Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Interviews of the Week on 104.3 The Score: Sept. 7-11

Episode Date: September 12, 2026

In Interviews of the Week on 104.3 The Score, ESPN analyst Matt Bowen joined the Spiegel & Holmes Show to discuss how the Bears' injuries will affect their scheme and approach on the defensive side of the ball; FS1 host Danny Parkins joined the Rahimi & Grote Show to share his lofty expectations for Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in 2026 and to preview the new NFL season; and former Bears offensive coordinator and former North Carolina offensive coordinator John Shoop joined the Haugh & Payton Show to reflect on his mentorship of Chicago head coach Ben Johnson.

Watch Matt Bowen. Bowen's a tough guy. Matt Bowen. And it's intercepted by memories. He's good with Matt Bowen. Seven-year NFL veteran. What's coming from Bowen and he knocks it out. The Redskins.

Coach for I-Catholic football. Matt Bowen? A man from Glen Ellen, Illinois. Very active. NFL writer and analyst for ESPN. For anybody who didn't realize that, our guy, Matt Bowen, drafted right next to Brady. Tom Brady cloned his dog.

You think he's possible he's going to clone himself? your thoughts. I don't even know what to say, Steve. I'm telling you why, I've been doing the score for a while. 16 years. That's the question that was the least prepared for in my life. Matt Bowen. I have a simple rule of beer. I only drink beer that you can buy in 30s.

I'll leave you with that. With Spiegel and Homes on 1043, The Score. We have all been looking forward to this. Matt Bowen is now joining us here on the Pottawatomie Casino and Hotel Hotline, the Midwest best casino. The season kicks off in two and a half hours or whatever. And here we are. Bear season starts Sunday at noon in Carolina.

And Matt Bowen is here on the Spiegel and Home Show. Matt, how are you? I'm doing great, guys. How are you? We are good, man. Nice to hear your voice. Looking forward to another season of talking to you and getting smarter and reveling in what will hopefully be a step forward for the Bears.

I got to go right to your strength or your biggest strength, which is the secondary, because I find myself thinking about Dennis Allen. I think he wanted to revamp the secondary. He and Ben Johnson both together, and they did it, but now he doesn't really get to play with what he wanted to play with in terms of Kobe Bryant and maybe Kyle Gordon, too. How would you describe what they wanted to do versus what he now has to do? Well, I think now you might be more alignment and assignment-based to start this season. I don't know if you'll see as much late movement in the secondary because you are, in a sense, playing backup players. You know, you lose Kobe Bryant, who was brought him because he is so versatile. He can take the football away, play free, play strong, and he has coverage ability.

Now, you bring in a veteran safety to replace him. Who can give you quality starts? There's no question about that and what he can do. and he can play in the deep half, he can play strong safety, but not the same level in terms of the playmaking talent that Kobe Bryant gives you. Same when you lose Gordon. You know, Gordon's an impact player for you.

When he's not on the field, now you have to do a little bit more from the skiing perspective and protect yourself at times. So does that mean less pressure? Maybe. Does that mean less late movement? Maybe. But you do what you have to do to win a football game. I do think the Bears will be prepared,

but it will look different. So, yeah, it's interesting, Matt, because like so if he's got to be more if he's got to stay at home a little bit more in the back does that put more pressure on the front to be good because I don't know that they upgraded significantly on the front to be better

well I think it does put more pressure on them absolutely and here's the thing I would say speaking about the bear's defense you're going into this game on Sunday who are your playmakers that would be my question is it sweat is it Devon Bush who you brought over is it Jalen at corner

because you're you know Jalen look at him healthy. And we talked about it last year when he wasn't healthy and missed camp the impact it had on his football season. But now he comes in this season and he is your number one corner. Can you be the number one corner who also takes the football away at a high rate?

Because they need that right now in that defense. NFL players are kind of wired to deal with not having some success. Like losing a game. There's only one team that wins a championship every season. We don't talk a lot about dealing with success. And the Bears are coming off of a very successful season. What are some of the best practices that you've been a part of as an NFL player

on learning to deal with the success that you've had and not letting it hamper how you get prepared for the next season? Well, I think it all starts with the coaching staff, and especially the head coach. He's the one that can moderate that. He's the one that can regulate that. And it really goes back more to how you practice, how you prepare. because regardless of what the media is saying, that includes us, about this football team, do they still have high-level practices? Are they still competitive in practice?

Are they still pushing each other to where practice gets to a level where it becomes so competitive that it feels like you're playing on Sunday? And that's up to Ben Johnson. And we all know that Ben Johnson, in terms of his practices, are much different than the majority of the league. You know, Ben Johnson pushes his players. And I think that's what you have to do from a coachie perspective. because when they have a team coming off the season like they did and a team that we talked about all offseason.

And the team right now also that people are looking at to make another playoff front. Yeah, I love that idea. And I think that Ben probably set the tone early on. He's like, I don't care about anything that happened last year. So while we talk about this from an individual standpoint, Caleb also had the crazy success from year one, year two. Where can he still get better?

better? And how does a person like that? Now you're on the cover of Madden. Now you're the it guy in the NFL and you still have a season to prepare for. So what becomes important for him? I think this, you know, similar things we talked about at the end of last season is playing with, you know, a high rate of consistency in terms of pocket throats. Because we know what Caleb can do outside of structure. He's one of the best in the league outside of Patrick Mahomes, I would say. we know about the physical tools he has, the physical traits he has, the armed talent, the mobility, the toughness he has.

There's no question about that. But I think the next step for him is to continue taking the throws that are available, to continue putting together to drives where he commands the offense consistently from the pocket. And he's going to have every opportunity to do that. Now, in saying that, and I've said this before, it is hard to coach players who have such high-level skill set like Caleb does. Because you want them to play within your offensive structure. or, you know, if you're talking about defense, same thing.

You want them to play within that structure. But they can do things that most cannot, right? So you have to, from a coach's perspective, understand that. And at times, Caleb is going to play outside of structure. And maybe you don't want that as a coach, but it can turn into a positive play because he has those different traits. Now, the key for Caleb is combining those together and absolutely taking over this league.

Man. I mean, that's the dream is that you got a guy. I remember when Ryan Poles drafted him, And they were just talking about, like, you know, leading into the first season, what do you want him to do? You want him to play within himself and with instructor. And then when it's time, unleash the special, then be special. So it's the same kind of concept. I just feel like we've watched the love affair happen with Caleb and Ben.

And I wonder what is going to happen because the trust is so high from Caleb to the head coach. It's exciting how much he trusts and believes in the head coach. So what's it going to look like? Maybe that does look like him accepting checkdowns more or being more meticulous with footwork and really trying to get the ball placement right on the short stuff so it can turn into big breakers, Matt. You know, maybe it looks like that.

I think so speaks. And also, you know, looking at it from Ben Johnson, the accountability level is now higher, right? That's what happens when you have success. Going into the next season, that bar is raised. And there'll be more accountability ass of Caleb from his head coach and the entire coaching staff and his teammates. That's part of being the star.

That's part of being a quarterback at any level is that everyone looks at you differently because you play that position. And so if I'm Ben Johnson, there is a new set of levels we want to get to this season. So as we think about this offense, and there's a million ways to talk about this team with our guy Matt Bowen here on the score on the Spiegel and Holmes show, can they play four tight ends at once? I mean, they're going to roster them, probably have them four active. You know, on some days, you know.

I mean, I'm half joking. It doesn't really happen, though, right? No backs, four ten ends? We're going to see 13 personnel with three ten ends right away this week. I think you will. I think you will. Absolutely. I'll tell you this, okay. So this spring, okay, I took a bunch of recruiting trips with my son,

Graham, and every college stop we went to. It met with a tight end coach. Well, first thing they talked about is more. 12, more 13 personnel at the college level, right? And in my opinion, they're getting that from watching Sunday football. Because why do you use more tight ends now? You know, it's always a counter to what defenses are doing. And right now, defenses are more split safety or two deep coverage, right?

So if they're going to be in two deep coverage, you're going to bring more tight ends in the field. To get a size advantage, you get a numbers advantage in the run game, and also create matchups in the past game. So I do think you can see that more consistently from Ben this year. You know, they were high last year in terms of number of 12 snacks. and the number of 13 steps. And I think those numbers will grow this year because that's where the league is trending right now.

And you saw it in the draft, too. Guys, in the second round of the draft, there was tight ends that 1920 reception is getting drafted. Why? Because they can block. Because they can set edges in the run game. And if you can't set an edge from an offensive perspective, you can't run the football. So I do think that's going to be a big part of the Bears run game,

but also what they do from a past game perspective. Yeah, you know, it's funny. I find myself looking at depth charts and carrying less than ever about who's wide receiver three and wide receiver four and who's tight-in three matters to you more it matters well and but those

guys are going to play you know so maybe the targets will stay with tight end one and wide receiver one and RB one but like I don't know how often the bears are even going to have three wide outs on the field this year as compared to previous years right and that all depends on your personal

look I will say this was bringing Kaleif Raymond in it Kleeve Raymond was brought in to be that vertical stretch target in your offense. He's the guy that can lift his safeties. I mean by that is he runs a clear-out route, those safes that's a turn and open. Now you have a window down the field to throw the deep end-breaking concept, right?

But he can also be a vertical target for you. You can get him loose and jet sweeps. He's going to have a role in his offense. There's no question about it. But I think you will see more 12 personnel from the Bears because Cole Komet is a really good football player too. I want to ask you, is someone who there were seasons where you,

played multiple seasons where you played 16 games. There were other seasons where you got hurt and didn't play as many games. You were a versatile defensive back that was asked to do a lot of different things in your NFL career. From that standpoint, how do you view this Kyler Gordon situation? Well, it's tough because there's a different way to look at it. You always have to talk to the player first. Can the player practice?

Can the player produce? If he can't do that at a high level, he's not going to be. clear he's not going to be in the football field. But I understand also from the coaching perspective, you want that player there, right? You want that player to be on the field. You are paying him to play football for your team, and you need him on your football team.

And I've been that guy that's been out. It is no fun. I mean, you feel like a ghost. You really do. You're not a part of the game plan. You're not a part of the practice script. It is very, very lonely when you're hurt. And the same time, you have to do everything within your power,

using the trainers, using the rehab protocols, the return-to-play protocols, to get back in that football field and help your team. How does it feel if a teammate is not available and then perhaps leaves the facility during the course of year to go get treatment outside with somebody else? You know, I think in the past that was a larger discussion.

I don't think the same anymore because you see it with off-season weight training too. The guys aren't at the facility at the same range. they used to be. Everyone has their own trainers now. Everyone goes to different destinations in the offseason. And a lot of guys, if they feel more comfortable with a doctor, for example, you know, you have a knee injury in the NFL. Not many guys are doing their knee injuries with their team doctors. You know, they're flying down to see Dr. James Andrews are doing different things when I played to get different opinions. So I don't think that matters as much. What matters is

are you showing progress in your rehab? Because if you're not, then it's an issue. Matt Bowen, do you have a window as to Dennis Allen might use a true lockdown number one shutdown cover corner? If that's what Jalen Johnson is right now, healthy. I don't know what kind of history Dennis has with it. Does he put him on Tederoa and McMillan and let him travel? Does he put him on the number two? Does he leave him on one side? How do you think he deals with it?

I think it depends on what Dennis Allen does from a scheme perspective. If you want to be more zone heavy, do we see more too deep coverage, then I think Jim will stay on one side of the field. Most likely you'll be to the field side of the formation. You know, there's a field side off the hatchets to the wide side of the field, then the boundary side is to the short side. I think you'll be to the field side formation when they do their zone coverages. And when they play a man, from my perspective, absolutely, I would put him on McMillan.

That's the one you have to win. That's the match if you have to win in this football game. So when are you going to play mad? Third and two to six, some third and seven to ten. but especially on, you know, the money downs, I would want to see that matchup in this football game. What advice would you have for Dylan Thineman playing his first NFL game at safety?

Slow down, right? Everything happens so fast mentally, right? It's almost like you're over-processed when you're on the football field. And it's going to take a series of two to get adjusted to NFL speed. Preseason speed is not NFL speed. It's not even close.

Because there's no game planning. You're not playing against the ones consistently. This is going to be completely different for him. But once he gets settled in, if I was his coach, I'd say, just play football now. Just read your keys. Be a football player. Play within the scheme. And you will be very successful because of the players around you.

What you don't want to tell a young player is to go out there and make plays. I've never said that to a young player that I've coached. I'm at a much different level. You don't want to put the pressure on them. You say, just go out there and play football, play with the instructor of the defense, and the players will come to you. What are you most excited about in terms of the NFL season beginning tonight? Like what teams are really getting you going, thinking about the possibilities for this year, Matt?

I would start with Houston because I want to see CJ Stroud this year with a rebuilt offensive line. You know, David Montgomery is down there now. You know, CJ Stroud has not had a run game for years. I would love to see him with a run game that put him in more manageable situations. Because what Houston has on defense right now, in my opinion, I know what L.A. has done this offseason. but in my opinion, Houston is the number one defense in the NFL, and what they can do under Domeco Rines. That's one team I'm really looking at there.

The Dallas Cowboys is what they're going to do on defense. The new coordinator, Cameron comes over from Philadelphia, worked under Vic Fangio. You have Caleb Downs now on that defense. That's a team that I think that can go places if they can play more consistency, play with more consistency in the defensive side of the ball. I'll see in the division. I want to see Colin Murray in Minnesota.

You know, that offense is going to change a little bit. It will still be very QB-friendly in terms of the play. play action. You have a top receiver in Justin Jefferson, but I want to see how they adapt to Collar because he has those dual threat traits of what he can do in the run game. Coach, we appreciate you jumping on with us.

One more real quick, coach. Do I see that I see Catholic is already 3 and 0? Yeah, you do? You're like, you as the secondary in DB's coach for I see Catholic out there in Elmer, you guys are already underway in 3 and 0? That's outrageous.

Yeah, we started the season a week earlier because the playoffs have now expanded. There's bi-weeks in the IHSA state playoffs. That's going to be new to everyone. But I think it's good. The more kids that get to experience state playoffs, I'm all for that. So we started a week earlier. We were actually going on to week four, already. We played a ball prep Friday night. And we've had a great start. We've had some really good wins. Last Friday night in the Stig Nations was great high school football, great theater in the last four minutes of the football game to find a way to win a game on a road against an 818. That's very big for our program. But it's a great team. I love

kids. It's a fun team and the great kids to be around and that's what I'm doing here when I get off. I've got five minutes to be on the field. Amazing. So we get another season of enjoying football with you from the Bears' perspective, from the NFL analyst perspective, from the high school coach perspective

and the father of a soon-to-be college football star. A hot prospect. Everyone's trying to get Grant to come to their campus. There's a lot of levels here with Matt. A lot of stuff going on. Coach, go coach your guys. We'll talk to you soon. All right, guys. Thank you.

I could do Stephen A's job, guys. It's not that hard. Danny Parkins. Danny Parkins, Chicago Boy. QB1 Party. All are invited. Host of Fox Sports Wans, first thing first. I've got serious questions about that defense.

They're not going to lead the league in takeaways again. They got 12 interceptions from last year that aren't even on the team this year. And then to your point, the guys who they replaced them with that they thought were upgrades in terms of overall play, guys like Kobe Bryant from the Seahawks are heard and potentially out for the year. The Bears. plenty of reason to doubt them. Caleb Williams, no. Former host of 670 The Score before he abandoned us. That's a Caleb Williams custom, baby.

Jersey number one is going to the Raptors. You guys made it seem like a Chicago Bears fans. We had our guy, Danny Parkins, all these guys. Danny Parkins, on 1043 The Score. Wait. Oh, my God, I can't wait to talk to Parko. It is Rahimi and Grotie on 1043, The Score. We are broadcasting live from Cody's Public.

house out here today. It's lunchtime. So many people have come out. We've had people come up to the table, some interesting people, including a gentleman from Optostats, which we'll talk to you. I can't believe this. I cannot believe you spoke Optistats into existence. Shout out to David Haw for that. That is absolutely beautiful. We are having a great day out here enjoying pizza and drinks and dogs. It's like guaranteed rate the other night. It's like dog day out here, which is beautiful, a couple beautiful golden retreat. Pops, the house dog. Pops, the house dog.

Pops is sweet. Yeah, so it is just lovely. I'm trying to get this optostats coozy on my bottle. Oh, yeah, that looks good. It exists. All right, let's bring Danny Parkins back into existence. You know Danny Parkins, former score star, and Danny now has gone national. Check Danny out on the newly expanded, first things, first OT from 4 to 5 p.m. on FS1.

Danny Parkins, what's going on, man? Oh, chilling, buddy. Just bring me back into existence. I appreciate that. What an intro. Thank you. Where were you before? I don't know.

That's what he said. Grotty's like, we're going to bring Danny Parkins back into existence. So I'm back. We try to do that at least once a week as long as you will accommodate us. But man, I was watching you and the rest of the crew. You guys were doing your predictions segment. Danny Parkins, will you let the world know who you are predicting for most valuable player

in the National Football League this season? You guys should talk about him on your show. I think he's going to be pretty good. Guy by the name of Caleb Williams. Whoa. Whoa. Let's go. Yeah, I don't think that's not crazy, right?

That's not too far out there on a limb. It's the toughest division in football. The Bears are picked to finish third in it, according to the odds makers. Their defense is going to be bad. Their goal is clearly to be the number one offense in football. Ben Johnson is clearly looking to, you know, from Remember the Titans, like run it up, Herman, leave no doubt. Like, I think he's looking to put like a real statement to the rest of the league that they can be the best offense in football. They're not going to win by their defense.

So like if the Bears are a 12-win team that wins the North, and they've got a top three offense in football led by Caleb Williams. I think there's a real narrative path there to him being the MVP of the league. Okay. I love the logic, obviously. Obviously. But at the same time, I do want to ask, so you think that the NFC North is a tougher division than the NFC West?

Yeah, here's why. Listen, the NFC West is better at the top. No question. But like, the last place team in the West is the Cardinals. and they could get the number one pick, the last place team in the North had a winning record last year. So I think the North is the only division

where you could make the argument that any of the four teams could win it and any of the four teams could lose it. If you were going to say, pick a division that is most likely to win the Super Bowl, that, to your point, Lela, is clearly the NFC West. And if that's how you grade the toughest division in football, I think that's totally valid and totally reasonable.

But in terms of depth, like, I just look at it like if you're in the AFC East, you feel like you need to go three and one at absolute worst and probably four and O in your Jets and Dolphins games if you're the bills of the Patriots. Whereas if you went four and two in the NFC North over the course of the year, you'd be thrilled with it. Like there's just there's no easy game in the North like there is the NFC West. And you know, what's funny is with the Bears having a losing record in the NFC North last year, that makes us an even more compelling discussion. I think because I think it was a three-team race in the West. Yeah, yeah. I think like I said, I think it's a, listen, San Francisco last year,

they got blown out in their playoff game to Seattle, but they won 12 games, and they were the third most injured team in football last year. Everyone talks about like the substation and that little internet conspiracy, and their best players are old. So, you know, older players are more likely to get hurt again. Kittle, Mike Evans, Bosa, Warner, obviously Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, They have a Hall of Fame caliber roster on both sides of the ball. But it's pretty – like, they were the third most injured team in football last year,

and they still won 12 games. So like if the Niners were in, you know, certainly the NFC South, you could argue the AFC South. Like if they were in a couple of other divisions in football, the Niners would be picked to win the division, and their third place pretty clearly in the NFC West. So, you know, again, it's just what you prefer in terms of how you're grading. your divisions for toughest. But I think the NFC

north top to bottom is the toughest in football. Talking to our good friend, Danny Parkins here, who is in existence. You could see him, actually. People that are here live at Cody's Public House, he's on one of the big screen TVs right in the back. There he is. There we are. Man, do we all look good?

You know how the text lines work here, Danny. We're getting the full gamut. We're getting the good explanation by Danny. No gimmies in the north. And then we get kind of what I was thinking here, Danny, from the 7-7-3. Kiss of death. Parkinson's is wrong about everything.

You did throw QB1 parties for Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. This is different though, right? Caleb Williams is different, yes? Well, I mean, other than the fact that I've never been wrong about Caleb Williams, I mean, if anyone can point to one time I've been wrong about Caleb Williams, I'd be open to an audit of all of my takes, but I believe that I'm the first person. audit. I believe I, you don't do a take audit. I do take out of the idea. Yeah, no, I do take, I mean, listen, working, work, you know, the audit of your takes. Working with Tanny, it was like a

take audit every day. You never knew what he was. No, I like to do, I like to do a take audit quarterly, you know, just like to stay ahead of it. But also, like, I believe, I believe I have the distinction of being the first person in the world to own a Caleb Williams Bears jersey. I literally think I'm the first person. So, yeah, I would like to say, sure, I got it wrong on Justin Fields. These things happen. I bought into Matt Nagy taking Mitch Trubisky to the next level, you know, guilty is charged. I've been wrong plenty, but I'd love for someone to point out where I've been wrong about Caleb Williams. I'll be waiting. You got, apparently, you got the number wrong on the jersey per Ray Diaz.

Okay, I did get the number wrong on the jersey. This is an awful. I thought that Caleb, I thought that Caleb would bring it over from college to the NFL. So I messed that up. That is true. There you go. Caleb himself said that I should just tape over it and like, you know, connect the three to the eight and make it happen that way. So, you know, Caleb signed off on it. It's fine.

I was still an early adopter. The devil's the details, as they say. I don't think that counts. As part of the take audit that we have just invented, I don't think that. accounts is take on it. And Tyler Buterbaugh is your enemy, Parko. He is the one that gave us that information on the wrong jersey. Oh, I'm not, I'm not ashamed. It makes it a one of one collector's item. That should people were like, why does your Caleb Williams jersey have that number on it? It's like, because I was in before. Like I, I was more, I don't care if the number was

74, like if it was Caleb Williams. Like the whole, the whole point is is that I had a Caleb Williams Bears jersey before anyone else. So no, Buterbaugh is, he could, he could never be my enemy. you know, I'm fine with it. And Layla, I would love to say that I would love to say that we just invented the take audit, but I've been auditing my takes for years. But have you called it a take, have you called it a take audit, though? Because that's a good line. Yeah, thank you.

Yeah, yeah, I have before. You know, listen, the take business has been very, very good to me. So, you know, I'm a part of the sports take industrial complex. My house is the house that takes built. I do take audits. Yeah, I have a take accountant. I got all sorts of takes in my life. No question.

Hey, Fancy Fancerson. I heard you were at the U.S. Open the other day, too. Three days in a row at the U.S. Open. How was that experience? The U.S. Open's a great event. It really is a spectacular New York event. Yeah, I went Thursday, Friday, Saturday, got to see Venus and Serena doubles,

which was very, very cool. Saw Cocoa golf two different, two different times. saw the big, the Fritz upset match, which was a five-setter, which was spectacular. And, you know, the honey deuce is the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. And I had, I had many of them. And the best part for anyone who doesn't know, it's a great, you know, it's like a flavored vodka drink. It's delicious. It's refreshing.

You know, the summer days in New York. But they have, on each cocktail, they give you three pieces of honey melon, like on a little, like, skewer-like thing that are in the shape of tennis balls. So, you know, it soaks in the vodka cocktail and then you got a little fruit and the signature souvenir glass with all the U.S. Open champions on it. Yeah, so three straight days of honey deuses in the sun. It was great. And we were crushing some bats during the U.S. Open. So, you know, it was a Saturday. This last Saturday at the U.S. Open was a great day for your boy. That was in particular a strong day. Was the karma out there this year? I don't know if I saw a lot of time. Carne went out there. I didn't get to see the

Carm. I was with my buddy Ben Kaplan, who I wrote Pipeline and the pros with for the first two days. And then Andrew Philiponi came out and me, Pony, and Nick Wright went on Saturday. So I missed Karm this year. But me, Pony and Nick were, we were like fourth row center court for the fits and Cocoa Golf matches on Saturday. And they kept showing us on TV because we were, we may or may not have had a live bet at 15 to 1 on the underdog. So we were the only people rooting against. Fritz. And so they must have thought we were in like the friends and family section or something because as he was making the comeback, they started like showing us like every point. So we were, we were all over that feed. It was, it was a fun, fun day. I got to, I got to be honest.

That's amazing. Talking to Danny Parkins of FS1, former score guy here on Rahean Grody. We are live from Cody's public house. Do you have any explanation for your good buddy, your close friend Craig counsel and the Cubs for just having gotten swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in in horrible fashion really, Danny. No, listen, I would never want to speak for Craig. That's not really how it works. You know, listen, the brewers are really annoying. That's just the long and short of it.

They're really annoying. It's really frustrating. All the things that they can lose and still persevere and still be a better regular season team than the Cubs. Hopefully the Cubs get hot at the right time, at the plate in the playoffs. I'm not sure, like everybody, you know, questions about the pitch.

Like, there's a version of this season where they get normal health with pitching. You're never going to have a season when you're fully healthy with pitching. But there's a version of the season where they get like normal health with pitching and the Cubs would be, you know, super dangerous and one of, if not the favorites to come out of it.

But yeah, it's wild. disappointing that they're not going to win the division, but, you know, they're going to get an invitation to the dance, and then we'll see if they can get hot at the right time. Danny, you're the goods, buddy. How far are the bears going this year, by the way, before we let you go? Are they going to the Super Bowl this year? No, listen, I wasn't total homer. I had him winning the division. I had him Caleb MVP, but I had them losing to Seattle in the NFC title game. Oh, that's a title game. Fair. Yeah, I think everyone would sign up.

Yeah, I think everyone would sign up for that in Chicago right now. I don't know if Ben Johnson would, though. Listen, the defense is going to be bad. But what if Jalen Johnson is back to being like a top six cornerback in football? Like that's not nothing. I think that they're going to be worse, obviously, in the takeaway department. There's no way they'll lead in takeaways again. But if they're better down-to-down series for series,

and they're merely like the 22nd defense in football. Well, then you add to the top three offense to that, and you've got something there. But it's going to be fun to see the Bears be totally carried and dependent on offense. And I will also say one more thing. They were in on the Vita Vaya news before he resigned. They were in on Crosby before the Ravens traded for him. Like Ryan Poles is read.

He's clearly ready to pull the trigger when Caleb's still on the rookie deal to add a defensive piece. Like if the defense is just like a little below average, if they're, if they're objectionably terrible, then okay, fine. They're not going to do anything this year. But if they're just merely below average, I do think Ryan Poles is very much willing to pull the trigger to add a defensive player for like a future second round pick, you know, before the trade deadline this year. So I wouldn't rule that out. you also just previewed our 125 segment. Yeah. So thank you for that.

Yeah, Danny, get us all the information, the paperwork. We'll get this audit rolling here, man. Thanks for coming on. We appreciate you so much. Yeah. Any time. Anytime. Take audits are free charge for you guys.

We appreciate it. Danny, seriously, man. Thanks for coming out. We love you. Yeah, no problem. All right, there he goes. Danny Parkins, former score guy. And you should check Danny out.

Check out Danny Parkins on the newly expanded first thing's first OT from 4 to 5 p.m. on FS1. Walking unintentional segue, Danny Perkins. He did a great job. Coming up next here on Rahimi and Grody, live from Cody's public house. How many bears? I'm giving out bears.

We track these things. Maybe somebody in the audience wants a bear or two. But we're having fun out here at Cody's Public House in Lakeview. Come out, say hi, eat pizza with us, drink with us, have fun with us, sports with us. It's Rahimi and Grody on 1043, the score. Caleb Williams makes you feel things. Philosophically, what I believe in is similar to a blast from the past named John Shoup, and that is to make the same things look different and different things look the same. All right?

We want the defense on their heels. We're always going to be attacking on offense. We're going to make things very challenging on the defense each and every week. Welcome back. It's Han Payton, Chicago Sports Radio 104-3, the score. Ruthie Polinsky in for Jared Payton today. Beautiful Friday morning in the city. And it's a pleasure now to go out to the plumbers 911 hotline.

Plumbing emergency call 1833 Plumns. Local 130 plumbers. Get the job done right the first time. You heard Ben Johnson on the day that he was introduced as the Bears head coach back in January of 2025. Reference somebody that I've known for a long time since he was a Bears offensive coordinator. and now it's a thrill that he is still in football coaching successfully, and he is the head coach of the Nordic Storm of the European League, the European League champions coming off a championship season.

John Shoup, mentor to Ben Johnson, joins us now. Good morning, John. How are you? Good morning, David. Good morning, Ruthie. Thanks for having me on. It's great to talk to you. You must have a lot of pride in what Ben Johnson accomplished in his first season as a head coach. You were the offensive coordinator at North Carolina.

Ben Johnson was a walk-on quarterback who apparently had all the answers to the test. And he obviously was an intense guy then. He's still an intense guy now, John. I don't think you were surprised, but how have you felt seeing him succeed in this first season in Chicago? Well, it was amazing to watch. I mean, I'm a fan of the Bears like so many. And, of course, to have your feelings invested. In the head coach, the way I do and Ben just, it was exhilarating for me.

I mean, that throw against the Rams that Caleb Williams had, you know, I went as crazy as anybody did. I think it's just how Ben drew it up, right? Right. Exactly. John, I'm curious when you see Ben sort of turn into, you know, I know you've known him for so long, but you see him sort of embody maybe everything he's ever envisioned of what a head coach should be. What has it been like for you to sort of watch it come to life, whether it be him

with the death stare on the sidelines during the games or taking his shirt off in the locker rooms? Like what was, what were all of those moments like for you, for someone who's known Ben, you know, since he was just a young college player? Well, the shirt off was a little bit surprising for me. I'll say this, you know, this is, the NFL is a very serious business. And it's, is run by very serious people. And Ben is very serious about football, about offense, about relationships with players. He's such a mature person who handles just every aspect of the job, you know, admirably, but also just in a very professional manner, the shirt off with Stan.

you know, which was a blast to watch. We're talking with John Shoup, the former Bears offensive coordinator, going way back to 2001 here on the score. And John, you remember people of a certain age, Bears fans never will forget that 2001 season. It was a long time ago, but I think it's an interesting historical reference because of what you guys did that year. You surprised everybody.

Much the way last year the Bears, surprised a lot of people. That was the run and chup offense, people will remember. You called the plays, and then 2002 happened, and things fell kind of off track. And I don't know, there were a lot of things that contributed to it, injuries and otherwise, but if you had to talk to coaches, whether it's Ben Johnson or just anybody on that staff this year about handling success or getting to the point where you don't make the mistakes that sometimes teams do after a successful season, how would you address that? Yeah. Well, you know, I think coaches throughout the NFL and in college, you know, there's good situations and there's bad situations. In 2001, was a great situation.

You know, that roster was really built by Coach Geron and Mark Hatley, both of whom have passed on. And everybody was kind of pooling in the same direction. We had a formula for how to win games. Now, that 2002 season, you know, the roster started to evolve. You know, Jerry Angelo, a very fine general manager, he came in in that 2001 season, but his fingerprints weren't really on that roster. And, you know, our situation changed. I'm just not sure Jerry and Dick kind of saw football the same way or had the same formula.

And so the one benefit that has is it seems like every, from the outside looking in, and trust me, I'm on the outside looking in. But it seems like everybody in that organization is pooling in the same direction. And, you know, there's a lot of really good coaches, in my opinion, that are in rough situations. And sometimes, you know, going seven and nine is pretty good coaching. job. And then there's some coaches who I think are, you know, kind of average maybe, but they're just in great situations, riding the coattails of a great situation. And I think Chicago has a chance to have a great coach and an organization, it seems to me, that's pooling all in the

same direction. And, you know, to outsiders, that may seem like common sense. But Golly, you know, inside the room, inside the walls of an NFL building, it's really been more commonplace to me for people to have different agendas, pulling in different ways. And I think that's where Ben and Ryan Poles, who I've never met before, but have deep respect for, they seem to be on the same page, pulling in the same direction. that's a tremendous advantage.

And again, this isn't me making excuses or anything like that. It's just if the vision of the whole organization isn't aligned, it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are. The other thing I'll say in 2002 after 2001 is, you know, we also had to go play in Champaign. And so having 16 away games, really, because they were renovating Soldier Field was tough. But I understand Soldier Field is a whole other topic.

That's not going there with you, Coach. No, no. Coach, I wanted to ask you about what you think it's going to be like for Ben to go back to North Carolina this weekend. I think, obviously, someone who has deep roots there, and I know you have roots there as well. And, you know, will he ever take a moment to get unsurious for a minute and reflect on, maybe how far he's come? Well, you know, that's a good question to ask Ben. Yeah.

You know, I rest assured I'm in Nashville, North Carolina, and, you know, I'm just about a mile down the road from where is his mom and dad live and, you know, his sister is the assistant principal at our, you know, local high school here. I'm sure there's going to be a big contingent of, you know, people from Asheville that are headed down to the game. Charlotte's about two hours from where we are. I'm also pretty sure Ben's going to have his blinders on and isn't even going to look up until that last whistle. There may be some good pictures, you know, on Facebook that a sister sends me or something like that after the game. but I'm pretty sure there's not going to be any before the game knowing Ben.

Will you be there? I'm not going to be there. I just got back. I just got back into town from Europe. And, well, figured I better spend this first weekend here at home with my wife. I think that's good, I think that's a good plan, John. I think that's after a successful season in Europe. So you were the head coach of the Nordic Storm, the European,

And you won the European League Championship recently. Was that last weekend? It was August 29th with the final game. And, you know, the European Football Alliance is the league that we're in. And it's about like our team would be a really good college-level team. We'd beat a lot of college teams. Our team would probably be about a top 40 college team. It's professional football.

it's really good football, getting better every year, and this is my fifth year in Europe. And, you know, it's really fun. You know, the likes of Jack Del Rio were over there this season. Jim Tom Sulla's been back and forth. You know, so there's more and more people from the NFL getting involved. Our defense coordinator was Mark DeLeon, who's a longtime NFL coach as well. It's a good brand of football, really fun. If you're ever over there, our season is in this summer.

Come on over to Copenhagen. That's a great ad, John, for European League football. So have you had any interaction with Ben since last season ended in terms of just congratulating him on the success in year one? And I imagine you said you lived down the road from his family. There's got to be a lot of local pride in what the Bears accomplished. Well, there's a lot of local pride. A lot more bear jerseys and hats and stuff like that around here.

But I will say, you know, going into the championship game on August 29th, you know, I texted a lot of friends. There's still coaching, some even playing in the NFL. And we put together a video of, you know, different personalities wishing our team luck, kind of sending them a message. And, you know, one of my favorite ones was just Ben with that very serious satisfaction. looking to every member of our team in the eyes saying, you know, you've earned this. Now, go get it. I mean, his message was really strong. So that's the last that I've talked to Ben.

And you guys know as well as I do. I could text Ben a hundred times here between now and Thanksgiving. He's probably not going to look at his phone until the end of the playoffs. No doubt about it. He's going to be all business. That's the intensity that I think we saw last year. what makes him such an excellent head coach. John, though, as a coach, as a guy that is an offensive genius

and you look at and you understand the schemes, you understand the value of the quarterback and all the ways that you can get guys open, how do you look at the Bears' offense this year and their ability to be the kind of juggernaut that Ben Johnson envisions them being? What is about the Bears' offense that you think makes it unique? Yeah.

Well, I think they have a really creative run game. I mean, I've got to tell you, our staff just absolutely studied their run game. I must have watched their run game against Philadelphia last year. I must have watched that tape a hundred times because Vic Fangio is a pretty good coach, too. And, you know, run-wise, if you can run the ball in that league, You can protect your quarterback. You can put defenses in conflicts of assignment. You could do a lot of different things.

And, you know, as long as they're able to run the ball. And then the other thing that I just think is unbelievable, Caleb Williams can really throw the ball on the move. So some of those runs with play action passes off of it, it's one thing to do it when you've got a quarterback who, you know, is, it can certainly play action and can certainly exercise, you know, the art of deception. But when you've got a guy also that can pick up a third down with his feet, you know, I was watching the Patriots the other night, and I know Drake May through three interceptions

in the fourth quarter, I know that, but he also picked up about two or three third down conversions in the first half that, son of a gun, that really picks up a play caller. And I don't think there's a more intimate relationship in all a sport, in all a sport, than a play caller and a quarterback. And it seems like, you know, from the outside looking in, again, for what it's worth, Caleb's got Ben's back, Ben's got Caleb's back, and the organization's all pulling in the same direction. So if you can run the ball, you can kind of protect your quarterback as well. And I think a growth edge for them for the Bears this year, and I'm sure Ben's all over it,

is, you know, just some concepts from the pocket. You know, I'm sure Caleb's going to be just a lot better at true dropback passes with six or five-man protections from the pocket. And, but again, when your quarterback, quarterback can run on third down and pick up a first down. It's kind of like finding money in your pocket. You're like, hey, thank you. Okay. Here we go on to the next one. It's awesome. It's really been a beautiful story in development. To be able to watch sort of Ben and Caleb relationship, start from where it was last year, where there were certainly times where I think Caleb was scared of Ben and Ben was sort of like,

uh-oh, what am I working with here? And to sort of see where they are now, where they're just in lockstep. It's just been really cool to see. Coach, I wanted to ask you, if other than Caleb Williams, I would say, is there one player on the Bears offense that you're really looking forward to seeing maybe take another step this year? Yeah, well, of course, Caleb's fantastic and like any fan, I can't wait to watch him. You know, Loveland the tight end, what Ben does with tight ends and their offensive staff. It's not just Ben, it's the whole offensive staff, is so creative that as a coach, you know, I kind of like to watch, okay, is he in a three point here? He's in the two point here. He's detached here. Is he cracking the end here? I mean, these guys can really paralyze edge pass

rushers with just splits and techniques. So he's a fun guy to watch. And then like everybody else, I really think I want to pronounce his name correctly Roman Douzay the wide out from Washington is you know due to take a big step I'm really rooting for him

to kind of be that first round draft pick wide out I've ever reason to believe that it can be especially with a guy like you know Ben and their whole staff leading them so like everybody I mean, those are kind of the guys that I watch. And I've got to tell you, that running back, too, is it number 25? Does he run hard, or am I crazy?

Manungai. Kyle Minungai. Seventh-round pet. Out of Rutgers. Yep, little guy. He kind of just runs hard. I was helping my daughter, Mary Elizabeth, with her fantasy football team the other day. And I said, and he showed up on one of the lists.

And I'm like, I'm going to tell you, I think Ben's going to hand that guy the ball down in the red. Love it. or Mayor Elizabeth, this is a thing you might want to think about. John, he hasn't fumbles since high school. Oh, knock on wood now, son of a gun. If he fumbles this weekend, maybe. The whole city of Chicago is coming down on you. You know that.

I know that. I know that. That's okay. He's awesome. John, it's such a pleasure talking with you. Really appreciate your time this morning. The European championship coach of the Nordic Storm, John Shoup, former Bears offensive coordinator.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy this season. Look forward to talking again. Thank you so much, John. I appreciate you all. John Shoup, joining us here on the score. Watch Matt Bowen. Bowen's a tough guy.

Matt Bowen. And it's intercepted by Matt Bowen. Miller, a ton of time. The coverage is good with Matt Bowen. Seven-year NFL veteran. What's coming from Bowen and he knocks it out. The Redskins fall on top of it. Matt Bowen's been the guy applying all the pressure.

Coach for I-Catholic football. Matt Bowen? Man from Glen Ellen, Illinois. very active. NFL writer and analyst for ESPN. For anybody who didn't realize that, our guy, Matt Bowen, drafted right next to Brady. Tom Brady cloned his dog. You think he's

possible he's going to clone himself? Your thoughts? I don't even know what to say, Steve. I'm telling you why, I've been doing the score for a while. 16 years. That's the question that was the least prepared for my life. Matt Bowen. I have a simple rule of beer.

I only drink beer that you can buy in 30 back. Because I'll leave you with that. with Spiegel and Homes on 1043, The Score. We have all been looking forward to this. Matt Bowen is now joining us here on the Potawatomi Casino and Hotel Hotline, the Midwest Best Casino. The season kicks off in two and a half hours or whatever. And here we are.

Bear season starts Sunday at noon in Carolina. And Matt Bowen is here on the Spiegel and Home Show. Matt, how are you? I'm doing great, guys. How are you? We are good, man. Nice to hear your voice. Looking forward to another season of talking to you and getting smarter and reveling in what will hopefully be a step forward for the Bears.

Got to go right to your strength or your biggest strength, which is the secondary. Because I find myself thinking about Dennis Allen. I think he wanted to revamp the secondary. He and Ben Johnson both together, and they did it. but now he doesn't really get to play with what he wanted to play with in terms of Kobe Bryant and maybe Kyler Gordon too. How would you describe what they wanted to do versus what he now has to do?

Well, I think now you might be more alignment and assignment-based to start this season. I don't know if you'll see as much late movement in the secondary because you are in a sense playing backup players. You know, you lose Kobe Bryant, who was brought him because he is so versatile. You can take the football away. You play free, play strong, and he has coverage ability. Now, you bring in a veteran safety to replace him. Who can be a quality, give you quality starts.

There's no question about that and what he can do. And he can play in the deep half. He can playoff. He can playwrights safety, but not the same level in terms of the playmaking talent that Kobe Bryant gives you. Same when you lose Gordon. You know, Gordon's an impact player for you. When he's not on the field, now you have to do a little bit more from the skiing perspective and protect yourself at times.

So does that mean less, you know, less, pressure? Maybe. Does that mean less late movement? Maybe. But you do what you have to do to win a football game. I do think the Bears will be prepared, but it will look different. So, yeah, it's interesting, Matt, because, like, so if he's got to be more, if he's got to stay at home a little bit more in the back, does that put more pressure on the front to be good? Because I don't know that they upgraded significantly on the front to be better. Well, I think it does put more pressure on them, absolutely. And here's the thing I would say, speaking about the bear's defense. You're going into this game on Sunday. Who are your playmakers?

That would be my question. Is it sweat? Is it Devin Bush who you brought over? Is it Jalen? A corner? Because you're, you know, Jalen, look at him healthy. And, you know, we talked about it last year when he wasn't healthy and missed camp, the impact it had on his football season. But now he comes in this season and he is your number one corner. Can you be the number one corner who also takes the football away at a high rate? Because they need that right now in that defense. In the VL players are kind of a wire to deal with not having some success. Like losing a game. There's only one team that wins a championship every season.

We don't talk a lot about dealing with success. And the bears are coming off of a very successful season. What are some of the best practices that you've been a part of as an NFL player on learning to deal with the success that you've had and not letting it hamper how you get prepared for the next season? Well, I think it all starts with the coaching staff, and especially the head coach. He's the one that can moderate that. He's the one that can regulate that.

And it really goes back more to how you practice, how you prepare. Because regardless of what the media is saying, that includes us, about this football team, do they still have high-level practices? Are they still competitive in practice? Are they still pushing each other to where practice gets to a level where it becomes so competitive that it feels like you're playing on Sunday? And that's up to Ben Johnson. And we all know that Ben Johnson, in terms of his practices,

are much different than the majority of the league. You know, Ben Johnson pushes his players. And I think that's what you have to do from a coaching perspective when you have a team coming off the season like they did and a team that we talked about all offseason. And the team right now also that people are looking at to make another playoff front. Yeah, I love that idea. And I think that Ben probably set the tone early on.

He's like, I don't care about anything that happened last year. So why don't we talk about this from a, individual standpoint. Caleb also had the crazy success from year one year two. Where can he still get better? And how does a person like that?

Now you're on the cover of Madden. Now you're the it guy in the NFL and you still have a season to prepare for. So what becomes important for him? I think this, you know, similar things we talked about at the end of last season is playing with, you know, a high rate of consistency in terms of pocket throws.

Because we know what Caleb can do outside of structure. He's one of the best in the league, outside of Patrick Mahomes, I would say. We know about the physical tools he has, the physical traits he has, the armed talent, the mobility, the toughness he has. There's no question about that. But I think the next step for him is to continue taking the throws that are available, to continue putting together to drives where he commands the offense consistently from the pocket. And he's going to have every opportunity to do that.

Now, in saying that, and I've said this before, it is hard to coach players who have such high-level skill set like Caleb does. Because you want them to play within your offensive structure. Or, you know, if you're talking about defense, same thing. You want them to play within that structure. But they can do things that most cannot, right? So you have to, from a coach's perspective, understand that. And at times, Caleb is going to play outside of structure. And maybe you don't want that as a coach, but it can turn into a positive play because he has those different traits.

Now, the key for Caleb is combining those together and absolutely taking over this league. Man, I mean, that's the dream is that you got to get. I remember when Ryan Poles drafted him, and they was talking about leading into the first season, what do you want him to do? You want him to play within himself and with instructor, and then when it's time, unleash the special, then be special. So it's the same kind of concept. I just feel like we've watched the love affair happen with Caleb and Ben,

and I wonder what is going to happen because the trust is so high from Caleb to the head coach. It's exciting how much he trusts and believes in the head coach. So what's it going to look like? Maybe that does look like him accepting checkdowns more or being more meticulous with footwork and really trying to get the ball placement right on the short stuff so it can turn into big breakers, Matt.

You know, maybe it looks like that. I think so speaks. And also from looking at it from, you know, looking at it from Ben Johnson, the accountability level is now higher, right? That's what happens when you have success. Going into the next season, that bar is raised. And there'll be more accountability ass of Caleb from his head coach

and the entire coaching staff and his teammates. That's part of being the star. That's part of being a quarterback at any level, is that everyone looks at you differently because you play that position. And so if I'm Ben Johnson, there is a new set of levels we want to get to this season. So as we think about this offense, and there's a million ways to talk about this team with our guy Matt Bowen here on the score on the Spiegel and Holmes show, can they play four tight ends at once? I mean, they're going to roster them, probably have them four active, you know, on some days, you know? I mean, I'm half joking.

It doesn't really happen, though, right? No backs, four tight ends? We're going to see 13 personnel with three ten ends right away this week. I think you will. I think you will. Absolutely. tell you this, okay. So this spring, okay, I took a bunch of recruiting trips with my son, Graham, and every college stop we went to, it met with the tight end coach. Well, first thing they

talked about is more 12, more 13 personnel at the college level, right? And in my opinion, they're getting that from watching Sunday football. Because why do you use more tight ends now? You know, it's always a counter to what defenses are doing. Right now, defenses are more split safety or two deep coverage, right? So if they're going to be in two deep coverage, you're going to bring more tight ends in the field. To get a size advantage, to get a numbers advantage in the run game, and also create matchups in the past game. So I do think you can see that more consistently from Ben this year.

You know, they were high last year in terms of a number of 12 snaps and the number of 13 snaps. And I think those numbers will grow this year because that's where the league is trending right now. And you saw it in the draft, too. Guys, in the second round of the draft, there was tight ends that 1920 reception is getting drafted. Why? Because they can block.

Because they can set edges in the run game. And he can't set an edge from an offensive perspective. You can't run the football. So I do think that's going to be a big part of the Bears run game, but also what they do from a past game perspective. Yeah, you know, it's funny. I find myself looking at depth charts and caring less than ever about who's wide receiver three and wide receiver four.

And who's tight-in three matters to you more. It matters. Well, and those guys are going to play. You know, so maybe the targets will stay with tight-end one and wide receiver one and RB1, but like, I don't know how often the Bears are even going to have three whiteouts on the field this year as compared to previous years. Right, and that all depends on your personal. Look, I will say this, was bringing Khalif Raymond in.

Caliph Raymond was brought in to be that vertical stretch target in your offense. He's the guy that can lift the safeties. I mean by that, if he runs a clear-out route, those safeties has to turn and open, now you have a window down the field to throw the deep end breaking concept, right? But he can also be a vertical target for you. You can get them loose in jet suites. He's going to have a role in his offense. There's no question about it.

But I think you will see more 12 personnel from the Bears because Cole Comet is a really good football player too. I want to ask you as someone who there were seasons where you played, multiple seasons where you played 16 games. There were other seasons where you got hurt and didn't play as many games. You were a versatile defensive back that was asked to do a lot of different things in your NFL career. From that standpoint, how do you view this Kyler, Gordon's situation. Well, it's tough because there's a different way to look at it.

One, you always have to talk to the player first. Can the player practice? Can the player produce? If he can't do that at a high level, he's not going to get clear, he's not going to be in the football field. But I understand also, from the coaching perspective, you want that player there, right? You want that player to be on the field. You're paying him to play football for your team, and you need him on your

football team. And I've been that guy that's been out. It is no fun. I mean, you feel like a ghost. You really do. You're not a part of the game plan. You're not a part of the practice script. It is very, very lonely when you're hurt. And at the same time, you have to do everything within your power, using the trainers, using the rehab protocols, the return-to-play protocols to get back in that football field and help your team. How does it feel if a teammate is not available and then perhaps leaves the facility during the course of year to go get treatment outside with somebody else?

You know, I think in the past that was a larger discussion, I don't think the same anymore because you see it with off-season weight training, too. The guys aren't at the facility at the same rate they used to be. Everyone has their own trainers now. Everyone goes

to different destinations in the off-season. A lot of guys, if they feel more comfortable with a doctor, for example, you know, you have a knee injury in the NFL. Not many guys are doing a knee injuries with their team doctors. You know, they're flying down to see Dr. James Anders are doing different things when I played to get different opinions.

So I don't think that matters as much. What matters is, are you showing progress in your rehab? Because if you're not, then it's an issue. Matt Bowen, do you have a window as to Dennis Allen might use a true lockdown number one shutdown cover corner? If that's what Jalen Johnson is right now, healthy, I don't know what kind of history Dennis has with it. Does he put him on Tederoa and McMillan and let him travel? does he put him on the number two? Does he lead him on one side?

Like, how do you think he deals with it? I think it depends on what Dennis Allen does from a, you know, scheme perspective. If you want to be more zone-heavy, do we see more too deep coverage, then I think Jim will stay on one side of the field. Most likely you'll be to the field side of the formation. You know, there's a field side off the hatches to the wide side of the field, and then the boundary side is to the short side.

I think you'll be to the field side formation when they do their zone coverages. And when they play men, from my perspective, Absolutely. I would put in my McMillan. That's the one you have to win. That's the match of you have to win in this football game. So when are you going to play mad? Third and two to six, some third and seven to ten. But especially on, you know, the money downs,

I would want to see that matchup in this football game. What advice would you have for Dylan Thineman playing his first NFL game at safety? Slow down, right? Everything happens so fast mentally, right? It's almost like you're over-processed when you're on the football field. And it's going to take a series. to get adjusted to NFL speed.

Preseason speed is not NFL speed. It's not even close because there's no game planning. You're not playing against the ones consistently. This is going to be completely different for him. But once he gets settled in, if I was his coach, I'd say just play football now. Just read your keys. Be a football player. Play within the scheme.

And you will be very successful because of the players around you. What you don't want to tell a young player is to go out there and make plays. I've never said that to a young player that I've coached. I'll say I'm at a much different level. You don't want to put the pressure on them. You say, just go out there and play football, play with the instructor of the defense, and the players will come to you.

What are you most excited about in terms of the NFL season beginning tonight? Like what teams are really getting you going, thinking about the possibilities for this year, Matt? I would start with Houston because I want to see C.J. Stroud this year with a rebuilt offensive line. You know, David Montgomery is down there now. You know, C.J. Stroud has not had a run game for years. I would love to see him with the run game

that put him in more manageable situations because what Houston has on defense right now in my opinion, I know what L.A. has done this offseason, but in my opinion, Houston is the number one defense in the NFL and what they can do under Domeko Rines. That's one team I'm really looking at there. The Dallas Cowboys is what they're going to do on defense. The new

coordinator comes over from Philadelphia worked under Vic Fangio. You have Caleb Downs now on that defense. That's a team that I think they can go places if they can play more consistency play with more consistent in the defensive side of the ball. I'll see in the division. I want to see Colin Murray in Minnesota.

You know, that offense is going to change a little bit. It will still be very QB-friendly in terms of the play action. You have a top receiver in Justin Jefferson. But I want to see how they adapt to Kyle because he has those dual-threats of what he can do in the run game. Coach, we appreciate you jumping on with us. One more real quick, coach. Sure. Do I see that I see Catholic is already 3-0?

Yeah, you do? You're like, you as the secondary and DB's coach for IC Catholic out there in Elmer, you guys are already underway in 3 and 0? That's outrageous. Yeah, we started the season a week earlier because the playoffs have now expanded. There's bi-weeks in the IHSA state playoffs. That's going to be new to everyone. But I think it's good. The more kids that get to experience state playoffs, I'm all for that.

So we started a week earlier. We were actually going on to week four already. We played a Paul Prep Friday night. And we've had a great start. We've had some really good wins. last Friday night in Stigna's. It was a great high school football, great theater in the last four minutes of the football game

to find a way to win a game on a road against an 8-18. That's very big for our program. But it's a great team. I love the kids. It's a fun team and the great kids to be around. And that's what I'm going to do here when I get off. I've got five minutes to be on the field. Amazing.

So we get another season of enjoying football with you from the Bears perspective, from the NFL analyst perspective, from the high school coach perspective, and the father of a soon-to-be college football star. A hot prospects. Everyone's trying to get Grant to come to their campus. There's a lot of levels here with Matt.

A lot of stuff going on. Coach, go coach your guys. We'll talk to you soon. All right, guys, thank you. I could do Stephen A's job, guys. It's not that hard. Danny Parkins. Danny Parkin, Chicago Boy.

QB1 Party. All are invited. Host of Fox Sports 1's First thing first. I've got serious questions about that defense. They're not going to lead the league in takeaways again. They got 12 interceptions from last year that aren't even on the team this year. And then to your point, the guys who they replaced them with that they thought were upgrades in terms of overall play, guys like Kobe Bryant from the Seahawks are heard and potentially out for the year. The Bears, plenty of reason to doubt them.

Caleb Williams, no. Former host of 670 the score before he abandoned us. That's a Caleb Williams custom, baby. Jersey number one is going to the Raptors. You guys made it seem like a Chicago Bears fan. We had our guy, Danny Parkes, all these guys. Danny Parkins on 1043, the score. Wait.

Oh, my God, I can't wait to talk to Parko. It is Rahimi and Grotie on 1043, The Score. We are broadcasting live from Cody's Public House out here today. It's lunchtime. So many people have come out. We've had people come up to the table, some interesting people, including a gentleman from Optostats, which we'll talk to you. I can't believe this.

I cannot believe you spoke office. Optistats into existence. Shout out to David Haw for that. That is absolutely beautiful. We are having a great day out here enjoying pizza and drinks and dogs. It's like guaranteed rate the other night. It's like Dog Day out here, which is beautiful. A couple beautiful golden retrievers popped in out here as well.

Pops, the house dog. Yeah, Pops the house dog is. Yeah, so it is just lovely. I'm trying to get this optostats coozy on my bottle. Oh, yeah. That looks good. It exists. All right.

let's bring Danny Parkins back into existence. You know Danny Parkins, former score star, and Danny now has gone national. Check Danny out on the newly expanded first things, first OT from 4 to 5 p.m. on FS1. Danny Parkins, what's going on, man? Oh, chilling, buddy. Just bring me back into existence. I appreciate that.

What an intro. Thank you. I like, where were you before? I don't know. That's what he said. Grotty's like, we're going to bring Danny Parkins. back into existence. So I'm back.

We try to do that at least once a week as long as you will accommodate us. But man, I was watching you and the rest of the crew. You guys were doing your predictions segment. Danny Parkins, will you let the world know who you are predicting for most valuable player in the National Football League this season? You guys should talk about him on your show. I think he's going to be pretty good. guy by the name of Caleb Williams.

Whoa. Look at that. Whoa. Let's go. Yeah, I don't think that's not crazy. Right? That's not too far out there on a limb with Caleb. It's the toughest division in football.

The bears are picked to finish third in it, according to the odds makers. Their defense is going to be bad. Their goal is clearly to be the number one offense in football. Ben Johnson is clearly looking to, you know, from remember the Titans, like run it up, Herman, leave no doubt. Like, I think he's looking to put like a real statement to the rest of the league that they can be the best offense in football. They're not going to win by their defense.

So, like, if the Bears are a 12-win team that wins the North and they've got a top three offense in football led by Caleb Williams, I think there's a real narrative path there to him being the MVP of the league. Okay. I love the logic, obviously. Obviously. But at the same time, I do want to ask, so, you think that the NFC North is a tougher division than the NFC West?

Yeah, here's why. Listen, the NFC West is better at the top. No question. But like, the last place team in the West is the Cardinals and they could get the number one pick. The last place team in the North had a winning record last year. So I just think the North is the only division where you could make the argument that any of the four teams could win it and any of the four teams could lose it. If you were going to say, pick a division that is most likely to win the Super Bowl, that, to your point, Lela, is clearly the NFC West.

And if that's how you grade the toughest division in football, I think that's totally valid and totally reasonable. But in terms of depth, like, I just look at it like, if you're in the AFC East, you feel like you need to go three in one at absolute worst and probably four and O in your Jets and Dolphins games if you're the Bills of the Patriots. Whereas if you went four and two in the NFC,

over the course of the year, you'd be thrilled with it. Like there's no easy game in the North like there is the NFC West. And you know, what's funny is with the Bears having a losing record in the NFC North last year, that makes us an even more compelling discussion, I think, because I think it was a three-team race in the West. Yeah, yeah. I think like I said, I think it's a, listen, San Francisco last year, they got blown out in their playoff game to Seattle, but they won 12 games. and they were the third most injured team in football last year.

Everyone talks about like the substation and that little internet conspiracy. And their best players are old. So, you know, older players are more likely to get hurt again. Kittle, Mike Evans, Bosa, Warner, obviously Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams. Like they've got, they have a Hall of Fame caliber roster on both sides of the ball. But it's pretty, like, they were the third most injured team in football last year and they still won 12 games. So like if the Niners were in, you know, certainly the NFL, South, you could argue the

AFC South. If they were in a couple of other divisions in football, the Niners would be picked to win the division and their third place pretty clearly in the NFC West. So, you know, again, it's just what you prefer in terms of how you're grading your divisions for toughest. But I think the NFC North Top to Bottom is the toughest in football. Talking to our good friend

Danny Parkins here, who is in existence. You could see him, actually. People that are here live at Cody's Public House, He's on one of the big screen TVs right in the back. There he is. There we are. Man, do we all look good? You know how the text lines work here, Danny. We're getting the full gamut.

We're getting the good explanation by Danny. No gimmies in the north. And then we get kind of what I was thinking here, Danny, from the 773. Kiss of death. Parkins is wrong about everything. You did throw QB1 parties for Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. This is different, though, right? Caleb Williams is different, yes?

well i mean other than the fact that i've never been wrong about caleb williams uh you know i mean now i mean if anyone can point to one time i've been wrong about caleb williams i'd be open to an audit of all of my takes but i believe that i'm the first person audit i believe i you don't do a take audit all the idea yeah no i do take i mean listen working the audit of your takes working with tanny it was like a take audit every day you never knew what he was I like to do a takeout it quarterly. You know, just like to stay ahead of it.

But also, like, I believe, I believe I have the distinction of being the first person in the world to own a Caleb Williams Bears jersey. I literally think I'm the first person. So, yeah, I would like to say, sure, I got it wrong on Justin Fields. These things happen. I bought into Matt Nagy taking Mitch Trubisky to the next level, you know, guilty is charged. I've been wrong plenty, but I'd love for someone to

point out where I've been wrong about Caleb Williams. I'll be waiting. You got, apparently, you got the number wrong on the jersey per Ray Diaz. Okay, I did get the number wrong on the jersey. This is an auditor. I thought that Caleb would

bring it over from college to the NFL. So I messed that up. That is true. There you go. Caleb himself said that I should just tape over it and like you know connect the the three to the eight and make it happen that way so you know Caleb signed off on it it's fine I was still an early adopter is the devil's the details as they say I don't think that counts as part of the take audit that we have just invented I don't think that counts as

take and Tyler Beudorbaugh is your enemy parko he is the one that gave us that information on the wrong jersey oh I'm not I'm not ashamed it makes it a one-of-one collector's item that should people were like Why does your Caleb Williams jersey have that number on it? It's like because I was in before. Like I was more, I don't care if the number was 74, like if it was Caleb Williams. Like the whole point is that I had a Caleb Williams Bears jersey before anyone else. So no, Boutabah is, he could, he can never be my enemy, you know, I'm, I'm fine with it. And Laila, I would love to say that I would love to say that we just invented the take audit, but I've been auditing my takes for years.

But have you called it a take? Have you called it to take audit? though, because that's a good line. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, yeah, I have before. You know, listen, the take business has been very, very good to me. So, you know, I'm a part of the sports take industrial complex. My house is the house that takes built. I do take audits.

Yeah, I have a take accountant. I got all sorts of, I got all sorts of takes in my life. No question. Hey, fancy fancerson. I heard you were at the U.S. Open the other day, too. Three days in a row at the U.S. Open. How was that experience? The U.S. Open's a great event.

It really is a spectacular New York event. Yeah, I went Thursday, Friday, Saturday, got to see Venus and Serena doubles, which was very, very cool. Saw Cocoa golf two different times. Saw the Fritz upset match, which was a five-setter, which was spectacular. And, you know, the Honey Deuce is the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. and I had many of them. And the best part for anyone who doesn't know, it's a great, you know, it's like a flavored vodka drink,

it's delicious, it's refreshing, you know, the summer days in New York. But they have, on each cocktail, they give you three pieces of honey melon, like on a little, like, skewer-like thing that are in the shape of tennis balls. So, you know, it soaks in the vodka cocktail, and then you got a little fruit.

And the signature souvenir glass with all the U.S. Open champions on it. Yeah, so three, straight days of honey deuses in the sun. It was great. And we were crushing some bats during the U.S. Open. So, you know, it was a Saturday. This last Saturday at the U.S. Open was a great day

for your boy. That was in particular, a strong day. Was the Karm out there this year? I don't know if I saw a lot of time. I went out there. I didn't get to see the Karm. I was with my buddy Ben Kaplan, who I wrote Pipeline of the pros with for the first two days. And then Andrew Philiponee came out and me,

Pony and Nick Wright went on, on Saturday. So I missed Carm this year, but Me, Pony and Nick were, we were like fourth row center court for the fits and Cocoa Golf matches on Saturday. And they kept showing us on TV, because we were, we may or may not have had a live bet at 15 to 1 on the underdog. So we were the only people rooting against Fritz. And so they must have thought we were in like the friends and family section or something, because as he was making the comeback, they kept, they started like showing us like every point. So we were, we were all over that feed. It was, it was, It was a fun, fun day. I got to be honest.

That's amazing. Talking to Danny Parkins of FS1, former score guy here on Rahini and Grotie. We are live from Cody's public house. Do you have any explanation for your good buddy, your close friend, Craig counsel, and the Cubs for just having gotten swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in horrible fashion, really, Danny? No, listen, I would never want to speak for Craig. That's not really how it works. You know, they, listen, the brewers are really annoying. That's just the long and short of it. They're really annoying.

It's really frustrating. All the things that they can lose and still persevere and still be a better regular season team than the Cubs. Hopefully the Cubs get hot at the right time, at the plate in the playoffs. I'm not sure, like everybody, you know, questions about the pitch. There's a version of this season where they get. normal health with pitching. You're never going to have a season when you're fully healthy with pitching.

But there's a version of the season where they get like normal health with pitching and the Cubs would be super dangerous and one of, if not the favorites to come out of it. But yeah, it's wildly disappointing that they're not going to win the division. But, you know,

they're going to get an invitation to the dance and then we'll see if they can get hot at the right time. Danny, you're the goods, buddy. How far are the bears going this year, by the way, before we let you go? Are they going to the Super Bowl this year? No, listen, I wasn't Total Homer. I had them winning the division.

I had him Caleb MVP, but I had them losing to Seattle in the NFC title game. Oh, that's a title game. Fair. Yeah, I think everyone would sign up for that in Chicago right now. I don't know if Ben Johnson would, though. Listen, the defense is going to be bad. But what if Jalen Johnson is back to being like a top?

six cornerback in football. Like that, that's not nothing. I think that they're going to be worse, obviously, in the takeaway department. There's no way they'll lead in takeaways again. But if they're better down-to-down series for series, and they're merely like the 22nd defense in football, well, then you add to the top three offense to that, and you've got something there.

But it's going to be fun to see the Bears be totally carried and dependent on on offense. And, and I will also say one more thing. You know, they were in on the Vita Vaya news before he resigned. They were in on Crosby before the Ravens traded for him. Like, Ryan Poles is ready, he's clearly ready to pull the trigger on a Caleb, when Caleb's still on the rookie deal, to add a defensive piece. Like, if they actually, if the defense is just like a little below average, if they're, if they're objectionably terrible, then okay, fine, they're not going to do anything this year. But if they're just merely below average, I do think Ryan Poles is very much willing to pull the trigger to add a defensive player for like a future second round pick, you know, before the trade deadline this year.

So I wouldn't rule that out. You also just previewed our 125 segment. Yeah. So thank you for that. Yeah, Danny. Get us all the information, the paperwork. We'll get this audit rolling here, man. Thanks for coming on.

We appreciate you so much. Yeah. Any time. Anytime. Take audits are free charge for you guys. we appreciate it Danny seriously man thanks for coming out we love you yeah no problem

all right there he goes Danny Parkins former score guy and you should check Danny out check out Danny Parkins on the newly expanded first thing's first OT from 4 to 5 p.m. on FS1 walking unintentional segue Danny Parkins

he did a great job coming up next here on Rahimi and Grody live from Cody's public house how many bears I'm giving out bears we track these things maybe some but in the audience wants a bear or two. But we're having fun out here at Cody's public house in Lakeview. Come out, say hi, eat pizza with us, drink with us, have fun with us, sports with us.

It's Rahimi and Grotie on 104. The score. Caleb Williams makes you feel things. Philosophically, what I believe in is similar to a blast from the past named John Shoup, and that is to make the same things look different and different things look the same. All right? We want the defense on their heel. We're always going to be attacking on offense.

We're going to make things very challenging on the defense each and every week. Welcome back. It's Hahn-Payton Chicago Sports Radio 104-3, the score. Ruthie Polinsky in for Jarrett Payton today. Beautiful Friday morning in the city. And it's a pleasure now to go out to the Plumbers 911 hotline. Plumbing Emergency Call 1833 Plum. Local 130 plumbers. Get the job done right the first time. You heard Ben Johnson on the day that he was introduced as the Bears head coach back in January of 2025.

Reference somebody that I've known for a long time since he was a Bears offensive coordinator. And now it's a thrill that he is still in football coaching successfully. And he is the head coach of the Nordic Storm of the European League, the European League champions coming off a championship season. John Shoup, mentor to Ben Johnson, joins us now. Good morning, John. How are you? Good morning, David. Good morning, Ruthie. Thanks for having me on.

It's great to talk to you. You must have a lot of pride in what Ben Johnson accomplished in his first season as a head coach. You were the offensive coordinator at North Carolina. Ben Johnson was a walk-on quarterback who apparently had all the answers to the test. And he obviously was an intense guy then. He's still an intense guy now, John. I don't think you were surprised, but how have you felt seeing him succeed in this first season in Chicago? Well, it was amazing to watch. I mean, I'm a fan of the Bears like so many. And of course, to have your feelings invested in the head coach the way I do and Ben just, it was exhilarating for me. I mean, that throw against the Rams that Caleb Williams had, you know, I went as crazy as anybody did. I think it's just how Ben drew it up, right?

Right. Exactly. John, I'm curious when you see Ben sort of turn into, you know, I know you've known him for so long, but you see him sort of embody maybe everything he's ever envisioned of what a head coach should be. What has it been like for you to sort of watch it come to life, whether it be him with the death stare on the sidelines during the games or taking his shirt off in the locker rooms? Like what were all of those moments like for you, for someone who's known Ben, you know, since he was just a young college player? Well, the shirt off was a little bit surprising for me.

I'll say this, you know, this is, the NFL is a very serious business, and it's run by very serious people. And Ben is very serious about football, about offense, about relationships with players. He's such a mature person. who handles just every aspect of the job, you know, admirably, but also just in a very professional manner, the shirt offwithstanding, you know, which was a blast to watch. We're talking with John Shoup, the former Bears offensive coordinator,

going way back to 2001 here on the score. And, John, you remember people of a certain age, Bears fans never will forget that 2001 season. It was a long time ago, but I think it's an interesting historical reference because of what you guys did that year. You surprised everybody. Much the way last year the Bears surprised a lot of people. That was the run-and-shoeep offense, people will remember.

You called the plays, and then 2002 happened, and things fell kind of off track. And I don't know. There were a lot of things that contributed to it, injuries and otherwise, but if you had to talk to coaches, whether it's Ben Johnson or just anybody on that staff this year about handling success or getting to the point where you don't make the mistakes that sometimes teams do after a successful season, how would you address that? Yeah. Well, you know, I think coaches throughout the NFL and in college, you know, there's good situations and there's bad situations. in 2001 was a great situation. You know, that roster was really built by Coach Geron and Mark Hatley, both of whom have passed on.

And everybody was kind of pooling in the same direction. We had a formula for how to win games. Now, that 2002 season, you know, the roster started to evolve. You know, Jerry Angelo, a very fine general manager. He came in in that 2001 season, but his fingerprints weren't really on that roster. And, you know, our situation changed. I'm just not sure Jerry and Dick kind of saw football the same way or had the same formula. And so the one benefit that it has is it seems like every, from the outside looking in,

and trust me, I'm on the outside looking in. But it seems like everybody in that organization is pooling in the same direction. And, you know, there's a lot of really good coaches, in my opinion, that are in rough situations. And sometimes, you know, going 7 and 9 is a pretty good coaching job. And then there's some coaches who I think are, you know, kind of average maybe, but they're just in great situations, riding the coattails of a great situation. And I think Chicago has a chance to have a great coach and an organization, it seems to me, that's pooling all in the same direction.

And, you know, to outsiders, that may seem like common sense. But, golly, you know, inside the room, inside the walls of a, NFL building has really been more commonplace to me for people to have different agendas, pulling in different ways. And I think that's where Ben and Ryan Poles, who I've never met before, but have deep respect for, they seem to be on the same page, pulling in the same direction. That's a tremendous advantage. And again, this isn't me making excuses or anything like that.

It's just if the vision of the whole organization isn't aligned, it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are. The other thing I'll say in 2002 after 2001 is, you know, we also had to go play in champagne. And so having 16 away games, really, because they were renovating Soldier Field was tough. But I understand Soldier Field is a whole other topic. That's not. We're not going there with you, Coach. Coach, I wanted to ask you about what you think it's going to be like for Ben to go back to North Carolina this weekend. I think, obviously, someone who has deep roots there, and I know you have roots there as well.

And, you know, will he ever take a moment to get unsurious for a minute and reflect on maybe how far he's come? Well, you know, that's a good question to ask Ben. Yeah. You know, I rest assured I'm in Nashville, North Carolina, and, you know, I'm just about a mile down the road from where his mom and dad live. And, you know, his sister is the assistant principal at our, you know, local high school here. I'm sure there's going to be a big contingent of, you know, people from Asheville that are headed down to the game. Charlotte's about two hours from where we are. I'm also pretty sure Ben's going to have his blinders on and isn't even going to look up until that last whistle.

There may be some good pictures, you know, on Facebook that a sister sends me or something like that after the game. But I'm pretty sure there's not going to be any before the game knowing Ben. Will you be there? I'm not going to be there. I just got back. I just got back into town. from Europe and well,

figured I better spend this first weekend here at home with my wife. I think that's a good plan, John. I think that's after a successful season in Europe. So you were the head coach of the Nordic Storm, and you won the European League championship recently. Was that last weekend? It was August 29th with the final

game. And you know, the European Football Alliance is the league that we're in, and it's about like our team would be a really good college-level team. We'd beat a lot of college teams. Our team would probably be about a top 40 college team. It's professional football. It's really good football, getting better every year, and this is my fifth year in Europe. And, you know, it's really fun.

And, you know, the likes of Jack Del Rio were over there this season. Jim Tom Sulla's been back and forth. You know, so there's more and more people from the NFL getting involved. Our defense coordinator was Mark De Leon, who's a longtime NFL coach as well. It's a good brand of football, really fun. If you're ever over there, our season is in this summer. Come on over to Copenhagen. That's a great ad, John, for European League football.

So have you had any interaction with Ben since last? season ended in terms of just congratulating him on the success in year one. And I imagine you said you lived down the road from his family. There's got to be a lot of local pride in what the Bears accomplished. Well, there's a lot of local pride. A lot more bear jerseys and hats and stuff like that around here. But I will say, you know, going into the championship game on August 29th, you know, I texted a lot of friends.

there's still coaching, some even playing in the NFL. And we put together a video of, you know, different personalities, wishing our team luck, kind of sending them a message. And, you know, one of my favorite ones was just Ben with that very serious attitude, looking to every member of our team in the eyes saying, you know, you've earned this now go get it. I mean, his message was really strong. So that's the last that I've talked to Ben.

And you guys know as well as I do. I could text Ben a hundred times here between now and Thanksgiving. He's probably not going to look at his phone until the end of the playoffs. No doubt about it. He's going to be all business. That's the intensity that I think we saw last year. And what makes him such an excellent head coach, John, though, as a coach, as a guy that is an offensive genius and you look at and you understand

the schemes, you understand the value of the quarterback and all the ways that you can get guys open. How do you look at the Bears' offense this year and their ability to be the kind of juggernaut that Ben Johnson envisions them being? What is about the Bears' offense that you think makes it unique?

Yeah. Well, I think they have a really creative run game. I mean, I've got to tell you, our staff just absolutely. studied their run game. I must have watched their run game, their game against Philadelphia last year. I must to watch that tape a hundred times because Vic Fangio's a pretty good coach, too. And, you know, run wise, if you can run the ball in that league, you can protect your quarterback. You can put defenses in conflicts of assignment. You could do a lot of different things.

you know, as long as they're able to run the ball. And then the other thing that I just think is unbelievable, Caleb Williams can really throw the ball on the move. So some of those runs with play action passes off of it, it's one thing to do it when you've got a quarterback who, you know, is it can certainly play action and can certainly exercise, you know, the art of deception. But when you've got a guy also that can pick up a third down with his feet,

you know what? I was watching the Patriots the other night, and I know Drake May threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. I know that. But he also picked up about two or three third down conversions in the first half. That's son of a gun, that really picks up a play caller. And I don't think there's a more. intimate relationship in all a sport, in all a sport, than a play caller and a quarterback.

And it seems like, you know, from the outside looking in, again, for what it's worth, Caleb's got Ben's back, Ben's got Caleb's back, and the organization's all pulling in the same direction. So if you can run the ball, you can kind of protect your quarterback as well. And I think a growth edge for them for the Bears this year, and I'm sure Ben's all over it, is, you know, just some concepts from the pocket. You know, I'm sure Caleb's going to be just a lot better at true dropback passes with six or five-man protections from the pocket.

But again, when your quarterback can run on third down and pick up a first down, it's kind of like finding money in your pocket. You're like, hey, thank you. Okay, here we go on to the next one. It's awesome. It's really been a beautiful story in development. To be able to watch sort of the Ben and Caleb relationship, start from where it was last year,

where there were certainly times where I think Caleb was scared of Ben, and Ben was sort of like, uh-oh, what am I working with here? And to sort of see where they are now, where they're just in lockstep. It's just been really cool to see. Coach, I wanted to ask you, if other than Caleb Williams, I would say, Is there one player on the Bears offense that you're really looking forward to seeing maybe take another step this year?

Yeah, well, of course, Caleb's fantastic, and like any fan, I can't wait to watch him. You know, Loveland the tight end, what Ben does with tight ends and their offensive staff, it's not just Ben, it's the whole offensive staff, is so creative that as a coach, You know, I kind of like to watch, okay, is he in a three point here? He's in the two point here. He's detached here. Is he cracking the end here? I mean, these guys can really paralyze edge pass rushers with just splits and techniques. So he's a fun guy to watch.

And then like everybody else, I really think, I want to pronounce his name correctly, Roman Douzay, the wide out from Washington, is. you know, due to take a big step, I'm really rooting for him to kind of be that first round draft pick wide out. I've ever reason to believe that it can be, especially with a guy like, you know, Ben and their whole staff leading him. So like everybody, I mean, those are kind of the guys that I watch. And I've got to tell you, that running back, too, is it number 25? Does he run harder? Am I crazy?

Manungai. How a manung guy? Seventh-round pet. Out of Rutgers. Yep, little guy. He kind of just runs, runs hard. I was helping my daughter, Mary Elizabeth, with her fantasy football team the other day. And I said, and he showed up on one of the lists.

And I'm like, I'm going to tell you, I think Ben's going to hand that guy the ball down in the record. Love it. Mary Elizabeth, this is a guy you might want to think about. John, he hasn't fumbles since high school. Oh, knock on wood now, son of a gun. If he fumbles this weekend, maybe the whole city. Chicago's coming down on you. You know that.

I know that. I know that. That's okay. He's awesome. John, it's such a pleasure talking with you. Really appreciate your time this morning. The European championship coach of the Nordic Storm, John Schoop, former Bears Offensive Coordinator.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy this season. Look forward to talking again. Thank you so much, John. Thanks. I appreciate you all. John Shoup joining us here on the score.