Interviews of the Week on 104.3 The Score: Sept. 7-11
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What injuries are affecting the Bears' secondary and how will they impact the defense?
Watch Matt
Bowen.
Bowen's a tough guy. Matt
Bowen. And it's intercepted by Matt Bowen. A ton of time. The coverage is good with Matt Bowen.
Seven-year
NFL veteran. It's coming from Bowen, and he knocks it out. The Redskins fall on top of it. Matt Bowen's been the guy applying all the
pressure. Coach for IC Catholic Football. Matt Bowen,
a man from Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Very
active. NFL writer and analyst for ESPN.
For anybody who didn't realize that, our guy Matt Bowen drafted right next to Brady. Tom Brady cloned his dog. Do you think it's possible he's going to clone himself? Your thoughts? I don't even know
what to say, Steve. I'm telling you what, I've been doing the score for what? 16 years. That's the question I was the least prepared for in my life. Matt Bowen. I have a simple rule with beer. I only drink beer that you can buy in 30 days. I'll leave you with that. With Spiegel and Holmes on 104.3 The Score.
We have all been looking forward to this. Matt Bowen is now joining us here on the Pottawatomie Casino and Hotel Hotline, the Midwest's best casino. The season kicks off in two and a half hours or whatever. And here we are. Bear season starts Sunday at noon in Carolina. And Matt Bowen is here on the Spiegel and Home Show. Matt, how are you? I'm doing great,
guys. How are you?
We are good, man. Nice to hear your voice. Looking forward to another season of talking to you and getting smarter and reveling in what will hopefully be a step forward for the Bears. Got to go right to your strength or your biggest strength, which is the secondary, because I find myself thinking about Dennis Allen and I think he wanted to revamp the secondary. He and Ben Johnson both together, and they did it, but now he doesn't really get to play with what he wanted to play with in terms of Kobe Bryant and maybe Kyler Gordon, too. How would you describe what they wanted to do versus what he now has to do?
Well, I think now you might be more alignment and assignment-based to start the season. I don't know if you'll see as much late movement in the secondary season Because you are, in a sense, playing backup players. You know, you lose Kobe Bryant, who was brought in because he is so versatile. He can take the football away. He can play free, play strong, and he has coverage ability. Now, you bring in a veteran safety to replace him, who can give you quality starts. There's no question about that and what he can do. And he can play in the deep half. He can play strong safety. But not the same level in terms of the playmaking talent that Kobe Bryant gives you. Same when you lose Gordon. You know, Gordon's an impact player for you.
When he's not on the field, now you have to do a little bit more from the scheme perspective and protect yourself at times. So does that mean less pressure? Maybe. Does that mean less late movement? Maybe. But you do what you have to do to win a football game. I do think the Bears will be prepared, but it will look different.
So, yeah, it's interesting, Matt, because if he's got to stay at home a little bit more in the back, does that put more pressure on the front to be good? Because I don't know that they upgraded significantly on the front to
be
better.
Well, I think it does put more pressure on them, absolutely. And here's the thing I would say, speaking about the Bears' defense. You're going into this game on Sunday. Who are your playmakers? That would be my
question.
Is it Sweat? Is it Devin Bush who you brought over? Is it Jalen at corner? Because Jalen, look at him, healthy. We talked about it last year when he wasn't healthy and missed camp, the impact it had on his football season. But now he comes in this season. and he is your number one corner, can you be the number one corner who also takes the football away at a high rate? Because they need that right now in that defense.
NFL players are kind of wired to deal with not having some success, like losing a game. There's only one team that wins a championship every season. We don't talk a lot about dealing with success, and the Bears are coming off of a very successful season.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What injuries are affecting the Bears' secondary and how will they impact the defense?
0:00–11:33
2
How does the Bears' new defensive scheme adjust for the loss of players like Kobe Bryant and Kyler Gordon?
11:33–21:31
3
What are the expectations for Caleb Williams entering his second NFL season?
21:31–34:00
4
How will the Bears' offensive strategy evolve under Ben Johnson and the coaching staff?
34:00–50:57
5
What coaching lessons does John Shoup share from his time mentoring Ben Johnson?
50:57–1:02:44
6
How do the coaches handle success and prevent complacency after a strong season?
1:02:44–1:12:53
7
What was the take‑audit segment and why is it important for sports analysts?
1:12:53–1:23:18
8
What are the final takeaways and predictions for the upcoming NFL season?
1:23:18–1:41:17
Speakers
7 identifiedMore from Rahimi & Grote Show
Bears head to Carolina for first game of 2026 season | Take The North
Full Show — September 11, 2026
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5 On It & sharing our Bears season predictions (Hour 3)
Dave Wannstedt doesn’t think Kyler Gordon will play for Bears again