Cut over that Dj Moore enzode touchdown, touchdown Bears. I am Jeff Jonihan litz.
Is Ho Donnie go hout what was like playing for coach you, digg.
I don't want to answer any questions like that pressure coming is a big trouble. Donnie Goes Montese Sweat Now Bears, et cetera. Brought to you by Geico with the voices of the Bears Jeff Joniet and Tom Thayer.
Well.
The Bears ran into US San Francisco buzz saw before cobbling together a competitive second half, losing thirty eight thirteen in Santa Clara, California. Week fourteen did not go down like the Bears at hoped, and the result is a seventh straight loss and a winless road record this season. With Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom There, I'm Jeff Joniat, Episode one eighteen of the Bears, Etcetera podcast brought to
you by Geico. Coming up, we'll hear from new head coach, the interim boss, Thomas Brown one on one interview about all sorts of things, but Tom overall, I did like the fight in the second half. I did like the way Caleb Williams completed balls at high percent of protecting the football once again, no interceptions, Roma Dunze flashing again with his ability to get in the end zone twice, first time since two thousand and one when David Terrell did it in that famous game against the forty nine
ers of the Mike Brown picked six game. But so many other things. And we've heard now from Thomas Brown on several occasions since the game and after watching tape, and he'll get into it a little bit, but there was a lot left on the bone, and execution was the big word, the lack of execution despite a good week. They say it was good preparation.
Yeah, I mean, listen, you can't deny the fact that there's some frustration that was left behind in San Francisco. And that's the whole definition of a team sport when you don't win the game, and there's sometimes frustration when you do win the game. But there's a lot of correctible mistakes in that film. And I think Thomas Brown is a guy that's pretty diligent about his work ethic and work effort that he expects from the players, and he's going to challenge these guys this week when they
get together in preparation for the Minnesota Vikings. But when you talk about that continuous development relationship between Caleb and Romadoonze, it's undeniable that they got something special that's brewing here that hopefully will carry a decade long opportunity to succeed.
And then you have some landmark or benchmark accomplishments and guys like Keenan Allen that you brought up to coach, and I'm glad that you did because there's not a lot of guys in the league that have been able to accomplish what Keenan Allen has, and I think he's a good example of continuous hard work when you look at what he was able to do in this football game, in those accomplishments that show the dedication to a career.
I think it's a good influence for these other guys to see what you can do if you really dedicate yourself to a team sport that has the success of everybody in mind. And I think that is important because there's a lot of young guys in this team that need these types of examples to see to you know, have the best yet to come.
Tom, did you guys have issues in your career at any point starting fast And did you go through stretches like this team. This is a uniquely long stretch of not able to start fast. And what do you do about it? What's the fix? Isn't a mental thing? I mean, how do you look at it?
Well, you know, it's just a continuous operation of making sure that you're developing a system that you're super confident in.
But you know, the thing.
About it is is football is kind of the unique challenge of it is is when you go into an environment that it's loud and you don't have the organization that you do at home, sometimes that's in the obstacle to overcome. And when you have a young quarterback who's in charge of all those elements, sometimes it takes a while for him to get an understanding of how these environments need to be worked. But you know, I'm not going to sit here and say Caleb has ever let
me down, because he hasn't. And I love what, you know where he's going with his career. And I do think when you know time takes, time takes a hold of this system and they get an opportunity to all be fighting in the same direction. I think starters will be faster, and you know that's why I'm so excited to see this game, Jeff. You know, it's the first time in Caleb's career that he's going to have the same opponent twice in one year. We didn't do that
in our college careers, and he hasn't either. So now you have a little bit of an example of a tape to watch of what you've already done against this football team. I have big expectations for Caleb and the entire Bear team.
Do coaches hold back a little bit when they know they got a second game coming.
I don't know if they necessarily hold back or they only feed as much as they have.
To, like show you a little something and then hey, oh I got something for you to the next one.
Right exactly, and coaches both ways. But if something's working successfully, you can do it multiple times in one game. And so you have a game plan or you have a play sheet that might have a couple hundred plays on it, but if during the course of that game you only have to use fifty or sixty of them, then that's.
All you got to use.
Knowing good and well that you've been able to insert this information during the course of OTA's in training camp knowing that you are exactly looking at this team and this style of defense when you were inserting it. So hey, you may be holding a more than a handful of plays that you want to use on the road, because sometimes it's a test to see how is your quarterback developing, who are the weapons that he likes to take advantage of, and now how can you use him in these types of environments.
Brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears. Such a disparity in yards and I know it's just yards, but it does lead to points, and it did for San Francisco going up twenty four. The three nineteen to four in the first half, I mean, these are these are remarkable numbers, right, and the inability to convert on third down or keep drives alive. They didn't turn the ball over but once on the fumble by Caleb Williams. This sport is something, man, it really boggles my mind sometimes.
Right.
You know, if I go back and I look at the first half, let me take away the four big plays by George Kittle. And if you take those four big plays away and then you change the down and distance, you change the frustration of those guys trying to get first downs. It changes the numbers that you're talking about
of the first half. And so I know the other receivers they were able to hit a couple of big plays and stuff, but to me, it's the frustration of the big plays that were offered to the tight end position. And I think the Bears have the quality of athletes that they can limit the success of tight ends in this league. And so to me that was be a point of emphasis by Eric Washington and his staff going into this week because they have a good tight end as well.
Yeah, DJ Hockinson, Evan Ingram, and Kiddle all with one hundred plus yards against the Bears, most against any team in the league with the tight end position. So it will be a big match up. And you know this quarterback this scheme, Yeah, outside zone, but they also like work in the middle of the field, and that's what
brock Perty did. They had really not screened that much this year, but their screens were deadly and so always new wrinkles that you're gonna have to face a defense, not with a new coordinator, that's an adjustment to I'd imagine even though he's been in the system for the greater part of this season. But so many things to work on, and that's the beauty of this You can work on them and they can be fixed as quickly as they created problems.
You know, you look at you look at George Kittle for the whole game, six receptions, one hundred and fifty one yards for twenty five yard average. You take those plays out of the first half, you have a chance to be have some competitive scoring opportunities by the Bears offense, and then you maybe have a chance to be a little bit more aggressive at and from the line of scrimmage because when the Bears did blitz, they were able to get brock Perty off a spot, they were able
to challenge his accuracy. And I think it's the same type of attack that you can have for a guy like Darnold in Minnesota this week. But you have to make sure that the coverage responsibilities against a tight end like Hockinson, you don't let it get away from you and add extra yards to it because you know you have a couple of good wide receivers in Jefferson and Addison. So I think it's just given Eric Washington the equal opportunity to go on the road and succeed with his defense.
And I'm almost glad like that they did play in San Francisco because I like to see Eric Washington take the show on the road two weeks in a row in a hostile environment and see how this defense set of talent can work their skills.
Well, I think Thomas Browning the kid, and I'd like to see a little bit more physicality on defense and a little more violence than we showed. And now as well, and you know, now I had three news conferences essentially since the game. He used words on Sunday after the game like challenge us to be the best, encourage, but demand to stay unified. Yep, that right there, demand to stay unified. That says something significant, and that's a lot to dive into a little bit. Got to go to
work this week, gotta go to work next week. Got to go to work and do your best in your four games. So stay unified. Let's see what we get out of it. But you know that message has to come from the players.
That's not something that a coach is going to tell you in a meeting and then it's going to fit into the locker room. This is something that's going to fit in the locker room. And you're going to have these veterans that have a lot of experience in the NFL that are going to have to have that conversation with some of the veterans in the room and some the young guys, and they're going to have to all kind of, you know, surround each other and as they say,
circle the wagons. And I think they have a leadership inside that locker room that have the ability to voice the need for exactly what Thomas Brown is saying.
And I think it can be done, and I think it will be done.
Have a newer gently used coach laying around. Head to your local Jewel Losco until February tenth and donate one of your newer gently used coach to the thirty sixth annual Chicago Bears Coach Drive. Helped keep Chicagoans warm this winter, all right. So I took a different approach with Coach. I did an interview with him for ESPN one thousand earlier in the day that was more about the game
ex's and o's. I really, you know, it just kind of evolved this conversation and it all stemmed from what you spent on the on the team plane, watching tape, breaking things down more than once, and it just became a conversation. So let's get the status at Hallis with head coach Thomas Brown. All right, thanks again Thomas for joining us here in Bears, etc. Tom will be along in just a minute. I know you've already talked a lot about this game and the benefit of traveling that
kind of distance. You do get a lot of work done on the plane, don't you.
Absolutely just having a change from a prep standpoint, hited there, but also on the way back. It gives me enough time to be able to grade both sides of the ball and also take a pick at special teams as well. I try to always, you know, watch all phases multiple times. I have a kind of a more accurate picture when I end up meeting with the coordinators.
But definitely get a ton of work down.
Let me ask you about that because I learned to watch tape from Tom there, Super Bowl Bear so over of course from my career. I don't know assignments or anything like that, but it's just that that ability to watch things over and over again. It slowed the game down for me to call the game. When you first started playing football and you ran the ball at Georgia. Did you before you go into the NFL, did you know how to watch tape?
Absolutely not. I think come out of high school. You know, you don't really watch much tape in high school. It's no mean everybody's in the same media room and head coach might have a couple of clips to show from the other opponent. But other think, like anything else, it's the skill you have to develop when it comes to understanding what you're looking at. But also you know understand how to break down the actual film. So watching the game is one thing, building cut ups and preparations is
something different. So we try to do a really good job as I learned throughout talk about the years at Georgia.
Of what am I looking at?
I think when I was a freshman, I'm just I'm just watching taping and tape it running. I have no idea what I'm looking at. I'm not, you know, necessarily reading coverage and looking at linebacker the means I'm looking just for big plays. As time goes on, you understand to look at you know, formation alignements. From a defensive standpoint, Are there any pressure tails indicated? When it comes to how linebacker's feet are also how guys kind of play
and defend certain blocks. You kind of anticipate certain reads. But I think, like anything else, reperticos.
To the mother of vernon.
So the more you hear it, the more you hear it, the more you see it, the more you do it, the better you become anything.
Yeah, you know the crazy thing about it's the subtle stuff. It's the placement, it's the footwork, it's how somebody's lined up. The uniqueness of the greatest players that in a split second can do something that one tenth of one percent of the entire world is capable of doing because of
their strength or athleticism or their instincts. Right, And that's the beauty of watching tape because if you really slow it down and watch it over and over and over again, it almost paints a different picture every time, don't you agree.
It's like watching poetry emotion at time.
And I think you know that's why I oftentimes get irritated when people speak about athletes or football players in general of not being intelligent. You have to be highly intellectual to be able to understand and diagnose some processing and a split second and make a full speed decision with the game on the line. So I think it's all about,
you know, kind of what you commit yourself to. And as you mentioned before, the greats become the greats because of their habits and what they repeat on a regular basis, but also what they can kind of do a really good job of with Tennessees. That's what I try to do a really good job with the offense of how we marry formations, emotions and even just talk what cretib about his his mechanics and demeanor in the pocket proof o wise, they're gonna keep everything off of your hand placement.
Do you grab the tae before the ball comes any manner and they can pick up on them for the ball snap, So try to be as uniform as possible.
They can't get a key on when the ball's gonna be snapped.
You know, it's almost And I play baseball, so I always used to hitch before I threw, and sometimes if a fast runner he got me, you know, but almost almost every quarterback taps before they throw.
Though.
To me, that's an indicator, right, but it is part of the ritual that you grew up with, or you you can't. I mean it's just you, right. Do you find that interesting that a lot of quarterbacks tap it first.
Yeah, I think it just goes back to habits.
I think whether you create good habits and bad habits is to define who you are. And so, as you mentioned, a lot of qbs do kind of pat the ball before the ball comes out. I remember being in LA listening to idb's coaches talk about pattern match and reading
ke ball out break. Oo's got to make their breaks off of a QB pats balls about to come out, so they go trigger and drop when the ball, which to me, if you're aware that from a quarterback standpoint, you can play off of that and you can dumb me tap, make a defensive drive for double moves and
throw the ball behind them. So, but it's definitely all about kind of playing the game within the game, and also how much can you disguise and minimize the tendencies you kind of expose to the other opponent.
So, with that being said, when you watched it, and watch it, watch it again, and watch it again, and you'll watch it again with the team, what are some things that you feel are correctible from the tape from yesterday's game?
Yeah, the execution first and foremost as far as our assignments, our details, and how we execute the players if they plays become just lines on the sheet until you bring to life something. The more clear that we can give our guys a better understanding, the better they can execute. Opposite game played a really good football team. This is this is the NFL. That there's no d League of the NFL, So it's the best of the best that are here, and so.
We can and weak out.
You going to face really good opponents with really good players, and so have to be ready for that challenge and be up to it.
I think also when it comes.
To separating, you know, motivation and confidence from actually execution, I think our guys would definitely motivated.
They were definitely confident. We had a really good week of preparation.
But the game, that execution is what matters the most when it comes to winning and losing football games.
And with that becomes the psyche of a player or a team. Do you do you feel that you have a pretty firm grasp on the overall psyche of the team, especially one that now has unfortunately lost seven games in a row, because that could go many different ways. But you've been there the whole season, and it's not just now that you're in charge. You have had a good sense of it, but the hopes of a winning season for example, our dash, but now it's about just putting
your best foot forward for the final four. Do you have a good sense of that from these guys?
Yeah, I mean I feel like I do. I mean, I've seen any time you drop seven in a row. I'm not gonna say the psychic is going to be in a great spot.
That would be unrealistic and not a true statement. But I think as far as our guys.
Belief in themselves and ability better fix things and get better, that's not lost. I think there's definitely still a good continuity in a locker room as far as they're belief in each other, which is one of the big points of infaties that I want to make last week, as far as staying connected unifying as a football team. So we had an opportunity to concede and move forward and ultimately, like we're all paid uh to do our jobs and so regardless of feelings, those don't really matter.
I think feelings come and go.
As a as a grown man, you have to do stuff sometimes that you don't feel like doing. Our responsibility is to attack every single day and be at at best.
And this converges with the Monday night game national attention. They're they're gonna be looking at us, They're gonna be poking at us. They're gonna be looking at you know what's next and everything. How do you plan on telling these guys, Hey, listen, man, this is us on Monday Night. I mean, we we gotta we gotta stay together, which I don't doubt you wont uh, But we gotta, we gotta, we gotta really play some really good football against this Minnesota Viking outfit.
Yeah.
I think my message continue to say the same. As far as the outside, no's. I think it becomes harder for our players at times because it's a social media generation. Everybody looks at their phone and watch every TV show. I don't look at anything on purpose of football season. I don't really care about the outside world or what their thoughts are. Even if it's positive, then it don't
help me do my job any better. And so I'll keep the same mess As far as yes, a primetime game, yes, Monday night football.
Yes, the whole world is watching.
But the most important thing is how to prepare and being able to play at our best when it metters the most.
Yeah, I mean i'd imagine that's super difficult. Yeah, it is differ because that phone man, that thing lights up. It was light en up during the broadcast. For me, I'm like, I can't.
Look turn notifications off. And I do have a little small Instagram deal. I scroll past certain things. I don't even look at it. Even if it's positive, it doesn't matter. I'm just keep scrolling and look at something different. So I think you know, diet is definitely know what you put into your body, but also died is also what you allow to go.
Into your years and also in your eyes. So that's I don't.
Care who you are, what you think that will still have an effective use from a subconscious standpoint. So I choose always ignored and block it out, particularly do football season.
I need to take that advice from you as well.
Buddy.
It's hard, Yeah, hard, it is hard. Let's talk about some I want to talk about Jandre Swift because when Homer goes down, No Roa Sean, he's the man, right. You got Darien ton Evans there, but he's he's been around for three years but hasn't been here much this season, And I was looking at the workload, okay, because it was going to be him in the second half, and clearly that long drive was a part of it. But
is he capable of a good heavy workload. I went back and looked last season against Minnesota, went twenty eight for one to seventy five, twenty one for seventy three against Carolina this year. So he's capable of handling a big load if necessary.
There's no doubt about it.
I think he's in the right mindset and the right framework as far as how competes and prepares every single day. But the issue sometimes will come to that position is how bald it can be. It's a very baling position. So I think playing running back every single snap you have to getting hit by multiple people you've been asked to hit people for because very few stamps that are kind of end up being non contact downs for running back.
I think he's taken on the task he wants to be in the entire time, and sometimes you got a saving from himself, you know, so he doesn't wear himself down, But you want to have that mentality brought to the other way, and.
Then what did you think. You know, as a as a great player watching great players, you never get sick of watching greatness. And Kean Allen, is that the fastest to nine hundred and fifty catches in one hundred and fifty games. Has it turned out? Now? Eleven thousand yards? Six to active There's only fourteen players that have a thousand catches in the NFL, So just to I know, it's in a losing effort, but that's significant. It's kind
of cool. He's part of the Bears, although he's been you know, the La Chargers guy, but to have that happen in this game.
Yeah, like you said before, kind of gets overshut of the times because of our record and losing football games. But greatness is greatness, and as you mentioned, he's been one of the best for a very long time. And continue to prove it. So to be consistent. I set it back in training camp. I think the guy is unguarded, but when he wants to be able to kind of
have some one on win opportunity. So continue to continue to prove itself every single day and we'll continue to find way to get him involved.
Do you feel like with the dune'sake. Still learning obviously, but a good connection with with Caleb, you got Cole Commett, you got dj you got keenan other players as well. That that that these guys all are capable of being uncomfortable.
There's no question.
I think that's that's the benefit of having the guys that we have, and we have we have displayed at times. Then I say showcase itself yesterday, but I would say that the previous games before the three in a row gets three the best in the league. Those guys consistently made players and continue to find ways to get him open. And obviously callob has found him as far as with accurate ball players Bean rhythm and timing, that's definitely important.
And you obviously mentioned Rome Rome as a is the youngest of all that bunch, but I mean that dude is because to me, I was already special in the team to be special in the future because he's super detailed and lusive. Rock Runner has really strong, aggressive hands. So love all those guys kind of get involved in the game.
All right, not looked. We got a long week. So last question, what's it going to be like getting in the ring again? Going to to toe Brian Flores.
Yeah, I mean he's one of the best in the league, if not the best. I think he actually did reach out to me after the first time we played him, which I think was was great of him, and I do appreciate that reaching out to me, and I exchanged a couple of texts with him.
But it's gonna be hard, and it was the first time.
I think, once you I kind of show your hand and expose yourself. He does a great job.
But adapting to justin and give you some new looks.
Their defense probably has the most disguised too in the vidiing in the league. So we'll be about trying to prepare our guys the right way, particularly you know Caleb from a quarterback stand put up understanding different looks, how to diagnose things fast, but also the ball distribution and put the ball in and you know, not losing a game because of the stuff that they do. As far as how they impact the coverage units.
Do you might have follow up on that with him. How rare is that? And had you guys a previous relationship.
I know I met him one time briefly just at the combine, just kind of just walking in past and I just told him how much respect I had for him, introduced myself to him, and kind of just kept kept moving. So not much dialogue before that, but I think it was really cool and also.
Hummet of him himself. Again, he is regard.
As one of the best, not the best, in the league at his role, and so I think it's also a good testament to the display we had from off of the standpoint, did you garner respect of one of the best in the league, and it'll be another tough test for us on Monday night football.
That was pretty cool. That's a pretty cool story. Thank you so much, appreciate the time. I knew you'd get a kick out of the tape watching thing, but I got a bigger kick out of Brian Flores. The text from Brian Flores.
I agree. That really surprised me.
And you know, I don't know Brian Flores at all, but I admire the fact that he reaches out to another coach that has an opportunity of a lifetime and he's wishing the best forum So it's just the same thing that we wish for Thomas Brown. We wish the best for him because everything I hear from him speaking publicly, whether a private interview with you or from a podium. I like what I hear, and I want to see if the players are gutsy enough to accept the challenge that he's laying out there for him.
Can you circle the wagons?
Can that leadership the leadership guys with experience inside that locker room, you know, kind of send that message. And I'm not saying the word leadership council or the captains because you know, I think guys like Caleb and Rome's it's probably a better time for them to listen than to talk and let some of the experience. The Keenans,
the DJs, the Montes, TJ's, Tremaine Kevin Byern Deandres. So if those types of guys lead that type of conversation in the locker room, because they have a lot more experiences in an NFL season that they can either you know, talk about their experience or bring on some of the memories of what they feel made the best team they've ever played on.
Caleb hasn't really discussed it too much. I know he's been asked a few times, but he always takes a positive tone on this whole experience. And it's been interesting. I had to say the least the Bears have had quite the right here to deal with all sorts of things, you name it. It's happened in his first year and he's getting sacked quite a bit. You know, it's over fifty, so you know it's a lot. It's team record for
a quarterback, the amount of sex. You wonder what his mind like, what's going through him in your opinion, what do you think is going through his mind right now? Because it can be a really long season and there's still a month of games left, And how do you make managed to keep learning things that will help you in your career for the next ten to fifteen and still stay positive and stay in tune with development. You know, it's a to me, there's a lot there to go.
Through, you know, and I say it often.
I've never been disappointed by anything Caleb has said or done on the football field, because you can see what he does on the football field that he's taken accountability of his study requirements. He knows the game plan, he knows how to communicate, he knows how to verbalize if he has the luxury of playing at home, and he knows how to hand signal if he's on the road. So everything that I've seen Caleb do I have a
lot of respect for. I also think that he's the type of guy that puts the accountability out himself, that he's going to be a big reason why this thing gets turned around ultimately, and he's going to be a success story. We've seen guys in the NFL, the Troy Aikman's and stuff that have difficulty during their rookie year that all of a sudden they become a multiple, multiple time Super Bowl champion in a future Hall of Famer.
And I know there's a long way to go between year one and a Hall of Fame career for Caleb, but I do see the personality within him that he wants to take the responsibility and put that responsibility on his shoulders for being a big reason why this thing is going to get turned around.
I'd love to dip into the minds of guys like Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning knowing how they endured their rookie seasons, the lack of wins for Peyton Manning leading the NFL in interceptions and Caleb's not even throwing interceptions. That's the beauty of that, But yeah, everybody, I mean, look at little bit Sam Sam Darnold's doing. He's got twenty eight touchdown passes. I mean, I came out of nowhere. You know.
That's the thing about it is because of the there's like a separation, a dividing line in the era of quarterbacks. When you think of guys like Brett Favroan Aaron Rodgers who sat multiple years behind the starter to waiting to get their opportunity to play. Caleb wasn't offered that luxury. But then you look at the Peyton Mannings and the Troy Aikman's and the other guys that came in, and they were immediate starters in the difficulty of their rookie year.
But Peyton always says, in order to get experience, you got to play. And I think that's exactly what Caleb is going through this year. And I think the experience that he's gaining throughout this year, and we talk about the development of the relationships between Rome or Cole or all of these guys on and his team that are going to be around here for a long time, that I do think Caleb is the right man for the job. And like I said, I've never seen anything yet that has disappointed me.
And he's got to understand it's not gonna be this way like this all the time. I mean, there may be some times, it may be some tough years down the road, but it's not only on him.
Yeah, this is about putting the effort on display, the commitment on display that the other players can gravitate towards.
And I do think that's you know, but you.
Know, we always hear you know that the at this point, the only important thing is the development of the quarterback. No, it is the development of a team right as well, And obviously that needs to happen, but.
It all goes hand in hand though.
Yeah, you're not going to develop the team and not develop the quarterback. You're going to develop the quarterback and not the team. The attitude and the work ethic of the quarterback can be reflected in the performance of the
other guys. You know, could he save a misprotection, yes, could he save a misread by a receiver, yes, Though, the little things that he can do because of his commitment to the knowledge needed to play that position, I think Caleb can do every everything that's asked of him.
I got that question you know, did you ever talk to dem Orn about his career. I didn't get to go to a Super Bowl and win one.
Yeah, I mean I have, But you know, my first opportunity to play with Dan Marino was in a college All Star game. So my senior year in college, we played Pitt at Pitt they were number one in the country and we went there to we we beat them. I don't know how we did it, but we did. Then I was his teammate at the Hula Bowl, and I got to watch this incredibly talented, mature quarterback that was at a status already above a lot of us young punk college kids that we didn't know South Bend
from South Wilmington. You know, It's just that kind of way, and then you kind of understand what a great pro that he's gonna be. And even though he didn't get picked till later in the first round, he went in there and he was immediately successful, and he had a great relationship with coach Shula. And I don't think that Dan Marino, when you're a Hall of Famer, it's not your greatness isn't necessarily judged exclusively on a Super Bowl.
It's go ask to go to a Hall of Fame banquet and take twenty five offensive players and ask them, would you be willing to play for Dan Marino?
Every one of them it's a consensus yes.
So you know that's the thing about it too, what type of league wide respect you? Again, even though that you haven't had the opportunity to win a Super Bowl.
And all kind of names are popping into mind, friend, Tarkentin hall of Fame player, right, no super Bowl win?
Right?
Yeah, It's just interesting this whole quarterback thing that it's it's blown up in such a way that's it's for Massias.
And it's only I mean, yeah, there's a lot of great guys that had great careers that didn't.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Illinois right here at home, driving access toward healthier communities through it all. I know, the defense really struggled, But what do you think about the performance of TJ. Edwards? Because I did think he played with a mean streak and some violence and had really really challenging assignments with the type of defense they were playing and what was being run by Kyle Shanahan. But he wound up with a good line of ten tackles and blitzes and cover. I mean it was a
lot there. One sack had a near interception. I thought he his pressure around Blitzes was good.
What he's acality, That's TJ.
That's the thing I think about him every time I you know, hey, someone asked me outside the building about TJ.
Edwards. The first thing I say.
His presence of delivering physicality to the lineup is undeniable. And he's the type of guy whether it's meeting or running back in the hole, taking on an offensive lineman that's a lead blocker, or having a chance to support and as protection. He never goes backwards.
TJ.
Edwards makes a hit and he goes forward and he's bringing a body with him. So for the reflection of the linebacker history in the NFL and in the Chicago Bears, he fits in right with the rest of them.
And so TJ.
Edwards is as a really good example for young guys to follow.
It sounds like a cleanups and communication on the back end.
Yeah, you know, that's the thing about a competitive offense. They have the they could they that's where the challenge lies. They can try to get you out of position and not a position for defense is a half a step off balance, a step forward when you should be going backwards, or backwards when you should be going forwards. And it's even Thomas Brown, you know, you talk about the very
little things. And I just wish the quote I could remember it because I think it might have been about the linebacker position when you make an instant decision for a sudden movement, or there was some reference to that, and I really liked it, and I wanted to remember the quote, So I'll go back and I'll listen to it so I know exactly what he said.
Good news, Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes with other bells and whistles, like Bluetooth connectivity screens at every seat in room for everyone's roller bag and nighted proud to fly the Chicago Bears. And you too, if you had three things that you want this team to focus on of the final four weeks of the season.
I know it's a one game at a time thing, but can you and I know I'm getting you off guard here, but what are three things that are must have that can equate to victory and at least representing yourself in a competitive fashion.
Running game, assignment, assuredness.
I don't want I don't want two offensive players going after one defensive players. I don't want you passing up opposite color jerseys on your way to the whole. And it im that's from the commitment, to the running back, to the blocking up and down the line of scrimmage. I want that assuredness that everybody understands exactly what their assignment is every single play and they file follow it to the nth degree.
That would be.
Just one thing that I would need most going forward throughout the remainder of the season. And then you know, Caleb to be provided with protection for the proper length of time according to the routes, because there is a couple times that you know cole Comet was open way down field, and you know you need the security that the protection is going to hold up long enough securely that you can stand there, set your feet and deliver the ball accurately, and then everybody be pushing in the
same direction. And I think that starts in practice, and I think Thomas Brown will be super diligent about that. Where you get a chance to watch the first film you were a head coach, and he talked about it being able to watch it multiple times on a trip of that length. So we can talk offense, defense and
special teams. But then when you start that preparation for this week's game against Minnesota, everybody's got to be efforted in the exact same direction every single play, every single assignment, So they can, you know, be in lockstep with each other on offense.
And I'll throw a third on there, just overall discipline on defense, discipline in your coverage, discipline in your pass rush, discipline in your assignments, discipline in your communication.
That's a must. That's a must.
And then if you have that responsibility of showing demonstrating that physicality in a one on one man, you got.
To bring it. You got to do it for the rest of your teammates and the Chicago Bears.
I pointed this out on the team flight on the way home. Kurt Warner had a text. Not a text, make it seem like we're texting each other. No, I don't have his number. You might, but I don't. This was on X Advice to quarterbacks. Most O lines don't have ability to pass block that long. Know the play protection assignment and get it out efficiently. Most times, more important to get quickly on the radar defense, So you are lined up and on time. What's he trying to say here?
You know, first of all, understand the route concept when you break the huddle, Understand where the possible vulnerabilities is in your protection, Understand if you have any type of responsibility awareness, and then when that route is open, get the ball out of your hand as quickly as possible.
And that's one thing.
When I was watching the game the other day in San Francisco, the Bears ran a boot leg to the right, and I almost wish I would run more bootlegs because I think it's a way to get Caleb to the exterior of the offense and have an open opportunity. So they ran a play a bootleg to the right. DJ Moore came emotion to me. It looked like you could easily shovel past at the d Moore, put the ball in his hands and let him be the playmaker that
he is. But they swung it all the way out to the right hand side and he ended up throwing it to DJ Moore. But you gave the opportunity for the defenders to get in pursuit of DJ Moore. So when he made the catch, he was already avoiding defenders. When you have that type of play, get into the
hands of the playmaker as quick as possible. Don't look for an unrealistic destination route when you have one right in front of you with an athlete like DJ and so getting the ball out of your hands as efficiently and as quickly as possible to give that playmaker a chance to get on the offensive. Just that one little bootleg example is something that you're talking about.
And I don't mean to insinuate he's talking about Caleb. He's just talking about it is.
But that's that's a truism from you know, from playing from every quarterback I played with.
That's exactly. It's a good coaching point.
Bears fan Steinhoffels is a proud partner of the Chicago Bears and this Bear season, stein off is partnering with Special Spaces Illinois to create dream bedrooms for children battling cancer. For every false start caused by the Bears defense during a home game, Steinhoffels donates one thousand dollars to Special Spaces Illinois shop in storing online at Steinhoffels dot com. All right, let's look at the vikings. Well, let's look at the injuries. So we don't have any info yet,
but Travis Homer left with an apparent concussion. Tavon Dexter was having real problem running the ankle. Yeah, the ankle, and I'm missing one. Oh. DeAndre Carter had the ankle, so obviously Dexter. That's big because I still like to see him finish this year strong, playing as much as possible, just getting all those valuable reps for obe his third year next season and an important one. Third year is always the important one.
But I want him to be healthy on his feet. I don't want him to be playing on one leg because that's too difficult for interior defensive tackle to try to balance, shed blocks, get in pursuit all these things. If you do have issue, a leg issue, that really inhibits your abilities. And I want to see Dexter play at to the best of his ability, and so I would be maybe he got one extra day to recover. Hopefully it wasn't that bad and he can.
I respect the fact he came back out there though.
He got me to try.
But you know, there's a little difference in playing on natural grass than sports turf. I think, you know, you really need to be healthy in your shoes on sports turf.
So the Vikings rolled through Atlanta, we already know about it. I mean, Jefferson and Addison five touchdowns, two sixty five just a crazy, crazy performance Atlanta. I mean, they blitzed a lot. They sacked Arnold three times in the first half, but then they kind of took over. It's the first duo in the sixty four year history of the franchise to get one hundred yards and two touchdowns each facing you know, for each guy. So they faced a lot of single high coverage and they took advantage of it.
So you got to give them credit. All this being said, the Vikings gave up almost five hundred yards of offense. They just kept him out of the end zone. Otherwise it could be a whole different story here. So what are the Bears walking into, I guess is my big question.
You know, I think Flores is going to look at the lasting impression that Caleb probably put on him when they played here in Chicago, because I think Caleb had a good rhythm going with this offense in the latter part of the game. And like I said, first time you get to play an opponent twice in one year, I'm excited to see the challenges that this defense sees
for themselves. When you look at Cole and you look at Caleb, and you look at or DeAndre Swift, and you look at Keenan and look at dj there's a lot of weapons that they got to be concerned about as well. So to me, it's more about what does Caleb feel comfortable with in his attack, what protects suit the Bears offensive protectors the best, and how to attack him relentlessly.
Downfield tastes like Mother Times, Chicago Celebrate Responsibility, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ninety six calories and three point two carbs per twelve ounces. Sam Darnold, by the way, last four games, eleven touchdowns, no interceptions. You know, there's some people talking about him as an MVP candidate.
Yeah, I mean, hey, he's having a great year, and I mean he should just be happy with what he's been able to accomplish, because I think a lot of people kind of felt that his career was probably on the downslide. But it's his arrow has never been pointed more up than the day he was drafted.
And time to finish things up with our Geico gives you more football stat of the Week. It's nothing of a big deal in terms of a unique stat, but I'm embracing it because Thomas Brown's embracing it. Bears did not have a single penalty pre snap two penalties for the entire game.
And that's a loud environment like out in Santa Clara for the San Francisco forty nine ers, the environment will be as hostile as it's spent at any time this season. But again, that line of scrimmage discipline for the offense plays an important role in first and second down.
All right, Tom, We're gonna wrap up here. Coming up later in the week, we'll try to secure Joe Buck who'll be calling the game on Monday night with Troy Aikman. See if we can get that done on Thursday.
And I won't get a word in edgewise between.
The two of you, guys, don't worry. We'll give you plenty of runway Buddy special thanks to our head coach interimed coach Thomas Brown. For Tom There, I'm Jeff Jonihak. Thanks for listening.
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