Right justin middle of the field forty fifteen. Bring Russ in front of a leading Lions in.
This way, I am Jeff Joniyacklitz is not donig up.
What was like playing for coach Bogdom.
I don't want to answer any questions like that. Sixty one yards? What's Sunday stroll for? Justin field?
Ye Bears, et cetera.
With the voices of the Chicago Bears. Jeff Joniac new Blood comes to the Bears that they open up another practice up there at HALLI saw walking into Bears, et cetera. Were brought to you by Miller Lake tastes Slack, Miller Times Chicago. Good to have you alongside Jeff, Joniack and Tom Thayer and a couple of veterans added to the Bears roster big time. The significance to me lies in the type of players they are and the leadership they bring to the table.
Let's begin at the edge.
Unique in goc Way eight sacks a season on average in his career. This is his six different team in eight seasons, but coming off in nine and a half sack year with Indianapolis last year worked under a similar system with Gus Bradley worked in Vegas the year before that and had ten sacks for his defensive line coach right here, Travis Smith, and he worked under Rod Marinelli. Impressions of signing a man of this magnitude in terms of rushing the passer.
You know, Jeff, anybody I've ever called across in my football life that can compliment the fact that they've been able to work for a guy like Rod Marinelli.
I'm just pointing him out.
Because he's a guy that still inspires me with his expected work ethic and his compliments. And he even pointed him out that he feels that Rod Marinelli had a big impact on his career. And he's the type of guy that stays friends with a coach like that. So you kind of tell me, this is a guy that football.
Is important to them.
You have those certain coaches in your lifetime that they leave an impression on you and they also give you an understand that you have the ability to be a quality football player in the NFL.
Yeah, experience is huge here. He is a worker, says he's been working hard at home. Certainly, what he has in his weight room in his house is different than what happens on the practice field. But they asked him today, Tommy, Hey, would you be ready to go tomorrow? When he put on pad, he said, absolutely, gotta get it, gotta do it, gotta do it right now.
Listen, man, you had me right there hook line and sinker. And I was watching the press conference, but just hearing that one answer.
Bad.
Look, man, if I got to put on pads tomorrow and play a game or go to practice, I'm ready to go.
And he says, you gotta stay ready.
And that is the mantra of every guy that has a long term career in the NFL.
And the other edition is an agreed to terms y got that signed. Marcedes lewis now entering his eighteenth NFL season. That's er passes all the experience at tight end in NFL history, Jason Witten prior to that, and Tony Gonzalez Hall of Famer. He has a lot of experience obviously with Lukeetzi and Green Bay, known for his inline blocking more than his past receiving later on in his career time, but he's been ever present a part of the Green
Bay offense over the years. A big guy that can help lead that room as well.
Well, you know Marcedes Lewis. He kind of falls.
Into the line of an Aaron Donald for me because I didn't know what to expect out of Aaron Donald when he came into the NFL, and I didn't know that he was.
Going to have this dominance.
But I remember when Marcedes Lewis came out of college and I was curious what type of career this guy was going to have. Wasn't it going to be an injury played career because he's such a big guy, And it hasn't been. It's been a very constructive, very I'm not going to say dominant, but a very profitable career.
So whenever you can bring experience into a position like that, and you're almost bringing in an offensive tackle that can catch the football, and that's what I like about the impact he can have on this offense.
And we, of course have plenty of sponsors helping us out to carry on this new podcast with Tom and I Here for the Bears. Score huge savings on an impressive lineup of items with jewel Osco for You. This handy app features hot digital deals on everything from premium produce and savory snacks to butcher fresh meat and more. Get additional details at jewelosco dot com on the topic of food. And we'll get back to and Ghakway and what happened at practice today. But you were you were
cooking up something special today? Did you Did you finish the job?
Tom?
Did you finish the job in the kitchen?
Oh?
I did?
And I talk.
About, you know, having a bear employee, hobby Air tell me about a Puerto Rican recipe called I think It's paraneal, And yeah, I was cooking it. And you know, that's one of my favorite pastimes. And as long as I don't eat too much and distribute it, it's probably better for me than my appetite and how it can take over. So it's been a productive day between hallis Hall and practice and you know now being down here with the dogs and getting them going and making sure everything's running.
I expect a little slice of that at some point. So don't don't leave me out in the dark, all right. Listen in Goatkway, his name came up prominently throughout the offseason as a possibility. No he was looking for a long term contract. Heard him on other radio shows nationally. He'd like to settle down someplace and hey, who's saying it won't be here. He's still in a perfect age range.
He has been in this league. He's been experiencing all sorts of different successes and failures in his career, but he seems like he's mentally tough. Let's listen in to some of his news conference here today up at halisav excited to be here.
I've been a part of the system before, and I would just love everybody so far. I've met and you know, coach Travis, my position coach. We have history back in Las Vegas, and I just love a style of coaching and I know that he can raise the level of the bar of all of us in the locker room as well as in the d Loma room.
So right here, why Chicago, just.
Feel like it was a great fit.
Like I said, going back to you know what this culture means here, just the history here, and also it's a great transition, easy transition with my position coach and my defensive coordinator.
How were you navigating in the last four plus months when you know free agency starts in March and you've got to try to figure out what's.
Next and it gets to the stitch. How did you kind of keep yourself calibrated throughout.
It, working out, working out, keeping my mind clear, and spending time with family. I feel like that's the best way that I was able to navigate through all the traffic.
Oh eager motivated? Are you to turn this into.
Finally a home and you know you know where you can?
Yeah, you can spend some time.
I feel like it was meant for me to be here. You know, I actually have a bartatte on my hands, so I feel like that's a sign to me that I was always meant to be a Chicago Bear.
How much you have impacted Rod Marinelly have on you, I.
Understand he basically told you the potential to be a Hall of Famer at some point.
Yeah. I mean I just a guy that, uh, like I said, he loves the ball, a guy that saw something in me. You know, I've been to a few few places, and that was a position coach that I feel like, when I'm done playing a game, that I will always have a great relationship where we talk all the time. So he's he's definitely a legend in himself.
Yeah, if I know that, you're also a kind of a student of the history of your position. Talk a little bit more about the Chicago Bears history at defensive end pass rushers and where.
You see yourself.
Absolutely, I would. It's a guy that I really love to watch with Julius Peppers when he had to stop here, you know, a guy that was a great power rusher, guy that had great speed off the edge. And coach Marinelli was also a guy that coached him. So he used to tell me, we have a lot of the same attributes and I just have to tap into that skill set and just show the world.
Tom.
You listened in, you came away with a lot of positive feelings about him, I'm sure. And Goatway has faced the Bears a couple of times in his career, three sacks and two games, one as a Raider and that game in twenty twenty one out there in Vegas. He is just known for putting his hand on the ground and going to get the quarterback. But Matt Eberflu says, hey, you know he's got to handle first and second down as well, and that means stop on the run a little bit too.
Listen, that's the priority of any defensive lineman wherever you play at the end or are you playing the inside. However, I look at some of the young talent here at the Chicago Bears, Travis Gibson and Dominique Robinson, and how much they can learn from an experienced veteran that has an arsenal of moves that these guys can learn how
to emulate. And so I'm interested not only to watch a veteran come in here with immediate leadership and an immediate asset to the defensive scheme and the defensive line. But you know, one thing you have to think about a talented defensive end, Jeff, is how it thins out
the protection along the opponent's offensive line. And that's going to be something to pay attention to and watch because whenever you have a legitimate NFL pass rusher, now you've got to start picking out where is your linebacker responsibility Like you always see the quarterback point to the mic, but now you got to know the direction of where your most dominant pass rusher is and that's going to open up opportunities for other guys not only on the inside,
but on the opposite side from them. But how about the conclusion of the press conference, do you think we will see Dominique Robinson in a different number come tomorrow's practice.
Yeah, and Gokway really wants that number. It's one he's carried through throughout his career. Oh, I think there could be some significant cash involved at some point for Dominie.
For you know, out of the respect of the you know, the role that Ikui will play on this football team and what he's been able to accomplish. Dominique Robinson really doesn't have a foundation in that number yet, So maybe he can go and explore other opportunities and change his look. Maybe he'll look thicker, maybe he'll look longer in a different number.
Now it's somebody that could, you know, conceivably take a few snaps away from you as well. So given your fifty seven number, would you have given it up rather easily?
It depends what year I was in, because I listen, when I came to the Bears, that was the number that was given to me. If there was a guy that had war fifty seven for a period of time, I would have given to him. So here's the same example. When I went down to the Miami Dolphins, they gave me fifty seven. That's the number of the Hall of Fame or one of the greatest centers in the history of the NFL Dwight Stevenson. I actually carried the jersey
is he back to our equipment manager in Miami? And I asked him if he made a mistake, and said, do you really want me to wear this? This is Dwight Stevenson's number, and there's other numbers that I would have picked out. He says, no, you're a veteran. You have you know, you have a certain amount of years of service in the NFL.
We want you to wear the number. And I felt honored to do so.
Hall of famer. I mean, that's a Hall of Famer. Bro.
Listen this, dude.
Well, you go back and you watch tape of Dwight Stevenson unconventional style, but the superior quickness of a player that dominated his position in one of Dana Marino's greatest protectors of all time.
And let's go back to moves past rush.
Everybody has to have a toolbox and Gotway says he's naturally developed one move, which has been some move that he has been associated with throughout his career, and that's the cross chop. As an offensive lineman, how do you stop that? And what effectiveness does that cross job give?
Well, first of.
All, you know, an offensive lineman's goal is doing anticipate the snapcount, put both of their arms out evenly, and try to get in your hands inside the framework of the body to control and then to be in control of the maneuverability of the defensive lineman as he comes along with a cross chop and he either gets one of your arms down or both of your arms down, your immediately your immediate balance goes forward and he's in
control of the rush. So now every single time you're a pass blocker going against the player that has a move that he can use each and every time, you gotta be careful because if you give him an indication that you're throwing both of your hands on the inside of his body, he's going to be able to chop both of them down and be in control of you.
So it is going to be interesting, but I think it's going to be super beneficial for the offensive tackles and every level of the bears that go against him, because now there's a guy coming aboard that has a move that you're going to be able to formulate your plan against. Make sure that you don't get caught up if somebody else uses it around the league.
Nobody as good as him though.
This is Bears Etc.
Our podcast, Jeff and Tom and we're brought to you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears. Let's talk about practice today. They are color coded by coach on the media today. This was a red day practice, so no pads, a little lighter in terms of what they were doing in terms of volume of plays. That'll go to yellow tomorrow in pads, and then the big green light at Soldier Field on Sunday and the fan Fest practice which will also be a padded practice, and it'll be it'll
be fun to see those guys in Soldier Field. But you know, it's varying degrees of intensity. They still do get a lot of miles in with the running that they do. But overall today, anything that catch your eye in practice, yeah, you.
Know, it's it's the continuous speed of the practice. You know, when you look at the defensive backfield, you know, this is one of the most impressive segments to me because they're young, they have a lot of depth, They play energy, and not only do they have a top tier of the first line guys right now, but they're developing important depth and guys that have an enormous role on this team when you talk about their inclusion and special teams.
But then if there's any injury interruptions that you can come up here and play the exact same defenses, never skip a beat, and have guys that are up to the task. So I'm excited to see that segment grow. But like you said, I'm happy. You know, I went back and looked at the schedule because I was a little disappointed when they.
Were in no pads.
So they did have this on the schedule as a no best So now I got to start paying attention to you.
They cooled me down a little.
Bit on the ride up there, but I'm excited to see pads in the next two days and I think it's going to be a real reward for the Bears fans inside Soldier Field to sit at a close proximity and see the different work, the different drills, and then the team efforts that they go through in the day.
All had some highlight today, justin Field's hooking up twice for touchdowns with Chase Claypool Tommy. They did a lot of red zone low red zone that's inside the you know, the ten yard line area, so again, there's no reason that Chase Claypool can't be that kind of target.
Hey, listen, man, I've been kind of preaching this that I really like what Chase Claypool has done through training camp.
There was a lot of question marks before he got here, but when.
You look at you know, we talked about it the other day, the interior physical blocking on inside run plays by a wide receiver who's six for two hundred and thirty five pounds, and he's hitting safeties and he's hitting linebackers with the carelessness of an offensive lineman. And I'd love to see it because he can either get defenders off balance or he can point. He can be a blocker at the point of attack. So Claypool, you know, he's caught my eye and he's still he's still catching my eye.
Whether you're in no pads or full pads.
Well, listen, they got a block. They have to or you're not going to play for take Tolbert. And I heard Dan Campbell up in Detroit saying the same thing yesterday about his guys. So that's what you're going to expect from the defense, to have receivers blocking you. From Detroit expected from Bears receivers here in the division as well.
There's not a lot of guys that jump to the front of the line when they say, Okay, what are you're going to do? You're gonna be the widest wide receiver to the left hand side. You're going to come in slow motion. So now the defense is aware that you're on the move. And now as you see off safety a linebackers start pressing the line of scrimmage, that's your responsibility. Do you take the proper angle? Are you're an illegal hitting position? And then when the collision comes,
are you willing to do it. I've seen examples of that by Claypool in a couple days in a row and a couple times, and they were vicious hits. So I think the other's a couple of other guys that have the ability and the opportunity to take that. For an example, whether it's e Q Saint Brown or Vailist guys like that that can come in and be big physical blockers.
Game Dave snacky calls for good foods. Chunky guacamodi made with has avocados, tomatoes, onions, silantro and a squeeze of lime juice. It's the perfect snack to watch Wild Bears wins score some today at your local grocery store. Game day is guak day and not a day of the full compliment of offensive lineman again, Tommy.
Several players out today, So.
That continuity we're hoping for throughout the course of the offseason and into training camp lasted just over a week or so, but still known. Nate Davis and no Tevin Jenkins today. Cody Whitehair also, that's an opportunity though. It's opportunity for Lucas Patrick to get in the pivot and snap the football. It's an opportunity for Alex Leatherwood, who's in a battle for a job with Jatari Carter, the second year player. So what's your thought on all that?
Well, you know, that kind of gets into my wheelhouse of aggravation because one thing, if you're going to form the camaraderie, that continuity amongst the offensive line, you need to have repeated practices together and that's under very tiring, exhausted circumstances. So when you're challenged, everybody's challenged together. So I need to see Nate and Tevin on the field as much as they possibly can. Cody I'm not worried
about the guy shows up. However, when you're talking about Jatari Carter and Alex Leatherwood, here's two guys that every snap they get as meaningful because there's still question marks behind both of those guys. I like what I saw
out of Jatari Carter last year. However, when you look at all the elements of ability and fundamentals, Alex Leatherwood has those, but can he get that mindset that he's willing to go out there every single day if he has to get in a competitive battle to earn this position.
So I think Jatari Carter and Alex Leatherwood are probably two guys that we should really pay attention to throughout the preseason because they are going to fight for game day avaluability, game day jersey, and a roster spot.
United Airlines Official Airlines are the Chicago Bears. Part of the Bears Et Cetera podcast Jeff Joniek and Tom Fair. We got to do a shout out the team Mongo Tommy Team Mongo, hashtag Team Mango.
Check it out on Twitter.
Your old teammate Steve Mongo McMichael hospitalized last night. He was in the ICU unconscious for a while, but they got him some antibiotics and now awake. Vito's better. I know, his wife Misty at his side and encouraging that Hall of Fame committee to get him enshrine because frankly, that's what he's living for right now, and praying that he gets through this.
Indeed, you know, I can't say enough about Misty and what she's under took since Steve was understood that he was fighting the ALS disease. Steve had an incredible attitude at the beginning of this, and Misty has really taken over for him.
However, every one of us, from.
A fan to anywhere anybody around the NFL landscape to his former teammates is he's probably He's in our thoughts every single day, and you know, it's it's hard to, you know, say any thing, just because I feel so badly for what Ming is going through. And you know, I can't say enough how much we love that guy and you know, continue to support he and his family.
Tremendous fighter, that's for sure.
How he's managed to do this for this long with this disease is certainly something that we're never going to forget, and it is really tough to see. I know it's emotional for all all his friends and teammates and family, so out of respect, we'll flip the page. Saw Jared Payton. He also had had a shout out for Steve today. He and his family and Connie Payton up in the viewing suite looking at practice with one of our sponsors here the State of Illinois. Visit Illinois, and it was
a fun conversation to have with him as well. He's looking at practice and wishing he was out there. You know, he played that college game played up in the Canadian Football League. I had a chance with the Tennessee Titans with Jeff Fisher back of the day and Jerry Azuma going through his career, and I brought it up again because I go, hey, did you ever, now this far along after your career have regrets about not being the running back you entered the league as and the bear
switched into being cornerback. He goes, oh, thought about it every day because he felt he could be an NFL running back. I dicked Geron in that crew, thought he's going to make a good cornerback, and he played nickel and he did a nice job. Returning kicks and made a.
Career out of it.
But boy, that would be hard if you knew you wanted to be something A and they made you into B. It did give you a life in football, But man, in your mind, could I have done this?
Could I have done X, Y and Z as a running back?
Yeah?
You know, I remember one of the first players I've ever saw Jared Payton run, was against my high school. He went to Saint Viner. They were playing Jolia Catholic. They threw easy pitch out and he went seventy one yards for a touchdown. And I was sitting in the stands with Walter for that game, and I remember Jerry Azuma was throughout his career.
It was almost exhausting how much.
Jay Hilgenberg used to say, Jerry Azuma is the best running back on this team.
He deserves to be a ball carry. And he just kept talking about and in.
Jay is the type of guy that gets to an id in his head and he's not going to lose it.
But you know, hey, listen.
I admired the experiences that Jay has had throughout his NFL life from his uncle Wally playing eighteen years for Detroit in the Minnesota Vikings, but you know, he was always sure that Jerry Azumo was one of the best running backs on the team at that time.
Miller Light, the official bear of the Chicago Bears, tastes like Miller Time, Chicago, winding down here in our Bears, et cetera, episode number four and getting you ready for the weekend. We'll be back with you next week for a couple Let's go back to the ngatway. First of all, can you spell in gatway?
No?
Give it a shot, you know, give a shot?
I know, n g.
U A.
Uh.
I don't know.
I'm not going to because I was a little apprehensive about saying it, and I was sitting here trying to practice it to make sure I could say right, because if he asked me to phonetically read it, it's not going to sound anything like it's properly enunciated. But I I will practice it. And uh, yes, that's why you you always say Marcedes lewis.
Not Mercedes exactly, Marcedes, that's that's that's that's his name. And uh yennik and got way. Uh you got the first two right, n G And it's a k oh u E. So I think you had some of the vowels in there, so a nice effort by you, Tommy, I put you on the spot right there. But aside from his name and one of the Nigerian players, one
of many that have entered the NFL. And you'll see the rosters when you start digging into the Tennessee Titans and the Colts and every they there are so many Nigerian players in the league right now and their names are.
Not easy to say.
They really are not, but they are outstanding athletes and that is really a growing grow every year, growing in numbers Nigerian players.
Tommy good I love it.
I you know it's it's just an opportunity for a sports life that you, you know, you may not have under any other circumstances. And then you look at their contribution to the NFL and every way from the front offices to the playing field, from behind the scenes, all good man and I love watching these athletes come in. You know, you're you're never going to be the same athlete at the end of your career than you are
at the beginning of career. How much do you absorb, how much do you learn, how much do you understand? How much do you pay attention to your playbook. You know, all those super signs of significant improvement throughout the years in the league.
It's evident, all right.
So as a reminder and it was as a it's a reminder of the need. Bears defensive linemen combined for seven and a half sacks as a group last season, twenty overall of the team. That's certainly not going to get it. That's not going to cut it, right. But you now, Adam, you add in gotway to vets like rashiem Green, de Marcus Walker, the man in the middle, Andrew Billings, Justin Jones, and you got the young bucks Girevon Dexter, Zach Pickens, Dominique Robinson, Trevis Gibson. I mean,
I just that's a nine man rotation right there. That's a good mix of veterans and young guys to try to cobble something together here to get that quarterback down.
What do you think of that?
Because almost like the addition of Dj Moore at receiver, you've now kind of put guys in slots and compete for those spots and compete for reps each and every week. Because they'd love to have two waves of guys getting after it and you got to stop the run.
You know, I'm glad that Ryan Poles has gone and got a couple of dynamic type A personalities, a couple of alpha males, because when I see Walker walk out on the field, and you know, you talked about this guy before the seasons never started, and so I get to pay attention to him a little bit, and I he's not a trash talker.
He's kind of an instigator. And I really like that.
About because you got to have that volume going back and forth between the offense and defense. He got to have a little bit of that trash talking going because I think it really it helps everybody. And then when you talk about all the other guys that they brought in, I think once they start teaming up together, I think the defensive line is going to carry a little bit more clout for this football team than you mentioned the stats of last year.
Yeah, and I'm not trying to leave out there's a bunch of guys too. There's guys competing. Terrell Lewis, who had a very very very highly recruited high school career leading him to Alabama and he's sixty five two sixty two wearing number fifty two. Keep an eye on him as well. Jalen Harris undrafted out of Arizona, and de
Anthony Jones is flashed from Houston as well. And of course Travis Bell, the kid from Kennesaw State six feet three ten who just loves the game and he's just going after it every snap out there.
And I didn't know this till today, and I feel bad about it. Do you know who Jalen Harris is? That is?
I do not want to Oh Sean okay, okay, former aras Okay, okay, that's right. I actually I just escaped me. But yeah, that's right.
I mean we're getting old.
Yeah, Sean Harris, former number fifty seven too. But you know, I'm glad that someone brought it to my attention because if I do, you know, you get that off time or you get a chance to shake his hand and meets you meet him, you know, fun to see the kids, like seeing Jared today, seeing the kids of the men that we played with and were teammates.
Of ours are people we broadcasted for.
Yeah.
I always like Sean Harris too. He was a good football player, good good man indeed, So we'll wish Jalen Harris and the rest of the guys trying to make this roster the best of luck. Okay, so Saturday Sunday practices. We'll continue to update you next week here on our podcast, Bears et cetera. United Airlines Official airlines of the Chicago Bears, one of our sponsors and we appreciate it.
Thanks for listening, everybody.
Please subscribe now with the Chicago Bears Official app, Apple, Spotify.
YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a great day, everybody.
M hmm.