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REAL TALK! with Doc and Marlon
Patriots & Bears Season Predictions w/@BKirms and @ChampInNM
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We dive into in-depth analysis of the Patriots and Bears with special guests B Kirms and Champ, exploring offseason moves, rookie development, and playoff prospects for these historic franchises.
• B Kerms highlights Mike Vrabel as the Patriots' best offseason addition, bringing familiarity with the organization and strong leadership
• Drake May poised for improvement in year two with better protection from rookie linemen and new weapons like Stefon Diggs
• Patriots still have $60 million in salary cap space for additional moves before the season begins
• Caleb Williams showing early improvement under new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's system, demonstrating quicker decision-making
• Bears adding weapons including Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and rookie TE Colson Loveland to support Williams' development
• Both teams predict to win between 8-10 games with Vegas setting similar win totals
• NFC North projected to be highly competitive with Lions, Bears, Packers and Vikings all capable of making playoff pushes
• Discussion of all-time greats for both franchises features Brady, Gronkowski and Harrison for Patriots; Butkus, Payton and Singletary for Bears
Episode Introduction
Speaker 1And welcome everybody to another episode of Real Talk . Doc , you doing all right today .
Speaker 2Yes , I am . Yes , I am , brother . We missed last week I was on a vacation in Famarillion , so we got a lot to do . Tonight , led by one of our best guests and best friends , we went to Vegas together . Shine on sports specialty . Let's do it . Do the intro , brother .
Speaker 1All right . So in this episode we are doing , we've done , most of the episodes . We have three left . We have the AFC East left , the NFC North left and the the big , powerful NFC North done today with this episode , and then we will do the NFC East next episode . So , yeah , so we have , as Doc said , a good friend . We've been to Vegas together multiple times and all that . So B Kerms joins us . Kerms , how you doing today , man ?
Speaker 3I'm doing good guys . Thank you for having me .
Speaker 2Absolutely . It's a blessing brother . So , yeah , let's get right to it , baby the
Patriots Offseason Analysis with B Kerms
Speaker 2pats . So yes , yes yes , the past .
Speaker 1Obviously last year , uh , the the season was not what you guys wanted . Obviously you guys got a new coach uh , you still have drake may , that's there and you got a lot of off-season pickups . So talk to me about but you're not even talking about the draft . Just talk to me about the patriots , off-season pickups , what you like , what you don't like , and and you know essentially what you love uh , well , I think the best off-season pickup was , um , a new head coach , uh , mike vrabel .
Speaker 3Um , we know his success in tennessee and I think he kind of got duped by the ownership . And uh , you know one , what do they say ? One man's loss is another man's treasure , or something along those lines . Yeah , so , um , he's very familiar with the organization . Being a former player , he knows , uh , craft very well . Um , you know he knows the culture in New England and um , you know , I was hoping Gerard Mayo would have done well as a former player as well . But , uh , you know , maybe he got a raw deal after one year .
Speaker 3But Vrabel was out there , he was interested and I thought it was a great move . Yes and no , we needed a receiver . I like Stefan Biggs , I didn't really like the whole distance with him on a yacht or something like that , but when it all came clear it sounded like it really was much to do about nothing . It really wasn't a big deal . It just sounded like maybe it was blown out of proportion . I think he's still a good player . Obviously he's a little older now . He's probably in his early 30s , if I had to guess .
Speaker 3So they say once your receiver hits 30 or more . There they tend to lose a bit of burst , um , and you don't know what you're gonna get . I mean , you're seeing that now with Washington . You know Terry McLaurin's about to turn 30 or 31 and he , they don't want to pay him what he wants to be paid , despite as great a receiver as he's been in his whole career . But uh , you know , that just sometimes happens when you get these receivers that turn 30 .
Speaker 3Um , you know , outside of that , I mean , yeah , I wish maybe they would have added a better receiver . I was hoping maybe they would have gotten dk metcalf in the trade with seattle , but uh , obviously it didn't work out . Um , yeah , I'm just trying to think off the top of my head . Um , I mean , they did do some nice stuff . They still have 60 million dollars , that million in salary cap . They still have the most cap space in the league . So , who knows , you know , do they trade for someone like Terry McLaurin ? I personally don't think he's leaving Washington . Do they sign a free agent ? Maybe someone like Gabe Davis Do . I mean , are they going to try to trade for ? Is the Micah Parsons stuff for real ? Is the Trey Hendricks and stuff for real ? Do they make a trade with one of these teams and get another pass rusher on that line . I mean , there's a lot to answer questions and with all that money they can do a lot of things . So I'm curious what's going to be next .
Speaker 2Oh , absolutely , brother B Kearns . I'll tell you , man , I love what you did during the draft . You know it's his own because you got a potential starting center from the University of Georgia . Jared Wilson , an all-SEC performer , you know 6'3" , 3'15" , can move his feet well , excellent at pass pro and he's excellent at run blocking . But you mentioned Gerard Mayo B Kerms and I'm interested in this because you started out strong man . You beat Cincinnati Bengals at home week one and you had another big win throughout the year and then everything went south after that , you know . So I don't think you got a raw deal , man . But I have no problem with Mike Rabel being a coach . He should have been the first choice to throw , but I think he needed another year off after exiting Tennessee . But I'm happy with the hire .
Speaker 2I think your quarterback , drake , may Marlon and B Curbs he has a tremendous cannon . He's like a Josh Allen clone . Without the running he can throw the ball . You know air ADRs he did it in college and then pre-draft process , but he's a big kid . Anybody following Tom Brady is going to be on an enormous strain , but it looks like he has a good head on his shoulder . You mentioned Stephon Diggs becomes , I think if he stays out of trouble he can give you a solid year or two . You know he's coming off the big injury but you know I like your running back , singleton , and I love what you got on defense man and led by your head coach , Mike Frable . So it's one of those things where I like what , the addition , what you did in the offseason .
Speaker 2Absolutely , Doc . Yeah , yeah . So yeah , that was my thought on that . You're in a tough division , though , with Buffalo , and we'll take it from thought on that . You're in a tough division with Buffalo and we'll take it from there on that . Yes .
Speaker 1Very tough division . Tough division with Buffalo , miami's going to be there , the Jets they now have Justin Fields , so we'll see what's going on with that . But I'm going to talk about your quarterback
Drake May and Patriots' Quarterback Outlook
Speaker 1, soke may . Um , he has a lot , of , a lot of promise . I mean , he had a decent year last year and now we'll see what he does . New head coach , new weapon and digs which is what you said earlier , kerm . So what are your thoughts on drake may this year ? What are you thinking ? Uh , how is he going to shape up against the other , let's say , average quarterbacks in the league in that range of you , you know , 12 to 20 years ? How do you think he's going to do this year ?
Speaker 3I think he's definitely going to take a step up , no question about it . Like Doc said , we got a all American center from Georgia . I love , I mean , that offensive line last year . If it wasn't the worst in the league , it was top five , it was just dreadful . And getting Will Campbell in the draft at that spot was just a no-brainer . I mean , yes , it would have been nice if they took someone , maybe like a playmaker , like an Ashton Gentry , or couldn't take Travis Hunter , he was gone or maybe like a Ted McMillan . Sure , that would have been great . But we have a young quarterback and the number one thing you have to do is you have to protect them . He did show promise last year . He's a good athlete . He's got a heck of an arm . He just didn't have any weapons . But now , with Diggs and they drafted Kyle Williams in the third round from UCLA , I just did some research on him . I mean he transferred to Washington State from UNLV and in two seasons at Washington State had 20 touchdowns . He's got some size . He's got some good hands . I'm not sure how he's going to do in his first year translating in , I'm hoping really good things . But where they got him in the draft and what people like Daniel Jeremiah said . Like you know , it was a very good value for the talent and what new England needed . So that will definitely help Drake may overall . But yeah , I think he's definitely going to take a step up .
Speaker 3I think the one thing about him that I like the most is he just seems like a really , really humble person . This kid coming out of high school out of North Carolina originally committed to go to Alabama but changed his mind and said you know what , everybody goes to Alabama . I'm going to stay home and play for the Tar Heels . And said you know what everybody goes to Alabama . I'm going to stay home and play for the Tar Heels . I think when a player does that where you can go anywhere you want and then says you know what , I'm going to go to school like North Carolina who's had some success in college ? But it's not Georgia , it's not Alabama , it's not Clemson the fact that he wanted to stay home and help a program , I think , speaks volumes of his maturity and his attitude . I think he's going to be a great leader for the Patriots going forward .
Speaker 2Absolutely Good response , brother . I like that . You know I'm pulling for you . But , kp Kearns , after all the success that the Patriots have Marlon , it's kind of refreshing to see what they're going to do with another kid , with another quarterback , a young kid on the center , and see if it translates not to seven Super Bowls but at least to postseason and going deep . He's only in his second year . Go ahead .
Speaker 1Absolutely , absolutely . So looking at your predictions , I don't remember last year I don't know off the top of my head what did you guys have ? Like five , six wins last year , if that ? I think we only had like three or four . Yeah , it wasn't good . Yeah , yeah , I know it was bad . So , um , so look at now it's , it's most would say you guys are probably the most improved team this year . You guys drafted well free agency . You guys , for sure , won free agency with all the pickups , in my opinion , that you guys got , especially with what you needed . So you got the bills , which they'll probably end up 11 , 12 , 13 wins . Uh , miami and the jets . We don't know what we're going to get from those teams , nor do we know for your team , necessarily . But what's your prediction ? What's your record going to be ? I think you're oh shoot , I have had this , doc . I don't know if you have it , but the win total for you guys . Do you know what Kerms ?
Speaker 3Last I checked I haven't checked recently they've been consistently between eight and nine , so I think it's about eight and a half .
Speaker 4I want to say Vegas .
Speaker 1Respection if that's where it's at Vegas , respection .
Speaker 4Yeah , that's it .
Speaker 1So what are your predictions for the Pats this year as far as record wise , and what do you think you'll end up in the division race , and do you think you end up making the playoffs ?
Patriots Season Predictions and Schedule
Speaker 3OK .
Speaker 3Well , in regards to the schedule , I'm looking at it right now . The first few weeks are pretty favorable . So we open up at home against the Raiders and I think they Vegas has that as about a three point spread , which pretty much they're saying these teams are even I think it'll be a close game . But the Raiders are coming in with they got a new running back in Jante . Pete Carroll is returning to head coaching . It's a one o'clock game out east , so it's a three-hour time difference for the Raiders . I'm just curious how Carroll , after taking a year or two off from the league , is going to do in his first week . And then , week two , we go to Miami . I don't really have a whole lot of worries about that game . I know it's a division game but I don't really have a lot of faith in Miami this year . Then , week three , we got Pittsburgh at home . Aaron Rodgers , third week , barring anything serious happening to him , which obviously I don't wish on anyone , but I think that's going to be a tough game . I know a lot of people . Steelers and Patriots are two teams in the AFC that people are saying are going to improve pretty good this year . And then another home game . So we start three of the first four weeks at home . And we got Carolina . I've got to be honest , I'm curious how Doc feels about this team because in this division I think carolina is going to be an underrated team . Um bryce young showed some promise towards the end of the year . Um , I like the like I said um , the video they're showing on this mcmillan kid um at wide receiver looks pretty good . So I think they're going to be better than people anticipate now how they do against the Patriots . I think it can be pretty close game . But after that they got three games on the road . They got Buffalo at night at New Orleans , who's not going to be very good , um , and Tennessee , we'll see . By then Cam Ward should be settled in . And then we got you know , I don't want to go through , give it every game here but then we , you know you got Cleveland , uh , the Jets , the Giants , and then we end the season for the last four games home against the Bills , at the Ravens , at the Jets and home against the Dolphins . So my prediction I think 8.5 is about right , I think 10 is maybe the most , but yeah , I think 8.9 and 9-8 is about right . And playoff prediction . I think they're going to either be the last team in or the first team out of the playoffs .
Speaker 3When you look at the AFC , you know division winners . I'm picking Buffalo in the east . I'm picking the Ravens in the north , the south , I guess right now I'll still take the Texans . The west is the most interesting . I know everyone's going to pick Kansas City . Personally , I think , even though I don't like the injury to Slater , I think the Chargers are very , very good this year . I think they're going to win the division . So then the last three spots . You've got the Patriots , you've got the Bengals , you've got the Steelers , you've got the Chiefs Broncos . Maybe the Raiders can make a push . What about Tennessee ? So the AFC is loaded . So fighting for those last three playoff spots , can they do it ? Yes , if somebody put a gun to my head and said you had to make a pick right now , I would say they're just going to miss it .
Speaker 2Well , that's a good synopsis , brother , but it all starts week one and it's one of those things where it's most anticipated , going back almost a quarter of a century because of the tuck rule , you know , with Brady versus Rich Gannon during that time . So there's interest there . Where Raiders come to the win , you have to start 1-0 , b Kearns , with that particular team , as I referenced , you started 1-0 last year , being the power over the powerhouse Bengals . I just don't see you losing at home to a Raider team that's in flux . You know , say what you will about Geno Smith , but the rookie running back is still a rookie . You know you're at the crib and you know Mike Vrabel knows defense and Marlon , I tell you , man , that might be a marquee game to keep your eye on if you're in Vegas . Man , I'm going to lay the points , be curious with you and I know I might get in trouble with my wife , but you're at the crib and Regal knows that Boston area . He played defense and I just think that the Raiders traveling across country is going to be a bitch . Now , after that , you asked about Carolina . I think Carolina being in my division , I'm very familiar with him . Bryce , carolina , I think Carolina being in my division . I'm very familiar with him , bryce Young , you know he did have a strong end of the season last four or five games . But here again , you know Vrabel is defensively . He knows discipline is going to be the key . I don't think Gerard Mayo defensively , especially discipline-wise Marlon , that's why he's out of the job . But I think Vrabel brings that sense of disability you know , not invincibility , but physicality is the word I'm looking for and discipline to the Patriots and especially on defense . And I think the kid , tator McMillan , going to Carolina might help them , and Chuba Hubbard at running back . But I eventually think that the Patriots is going to overcome that offensive Carolina .
Speaker 2I'm not scared of Miami division . I'm not scared of the Jets . If everything goes well , call me crazy . I can see you win 10 games Sweet to Jets and you sweep Miami . Miami is a disarray right now . You might get swept by Buffalo , but that's neither here nor there . You're out of conference games like Carolina and some others . You do that and you might get 10 wins . Nine is the floor for me , and I'm not just saying that because I love you , I just think that Vrabel is a godsend for that organization and that fan base in Foxborough and Boston , you know . So yeah , there you go , brother .
Speaker 3Absolutely , doc . I appreciate that and you know it's funny , doc , you mentioned the first week . You know , ashton , they got a new running back . Well , so do we . And Travion Henderson , I mean the kid just looked fantastic . I mean his first play in his NFL career . He runs a kickoff return for a touchdown against my wife's commanders . So , who knows , maybe Henderson goes down with a chip on his shoulder and says , hey , I'm the better running , I'm the better rookie running back in this matchup , and yeah , we'll see what happens . But yeah , I mean , should they win this game ? Absolutely . But Vegas must know something if the spread is only three .
Speaker 2And Marlon real quick before you continue on . I gave the Patriots a B+ . You already know about Jerry Wilson . The center from Georgia is going to be a starter . But Will Campbell , they addressed the need and , as B Kearns referenced , you've got to protect your franchise quarterback . He missed some time last year and if you want to compete for one of those spots that you referenced , you have to . This kid Camel out of LSU was a freshman All-American at LSU , you know , and you can play left tackle and right tackle . I don't care about the short arms , you know , because it doesn't affect his play . So yeah , there you go , marty
Top 10 Patriots of All Time
Speaker 2, and be Kearns .
Speaker 1Yeah , let's do it all . Right . And now current . Before we get you out of here , I always have to ask a certain type of question , that that goes into history . Doc loves his history , so , um , I'm gonna ask the top 10 patriots of all time . So , of course , yeah , I'm sure brady's gonna be in there . Uh , you know , yeah , I don't want to give too much of your list away because I don't know . I don't know what your list is , but of course you know brady , brady's gonna be in there . So , top top 10 patriots of all time who you got ?
Speaker 3all right . So this is my list . Um , I'm sure I'm missing one or two um , or I'll be corrected on one or two , which is totally fine . Obviously , um top two off the top my head brady and rob gronkowski . And then then I got Randy Moss , teddy Bruschi , rodney Harrison , ty Law , wes Welker , julian Edelman , adam Vinatieri and Willie McGinnis .
Speaker 2That's good . That's a good list , man .
Speaker 3I like it .
Speaker 2I have no problem . Analyze who your top three . Who your top three ? You know ? I know Brady has to be one . You gave you 10 . Who's three ? Was that in the order or just random ?
Speaker 3In the beginning I had Brady Gronk and Moss as my top three . I mean Moss . He only was there for a year or two , but he was so great . I guess if I had to go longevity number three , I probably would put Rodney Harrison , that's right .
Speaker 2That's right .
Speaker 3That's right , very good point .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , rodney Harrison man , I like that . Now , on my end , marlon Tom Brady , of course , is one . You got to put Rob Gronkowski at two , but yeah , I got Richard Seymour B Curms the big defensive tackle from Georgia .
Speaker 2Richard Seymour is a four-time All-Pro for that organization . Corey Dillon , going back in time early in Brady's career , was a great running back . He started with the Bengals , marlon and B Kearns . I got to put Corey Dillon in there . He won two rings with you guys .
Speaker 2Bruce Armstrong , the big tackle from the 80s , you know he was perennial all pro . He was at that time . Marlon , what Trent Williams is now for the 49ers at the time . Bruce Armstrong , blocker for Tony Eason and those guys . Julian Edelman you know he's another one . Vince Woolfolk you know , the big nose tackle out of Miami . He was great Four-time , five-time Pro Bowler , two-time All-Pro for the Pates .
Speaker 2Tyler , as you referenced , he has an . Adam Venturi and of course , as you referenced , you know , right ahead Now , adam Venturi , he should be in the Hall of Fame . But kickers is hard to get in . He's had some clutch kicks his entire career at the Patriots . Clutch kicks B Kermes , and I just think that he gets a raw deal when you mention the pickers in the history of the sport , you know , and he's a , he has to be up there . So there's my 10 right there . Brothers , yeah , let me repeat it tom brady , richard seymour , rodney harrison , cory dylan , bruce armstrong , julian adamant , rob grankowski , vince woolfolk , fork tyler and adam vinituri and I'm left out because this is before you know . You probably was born . Andre tipp , number 56 , was an all-pro for the Patriots back in the early to mid-80s , and I'm missing some other cats , but yeah , that's my 10 right there . You guys got history , man Sick yeah definitely , doc .
Speaker 3Yeah , I can't believe I forgot Richard Seymour . But yeah , I named my cat Seymour because of him and of course I left him off my list , so I don't know about that .
Speaker 1I don't know if either of you guys , and forgive me if I missed it , but I'm just going to throw a couple names out there just in case . Let me see Wes Walker . We obviously know what he was . Yeah , who else we have here ?
Speaker 2Doc , you said Richard Seymour , right , yes , yes , he's on there .
Speaker 1Uh , willie mcginnis , uh hi , dante hightower , uh , mike mike vrabel , teddy bruski , uh , and uh , let me see devin mccourty . So there's a lot aty , so a lot of great names . As you said , doc , some great history with the Patriots , for sure .
Speaker 2Yeah , absolutely Now in your division B , kearns , give me the order of finish . Official order B Kearns , august 20th . Official order of finish in the AFC East right now .
Speaker 3All right , we're going Buffalo Bills 1 , new England Patriots 2 , new York Jets 3 , miami Dolphins 4 .
Speaker 2I have no problem with that , marlon , because the Dolphins are a tragic mess , you know . That's very good . I had them . The same order too , marlon and D Kearns . I don't know what's going on down there with Tua and those people . Tyreek Hill wants out and that can't do good . In the locker room in the offseason he tried to say the right things but it's already out . He wants to be gone and they lost Jalen Ramsey to corner . He's out , he's in Pittsburgh . So yeah , I have no problem . The only thing I will differ with if the Jets somehow becomes in your division , win some unexpected games , because the coach there the new coach is . He played for them and he's good , you know he's very good .
Speaker 2Breesall and Garrett Wilson are their playmakers , but you're dependent on Justin Fields to be consistent and that's been a problem in his career . It's interesting . So , yeah , I have no problem with your order of fitting . Yeah , good job on that .
Speaker 3Thank you , Doc . Yeah , we'll see what happens with the Jets . Yeah , if Fields can improve on some things , especially with his throwing and everything , and stay upright , yeah , you're right , they can surprise some people Now . Will they beat the Steelers week one ? We'll see .
Speaker 2Yeah , good point .
Speaker 1Absolutely , kerms . We appreciate you man . This was great Good rapid fire questions and all that . So we'll get you on , I'm sure , early midseason and , yeah , we'll go from there Appreciate you for joining man .
Speaker 3Oh , thanks guys . I always appreciate being on your show . We'll have to do this again soon .
Speaker 2Absolutely B Kearns . Next time we're in Vegas I'll make sure my wife knows we're going to Fremont first .
Speaker 3Yeah , absolutely .
Speaker 2B Kearns baby . All right , brother , thank you , god bless .
Speaker 1Thanks , gentlemen . And then our next guest joins us , none other than champion new mexico . You've heard him on mainly on adam's show , adam shine show , and he's always talking about the bears , the good , the bad , the ugly , and from you know , justin fields , caleb williams uh , who let me see . Rex grossman uh , just jake cutler . You know all , all of the names that had him .
Speaker 4Kyle Orton . Don't forget my guy , Kyle Orton .
Bears Analysis with Champ
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , yeah . So Champ Jones , what's up , champ ? How you doing man .
Speaker 4I'm doing good , man , I'm doing good . Thank you guys for having me Absolutely , champ .
Speaker 2It's our pleasure man , very knowledgeable in all the sports , and I think that you , in my mind , you're the number one Bears fan and number one Cubbies fan . So let's go , marlon , what you got , baby , just love you .
Speaker 1Absolutely so looking at what you guys did in the offseason , I mean you knew that you had an okay year with Caleb . You had my guy Keenan Allen over there , dj Moore , you had a lot of weapons around him , but it just didn't gel necessarily , maybe just that first year , but obviously now you got you a new coach , a new offensive system and all that . So what are your thoughts on what you guys did , not necessarily in the draft but just more so in the offseason in March , april and May ?
Speaker 4Yeah , man . So you mentioned , I think the biggest obvious addition is Ben Johnson , and you know he was one of the highest high , potent scoring offenses in the league last year in Detroit . And you know , not only did we bring him in I give kudos to Ryan Poles and company for bringing in Joe Tooney and Jackson . That's going to pay dividends , man , but the main thing is getting Ben Johnson and getting Caleb kind of retooling him , man , because you know he was a little bit off . It wasn't the worst . You know , he still threw for almost 3,600 yards . He had 4,000 total yards with his rushing , uh , you know he only had six interceptions , the least amount of interceptions out of the rookies last year , uh , but but still his .
Speaker 4He wouldn't go on through his progressions . Last year he was looking to run and uses athleticism , athleticism , know , to get out of the pocket and create these plays . But what did we see the other night ? Guys versus the Bills . You know it was two seconds , 2.1 seconds , 2.2 seconds . He was getting rid of the ball quickly , you know , and these weren't just screen plays and quick slants , man , these were . He went six yards for or six plays , 97 slants , man . He went six plays , 97 yards . He had chunk plays . I like what I saw the other night and that has a lot to do with adding the aforementioned offensive lineman and head coach .
Speaker 2Well , champ , that's a good response . The offensive lineman here is the key . That's the key right there to protect Caleb , your franchise . That's why you drafted him . Got in some bad habits last year because he felt pressure and got a little skittery as a rookie , which is understandable . But the market improvement because of the free agency in the offensive line and then you drafted the tight end , koston Loveland , out of Michigan . So there's a chance .
Speaker 2I'm not putting him in Brock Bauer's rookie for the Raiders last year , but this cat is an athlete man under a situation where his quarterback play this last year in Michigan was , you know , bad to say the least , you know , and he still put up solid numbers . So , yeah , I think the offensive lineman , the addition of Ben Johnson , marlon , was going to help the Bears going forward and I look for a market improvement from Caleb Williams , the first overall pick last year . You know this is not USC . Ben Johnson has erased some of those scatty , erratic behavior in the pocket and some of the bad habits he attributed to late in the year because he took such a beating . So , yeah , there , pocket and some of the bad habits he attributed to late in the year because he took such a beating . You're an incumbent tight end champ . I forget his name A kid from Notre Dame . What's his name again ?
Speaker 4Cole Komet .
Speaker 2Then you're going to run a two tight end off . You got DeAndre Swift in his seventh year out of Georgia , or sixth year out of Georgia . He's still relatively young . He can catch the rock , as you referenced during the preseason game , getting the ball under three , getting rid of the ball under three seconds . So , marlon , I'm predicting big things for the Bears . And I didn't even mention Sweat on defense , the edge rusher and some of the other defensive personnel . They had the corner Johnson . So , yeah , let's do it , champ . You know , let's go .
Speaker 4Yeah , yeah , man , let's go . Yeah , yeah , yeah , man . I mean that's all huge , doc . I mean you hit the nail on the head , man . And caleb , he just got a . Yeah , obviously he is a freak athlete , he's got a cannon for an arm . But but , hey , let's be a little bit more detailed and go through our reasons . So I'm seeing , I'm , I'm hoping for a big improvement as well absolutely go .
Speaker 2Go ahead , Martin .
Speaker 1Yeah , I think it's going to be a very as we look into what . As far as the division , we know what the Lions are , we know what the Packers can do . And also to the Vikings , we can't forget about them . We haven't seen JJ McCarthy , necessarily , but the Vikings are still the Vikings . They're going to be competitive at home and division games are just going to be a pretty solid division game . So what are your honest thoughts on this team and what do you think this team can do in the division in regards to possibly making the playoffs ?
Speaker 4Man . So this is tough , man . I mean I got to try to take my buy-ins out of this right . I mean the schedule's tough , and not only the schedule's tough , the nfc north is stout as well . You got , you got a bunch of , you know , great head coaches . And kevin o'connell uh yeah , we don't know what jj mccarthy's gonna look like , but kevin , you know , ko sees a hell of a coach . We know that overall it's a good squad . Lafleur you know another really good coach and Dan Campbell over there with the Lions .
Speaker 4So you know , I look at the Vegas odds , right , and I think we got I think they got us at eight and a half everywhere all over Vegas . I think that's a tough one , man . I mean , as a Bears fan I'm going to say the over , but not by much man . I think the Bears are going to finish at nine and eight and I'll be happy with that if I see , you know , some solid improvement from Caleb Williams . You know , to maybe potentially hit that 4000 yard mark which is a goal of his and Ben Johnson to hit or get super close to the 70% completion percentage . You know , if they could get closer or hit that mark , I'll be happy at 9-8 , you know , and maybe do damage the following year , but I think 9-8 is probably a realistic thing for us .
Speaker 4Can we do better ? I do . I mean Doc , just rattled off all the names , man . I mean it's Cole Komet and Colson Loveland , at the tight end spot . It's DJ Moore , it's it's Roma Dunze and let's not forget Burden . He missed a lot of training camp . So , yeah , yeah , Lucid Burden , out of Missouri , Memphis .
Speaker 4Missouri or Missouri , missouri , ok , yeah . So this kid's a stud man . He didn't get . He didn't get to play with the ones the other night because he missed a lot of training camp , but whenever he came in with the twos and Tyson Bainjit he didn't skip a beat . So there's potential for this team to do really good . But I'll kind of hone in and not get overly excited over the week one preseason game and I think the Bears are going to be right there around that nine and eight mark fellas well , marlon the champ brought up some interesting things here .
Speaker 2First , the kid burden was number one recruit in the country at three years ago coming out of high school . He chose Missouri to set his own mark , and that's rightly so . But Roma Doozy , if you remember , uh , marlon , he was a number one or number two receiver coming out , might even be be number one to come out of college last year and he's going to have a DJ Moore you don't need to say more than he had over 200 yards receiving last year in a frenetic offense against some I forget who it was , but you know it departs of there , champ , and it all starts against Minnesota . You know and remember JJ McCarthy missed his entire rookie year . So I'm expecting Montrez Sweat and some of the other defenders to make a hard on JJ McCarthy under the bright lights of Monday Night Football . I don't know if that came at the crib or is it on the road , champ ?
Speaker 4It's at the crib Doc .
Speaker 2Oh yeah , oh hell yeah .
Speaker 4Let's go . You make a great point . You know a young quarterback starting his first NFL career game versus . Hey , let's not forget Dennis Allen . That's a hell of a defensive coordinator , right ? Yeah ? And you're mentioning Sweat and Johnson . Kyle Gordon's a hell of a corner . You know , keep an eye on this name , guys Marlon and Doc Austin Book . He was a rookie last year In camp . He's been balling out in camp the other both preseason games . He's had multiple sacks . So this is a guy that I kind of expect to hopefully make him see a jump this year , especially under Dennis Allen . But you're right , doc . You know at the house JJ McCarthy going up against a Dennis Allen defense . And hey , we got Ben Johnson calling plays for Caleb Williams and the boys . So yeah , I think it's going to be a really good game , a competitive game . Monday night football .
Speaker 2Marlon , nine wins and , if everything goes well , 10 , because they got everything on offense that they need . You know , I looked at the stats and numbers . Caleb Williams did not have a bad year , and that's on an atrocious coaching . You know you can't put him in there as a bad quarterback . He was a rookie , you know . So you're not talking about Jamarcus Russell here , marlon . So let's be fair . Ben Johnson is going to do wonders with this kid .
Speaker 2Now the weapons are there and on defense too , but I'm picking the Bears to have 10 wins . Man , nine is the floor . You know Vegas says eight and a half . You know you have to have a significant injury to a starter not to reach nine wins . You know , I know it's a tough division , but I think Detroit's falling back to the pack and I don't know if Jordan Love can elevate his play to the point where , at the very least , you can split with the Packers . You know what I'm saying . So we'll take it from there . Man , I'm giving you 10 , and it's a solid 10, . You know , starting with 1-0 against Minnesota at the crib Monday night , that crowd's going to be jacked , marlon .
Speaker 2Nothing like a bear crowd . You know bears . But go ahead , marlon . Yeah , I digress .
Speaker 1We were talking quarterbacks and I didn't prepare Doc for this question . I'm going to ask him , but I would love to after Doc gives his answer . Champ , I want your feedback on this . There's a strong possibility that caleb could be the best quarterback in the nfc north , which is shocking . To say that a bears quarterback is going to be the best at something , which is . But when you think about jj , which , yes , you have justin jefferson , but we don't know what that connection is going to look like . Um , you have jared golf , which he's he just needs to be a game manager . He can hand it off to Gibbs and Montgomery and do dump-offs and all that . And then you look at Jordan Love , which some people love him , some people hate him . But , doc , my question to you is do you think Caleb has the chance to be the best quarterback to come out of the NFC North , coming up this year ?
Speaker 2Oh , absolutely Without question . I'm not saying that because Ciampa's my good friend and buddy . I'm saying that Jerry Goff in Detroit , even though he's won some big games and been to the Super Bowl with the Rams , he's lost some horrific games , mainly last year at home . Washington put a 48 on their asses . That should never happen . We had one of the best , if not the best , record in the NFL last year . Jerry Kauf is what he is in his seventh or eighth year , I forget . And then you mentioned Jordan Love , who's been up and down . He had a terrific two years ago , but last year he fell back to earth to what he really is .
Speaker 2So Caleb Williams has a chance , gentlemen , to do the business and say I'm the best quarterback in this division with the weapons that he has and we don't know about JJ McCarthy with the live bullets fly . When the live bullets fly , if you will , champ what he's going to bring to the table . He won a college championship in Michigan . They missed all of last year . And then you start on the road in a division . I'm expecting him to take some lumps , gentlemen . So yeah , I'm trying to be kind to Jared Goff , but he is what he is , man . People have lost money on his ass in big games and I think Caleb Williams can pick up the slack . Jordan Love , I like his skill set . He brings , he's been flashy , he has some good games , but under duress he's , you know , and I love to coach LeFleur . But champ , to answer Marlon's question , I think he could end the year with 32 touchdown passes and over 4,000 yards for Caleb Williams . Why not ?
Caleb Williams and Bears' Season Outlook
Speaker 2You know , look at the weapons and look at the coach . To answer your question , marlon , go ahead .
Speaker 4Okay , yeah , yeah . So as a follow-up , yeah , you know , year one under Ben Johnson I do think it's possible . There are tons of weapons on offense , a revamped offensive line , you know a quick game mentality . He's going to do a lot more play action , which I love . For Caleb , he's going to be under center a lot more . So I think the potential is there . I look at the one thing that gives me a little bit of pause and I'll be honest , I'll be fair and honest here . You know , obviously the nfc north is stout . We're playing the afc north man , so we're going up against the bangles , we're going up against lamar jackson and the ravens , but but , but still , you know that that's no uh excuse . I do think caleb's got a shot to maybe be , I think , in the future . That question I could say a little bit more confidently this year . It's just year one under Ben Johnson and a tough schedule this season . I think the possibility is there , but I'm not 100% on it yet , though as a Bears fan guys , I give myself a lot of pause , man .
Speaker 2Oh yeah .
Speaker 4We're always an offseason champ , right ? You know , everything looks good in preseason , so I always have that little thing in the back of me . But like man , don't get too hyped into this , let's see what the regular season brings .
Speaker 3Hey .
Speaker 2I'm a Chargers fan , so I know firsthand Real quick , marlon , I'll piss in Cleveland as the win . The defense for the Bengals is not on that . Now you've got to shut them down with your style of defense . But the Bengals can score . The Baltimore thing you brought up and then the Steeler thing . The Steelers have a pretty good defense , you know , with TJ Watt and Cameron Haywood . But other than that , if you go 2-2 , losing to Baltimore and Cincinnati well , baltimore and Pittsburgh , let's say just to be kind , because Lamar is Lamar and they got a pretty good defense led by Roquan , your ex-guy . But if you beat Cleveland and Cincinnati 2-2 , you can't ask for more than that , man , you know you just can't . So yeah , go ahead , marlon . Cincinnati , you're two and two . You can't ask for more than that , man , you know you just can't . So yeah , all right , go ahead . Go ahead , marley yeah .
Speaker 1So looking at the , you were your uh champ . You were mentioning pre-season earlier and just getting excited and all that stuff . So if , if this team does , if this team figures it out and and and does , which you know , we'll see what happens but if they end up making the playoffs , how far do you think this team could go ? Obviously , you know Philly is going to be there . Washington should be there , you know there's . There could be a team or two in your division that makes it so how far do you think this team could go in the playoffs this year ?
Speaker 4If we were to make it , you know , you know I it's more than likely gonna be a wild card spot . So therefore , you mentioned the eagles . You know , if we're going up against the eagles , you know we're probably not gonna win that game , uh , but it just kind of depends who we play . Can I see us winning any game in the in the playoffs ? Sure , I can't , probably that's the most uh , you know winning one . But but most , most , most likely , you know , if we go up against that eagle squad in the playoffs , we probably won and done . But but again , you know , as a best fan , I'm shit , I'm , I'm hoping to get back to the playoffs . Man , I miss it . It's been a long time coming yeah , yeah , man doc .
Speaker 4Doc , you know , the last time we were there , marlon , it was the double doink .
Speaker 2That thing killed me right there . Yeah , I remember that , the kicker .
Speaker 4He took a beating too .
Speaker 2Yeah yeah , Well , champ , in that division , give me a one through four in order , I ask . Be curses . I'm doing the same with you . Let's go and you're honest .
Speaker 4Order in order . Okay , I've given this some thought , fellas , and I know , I know the lions lost ben johnson and aaron glenn . Um , I think dan campbell's a hell of a coach . Uh , jared Goff , he's a game manager but a damn good one man . And there is Gibbs , there is Amon Ross , st Brown that that team still has a lot of talent . They lost a couple of great play callers , but a lot of talent . So I think the I think the lions win it .
Speaker 4Um , I guess I'm man y'all are killing me with this question I'll go ahead and say I'll go ahead and give it to LaFleur and the Packers getting third , and I say us number three and Vikings four . Now , I could be totally opposite . You know that's a great thing about the NFC North this year , man , I think all four of these teams have a chance to win it . But I don't know , I just I'd hate to get burned as a Bears fan and come on here sounding all cocky because I can't do that , man . But once this live bullet starts in the regular season , we'll see . We'll maybe revisit this topic , but right now I'll say Lions , Packers , bears , vikings .
Speaker 2I'll say Lions , bears , vikings and Packers . I just have a problem with Jordan Love in a big spot , you know . Yeah , I love Vikings defense and their defensive coordinator , the ex-Miami coach . He's a machine . I love Dallas Turner on that D and the outside edge rush from Bama in his second year . I just think the Bears just had Montez . Sweat is a monster . And you got the other guy , booker . Booker had three sacks in the preseason game , wasn't it Three ? So it's one of those things where I got to go Bears too .
Speaker 2I'm going to give Minnesota a chance only because of the defense coordinator and knowing that McCarthy is a rookie , pretty much is Courtney , and knowing that McCarthy is a rookie pretty much . But the Packers are bringing in a rookie receiver also , and I know they got Josh Jacobs in this town . But the Packers have defensive problems too . So it's all going to decide one game apiece . I'm struggling with the Lions only because of golf . I can't give you the division , I'm not going to do that . But yeah , I'm sticking with my four right there , champ , go ahead , molly .
Speaker 1Yeah , okay , all right . And last question I got for you
Top 10 Bears of All Time
Speaker 1, champ if you were to put together just 10 , a list of just 10 all-time Bears , doesn't matter the position , you can give me 10 quarterbacks if you want Just the 10 all-time Bears players in history .
Speaker 4What do you got ? Yeah , man . So I'll kind of I'll run through 10 , through 6 , kind of quick here and then I'll speak on the top five a little bit . But I'll roll with Hampton Sayers , dent , mcmahon and Ditka , as my is my six through ten . All great players , man , uh , I was super young whenever dent and ditka mcmahon you know I'm way young whenever they were doing , but I still remember all the uh I had . I collected the football cards back in the day , you know , back in the day . I mean we're all old , we remember the vhs stuff . I had highlight VHS tapes of them old school Bears . But man , I love all them players right there . Now we get into the five . You know , singletary , he's one of my favorites , even though I was super young , still one of my favorite players to watch . Man , just Mike Linebacker . You know he lives and breathes that position . So , singletary , my number five . My number four is Devin Hester .
Speaker 4I mean this dude , this dude , he's an all-time great kick-point returner . I mean the things that he was doing , man . I mean hell . Go look at the Super Bowl versus Peyton Manning and the Colts . What did they do ? They kicked it to him . What did Hester do ? Return it back for a tutty .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 4And I still remember , like it was yesterday , man , the NBC cameras go to Peyton Manning on the sideline after he returns , like who the hell kicked it to him , you know ? Like even he knew that that's a weapon of ours . Man , that's one of the main reasons we made it that far was devin hester . So love my man , devin hester . Number three brian erlacher . Uh , all-time great mike backer . And this was me , you know , whenever I was in college I've always been a Bears fan , but just understanding the game a little bit more obviously a hometown hero . I was a Bears fan before he went , but that even made it that much sweeter . So love my man . Brian Derlaca , that dude is an absolute beast now . Top two I mean Dr Prye knows where I'm going here . It's Buntkiss . Number two , that dude . I mean I don't think they made a helmet still to this day that'll fit the guy correctly .
Speaker 4They're like scrunched up his forehead . But you talk about bringing the pain to opposing offenses . Man , this dude , when he went out to go hit you , he wanted it to hurt , so you got to love Dick Buntkiss . And then obviously number one , man , this dude , when he , when he went out to go hit you , he wanted it to hurt , so you gotta love dick butch kiss . And then obviously number one , sweetness . Um yeah , just just an all-time walter payton man , I mean , one of the all-time greats . Oh man , hold on one second . That's great stuff .
Speaker 1Hold on one second now with this , with bears have a little more history than the past . So I know Doc can probably give me this top 30 right now , but I'm very interested in seeing hearing your list , doc . So go ahead .
Speaker 2Yeah , man , when I talk about the Bears , they were one of the charter members in the entire NFL in the 20s . So their name list is great man . But when you think of Chicago Bears champ , it starts with Dick Buckus . That's it , you know . End of discussion . I'm a 51 . He was so good , marlon , that he won the NFL defensive player of the year on a team that won one game , 1969 . That's how dominant he was as a defender . One game he was the defensive player of the year , you know .
Speaker 2And Dale Sayers is two , walter Payton , three , mike Singletary , four , mike Ditka , who is an all-world tight end for the Bears . You know you got Jimbo Colbert , the all-pro tackle on that Super Bowl team , fire time all-pro . Richard Dent . Oh man , hall of Famers man , brian Urlacher , dan Hampton , another Hall of Famer , devin Hester . All of them are Hall of Famers . And I'm leaving out Wibble Marshall , you know I'm leaving out Jim McMahon . You know he was a quarterback on that Super Bowl team . You know he might have been a game manager but he made plays . But you just can't the Bears , other than maybe the Steelers as far as name recognition , and maybe the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame , I think the Bears when you talk about , regardless of the success of the team champ . These are names that are historic .
Speaker 2Sweetness , yeah , you know Gale Sayers . Dick Blackus , mike Singletary you know Mike Dicker , I put a lot of tackle in there . Jimbo Curry , the guy from Pitt he was an all-pro man , I left tackle . Richard Dent , man out of Tennessee State , and , of course , dan Hampton in the middle with the fridge . And what was the guy from Texas ALS ? He was on the D-line too Ridge . And what was the guy from Texas ALS ? He was on the D-line too .
Speaker 4But that happened with the machine .
Speaker 2Yeah , mcmichael , mcmichael , yeah , and then Devin Hester , marlon Nothing but Hall of Famers from the Bears , regardless of the team's success . The Bears sucked in the 60s and when you mention Buckets and Sayers , you say , yeah , those are too stalled , I don't know how they were so bad . He said , yeah , those are two stars . I don't know how they were so bad . They had two Hall of Fame all-time players like that . But there you go , there's my , and I left out , like I referenced Louisville , marshall , number 58 , marlon he was all pro , I left him out . And Jim McMahon of course is Jim McMahon Willie Gall , some of the greatest players in the history of the franchise . But you ask for 10 , 10 and there you go right there . But it starts with buckets , marley that's what I said .
Speaker 1I knew , I knew you'd give . You can give 30 off top . I already know . So so , champ , champ .
Speaker 4Thoughts on doc's list yeah man , I saw it off on that 100 percent . I mean , all of them are hall of fam , all-time greats . Whenever you think of classic old-school Bears , the top three names right off the bat , off of everybody's head , is Butch Kiss , singletary , ditka Sweetness , I sign off on that all day , dr Falcon .
Speaker 2Absolutely One of the most glorified historic franchises Marlon in the history of all North American sports is the Bears , regardless of the record . That's all you need to do is the names you know . And Urlacher when you mention middle linebackers it starts with Buckers everywhere anyway , but Mike , singletary and Urlacher just the three middle linebackers in one franchise alone , marlon . That says a lot Enough said yeah , you know , yeah , all know , yeah , okay .
Speaker 1All right , champ , well , we appreciate you for joining , but I do have one last question . We did not get you on for baseball season , so just quick
Cubs Baseball Update and Season Outlook
Speaker 1thoughts on your cubbies . How are you feeling ? How is everything looking as it gets towards playoffs ? What are your thoughts right now on your cubbies ?
Speaker 4So it's crazy ass . Uh , marlin I , I , the game just finished . Right , I was during the very start of this getting on with you guys . We had two outs . They had bases loaded . Uh , we were only up one . I was like kind of half-assed listening to you guys and half I was watching my bob day . But uh , we just took three or four of the brewers , guys , the brewers you know . Yeah , after the all , after the all-star break , we had a nice little four game cushion on the brew crew and all of a and all of a sudden our bats got colder and hell , I don't think anybody except for matt shaw and nico horner's hitting over 200 . Uh , the bats got super cold . Pca , uh , kyle tucker , everybody's got cold on the bats and we started struggling there .
Speaker 4Before you knew it , the damn brewers had a seven game lead on our ass yeah , 14 game winning streak yeah , 14 game winning streak , but we just took , we just been in , we just took three or four from them , doc , we just beat them just now again , we , we run , uh , they beat us game one and then we then we won three in a row , right after that , a four game series . So , uh , that that helps us , man , because our psyche was getting a little jacked up . Kyle tucker has just sat out his second game , you know . I think uh , craig council's giving them some days off just to get his mind right . Guys , I mean this king tuck , I mean this is , this is a all-star player from the houston astros and , and granted , he started the season off , great for us but he is ice cold right now , man , he can't hit the damn ball for nothing . But , uh , going into the playoffs tomorrow , like you ask .
Speaker 4Um , I'm hoping to see a little bit more consistency out of the bats in general , like , like I mentioned Matt Shaw , the young cat we just brought up . We just brought up a kid , his name's Casey I can't even pronounce his last name right now off the top , but but he's doing really good playing right field . He's getting some basics . So , kind of bringing up some younger guys just to kind of get the whole club that's going . But if I can get a little bit more consistency out of , like PCA and King Tuck when he comes back and Ian Hap , I do like our odds .
Speaker 4Overall Hitching's been good , good enough to win some games . I mean it's the bats that's really kind of lost us there . We've lost some games where you know we hold a team to two , three runs and you know we hold a team to two , three runs and you know that ain't no good man . You'd like to see a ball club put up a few more runs . So I think the Brewers probably still hold on to this lead . But I mean I do see the Cubbies making the walk hard and it just depends man . If the bats get hot maybe we can do some damage , but that's what it depends on for sure .
Speaker 2Well , champ , baseball is in a better place , and Marlon , you might agree with this . You know the 80s , the Cubbies , the lovable Cubbies , you know . And Lee Smith , andre Dawson , the Hulk . We just lost Ryan Sandberg , another stalwart . Baseball is better when the Cubbies are relevant , you know . But I just have to ask you about the death of Ryan Sandberg , which came as a shock . I didn't even know he was sick . Your take on that real quick champ before you go To me . If it wasn't for Ernie Banks , Ryan Sandberg , marlon would be Mr Cub . Go ahead , champ .
Speaker 4You know , doc , I haven't really thought of that , but that was perfectly well said . If it were for Ernie Banks , ryan Sandberg would be Mr Cub . I haven't even heard of that . But I sign off . I endorse that big time . You're right .
Speaker 4I mean you talk about a generation like me , you know as somebody that's in their 30s , 40s or 50s . When you turn on WGN , you know back in the 80s , back in the 80s , early 90s , uh , that that that was a lot of , a lot of people's favorite player . I mean you talk about somebody that that was people looked up to . You know a hell of a hell of a baseball player , defender , really good hitter , and Ryan Sandberg man . I mean you , when you talk about the 80s Cuddy's , you think Andre Dawson , ryan Sandberg man . I mean when you talk about the 80s Cubs , you think of Andre Dawson , ryan Sandberg first and Andre Dawson , you know Grace , mark , grace and Maddox , but Sandberg is Mr Cub man . Yeah , that was a shock , you know . I did know he was sick and battling some stuff , but whenever you know he passed away , it was definitely sudden man . So I was like damn , this is a guy that we watched growing up on WGN , doc .
Speaker 2Yeah , good point on that , brother . I just had to get your opinion on it . I knew the answer was forthcoming . It still hits you like a ton of bricks . So yeah , good job on that champ , love you man . Good job , yeah , right on appreciate you , champ , for joining .
Speaker 1We'll definitely get you on uh early mid-season and see how your uh , your bears , are doing . Hopefully we're they're doing , you know , above 500 for sure . By that 500 I remember I think it was a couple years back , I don't know how long ago , but I remember the bears being 4-0 , having having a 4 four . Was it last year where you guys had a four ?
Speaker 4no , hell yeah , last year we were four and two marlin yeah two going go , four and two going into the game versus washington and losing that hail , mary . Pass to jayden . Daniel sent us on a 10-game skid , Marlon , I mean we went from 4-2 to 12-4 . I mean 4-12 . That's funny . I mean that was bad , dude , yeah it was .
Speaker 1I don't know why . I just thought of the great record that you guys had last year . But yeah , We'll check in with you midseason and appreciate you for joining , as always , man .
Speaker 4Right on , man . Thanks for having me fellas Bear down .
Speaker 2Bear down baby . Good job , all right champ .
Speaker 4All right , let it out .
Speaker 1Yeah , great , great episode , getting those two guys on for sure . So next week is going to be a special one . We're going to figure out I don't know when , we're going to do it with fantasy drafts and all that , but uh , we're going to get into the nfce , so we will dive into that . Um , other than that , doc , you got anything for us ?
Speaker 2no , it was a blessing having pete kearns and champ very knowledgeable with their respective teams . Man , this is one of our best shows ever with iconic teams the Patriots and the Bears . So good job moderating that , charlie I mean Marlon and let's do it again next week .
Speaker 1All right , sounds good , all right , we'll catch you guys next week . Peace , peace .