Chapter 1: What insights does Jarrett Payton share about the Bears' 2025 season?
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On a scale of 1 to 10, on the newly created HeGone meter, where would you rate the idea of Bears defensive back coach Al Harris being hired by the Packers to be Green Bay's new defensive coordinator?
I think it's a nine. You know why? The stats I mentioned earlier in our show talking about Al Harris's success, both as the secondary coach with the Cowboys and then what he's done as the quarterback's coach with the Bears. He was set up to be put in this position. And don't forget, there's now a little bit extra juice. In this rivalry. So I'm pretty sure the Packers would love.
To steal a Bears coach. And steal the knowledge. And the concepts. That help lead the Bears to victory. Over them twice. So if I had to guess. I know he talked to Washington too. But I think it's a 9 on the Higo meter.
So, don't mean to go all prices right on you, but I'm going to go 9.1. Because I echo all your sentiments, but I think I feel... You're stealing my showcase? No! I'm not stealing your showcase. I mean, I would like to if I get within, you know, $100. I can have both showcases. But then Grody's behind me, so am I even going to get off the stage?
You know I'll snake you.
Yeah, I know.
Grody's better than a dollar, let's face it.
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Chapter 2: How does the Bears coaching staff's stability impact the team's future?
Let's just say before you guys made the cases, and darn you guys for breaking out good information like that. It was probably at like a three or a four. A three or a four? Yeah, just because like historically it's like assistants leave and you recover. They regenerate. It's a lifestyle. Oh, do they recover? Vic Fangio left here and then what happened? Yeah, you're right.
That's a good example of the replacement part not coming for a little while. So it was at a three, I think. Now, with the information you guys have given me, I'm going to put my worry meter... It does go up. It goes to... I'm going to make it a 5.5. And here's why. Because I... Understanding everything you guys have said, it makes the rivalry even juicier.
It just does make the rivalry even juicier. I'm happy for Al Harris, and I know you guys are too. And like I said earlier, Bears fans know how to dislike. I won't say hate. Bears fans know how to dislike Al Harris because he's been disliked here by Bears fans before.
I think you're answering a different question, though, because you said worry. No, no, no. This is on a scale of 1 to 10, how... Is he gone or not? So you're saying there's only like a 55% chance he's gone? Oh, it's not the worry meter? No, it's the gone.
I mean, that's there in your life every day. Oh, so how... How gone do you think he is?
Yeah, is it... Yeah.
So highest number being he's gone. He gone, gone. And lowest number being like he's probably going to stay.
Because he is gone. I'm so used to this being the worry meter. I'm sorry for screwing this up, you guys. I would say... There's a lot of meters. Hmm. Seven. Seven. All right. Seven. More optimistic than me. Seven worried. Number two. Sorry, guys.
The NFL MVP finalists have been revealed, and they are as follows. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Patriots QB Drake May, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Which player do you think will win NFL MVP?
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Chapter 3: What are the Bears' plans for tax certainty regarding a new stadium?
But to do this at his age, this consistently, and to that volume, it's Matt Stafford.
Old coat drive himself.
Yeah.
You make it sound so simple, and it should be simple because Matthew Stafford was voted first team all pro. And yet, I don't have to go far when going back in the annals of history to remember a guy winning MVP but not being first team all pro.
Is this like when you smell the buck coming?
Well, something like that. You know who first team All-Pro was last year in the quarterback conversation? It was Lamar Jackson. Do you know who the MVP was last season?
Josh Allen.
It was Josh Allen. Those two things still don't make sense to me at all. But in the spirit of the Mark Grody, what kind of career have you had? Maybe you need a Lifetime Achievement Award thing. In the career? Yeah, for the career.
I love Rome for that.
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Chapter 4: How does the Bears' rivalry with the Packers influence coaching decisions?
This week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft revealed the NFL's upcoming priorities during an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.
I want to tell you guys, though, we're going to push like the dickens now to make international more important. With us, every team will go to 18-2 and eliminate one of the preseason games. And every team every year will play one game overseas. And part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy.
That's Patriots owner Robert Kraft on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. What are your thoughts on the idea of this version of an 18-game NFL season?
Why does he say our labor happy? Like it's some sort of like unit out of the Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. What was that?
Why did he say push like the Dickens? That was what got me.
Yeah, all of that was very compelling. Because he's 84 years old. Did he also say in Switzerland that it wasn't for him, if it wasn't for us, that they'd be speaking German, except they do speak German? Did that also happen? Because it kind of veered in that direction.
Wrong old guy.
Uh, they've wanted this forever. They've wanted an 18 game season forever. Like think of the Sandlot forever. It was, it was only a matter of time and they can use all these excuses and dangle all these carrots and try to make it make sense. Like, well, we can't pay you unless we have this 18th game. Oh yeah. Okay, cool. Except we've all seen the TV contracts. We've all seen them.
So like, yeah, you can blame your employees because you guys wanted an 18-game season since time began. It's going to happen because they want it to and they're the owners. It's just a matter of how. So I think Marshall said this the last time we talked about this in the offseason last year. Two bye weeks is the best way to get it done. But we talked about it with Mike Florio this morning.
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Chapter 5: What challenges do the Bears face in building a new stadium in Arlington Heights?
Because with 18 real games and to see the number of stars who are unavailable even this weekend as we are down to the NFL's Final Four. Thank you. You might want to work on some other things before you just saying how much more money can we earn? I understand the nature of not only capitalism, but late stage capitalism. But man, you guys are pushing it. And I get it.
You're going to push it to the bubble burst. And this, the NFL season, judging by the most recent ratings, is not bursting anytime soon.
That's true. I'm totally with you, Marshall, on the injury factor. I mean, how in the world are players going to stay healthy? Other than I assume that this would mean cutting out more preseason, right? It would have to mean.
Making rosters larger as well.
Making rosters larger. Probably fewer OTAs, minicamps, training camp, that stuff, right? All that would have to be reduced or in some way compromised, I suppose. I guess... Good or bad news, depending on how you look at it. Like, the NFL season will never end. Like, 18 games?
It already never ends.
That's what I mean. Like, it'll go right into the offseason where we talk lots of football. I mean, think about it. Like, March is free agency. February is the combine. March is free agency. April is the draft. Like, this doesn't end. And I'm not complaining because I love talking Bears and I love talking NFL. But really, we have to prepare ourselves for if that happens is like –
that it's taking over sports too. Not, not just like the NFL and doing more in the NFL. It is going to just dominate even more than it already does. Oh yeah. It's like Christmas day. Remember when that used to belong to the NBA? Yeah, exactly. It's a great example in a microcosm of the NFL, right? Just take buying everybody out.
That's what it is. Layla just wants to make me sad that it's honest and it's true, but it makes me sad.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of the NFL's 18-game season proposal?
The Dodgers, obviously, and the like. There's now dissension among the ranks. So that's where I feel like if they're divided on what they want to spend, then, then there's an issue about whether or not there's a lockout of some sort.
So if that's the case and we saw Rob Manfred kind of like cape for the pirates here and there or cape for the Padres saying that they were spending was unsustainable, that gave you an indication of the fall lines. So I think that something has to give and they might, because of their dissension, cause more disruption than anything else.
Yeah, I don't think this is about the players versus the owners yet. First, you've got to have that play in game between the owners and the owners. And that's what we're looking at right now. Owners who want to spend and are happy to spend because they have more money than you and owners who don't have as much money. But even if they did, would they really spend that money in the way they should?
That becomes the question. So trying to figure out what they want to do as a whole, and then after that is settled, then you come to the players and say, this is what we want as far as a floor and a cap. I think the floor and the cap, they are coming. I think we are looking at a possible missed season of baseball.
I think you'll say I'm overreacting, those of you out there who disagree, but this is a very, very real possibility, especially with what has happened this offseason, escalating more towards that than anything else.
I got two quickies for you guys on this one, and that is, yeah, I think that we just talked about the NFL. Part of why the NFL is spectacular is because you know that your team can win in any given season. It just happened to the Bears this year.
I think instead of getting enraged over what the Dodgers are doing, I thought about this walking in today without even knowing this question, I'm thinking about becoming a Dodgers fan. I'm thinking about just going, doing a Luke Skywalker. Do you remember when in Return of the Jedi, when the Emperor and Darth Vader were both trying to talk Luke Skywalker? Come to the dark side.
We've got great things here. You've got power. We've got money. We've got hot droids. We've got it all.
Wait, which droid was the hottest?
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Chapter 7: How do the Bears' recent performances affect their fanbase's expectations?
It's also scary. You say incredible. I say scary.
No, I think it's some G stuff right there. So congratulations, William Shatner. You are not a messy eater because I would not survive that.
The G being for grandpa.
Aww. But still, so for me, it's basic, but it works. Protein bar. You know, I keep them on hand whenever I go to the grocery store. Trader Joe's has a really good one for like $1.20 if you're interested. Protein bar, it's that simple. Does it taste like sawdust at times? Not the Trader Joe's one, but others do. So you've got to be discerning. But yeah, protein bar is the way.
For me, it's French fries. Never get old. You never get old. Breakfast on the go? French fries.
Okay, that's good. I'll give you two quickies. Blueberry Nutri-Grain bars. Blueberry. It's got to be blueberry.
I got you.
Not the strawberry, but the blueberry. I loaded up on those at the Jewel's on my long grocery, my grown-up grocery shopping trip that I did. And then the other one, too, is sausage McMuffin with egg. I don't know if that's in the spirit of it. Yeah, sure. Okay, but that's the other one. On the go. That's it.
Ray? Oh, for me, it's either a banana or if I'm really on the go, I just hit up Dunkin. Order ahead. It's ready for me. Take it to go. It's great. I'll either do a breakfast burrito at Costco or these biscuits and gravy bites at Costco, too. Bites? Biscuits and gravy bites? I've never heard of those. I just put them in a cup and I put them in my cup holder.
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Chapter 8: What are the potential impacts of hiring new coaching staff on the Bears' strategy?
Hey, Grody, can you give me a ride later? I've already bussed you guys around. I'm like the Uber driver for this show, except for Marshall's got a car. Gruber. You're grody. Gruber. I like it. That's actually people's last names, though. Coming up next, a guy who I'm pretty sure also has a car. Jarrett Payton. Let's talk to him about the National Championship game and the Bears.
We'll do it all next.
Jared Payton.
My name is Jared Payton, and I am here to motivate you today.
Former NFL running back. Jared Payton wearing his father's number, number 34, and looking like the old man. Look at this run. A gorgeous job by Jared Payton. The son of sweetness.
There's Walter with his Cubs jacket on. And here he comes up. His son, Jared, is with him. Sweetness. What an ovation.
Sports anchor for WGN.
You know me. I'm the resident running back.
Jared Payton with Rahimi Harrison-Grody on Chicago Sports Radio.
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