Kap & J. Hood
9/6 8 AM: Courtney Cronin
Live from State Street in the heart of Chicago. You are listening to the new home of the Chicago Bears. ESPN Chicago. And this is Captain J. Hood, WMBP, WTBC, HD2 Chicago. A good Carmen Brand's radio station. Checkmate 1-6 in his suppression on target. That's why I see him in my shot. Shot or no shot with Captain J. Hood. On ESPN 1000 and ESPN Chicago app. That's why I see him in my shot. Good morning and welcome in to the Captain J. Hood Morning Show on ESPN 1000. And we're streaming on the ESPN Chicago app with David Capel and Jonathan Hood with you. Reminding you, in an hour for now, we have a big cap and J. Hood station announcement. At 9 o'clock, we'll give it to you at 9 o'clock. Make sure you're watching on YouTube. Brought to you by Buffalo Wild Wings. Score six free wings when the Bears force a takeaway. All season at B. Dubs. Here's Shay Norley. Good morning, boys. How we feeling? NFL football back. A stellar game. Chiefs Ravens last night came down to the wire. Literally a toenail was the difference. Kevin Durant was playing tight end. Did he have the three? Did he have the three? Was him, right? Yeah, against Milwaukee. Yeah, just the toe. Out. Stellar finish game. Stellar finish. What do you mean, eh, game? It was not a well played game. You could ask the officials for that. It was not a great game. Wildly entertaining though. No, it's wildly entertaining because of football. The football's back. That's the only reason why. There's going to be much better played games than that one. And one of the reasons why is because it's just like anything else. The first day of Major League Baseball. That first week, everything is just over officiated. Same thing here in the NFL. First game. Big spotlight. Young hockey leagues out there. He's calling everything. That's what it is. So no, it was not a great football game. Great finish. It's good to see football out there, but we're going to see much better games than that. Yeah, I thought it was for me and I thought it was wildly entertaining. Well played? No, there was some choppiness to it. Wildly entertaining. Well, football on the surface is entertaining. The aesthetics of the game was not entertaining. It was not. Yeah. I'm just telling you my perspective. Yeah, I liked it. I had enjoyed it. Oh, man. Yeah. Trauma. Yeah. I'm watching two elite Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Tell me about those plays. What'd you like most? Okay. Watching Lamar run the football. That dude, he continues to impress me. The throw that he made down at the end on the right sideline was just special. Like even the Mahomes play where he caught his own pass. Wildly entertaining. Two African-American quarterbacks starting against each other in the Super Bowl for the first time fittingly. February 12th is Abe Lincoln's birthday. Here we go with the highlights. Here's Shane Orlin. Yeah, I actually start with something from last night's game. Cody, you brought it up. The officiating seven illegal formation penalties against the Ravens because the offensive line was quote unquote lined up in the backfield. They kept going to Toreko and Collinsworth on the replay drawing the line across the offensive line. And everybody's kind of like, I don't really see it. I think they got Rashad Bateman on one at the end and they put up the freeze frame. Everybody's doing the same thing. I don't see it. I don't know, shot enough already with the illegal formation penalties. Do not make this a thing. You know what? It's a shot. You don't want to have it. But here's the thing. When we get to week six, this will not be an issue. It's just the spotlight is on the NFL and that and that officiating crew yesterday is the only game that's on. So they want to make sure everything was called by the letter of the law. It's just like Major League Baseball, how everything is called by the letter of the law. You notice as a baseball fan in April, we've never seen that call or we haven't seen a call in years that same call won't be there in May. Right. I got slid over the base at second. He came. Uh, we're going to enforce that early set of tone. It was a choppy at best. And actually what it told me this game yesterday told me about the lack of actual practice and game time for the players. They were exhausted out there, it was their first game and also the sloppiness is what happens like, oh, you're a veteran starter. You don't need to be out there. Ah, it's no problem because when the bell rings, you'll be ready. Some of them were not because these guys are it's not saying that they're working hard in the off season, not working hard in practice. But again, practice and an actual game are two different things. This is why the old timers that we talked to in a regular basis that played in the 90s and 80s say we played a ton of preseason games and we're out there doing two and three of days to get ready to be game ready. A lot of that was not game ready yesterday. Yeah, they, they NFL PA has so many rules on when you can hit and how much you can't really start working on tackling on a regular basis. Did his teams two days in full pads, man, for a long time, doesn't make it right. That's the way it was done. Here's Shay Norley. Alright, Bill Belichick talked on inside the NFL about Caleb Williams, what he saw in the preseason. He was a little bit critical. Take a listen. Whoever they played against in preseason, it wasn't the best players on the other team. So what you're saying is, coach, we can't plan a parade because Caleb was so accurate in the preseason. Well, it wasn't accurate. It was 10 for 20. Yeah. You didn't watch the 20 throw. Yeah. Come on. There's a reason he's excited. It's 20 throws, Chaz. It's just the room. You've got to think how good the 10 were that were completed. Yeah. They were that good. There was a couple highlight plays. They weren't that good. Hey, no one's saying he might not be great, but what we're saying is, it's just you need the context. It's like when I hear somebody's lighting it up in camp, I'm like, is he running with the twos? Is he going against the two defenses? Is the quarterback struggling because he's got the two offensive line? There's just a lot we don't know. So there you go. Belichick. Very critical of Camp Williams preseason play. It doesn't count. I think there were four drops by wide receivers would have made it 14 20 instead of 10 and 20. Anyway, I digress. I'll wipeboard the end of Bill Belichick's career before he got fired. He picked Mac Jones and then last year traded up in the draft for a kicker who cutscene got cut this off season. Maybe we don't need to listen to Bill Belichick about personnel and player evaluation at this stage anymore. Shot or no shot. Belichick criticizing Caleb Williams doesn't mean anything to you. That's a shot. Let me just say this, that dude's a fraud. He's a phony. I'm not telling you he's not a good football coach. That dude is a phony. Ooh, I don't want to do media. I'm a jerk at press conferences. Coach, I'd like to ask you about the amount of Cincinnati. People in there trying to do their jobs. Some reporters terrified that he's going to embarrass them. Oh, I got fired? Nobody wants my 72 year old ass coach in their football team. Give me all the media jobs I can take. You sir are a phony. Again, not denigrating his ability as a football coach. He won six Super Bowls because he was gifted the goat. But guess what? The fact the way you treated people in the media and now you run to take all the jobs, you're a clown. Thank you. Well, I'll say this. Big name, probably wrong messenger in that situation because, guess what? Because he was coaching Tom Brady, Cap, none of the quarterbacks will be good enough. Maybe a few, but not a lot. To be able to undercut Caleb Williams at this point, I mean, those are just pre-season games. And you're talking about certain throws, you're going to cast aspersions on a young player already. Yeah, I think that that might, again, big name, probably wrong messenger in that spot. He saw the goat. Nothing's going to be better than the goat for him. How much do you think he's really watched Caleb Williams this year? I would bet not as much as we have. That's a, B, four passes dropped like right DJ Moore's hands, one in Cole's hands. Guess what? You catch those four? His completion percentage is 70. What are you going to do then? Genia Flect in front of Caleb? Dude, stop. Well, I mean, again, you're going to have him in there. He's going to make these big, bold opinions, but again, you were at the top of the heap with coaching and Super Bowl championships in Tom Brady. Nothing will ever be good enough for Bill Belichick. A good point. Fair. And that, and this is why you never had Michael Jordan behind in a booth. That's why. Could you imagine him doing commentary? Nothing would be good enough for Michael. Great. I mean, Magic Johnson did it, you know, Isaiah Thomas has done it. That's fine. The goat would never have a Lavalier mic strapped to his lapel, breaking down basketball. He wouldn't be on inside the NBA on TNT. Michael Jordan, all of it would suck to him, all of it, unless he's out there. Right. So certain guys probably shouldn't be in that job, but Bill, it is amazing the way you treated Mike Reese and all of these other broader, other broadcasters and analysts and writers in the New England area with two and three words, barely a sentence burping out stuff into your microphone. But yeah, you know, I got these big, bold opinions. It is amazing. It's him. Just stretching. Try and get relevance. Way Deon's dealing with the media now ridiculous. So when they fire you at Colorado and nobody wants you to coach their team, they don't need your brand identity. You'll run to the media pop of it sterling sharp. You brought up earlier Bob night, rest in peace. Nick Saban at times his last couple of years. He mellowed. He was getting older and I actually think he's very good at what he does, but come on, man. We all, all these guys, I have no use for the media. Oh, I need a job. How much ESPN? Let's go. Amazing, isn't it? Good job. It's how it works. Shake. All right. Dan Pompe, pay at the athletic, talk to some NFL scouts and ask them about Caleb Williams, what they think of him. Two scouts brought up the same pro player comp when talking about Caleb Williams, Russell Wilson. I know Wilson now is the butt of the joke. Will he keep the job against Justin Fields, the disaster that was Denver is off the field antics? But he is also a nine-time pro bowler, Super Bowl champion, one-time all-pro, shot or no shot. If Caleb Williams has Russell Wilson's career, that would be good enough for you. Caleb Williams has Russell. That's like Seattle. Just think of Seattle, Russ. Yeah, not Denver. Not this guy. Nine-time pro bowler, Super Bowl champ. He only wins one. Well, you know Russell Wilson's career. Yeah. He won one. Right? Yeah. One to two. He should have had the second. The play call was horrific. That is a shot. You want better than that, but you like better than that. But that is a shot. I mean, look at the resume. He's going the Hall of Fame. He is. I will. If Caleb only wins one Super Bowl in the next, he said, I want to play 20 seasons. Remember he said that? He did, yeah. He said, I want to play 20. In my mid 40s, still playing football. If we only win one, like, ask fans of the Packers, you only won one with Aaron Rodgers and one with Favre. They're disappointed. Correct. Now, again, we haven't won once a T85. I hope I'm still alive when Caleb Williams is retiring. I'll be disappointed if we only win one. I want to be like the Chiefs. Oh, I'm sure everyone would like to be like the Chiefs. But again, this is a generational one of one that is Patrick Mahomes. Hopefully, we'll say it about Caleb, by the way. He's one of one. I agreed. If that's all I've got, Shay, then that's a shot because I went to two, I won one. You know, my hope is I can win more than one, but if that's the resume, and that means that the Bears are always in the playoffs, they're always in the mix. They're winning division championships. So if that's the, if that's what I get, that's a shot. It's not bad, but I love more. I think, yeah, of course, everybody wants more, but I think I was just here in this the other day. I think it's three quarterbacks in the NFL right now that have a Super Bowl championship. That's it. Yeah. So the idea that you just are going to run into more than one of them, getting one is incredibly difficult. If he gets one, I think everybody would be happy. Let me ask you a question. If I told you he had Lamar's career, two-time MVP, surefire Hall of Famer. Would you be happy? No shot. Lamar is, according to my friend Nick Wright, four and 12 now versus Mahomes, the Steelers, and in the playoffs with a 75 quarterback rating, his rival, the best team, and a playoffs, any playoff game, he's 54 and 12 with a 102 rating against everyone else. That's a no shot. But he has never, ever played in a Super Bowl. He's Patrick Ewing in the Jordan comparison. That's a great cup. Just what he is. Like good. Like excellent. He wings a Hall of Famer, first ballot, great talent. Never got that. Ewing, Barkley, Gary Payton, like that's what that is. One final against the rocket. Wasn't it the next year? The Rockets wouldn't. No, James. He was in the Bronco. 94. So that's what it. But it's what I talked about earlier this week, Cap. Some guys are just good to be in the mix. They'll never win the championship. Good. Hall of Famer career, but chess can't get past the upper echelon, and their echelon is Kansas City and the homes. There you go. I'm not. I'm never betting against them again. Never again until they start losing, right? All right, coming up the picks and Courtney Cronin with the latest in the Bears at 835 on Cap and Jhood. This is Kevin Byer. You're listening to Cap and Jhood, the new home of the Chicago Bears, ESPN Chicago. That hopes it's time for the picks, right here, on WNVPAM1000. Hey, football's back, kids. I'd remind you that we're going to be with you until 10 o'clock that Mike Greenberg at 10, followed by Carmen and Yurko with their football feasts from Buffalo Wild Wings and Shorewood, 230 to 530, waddling Sylvie, then White Sox baseball against the Red Sox at 530 right here on ESPN 1000 time for the picks. Here's Shane. All right, we've got three college games on the slate. We will start with Fox, big noon kickoff, Gus Johnson, Joel Clapp. Really excited to call this one. They may both not even need a blue chew to be feeling good in the booth in Ann Arbor. Michigan hosting Texas, Texas, a seven and a half point favorite. We go to Jonathan Hood. I'm with my quarterback, ha ha ha. Thank you, Gus. The Wolverines were just up 16 to 10, the fourth quarter before new story and quarterback Davis Warren finally put together a strong drive. The offensive line for Michay is a big concern for the Wolverines. The defense was as advertised, they're pretty strong. I liked Michigan plus seven and a half in this game. I didn't like I find Texas goes into the big house and no Connor stallions, no JJ McCarthy or Blake quorum. It's an ass whipping. Texas wins this 27 17 and cover. Shaked is 27 17 and asked whipping. Yeah, they're going to physically manhandle them, Shay. That's what part of an ass whipping is nobody. I don't care who you are deserves to lay more than a touchdown going that far north to hostile territory. I know it's not the same team, but they are the defending champions. I think this number is insane. I will take Michigan getting seven and a half and hope I lose. If Texas murders them, I'm happy to pay to see it. Texas wins by seven, Jack. So I am in for Jay Morse, why I'm Jay Morse picks and Jaymore is taking Texas. I would have taken Michigan. I disagree. The Longhorns held Colorado State Show. I understand. We're going to the big house defending national champions. What are we doing? It's seven and a half points. All right. You and our program for that AI. You're supposed to just give Jay more picks. Just hit Jaymore with a sled champ wrong pick. The Longhorns held Colorado State to just 192 yards a week one cap secondary led by Johade Beren. He's very good. I just think Michigan will keep it closer, seven and a half. Like Michigan. Next game. Tennessee laying nine and a half points on the road against NC State. People high on the wolf pack this year, Jonathan Hood. Hold my nose and take Tennessee. He gives me the quarterback for Tennessee, Nico Ayama-Lava is the quarterback. He's going to be discussed a lot in this game. He's got Andrew Luck vibes to him. He's supposed to be really good. Even though I can't stand Tennessee, can we Tennessee minus eight and a half against NC State? My friend Anthony goes to Tennessee, Anthony's all in on Rocky Top. Give me Tennessee 34 to 20. It's a very, very good pick, Kaplan Tennessee on the road getting, laying nine and a half points at NC State who struggled with Western Carolina last week. This Nico Cat might be the best quarterback in America already. Andrew Luck vibes. I'm laying the points. Go Vols. God, I can't stand them. Jay Morris, Tennessee as well. What do you think, Jack? I also have Tennessee. Okay. Thank you very much. Show unity. This is actually my favorite play of the weekend in college, Tennessee laying nine and a half. I think this is a massacre. You're going to hear about this quarterback a lot? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Colorado at Nebraska. Night night, Nebraska lay in seven and a half in Lincoln hoodie. Before I give my pick, Jay Moore, if you're there, Jay Moore, is it what's his pick? Jay Moore's got Nebraska. Okay. Okay. Shane, without no one's ever asked you this before, without Sanders and without Hunter, how many wins does Colorado have? One. Give me Nebraska minus set of a that'll be gone. Honestly God. No one's ever talked about it. And that does those terms. Take those two guys off the team. How many wins they have? One maybe, maybe two. Maybe one. Yep. That's it. So Nebraska minus seven and a half. Yep. Dion, you're going to get a whole play to come up in this year. You're getting your head kicked in in this game. Gimme the Huskers Lincoln at night. It's one of the most impossible places to play in all of America. I've seen many a top ranked team walk in and get beat by a bat in Nebraska. This is a good Nebraska and a bad Colorado. Give me the Huskers. So this is nothing the Huskers it turned up all over three of its first six possessions to spot Colorado the 13th. Nothing lead. It's not that Nebraska for the last year, right? Last year, Jeff Sims. Are you kidding me? We had Gus Johnson, most polite middle America man ever openly calling Jeff Sims trash on the podcast. Dylan Riolis a different deal. More miles better than they were last year. They were able to recoup Nebraska as a much better football team. All right. Shay, what's next? We go to the National Football League starting tonight exclusively on Peacock from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Eagles lay in two and a half taken on the Packers. So do you give me the Packers plus two and a half cap? They could be playing the Helen Keller school for the visually impaired. I'll never take the Packers. Give me the Eagles. I hate both of these teams. I'm kind of down on both of them with the preseason future stuff that said, I have to pick one and I hate the pack fly Eagles fly lay the two. Let's go. Jay Moore has taken the Eagles as well. I want to take in the Packers. Oh my God. Listen to this guy. I think it's a toss up game and if you're giving me two and a half with the Packers, I'll take the Packers. Neutral site to the chest on all of Jay Moore's pick is the best. I love AI Jack putting his picks in. No one asked AI to jump in. No one asked him, but I like it. Vikings, Vikings lay in a point and a half with Sammy Darnold on the road in the metal lands taken on the New York football Giants. Okay. Okay. I like the Giants plus one and a half. Okay. Vikings will be stumbling all throughout the year. If you believe in Sam Donald going back to the metal lands, you're crazy. You got to be crazy. Okay. I love the Giants plus one and a half in this game. Metal lands big spot. Go ahead. Mike, thanks. Appreciate that. I am all in with Shay that the Giants will be vastly improved. Not telling me like Shay, they're going to win the division, but vastly improved. Trayvon Thibodeau and Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence up front. Those are animals. They come to eat. Give me the Giants, one of my best plays of the weekend. Shay? Yeah. I mean, it's going to be Sam Darnold against that pass rush with it is Hockinson still hurt. Jordan Addison might not go like that. It's just there's too much going on with the Vikings. I'll play the point and a half with the Giants and also tell you they're going to win the game. Straight out. All right. Right. Giants win. Yep. You too, Jack. Right. I do have the Giants. Oh, about that. Daniel Jones. Come back here. I'm feeling it. There we go. That's a guy who's picking my leg. All right. Well, that's out of line. My wife drafted him in fantasy. He's a good fantasy quarterback. He runs a lot. He's horrible. He's horrible. He's not very good. Okay. One playoff game. Okay. The music ends. There's no more music. Okay. Okay. Now we're back. Okay. All right. The picks right here on cap and jane hood go ahead. Shane. You know I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel a little bit. Week one of the picks panthers in New Orleans Saints lay in three and a half at the Superdome hoodie. I know you guys are taking the pant. I'm just taking the Saints. This minus three and a half. It's a bit. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. See NFL. I'll just take the Saints. I think the Saints are a tire fire. I am a big, big fan of Dave Canales, the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers came from Tampa where Baker Mayfield said this dude is special constructing offense working with quarterbacks. Give me the panther, one of my other good plays this weekend. Let's go down to the sidelines and Dave Canales, Dave. That's Lou Canales spelled differently. Thanks. Just down for the Chicago Bears, I just helicoptered in from New York last night for a sound in 10. What? Sam Rose. Wow. Here's the Miller with his halftime report, Jim. Who is by the way calling our game on Sunday? Adam. I mean? Yeah. Awesome. I think it's I think it's a mean in Sanchez. Nice. Fingers. Wow. Former Bears quarterback Mark Sanchez. That's it. I'm going to take the Panthers Saints stink Dennis Allen's going to get fired by week 10. He's dead. Give me the Panthers to just go in there and honestly win the game, Jack. Jay Moore's got the Panthers as well as so do I want a chord Sunday night football Rams at Lions, maybe a little less hostile environment for Matthew Stafford this time around. Maybe a little more. We'll wait and see hoodie. Rams and Lions, Lions lay in three and a half, by the way. I like the Lions minus three and a half. Just looking at my leg. I like the Lions to be able to win that game again, they'll pick up where they left off last year cap. I think they can they can get it done within a within a touchdown. Yeah, I like the lion in this game to win the football game. Something like 33 29, like 4.5 point game, it'll be in the balance late, but they will cover like the chief did last night's going to be the line. My last year in the playoff game, Kelly Stafford went to the media to complain that fans were booing at her and her kids and not just keeping the hostilities to her husband. She basically called Detroit classless. I think Detroit's going to remember that. Have fun in their Matthew Lions, lay in three and a half. Jay Moore's got the Lions as well and you and me, I'm tempted to take the right. I think the Lions win this game, but three and a half, I think it's going to be really close. I'll still take the Lions though. That's fair. Jets and Niners, Monday night football, jets getting four and a half caps, I don't know what to call them. Love child Aaron Rodgers, not love child, just just lover, straight up lover spoon partner. I would say that it is the Jets will take care of things. Jets plus four and a half. I'm very confident in that one. I believe they are Rogers will light up the San Francisco Bay Area, a sky, okay, being back in California, feeling comfortable, scry young, it'll happen jets plus four and a half. Go ahead. I am also on the Jets and they win the football game outright. Aaron goes back to work and shows everybody he's back to an end. I will be here and let's go. I do not like the Jets outright, but I also do not like laying four and a half points with the Niners after their off season was a mess. J E T S jets jets jets Jack, Jay Moore's got the Niners and I got the Niners too. I mean, everybody's playing in this game. I looks ready to go. I'm ready to go. Take the Niners. Shay Norlin, Texans, CJ Stroud on the road lay in two and a half in Indianapolis, taken on the Colts hoodie Texans pick up where they left off, close ball game, but I like the Texans minus two and a half. Mike Vanderjag from 48 yards to win it. Give me the cult. I think that's an a late field goal. I think that's the kicker. Go ahead. Go ahead. You had a vinitary in the closing minute. Okay. Correct. Whoever their kicker is late field goal cult win the football game. Yeah. Look, I think both of these teams are playoff caliber. I like them both a lot and you're giving me a divisional dog at home. I'm going to take it. Colts. Jay Moore's got the Texans. I have the Texans to Anthony Richardson hype, I think, is a little bit off the charts for what we've actually seen from him. That is correct. That's correct. And that will be proven right about that. Great athlete, subpar quarterback in his career. I like to be wrong about that. I don't think I will be. And then we've got the lid lifter, Shay, the final game on the slate right here Sunday afternoon soldier field bears lay in four and a half hosting the Tennessee Titans hoodie. I like to bear the bear will win this game out right. I like the bears minus four and a half David Capitol bears win the football game. They cover the four and a half. It's my top play this weekend. Best bet. The Chicago Sun times contest with the posse and Sylvie, give me the bear. I locked this one in when the schedule came. I like the bears. I like them to win the game. I love what they did all off season. I think they can make the playoffs. I will never, ever, ever, ever lay nearly five points with a rookie quarterback in week one when he's going up against maybe the best corner and football on the other side of the field Titans to cover the spread bears to win. Jack, Jay Moore's got the bears. I've got the bears. All right. And those are the picks right here on cap and Jhood coming up next. We hear from Courtney Cronin with the latest on the bears. We get ready to take on the Titans. Don't forget coverage starts at seven a.m. on Sunday morning right here on the home of the bears. ESPN 1000. We've got to temper expectations if you are a bears fan just given everything that this team had to kind of undo breaking down the bears and the latest NFL storyline also is given the flexibility and the freedom to take this thing down to the ground floor down to the studs to be able to build it back up. Courtney Cronin with cap and Jhood on ESPN 1000 Chicago's home for sports now time to hear from Courtney Cronin who covers the bears for ESPN.com and she is on the hotline. That would be the car X tire and auto hotline rattle rattle thunder, batter, boom, boom, boom, boom. Good morning, Courtney, how are you? I'm great. Still trying to come down from the excitement of last night's game. I'm about you guys, but what a way to start the season. Yeah, I was debating with my fine friend over here. I again, was it the cleanest game? No, I thought it was wildly entertaining. All right. Good. And like, I mean, the toe on the line at the end of the game and every cliche is going to be whipped out from every coach you know of it's a game of inches like from here on out, that is going to be the poster child moment for that. I mean, it's awesome that it came down to the final play and I would have loved to have seen them go for two. They were. I know that John Harbaugh was seeing on the sideline signaling like to send the group out there for the two point conversion. That's my coach. That's who I would want coaching me if I'm a player. Go for the kill shot, win the game. But unfortunately, we know how that play got overturned. Courtney, what did that game say more about Baltimore, how that you might feel like they're closer or Kansas City's resolve? I think it's Baltimore to resolve honestly at the end, they played sloppily like ever since that first touchdown and there was the low to the third quarter. You know, Lamar had some a lot of really good moments that I hope don't get overlooked by the fact they lost this game by a touchdown. It's, you know, I thought it was going to end real time. I think he did too. There was so much to like about the addition of Derek Henry, you know, Lamar on these read options like what the running game looks like now having a powerful running back in there. So it's not all on skinny Lamar to on his shoulders and in his very small frame now, which is wild. I mean, I do honestly think if I read the Washington Post article yesterday when he said, you know, if my legs were in a better situation we would have won the AFC Championship and maybe he's right. I mean, certainly the turnovers don't help and you can't play complete revisionist history with that. But he looks different. Like he looks like he's a much more rejuvenated version of himself and how that defense, the Rokwan Smith interception, you know, they were getting after Patrick Mahomes really well and I would not be surprised if these are the two teams that we see again in the AFC Championship in 50 or however many weeks this from now. Yeah, I saw Isaiah like least quote he said, that's the best they've got see in the playoffs. I mean, how about him for for a tight end to in that offense? I mean, I think that if that would go according to plan for the Bears between Gerald Everett and Cole commit to have a strong of a one, two punches, the Isaiah likely Mark Andrews combination. That'd be good things for this offense. Is Mark Andrews still alive? I mean, I expect him to have better numbers than we saw yesterday. He's always been an anchor for Lamar Jackson. I just wonder what we would just talk about likely their Henry's on the team, say flowers on the team. Mark Andrews is going to be heard from this year as much. Yeah, I think so. I mean, yeah, you fell down on that catch. It's like, I mean, that was unfortunate. I guess it the take turf monster, but it's grass like he flipped and that was not not the best moment, I think for him last night, but to come off the injury and to look, you know, to move around as well as he did. I mean, he that hip drop tackle injury was halfway through the season last year on Thursday night football and he really hasn't had that much time in the off season. All things considered to recover from it. I thought I thought he looked good by and large in his first game back in a couple of months. I'm just wondering that that's slip. I was wondering if there that was age or is that the turf looks like it was the turf. I think it's the turf. But you're reading the whole game up until that point. So let's let's go with that. Yeah. So talk to me about the bears and the health. Everybody I think will be ready to roll and know a couple of guys were limited. I know there's a ton of optimism and I haven't been this excited for a bear season opener in a very, very, very, very, very, very long time. So give me your vibe covering the team. The health. Is there something we're overlooking that concerns you? You know, that word expectation, I feel like at Hall of Hall, that's a swear jar sort of word. We talk about it all the time. The heightened expectations on this team. The fact that guys like Montez Sweat, Jalen Johnson, DJ Moore, really talented players who have been on teams that have never won anything. This is finally the year that it projects to flip for them and so much is its stake. But you almost get this sense of expectation fatigue sort of talk among the players and the coaches and even Shane Waldron talking about it yesterday is pretty even keel like I still think he was in this answer. But it's it's a word that kind of I think it started in a rub people the wrong way because they're just ready to go out there and show it and not have to worry about meeting this certain threshold of wins or you know, jumping out and punching a team in the mouth right away. Of course they want to do that. But they understand that they still have a rookie quarterback who's going to be facing its first NFL defense like truly at live speed on Sunday and a defense that they really don't know what it's going to look like. It's probably going to take a quarter or more to figure that out. So I divide this as high as it's been since I started covering the team, which I mean through two years of a rebuild that was never supposed to be as as you know optimistic as the outlook is right now. But the quarterback change has done so much for morale within the coaching staff within the front office within people being able to see the horizon and finally there are we can get there like it's not as far away as it won't seem. And that's that's a good thing. I think for a team that no one's picking to lose this week I've looked at every prediction that I could find the last couple of days. I can't find anybody picking tennis these those different last year even though we didn't know anything about Jordan love in the season opener until we did. I thought there was it was a lot more of a split decision but this time around feels like everything is trending in the Bears way at least in terms of how people view this game going. Jay Z is in Denver and with us on ESPN with us we ask you what is the win total for the Bears in your expectations. Jay Z say good morning to Courtney Cronin. Good morning Courtney good morning guys first time caller a very long time listener. Oh we appreciate it thank you very much. So just a few real quick I want to say that I don't have the words of the appreciation I have for you guys what you guys do in the morning and cap I've had the honor of having lunch with you and consider you a good friend and you're an amazing guy so I just wanted to put that out there. Man I appreciate you Jay Z but yeah I need to know so what's up you guys need some win total on the Bears yeah I'm looking at 10 wins and I've already bought it. And what do you think about Sunday's game well I think they win but I have to tell you I'm a little nervous because you know God forbid something happens and they lose. I think all hell will break loose in the city. So I think they win you know I'm a little nervous about all the hype and all the excitement and I just hope these guys aren't taking it and getting nervous you know and getting out there and not playing like they like they can you know what I mean so it's kind of what I'm looking at. Jay Z we appreciate the phone call and to that point Courtney we should talk about just the structure of the team and we saw on hard knocks where Caleb Williams says I'm never nervous. Well one of the things that can arm him from not being nervous is to have veterans around him especially at the wide receiver spot. What does that look like as far as your coverage is concerned about the infrastructure that Caleb has going into this one because it seems very very rare. It is I mean that's why everybody for the last couple months he was drafted has put out this claim that this is the best situation a quarter back taking with the number one overall pick has ever walked into it and I mean I go back to the time at OTA is where Keenan Allen who doesn't you know hasn't been in this offense had just made the transition himself and he's the one spending time in the hotel lobby where they were staying for you know the month of May and June working on the playbook going over things with the rookie quarterback which at 12 years into his career he doesn't have to do because there is invested in Caleb success because their success depends on it too and with this much talent at receiver I get that question all the time from people now who have done their fantasy drafts and want to figure out who they need to start like our who's number one receiver in this offense I truly think it's going to change from week to week at least until we start to see if there's some sort of rhythm if there's some sort of tell that you know when they're game planning for specific opponents that might marry each other it could be DJ Moore this week it could be Keenan Allen I mean Roma Dunes is going to get his touches too and that's to the benefit of the quarterback when they tell him be the point guard especially on early downs and early in the game don't do too much I mean he had to do too much last year it scored 35 points a game at USC in order for his team to win and that's not that's I wonder how long it's going to take if there's time at all for him to break that mindset because I'm sure that's not easy for somebody who had to go into ISO ball mode more or less just in order for his team to win he doesn't have to do that here which is to his benefit and hopefully for the sake of the bears that will yield a win in week one and they'll be able to see it that plan works and that Caleb can adapt to that right away all right I've got more questions for you I want to talk to you about the offensive line Courtney Cronin she is awesome she is all over the Bears beat she continues with us next follow Chicago's home for sports on Twitter at ESPN 1000 cap and J hood are back on ESPN Chicago Chicago's home for sports cap and J hood on ESPN 1000 and streaming on ESPN Chicago app you got a question for Courtney Cronin regarding the offensive line I did Courtney there's still a lot of trepidation from many that the Bears are not good enough on the offensive line and I said to hoodie this morning look you get what you pay for creed Humphrey sign for whatever was $72 million I think it was to play for the Chiefs our guy got a one year deal for three million and the Rams said yeah we've seen enough you can go are we good enough upfront well this is the group they're rolling out and the interesting thing because I know that this has been the unit that they've had now for a couple of weeks I think ever since the Buffalo game where it's been Coleman Shelton because Ryan Bates was injured I don't know if you saw the injury report yesterday he's he's a full participant in practice he's got that shoulder injury to which my understanding is not like a new injury it might have been something that got aggravated and set him back a little bit in camp that could change things not now maybe not next week but if they feel that there's a weak link up front whether it is at center maybe it's it right guard maybe it's the availability or health I mean for Kevin Jenkins the next seven weeks till the bye week is this is super important for him because that's when contract talks can start for a potential extension like he's got to stay healthy but if there is a situation where they feel like there's a need to make a switch then you've got somebody that they feel very highly about considering they've been trying to get him for two years now and finally did healthy waiting in the wings ready to go and so that's a I think that's a good sign for them I mean obviously the optimism on the offensive line you're not going to feel good about it until Caleb Williams gets through a game and he's not facts at all or that much and then the past protection is better than it was last year but the one thing I think we've all been we've all known about Caleb Williams throughout you know he is somebody like Justin Fields to a degree somebody who holds on to the ball maybe a little longer in moments than he can but it's because I mean Patrick Holmes holds on to the ball long and those are the only two players I've seen be able to make these insane arm angle throws and do it on the run and what we know about Caleb Williams is that he can move around and get out of trouble because he can keep his eyes downfield and yeah that does require your offensive line blocking a little bit longer but typically he's able to handle some of that load on his own so I think that if there are issues within this offensive line I mean certainly the pre snap penalties are a thing that you can't have but if there is an execution issue you'd at least feel more comfortable if you're a Bears fan knowing that there's a quarterback who can get out of those jams better than than others. Courtney what about the other side with Tennessee also with a rookie quarterback and will love us what are your expectations for Tennessee coming in here on Sunday? I don't know I don't know what this team is it's you know you have a brand new play caller Brian Callahan's never done it before he's back Taylor did it in Cincinnati and then Bernard Wilson you have to go back to the Greg Williams Todd Bowles influence to figure out okay what is this guy going to call I know he said yesterday that he's not going to throw the kitchen sink at Caleb and he was you know intimating that they want to play press coverage against these receivers I don't think you go out there and actually tell anybody that is going to be your plan I think they're going to be aggressive though you would with a rookie quarterback you would try to blitz him a lot and put him in situations that he you know different disguises coverages that he may not have seen previously in training camp which is the benefit to them of not having to show much on tape in the free season but they're they're not a top end talent team on and especially on the defensive side of the ball I mean they brought in quadrant big serious need is there they've gotten named but these aren't guys that are like in the thick prime of their career it's still going to be a tough test though this is a quarterback who you know you better hold for past protection holds up because Jeffrey Simmons is there ready to be a game record upfront I think he's the best player on their defense and he has been for a while so it all kind of depends I think this will be a game that's one very much upfront depending upon how the off how well the offensive line can block and give Caleb William time to throw the ball and time to get settled in because we won't know how he how he responds in a game to new looks to new things that like he just has not seen yet probably until the first quarter we won't know what their rhythm is until you get further into it and with Will Levis I think he's got eight or nine starts under his belt from from last year after they made the switch between him and Ryan Tanohill the jury's still out whether he's going to be their starting quarterback long-term or you know as a second round pick I think the ceiling's pretty high on him but Newbackfield don't know if the Andre Hopkins is playing just yet because he's still recovering from that knee injury and you know Calvin Ridley the name but is that enough like going against this secondary which I think has the the bare secondary has the edge over any position group on either team is being like the one that you tout the most I think that's a tough test for Tennessee in a week one going on the road and doing not Courtney have a great weekend and we look forward to all of your coverage we'll talk to you Monday on a football Monday hopefully a victory Monday thanks guys have a good weekend you too Courtney Cronin in two minutes we have a huge cap and jhood ESP in Chicago station announcement that's in two minutes come to youtube youtube.com or twitch.tv/espin1000 for our announcement that's in two minutes on cap and jhood