Hard Knocks: The Chicago Bears, Max, HBO, Home Box Office

Da Bears

Hard Knocks: The Chicago Bears, Max, HBO, Home Box Office

Max original series Hard Knocks: The Chicago Bears premiered August 6th, 2024.

Hard Knocks: The Chicago Bears, Max, HBO, Home Box Office
Hard Knocks: The Chicago Bears, Max, HBO, Home Box Office
Hard Knocks: The Chicago Bears, Max, HBO, Home Box Office

#Hardknocks enjoyed its highest-rated premiere in 5 years.






rottentomatoes:

metacritic:

imdb: 8.3



Caleb Williams, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams is drafted #1 by the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Illinois.

Caleb Williams, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

“Hello? I know who you are. I know who you are. You ready? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yep. See you tomorrow. Whew! Whoo! Yeah! Oh!” — Caleb Williams

“How’s everybody doing? Good to see everybody. Ready, break! Go, go, go, go, go. Let’s go. Here we go. Mike 57. Ready, set, hut! Okay. Whoo! Here we go! Let’s go! Calm down. Yeah. Yep. I’m Caleb Williams. Went to USC and Oklahoma. I’m Horns Down still. Fight on. And my signing bonus was 25.5. Yah!” — Caleb Williams

“Now, as everybody knows, this should be a– this should be a classic for everybody in here. We all old enough, I would say. Mm-hmm. So let’s do this thing. ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Yeah. Yeah. Come on now! Come on now! Come on. ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ This ain’t no honeymoon ♪ Ooh ♪ Ahh! I forget the– what happened to the words?” — Caleb Williams

“Um… I think I’m on track to– to be ready, exactly where I need to be and where they want me to be. Ready, set. I’m excited. The reps are always–reps are always paramount. Especially for a young guy like myself. Good job, baby. Every day I wake up, I’m learning something new. To think that, you know, not too long ago, I didn’t know really anything about this offense, and now I know a lot more than I did then, so. Hey, one more time? Obviously, there’s gonna be challenging times. You know, it’s not coming quicker or– or slower than I expected. We got gun. It’s more or less just myself. Easy. Here we go. Here we go. We got gun. When I go out on the field, I expect to not mess up. That’s just how I am. So when I do, it’s frustrating. Oh, a little high. Ready, set. I’m a young rookie. You know, how I respond to those mistakes… here we go. I know is preparing me for these preseason games coming up. Let’s go, let’s go. And obviously, I go versus this defense every day. So they make it tough on me. Set! Ready, set!” — Caleb Williams

“These mistakes, these good and bad days that I’m having, I know it’s how you respond and react to those frustrating times is when you grow and get better. Was that the one on the poster? When Rome ran free down the sideline? Hey. What do we– ’cause he said we haven’t talked over that part. How do we get to see that backside safety if we’re going through– it was man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Middle. I got you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here we go! Hey, I’ll be better. I’ll be better. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s focus in. I’ll be better. Ready, set, hut! Oh, yeah, touchdown. Here we go. 11-11.” — Caleb Williams

“Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Some of the– some of the putting it where I want to obviously can always be– I mean, I can always be better in the accuracy aspect. I think I’ve gotten a little– yeah. Sweet. Yeah. Let’s do it. Let’s do it. Ready, set. Rome converting. Yeah. Be better. Yeah. Hey, king, good route. Ready, set. Ready, set. Oh, hole shot. Tuddy! It’s just– yeah. Yeah, he was pushing back and stuff. You just find green grass– –and then I’ll find you. No. No, but I learned how to slide. I don’t have one. Well, I never played baseball. So I don’t know, like, the terms of it. But make sure my feet are– my feet are up, not getting cleats stuck in the ground, and then slide right on the– right on the IT bands is my thing. Oh, yeah.” — Caleb Williams


Matt Eberflus, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Matt Eberflus

“My guy, what’s happening? This is Coach Flus, man. Hey, this day’s gonna go down as an iconic day in Bears history, my friend. And we’re gonna turn this cycle on its head. You got it, man. I’m so excited, and I’m super excited for you that you realized your dream of being the first pick in the NFL draft. That’s so cool. But I’m more excited about our football team starting this process and achieving our next goal. And I’ll see you tomorrow, brother.”

“And the 4th of July, the country club does fireworks right there. Yeah, you can see– you can always see Navy Pier. Yeah. Good summer? All lacrosse? Great. I would say Lake Como was probably the favorite spot because you just can’t beat the beauty, you know? She hasn’t gotten sick of me yet– –is what she’s saying. Yeah, same exact. He’s got white shoes, white pants. That’s right. And I look like a fullback. Apparently, there’s no one that can rush the quarterback. You got 2 and 1/2 seconds, bro. You got to get rid of the ball.”

“Winning doesn’t make you a winner. Losing doesn’t make you a loser. Winning habits makes you a winner. Losing habits makes you a loser. Set a goal to be 1 of 32, the best at your position– the best. Right? If it’s long snapper, kicker, center, nickel, corner, linebacker, whatever it is, make a decision to do it. Look at the guys in the past that were the best at your position, and how did they act? You guys heard of Walter Payton running up and down them hills, right? Jerry Rice doing his thing, right? Find out what they did. You’ve got to take action daily, day in and day out. That’s the grinder, right? You guys are all grinders. Okay, we’re good. 15 minutes, we’re on the field. Let’s go.”

“Hey, that choice, the two that you threw behind, your weight was on your back foot. The other two were, zah, right on the money. You know what I’m saying? Even though if it’s off platform a little bit, you still got to get that weight forward. Sack! Right here! Sack!”

“You have to go through hard, you know, to be good. Caleb is learning that skill set. Did you see the one that we dropped back to Tampa? Mm-hmm. Yep, yep. You know, he’ll figure it out, and he does. He does figure it out. That’s a flag. And we challenge him every day with the defense, with the looks, with the install. And he’s accepted every challenge, and he’s rising to the occasion. And I think that’s very helpful for him. He’s a rookie, and he’s soaking all this in from Shane and myself. And– it’s been really good. There it is. There it is. Got him. Touchdown, good. Same group. That’s the way to jump them, O.”

“This is time on task. You just proved it. In the first seven practices, you went from here, now you’re here, right? And then from now, we’ve got these three here. You got to– just got to keep going up. You know, we’re getting 213 reps offensively and defensively today. So that takes a strong mind to be able to wire in. You’re not in all of those, but you’re in most of those. You know, and I changed the setup, you know, because of you, to make sure that you’re getting the reps. So that, to me, is– you’ve made leaps and bounds in seven practices, which is great.”

“And you have. I mean, it’s night and day. So you got to make every day count. All right. Sounds good. Hey, guys. Are you guys good? This is my coach right here, Coach Saban. I think he knows how to coach DBs, right? I said Jon Hoke was the best DB coach or corners coach. I don’t know. No. I was a hitter. I was a hitter. Because there is a development phase to this. The first year as rookie, second year, and it’s the third year they got it once they’re in our system. Yes. Do you do anything special with the quarterback? All right, tell me what you see. Pretty good operation there, right?”

“The windows are too– they close too fast to throw it that late. Yep, yep. I shaved it down to a 3. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah, you can just take a little bit off. I trust you. Hey, Ron. Yes, sir. How you doing? Thank you, sir. Yeah, it sure is. Yeah. All right, let’s go, fellas. Let’s go. Every play’s your play to make. Let’s go. Let’s go. Get some! Yeah! Get some! Yeah! Inspiration was from Kelly. so she sent me– what’d she send us, three pictures? Yeah, I don’t know. My wife, she liked it. And that’s the most important critic for me. If she likes it, then I want to keep it. Good. It looks really good. All right. Thank you, man.”

“Yes. Oh, just because we respect the Olympics. I mean, that is a big deal. You know, and he’s just supporting, you know the one he loves the most. And I think that’s so cool that he gets to do that. Go, USA. Yeah? Yes. Yeah. Right, till tonight, yeah. You’re going to miss 9, 10. 11. Yes. Yep. And then the HOF. Then you’ll be back for that 12. Great. Great. The one thing I told– the one thing I told– you know, take your iPad. We’ll send all the installs to you, and then go over the installs.”

“Hey, Bates. Who’s next? Theo? Oh, the big lineman? He’s a Canadian, right? Hey, hey. What is this? ‘We Are the World?’ Hey, I’m not going down there till he gets dressed. I’m not going down there till he gets dressed. I want no part of it. Eagle. What’s happening, bro? Got a new nickname here. Eagle, that’s his nickname. The Canadian Eagle. You don’t need a nickname. No, no, it’s too cool. You know what I mean? Just Rome is Rome. Caleb’s learning that skill set, learning how they run certain type of route concepts. And I think having those two guys, DJ and Keenan, with a rookie quarterback, it’s just going to raise his level. Yeah. Yep. You got it. Yep.”

“Did you play baseball? Let me hear your description of a good slide. Yes. I have. Really? That’s probably a good way to start.”


Rome Odunze, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Rome Odunze

“My name’s too short for a nickname. Too cool, yeah. Good ball, boy.”


Keenan Allen, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Keenan Allen

“I went inside, but I went– I went right now. If I straighten him up and, bink, bink, I’ll get that same space we got in one-on-ones.”

“How fly is he? –do it.”


DJ Moore, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

DJ Moore

“I was trying to see if that was closed or open. Because the way he played out, I was– I got you. Yeah. I think we’re coming together good, though. He getting comfortable. So once we get all that, shoot, about to be the sky’s the limit here.”

“We good. Appreciate y’all. Appreciate it. Even though we came a long way from the $5 million signing bonus last year that I was joking about. Appreciate it. Yeah, I got tonight.”

“I just put pen to paper. No, I’m glad. But you know me. I’m gonna still do it. I’m so fly, Coach tell me to do something and I ain’t gotta–“


Ryan Poles, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Ryan Poles

“Oh, that’s awesome. So you can probably see them all the way from here, too, right? Gotcha.”

“I sat down and talked to DJ. And I said, we’re opening up a contract that has two years left. Your guarantees are up. The ‘why’ behind it is just the dependability, durability. The production has been so consistent. We feel really good about this so that he can just play free and take care of his family. That’s what it’s all about. Four years.”

“Hey, discreetly– I don’t know if it’s possible– can you ask Coach if he’d be okay if DJ came up to talk to his agents while special teams are going on? Come on in.”


Jaylon Johnson, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Jaylon Johnson

“So I actually just got the car, I want to say, like, Wednesday. The first time I drove it, I got a lot of head turns. So I’m looking forward to driving around, hopefully take it to the city for one of the preseason games. Teams aren’t really sure of what we can do this year. And I feel like really just trying to bring it all together in this camp, I think we just have all the right pieces to be something special, to be something dangerous.”


Cole Kmet, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Cole Kmet

“I think I’m feeling pretty good. First time doing it. First time doing it. Why don’t I knuckle it? No, I got to rip it. Yeah, spiking it. We got the– we got the mascot catching it, too. Gonna cruise it in there. Hey, I’ll take it. Appreciate you. That was good. Outside corner, I whipped it in there. That was good. Nice, nice. Some two-seam action on it. Very good, very good. From the mound.”

“Getting used to it. It’s awful. Is it really? Imagine it gets postponed to the next day. I don’t know. That’s a good question.”


Jonathan Owens, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Jonathan Owens

“I will be here at practice on the 29th, though. I don’t leave today– yep. Mm-hmm. Yeah, all right. I will. Yeah. Olympics, bro. You know what I mean? Pretty much all packed up now. Make sure I got a football always. No, get out. Boy, get out my bag. Okay. No. Hey! Simone will get mad about that. Yeah, Rambo you want to sneak in? Man’s got this little diaper on ’cause he has some accidents sometimes. I’ll see you soon, bro. Man. Oh, yeah, you need a bath, bro. This was my dog whenever me and Simone met. Simone had Lilo. And it was actually funny. When me and Simone were together, she’s like, ‘would you date a girl with three dogs?’ And I’m like, I don’t care, like, if it’s a small dog. Like, I don’t– you know what I mean? Zeus hears you. Ooh, yeah. I’m definitely going to have to hit the lint roller. Probably in about 10 minutes. You know me. Yeah. Ain’t nobody nervous. Yes, I’ll have my– my duffel bag. Yeah. That’ll make me so mad if they threw away my cologne. Oh, my gosh. Okay. Okay, baby. Okay. I love you, too. Thank you. There it is. The day I can’t do that is when I’m gonna think I’m losing my athleticism. Floor, I like floor ’cause it’s just, you get to see how powerful she is. I try to remember her routine. So it’ll be, like, random times she’s on the floor she does something, and she does like that. And I try to be up there and, like, knowing the beats just so I know what’s going on. And I’m spoiled. I’ve seen her do it flawless so many times. You know what I mean? So I’m just sitting there watching her. Like, especially when she’s on beam– oh, my gosh. Beam, like, trips me out. I’ve tried to be on it. I’m like, babe, there’s no way y’all are, like, doing flips, just laying on it, blind landings, all this type of stuff. And I’m just watching like, whew. But I really, really love to support her at the Olympics, you know? It’s just like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”


Simone Biles, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Simone Biles

“Rambo! Rambo! Oh, my God. Babe, your pants. What time are you leaving to go to the airport? You still have to check your passports, all that stuff. Chicago’s always busy. You look nervous. Are you taking a carry-on? Because on the way back, Europe is weird. So yo know how we do, like, 3.4 fluid ounces and stuff like that? You can’t do that on the way back. Yeah. Well, I’ll talk to you later. I love you. Safe flight.”


Kelly Eberflus, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Kelly Eberflus

“When we first got here, we decided to have a welcome back party, get everybody together, see everybody after being gone from vacation. And I haven’t had that moment yet where I’ve been like, ‘it’s time for you to go back to work.’ No. No, not at all.”

“After the season was over and he finally had some time off, he just didn’t shave for a couple of days ’cause he wasn’t going into the office. And he started growing the beard, and I’m like, you know, I really like that. And then I got this great idea that I got to do something with your hair. I can’t believe that was, like, in late January or early February and people are still talking about it. He thinks he looks cool now. I think he looks cool, too.”


Roger Goodell, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Roger Goodell

“With the first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Chicago Bears select… Caleb Williams– Quarterback from Southern California. Get it, baby.”


Coach Saban, Hard Knocks: Chicago Bears, Max, NFL Films, HBO Sports, HBO Max, Home Box Office (HBO), Skydance Sports

Coach Saban

“He wasn’t a skill guy, though. He was that. Here’s my theory on why NFL quarterbacks fail at such a dramatic rate. To me, expectations are a killer. This kid you got, this kid’s got so much media, so much hype, so much expectation on doing well. And he has to develop so quickly to meet the expectations that everybody has for him, it’s almost impossible. And I think that’s the biggest thing you got to worry about with your quarterback because the expectations are a killer. But yet, to use your word, development is the key for him. You know, like Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions when he was a rookie. It’s the most in the history of ball.”

“But it didn’t affect him. It’s like the scoreboard. The scoreboard don’t mean anything until the game’s over. Human nature is to be average. It’s to survive. It’s not to win a championship. It’s not to be the best you can be. It’s none of those things. And we think as coaches that just ’cause a guy’s a good athlete, he wants all that. Now, every now and then, you get a guy who’s got all the right stuff, who’s a great leader, who does everything right. I mean, you were that way as a player. But there’s not very many guys like that. You got to make them that way. I always stood behind the quarterback. I always wanted to hear their version of what was happening.”

“I was never negative with them in front of the rest of the team. It was always more effective to me to show them than it was to tell them. Your position is hard to play if the people around you don’t play well. So what are you gonna do to enhance that? How are you going to get the players around you to play well? You got to have good work ethic. You’ve got to be able to overcome adversity. You have to reinforce positive performance from the other players. You can’t be a transactional leader. And this is where a lot of athletes are. It’s all result-based. You know, if the play works, it’s great. If it doesn’t work, it’s terrible. Well, that ain’t really how it is. Being a transformational leader is trying to serve other people. You’re trying to help them for their benefit. And you have a vision for what you want to accomplish and what your view to the offense should be. And you’re gonna try to inspire the people to help you do that. You got to be somebody that somebody can emulate.”


Chicago, Illinois

“Yeah, it was all sports, lacrosse. Yeah. How was Italy? Yeah? What was your favorite spot?”

“Wait, Dad, did you see that Ryan Griffin has the same outfit as you? Except he looks like a quarterback, you know. They got a little football game going over there. Yeah, look how much time he’s got. Well, yeah, they’re kids.”

“Are the nerves hitting or you feeling good? Is this your first time? Some people have tried to throw it as hard as they can. They hold onto it, and they end up spiking it. You don’t want that. But give it– all right. I like it. Making his way to the mound, please welcome Chicago native and Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet. Whoo-hoo! That was impressive. Nailed it. That was.”

“And now, the starting lineup for your Chicago Bears. From Southern California, at quarterback, 6’1″, Caleb Williams! Clap for him.”

“Same thing today? How’s the beard length? You want me to smooth it out, though? How’s the overall length on top?”

“Nice to see you. Congratulations on the job. It’s a great city, man. I hope you do well. I really do. Yeah, it was, like, Ryan Reynolds and– I forget. It was like, yeah, a couple of different people.”


Chicago Bears

“Way to go, Caleb. Still here, still here. Yo, yo, yo, yo! Yo! Signing bonus? Shh! Shh! Shh! Yeah! Do the damn thing.”

“Good ball placement there. Repeat and set it up. Ah. Yep. You with me on that? So that way, you can go pressure right down the middle. I can feel the squeeze. All of us. Whoo! 12! 12! We’ll go 11-11.”

“Yes, sir. What’s up, Coach? Saban. Nice to meet you.”

“But when you reset right here, Caleb, with your left foot, you’re damn near squared up. So you’re ready to throw anything here to here. But when you reset, just keep that ankle alignment, hip alignment slightly in front of your runaways as well.”

“You’ll get it right. That’s why they call it practice. Boom. There you go. Reset. There it is. Ew, that throw was nasty. He said– I don’t know how he did that.”

“It’s your team, bro. You’ve got the keys to it. Voice it, bro. If something’s wrong, you’ve got the keys to this, bro. Use it. Drive. Looks long to me.”

“You going to Paris? Ooh! That’s big, bro. That’s the Super Bowl. That’s going to the Super Bowl. Man, that’s going to be a beautiful experience. Theo Benedet. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he’s Canadian. That’s what I’m talking about. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Theo Benedet, University of British Columbia, Canada. Signing bonus, $20,000. So to thank you all for welcoming me to your country, I’ve prepared this number.”

“♪ If tomorrow all my things were gone ♪ I worked for in my life ♪ And I had to start again ♪ With just my children and my wife ♪ I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today ♪ Where the flag still stands for freedom ♪ And they can’t take that away ♪ I’m proud to be an American ♪ Where at least I know I’m free ♪ And I won’t forget the men who died ♪ To give that right to me ♪ And I’d gladly stand up next to you ♪ And defend her still today ♪ ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land ♪ God bless the USA ♪”

“That’s awesome. I love Rome. I can make it cleaner for you on that too. Keenan is so fast on those. Oh, yeah. Just gets to green grass so quickly. Like unguardable.”

“He’s got two more years. I mean, he’s got ’24 and ’25. So this would be a– –four-year extension. So four-year extension, how much new money on that? 110. Of new money? Mm-hmm. Okay. The guarantees are in the 82 range. It’s as guaranteed as guaranteed should be. It’s a win-win. Great job on this. I mean, this looks very fair for both parties. It’s the right thing to do. Two years early, and he’s done everything he’s supposed to. Congrats, man. We’re having a couple boxes of cigars. We’re officially good to go here. I told them we’re going to go– we’re gonna go down in history. That’s pretty cool that this is the largest deal in Bears history. Sign that, and it’s official. There you go. There you go. There you go, buddy. Congrats. Great, man. That was fast. Great stuff. Are you flying out?”

“You still ain’t do it? You didn’t tell me that. Just like, we don’t know. That’s a mood alterer. One less thing to worry about.”

“How do you guys wear the tights. I know, getting used to it for when you have to wear that in the game, though, on Thursday. Bro, it’s supposed to piss on Thursday. Yeah. Oh, my– yo, is that a thing? Back it up! Hey, me and– me and Kanye have the same birthday. Is that tough or no? It depends on the day. It depends on the day. It depends on the day. Brett, you share a birthday with anybody? O.J. Simpson. Boom! O.J. Simpson and Tom Hanks. I would say it in that order too, yeah.”

“I just want to make sure you get down and get down properly, all right, and not take them hits if you don’t have to. Get down, get out of bounds, unless you got to go get it, okay? No. That’s why we’re going to work on that slide drill. Have you been anywhere where y’all did a slide drill for some reason? You have. I have done one where I actually had a Slip ‘N Slide. Yeah. Yeah, Slip ‘N Slide. Find a place to put it down, wet it. We can do Slip ‘N Slide. You got to keep your cleats up, little move here, and go.”


Reporters

“Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in the NFL draft. And his talent is undeniable. And, Bears fans, yes, he’s about to put a Bears hat on and introduce himself to the world and head to Michigan Avenue.”

“We’re talking first time in, you know, 40 years they’ve had a real, true quarterback. They’re the only franchise in the NFL that has never had a quarterback throw for 4,000-plus yards. The excitement level is mounting for Caleb in Chicago in a Bears uniform. I’m 100 out of 100 he’s going to be the best Bears quarterback ever. Caleb Williams has the opportunity to be the biggest thing in Chicago since Michael Jordan.”

“Where are you as far in terms of your progression, where you wanted to be at this point here in camp?”

“Manning looks to throw. Tipped and intercepted. Put the nail on it.”

“How’s Caleb looking? How’s that offense coming together? Caleb Williams, how do you think he’s gonna do?”

“Zings it into the end zone. Wide open, Marcedes Lewis.”

“Are you gonna let Owens go to Paris? Why did that get the thumbs up from the organization?”

“A lot has been written and said about Simone Biles. And now we’ll just watch. Parents watching, Jonathan Owens, her husband, safety for the Bears, away from training camp. See what he’s got in his hands? They actually keep score, the Biles family. They write down– they know the numbers on everybody. The greatest to ever do it, full stop, end of story.”


Payton Manning (archival footage)

“Hut! That’s unbelievable.”


Narrator

“Chicago, home of the blues, deepdish pizza, and lakeside summers.”

“There’s a new sense of style in town. From fashion to fast rides, the Bears are changing things up. The Bears have a deep connection to this city. Their paw prints are all over town, even Wrigley Field, where tight end Cole Kmet will throw out today’s first pitch.”

“Anybody in Chicago can take the L, but what they really want are W’s. The hard work to get them starts today. The opening of the Bears’ 105th training camp. Rookie or vet, the mission is the same. And it starts with reading from the same playbook.”

“All the Bears are ready to grind. But the word from people who know is that one of them might be capable of much more, a once-in-a-generation jewel with the talent to math the hype. Been a long time since Chi-town has introduced something like that.”

“There’s a reason for all the hype. The kid’s got skills. But he’s still a rookie. Mastering the highs and lows of training camp is part of the rookie experience, so is enduring one of its most character-testing traditions.”

“You don’t have to be able to carry a tune to carry a team. Caleb Williams knows his job, and he’s working to get better at it. There’s a bond growing between Eberflus and Williams. That’s a good thing. A strong relationship can take a team a long way. It can even last a lifetime.”

“In 1990, college legend Nick Saban got his first head coaching job at Toledo, where his heavy hitter was a linebacker named Matt Eberflus, number 90. Saban has won seven national championships. He knows the score.”

“Grooming someone for success is part of a coach’s job and part of the larger glow-up for the 2024 Bears. Eberflus was once the clean-shaven defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. In 2022, he was hired as the head coach of the Bears, a franchise in desperate need of a makeover.”

“After a rough first season, the Bears looked a whole lot better last year. But when it came to improving his look, someone else called the shots.”

“‘Owens’ is safety Jonathan Owens. And he’s being excused from camp for good reason. He’s headed to the Olympics. Not to compete, but to support his wife, gymnast Simone Biles. Biles is staking a claim to being the greatest athlete on the planet, adding three more gold medals, with her husband watching. The thrill of doing your country proud is a feeling many people will never know. But back at camp, one rookie is gonna take a shot.”

“The high flying bird of freedom on the speedo has made a splash and a bit of a name for big man Theo Benedet.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the Bears have gone all in constructing a new offense as fast as they can. They selected Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick in the draft. In March, they traded for Keenan Allen, who’s been to six Pro Bowls. And last year, they got DJ Moore from the Panthers in a mega trade that also gave the Bears the draft pick they used to select Caleb Williams.”

“The trade was a coup for the front office. And General Manager Ryan Poles is doubling down on his win. He’s decided on a contract extension for Moore. It’s an easy call. Last season, Moore caught 96 passes for 1,364 yards, fourth highest total in team history.”

“Ho-hum, just a $100 million deal in the middle of a practice, with enough time left for the highest paid Bear ever to soak it in.”

“Every depth chart has an order. Right now, three quarterbacks are competing for the two spots behind starter Caleb Williams. For now, Austin Reed, a rookie, Tyson Bagent, in his second season, and Brett Rypien, in his sixth, are doing more pantomime than playmaking. The real reps are mostly reserved for Williams.”


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