last week, Tommy and two hundred grand each team. The Giants and Lions got fined for their dust up the other day. So I'm thinking, yeah, I mean, when you have joint practices, you almost can count on a skirmish what they're doing.

Yeah, yeah, that is what exactly.

Back to golf real quick, before we let you go, and I appreciate all the time your favorite foursome. Oh from the team, what would you use or or it could be anybody.

I'll do from the team because I've done a couple Cole Comett fund of golf with He hits the ball a long way. That's a baseball swing if I've ever seen things a million miles in the air. You know who's who surprised me was uh Brett Rippin and we actually trained together, uh coming out in the combine. We were with the same agency coming out. But you know, I've known for him for a long time. But dude is like a scratch golfer, Like he is a stick

And i'd have to, I'd have to throw him in.

I feel bad for that.

Golf ball would be a lot of fun with.

The golf ball is getting whacked pretty good. Well, you know, I played baseball too in high schooling. I'm on awful golfers, so I.

Wish it would have transferred.

I got the baseball swing still instead of the proper golf swing. Anyway, appreciate all your time and great success last year, and I hope he continues in a big way for you. You're a very important player in this city, very important player for this football team.

And a leader.

So thank you.

Have a great season, stay outthy good luck.

Back with more here on Bears Weekly, and he has been one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.

Is Bears Weekly with the Force of the Bears for twenty three years. Jeff j on the Bears Radio Network.

This segment of.

Bears Weekly is brought to you buys d W people to get it Jeff in Tom here on Bears Weekly.

As we said many today, they've.

Been really coming up with a lot of guys like for a day, so we're getting to really hear a

Health continuity, and get to know each other very well. And I think getting to know each other very well is instrumental in success on the offensive line. But the entirety of the offensive line, performance and continuity affects every part of the offense. So you just need these guys to develop that understanding of each other, have a combination block.

Yeah, it's nuanced. Nuance is a success of the game, the little details. More on this from Tevin Jenkins.

I wouldn't say so. I mean it's football. You sign up for a sport and it's like what I have sent injuries all the time and day. So I have people who betened up. You have people up and down throughout the whole year. It's about being available and being there for your teammates right now. So being there throughout camp, getting those reps, learning from each other and being there

Yeah.

I do like being in one spot right now.

Soccer.

Tried to be the best I can in one position. Like you said, no problem being versatile and switching around doing everything. But it does feel nice to have one position to do in one position.

To Folcus on how important is for you to know who's going to be to your right at center into building that chemistry.

It does matter like quite a bit because especially going into we're going to Buffalo, so I heard their games are pretty loud for preseason games as well. Their fans are there, their Mason fans, so you know, learning that silent cadence with that center's head, bob head turns and all that stuff. It's very it's very crucial, not only for guards, but especially for tackles because they got get out. I'm not sure if von Miller's playing, but like to fight like their ones are out there and they got

We'll qualify as a productive Saturday for you guys as an offensive line.

Just in whatever limited work you do, get what you want to see, a complin.

Whatever makes my coach on yell on me.

That's whatever that whenever whenever he's he's happy, we could be happy. I mean, Loan's that grade sheet doesn't have too many loafs. We have a very strict loaf loafing system and that's the standard we have here, so little loafs. No coach is angry, be good Saturday.

Kevin, where have you seen prime signs of progress.

In the offense?

Uh, I'll definitely say we have honed on I would say our scheme really and a lot of like I DS mics and uh standing safety rotation, and it starts from inside out with the centers. Centers have been really good with it. Our screen games that went way up. It's really it's really productive right now. We're getting a

Caleb said that heat like improve most between now on week one is like his blitz recognition, whether that's checking out of it or doing whatever. Where are you guys seeing? I mean the people continue to bring some of those pressure practices in the eleven or eleven What are the things you guys can do to kind of help him expelite that process?

For offensive line, it's about our killed words like we have fire calls like it alert danger, certain sides and everything. So if we're like third and fifteen, it's covered four and you see knows that Like it's just that the wide recess were pressed out over there, and uh, it's only one million linebacker over here. And d N's looking a little like light on his feet. He say, hey, light one, we have pressure pressure right, most likely you know you turn around and.

Say light one, light one, you go over there.

He was ideas to a four man slide that way, helping with the pressure recognition. You know, it's a lot of things that we can help like put that like I don't want to say put an idea in his head, but like get him more knowledge to like, all right, they see something over here that doesn't look threatening, but over here it looks like a problem. Like trying to like like make sure he can see what we see as well.

You can't fully tested running game and training camp.

But Coulson the other day that there's some things coming together with the running game BAT that really encourage. What from your perspective are you optimistic about with the way the run games coming together.

I'll say, all of our runners very physical. They do a lot of quick jump cuts. They're getting a lot better about pressing balls. They're written a lot about uh, sticking the foot of the ground as well, Like they're just right on top of double teams. Will help us get on top of those beckers, which helps us with their angles.

And they have been more Uh.

I would say I had a lot more. I wouldn't say a lot. It's been really good about it this year. You know that they're there. They have improved instead of their game that it's also been helping us as well.

Tom, is he talking your language?

A lot of offensive line lingo there at the line of scrimmage, all important communication.

Uh, so decipher it for us.

You know, there's just a lot of details to the game of an offensive line because you know, whatever Braxton Jones is looking at and understanding at the left tackle position, he has to convey that message all the way back to the right tackle, possibly the tight end or even

And cadence control that's big too, you know, making sure that everything is taken care of so your guys don't move before the snap period.

And you know, and and.

He did bring it up because Buffalo is going to have a supporting crowd, especially when the Bears are on offense, and if you're running a silent count for the first time at an NFL level, it is difficult for the offensive tackles to be able to get off the ball on time when they have dynamic pass rushers because you're trying to use periphial vision without getting without losing eye contact to the defensive ends, so it's almost like having lizard eyes, having one go to the right, one.

Go, one go to the left.

Well, as DeAndre Swift said in Hard Knocks to Caleb when they were micd.

Up, you got the keys, use it drive well exactly.

Coming up next, Tremaine Edmunds, the former Buffalo Bill, goes back home where he started his career with the Bills.

That's next. On ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio.

Network is Bears Weekly with a Voice of the Bears for twenty three years. Jeff Jonik on the Bears Radio Network.

Gunning off.

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Do you want to throw some curveballs just for the heck of it? Give give teams something to think about?

Yeah, you know, there's nothing better than making a team waste time in their preparation for in preparation to play the Bears or whatever team you play for. So do you kind of feed these guys fallse information on this kickoff return and make them start preparing for unrealistic things? Or are do you stay so vanilla that they have no idea how you're going to go about regular season business? And I think that you know factors in more than

You think about it.

But how are they going to advance this thing moving on in the preseason? And will look in the preseason for the regular season or is it going to be completely a different approach by every coordinator.

We got to remember one thing about this. We're loving the fact that the kickoff return is back in business, but this is a one year experiment, this particular brand, this particular version. So hopefully you might think that well no, I'm well, hey, you know, as long as as long as the safety numbers stay in a reasonable category, I mean, I just want it to remain. So whatever tweaks are made, let's let's let's hope it remains.

Keep the kickoff return some way, shape or form on the field of play.

Absolutely, and I think.

It's really has an important role in the attraction of the viewing audience. And like we saw Devin Hester going to the Hall of Fame, he did it on return greatness, and I think somebody is gonna show us again what return greatness is by this new kickoff return formation.

All right, So Tremaine Edmunds, the Chicago Bear, had a terrific season last year, paired with TJ Edwards that great chemistry at that linebacker level. He was swiping passes in this defense that had eight from the linebacker position overall, and now headed back to Buffalo, where he started his career at a young age out of Virginia Tech.

It's my first time obviously going back since I left, so you know, obviously it'd be a lot of emotions, but it should definitely be a good time. I think excitement, man, you know I was there for five years, so you know, just getting back there, No, I'm gonna be It's gonna be exciting.

Horn has been for you and TJ. To be out there every day together.

Yeah, very important, you know, I think us just taking those steps day in and day out, learning off one another, you know, just just growing, you know, seeing what he sees, seeing what I see, and being able to come and look at it after practice and not just talking about it. Man, it's very essential, you know, just leading, you know, leading out front and you know, just pretty much just putting our brands together.

You know what I mean.

Two heads is you know obviously bigger than one, so you know, being able to take what he see, take what I see, and you know, just be able to take our game to the next level. Not just for us, but you know, just being able to like you know, just pull up everybody along and we're not out there by our sales.

We're not doing it by sales now.

We got great leadership, great guys that you know that we can depend on, and that's what it's all about.

You know.

Training camp is meant to be hard. Training camp is meant to strain a little bit. That's what we've been doing. You know, we've been focusing on taking that next step. And you know that's what all the focus is right now.

Even without even without playing a game, appreciating your regulars. Can you already see where you're familiarity with the defense that you didn't have last year is going to payoff and just being on the field, which you know, drinking but you weren't as much. Can you see how those are gonna pay off for you and with even bigger years.

Yeah, you know, I think it's off to a good start, you know, not just with me, but just defensively, defensively all together. I think obviously your most availability is being out there and uh, you know, being out there seeing reps, going game speed, going full speed, and just you know, just adding those reps to your to your belt, you know, day in and day out. I think it's definitely gonna set you up to be, you know, starting off at a high level, and that's what the focus is just

Man.

You talked about lofty expectations for yourself, but have there have been several love to expectations for the team in general? How does that affect you all mentally worthy to be for positive or not.

Yeah, when I said that, I kind of caught myself because I'm like, hold on now, expectations is really it's no such thing, because at the end of the day, man, we got to focus on taking it one day at a time. I mean, obviously everybody's going to put expectations on it, put expectation on what this player should do.

What this player should do.

But at the end of the day, man, we got to take it one step of the time because it's gonna.

Be up, it's gonna be down. That's just the way the league go.

And I mean it's really just going out there expecting to win. If any expectations, that should be the expectations to go win.

But everything else that we can't control.

I mean I can't we as a team can't sit in the pass and worry about what if this happens, what if that happens? Like, you got to take it one step at a time, because when you start worrying about the outcome, that's when you.

Really, you know, become effected the most.

So it's really just you know, taking it one day, looking at each other in the eye and showing up the work each and every day.

And then at the end of the day, like when you do.

Everything to prepare yourself to be a certain way, I mean, you got to you know, accept whatever comes behind it. But you know, we're setting ourselves up, you know, for success, Like we expect to win. We get on the field, and we have extreme confidence in that. So you know we're going to work every day.

Are you excited about Kayler Willims first laugh game?

Actually?

I mean you excited just to see to find out in the game, like do y'all got one of them guys? A lot of all semple stance you expained.

About that, I think all of us are, you know what I mean, Like it's a new time, and but I understand how the NFL goes as well, Like I'm not saying you got to come out here and be a superstar from day one, because I'm a realist as well, Like I understand it's gonna take repetition, it's gonna take going through some stuff, it's gonna take experience.

Experiences are number one teacher.

So just getting those live reps though, I know, just me being a rookie, like I know how centraal that is, so just I'm excited for him just to see how it feels, you know what I mean, because at the end of the day, I understand, you know, all the sucessity have, but the NFL is different, and just so it's just so he can feel how that is and just get that full experience.

It's gonna help him out.

But I mean, I got a ton of respect, from a ton of confidence in them. But I also understand, like I don't have any expectations on the first game, man, because I understand like nothing's gonna be perfect. So all he has to do is just be himself and that's good enough because I seen it on the practice field.

Snap to snap growth, that's the key, day to day progress, that's the second key. What are you looking for from this defense. He's certainly a big part of it. In the middle of that defense, there can drop, use that big wingspan, swipe some footballs, clout some passing lanes. Obviously, he did a nice job in coverage as well. And I just love the size and length of this player. But in Tom's thoughts, what do you want from this first team's defense.

Yeah, I want pressure on the cornerback. Well, I want them to limit the success of the run game first and foremost. And then when they're successful at limiting the success of the run game, I went them to get into the quarterback space. If it doesn't result in a sack, then you interfere with his fundamental foundation of footwork. You interfere with his arm, follow through, you interfere with his

Josh Allen, we'll be at quarterback wearing number seventeen of the Buffalo Bill's Mitchell Trubisky, Shaane Bouchell, the three quarterbacks on that Buffalo roster.

All right, one more segment to go. We'll hear from.

Big Dog Mercedes Lewis as he looks at from a different perspective than everybody else, something never been done before. Another year in the NFL is at tight end, this time a second year with the Bears.

That's Tom theare.

I'm Jeff Joniak and this is Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand of the Bears Radio Network.

You were tuned into Bears Weekly with Jeff joniac on the Bears Radio Network. This is Bears Weekly with a force of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff Jact on the Bears Radio work.

This segment of Bears Weekly brought to you by Pletico Physical Therapy, Visit Athletic with do Comma question in clinic or virtual the appointment that's start feeling better tomorrow, Jeff and toom At our final segment, Marcedes Lewis beginning his year forty age in the NFL with unique perspectives on quarterbacks, including this rookie Caleb Williams.

Obviously, you know he's made a lot of plays in college. He's come in and you know, take this offense really about right now. He's in the process of really making it his. So there are gonna be some you know, some mishaps or some things where the timing is off or but this is where you get your swag at is in practice, right And I'm a big proponent of you know, I'm gonna play like I practice, and I think he's the same way based on the conversations that we've had.

You gain your confidence in.

Practice, and practice is your opportunity to make mistakes and to try things out and see if you can fit a ball here and do certain things. And so when the game you're just flowing it, should they And yeah, he's a special cut.

Yes, and that's the feeling from many of his teammates Tom and so I'm excited to hear it from his perspective as well. Now against this team they're playing on Saturday, it's one of three four to three defenses that he will face in the preseason should he play against all of them, that include Cincinnati and Kansas City. Is this a good thing when you got Tennessee running a three four to start the season or will this enhance or hamper the learning process?

Well, you know the thing about it is you're going to face a four man line throughout the preseason and every day in practice because your practicing gets your own team. However, the responsibilities of a three to four defense change mostly in pass protection, so you have the ability to run the complete running game.

That's a handoff. You understand the screen game.

But it's more of the responsibilities of the blockers and pass protections that have to understand the different responsible abilities when they face the two different fronts. So it won't be the extreme for Caleb, however, it will be different as how the running backs hit the holes in the running game where the protection and the linebacker responsibilities fall

I know it's a preseason game, but it's his first NFL game. There will be a lot of emotion. I'm sure there'll be some adrenaline rush. What do you anticipate right out of the gate, And how will we know if he's calm or if he's amped up. You've played with young quarterbacks in our final minute here, Tom, You've seen young quarterbacks throughout your twenty eight years down of the air as a broadcaster.

What do you think you know?

Just get the language out of your mouth correctly and allow everybody to understand what their assignments are. Make sure you can do it in a timely fashion where you can break the huddle so you can watch the play clock, you can see what the defense is offering you. If you have to make any changes before the ball is snapped, you have the time to do it, and then.

You just play football.

But a lot of it has to do with the way you come out of the huddle and you understand what you just said, because there's no looking back at the sideline, there's no asking questions that you have to You just have to play the play like you just said it.

How can offensive coordinator Shane Waldron help him settle in in the early going, It's all about the pass protections.

Don't give him unrealistic responsibilities on the offensive line. It take advantage of play action passing. Run the ball well first of all, and then take advantage with play action passing. Use the screens that we heard about. Make sure that you're able to use the type of protections that allow Caleb to get rid of the ball instead of holding

Get twenty seconds, one player each side of the bar. You're absolutely looking forward to seeing play no matter what quarter of the game.

I'd like to see how Roma Doonza plays what he's gonna offer. And on defense, I'm still intrigued by what Austin Booker kind of looks like.

He has the inate ability to do sounds good.

Thanks Tommy, That'll do it for Bears Weekly.

Thanks to all our producers and for TJ Edwards, our guest bleck and have Dona our next. Have a great night here on ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network canight.

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