The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 174: It’s official: Bears vs Eagles in the playoffs Dec 30, 2018

Show notes

The Bears finish the season 12-4 and now they know who they will face in the playoffs. Laurence Holmes, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown break down the win over the Minnesota Vikings and when they really knew this Bears team was a legit contender. The guys also debate what the most intriguing part of the matchup is as the Bears will have to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. Plus, Lance shares a story about how the Bears celebrated a bye week with a group outing in Las Vegas courtesy of a private jet provided by Brian Urlacher.

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Ep. 173: Joint podcast with Eagles Insider Reuben Frank Dec 27, 2018

Show notes

On this special edition of Under Center, J.J. Stankevitz welcomes in Reuben Frank from NBC Sports Philadelphia. How are the Bears approaching their game at the Vikings? How aggressive will Matt Nagy be with his starters and playcalling? Would the Bears rather play the Vikings or the Eagles in the playoffs?

Reuben explains why the Redskins game isn't a guaranteed win for the Eagles. Also, if the Eagles did sneak into the playoffs, how dangerous a team are they?

1:00 - How Philadelphia fans are viewing the Bears/Vikings game?

6:00 - How will the Bears approach Sunday's game in Minnesota?

9:00 - J.J. Stankevitz believes the Bears will help out the Eagles.

11:30 - Matt Nagy's sudden impact with the Bears.

15:00 - Bears should be worried about the Eagles in a potential playoff game.

20:00 - No one should assume an Eagles win in Washington.

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Ep. 172: How much should the Bears rest players against Minnesota? Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin discuss what Matt Nagy’s rest strategy could look like this week against Minnesota (1:10), and if it’s better to face the Vikings for the second time in a week than a red-hot Philadelphia Eagles team (7:35). Plus, JJ and Moon debate whether or not it’s fair to still feel like 2019 is going to be the year this team really becomes a Super Bowl contender (12:10). Finally, Minnesota's really a 6.5-point favorite this Sunday (19:35)?

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Ep. 171: Bears win ugly and improve to 11-4 Dec 23, 2018

Show notes

Once again, the Bears won ugly and improved to 11-4 following their win against the San Francisco 49ers. Laurence Holmes chats with Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown about the mixed bag for the Bears offense, as well as their concern level following the sloppy performance. Plus, the guys weigh in on the fight that broke out after a late hit to Mitchell Trubisky and who is the team they LEAST wish to play in the first round of the playoffs.

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Ep. 170: The Bears aren’t taking their foot off the gas Dec 19, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis look at why the Bears’ culture won’t let them ease up after winning the NFC North, plus the guys look back at the 2017 draft day trade with the 49ers that got the Bears Mitch Trubisky. Also, Bay Area News Group columnist Dieter Kurtenbach joins the pod to talk about how Oakland is handling the Khalil Mack trade now that the Bears are good, and why San Francisco still has something to play for this weekend.

0:55: Moon’s covered playoff teams before, so what is he looking for out of the Bears over these next two games?

3:25: We get the impression winning the NFC North didn’t actually matter much to the Bears, which is a good thing

6:00: Re-visiting the trade that got the Bears Mitch Trubisky: Why revisionist history is useless when this team’s going to the playoffs

13:50: Welcoming Dieter Kurtenbach of the Bay Area News Group with this question: What do people think of Jon Gruden?

15:35: With the Bears’ first-round pick in 2019 will at least be in the 20s, how is the Bay Area viewing the Khalil Mack trade now?

18:05: Dieter says it’s “patently hilarious” that Mack has more sacks and forced fumbled than the entire Raiders team

19:50: So where will next year’s Bears-Raiders game take place? Oakland? Santa Clara? San Antonio? London?

22:50: Why the 49ers still have something to play for this weekend

26:50: What’s gone wrong with Solomon Thomas?

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Ep. 169: The Bears are NFC North Champions! Dec 16, 2018

Show notes

Sunday was a glorious day at Soldier Field as the Bears beat the rival Packers to clinch their first NFC North championship since 2010! Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown join host Laurence Holmes to break down the victory and look ahead to the playoffs. How far can this Bears team go? And what is their ceiling in the long term?

0:22 – 2-for-1! Bears win NFC North and knock out the Packers

4:30 – Breakout game for Leonard Floyd?

6:15 – What worked offensively vs Green Bay?

7:05 – Charles Leno proposes to his girlfriend after the game

9:40 – Where do the Bears need to improve most heading into playoffs?

11:20 – How can Bears avoid complacency?

15:00 – Are the Bears a year ahead of schedule?

16:10 – What’s the ceiling of this Bears team?

19:20 – Where can Trubisky continue to improve?

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Ep. 168: Talking through the Bears’ playoff scenarios Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis look at the best and worst-case scenarios for the Bears in the first round of the playoffs, and wonder if Mitchell Trubisky will be up to the task of putting the final nail in the Packers’ playoff coffin.

1:25: On the surface, who’s the Bears’ best and worst matchup in the wild card round?

2:45: Playoff odds time! Who has the highest chance of playing the Bears in the first round?

5:10: Ranking the quarterbacks of the Bears’ potential playoff opponents

9:00: If the Vikings have the ideal quarterback matchup for the Bears, they also have the best defense

12:00: Don’t count out the Packers just yet

15:35: The next step for the Bears? Be a “finisher” when it comes to Green Bay’s playoff hopes

17:15: Why Mitchell Trubisky sounds up for the task of eliminating the Packers

21:35: The moment hasn’t been too big for Trubisky and that’s a good thing

22:15: Jordan Howard’s game vs. LA is encouraging for the Bears down the stretch

25:55: The rest of the Bears’ offense actually showed signs of improvement vs. LA…except for the QB

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Ep. 167: The Bears knock off the kings of the NFC Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

Where do the Bears now stand in the conference, and are they serious Super Bowl contenders?

The defense carried the team while Mitch struggled to find his rhythm.

Lance Briggs, Alex Brown and Matt Forte join Laurence Holmes on the podcast to figure out what’s next for this tricked out team with 9 wins.

00:00 The defense studies their opponent, and comes up big

02:00 Bears defense smothers, and made Goff look like a rookie

03:30 What went wrong with the Rams

05:30 Defense is winning games for us

06:15 Bears are Super Bowl contenders

07:30 Who do the Bears matchup well against?

08:30 How big was this game?

10:30 What was wrong with the Bears?

11:30 The Bears creative run game

12:30 Mitch had a bad day

13:30 Bears defense picks up Mitch

14:30 What happened to Mitch?

16:00 Worried about Mitch?

17:00 Rams defense pressured Mitch

18:00 Bears defense punished Goff

19:00 Who scares the Bears?

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Ep. 166: Mitch Returns! Plus, a Rams preview with J.B. Long Dec 05, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz and Cam Ellis look at what to expect from Mitchell Trubisky in the extremely high likelihood he plays Sunday night, and if it would be better for the Bears if their game against the Rams were a shootout or a defensive struggle. Plus, JJ chats with the radio voice of the Los Angeles Rams, J.B. Long, to get a sense of where Sean McVay, Jared Goff and the best team in the NFC stands heading into Sunday night.

0:15: All signs point to the return of Trubisky on Sunday, but will he have to be smarter with how he runs?

3:20: Why the Bears shouldn’t be concerned about Trubisky’s shoulder because they’re facing Aaron Donald

6:00: Did the Bears play this decision right to sit Trubisky for two games and with an eye on the last quarter of the season?

7:40: Is it better for Sunday to be a shootout or a defensive struggle?

13:10: Welcoming J.B. Long to the pod, and asking: What’s the mood of the Rams right now?

15:40: What have the Rams evolved into in Year 2 of the Sean McVay era?

17:00: Seeing parallels between the 2017 Rams and the 2018 Bears

19:20: Why Sean McVay is the right coach for Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams

21:45: How has McVay tailored his scheme to the players he has in 2018?

23:30: What should we make of the Rams’ defense?

25:40: What can the Bears do to stop the Rams’ offense?

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Ep. 165: Bears come back but come up short Dec 02, 2018

Show notes

The Bears come back but come up short in overtime against the Giants, 30-27 in OT. Laurence Holmes, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown explain why this game felt off from the very start (3:30). Plus why you can count on the Bears bringing their A-game against the Rams (7:00) and what happened on the Odell Beckham TD pass (11:30). Plus Freezer Left! (15:00) , the issues Aaron Donald presents next sunday (19:00) and can the Bears offense with Trubisky keep up with the Rams (21:00)?

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