Takeaways from Bears' Week 4 win vs. Jets | Bears, etc. Podcast

0:00 Caleb throws, middle of the field, lovely catch, lovely 20, lovely 10, lovely 10, touchdown Bears!

0:08 Mighty Monungai, another touchdown run!

0:11 What was it like playing for Coach Dicka?

0:13 I don't want to answer any questions like that.

0:16 Cairo Santos is up, it's good!

0:19 Bears win it!

0:20 No way!

0:20 And take it out, and take it out, and take it out!

0:25 Now, Bears Etc. brought to you by Chevy Drives Chicago, the official truck partner of your Chicago Bears. It was domination defined by a black and blue beat down in the trenches. It was an imposing, imposing of wills. It was 23-12 over the Jets with a pulverizing ground game and clock possession that set records. We discuss in episode 252 of the Bears Etc. podcast with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Thayer. I'm Jeff Joniak. And Bears Etc.

0:51 is brought to you by Chevy Drive Chicago, Chicago, Atlanta, Northwest, Indiana, Chevy dealers. Coming up in the program, our Monday after the Sunday win interview with Ben Johnson. Tom, good to see you. I think the best news of the day from Ben at his weekly news conference with the media, Kyle Monunga, Day to Day.

1:08 Yeah, that's good.

1:08 You know, Kyle Menunga is an asset to the running back room in this football team and he's definitely needed. So first of all, you got to make sure that he's the healthiest he can possibly be. There's still a lot of games yet to play and make sure he can do everything that's needed in his job. And if Ben understands that he can go out there and play, then play. If you can't, then Roshan Johnson's got to step up to his opportunity. Yep.

1:36 The numbers were stunning. Time of possession, we'll go over it a little bit. 42-45 to 17-15. Doesn't make sense, right? It just doesn't. Yards, 492 to 157. That's a 335 total yard margin. Best for the Bears since week 16 of 1979 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Just a tad before your time, Tommy. You were still in Notre Dame in 1979, right? Yes, sir. Only running back in the league with 30 carries this year is Kyle Mnangai. I believe...

2:04 I believe it's happened 44 times since 2000 only. That's how rare it is these days. I mean, you're talking about guys like Saquon Barkley. You're talking about Derrick Henry for sure. You're talking about Taylor in Indianapolis, you know, mixing over the years. And I'm sure back in the, I'm missing guys, but those guys, yeah, but that's the only one this year.

2:28 Yeah, but they always took making sure that they are healthy and ready to go during this playoff run. So then they started having a stable of running backs rather than one running back.

2:40 Montgomery did it for Ben Johnson. As it turns out, a 34-20 win over Green Bay in September 28, 2023. He had a 32-carry game, so. I love the working out of Roshan, Joe. That was big for me. Any little bit of confidence back to him running the football. He had an 11-yard run that looked like the old Roshan from his rookie year. Yeah.

3:04 And it's another guy that we've talked about coming off a tremendous training camp. And Ben talked a lot about how much influence and how much opportunity he's had to be successful in the special teams game. But Roshon Johnson's a running back. He's a good running back. He's got good instincts. He's a good blocker. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. So if he's called upon, I think Roshon Johnson and the running game won't skip a beat.

3:29 Bears have 298 plays. That's most by a Bears team since at least 1964. 159 runs, the most since 88. Second most in the NFL since 1989. This is just through the first month. And they now have 106 more plays than their opposition.

3:48 It's amazing.

3:48 It's a game and a half of more plays than their opponent. And, you know, Ben talked about being the leading scorer in the history of the NFL, but how about being the leading play runner in the history of the NFL?

4:02 That would be an amazing feat as well.

4:04 Nine rushing touchdowns in the first four games. Most by a Bears team since 1988. Yeah, there's just a lot of numbers. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Get Chevy Silverado, the official truck partner of the Chicago Bears. Check out a Chevy Silverado at your Chicago and Northwest Indiana Chevy dealer. Chevy drives Chicago. And it wouldn't happen without the offensive line, the tight ends, the ride receivers, and all that. So we'll get into that. Let's talk about Tyson. His line looks great.

4:28 24-34, 75.3%.

4:28 268, a career high in yards. The no touchdowns, one interception, 83-9, one sack. His first start against the Raiders three years ago, 72.4% completion percentage. So, yeah, they got lucky on a couple with the penalties that took out some interceptions. But really, maybe the pass behind Colston Loveland that was picked up by the Jets, the only real true blemish of the day.

4:56 Yeah, listen, he did a great job.

4:58 And this is the first time playing in an actual regular season game in a long time, starting a game. And I know Case Keenum was behind center the first play of the game. However, this was a Tyson Bajan start. And Ben had a lot of faith in him in the course of the week. He didn't tell anybody, but he knew what was going on. And I think that The quarterback position is unique enough where if you get more opportunities to play, the more clearly you see the field.

5:28 The more you get to play, the more you get to correct what perceived mistakes you have from tape. So I'm excited to see if he gets another opportunity to play.

5:37 Yeah, he will against the Green Bay Packers. Next-gen stats, 21 of 23 for 202 in a clean pocket. He was ripping it, and he could even elevate that, right? on some throws.

5:51 Listen, I think whenever you get the protection from the offensive line that you can calmly sit back there, evaluate one, two to three, and then make the throw that presents itself. You know, he did some of the numbers you talked about last night and during the game about where he was at with the wide receiver position. It's pretty amazing because you know how important the success from the quarterback to wide receiver is for for the big picture of the offense.

6:18 Yeah, he hit his first 11 to the receivers. I think he finished 12 of 15, something like that. Short yardage, goal line, red zone, that's something that's going to be definitely focused on moving forward. It always is. It always is.

6:34 I don't think people understand how difficult it is to move the ball against goal line short yardage. And then when you have the size that the New York Jets have, you're not just going to walk into the end zone. It's going to have to be something that you're going to have to do things fundamentally and technically upfront. as well as against anybody in the league. It was a little frustrating. However, they ended up getting the win in the game and they ended up getting into the end zone.

7:01 I still believe when I watched that play for Deandre Swift, that he was in the end zone. I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, it was a replay. No, DeAndre Swift was in the end zone for that first touchdown.

7:15 Get your operations across the goal line. Like Tom just said, with Grainger, count on nearly one and a half million products from the brands you trust and a distribution network that delivers in the clutch. Call, click Grainger.com or stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. And Ben Johnson's getting it done. Let's listen in to our interview with the head coach. Tom and I were calling it a cold tub game on the radio yesterday. Certainly a punishing, grinding, show us who you are type of statement.

7:43 The day after, do you talk to the offensive guys? Because 93 snaps for these guys, especially on the offensive line.

7:50 Yeah, it was a lot. We brought a lot of light to it in the team meeting just in terms of the time of possession, the number of plays. The fact that we finished the game with an 18-play drive with nine minutes to go to close the game out. And, you know, more than anything, you could hear the defensive players really clap their recognition. And I think they really appreciated what the offense brought to the table in that regard, you know. And so we'll have to be smart here this week just in terms of making sure we get them recovered and get their legs back under them. But we got a tough group. And this is why we do what we do in the springtime and throughout training camp is to uh, be prepared for this long haul

8:31 that we're in.

8:32 But you mentioned that the final drive and just finishing games and never letting them get the ball back for 18 plays in nine plus minutes is extraordinary, but it is a mentality that you often refer to finish this thing. Don't let them get this back and make your statement. Yeah.

8:51 And, and, uh, you know, it's, it's really the growth from where we were a year ago to where we are now. Um, What we knew when we watched our self-scout in the springtime was that if the game's close in the fourth quarter, we could find ways to win. What we didn't know was when we had the lead in the fourth quarter, could we close games out? And so we've had a couple opportunities here, and I think the guys have done a really nice job answering that call.

9:21 You also mentioned in the news conference with the media on Monday, one thing you've learned in the first month, we've got a poised team. What else have you learned?

9:30 Well, I think we have a really physical team as well. All three phases, you know, we like to highlight when we have these big hits. And I think it shows up on a weekly basis right now. Our guys, they like to play tough, hard-nosed, throwback football to a large degree. And so I think that shows up on tape. I think we're very physical. I think we're a poised group.

9:56 And I think we're becoming a more disciplined unit as well. You know, the first couple games we got plugged with the penalties but we're turning the right direction in that regard that that got showcased uh last week also you know the first possession that the Jets had they tried to draw off draw us off sides when when they were backed up and our defense did a great job holding their water and then uh In that last drive, that fourth quarter, we were able to get them to jump a couple times and really help us extend the drive as well. So I do think we're playing a more disciplined brand of football also.

10:28 Perfection is impossible when it comes to blocking offensive linemen. You've told me that for years offensive line coaches are never happy, but on this tape, would you agree there are some that were near perfect?

10:40 Yeah, yeah.

10:41 I mean, we made mention of it when we watched as a staff that– a number of these clips will be on our teach tape come next spring. That's a credit really to everybody. I thought our tight ends did a nice job. Up front, the O-line did a nice job. Our backs ran hard. We had some receivers blocking at times.

11:01 One of those first short yardage calls, I think it was the second one of the game, we had Rome blocking to Mario Davis, and that helped spring us for an explosive run. Later on in the game, we had Kalief Raymond blocking to Mario Davis.

11:14 Yeah.

11:15 And had a nice gain on that one. And so our little guys are getting involved as well. And, you know, it's a group effort.

11:21 Play 24, fourth and one pitch to Swift.

11:24 That's right.

11:25 I mean, block beautifully, right?

11:27 That's right.

11:27 Yeah. Yeah.

11:28 These guys, when we're playing with the right details and the execution levels high, I think we're really hard to slow down.

11:35 Does the continuing creativity of what you're using and what you're doing with the tight ends from motion to formation, does that just open up your mind to even more different ways of using. Yeah.

11:48 And, and I try to be careful not to abuse it because it's a, they are such a smart group. I don't want to load them up too much and have them slow down their play speed or anything like that. But, uh, no, we, we do a lot with them, moving them around, uh, trying to create angles, trying to create extra gaps. Um, We're very fortunate that we have three guys that we can use interchangeably, too, whether we want to split them out or whether we want them to block in line or anywhere in between. I think we're very fortunate in that way.

12:20 I don't want to assume anything because you always talk about, hey, I have a meeting with Caleb Monday. Did you do the same then with each of these quarterbacks after their game, or did you have one with Bajan?

12:29 I will with Tyson. I have not yet. We'll recap it and kind of just– What do we do? What do we like well from that first week of preparation? And where can I be better for him? Where can the staff be better for him? And where can he get better?

12:45 I think back to the preseason, and he said, if somebody tells me one more time, nice game, he's going to punch him in the face because he's super, super critical.

12:54 Yeah, yeah.

12:54 He's hard on himself, and that's the way you want to be. I think a lot of us are that way in this building, which is a good thing.

13:03 I was driving home texting last night.

13:05 That's not a good thing.

13:05 Don't tell anybody on the TV. And I just, it was a thought in my head, so I texted somebody. I said, we have a head coach that is making rare an expectation. And by virtue of that, I can add that making winning the expectation. I don't know how you feel about that, but rare moments are happening almost weekly.

13:26 It could be something small. It could be the bigger picture. What do you think of that statement?

13:31 Yeah, I don't know about rare necessarily. Here's what I would say. I really believe with our team, and we talk about it every week, there's a way to win. There's a path to victory. And when they come in on Fridays, we try to showcase what we need specifically out of all three phases for us to win the ballgame.

13:51 And whenever we can put that together, normally good things happen to us. But there's a process with it. I really do think they believe in What they're being told, I think they believe in this coaching staff. I think these coaches are doing a phenomenal job also. I don't think there's ever a week that we walk onto the field and we don't think that we have a good chance to win that game.

14:16 The rare part, I guess, is the stats, which is just numbers. They're just numbers.

14:21 They are.

14:21 At the end of the day, we've just got to find a way to make sure we have more points.

14:25 Dio Dingbo. And Austin Booker, you didn't get a chance really to experience that in its full bloom a year ago because kicking him inside, Dio, and the injuries kind of messed that up. Are you seeing something reflective of what you dreamed up here as a staff?

14:43 Yeah, yeah. We started getting Dio in there towards the middle of last year right before he got injured, and we liked what we saw, and now that we were able to do it, more full-time now on passing downs, we absolutely love what we're seeing. He's got this rare length. He's got a nonstop motor. And once again, he's an unselfish player. So he wants to do whatever's best. And if that means I need to do a pick game and get my buddy free, I'm more than willing to do that. So he's doing a great job. And I think you hit the nail on the head with Book.

15:19 We keep challenging him to being a complete player. We know what he brings to the table as a pass rusher. He's got a great first step, and he's relentless in his pursuit to the quarterback, and yet we still want to continue to see strides there in terms of setting the edge in the running game, and we feel like he gets better in that regard each and every week.

15:38 I'm kind of going all over the map here, but does it mean something not only to you and your staff, but to the team that you prepared three quarterbacks in a month here, four games, and one?

15:49 I think they've been preparing themselves for the last year and a half. And so it's not even within the last couple weeks that we feel like we're reaping the benefit of that. We felt all along we've got three guys that are high-level competitors. They've all won games in this league. And it was just a matter of getting an opportunity for them to showcase what they got. But, yeah, I think JT Barrett's done a great job. He coaches all those guys consistently. He coaches them hard. They're on the details. They're a prideful group. they understand what we're trying to do and they're willing to do whatever it takes to, for us to find a way to win.

16:27 Last time the bears were favored at Lambeau was 2006. You are now just a little nugget for you in case you didn't know.

16:37 Yeah. Well, once again, this game, it doesn't, I don't know.

16:40 I know it doesn't matter where it is. Yeah, exactly.

16:42 Who's favored. I mean, it's gonna, it's gonna be a dog fight for 60 minutes. And so we're, We're looking forward to diving into this one. I know our guys always enjoy competing with these guys.

16:54 Is there a nugget or two you've noticed about this version of the pack just yet?

16:58 No, I'm just getting into the tape. But once again, I mean, they've been a great team for a long time. So we'll have our work cut out for us. We got to do what we've been doing all season long, which is have a great week of preparation and make sure we're crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's, and give us a good chance.

17:19 Here on Saturday. I got a kick out of Malik Muhammad. I interviewed him after the game, and he said, yeah, I'm curious to see what this is all about. He's going to find out in a hurry.

17:27 That's the truth. You have turnover, and not quite half the team is brand new, so we're going to have to educate him on what this is.

17:36 And one aside, I never get to see this. I caught it. You were on the field before the game, right before kickoff, with your family, your daughter giving you the hug of a lifetime. Um, it choked me up because these are rare moments that they're going to remember for the rest of their lives. Uh, just being there with your dad at a soldier field with 62,000 friends.

17:58 They're spoiled rotten, Jeff.

18:00 Well, you said that before, but I mean, what's dad think about it?

18:04 They, they, they criticize me more than anybody else. I think just, why did you go for.

18:09 It, dad? What was that?

18:11 They really do say these things.

18:13 And then, I think my son takes his shirt off after every touchdown.

18:20 I don't know.

18:20 I don't know how I'm raising him right now. But no, it is going to be one of those things that one day, when you're in the heat of it, you're in the mix of it, you don't really get a chance to reflect or think about. But I know I'm certainly grateful to be in this spot.

18:37 Thank you for your time.

18:38 Thank you.

18:39 And you brought this up to me about the tight ends use. The more you use it, that the more you get creative and he, you know, as you heard, he says he doesn't want to overload or slow down the play speed by putting more on the plate, but they're all smart. They all can handle it. They're all very, he says they're very fortunate to have three guys that can do everything. They are equipped to do everything from the blocking to the route running to catching the football.

19:07 And it's that creation of those extra angles and gaps in the run game that That also is really, really something right now. And I know you've talked about it and noticed it is a big, big bonus for the Bears offense.

19:21 Well, first of all, the pre-snap motion. You move a Colston Lovell and Cole Kometa, you move both.

19:26 Of them at once.

19:26 They're going to tell the quarterback exactly what that defense intentions are. And then you put them on assignments where they both have to block or one of them have to block or they double-team block a big.

19:38 They can do that.

19:40 If they have to run a route downfield that is more than 10 yards, they have the creativity to run a route like a wide receiver. And then if you want to line them up at fullback, H-back, backfield, tight end, frontside tight end, include them on short yardage and goal line, it's amazing what the tight end position can offer the NFL and the Bears. I'm looking at the big picture, the tight end around the national football league, but the talented guys that they have on this team and what they can offer the complexity of a mind like Ben Johnson and the offense in total. It's amazing what I've seen these guys do and, uh, you know, how well they've been doing everything that's asked of them.

20:22 Thanks to you. I brought up the perfection angle of blocking. And I also, as you heard, I said, listen, man, uh, O-line coaches don't ever want to hear that word. Offensive linemen don't want to hear that word. And Ben, as you heard, what do you think when he tells you many blocks on that tape will be on the teaching tape for next spring?

20:43 Listen, I could take some of the plays that they ran in the game yesterday. When you talk about 89 plays, was.

20:50 That how many they ran?

20:51 Yeah, I mean, the snap totals are 93 because some are, you know, yeah, but 89.

20:55 Okay, 93.

20:57 No, 89 plays. Let's go with 89.

20:58 I could take more than a handful of plays, which is almost never able to be done. And I could bring them as a tape that I'm going to teach a high school, college or other pro football players of how to fundamentally, perfectly block your assignment. And there are some out there that I sit there and I run back and forth and back and forth because I'm blown away at how perfectly these plays were run. And it's exciting to see because, you know, As old as I am, these are plays that have been run forever, but Kyle and Dan Rochard, the offensive line coaches, Jim Dre, the tight end coach, Eric Studesville, the running backs coach, all these guys have just done an incredible job of, in a short emotional week, getting these guys ready to go

21:50 out and play against the complex defensive front.

21:53 That's the thing. On a short week, they put in 93 snaps or 89– Some of the defensive guys had less than 20. I mean, Dio Dingbo had 19 snaps.

22:05 Listen, when I was watching the tape, Jeff, and I watched the offensive tape, it was like watching two and a half games. And then I watched the defensive tape, and it's like watching.

22:13 Half a game.

22:15 I brought up at your urging also, play 24, fourth and one outs. I pitched to Swift, as you heard. Did you chuckle when Ben said, yeah, yeah, that's right. That's right.

22:27 That was a beautifully run play and a great vision by DeAndre Swift.

22:31 How do you tell a cashier you're a Bears fan? Without telling them you're a Bears fan, with the Chicago Bears PNC Bank Visa Debit Card, which gets you exclusive discounts on Bears merchandise. Find out more at pnc.com slash bearscard. All right, some others from that. You mentioned Dio and the idea that he and Booker have not had a lot of time together because they did not overlap long enough last season because of their injuries respectively, Booker early, then Dio middle late. But we're finding out that Dio has a nonstop motor and is selfless. You brought it up, Ben brought it up, giving himself up for three blockers to spring one player. That's huge. I don't know. I mean, it seems like everybody would want to do that for

23:13 your teammate, but does that happen?

23:16 You know, defensive line, they're a peculiar group.

23:19 If you know that you're going to run a stunt that's pre-called and this one of the defensive linemen's got to be really selfless because he knows he's going to get hit by two, possibly three guys. And then you earn that gap that puts deep offensive linemen in a precarious position where they can't recover. And then all of a sudden that defensive end is set free and he comes looping around for the sack.

23:42 It's a beautiful thing.

23:44 Like I talk about how perfectly something is run in terms of an offensive blocking scheme. When you're a defensive lineman and you're willing to give yourself up and you get hit by a guard, you get hit by a tackle and you get hit by a running back, but then the play ends in a sack. That's another thing of beauty. It's on the opposite side and something I don't want to see against myself. However, when I'm watching Dio open the door for Austin Booker, it is a beautiful thing.

24:11 Bears defense now third in yards, fourth in scoring defense. Two touchdowns allowed the last three games combined. 41 points allowed over the last seven halves. Three straight teams under 250 yards. The defense has now held teams to 12 points or fewer each of the last three games. Two touchdowns allowed on the opposition's last 27 drives. What do you do with that as an offensive head coach? You're like, okay, bring it on. Let's go.

24:40 I can go back to work.

24:41 There's such an athletic group of, of football players because they can almost do anything from anywhere.

24:48 When you look at that.

24:48 Devin Bush sack, Devin Bush comes around, Lou loops around for a sack. They're also blitzing a defensive back from the right side, but who's in coverage, but Montez sweat. The reason that sack happens is because Montez Sweat is covering out in the flat, and Geno Smith doesn't have anywhere to go with the football. So now Devin Bush loops around, and he gets set free for the sack, but they're also bringing a defensive back that could got the sack. And when you talk about what this defense is being able to accomplish, it's because of their athleticism, and they can play anywhere. Last night, you referred to them as a no-name defense.

25:26 Ben did. I was rephrasing what Brent Ben said. Yeah.

25:31 So, To me, every time I've heard that in my football life, it's a compliment. Because don't think that no name means that they're not doing. No name is a compliment because they're not familiar around the National Football League. They're talking about all these other guys. But when you talk about the numbers of accomplishment, that's a hell of a job Dennis Allen and his crew are doing.

25:55 I thought it was interesting because I've heard, but I didn't really dig in. And I have to do this further when I visit with Ben in the weeks to come. But I mentioned what I told you, that Ben is the type of head coach that has made rare an expectation. And I guess it's rare from what we're seeing. A lot of it is math. He doesn't care about math.

26:16 He doesn't care about stats. But we're fixated on numbers because they're so warped. The different things we've seen over the last year plus. But it's Friday. They call it Path to Victory. So they outline for all three phases the specific needs that need to happen. Specific. You're big on specifics, Tom. I know you are. Specifics to win in all three phases. And when they are outlined and they believe in it and they believe in what they're told and he believes that they do believe in what they're told, they go into every game on Friday knowing they can win. I don't know if you guys had something similar. And this is a particular way of coaching.

27:00 What do you think about this Path to Victory Friday?

27:04 I love it. You know, you got to.

27:07 When you shut the week down of preparation and, you know, George Allen used to say, all right, the hay's in the barn.

27:14 And whenever you close the.

27:16 Doors to preparation, you got to let these guys outside knowing that they have been prepared to win and make sure every single position is confident and every single guy out there is prepared. understands his assignments and how to flow in the motion and the momentum of the game. And so, yeah, confidence is a key ingredient to team success.

27:43 And if everybody has it and you truly believe it, it's going to be hard to be beat.

27:50 How do you tell a cashier you're a Bears fan without telling them you're a Bears fan? With the Chicago Bears PNC Bank Visa Debit Card, which gets you exclusive discounts on Bears merchandise. Find out more at pnc.com slash bears card. And the last thing on Ben, real quick, is he mentioned to the media in his news conference Monday, he said that what he learned about this team was that through this first month that it's poised. Physical in all three phases as well. Highlighting the big hits weekly, they do that. That they're tough and hard-nosed, a throwback football team. Discipline has turned the corner in the right direction, and he used the example of Back in their own end when Geno had half a yard to deal with

28:35 and he tried to hard count him into an extra five, didn't get it. And then in the final drive, Bajan did exactly that twice to the Jets. These are all signs of what he has seen in his big picture for at least one month. Do you agree with all that? And do you see anything more that defines who the Bears are right now in the first four games?

28:56 You know, I see things like allowing Tariq Stevenson to blitz and have a tackle for loss because you got to think in that play, if he misses the running back, there's going to be a big hole opening to the left-hand side. And there's going to be a blocker going downfield that Tariq left because that was a wide receiver over him, giving them that, that type of luxury. Being able to use Devin Bush and a defensive back as a blitzer while you're putting Montez Sweat in coverage. The development of Dylan Thineman, because it's amazing where he's come from, from training camp to the regular season.

29:37 And then when you talk about.

29:40 the discipline of the snap count, it's an amazing process. It really is because in terms of the offense, you need 10 guys that I'm listening to, uh, Tyson Bajan's barking cadence that they're not as familiar with maybe as they are of Caleb, but a barking cadence that can really be, you know, make you react at a time when you know you shouldn't, the discipline to hold yourself still.

30:06 And then when he talks about doing it defensively. I know it's difficult to hear the cadence down there because the crowd was so supportive, but it is about the defense staying on sides and not jumping off sides and giving any free territory to the jets. But then you look at the bear, how their defense, when Kate, when Tyson Bajan did it correctly and, how.

30:28 It affects you.

30:29 Because I guarantee you, in the Jets huddle, they all sat there to the man and yelling at each other, don't jump, don't jump, don't jump.

30:36 And then boom, you get somebody to react.

30:38 Let's talk about that a little deeper here real quick. Bears fans, people across the state are struggling to keep the lights on and put food on the table. That's where the Salvation Army steps in to make a difference all season long. Go to SalvationArmyChicago.org and make a difference today. Can that thing... become a signature like it has been over the years with other great quarterbacks or even lesser quarterbacks that just had a knack for doing it can this trio of quarterbacks and eventually just when Caleb comes back it becomes weaponized to the point that no matter who you're playing in a key moment maybe when they're tired on defense after a 12 play drive and they're getting pounded they lose you know you say fatigue makes

31:23 cowards of us all maybe lose your mind a little bit Could it be the case? Could the Bears become experts at this?

31:32 One thing about it is you have to have consistency with your lineup. You have to have the same group of guys out there. You have to develop that discipline over time. You got to become familiar with the volume and the cadence of a quarterback that uses a hard count like that. And so, yeah, it's, it can, and it's the discipline of the quarterback because I've seen if you, you know, guys like Boomer size and Steve DeBerg in the back in the day in the NFL, they were great at a deceptive hard count. Steve DeBerg brought it to every team he played with. And I played with them with the Miami dolphins, Boomer size and used it wherever he was.

32:12 And it became a weapon. But they worked on it. They preached it.

32:16 They told all the offensive players when they were going to use it. And so the offensive players that played with these quarterbacks became familiar with the habits of the quarterback so that he was able to use it more effectively. And I think the longer that this lineup is together, the more opportunities.

32:37 They are going to have to use it.

32:40 How was McMahon?

32:41 He was great. He was great, but he always gave us forewarning. You know what I mean?

32:46 He used to tell us, you guys, I'm going on three. I'm going on three. Do not jump. And I'm going to give a hard bark. And he would go out there, and he would give it, and he would make it work for him. But we are a group of guys together for so long, we could kind of tell what cadence he was going to use just by the volume of the beginning of his cadence.

33:10 Yeah. All right, Green Bay is next. I thought the quote from Malik Muhammad, I mentioned that to Ben as well, you know, hey, I can't wait to see what this is all about. Well, you're going to find out. I've walked around this building today, and every single person, non-football, big week, big week. It's not hello, good morning, how are you?

33:31 Big week.

33:33 It's the mindset of the building. It's the mindset of Bear Packers. First time bears are, yeah, it's a big week.

33:41 It's a big week.

33:45 First time bears are favored in Green Bay since 2006, Tom.

33:48 I saw that today. I saw that.

33:53 And I don't know how to take it. I just want the end result to be the bears on top.

33:59 Just so you know, I told Ben you're angry already as soon as you walked out of the building on Sunday.

34:04 Good. Well.

34:06 Begrudgingly though, I have to admit this though, begrudgingly. And I think it's just fair because the Packers, they're, they do remain talented. Yes. They're in a tradition or a transitional phase. It looks like, um, and maybe searching for a new identity, especially in the run game and offensive lines got a lot of issues, injuries, new faces, whatever. Uh, have they handled adversity? Well, this season in tight games? No, but Jordan loves there. Uh, He beat the Blitz against Tampa.

34:40 He's got the arm talent. He's got Christian Watson. He's got Matthew Gold. He's got Tucker Kraft. So, listen, I'm going to, especially up there, it's like haunted. It drives me nuts.

34:55 Well, you know, you just talked about the cadence at nauseam. Jordan Love has that cadence, and he's got the building to use that cadence. And when you have some big play guys that you just mentioned, if you use that cadence effectively– and you get a team once or twice, it can really cause problems. So the worst thing you want to do is become hesitant in the cadence of your opponent. And if you're slow off the ball, then you're losing the play. If you can fall into the volume and the rhythm of the cadence and you get off on the snap count, and then you can be effective and efficient.

35:37 It looks like a couple weeks away for... Micah Parsons, unless we are surprised this week. But losing Edger and Cooper is big. He had a huge game. He had nine tackles. He had a sack. He had a forced fumble. That's monumental. The safeties, Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney. McKinney's one of the best. They had blitz sacks. Williams had an interception. He had a sack. A couple key tackles in that game. So.

36:06 With Jonathan Gannon, you know, it's disguise heavy like many of these defenses are now. I don't know what else he's bringing right now. And Lucas Van Ness apparently is taking a jump as a pass rusher and an edge setter. So I don't know if you've had a chance yet to look at them. We'll dig in deeper this week.

36:23 But what you've heard of Jonathan Gannon in the past, what might be different than a Jeff Halfley?

36:31 I'm not so sure because Jonathan Gannon against Ben Johnson in green Bay, when it's going to be crowd noise, the communication for their defense is going to be difficult. I don't know if he's going to be stationary and Hey, play against us, or if he's going to try to bring guys from a variety of positions, because when you look at the bears, they got a lot of capable blockers, whether they're littles or bigs.

36:56 And so.

36:58 I just think it's going to be, What can we do to Tyson Bajan to make it the most uncomfortable surroundings that he can face? And so maybe sometimes it's not just setting guys free.

37:12 It's trying to.

37:15 Make, like I said, make the surroundings of the quarterback uncomfortable. And whether that's with a pass rush, trying to get into a space, into his area, we'll see. But, you know, they got to be leery of the Bears running game. And if you go out there and you start playing an eight man front to seven man front to stop the running game, then all of a sudden we got the Cole and the Colston and the Luther and Rome and Savion and Ray, uh, Kalief Raymond, all these guys running the boundary. So it's, It's going to be an interesting game because, you know, this is a first-time coordinator.

37:49 There's a lot of new members on this staff. And so I think we're going to have to look a little bit about the last three games they played, not necessarily just the last game they played.

38:01 Yeah, they had 13 different players generate a pressure against the undrafted quarterback, Jalen Daniels, who made his first career start for Tampa. So that's something to keep an eye on. Good news, Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes with all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity, screens at every seat, and room for everyone's roller bag. United, proud to fly the Chicago Bears and you too. I think it's going to be a great buildup for this game.

38:25 A roster for the Bears could get strengthened with some of the additions. We'll see if they get activated or not. We're talking about Shamar Turner.

38:32 We're talking about.

38:35 Noah Sewell, we're talking about others. So we'll see. We'll see how it all goes. Five winless teams in the NFL. Time to wrap this up. Tying 2009 and 2019 for the most in any in the 2000s. When I say I'm going to give you the five, you tell me shocked or not shocked. That's all I want you to say. No reason.

38:53 Tampa. Shocked.

38:58 L.A. Chargers.

39:00 Really shocked.

39:01 Miami.

39:02 Not shocked. Tennessee.

39:04 Tennessee.

39:05 Not shocked.

39:07 Houston.

39:09 Shocked.

39:10 I would agree with all of those. I will also be a bit shocked about Tennessee. I know it's first year with new coach and all that, but wow, I don't know. To be winless right now, that gives you angina, Tommy.

39:26 Yeah.

39:26 Headed into week five?

39:27 Yikes.

39:29 I'm just concerned.

39:30 About a good old fashioned noon start Lambeau field within green Bay. And that's the cool thing about this game. I know they flexed it down, but I'm happy. This is the game that I was used to in my career. My whole life is going up there this time of year, noon, start perfect conditions, filled building, hostile environment, you know, put on the angst tank early in the week, because this is what you got.

39:57 Get in, get out, get home.

39:59 That's right. Love it.

40:01 Get your operations across the goal line with Grainger. Count on nearly 1.5 million products from the brands you trust and a distribution network that delivers in the clutch. Call, click Grainger.com or stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. We're done for this podcast, number 251. We'll be back with you later in the week with a deeper dive of the Packers, and we'll hear from the coordinators, other interesting parties to see what the Bears and Packers in this newest chapter of the rivalry has to offer. For Tom Thayer and head coach Ben Johnson, I'm Jeff Joniak. Thanks for listening, everybody. Please subscribe now on the Chicago Bears official app, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And bear down, everybody.