Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - What are the expectations for the 2026 Bears?

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

Marshall Harris and Mark Grote discussed what the expectations will be for the Bears in the 2026 season.

Rahimi Harrison Grody The great Kevin Harlan I just pulled through the Taco Bell Drive-thru and I've got a couple of big nasty Supreme Burritos right here waiting to beat. You know the first thing they ask you now are you using the app. The app,

no, I just want my burrito. I don't want to use an app. Bring a lot of mild sauce because I'm going to squirt it all over the place. Put some hot sauce on my burrito, baby. Rahimi Harrison Grody, Midday's 10 a.m. 2 on the score. There is no building off of this. We go

back to square one. We were back at the bottom again. And that's really all 32 teams. If you feel otherwise, you're probably missing the big picture. We're back at, we got to start from scratch. We've got to start from the fundamentals. You know, a lot of guys talked about how difficult this training camp was. I didn't feel like it was anything out of my ordinary. They know what the expectation is. That is the, every time I hear it, I think of it a little bit of it a little bit. bit differently. I'm going to go, that's the defiant Bears head coach

Ben Johnson with a stern warning for Bears Nation, really. That's for everybody. You've been warned, man. What we just did was really hard. And we got to start from the bottom for Heemey Harrison Grody on the score. Thanks for being

with us. 312-644-67-67. If you want to join the fun here today. Thank you, too, to our video producers. If you want to watch, you can do so on Twitch.tv slash the score Chicago, the gentleman running the show, Connor O'Donnell, Jacob Stutz, and Max Curtis, and we thank them for doing what they do. And as we do, Marshall, we do begin the process of the, I'm going to use a word, the arduous process of starting to define

new expectations. I call it arduous, and that might be the wrong word, I don't know, because they just came off this spectacular season where they won a playoff game. All the things I said, they look legitimate. And now we have to ask for more. Can we get a little more now, please? Can you win two playoff games? Can you get to the Super Bowl?

Because that Marshall Harris will be the expectation for the Chicago Bears next year. Guaranteed. Have you ever played Super Mario Brothers? Like the original Super Mario Brothers, the game that came stock with the Nintendo Entertainment System. I am the worst person to speak to when it comes to video games. I didn't know if you had or not.

I have not. I think a certain... I played outside. A certain member... We all played outside, Brody. No, you didn't. No, most people don't. I have a friend... Now you sound like a boomer.

Can I tell you something right now? I don't care if I sound like a boomer right now. Oh, goodness. I have a very close friend of mine's child was just hurt, and he said he got hurt playing a video game, and he's on crutches. Still waiting for more detail. And I'm like... Wait, what world? You know this friend is mine too. This, I don't know. I don't know. Like, was he doing some physical activity? I was just trying to share sympathy for the child at the time. I wasn't going to go into, I guess I'm doing it now. I'll hit 50,000 watts.

But is they using the blow torch. Soon to be on AM and FM, by the way. I'm using the blow torts. And this person might even be listening. But yes, I'll go boomer on that stuff. I played outside. But anyway, you were the analogy that you were going for. Let me give it to you. A fair portion of our audience, I would believe, has... Our boomers probably. Well, maybe... We're all over the ledger. Super Mario Brothers, like a lot of games, you can't save the game, right? Like now, games, you finish it, and it saves automatically.

Most games, you either had to put in a password or just start from the beginning again. And so you go through Super Mario Brothers, there's 32 levels. Okay. Four chapters in each... level. There's eight, eight, eight worlds you go through and there's four stages in each world. You beat the game and it sends you back to the beginning of the game, except for this time, they have these little things called cupa troopers, which you just jump on and they're dead. Every cupa trooper that was, it's the same exact game, except for every cupa trooper that was

is now what they call a busy beetle. And the beetle, you can hit the busy beetle, but it turns into a shell, it doesn't go away. So it can still hurt you. This is what the bears are doing now. They have beaten the game, and they're going back to the beginning. It's a brand new season. It's going to be more difficult. You've got to first place schedule. And you understand you've got to do it all over again with more difficult conditions. Because now everybody knows about Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and the defense.

They're more familiar with what you're trying to do. Yeah, and I'm so glad that while it's jarring to hear, you could tell that was my reaction again to it, the defiant sounding Ben Johnson. I'm so glad that unlike past coaches with the Bears, He's hyper aware of that. His predecessor in... Matt Ibervus? You're going to go to two coaches back, aren't you?

I want to go back to... Nagy? To Matt Nagy. Yeah. I mean, like, he thought the problem after 2018 was they needed a kicker. Like, that was what he was going to solve. It wasn't, like, everything starts from a new.

We can't just depend on what we did last year. He thought his offense was good enough. He thought they could depend... Except we needed to put 10 kickers out here on field four for a bunch of Bears reporters, like me. to watch and analyze and to interview while the rest of the NFL reporter world is watching line play and receivers and quarterbacks. Wow, I needed to get that off my chest.

No, but you're right. You're right because Ben Johnson and his staff, they all recognize that each individual season is a thing anew. Yes, you may have some of the same cast members. And those cast members, if you're developing them, may be better than a year prior, right? You look at all the young players on this team. but you're going to lose some of your veterans. Sure. You're going to get new players in here.

And the mission at the beginning, it starts anew. It's the same concept, winning as many games you can to get into the playoffs, get the best seed you can get in the playoffs, to make your road easier in the playoffs. But that is the goal every year is to get in the playoffs and make a run of the Super Bowl championship. And only one team out of 32 gets to hold the trophy at the end of the season. Amen to that. Let me fire off a few text messages here in a row. Rapid fire.

Fire. The Bears didn't beat the game. Okay. The princess is in another castle. Another video game thing? That is specific to Super Mario Brothers. Okay. I was out playing wiffle ball and shooting baskets.

We were all doing that, but we also, on a rainy day, what were you doing? Mark? What were you doing on a rainy day? Try to find a gym. Try to find a gym and see if we could break in there. Yeah. No, like, in all honesty, like, I'm glad about this about me, but I had Atari, because I'm 54.

Okay, so Atari was the thing. The Atari 2,600. With the one button. With the original. After that, I never graduated. Like, I just didn't have interest because I knew, I think I knew myself. You were an adult at that point. Well, I just, that's the truth.

No, it's not true because I, look, I didn't play video games through a college, a high school. I just never went back to it because I think I would be overconsumed with it. So that was me knowing me. So there's that. And then of course the next text, 847, Boomer Grody. And then one more text I wanted to read. You can't read every single text that we see on the text line. I have one I want to read too, so go ahead.

Here's the last one I'll read. 847. Grody, you're not wrong for being jaded as we all should be, but I truly believe that the 2025 bear season was all about changing the culture, and they accomplished that with fine colors. Listen, this one may be the best text that I've seen on here, 847. I would hope everything Caleb learned last year carries over to next year. I would hope so too. And I would also say it needs to carry over and he needs to get better. I don't think anyone's arguing

that specific point. But the game is the same. It's still football. And now you're going to have a more difficult schedule on paper. Who knows? Maybe more quarterbacks will be heard and your worst two-game stretch you won't face, I don't know, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. But next year is going to be more of the same. You're never going to have a chance to really catch your breath and get complacent because there's more to do. And even when you win it all, there's still more to do. Rahimi Harrison Grotie on the score, let's turn to one of the Bears' assistant coaches. Antoine Randall L runs the receivers for the Chicago Bears.

He was on WGN with Jared Payton and we definitely have permission to play this here right now, talking about the expectations of this season. We take a break because we lost, and that's the way we look at it. it and we know that the team won't be the same. You know, you won't have all the same players. It just doesn't work out like that. But with that being said, there is the siege that we've planted in terms of this is the norm. And the norm is getting into playoffs and having an opportunity to go win the Super Bowl.

That has to become the norm. And that's what we want that to be. And obviously the norm is to win it all, but you got to get in the dance to be able to do it. Just get in the dance. I've been in the dance, man, as the one seed, as the two seed, as the six seed when it was only six teams in the, on each side in terms of the NFC and AFCs.

So you just got to get in. And once you get in, that's when, you know, obviously you want to be able to be playing your best ball. So we planted the seed. We got it done this first year. Now, starting out in the spring, what we got to build it all over again yeah because it's not hey we're gonna leave off a little what we left no we got to build build build it again and get and surpass what we left off the previous

year and we can we can we can definitely do that it's just a matter of us getting back to it and uh what i like to say is careful planning and hard work reduce prosperity we can't you take shortcuts uh it leads to it leads to poverty We're not going to take shortcuts. We're going to plan well, get to work, and expect us to be able to prosper for sure. Oh, strong finish for Antoine Randall L, the Chicago Bears receivers coach on GN with Jared Payton right there. I like that he coupled Marshall the idea of the Super Bowl has to become the norm with Just Get In. And having listened to that again, I like it.

Yeah, because obviously, just get in. it has to be the mantra to get to the Super Bowl, but that he dared to say that the Super Bowl has to become the norm. Just using the word, the norm is a different way of hearing it for me. Prosperity versus poverty. Those are your options. Strong finish. There is no in between.

And listen, when Antoine Randall L. speaks of this, he speaks of this as an experienced player who played nine, seasons in the league. And in his nine seasons, he went to the playoffs over half the time, five trips to the playoffs. And so he's speaking from experience when it was a little bit harder to even get into the playoffs, if we're being honest. And he's been part of seasons that ended in first round exit. He's been part of seasons that ended in the Super Bowl. And so to understand that, understand he's trying to implore on all of the coaches, the players that he coaches what it takes to get to the level. And I think he sees, you know, elements of that in

his first season with the Bears. He obviously saw it when he was coaching with the Lions. And now he's making sure everybody understands what it takes to get back to that. Is part of what it's going to take to get back to that? Is it squeezing the football more? Is it changing the gloves? Is it maybe protecting the ball with your body a little bit more? But what about all those drops, Antoine Randallel? Anybody ask him about that? Yeah, they did ask him about that. And he talked about Rome and what he needs to do better. Obviously, DJ Moore and the toughness and getting more out of him in a more consistent way. And that's how they got what they got of him, especially the back half the season when you didn't have Roma Dunzee available. And he is the veteran in the room.

He is the one making all the money. So that's why it's so interesting to hear him talk about DJ Moore so favorably and wonder at the same time, will DJ Moore be a part of this team next season? That's really good capsulizing that, and I love that. I think the theme of that is and should be correctly by Antoine Randall L. Moore. Give me a little bit more now. That's not even an Antoine Randall L. thing.

I think that's a Ben Johnson thing. I think that's a team-wide statement thing. Of course. Who are you looking at and be like, yes, you played exactly how we needed you to play this season? Maybe Nashan Wright, Kevin Byer, Joe Tooney, Darnell Wright. Really, the all pro guys. Yeah. And outside of that, they should all be trying to ascend to all pro level.

Right, right. And that's why I say, like, Colston Loveland, I said it. I think we're seeing a star, a player becoming a star before our eyes. But more, like, more. Luther Burton, wow. I mean, wow, what a revelation he was, came on strong. But more. Little more. Come on. DJ Moore. Lord knows.

Like, little more, and I can pin some of that on the quarterback. Throw it that guy's way a little bit more. But I like that that can be part of the solution if you need that for the Bears' offense in some ways. It's not we need to go out and get, fill in the blank guy. It's give me a little more. Give me some more. More arrogance. Give me some more. I would say Buster Rhyms would let you know they do need more pass rushers. I'm sorry. They need better pass rushers.

I think that he would definitely think that. There you go. We are excited, by the way, Marshall. Man, it's, it's, there is something blooming every day as it pertains to. Out there? Well, it's actually sunshiney as I look through the buildings. I don't see any flowers popping through the snow. No, there are no flowers popping through the snow.

And it was another rough, rough walk in today. I didn't stop anywhere, though. We are excited about our FM debut this Monday. And we have lots planned for it. That's why I said, like, as I'm walking through the hallways, I'm seeing things. I'm seeing different studios set up. up that we might be working in tomorrow because of the FM. I'm being asked to show up at certain places tomorrow in the name of this whole thing,

of the name of the FM. So there's all sorts of surprises we have for you. Our FM debut, ladies and gentlemen, is Monday on 1043, the score. That's right. All score shows, Cubs, Bulls, all the stuff we do here, all those games on FM. High fidelity all the time, including in downtown shows. Chicago. You know how annoying it can be when you don't get to hear the radio in the parking garage or wherever. The score will still be heard on 670 a.m. But starting Monday at 8 a.m.

during our show, it is the debut of 104.3 on FM. The simulcast is presented by the official sports book of the score. Circa sports betting the way it should be with no bet fees. I can't wait. I know. I feel like the energy has been percolating around here. And, you know, it might take people even a while to, you know, we're still going to be on that 670. That's right. The first time you can't hear it, it'll be the first time you turn over to 104.3. Then the people were like, what were they saying about that whole F-F-M thing? They made a big deal.

Oh, yeah. 104-3. Nah, you see what we're cooking up. Because I understand, like, a lot of people listen are like, 670 is classic. You can't go away from 6. We're just making it bigger and better, and it's already pretty huge. Coming up next, we will continue to talk about Barry. Maybe a little bit.

There's a little new, there's new news. Is that even a way to say it? There's news as it pertains to the Chicago Bears and their stadium search. We can get into that a little bit. We'll still take your calls as well and your text messages, which have all been excellent. 312, 644, 67, Rahimi, Harrison Grody on the score.