The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 164: Can the Bears win again with Chase Daniel? Nov 28, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis wonder if the Bears can beat the Giants without Mitchell Trubisky, and look at some encouraging trends that should help this team finish the 2018 regular season strong in the final five games.

0:30: Takeaways from Matt Nagy’s comments on Mitchell Trubisky on Wednesday

1:30: Does it matter that the Bears play the Giants and then the Rams for Trubisky’s outlook?

4:00: Is this a trap game?

7:20: A run of big tests looms for the run defense

11:00: What did the Lions game prove about what the Bears’ defense can do the rest of the season?

12:40: Why Moon doesn’t think this Bears defense is on par with 1985 and 2005-2006

16:15: Matt Nagy has a winning scheme

22:30: A quick aside about how JJ got pranked into thinking a former Bears backup QB became a gym teacher at Lyons Township High School

23:40: Back to business: Matt Nagy’s outstanding coaching is one more positive trend

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Ep. 163: Give thanks to the Bears defense for a win in Detroit Nov 22, 2018

Show notes

The Bears improve to 8-3 with a Thanksgiving Day win in Detroit (0:20). Laurence Holmes, Matt Forte, Alex Brown and Lance Briggs discuss the Bears big plays on defense that helped them seal a win and debate whether Aaron Donald or Khalil Mack is the better defensive player.

Plus, the guys were pleasantly surprised by Chase Daniel's performance but they'd like to see more from the Bears running game (10:55).

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Ep. 162: How Mitchell Trubisky’s shoulder changes Bears-Lions Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin look at how Mitchell Trubisky’s shoulder injury could change the outlook for Thanksgiving’s date with the Lions and what Chase Daniel could bring to the table if he does play. Plus, could this be a letdown game for the Bears?

0:40: So there’s a possibility Mitch Trubisky will not play against the Lions, huh?

2:10: Matt Nagy said Trubisky’s situation is similar to the Khalil Mack/Allen Robinson one, but how similar is it really?

3:10: What should we expect if Chase Daniel plays?

5:05: Hear from Daniel, who spoke to the media Tuesday, on his readiness to play if Trubisky can’t go

8:15: Daniel knows the offense well, but does he know it at game speed?

10:20: If Trubisky does play, how might the shoulder affect his play?

13:10: What’s your gut – does Trubisky play on Thursday?

17:15: Why the Bears need to take the Lions seriously

21:00: If the Bears win, why it’d be an outstanding coaching job by Nagy

23:00: Kerryon Johnson not playing will be a big factor

25:00: Reactions to Monday night’s Chiefs-Rams thriller, and what it means for the Bears

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Ep. 161: What is the ceiling for the bears? Nov 19, 2018

Show notes

Laurence Holmes, Lance Briggs, Matt Forte and Alex Brown tell us how far they think the Bears can go this season.

Cody Parkey- do you trust him?

Why did the Bears go for 2 early in the game?

Preparing for the Lions and looking ahead.

‘SUPERBOWL…IS IT SO BIG?...I DON’T SEE ONE TEAM, MAYBE THE SAINTS, EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE NFC WE CAN BEAT,' ALEX BROWN.

SEGMENT ONE

2:30 IN - 2ND HALF, THE DEFENSE PREPARED FOR THE VIKINGS PUSH

4:30 IN – GAME PLAN CHANGES WHEN THE WEATHER DOES

6:30 IN – SUPERBOWL BEARS?

8:30 in – Why did the Bears go for 2 early in the game?

SEGMENT TWO

11:15 IN – Are the guys worried about Cody Parkey?

13:00 IN – Game balls and preparing for the Lions on short rest

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Ep. 160: With NBC Sports Soccer’s Arlo White and Roger Bennett Nov 15, 2018

Show notes

Two of the biggest Bears fans you’ll meet happen to be two of the most recognizable voices of NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage. Arlo White, the lead play by play announcer for NBC’s Premier League coverage, grew up in Leicester and fell in love with Chicago and the Bears in the 1980s, following games on a faint armed forces radio signal. And Roger Bennett of the Men in Blazers used to call random 312 numbers from a friend’s house as a kid in Liverpool to find out what the Bears’ score was. Hear from both about how they became Bears fans, how they’ve followed the team over the years and what they think of the 2018 side — which they both predict to beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

0:00: Introductions, and is Arlo White the biggest Bears fan in all of Leicester?

1:10: How a childhood trip to Evergreen Park led White to become a Bears fan

4:35: How did you follow the Bears in England in the 1980s?

7:00: What was it like to get to call the 2008 Super Bowl for British radio?

9:40: How White managed to make it to Green Bay for the Bears’ season opener

11:55: White’s impressions of the 2018 Bears, and what it was like to get to watch Khalil Mack in person

14:20: Are there NFL fans around Premier League press boxes like there are Premier League fans around NFL press boxes?

16:20: White’s prediction for Bears-Vikings, beyond drinking “nine cups of coffee” to stay awake

19:00: Welcoming Roger Bennett to the pod, and how he became a Bears fan while growing up in Liverpool

21:30: Calling random 312 numbers in Chicago to get the Bears score

24:10: How White and Rog wound up at the same Bears preseason game in 1986 without knowing it

26:10: Rog’s experience greeting the Bears at O’Hare at 2 a.m. after they played the Cowboys in London

31:00: Why Rog moved to Chicago (and specifically Rogers park) right after college

33:00: The Bears are a centerpiece of the Bennett family Sundays, taking part in the “joy that is Tarik Cohen and his ebullience”

34:30: Why Rog *really* likes Matt Nagy #balds

36:45: Rog’s prediction for Bears-Vikings

38:20: Why Rog is an 11/10 in confidence the Bears will win the Super Bowl

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Ep. 159: Previewing Sunday night’s massive meeting with Minnesota Nov 14, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin look at how important Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings will be for the Bears’ chances of winning the NFC North, and why the Bears on paper look like the better team on both sides of the ball…but why that may not matter.

00:00 - Mitch Trubisky wins NFC offensive player of the week, and nobody at Halas Hall seems to care (which is good)

1:00 - If the Bears lose, they’re in second. Is that a good or a bad thing about where this team stands?

3:00 - What kind of statement could the Bears make in beating Minnesota?

5:05 - Does it matter that the Bears have played, and will play, an “easy” schedule? It didn’t for the Eagles last year

9:00 - Now that we’re a month out, the Miami game was a major wake-up call for the Bears

10:15 - Back to the point of an “easy” schedule for a final thought before the break

11:35 - Plugging Friday’s Under Center Podcast special with NBC Sports’ Arlo White and Roger Bennett, both of whom are huge Bears fans

12:50 - How will Mitch Trubisky handle the Vikings’ defense?

17:00 - Is the Vikings’ offense better than it was last year, and how does the Bears’ defense match up against it?

20:30 - JJ makes the case the Bears have the edge on both sides of the ball, but Moon makes a counter-argument

22:40 - Who could be the surprise players, in a good way, for the Bears on Sunday?

25:35 - Just about every player on the Bears is trending in the right direction

26:50 - What Moon wants to see out of Trubisky on Sunday

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Ep. 158: The Great, The Good and The Ugly of the Bears win Nov 11, 2018

Show notes

Lance Briggs, Matt Forte and Alex Brown join Laurence Holmes to break down the Bears dominant win over the Detroit Lions. The Bears improve to 6-3 and snap an awful losing streak against the NFC North. Mitchell Trubisky had the best game of his career, Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson both had huge games in their return, but Cody Parkey hit the uprights four times and the guys discuss how the Bears should handle their kicking situation going forward.

0:30 – How does it feel to be 6-3 and in 1st place?

1:25 – Are the Bears exceeding expectations?

3:00 – A division win…FINALLY

4:00 – Cody Parkey had an awful day

6:05 – Can the Bears win big games with a bad kicker?

7:30 – How the rest of the team might feel if they keep Parkey

10:20– Was this Mitchell Trubisky’s best game?

11:58 – Trubisky living up to lofty expectations

14:17 – Concerned about the Bears running game?

16:01 – Excitement building for Sunday night vs Vikings

18:50 – Next two division games

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Ep. 157: This is gonna be real now Nov 07, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin look ahead to the start of a critical three-game stretch against the NFC North with Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, and wonder how big an impact the trade of Golden Tate will have on this game. Plus, why stopping Kerryon Johnson will be key and how the Bears can still put up points even if they can’t get the run game going against Detroit.

0:00: Putting a bow on the Bills, and why the blowout mattered

1:45: Starting to wonder what to make of the Lions. They beat the three teams the Bears lost to, what does that mean?

3:45: What were the Lions trying to accomplish at the trade deadline? How big will the trade of Golden Tate be on Sunday?

6:35: How does Matt Stafford, fresh off getting sacked 10 (!!) times, handle the Bears’ pass rush?

9:25: The Bears’ defense is good against the run, and that’s huge for facing the Lions

14:00: Matt Nagy is the biggest reason for the Bears’ offensive success

18:10: The Lions’ D-line looks like a tough matchup for the Bears’ O-line

20:30: Does it matter how many yards Jordan Howard gets on Sunday?

22:15: A quick tangent on Kevin White being inactive, and where he goes from here

24:50: Will gameplanning for the Lions this week help out on Thanksgiving?

25:55: Evaluating the NFC Playoff picture and why the Bears shouldn’t rely on the wild card

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Ep. 156: Bears defense smothers Bills Mafia Nov 04, 2018

Show notes

The Bears take care of business against a struggling Bills squad. Laurence Holmes, Alex Brown, Matt Forte and Lance Briggs break it down.

The defense smothers Peterman and Co, which didn’t surprise the guys at all. (:33)

The Bears are 5-3 at the halfway point of the season with some big division matchups on the horizon (4:31)

Forte is happy coach Nagy is finally getting the run game involved in short yardage situations (6:46)

Trubisky and the offense had a pedestrian effort in Buffalo. (10:55)

Who are the Detroit Lions? Seriously, we can’t get a read on them. The guys hope the Bears can by next Sunday. (17:11)

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Ep. 155: Previewing Bears-Bills, and an interview with Zach Miller Oct 31, 2018

Show notes

JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin look at why the Bears shouldn’t take the Nathan Peterman-led Bills lightly, and if Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson should take another weekend off. Plus, JJ sits down with Zach Miller to talk about his recovery from his gruesome injury, his outlook on life and his thoughts on Matt Nagy.

Topics discussed:

0:00: Will Moon jump through a table to get the full Bills experience?

1:20: Nathan Peterman is not a good quarterback!

2:25: The Bills’ defense will be a challenge

5:10: JJ digs up an amusing box score from a previous Mitch Trubisky-Nathan Peterman duel

6:40: The Bears’ defense has an opportunity to rest Khalil Mack again this weekend

10:40: A word on Kyle Long

13:25: “Life changes || do you” what did Zach Miller mean by that?

15:20: How fulfilling is it for Miller that he can help people after going through what he’s gone through?

19:00: The impact of Miller’s family, friends and the Bears’ organization in keeping Miller’s outlook positive

21:25: What is Miller’s daily routine at Halas Hall?

22:20: Is it bittersweet for Miller to see the Bears have so much success on offense?

23:20: Why Miller has been so impressed with Matt Nagy

25:45: Will Miller ever take anything for granted again?

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