0:00

Cut over that DJ more zode

0:03

touchdown touchdown pairs.

0:06

I am Jeff, Joni whitz is on

0:08

dot go.

0:12

What was like playing for coach?

0:14

I don't want to answer any questions like that pressure coming

0:16

is a big trouble.

0:17

Dot Go Motest Sweat.

0:25

Bears, et cetera.

0:26

Brought to you by Miller Lte with the voices

0:29

of the Bears, Jeff, Joni and Tom Sayer.

0:33

Welcome back to Chicago, Bears to have us

0:35

all in Lake Forrest. The off season program officially

0:37

underway as of Monday, the fifteenth,

0:40

Tax Day time. I know we loved

0:42

that day. We just love a great time

0:44

to reflect on how you spent your money over the last

0:46

year.

0:49

I try to save as much as i ken Jeff.

0:51

Yes, you do. You know you're about

0:53

as creative of a fine like financial

0:56

planners would love you.

0:58

No, they oh, you are

1:01

spinthrift.

1:04

Right I am? I am spend

1:06

thrift for sure, But you

1:08

know that's a story for.

1:10

Yes, it is. Anyway, It's good to be back

1:13

and ready to row in under ten

1:15

days before draft days, so it's

1:17

exciting. Indeed, the Bears right now

1:19

picking one in nine and

1:21

trying a new course for the future. And the doors did

1:23

open up at hat US off of the offseason program.

1:25

I think twenty plus teams underway. So that involves

1:28

you know, getting in the gym, Tom getting in the weight room.

1:31

That's a big part of it.

1:32

Well, better not just start right now. That's

1:35

a process that has to start maybe two

1:37

weeks after the season is over, and

1:39

then it's you kind of ramp it up and then you get

1:41

into that strength gaining period that

1:44

the Bears should be in now. But it's something

1:46

that they should have been a part of their

1:48

own trainers at home.

1:51

But they have the one of the

1:53

top facilities in all the NFL and

1:56

some really creative minds up there to

1:59

get themselves ready for the upcoming season.

2:01

And you know, the draft is always an interesting

2:03

time for guys. This is a young football team.

2:06

There are some veterans on it, obviously, but

2:08

roster positions are open for business.

2:10

And you know, I know you always, at

2:13

least you always told me you sweat it out the draft

2:15

weekend a little bit, right, because if

2:17

they draft your position, it's a full

2:19

flop sweat right it is.

2:21

You know, you got to figure out, Okay, what type of season

2:23

did I have and how did my season end

2:26

and my exit interview

2:28

with my position coach and the head coach.

2:31

What type of feeling

2:33

do they give you as you left the building.

2:36

And then if you sit there and they said, okay

2:38

with the third picking, uh, the

2:40

you know, in the third round offensive

2:43

guard, so and so, all of a sudden you are unnoticed

2:46

that you did have an

2:48

exit interview. But they're understanding

2:50

that this player was too talented

2:52

to pass up. So the competition

2:56

increases at an alarming rate

2:58

the night of the draft.

2:59

You played your whole care with the Bears except for one year

3:01

with the Dolphins, but there was no exit interview with

3:03

the Dolphins. Correct you or you were going to retire?

3:06

But if you did have one, give me a Mike

3:08

get Ditka exit interview

3:10

and a Don Shula exit interview.

3:13

Well, Mike Dickett interview is

3:15

more of an ex player and where

3:17

do you think you are going forward? And

3:20

the coaches always used to say, look, if

3:22

your arrow is pointed up, we're

3:24

going to continue to coach you like you're a member

3:26

of this team. If your arrows

3:28

ever pointed down, we're going to look to replace

3:31

you. So you know, what

3:33

type of how do how did you what type of

3:35

season do you feel you have, were you healthy

3:37

throughout the season, do you feel

3:39

that you complimented the offensive

3:42

line throughout the whole year? And how

3:44

does your body feel at the end of the year. And

3:47

then Don Shula when he told me

3:50

after the last game I played for him, and

3:52

I told him, I said, Coach Shula, I'm thinking about

3:54

retiring. He's Tom, he said, Tom.

3:56

One thing I want to tell you is I never

3:58

listened to that trend. The

4:01

first couple of days after the season's

4:03

over, as we approach mini

4:05

camp, give us a call and let us know

4:07

how you're feeling, and we'll have

4:10

you know, we'll determine, you know, we'll

4:12

make a determination at that point. So

4:16

you know, Mike Dicka never the

4:18

seriousness never left his

4:21

face or what he expected

4:23

out of you. I think Don Shula had

4:25

a different type of feeling

4:28

about you in terms of what

4:30

you how you could help the football team, and

4:32

where you were at in your career.

4:33

So did he give you like, Hey, Tom, we need

4:36

you to do X, Y and Z. Why don't

4:38

you coming in at this particular weight. We're

4:40

disappointed in your

4:42

physicality in this particular situation.

4:44

I mean, did he get that detailed,

4:47

because I do believe it gets that detail nowadays.

4:50

You know, Mike never, Mike

4:52

Dickon never knew that I ever had to be encouraged

4:55

to be in the weight room. He never. He

4:57

always knew that I was always going to show up in

4:59

shape. He knew that we are

5:01

kind of a committed group of offensive linemen,

5:03

that we are there for the everyday work process

5:06

and with the help of Dick Stanfeld. But

5:09

you know, as you did get older, and

5:11

if he felt that your performance

5:13

was sliding, he would let you know and he

5:15

would tell it, Look, we expect better out of

5:17

you next year. So you know, come

5:20

ready, but come to compete. You know,

5:22

we're not gonna sit here and guarantee you a job

5:24

as you walk out the exit room.

5:26

This episode of Bears, Etc. Is brought to you

5:28

by Miller Lite tastes like Miller Time,

5:30

Celebrate Responsibly, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee,

5:33

Wisconsin. Ninety six calories and three

5:35

point two carbs per twelve ounces.

5:37

So the Bears are going to get better in a couple

5:39

of weeks. The draft is exciting.

5:42

Picks one in nine barring any trades, two

5:44

impact plug and play starters.

5:47

What will that mean for this roster

5:49

that's been reshaped and built by general manager

5:52

Ryan Poles and his staff and coached by Mattie

5:54

Refluse in your opinion.

5:55

Okay, let's feel that's gonna

5:57

take Caleb Williams number one. Let's just

5:59

assume that they bring in Shane Waldron,

6:01

a new offensive coordinator. These two

6:04

have to attach a relationship immediately.

6:06

And then how much does the quarterback position

6:09

affect the rest of the offensive positions

6:12

and then the overall performance of the football

6:14

team. And I think it's super exciting

6:16

from what we've seen over the pass of what

6:19

a new quarterback can bring to an

6:21

organization for that

6:23

first year ie C. J. Stroud

6:26

or many years down the road,

6:28

i e. Patrick Mahomes. So I

6:30

think as an exciting position anytime

6:33

a new quarterback comes aboard this

6:35

high in the draft. And then, you

6:37

know, I don't know what to think

6:39

about number nine, because Ryan Poles is

6:41

a super interesting GM that's

6:44

been able to, you know, add

6:46

more picks throughout the draft, and that's

6:48

what we've become accustomed to. So

6:50

I would target that player

6:52

at nine that if he was there,

6:54

I would take him and I would never look back.

6:57

If I had a targeted player at number

6:59

nine in a couple different positions and they weren't

7:02

there, then I would think about moving back

7:04

and adding more picks. So I

7:07

think it's super exciting. It's something

7:09

that we've been talking about since the day the

7:11

season ended, because you knew the

7:13

Bears were going to have the number one pick in the draft

7:16

because of what the Carolina Panthers and

7:18

how they finished. But I think whenever

7:21

you talk about number one and number nine,

7:23

wow, I mean, you can add so much to a

7:25

team. But you know, Jeff, it seems to me that

7:28

over the last ten years in the draft,

7:30

no matter what round you pick in,

7:33

you can add a contributor to the roster,

7:36

sometimes immediately, like a guy like

7:38

Braxton Jones or a

7:40

player that can develop into a special

7:42

player within a season.

7:44

Two. Look at the La Rams did last year with their

7:47

defensive tackle Kobe Turner,

7:49

and obviously Pokinako was

7:52

and they became a playoff team with a veteran quarterback.

7:54

You know, in Matthew Stafford, I'm the schedule for the Bears.

7:56

As a matter of fact, this year in twenty twenty four,

8:00

you know, there's clouds of players when

8:02

you draft as a general manager, you know

8:04

there's gonna be a window of players. So if it

8:06

is tackle, or if it is edge or if

8:08

it is wide receiver, there there's

8:10

going to be a cloud of players, and you'll you'll be comfortable

8:13

with any of those players at

8:15

various spots. So, yes, I envision

8:18

a potential for trading down. If

8:20

that player that you can live with and

8:23

you still think is greated the same way as

8:25

two other players is still there, you can

8:27

get more draft picks. So you

8:29

know, I was almost singularly focused

8:32

leading up into the really deep

8:34

dive of what's going on right now and just getting

8:36

ready for our show, our draft show on ESPN

8:38

one thousand on Draft Night and just the

8:40

whole draft weekend, and that leads us into

8:43

the rest of the season. Actually, with all

8:45

this information is that you know,

8:47

if somebody wants to come up and get ninety,

8:49

you can get down into an area where you know you're

8:51

gonna get a really good day,

8:54

one starter, even if it's in the

8:56

mid teens or early twenties, and

8:59

you're gonna be able to add maybe three more

9:01

draft picks and maybe one next year. I'd

9:04

be interested in that. I don't want to

9:06

like everybody's saying, we're going to be talking to Bucky

9:08

Brooks here in just a moment from NFL

9:11

Network, their fine analyst and draft expert,

9:13

former scout in the NFL, and a former

9:15

kick returner as well. We're gonna

9:17

talk about some of that. But there's

9:21

so many ways you can

9:23

go in building this roster

9:25

even better than with just a one and

9:27

the nine that you know, I'd

9:29

be open to that, and I think you have to

9:31

be as a general manager, I would too,

9:33

But I.

9:34

Would have an edge, a tackle,

9:37

and a receiver that I

9:39

would have. If they're there, I'll take them,

9:41

and I'm not looking back. If I

9:44

had one of those three designated

9:46

to one of those three players and they weren't there,

9:49

then I would do everything in my power to

9:51

move back and get more picks. Also, Jeff,

9:54

So, when Roger Goodell opens to the draft

9:56

and says, okay, with the first pick in the draft,

9:58

the Bears are on the clock, I'm

10:00

not gonna run to the podium immediately.

10:02

I'm gonna let that time tick away

10:05

to see if someone is still gonna give

10:07

me that interest call at number nine.

10:10

You know what I'm saying. So I'm gonna add

10:13

I'm gonna add more time to that ninth

10:16

pick conversation. And so

10:20

if in everybody's going, oh my god,

10:22

are the Bears? Are they thinking outside

10:24

the Caleb Williams pick. No, But I'm

10:27

offering more time for the number nine pick.

10:29

Game day snacking costs for good foods, chunky

10:32

guacamodi made with has avocados,

10:34

tomatoes, onions, sodachrowing a squeeze of lime

10:36

juice. Score some today at your local grocery

10:38

store because game day is guac day.

10:41

All right, Let's just look at the receiver position for

10:43

a moment, because there's a chance

10:45

that that could be along with offensive

10:48

lineman. Okay, Peter Schrager

10:50

from NFL Network did a mock draft, his

10:52

first one, but he added

10:55

this nugget that he's just not throwing

10:57

stuff up against the wall. It is lying season

10:59

in the NFL. Of course, nobody's gonna show

11:02

all their cards, but he insists.

11:04

And I have a lot of respect for Peter Schrager,

11:07

former writer and has done a great job with

11:09

Good Morning Football on NFL Network.

11:11

But he worked the phones. He's

11:14

trying to make this an intelligent mock

11:17

draft. So he had nine

11:19

offensive linemen in the first round, eight

11:21

wide receivers and a tight

11:24

end, five quarterbacks with Nicks

11:26

the fifth Penix not in the

11:29

first round, and nine defensive

11:31

players. So the most ever

11:34

has been nineteen offensive

11:36

players in the first round. If this were the case, would

11:39

be the first time in history that'd be

11:41

that number of offensive players. So

11:44

with the heavy emphasis on the offensive line,

11:46

receiver, I want to talk about receiver for this podcast.

11:49

You have what you have on the team right now in DJ

11:52

Moore. You have Keenan Allen to all

11:54

pro caliber players. They

11:57

do different things, they will compliment each

11:59

other. You've got Tyler Scott

12:02

and as of right now, that

12:04

would be your big three. Baylis Jones is

12:06

still there. He figures to be the kick returner

12:09

with competition. So are

12:11

you looking for what to compliment

12:15

what you believe Caleb Williams will bring to

12:17

the table, what Shane Waldron

12:19

will call as an offensive coordinator

12:21

and the scheme the Bears are going to run. So

12:24

you want a guy who separates. Do you want

12:26

a guy who's going to be a fifty to fifty contested

12:28

guy. Do you want to run after the catch guy?

12:31

I mean, I know you want all that in one but what

12:34

don't they have what they currently

12:36

do have that interests you in the type

12:38

of receiver, not the name, but the type

12:41

of receiver you're looking for.

12:43

You know, the biggest concerned

12:45

when the Bears had Willie gall was

12:47

it would always make the safeties lineup

12:50

deeper than anybody

12:53

else that didn't have that world class

12:56

track speed. And to me,

12:58

if you know, like we're the kid

13:01

that ran the fast forty, you know, if you

13:03

go back and you look at his durability

13:05

and how many games he played and started,

13:08

I would have interest in a player

13:11

that has that type of blazing ability

13:14

because you're almost guaranteeing yourself

13:16

you're gonna have one on one coverage or

13:19

else you're gonna have the safeties that are lining

13:21

up so far off the line of scrimmage

13:23

because of that blazing speed concern.

13:26

You're going to open up the underneath for DJ

13:28

Moore, for Keenan Allen, for Cole Kamet,

13:30

for Gerald Everett, for Swift

13:33

and you know all the other guys that have

13:35

the opportunity to touch the

13:37

football. And so, do

13:41

I want a six foot receiver to match up

13:43

with Dj Moore? Not necessarily? Do

13:45

I want a guy that is a six

13:48

one six ' two guy like Keenan Allen,

13:50

not necessarily, but is there that

13:52

guy? Is there a guy there that has that

13:54

blazing speed that every

13:56

defensive every defensive

13:58

coordinator is has

14:00

their safeties already lined up off the line

14:03

of scrimmage in a backpedal position because

14:05

if he does have that double move or else

14:08

he has that streak route and

14:10

you don't jump them, it's gonna

14:12

be six.

14:13

All right, Well here's how I'm looking U. Okay,

14:15

so most passes in the NFL these days

14:17

are ten yards or less. Correct you're

14:20

slot receiver that is just

14:23

a dynamic route runner coming

14:25

right into the league, a guy not

14:28

unlike what Puka Nakua did last

14:30

year or what guys like Edelman

14:33

over the years, Ammondola or those

14:35

type of guys that you know they're gonna they

14:37

are gonna have a symbiotic relationship

14:39

with their quarterback right out of the gate because they're

14:42

gonna get completions, they're gonna move the sticks,

14:44

and the big plays go for the outside guys.

14:47

Now not saying DJ

14:49

and Keenan can't do that as inside guys either,

14:51

but a guy that is in

14:54

that kind of where he's gonna get yards after

14:56

the catch. He's gonna be a physical

14:58

player, he's gonna be a guy and and

15:00

and that's somebody that would be different.

15:04

What do you think of that?

15:06

Yes, but where Jeff looks

15:08

those three guys that you just mentioned,

15:11

where were they drafted these you're

15:13

talking receiver? Is

15:16

that you know, third,

15:18

fourth?

15:19

Yeah?

15:20

You know ability? So you don't you

15:22

you don't have to go out

15:24

and you know, get a Danny Amadola

15:27

in the first round.

15:28

And I'm not I don't care what round. I

15:30

don't care what round.

15:31

Yeah, but but if you're told so, I'm

15:33

I was assuming that we're talking about

15:35

number nine.

15:36

No, I'm just talking about what kind of receiver would add

15:38

to the mix.

15:39

You know, you know what

15:42

is his name, Xavier Leggett. There's

15:45

another receiver who is

15:48

a profitable receiver. He's really

15:50

good, he's got good size, he's got good

15:52

speed, He's had a great career, and

15:55

so you have to

15:57

define exactly what you're looking

15:59

for out of that receiver position.

16:02

And again, I was with the assumption

16:04

that we are talking about number nine, and

16:06

if you were going to add a receiver, what was going to

16:09

compliment this this group the most

16:11

and to me, it's always that guy

16:14

that you know a few years

16:16

ago. The fastest forty in the history of the combine

16:19

is John Ross. Yeah, this is

16:21

his last name.

16:22

Yeah.

16:22

And he he had no catches

16:24

his rookie year. He really didn't have a

16:26

very good NFL career. But if

16:29

you look at worthy and you look

16:31

at the amount of games played, the type of program

16:33

he was playing in, he's the type

16:36

of guy that if you're looking for a blazing

16:38

speed that has catches attached to it,

16:40

he's that type of guy.

16:42

There's so many it's a matter of

16:44

what flavor you ice cream you like, right,

16:46

I mean, there's so many guys that

16:48

are intriguing you here because of the

16:51

impact now of spread offenses in

16:53

high school to the college game, the seven on sevens,

16:55

I mean, there are so many, no

16:58

question about it. Were brought to you by pee

17:00

Official Bank of the Bears. Let's jump into our

17:02

conversation with NFL Network analysts

17:05

Bucky Brooks. Please to be joined by

17:07

one of the veteran analysts out there on the

17:10

NFL landscape from NFL Network,

17:12

Bucky Brooks, And a reminder that

17:14

NFL Network providing live coverage of the twenty

17:16

twenty four NFL Draft in Detroit, April

17:18

twenty fifth through the twenty seventh. He

17:20

is a busy man and kind enough to carve

17:22

out fifteen minutes with us. How you feeling, Bucky,

17:24

Thanks for joining.

17:25

Us, Hey, thanks for having on Gus.

17:26

How you doing doing fantastic? You've

17:29

been doing this a while now, So I'm gonna

17:31

start out before we get a bit into your

17:33

background. What have you learned

17:35

about the twenty twenty four draft class? Because

17:37

each years, as Tom and I dig in as

17:40

well and get ready for our Bears draft, we also

17:42

look at the bigger landscape of the league and everyone

17:44

seems to be its own animal. How

17:47

are you looking at twenty twenty four?

17:49

Well, twenty twenty four is a bit of the COVID class,

17:51

and so what you have is you

17:54

still have some older guys who were granted the

17:56

extra year from COVID. You

17:58

have some younger guys who are

18:00

coming out, so you kind of have a mix of players.

18:03

When you talk to people around the league, they will tell you

18:05

that it's a good draft at the

18:07

top, but it kind of falls off a little bit

18:09

once you get into the fourth round, just because

18:11

the depth and the talent, and so what you may see

18:14

a lot of people get out of those picks at the

18:16

end of the draft because they feel like there'll

18:18

be better picks coming down the road in

18:20

twenty twenty five and beyond.

18:22

You know, Bucky. From the time you start evaluating

18:24

the draft getting closer to this

18:27

year, and then you see a couple of players

18:29

that jump up with board. You know, one guy like Mitchell,

18:31

the defensive back after Jeft

18:33

did the senior ball, this guy is

18:35

one of the more talked about risers

18:37

on the board. Is there anybody else that stands

18:40

out in your mind that has become that

18:43

attractive, you know, pre draft.

18:45

Guy, I would say like j Mitchell

18:48

definitely has kind of got the buzz. I

18:50

think people are coming around on Cooper de Gene

18:53

from Iowa a little bit more.

18:54

I think there's a great appreciation for his game,

18:57

particularly after he had a great Pro day the

18:59

other day we were four.

19:01

You throw in his time, his athleticism,

19:04

with what he was able to show at Iowa, which

19:06

is a really good program when it comes to producing.

19:09

Like everybody on defense, but particularly defensive

19:11

backs, I.

19:12

Think the buzz is kind of he's kind

19:14

of caught fire of late where

19:16

he probably could be a top fifteen, top

19:18

twenty pick. And I would say the other guy. Medical

19:21

is always an issue with Peyton Wilson from NCI

19:23

State inside linebacker,

19:26

who prior to the Combine wasn't really in

19:28

discussion as a first round pick. But after

19:30

he runs four four five and

19:33

does all the things that he's been able to do, people

19:35

are now considering him as

19:37

a first round and I think that's something that many

19:40

of us didn't expect given his medical situations.

19:42

Yeah's Tom's been on him. You've

19:45

been on Peyton Wilson, right.

19:47

I'm just a little worried about that because he's so fast

19:49

and I think about the impacts and the collisions

19:51

he has with the injuries had How about this for a

19:53

question, Bucky. So you look at what brock perty

19:56

has been able to do and I don't like the term

19:58

mister irrelevant to me, another draft

20:00

choice. And then you look at the ascension

20:03

of JJ McCarthy. You know, there's more

20:05

similarities between those two guys

20:07

in body style and four years

20:09

in a college program, good coaching.

20:12

And then you see what brock Purty has been able

20:14

to do. Do you think that helps

20:16

JJ McCarthy be more highly

20:18

thought of or is he his

20:21

own is he as his own person?

20:23

I would say

20:26

the brock Purty example is a

20:28

good one, but I would say the guys

20:30

that benefit most from the brock pretty discussion

20:32

will be Jade Daniels,

20:34

who finished his career with fifty five starts,

20:38

Bownicks, who has sixty one starts, and

20:41

Michael Pennix, who is well over forty.

20:43

And the thing that.

20:44

We're seeing the guys who start

20:46

a ton of games at a collegiate level are

20:49

better prepared to have success at the

20:51

NFL level.

20:52

When it comes to playing quarterback. That's just look.

20:54

It used to be an old thing that Bill Barcels used

20:56

to have the bar Sales rule. The game

20:59

is different, but he used to want guys that were two and a half

21:01

three year starters. He wanted them to have thirty

21:03

starts at least. He wanted them to have twenty three wins.

21:06

He wanted to be college graduates because there

21:08

was a level of maturity or whatever.

21:10

Now the game has.

21:11

Changed where you can't use that hard and

21:13

fast rule like he was using it. But

21:15

if you kind of adapt it and you make

21:17

it where it's about.

21:18

More experienced, more game reps more

21:21

maturity. You tend to find.

21:23

Guys who can play because Aid and O'Connell

21:25

was an older guy last year, we had a bunch

21:28

of starts and.

21:29

It worked out for him. But yeah, brod Perty's.

21:30

An example of the many front officers

21:32

are using trying to figure out how they can find

21:35

the right quarterback for them.

21:36

Bucky Brooks, our guest hereon the Bears et Cetera

21:38

podcast, Bucky, it drives me nuts. I

21:40

cannot stand the reference.

21:44

And we all make it. We all make it as analysts

21:46

here ourselves is played

21:48

by a play team. We do it. We don't

21:50

like to lose grip on the past. We believe

21:52

football is football right and we

21:54

say you can't do things nowadays.

21:57

The quarterback position being the most important

21:59

in sports, there should be a ramp

22:01

up period. There should be the experience

22:04

level. And to throw these guys out there, like

22:06

many are going to do in this draft

22:08

and have done in many it really is a

22:10

disservice to them. And then you throw

22:12

in the coaching and if they have an offensive

22:15

coordinator who makes them makes them sink in year

22:17

one, they're getting head coaching jobs. And I got to learn

22:19

something all new them again. It's this cycle

22:21

of the quarterback position. Teams

22:23

are falling all over themselves, Bucky trying to

22:26

spend the money to find the right guy, and

22:28

it's not often successful.

22:30

No, it's not off his because the hardest position

22:32

to build around. I

22:34

would say, like you guys, as Bears

22:38

fans and followers and supporters

22:40

will hate this, but having spent three years

22:42

in Green Bay, like having watched how the

22:45

organization would develop quarterbacks in the mid nineties,

22:47

so Brett Fahr was in the middle of his three MVP

22:50

run. Mike Holmgren and Ron Wolf

22:52

were big believers and always bring a quarterback

22:54

in every two years. They were big

22:56

proponents of you can never have enough that

22:59

night sixteen to won a Super Bowl. Jimming Man

23:02

was on that team. Doug Peterson was on that team

23:04

as the backup quarterbacks. Todd Deptman was there

23:06

the year before.

23:07

So it was always about developing

23:09

the quarterback and having multiple guys in.

23:11

What has gone away is before it

23:13

used to be you would

23:15

sit and you sit behind a veteran

23:18

you would learn how to play, and no matter how

23:20

I came in, you weren't getting onto the field

23:22

for like a year or two. We saw that happen

23:24

with Carson Palmer. Carson Palmer sat behind

23:27

John Kitney and he was the number one overall

23:29

pick. We saw Philip Rivers sit for

23:31

two years behind Drew Brees. He

23:33

was a fourth overall pick. But those

23:36

guys were Pro Bowl players by their third year.

23:38

So there is something to

23:40

taking a slow, methodical

23:43

approach to the quarterback position. The issue

23:46

that you have the fan base doesn't

23:48

typically go forward, and a lot of times

23:50

that noise kind of filters

23:53

into the building and ownership is

23:55

like, Hey, the fans are clamoring for the guy who got to get him

23:57

on the field, and that kind of changes the timeline for everything.

24:00

That brings us to Caleb Williams USC getting

24:03

to know him as you have from watching tape,

24:05

analyzing and watching what have you

24:07

learned about him? That will translate well,

24:10

assuming the Bears do go with him at the number

24:12

one overall pick.

24:13

Yeah, he's the presumptive number one. I

24:15

would say that normal

24:17

a few different.

24:18

Ways, right, norm from who he had been at

24:20

USC and Oklahoma before that.

24:23

Super talented player, talent

24:26

jumps off the tape.

24:27

I won't go so far as to say that he's a generation

24:29

of talent, But what I will say is he's a spectacular

24:31

playmaker who has a flayer for

24:34

the dramatic, does a really good job of take

24:36

raising his game in big games,

24:38

and so he handles the pressure of kind

24:40

of being the guy to go from Oklahoma

24:43

where he dazzled and knocked Spencer Ratler

24:45

out of his position in Spencer Radler has been talking

24:47

about in the Heisman Trophy candidate, did him

24:49

making a way to SC following

24:52

Lincoln Riley and handling all the things that

24:54

comes along with being the star quarterback at SC. You

24:56

give him credit for that, but when you talk

24:59

to his teammates swear by him. They say he's a

25:01

great teammate, really good leader,

25:03

loves the moment and those things. I

25:07

was friends of a high school defensive

25:09

coordinator who went against him in high

25:11

school when he was at Gonzaga Prep back in the

25:13

DMV, and he's like, look, man, this

25:15

dude has been the same way since he was in high school.

25:18

So when people talk about like the dad

25:20

or family or any of that stuff, he's

25:22

handled everything with class. He's been terrific

25:25

when it comes to being able to block out the noise, and

25:27

so that gives me hope that he's going to be able to handle

25:29

all the expectations and pressure being the number

25:31

one quarterback in Chicago, because

25:33

he's stepping into a situation that's different than the

25:35

one that Justin Field stepped into

25:38

right now.

25:38

I think if you poll people in.

25:40

The city, the expectation we're going to drop

25:42

Killer Williams in and we're going to go to the

25:44

playoffs and beyond. That's a

25:46

lot for a young quarterback to do in this first season,

25:48

but that's gonna be.

25:49

The expectation when he steps into the field.

25:50

You know, Bucky, I like your top

25:53

five dark courses, and Joe Milton

25:55

is always I've always been intrigued by this guy

25:57

because he's an incredible looking athlete.

26:00

So if you had an experience of a quarterback

26:02

like this, to go behind Josh Allen, to

26:04

go with Jim Harball, or get into a

26:07

program like the Chicago Bears where

26:09

they have two guys that start off but they

26:11

have limited expectations for a while of

26:13

a guy like Joe Milton, but you

26:15

could possibly develop quarterback

26:18

collateral. What do

26:20

you think about a guy like that.

26:22

I don't think it's ever a bad thing to double

26:25

down and invest in a quarterback position.

26:27

So if you're proposing,

26:29

like, hey, they take Kelly Williams.

26:31

Number one overall, but then Joe Milton is there,

26:33

maybe in the fifth, sixth, or seventh

26:35

round, Yeah, you take a flyer on them.

26:37

And what you're doing is you're.

26:39

Basically doubling up, kind of like the Washington

26:41

football team did years ago when they took RG

26:43

three and had Kirk Coveins. And if

26:46

you're in the business of developing quarterback,

26:48

it is the biggest and most valuable trade commodity

26:51

that you can have if it works.

26:53

Joe Milton is intriguing because of the size,

26:56

because of the arm talent. Look.

26:58

He played at Michigan on the Harbor. I didn't

27:00

get on the field much, but.

27:01

He has that in his bag, and then he had

27:03

success playing when he had an opportunity at Tennessee.

27:06

Is not perfect, it's not always pretty,

27:09

but just in terms of the raw material

27:11

that he brings, he's certainly worth kicking

27:13

the tires on a scene if you can develop.

27:15

When I was getting ready to do the Senior Bowl for Serious

27:17

XM, a guy walked out on the field with

27:19

no uniform and I'm like, I'm not quite

27:21

sure who that is, but man,

27:23

that's a man right there. And then he started

27:26

flinging the ball eighty yards just warming up.

27:28

So just crazy, all right, final moments.

27:31

So the number nine pick is also like in a normal

27:33

year, we're all excited about top ten pick, right, we

27:35

got the number one overall, we got number nine assuming

27:38

they stay there. What the popular discussion

27:40

has been, Bucky here is okay, what

27:42

are the needs for the Bears right

27:44

now? Well, edge is one of them, certainly,

27:46

another edge to pair with Montese sweat

27:48

the discussion at wide receivers certainly

27:51

because of the talent in that top ten presumably,

27:54

and then also offensive line because you can never

27:56

have enough what fits for you

27:58

based on what you've learned in two

28:00

prior drafts from Ryan Poles and what he's

28:03

done after stripping it to the bear wood and

28:05

building this thing up to now

28:07

set the stage with a franchise quarterback

28:09

coming in as well.

28:10

Yeah, so there's so many different philosophies that

28:13

Ryan Poles could take and subscribe

28:15

to in terms of building this team up. Some would say,

28:18

like Bill, strength on strength, which

28:20

is the quickest way that you can make one side

28:22

of the ball great.

28:23

So you talk about the.

28:24

Investment that they have on the offense, Ken

28:26

Allen teaming up with DJ Moore, you

28:28

have Cole Comet, you have Jero Everett

28:31

coming.

28:31

In, you went DeAndre Swift.

28:33

If you just think about, man, if we had a guy like

28:35

a Roma done Day and we put him in, we

28:38

got three legitimate wide receivers that can play,

28:40

Three big wide receivers that can I always

28:42

say handle the elements in terms

28:44

of being able to catch the ball and deal with the cold

28:46

weather into Windy City in Chicago

28:48

in December.

28:50

To me, that would make a lot of sense.

28:52

Look, I would also like for them like

28:54

Matt Eveflus did a really good job when he took over his decoordinator.

28:57

Mantest Wet was better than many anticipates

29:00

when he got traded for.

29:01

They need a complimentary rusher. But it

29:03

comes down to waighing.

29:06

How do you create the

29:08

receiver that is there versus the pass rusus

29:10

there. I would say if it's one of the big three,

29:13

those guys probably get the nod with a.

29:15

Significant margin over the top pass

29:17

rusher.

29:18

That could be there, which would be Dallas Turner or

29:20

Layout to Latua Jair Verse.

29:22

Well, Bucky and I'd like to get more into talking

29:24

about a guy like Austin Booker that you highlighted.

29:26

However, I'd like to get your feelings

29:29

about Devin Hester because when I look

29:31

at your background, you have a similar position

29:33

resume of Devon and now

29:35

you think of him going into the Hall of Fame.

29:37

What are your thoughts on a

29:40

guy like Devin going into the Hall of Fame

29:42

and what he's been able to accomplish.

29:44

One is great and I

29:47

worried about him getting

29:49

in because I was like, man, he might be the last

29:51

of the great kick returners that we talk about

29:54

having gold jacket consideration. I

29:56

will say that I remember I just started

29:58

scouting when Devin Hester was

30:01

coming out in the big conversation and what position

30:03

would we play? Like, what would be the position

30:05

that he plays outside of being the return that will it be a wide

30:07

receiver, will.

30:08

Be a BB in those things?

30:10

And I think what Devin Hester would go down

30:12

as he was an ultimate I would

30:14

say momentum changer. His

30:17

his kick and punk returns they were I mean,

30:19

look they were musty TV.

30:20

And the amount of times.

30:22

That he was able to flip the field and change

30:24

the tenor and the temple of the game with a big

30:27

return.

30:27

I think they appreciate that. Part of why I

30:30

think you saw the change and.

30:31

The kickoff rules of the kickoff return rules

30:34

this year, is they want some of that energy

30:36

and that electricity back. That play was

30:38

significant for so long and it become

30:41

kind of a ceremonious, you know, like

30:43

play.

30:43

But now it's back.

30:44

And so I think Devin Hester has a lot to do with

30:46

how we team

30:49

builders, people in the media at our and rage,

30:51

how we view the position because he was nothing

30:53

sure to spectacle with the ball in the sands of the kick return.

30:55

Oh yeah, he was ridiculous, Bucky,

30:59

ridiculous. And you

31:01

know, shortly after that new rule change and

31:03

Tom and I were pounding, man, we're all season

31:05

long. We would just get annoyed at the you

31:08

know, the touchbacks, the indifference

31:11

in returning, and now special

31:13

teams is back. It's back and hopefully

31:15

better than ever in twenty twenty four. Bucky,

31:17

appreciate it so much. Thank you do a great job.

31:20

Also, we love you with our buddy

31:22

Daniel Jeremiah, as you guys

31:24

break down college talent

31:26

all season long and certainly on the podcast

31:29

Move the Sticks. With the NFL season so keep up

31:31

the great work. Appreciate you, Bucky.

31:32

Thank you, Bucky. Appreciate Its awesome.

31:37

So, hey, Bucky does a heck of a job. All those

31:39

guys at NFL Network, Charles Davis, Daniel

31:42

Jeremiah, and they really break things down

31:44

in a really understandable way. Everybody's

31:46

got different opinions. I've been what I've been doing with

31:49

all these position profiles.

31:52

I've been putting like the Kuiper grade. You

31:55

know what position number

31:57

do they have them at? Overall? So

32:00

I have like seven different guys just to get an

32:02

idea of And you know, guys

32:04

aren't too far off the beaten track from

32:06

one another, certainly with the first round,

32:09

but as you move into the deeper part of it,

32:11

it definitely changes. But just some

32:13

really good stuff there from Bucky Brooks.

32:16

But here's what I love, because you're a thinking

32:18

man, Tom, You're a thinking You're always

32:20

thinking. You got a lot of time to think. You

32:23

threw in Joe Milton. Yes,

32:25

when I mentioned in that interview, as you just

32:27

heard that I saw him walking out of the practice

32:30

field. You know, I didn't know if he

32:32

was a defensive player or if he was a tight end.

32:34

I didn't know, and it was Joe Milton. And

32:36

that's a football player. That's

32:39

a football player, and I've seen where

32:41

teams will likely gonna give him maybe

32:43

a chance to play tight end. But

32:45

I love that your thought process was,

32:47

Hey, if you got a heck of a coaching

32:49

staff, and you got guys

32:52

that you believe are teachers, you can

32:54

make this guy possibly into something.

32:56

What a project that would be based

32:59

on his old overall traits and talent

33:01

and arm strength. Now that's not all that you need.

33:03

Obviously, Remember Rohan Davey could

33:05

throw the ball eighty yards too from LSU

33:08

and did not amount to much of a quarterback in the National

33:10

Football League. The one thing, though, I

33:13

went back and looked at what his completion

33:16

percentages throughout his life have been,

33:18

and in high school not once

33:21

did he had fifty percent completion percentage,

33:24

So that inaccuracy is

33:26

really a challenge.

33:27

For him right Well. The only

33:30

reason that I was, you know, I've seen

33:32

Joe Milton play, I've seen his arm strength,

33:34

I've seen you know, his body's size

33:36

and shape. And if he did

33:39

come aboard the Bears either in a free

33:41

agent or a late round draft choice,

33:43

and he's not going to interfere

33:46

with the development of Caleb Williams. And

33:49

so if you brought in a young guy like

33:51

that and then you took this talent and

33:53

you started to develop them him in

33:55

a quarterback capacity, you're

33:57

gaining you're gaining value

34:00

with him. And now you know, I

34:02

mean, it's not urgency to get

34:05

him ready to play by week three. No,

34:07

it may be getting getting ready

34:09

him, getting him ready to play quarterback

34:11

in year three, but it

34:14

is. You know, you've had an eyewitness account

34:16

and it's hard to deny that when this guy comes

34:18

out of the locker room, he's spent time

34:20

in the weight room. He's an incredible

34:22

athlete. You know, he's he's

34:24

really strong's he played in the big

34:27

Time SEC program. So

34:29

you know, it's just kind of thinking outside

34:32

the collateral box.

34:33

The moment he gets in the league, he's got the strongest

34:36

arm in football.

34:37

Yeah, that's not no doubt.

34:38

I don't think it's debatable. I mean, that's how

34:40

that's how crazy that is. Hey,

34:43

when it's time to tackle some game day deals, then

34:45

go with the grocery. He's been a part of the Chicago area

34:47

since eighteen ninety nine. Jewel Osco

34:50

the official grocery store of the Chicago

34:52

Bears. All right, Larry Mayer, doing great job with Hall of

34:54

Fame previews of Devin Aster and Steve McMichael.

34:57

Julius Pepper's coming up in August.

35:00

But you had the occasion to be an ALS

35:02

fundraiser over the weekend. Our good friend Dan

35:05

Pompeii called me this morning, as

35:07

a matter of fact, said he has a new partner, and I wasn't

35:09

picking up what he was laying down. And here

35:11

it's Tom Thare and you had some really nice

35:14

things to say about about Steve. As

35:16

he continues, man, I just hope

35:18

the Good Lord gets him to Canton in

35:21

one piece and enjoy that

35:23

moment. That's you know, that's

35:25

all you can ask for at this point.

35:27

You know, it's a super supportive

35:30

crowd to the ALS community

35:32

of four hundred people strong, doctors

35:34

and people that are afflicted with it

35:36

and just the supporters. So I

35:39

think a lot of people that sat in that room

35:41

really don't know Steve McMichael.

35:44

So I gave him the perception of Steve

35:46

McMichael and the reality of Steve McMichael,

35:49

because at one time one

35:52

Ming and I were talking and he says, Hey, tom

35:54

Me, I won't to tell you something. You

35:57

ever get the chance to talk to people about

36:00

Mango, I want you to tell them

36:02

the truth. I want you to tell them the

36:04

what kind of guy I was, what

36:06

kind of teammate I was, and how tough

36:09

I am, And that

36:11

is all Steve. But the perception

36:13

of Steve is is he's one of the most intelligent,

36:16

congenial, supportive teammates

36:19

that you could possibly imagine. He

36:21

was a mentor of mine. He helped me be

36:24

a better offensive lineman because he was

36:26

such a great defensive lineman. He

36:28

was super supportive in the weight room

36:31

and around the locker room. So when

36:33

you talk about the Mango,

36:36

the ming, the merciless, you.

36:38

Know, all the you know these characters.

36:40

First the nicknames of Steve McMichael.

36:43

He was, but he was also one

36:45

of the greatest men in the history of the

36:47

Bears.

36:47

Well, you know, and the greatest. The greatest

36:49

name attachment to him that you could possibly have

36:52

for you is friend.

36:54

Yeah he was, Oh, you know, but

36:56

I had so much respect for me because

36:58

he is older than me, and

37:01

he mentored me to be a

37:03

better offensive lineman through

37:05

his skills as a defensive Lineman.

37:07

There's times at practice I would

37:09

get out there early said hey, Tommy, come here,

37:12

I've been noticing this about you in your

37:14

stance, and I want you to try this.

37:17

And you know, he would give you those hints

37:19

and clues and just an

37:21

incredible he's incredible teammate.

37:23

That's that's part of why you're a Hall of Famer.

37:26

It's called intangibles. You know, when

37:28

you look at Hall of famers, it's

37:30

not just skill, it's not just their athleticism,

37:32

it's not their traits. It's the intangibles

37:34

that get them there. It is. It's this

37:36

overwhelming desire to be great, this overwhelming

37:39

desire to be a good teammate, the

37:42

insatiable appetite to win and

37:45

to you know, basically,

37:48

you know, basically kind

37:51

of live almost on the edge of fear, you

37:54

know, on that that straddling that

37:56

fence of living with fear of failure.

38:00

That's that's life.

38:01

You know.

38:01

That's why two hundred and twenty games he was

38:04

so incredibly successful. Longevity

38:06

and dedication.

38:08

Busy Heart, Seltzer Flavors for every

38:10

Vibe, Celebrate Responsibly, Most and Course Beverage

38:12

Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All Right, you're

38:14

not on Twitter or any of the social platforms,

38:17

but you get you get stuff sent to you. I know you

38:19

do. You come up with stuff I don't even see. But

38:21

there's a guy named Warren Sharpy does a lot

38:23

of fantasy football analysis. Very

38:26

deep guy, very technical, very numerical,

38:29

but he does a strength of schedule

38:31

forecast every year in his own

38:33

way, however he does it, and

38:35

I thought it was interesting as

38:37

it pertains to the Bears. So last

38:40

year against playoff teams,

38:42

and this is probably a predictable

38:44

situation, they were one in six against

38:48

what amounted to playoff teams. A year ago,

38:50

non playoff teams, they were six

38:52

and four against those teams, teams

38:54

above five hundred, one in

38:57

seven teams

38:59

that when they faced him, we're below five

39:01

hundred or in the end of the story of

39:03

the season under five hundred six

39:05

and three. So the Bears beat teams

39:09

that were in their area code, so to speak,

39:12

and did not do well against the really good

39:14

teams. But now they got

39:16

a revamp roster that's added

39:18

some more veteran impact, and we'll

39:20

add a franchise quarterback, we can

39:24

say, and another top ten pick

39:26

potentially, and another year

39:28

with Matt Eberfluse a new

39:30

offensive scheme, and

39:32

they, according to Warren Sharp

39:34

Web, the third easiest schedule in

39:36

twenty twenty four. Do

39:39

you care about that? Do you put that in the pot

39:41

and shake it around? I mean, things change

39:43

because every team's trying to get better,

39:45

and there's going to be a handful of teams are

39:47

going to be significantly better than they were a year ago,

39:49

and they weren't considered a playoff team a year

39:52

ago or maybe not even considered one this year.

39:54

So this is somewhat of an exercise in

39:57

futility because you really don't know. But how

39:59

do you take it?

40:00

Ah, That's kind of why I'm glad I don't

40:02

have social media because

40:05

you know, listen, one of the most too important game,

40:08

most three most important games you

40:10

have to win twice, and that's

40:13

Green Bay in Detroit, and they were both playoff

40:15

teams in Minnesota. You don't know what's

40:17

going to happen to those guys this year. So

40:20

you know, if you talk about, oh, yeah, they got the easiest

40:22

schedule, okay, but if you

40:24

don't beat teams within your own division, it doesn't

40:26

matter what type of schedule you think that you

40:28

have, right, So can you beat Detroit

40:30

twice, which you should have last year, and

40:33

can you beat Green Bay at least once

40:35

this year? So that's where you

40:38

know, my concern and my interest

40:40

is in the strength of scheduling

40:42

because and I'm glad. I love

40:45

the fact that Montes Sweat is

40:48

already told put his teammates

40:50

on notice. Look, man, we got to beat

40:52

the Green Bay Packers or else. So

40:55

I appreciate that so

40:57

much by Montes, And when I do

41:00

get to talk to them, I'm gonna thank them for

41:02

this because it's something that needed

41:04

to be said.

41:05

Yes, the forehand, it needs to dominate

41:08

the locker room. Yes, for packer

41:10

weeks. So the Bears are playing

41:12

last year's playoff teams this year, the Rams,

41:15

the forty nine ers, Houston, Green

41:17

Bay, and Detroit twice. So that's

41:20

seven games against last year's

41:22

playoff teams. But I went looked

41:24

also, they got nine games unless

41:26

I got the math wrong, Nine games, Tommy

41:29

against teams with a starting quarterback with two

41:31

years or lesson starting experience.

41:35

Do you look at that at all as

41:38

anything to hang your hat on. With a

41:40

defense that finished the year extremely

41:42

strong and has a lot of momentum moving

41:44

into twenty twenty four.

41:47

I don't minimalize it down to one position.

41:49

I look at it the overall accomplishment

41:52

of the football team and where they're

41:54

where they're headed, you know, So

41:57

I you know, it's

41:59

you know, you can look at you know, the Houston Texans

42:02

with CJ. Stroud. Okay, he's going to be

42:04

in the second year at the quarterback position, but he also

42:06

as a rookie let his team into the playoffs,

42:09

right just Jordan

42:11

Love is a second year

42:14

starter and he had a season

42:16

that was a pretty darn good season. Jared

42:19

Goff, I think he's

42:21

closer to being sacked than he is

42:24

to escaping the pocket and throwing

42:27

you know, a lot of completion. So I

42:29

don't know, to minimalize it down to one position.

42:32

I think it's unfair for the rest of the guys on

42:34

the team.

42:34

And we're talking about Carolina. We'll

42:37

face them with Bryce Young, will face

42:39

a Washington team with a new quarterback, presumably

42:42

we'll pick in the top three

42:44

and stay right there. And New England

42:46

also we'll have a new quarterback, a young quarterback.

42:48

Minnesota.

42:49

Minnesota, we'll have a young quarterback

42:52

and maybe it'll be JJ McCarthy who knows

42:55

all right. Lastly, talk about KEELEB. Williams,

42:58

Dan Briggler, who does a great job for the athletic

43:00

and his Beast Report. I

43:03

think it's eight hundred pages long. I

43:05

threw this nugget at you the other day, a

43:08

very impressive stat about Caleb Williams

43:11

one hundred and ninety nine pass attempts on third

43:13

and fourth down, did not throw an interception. That's

43:16

significantly. That is significant.

43:19

Well, listen, every offensive coordinator,

43:21

every office, quarterback, coach, everybody

43:23

talks about protecting the football, and

43:25

I mean, that's the ultimate protecting

43:27

the football, my gosh. And to

43:30

have that type of knowledge

43:34

and discipline and everything that goes

43:36

along with protecting the football on third and

43:38

fourth down, my gosh, that's one of the

43:40

most impressive stats that I've heard

43:42

from a college quarterback in a long

43:45

long time.

43:46

Tastes like Miller Time. Go to Miller lite dot

43:48

com slash bears pod to find delivery

43:50

options near you. Celebrate responsibly. Miller

43:52

Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ninety six

43:54

cavalies and three point two carbs

43:56

per twelve ounces. That's going to wrap us up today,

43:58

Tommy. Nice job out again,

44:00

Buddy.

44:01

Oh yeah, looking forward to it, looking

44:04

forward to listen. I'm looking forward towards a

44:06

draft because we've talked about

44:08

it with such frequency

44:11

and such role of importance that it's

44:13

going to have in the future of the Bears. I

44:15

look forward to when that number

44:17

one pick is given

44:20

to Roger Goodell. Then they get

44:22

down to the rest of the draft and see where Ryan

44:24

Poles and his staff, you

44:27

know, kind of figures out the route

44:29

they're going to take.

44:29

Yep, and get down to business. Next week we'll have our

44:31

podcast with some comments about

44:33

Ryan Poles and the tune up before the draft. Every

44:36

NFLGM has to speak on it before the

44:38

draft, so it'll give us a little nugget

44:40

or two. I'm sure I've got the annual

44:43

award at Hallis Hall that leads

44:46

up to the draft, that is truly a Bears

44:48

tradition. That's a Brian Piccolow awards.

44:50

A veteran and a rookie from last year will get those

44:52

honors. And so that's the cycle. Like

44:55

Mattyberflus always talks about the cycle of the

44:57

snaptom, this is the cycle of the

44:59

season. Like you get into this rhythm of what to

45:01

expect different mileposts and then leading

45:04

into May when you've got mini camps in the start of OTA.

45:06

So very excited about it all for time

45:08

and also thanks to Bucky Brooks from NFL Network.

45:11

Thanks for listening. Please subscribe now on the

45:13

Chicago Bears official app, Apple, Spotify,

45:15

YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. Speare

45:18

it out everybody,