Brad Biggs talks Bears' injuries, Zavion Thomas' role

0:00The Brand Bigs. Bigs Time. Bigs. With all in Pete. Bigs Time. The Bigs Report. With Brand Bigs. Bigs Time. His name is Brad Bigs. Brand Bigs Talks Football With You. Paid in Chicago Sports Radio. 104-3 in the score. Time now. Go out to the plumbers 911 hotline. Plumbing emergency. Call 1-8-3. Plumb 911. Local 130 plumbers. Get the job done right the first time. We bring in football man from the Chicago Tribune. Valued friend. Long time contributor to the station. No, no, then. Brad Bigs. Morning, Brad. How are you doing? Morning, boys. What's going on? So, doesn't look great when Thursday's report from Halles Hall after a practice that Ben Johnson has built up to be an important one. Roman Dunze leaves early with a foot injury. Looks like it might have been the same one. DeAndre Swift also with an injury, a leg injury.

1:01What's the level of concern out there? Well, you never want you never want guys to leave practice early, but. There's a chapter seems to think it could be more cramping related for Swift. Obviously, very high yesterday. They're practicing in the middle of the afternoon. Dunze tried to keep going. So I don't think. You know, I mean, nowadays. If a guy, if there's the slightest thing wrong, we. People, it's just overreaction city. Hopefully, they'll be all right. I can understand him want new. Get in a physical practice history of long practice. Because the downside to doing those joint practices, especially when you're on the road. Is you actually lose a little practice time, right? In terms of install and things of that nature. So that's the first thing. And then the second thing is.

2:01The weather yesterday, the weather today, it's going to be miserable outside. It's likely to be quite similar to what they encounter week one in Charlotte. Like you're going to the south in early to mid September. And you're playing it noon. So I think it's going to be a good chance. It's going to be hot and it's going to be real humid. So I think he wants his team prepared for that. Like that there's not an excuse to lose a ballgame. And head to the airport and say, well, you know, guys got worn down and it was really hot. Especially when you've had a chance to sort of prepare for it. So the bears got after it a little bit yesterday and they'll have a. A three day weekend now. Before they return to work on Monday. And then they'll have a realistic role for Xavier Thomas is this season. Yeah, that's a good question. Because I mean shoot, you just see what he can do with the ball in his hands. I think you start out with kickoff return.

3:04And you have some stuff in mind for him on offense. I think that's the kind of thing that's going to really. Be dependent on a number of factors. One, how comfortable the coaches feel he is with the scheme. I think they don't have time for guys in a game. Lying up in the wrong spot or running the wrong route or playing with it with any indecision. And I'm not saying that's a problem for Thomas, but I am saying he's a rookie. And he's missed a little bit of time. With an injury. So it's going to be dependent on how comfortable they are with with him. And it's going to be game plan dependent. Okay, how do how do they want to attack the opponent this week? Where do they want to use him? Remember this guy lined up in the back field a little bit in college.

4:05So he's a guy that will probably be relatively low snap counts early in the season. And as is the case with all coaching staffs when a guy shows he can perform well. You put a little bit more on his plate so that playing time could grow as the year goes on. So Brad, beginning with a training camp, it was the left tackle situation and a lot of attention paid competition. We heard from press tailor yesterday though and he talked about gear Bradbury as if. And a lot the way a lot of people have talked about gear Bradbury about him having a pretty good. Campy's mastered command of all of the verbiage and all of the running game and all of the things. And I thought at one point in time there was going to be a training camp battle at center between Logan Jones, a second round pick and gear Bradbury. But it seems as if there's a lot of satisfaction with the veteran that they traded for after the Drew Dahlman retirement. Yeah, well, I think a couple of couple of things to touch on there.

5:06Number one, there was a left tackle competition and that was legit. I think early on and but once they pulled. They pulled. Jettrick wills and they pulled on the gadget and they weren't getting reps with the ones and then you only saw a fio there for a minute. I don't know the. Braxton. Want it there and the final week and a half as much as the other guys were finally kind of removed from the equation. But yeah, Bradbury listen, they. You I think you could make a case and I've written this once or twice that the center position in replacing Dahlman was as significant or more significant to Ben Johnson. Then left tackle, which sounds a little nutty when you when you think about the significance of the left tackle to your offensive line.

6:13But Johnson proved last year they could have a revolving door at left tackle. They could have a guy that had really hardly played before in the open it at lineup there. They could have a rookie and as he triple a lineup there, they could have a guy who clearly wasn't back to 100% Braxton Jones lineup there. And it never undermined what they wanted to do offensively. He was able to find workarounds to it. Whereas Dahlman kind of set the tone for everything. He played with a lot of range and ability to move so it can help them with their outside zone running scheme. So finding a veteran with experience and what they want to do offensively. And then he was key when when Dahlman left and Bradbury kind of foot the bill is the is he as athletic as Dahlman maybe not.

7:16But he's been solid and so there competition was never even that we never saw a center competition emerge at all. And that means that they're down on Logan Jones. They just they want an experienced guy in there and they're going to let Logan take some time and develop behind the scenes. That's a really tough position for a rookie to step in in the NFL and certainly all and can talk to it much greater length. And with greater clarity than I could on that, but Bradbury's been the guy kind of along. I was a question for you Brad, but then I started to hear you talk and I wanted to take a piece of what you were talking about the left tackle position because it's very interesting. We as as as people on the media and then bears fans that was the conversation that everybody's been having all summer is like they got to figure out the left tackle position. It doesn't seem like Ben Johnson is as worried as most bears fans are about that position because he finds way to be able to scheme around it.

8:23It's pretty amazing. Well, and you want like a lot of these offensive coaches now one of the things they're really looking for from their offensive line is a firm packet. A firm, you know, middle of the pocket. So you're talking about being really good from guard to guard. So the quarterback has some clear throwing lanes. So the quarterback can step up in the pocket to deliver the ball like Caleb will be able to probably because of his athletic ability handle some pressure coming off the edge. With greater ease than a guy that's in his lap right away, you know, if you've got a if the middle isn't firm. That's going to kind of blow the whole thing up so. Yeah, they did you see the interior line and make more and more money and the left tackle still at the top of the chart, but heck, there's there's very what is it two or three maybe.

9:32Left tackles making more money than Darnell right now like in the and these deals they just jump one another right like it's whatever turn you are in line at. Offensive tackle or cornerback or whoever it's like next man up usually gets the biggest contract, but. The pay that there's not the pay disparity that you were used to previously when it was left tackles getting elite pay and everybody got significantly less. Now it's a lot closer big time here on haunt paid Chicago sports radio 104 three the squad and other couple minutes with Brad big from the Chicago Tribune. Brad we heard from TJ Edwards on Thursday and I like the fact that against the Titans he wanted to get in there for a couple series just to get. Reacclimated after missing so much a last season with his injury I'm not quite sure what he means to this defense or if he means as much as he did before the injury, but where do you think he is and where's the confidence level in his ability to be a steady as he was before he was hurt.

10:40You just I mean you want to try to avoid him having to. Do a ton of coverage like chase guys I you know what we saw in Detroit I think he had like James and Williams coming across the field right that that's a bad matchup that yeah that but. In fairness to him I that would have been a poor matchup for her lacquer right there's not many people on the planet that can run with that guy. He's you know you look at that defense who are the who are the leaders like who are these guys that are going to step forward and and beat that guy and I think TJ has experience doing that. Number one you hope he can stay healthy and but I think he factors in his defense because I mean he's super sharp I mean he's he's really been a good player because he's able to read the keys and tells.

11:45Faster than most guys at that position we're going to see him on the field every single down I don't know the mark of Jackson probably figures in there at some point but yeah Edwards if he if he can move around well and is little right in practice it will help them out. Bigs you know we look at the offense and how how many different 13 12 personnel 13 personnel you look at the tight end room that that's a crowded room which I know been kind of likes and so with. We know what Colson loved ones going to do and we have those expectations for him but another guy that's trying to find a way to probably fit in is a guy named Colcom and what do you see his role in this offense and can he be a guy is it's going to be more of like that's. Same role last year you see it his role kind of fading even more. 90 I think Colcomat can do anything that they want him to like they he's he's a guy that that's that's what he brings to the table is he can.

12:55He can get open and catch a pass down field or it can be heavily involved. In run blocking pass protection you name it and he does a little bit of it all at a high level if we are looking at the box score each Sunday at his receptions and yards and judging his value to the offense by that were probably. Well not probably will be missing the mark by a wide margin like Ben Johnson I think really appreciates of what Col brings to the offense and. You know so I don't where what are the numbers look like for him in the passing game it's hard for me to say because you go back to last season through the first I want to say like five games they weren't throwing the ball to either of them like loved one one getting the ball his way call wasn't getting the ball his way I looked at some of the they were on like a crazy pace for not throwing ball to the tight end at all and in Caleb started doing that and.

14:06He started going loved ones way a lot over at the very end of the season but it's it's going to be dependent on what they want to do but I you just you're making a mistake if you're looking at commit fantasy football statistics and trying to equate that to his value to the offense and the football team great stuff Brad have a terrific weekend. Take care guys have a great day thanks your time Brad big football man from the Chicago Tribune talking all things Chicago bears when we come back the ice man takes on hot ones we'll have fun with that the Caleb Williams interview we'll talk about it next on on paid Chicago sports radio one or four three the score.