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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Thanks, everybody. The Bears. Brand Biggs. Biggs time. Biggs.
Chapter 2: What are the key points from Ryan Poles' press conference?
With Mully and Hall. Biggs time. The Biggs Report with Brand Biggs. Biggs time. Biggs it. His name is Brand Biggs. Brand Biggs talks football with you. Molly Edhaw, Chicago Sports Radio 104.3 The Score. Brad Biggs is the football man of the Chicago Tribune. A longtime contributor to the station and a valued friend. And he joins us on the Plumbers 911 hotline. Plumbing emergency.
Call 1-833-PLUM-911. Local 130 Plumbers. Get the job done right. The first time. Want to welcome everyone on CHSN. Appreciate your viewership. And let's get to our guy, Big Zay! Morning, Brad. Morning, boys. What's going on? Well, it's an interesting thing because I think we're wondering, do you believe what Ryan Poles said?
In other words, do you think the Bears have gotten better, or is it more of a work in progress and they could get better? They've certainly gotten a little speedier on defense. Are they better, though? Well, they've added some parts, but when you look at the number of free agents they had, how many teams can say they're unequivocally better today than they were at the final day of last season?
Like, they've started the process, and I think the draft's going to be a big part of their improvement. I think you're going to expect natural growth from players that are going into year two in a system, whether it be on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. So I think they're on their way. They didn't have huge losses in free agency.
Like, you know, they didn't have a core building block player walk out the door. So, yeah, I think they're on their way. They've certainly gotten a little bit faster. You know, you saw too many instances of guys running away from them late in the season. And... They're a little bit faster on defense. You've got to see how it all comes together, though.
You do, but I think the part that is a little bit puts you in wait-and-see mode the most for me is that the secondary plan, the plan to create takeaways for a defense that lived off of them last year. You had 23 interceptions. 19 of those came from players that you just said goodbye to. 33 takeaways, 23 of those came from the same group. Brad, I do wonder when you say goodbye and you let ā
You let Bayard go, I understand getting younger with Kobe Bryant. Brisker go, I understand the risk involved, but that was a cheap contract. That's Sean Wright, same deal. What do you think the plan is in the secondary, and do you think there's an element of risk involved? Well, yeah. I mean, there's always some risk involved.
I thought the plan all along was you get a veteran safety, and that's either Bayard or that's someone else, and it turns out to be someone else, Kobe Bryant, and you draft one. Like, it doesn't make good sense to pay a couple of safeties. Some people have said, geez, at $5.5 million for Jaquan Brisker, why didn't they bring him back? Well, because he only got $5.5 million from the Steelers.
Like, you get what you pay for. The market wasn't great for any of those players. Nashawn Wright, I think I told you guys from the combine, the feeling was his ā Market might be around $6 million a year. People have talked about these extravagant paydays for a cornerback. I'm certainly interested in what the plan is there. They will need some more competition. They do have Tyreek Stevenson.
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Chapter 3: How can the Bears improve their pass rush?
Right. So Ryan Poles acknowledged being involved with the Max Crosby conversation to the extent that he called the Raiders about whatever he called the Raiders about. But I wonder, Brad, is that done? Do you think, is there any reason to monitor that? Do you think the Raiders are even taking calls any longer?
The reports are mixed out of Vegas, but do you think that there's going to be any continuation of the conversation about Max Crosby? I think if someone wants to knock the Raiders' socks off, they'll listen. Otherwise, you know, yeah, Spitex is going to take a phone call, but it isn't going to go real far if you don't want to blow the Raiders away with some offers.
That's my hunch on the situation. So, in other words... I don't know that the Raiders would discount their price much off of multiple first-round picks. And I just don't know that that's the right move now. You know, Adam Schefter had something on X or Twitter the other day, a list of players that were traded for two first-round picks or more, okay? And it was pretty interesting.
You, of course, saw a couple guys the Bears picked up on that list, including Khalil Mack and Jay Cutler. And I looked at it, and there's Matthew Stafford. Jalen Ramsey was traded at one point for more than two ones was the minimum. And back quite a while ago, Keyshawn Johnson went from the Jets to the Buccaneers. and met that criteria.
Those are the three guys that went on to win a Super Bowl for the team that paid that huge, huge price to get them. The rest of that list, tell you what, had some guys who were like, oh, yeah, that didn't work out, and that didn't work out pretty quickly for that team. So I think that certainly provided some sobriety to the situation when you looked at it and you said, hmm...
you know, what's this going to be like for the Ravens? This is before, obviously, the deal was scuttled. Introductory news conferences are really little more than kind of a first chance to meet people and to get some questions in. You would have to work pretty hard to kind of fail at that, quite frankly. But what was your takeaway?
Was there anybody that kind of captured your fancy more than anyone else? Garrett Bradbury. You know, I think he's got... kind of the leadership skills that you sort of get a glimpse at. You know, you understand why he's been a player that everywhere he's been, people have spoken very highly of him. And that came across.
They're not going to ā there isn't a player they can get that's going to give them sort of that veteran leadership presence that Kevin Byard did. But Kobe Bryant comes across as a guy who can develop into that. It's really almost impossible to be that guy when you're with a new team day one. You can't come in and do that.
And Kobe Bryant's significantly younger than Kevin Byard, but you certainly see someone who can grow into that. uh... and give them some time and i and i think they've got the guy who could be uh... a pretty solid leader on the packet
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of losing key defensive players?
So, um, they'll be, I think they'll be okay, uh, without those guys. And, um, Briscoe was a popular player for some for a while, but, uh, I think the combination of Kobe Bryant and a good draft pick, they got a hit on the draft pick, gives them a chance to be pretty good at that position this coming season. Great stuff, Big Z. Appreciate your time as always. Thanks, Brad. Have a good weekend.
Have a good weekend, guys. You too. You too. That is Brad Biggs. He is the football man of the Chicago Tribune. WSCR, WSCR-FM and HD1 Chicago and Odyssey Sports Station. The Score! Spiegel and Holmes, afternoons on The Score. It wouldn't be my number one need. I mean, this is a good draft for edge rushers.
And if I'm the Bears, you know, and, you know, you have, I mean, you got basically all your first four picks, you know, in order right there. And so, you know, you look at, you know, pick 25 or pick 57, you know, there's probably going to be a pretty good edge rusher. You know, it could be Cassius Howell. It could be T.J. Parker. It could be Zion Young. I mean, Bailey will be gone.
Falk will be gone. Bain will be gone. But there's still some good, you know, R. Mason Thomas, you know, maybe in the second round. I mean, I can go through the list of guys that Gabriel Yakis, you know, from Illinois. I mean, there's some guys there that you might find, you know, either late first round or, you know, in that second round pick that, you know, can upgrade the position right now.
In your opinion, what's going on with him? We are going to find out about that. Mr. Akis down in Illinois should be getting a lot of love. He's very, very good. Shout out to Brian Baldinger. You know how we were talking to Patrick Claibon? So while Patrick Claibon was on, I kept flipping back and forth with the NFL Network, and they ended up having Baldy on.
Baldy had the sweetest NFL letterman's jacket. Yeah, I saw it. It was leather, white sleeves, if memory serves. Yes. Big old NFL logo up there on the left chest. I was like, that's how you peacock right there. That's like you're a made guy in the film world. You played in the league for a long while. You walk onto the set. I don't need a suit jacket. I got this jacket. It's the jacket.
The jacket. The jacket. Yeah, you know, there's a lot... There's a lot of dudes who would kill to have had the football life of one Brian Baldinger. They kill to have the life that he has right now, where every time we hear about him going to Brazil, he's like, yeah, they come and pick me up, and then we don't even go to the hotel. We go to the party or we go to the beach.
It's funny, and I just thought of him during Categories. By the way, you're welcome, everybody, for Categories. I just thought of him because he got two bosses on that active sack list. Which is kind of amazing to have two brothers who are that good. Brian is one of three Baldinger brothers to have played in the NFL. Rich and Gary Baldinger are the other brothers.
Three of them made it to the NFL. So you were thinking, let's do another category of brothers playing in the NFL. So you've got the St. Brown brothers. The Watt brothers. Gotta take the... I did this as a topic a long time ago. There's a lot more brother combinations in NFL history than there are in other sports in terms of brother combinations.
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Chapter 5: Should the Bears pursue Maxx Crosby in a trade?
That's your starters. And then you get guys like... Shamar Turner, the expectation of Shamar Turner in the middle of the line, although he played a little bit on the edge when he was healthy briefly for the Bears. And then there's Daniel Hardy that has come back, but he really only had a few snaps on the edge, more of a special teams ace.
He was really good on special teams last year, worthy of being brought back, had that big of an impact as a special teamer. And then there's two free agent signings, Neville Gallimore, which as we know is a made-up name. It's a name generator. What you do is you take a British diplomat and then you add a Bears running back. You put those two things together. So Sebastian Sui, for example.
Winston Caceres. Absolutely. Nigel Payton. Yes, you put all those together, and that's how you come up with this guy's name. With Neville Gallimore, because he previously did not exist. And then Kentavious Street. It's up there in K-Town, near Kildare. Yep, it's right over there. Yeah, it's right over there. Next time you're riding west down Madison, just look for it. That's your defensive line.
Drive slow, too. Jeremiah Martin? Anybody have a thought on Jeremiah Martin, who exists and appears on this depth chart? No. So, look... That's not enough to play football with. It's not? They're not done. They might draft either a DT or a D-Edge with some pick in the top 60. They have three in the top 60. I think they will add to one, if not both of those spots in the draft.
And if I told you they were going to add another player at one or both of those spots in free agency still... That wouldn't shock you, right? I keep waiting. Is there another D-tackle? Is B.J. Reeder walking through that door? Maybe not. Do you have a sense? Are they done in free agency at those positions? I think that they'll probably... I mean, there's still guys out there.
There's still guys like Jadavion Clowney that are still out there. There's still the mercenary-type guys are still out there. DJ Reader says he's open to rejoining the Bengals in free agency, that it was a special place to be. But they just signed Jonathan Allen to a two-year deal. So I don't know if they're going to go down that road.
What if I told you ā what if I ā in a world ā what if I told you that they felt so good about the progress of Austin Booker last year that they're okay with seeing if Shamar is going to be healthy enough ā and Dio is going to be healthy enough that they can rotate those guys in a couple different spots, and they feel comfortable doing that. I'm not saying that that's where they're at.
I'm saying that right now, that's what it looks like they're saying. That sounds scary. Yeah. It's the Dio part that gives me pause. I don't know what we have. And now he's ruptured one Achilles after having ruptured another Achilles earlier in his football life. It's rough. I can't tell you with any authority what we have there. I can tell you what we were told we would have.
And I personally didn't leave last season thinking, that's a guy. With Austin Booker? No, with Dio. Oh, okay. I didn't. With Austin Booker, I did. I could see it. I feel like there were enough flashes, and you saw his playtime increase throughout the season. And remember, he's also really young to be a third-year player. coming into this season.
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Chapter 6: What challenges does the Bears' defensive line face?
So we've seen some. That's the discomfort. You know how many teams have been linked to Joey Bosa in the last three days? The Niners, the Bengals, like several teams, several different teams been thought about. And yes, the Bears, the Seahawks even linked to Bosa in rumors out there. So Joey Bosa is going to be 31 and is probably in the one-year mercenary position.
You know, portion of his career. Sure. Feel better if Joey Bosa's here? From a football standpoint, probably yes. From another standpoint, probably no. But maybe... But he ends up injured a lot, too. So... I don't know. Like, I... I guess it's funny because a texter brought up something that me and Alex were talking about during the pre-show meeting.
Yeah, they have a whole lot of guys they can kick inside. Just dominate the edge. Yeah, there's a lot of this guy can do more than what his job title is. And you got to be careful. You don't want a team of utility players. No, but you also have a defensive coordinator who's comfortable scheming up to get pressure by bringing extra guys.
And you've added some people who could be some of those extra guys with their speed. And I'm talking about the linebackers and even Kobe Bryant to go along with the nickel and the corner blitzes that he's done. You're right. But as I said to Alex today, Sometimes, though, when you've got the hybrid guys, you can get caught. And the Bears got caught last year with a hybrid guy.
When people figured out, well, let's scheme up C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Let's put him in some pass situations and see how he handles it. He's not going to be here, right? CJ? It doesn't look like it, but if they wanted to bring him back, I would be fine with it. Yeah, but they got this kid Cam Lewis from Buffalo, can do a lot of different things as a depth piece.
I mean, that seems like kind of the CJ role. CJ's out there, and the Eagles, there's Eagles talk out there about CJ. I'd be cool with him coming back, but man, they were paying him nothing. Because he was a couch-free agent. He was still getting paid by the Eagles and the Texans. And the Bears were like, oh, yeah, we'll pay you whatever.
Come on in here on that veteran minimum, and we'll get this thing cracking. Right. So if he's thinking of actual money, I don't think at age 28 he's going to get it. I think the scariest thing right now is they haven't addressed the run defense. You bring in Neville Gallimore and Quintavious Street or whatever his name is, and those guys are smaller, pass-rushing defensive tackles.
You still haven't addressed the 29th-ranked run defense in the NFL. Congratulations to Andrew Billings, who was in town yesterday to receive the Ed Block Courage Award. And it's pretty funny. Cassie Carlson was out there talking to him. We played some last night on Chicago Sports Tonight because Big Bill was like, I'm a free agent, but that's cool. I'll come through.
But yeah, and in general, he's cool with being a free agent. He's made some money.
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Chapter 7: How does the draft impact the Bears' defensive strategy?
Jonathan Owens got robbed there, so I'm not going there. Are you going to go see the Pope? Are you trying to arrange a visitation? We've got, yeah, we have the arrangements already. The Vatican got us our tickets already for the Wednesday audience. Oh, my God. What White Sox memorabilia are you bringing? Well, so for anyone who saw that post on social media, the White Sox shared it.
Of course, it's got to run through the Pontifax Instagram account, which, you know. But a guy showed up to the Wednesday audience with a White Sox flag. But it was genius because it was just small enough. It probably wasn't a big to-do to bring it with them. And I'm sure it wasn't a security risk or anything like that. It just holds up a Sox flag. And our guy, Pope Bob, thumbs up.
Thumbs up, buddy. Smile and a thumbs up. To the White Sox flag. You can't beat that, man. Yeah, we got to get Tanny a thumbs up from the Pope. Yeah, yeah. It depends on where, you know. We're going with an 11-year-old, so I don't think we'll get there early enough to get a good position in line there. But, like, I thought, like, I got to bring something.
I can't wear a cap because it's the Vatican. No, no, no. You have to bring something. Do you have Brent Lillibridge batting gloves that you could bring? He's already got those. Yeah. In the Pope's Hall of Fame room, he's got a lot of stuff. You've got to be careful. You've got to be very careful about what you bring. He's got Joey Corey's athletic supporters. Someone just gave him.
Do you have a Lance Johnson cleat that you could bring that man? My only idea was when we were doing a broadcast near Wrigley or we were going to a Cub game, I got one of those Pope, the 83 Sox logo with Pope Leo's logo on there. I got one of those shirts. I may bring that and hold it up. That's pretty strong.
That's my tentative plan, but it's also I don't want to lug this T-shirt around, and who cares? I just want to be there. Something small. You've got to bring something small that's visible. The flag. I don't know, Danny. You getting the thumbs up from the Pope would be epic. Yeah, for sure, but I can't steal the guy's idea. The guy had the best idea ever with the little socks flag.
Yeah, he was right about that. The White Sox are listening. If you want me to bring something, I'll do that, within reason. They're always listening. I mean, my favorite is that journalist who rode the Pope's plane and brought a Nellie Fox bat, which was a family heirloom, an absolute treasure. It's been handed down for generations in his family.
And he gave the Pope his Nellie Fox bat, and the Pope looked at it for, I believe, seven seconds, smiled at it, and then handed it to some John Lackey and sent it off to the Hall of Fame. Windy City Burns actually has a really good idea. Something score-related. Well, I do have the score better best shirt. I don't know if we have Pope Bob's size laying around here somewhere.
Brian Porth won't part with that. No, he won't. I told Rich Wyatt, who is the Chuck Whisperer, I said, I'm going to get a photo of Chuck Swirsky with the Pope and hold it up. What? Oh, wait. There it is. We have that picture. Mitch is walking in with the score better best. Score better best. Well, we need it for Tanny. He's going to Italy. No, it's got to be Pope Leo XIV size. So medium-large.
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Chapter 8: What are the financial implications of roster changes?
And that is a Mitch Rosen insignia, not just an autograph. Yeah, that's pretty good. That's pretty good. He knows who you are. The Pope would like the Jewish guy's glove, right? Yeah, I think he would. He'd feel like he got a convert. Not the Pat Hughes. I don't think that's going to. The Cubs logo is probably not going to. Well, score better, best T-shirt. You got a small over there.
A reminder, I'm trying to hold something up. I'm not going to be able to have a direct conversation with him. I'm not swears. I won't be able to get in there. You don't know that. You get close. He's going to be like, Tanny, I have loved your opens. Did I talk to you, my son, during White Sox postgame back in the day? With Ronji? Any frozen Aurelios? Are you going to bring Aurelios with you?
Pope's a big fan. Joe on line one. Him and Jeremy Roenick, both big fans. We're going to ask John Marossi, who's probably a guy who knows what I can bring. Let's ask him. We've got to talk to John Marossi next here on The Score. And Ron Coomer here. This Cubs season, you'll now be able to listen to the Cubs in crystal clear FM quality on 104.3 The Score. Hey, it's Craig Council.
This is Alex Bregman. Hey, Cubs fans, this is Pete Crow Armstrong. It's got a chance! Gone! Pete Crow Armstrong with a long home run. Imagine listening to all the action on FM. Cubs baseball has never sounded this good. Listen to every game on your home of the Cubs. 104.3 The Score. Presented by the official sportsbook of The Score. Circa Sports. Sports betting the way it should be.
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Or you can lease that for just $479. Visit GenesisOfAlgonquin.com today to experience the difference for yourself. See dealer for details. Rahimi Harris and Grody. Middays 10 to 2. On 104.3 The Score. Okay, I'm still somewhat giggling at the Bajan in a second rounder. How do you think that phone call is going to go with John Spytak if you're the Raiders? What was that? Oh, I'm sorry.
You're breaking up. Got to go. Bye. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grote. At what price would you trade for Max Crosby? Do you want in on the sweepstakes? Should the Bears get back in? I think the price is going to be a little higher. 312-644-6767. We go to Frank in Las Vegas. Frank, you're on Rahimi Harrison-Grote. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I have two reasons why they should trade.
I would give up the first this year and the second next year because who knows where we're picking next year because of injuries and stuff. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Booker is similar size to Crosby.
You get him in there and let him show him that he gets 110%, show him some moves, and can't you next year as a cap casualty of sweat if Booker continues like he did at the last quarter of the season? And just a little off topic, cannot the Bears sue the NFL? Because clearly Ian Cunningham met the requirements of being elevated to general manager.
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