Zack Pearson on DJ Moore

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It's Mike Schoep and the Bulldog.

We're up there and like here are the people on the panel, so I'm like taking pot shots at Brian Brown.

Cause like that's when he came to Buffalo for.

It's Mike Schoep.

You literally told EJ Manual to his face that he sucked and the Bulldog.

I was proud of him because I just, I feel like that's what you're there for.

It's Mike Schoep and the Bulldog.

I know. I couldn't though.

I couldn't. I'm better than you.

Not WGR sports radio 550.

Do you remember an EJ Manual game in Chicago?

I'm thinking maybe there's one in Pittsburgh that was pretty, pretty gross.

Um, was there one in Chicago?

Yes. Well, isn't he the quarterback in the game where Fred Jackson ate that guy's soul?

The Chris Conte game?

Chris Conte game.

I think you're right.

I think he scored, I think EJ Manual scores a rushing touchdown in that game.

Is that week one?

Yes, I think it is.

All right.

Definitely early in the season.

Good. Well, this turned, this took a turn here.

I was thinking there was one that was the worst since you mentioned manual in that clip.

I would want to, I wasn't the worst.

I might want to fact check that all, but I think you're right, but I think that all I think is right.

I'm getting information that you're right about all of it.

Wow. What a, what a moment.

What a win.

What a, what a way to introduce it.

I guess that we've is new to the show.

10 years ago, that game, and I'm sure I, I feel like I can remember the schedule coming out

and it's Bills at Bears week one.

I'm like, there's no chance they're winning that game.

The Bills.

I remember you feeling that way.

I mean, what a tough start.

And they did win about that.

Zach Pearson with us, speaking of the Bears, bear report is where you can find Zach's work.

And maybe it's the obvious reason here is Zach.

We wanted to look you up because of the DJ more trade that the Bills and Bears made last

week and that has been made official today.

So happy new year on that front.

Thanks for your time today, Zach.

Yeah, thank you guys.

That was a pretty bad memory at that week one, 2014.

And that was the beginning of the end.

I think the, the Mark Truss mayor in Chicago, and that's also, you think, bad play by

Chris Conti, that's not his worst play.

The game before that was when he gave up the long touchdown, Aaron Rogers and the Packers

to eliminate the Bears from playoff contention.

So, yeah, bad memories, bad, bad memories.

There was a hangover effect that lasted nine months, right from barely from January to

September.

Ouch, well, sorry to pick that scab here as we start, yeah, it's not exactly salad days

for us talking about E.J. manual.

So he's out there somewhere going, how did I get dragged into this?

I know, why am I catching strings?

We won, and still getting strays, yes.

Well, Zach, I've had mixed feelings about this move for the Bills.

It seems like a great win for the Bears in terms of the draft capital.

I want to know what you think the Bills are getting in the player.

As a fantasy player myself, I haven't always been that excited about D.J. Moore, but he's

always had the excuse, if you will, of just not having the great quarterback.

And I think it's probably safe to say that now he will.

So how good is he and what else do you have to say about him?

Yeah, I mean, he's going to Buffalo.

He's going to be a wide receiver, Ron, one, he's going to be a legit wide receiver for

Josh Allen.

I think he's going to a good place.

And one thing about Ryan Paul's here in Chicago is that he's going to make a move to someone

who's been loyal to him.

He's going to send him to a good place, and I think he ended up in a pretty good spot

there with Buffalo.

Now, I think with D.J. Moore, there was a lot of weapons in Chicago, so that's why the

production was down.

But he still had some pretty big plays.

I mean, you guys probably seen the two plays against Green Bay, the one over time, the

one that come back in the NSU Wild card.

It was just a product of when they drafted Cosa Love one, when they drafted Luther Burton.

The writing was kind of on the wall for D.J. Moore, and then you got some bad contracts,

and this is what happens.

You have to move on from a really good player.

So, yeah, I like the spot for D.J., you know, I'm still a really good route runner.

You get the point of the career, you can kind of freestyle a little bit, and the quarterback

will kind of...

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I'm going to pick up on it, and I think there's probably no one better that, you know, can

lead a receiver or have that connection quicker, I think, than Josh Allen, so I think that's

a good thing for D.J., but yeah, it's not like, you know, you look at the numbers of D.J.,

it's not like he's washed up or anything.

He had some pretty big years with some, you know, pretty bad quarterback, you know, going

back to Carolina, and then, you know, I think at 1,400 yards, it's just in field, and

nothing has just in fields, but I mean, that's pretty darn good here in Chicago.

Fields and Tyson Beigeon.

Does that even make it a better point?

I don't know if it does or not, but still like they almost split the split time.

Yeah.

You've already talked about it, you know, the other guy is like, you know, competition

for targets and all that sort of stuff, but some of the negatives that have been reported

on more and written about and talked about are attention to detail, type things, and

him maybe not going full out when he's not the primary target.

Like how much validity is there in your view to those critiques?

I think there is a little, you know, I don't want to rip him or anything, he's been great

to us, he's a great human, but there are sometimes where, you know, you look at the Arizona

game two years ago and he's kind of, you know, walking off the field almost in the middle

of the play when it comes on the other side of the field, and then, you know, the play

with him and Caleb Williams at the end of that Rams playoff game and look like they

weren't on the same page, you know, it was good effort, but I mean, I think people would

argue, you know, he probably could have made a sharper cut to the ball.

It's just kind of things like that, maybe some just small mental lapses, but other than

that, you know, those two examples, I can't really think of a whole lot more, you know,

to me, it would be concerning.

You also have to look at this one.

This was his first year winning since high school, I mean, he's been on losing teams since

he was, you know, 17, 18 years old, so I think a little bit of that comes into play as

well in terms of frustration, but he's not a, he's not a locker room cancer or anything

like that.

He would never had a dust up in the locker room or anything where he's not a team player.

Great with the community.

Great with teammates.

So yeah, I don't think that'd be a problem at all, Buffalo.

DJ Moore went to Maryland to find digs was a great bill who went to Maryland, and more

is the best receiver, I think almost undoubtedly the bills will have had since, since digs with

Zach Pearson, bear report, Mike Schopen, the bulldog here on WGR, well, he talked a little

bit already, Zach about target competition in Chicago.

One look at his career numbers does show a pretty steep drop last year.

And there are people who always kind of want to attribute something like that to age.

I mean, he's been in the league a long time now more.

So would you say that at all, or was it more just that, I mean, burden in Loveland really

did come on.

So Odunzi, I guess, who had a faster start, but would you blame as it were any of Moore's

drop in stats on him physically?

I don't think so.

I think it's more of just Ben Johnson's system and what he demands in his players.

One thing Ben Johnson, you're going to have to be a really good blocker, and you're going

to have to make the effort to block too.

There wasn't any times where I was like, you know, DJ's not blocking or anything like

that.

I've been a couple of times where maybe, you know, had a loaf here there in terms of

that.

You know, the connection with Caleb Williams.

It never felt as strong on the field as it did, you know, as teammates or anything like

that off the field.

I think that's just maybe a young quarterback working with a veteran trying to get on the

same page.

When they did get on the same page more towards the end of last season, it was pretty good.

You know, so yeah, I don't think age is much of a factor here, you know, he takes care

of himself.

He's a pro.

He's not going to blame it on age or anything.

So I think it's more of just Ben Johnson's system, wanting to be more of a run first team,

you know, outside zone team, those kind of short throws.

I think that's more of a factor than that.

Zach, how do you feel like the Bears did in the transaction?

Because a lot of us here, I like DJ more.

I can easily agree with what my partner just said.

He's the best receiver the bills will have had since digs was here in his prime.

But the cost seemed like the bills did the Bears a real favor.

Like was there a sense you were getting, you know, just in media circles or even within

the fan base that the Bears were obviously they wanted to offload the contract given the

hierarchy they've got there with other weapons that are, you know, sort of, you know, more

prominent than DJ more was last year.

So it made sense, but I wonder if the bills had waited.

Maybe they could have just signed the guy as a free agent like, I feel like the price

was pretty steep.

Yeah, I mean, you're right.

I was completely shocked.

I got a second round pick when these, you know, we enter the off season and we kind

of had a little idea, maybe they're going to let them go or try trade them just because

of that cap number.

I kept on hearing a day three pick, you know, you're talking fourth, fifth round, sixth,

seventh round pick.

And I'm thinking, man, that's, you know, that's probably what it's going to be for DJ.

And then, you know, at the time I'm just going to talk to people, it felt like bear driving,

you know, a hard time finding the right package for them and the right team to give them

that package.

And I think, you know, throwing in that fifth round pick, obviously gets you the second

back.

But what, you know, interesting is the money that Buffalo is going to have to take on

and the guarantees and all that.

I do feel like the Bears got the better end of the deal there.

But we'll see, whatever that second round pick turns out to be, you know, could be

the difference in this trade.

It also could be one of those rare trades where it works out for both teams, but we'll see.

I do think that there's getting that second round pick was huge because now they have

so many needs in the defense aside the football that they, they almost had to get that if you're

given up a player like DJ or apologies.

If you've said this particular thing already, Zach, but I wonder if sort of you would be

on the same page as the Bears in how they kind of prioritize their skill position guys,

how they prioritize their receivers and, and Loveland, like, is this the right move?

Is this the right player if they're going to, you know, yank someone out of there?

Is this the guy to do it with?

You know, if he didn't have that cap hit, I would say, no, like I would say, you keep

him.

I just think they put themselves in a tough spot now, you know, with that cap at this

year that they had to make some key decisions.

Because I do think, I'm, you know, of a thought that you can never have way too many, you

know, too many weapons at the office.

And I know I said there's only one football earlier, but I think with Ben Johnson, he can

find ways to get guys involved.

The other factor in this now that, you know, on the Bears side is Roma Dunevay was really

good the first five or six weeks.

I think he was leading the NFL and touchdown passes.

He got hurt and he was not the same the rest of the year.

And that was supposed to be a year for a top 10 pick where you take the next step.

Now I'm not ready to write him off, but I would have felt more comfortable with Rome, you

know, was healthy and took that next step in his career.

Um, but, you know, I guess the answer to the question, it's not for the contract.

You know, I wouldn't have moved them, but I do feel better now knowing that, you know,

they do have at least something behind him with Luther Bern and Roman Dunevay in Colston

Lovland.

And you know, they might not be done.

They might be going out and getting a wide receiver in the draft.

So if there is a team that could handle this type of loss, I think it has Ben Johnson in

the Bears just because he's still good at scheming things up, but it might hurt too.

You know, these days are really good for at this age though.

And they have a second round pick, an additional second round pick to defend it on if they wanted

to draft a receiver.

I do.

Yeah.

You know, Zach, I remember talking to you a while back and it was always just sort of an

easy, you know, criticism of the Bears, just how in there, I mean, are they not the oldest

franchise in the league?

They and the Packers, despite that, just never having the wide receiver won the quarterback,

you know, the Johnny Morris trivia question, how he's the, is that the guy's name, who

the all time franchise leader and receiving yards, just like, who's that?

All of it with the Bears, almost literally just like never having an explosive passing

game.

Now, do they, I mean, the numbers are really good last year for Chicago is your opinion

that like, sky's the limit with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson at this point.

What a step forward they made together last year.

And do you also think from your interactions that Bears fans are right there with that,

you know, kind of optimism for the future?

Yeah.

I think that's the general vibe.

I think, you know, going into this offseason, you know, I would say the biggest question

marks run defense.

You know, you lose your center and draw diamonds or retirement, that's not easy, but they

didn't really have a lot to replace that offense.

You know, they still define a left tackle due to another injury, but other than that,

I think the confidence is there that, okay, we have Caleb Williams, we have Ben Johnson,

this will be the second year, you know, the second offseason for them together.

What they showed last year, even starting Oh and two and, you know, only starting Oh

and two blowing, you know, a two score game in the fourth quarter and then just getting

run out of the building in Detroit the next week, they very easily could have folded.

They wanted to run.

They had a favorable schedule, you know, can't deny that, but they took care of games

and then one games they should have won.

So when I saw last year, I saw an offense get better as the weeks went on.

I saw a run game get better.

I saw the past game get better.

I saw Caleb Williams get better.

Yeah, I'm excited for a full offseason of them two together again and what they can do

now.

I think that's kind of the general feeling here in Chicago is finally, okay, we have,

you know, a kid that can be consistent in staying in the game and, you know, throw the football

and make those wild throws.

I do think he needs to get better at, you know, Caleb in terms of consistency with the

easier throws, but he's got a world class arm and when you talk about, you know, the best

arms and football, you know, it's a shot down and especially my homes, you know, I think

Caleb Williams is getting right there.

I think this is a year he has to be, he has to take that step in the top 10 and I think,

you know, I'd be shocked if he didn't.

I should have had 4,000 passing yards last year.

It was a couple of bad drops, but he's low on his way to finally hitting that mark here

in Chicago.

You know, I prefaced all that with the past about the bears and I want to follow up with

this too.

Not all fan bases are really comfortable being optimistic.

It's not every sports fans nature and I mean, that's, that's applied to us.

I would say Philadelphia is such a place.

I wonder how it feels to be optimistic for the bears.

It's the best way I can describe how that season went last year was they became like

must watch again in the city.

You know, I think everyone's still watching them, but like those, those last few weeks,

you know, starting with that Saturday game against the Packers, you know, I was out of

the game working, but like, you know, I had friends that went out and every bar was

full of bears fans and then play off and all that.

And it's just, it's different like when there is optimism there and there is hope and

there's, wow, we got this guy like we, we got a, you know, we got the Johnson.

It's a totally different sports town.

And you know, we have two baseball teams and I always tell my friends, they said, you

know, your coach and your, you know, white sucks family, you're a bears fan.

Like if they ever win the Super Bowl again, it will be this town will be unreal.

And, you know, I know in Buffalo, you guys, you struggle with the bills, you know, not

getting over the hump.

I kind of feel like it's almost the same there too in a way where having that hobby,

you know, you get that quarterback and you get, you know, you kind of get a taste in

the playoffs, but eventually you got to get over that hump.

I think that's kind of what the bears want to get to in terms of, you know, we're Buffalo's

ad right now.

It's that kind of makes sense.

Yeah, it does.

Yeah.

No, gotcha.

Yeah, I mean, I like, I'm enjoying just hearing all of this about how it's grown because

I think, you know, even just as recently as last off season, like Ben Johnson shows up

and it was not to me a slam dunk in the summer that he and Kayla Williams were going to,

it seemed kind of, there was friction on the practice field.

And I guess, you know, you look back at it now and go, that was just a part of the method.

Right.

I'm going to coach the kid hard and hopefully get the result.

But at the times, like Williams reputation off his rookie year probably wasn't great

with everyone in the fan base, maybe even some teammates who knows, but it all sort of

came together.

Like Ben Johnson put it all together.

Like he had every piece.

He's got the scheming and all that, but the locker room stuff, like seeing him with his

players, like to me, there's no question, like they've got, they've got a good thing going

there now.

But I don't know, like a few months before the season began, that wasn't a sure thing

at all.

They also got the Tyler Dundreatment, right?

Right.

That's what I'm referring to that too.

Yeah.

Well, you know, and Caleb needed, he needed the hard coaching.

He needed Ben to get on him from the start.

You know, and it he, it's totally different from the matter of the Ben Johnson era in terms

of accountability, having guys believe in the locker room, things like that.

So yeah, you're right.

I mean, there was a little, you know, friction.

There was some struggles in mini camp and before the training camp session started with,

you know, accuracy and Ben Johnson getting on the offense.

And I remember, you know, more than five, six, seven times, they would have to restart

a drill because the offense wasn't lining up right and he would get on Caleb and he'd

get on cold command.

He'd get on, you know, anyway, he, Ben Johnson was not going to let you slide.

He was going to make you redo it all.

So yeah, I think Ben Johnson brings the right attitude here and, you know, with Caleb

too.

I think Caleb is really bought into that and, and you know, that's good for him.

I hope that didn't sound like a shot at Tyler.

He's a great friend of ours.

He hits hard when he hits.

That's all I meant.

Yes.

I know him too.

He's a good guy.

I know him too.

So taking a look as we finish up here with Zach Pearson talking about DJ Moore coming

to the bills made official today.

And the off season, I mean, what, how the balance of power isn't quite right.

But for a few years here, Zach, it was about the elite quarterbacks in teams in the AFC.

And now we had a season where some of those teams slipped, changing to the guard a little

bit, although Buffalo had another great season.

And in the NFC, wow, look at the NFC North.

You have Seattle from the back of the pack going all the way for the Delphius stayed good,

Rams, Niners.

How do you see the future?

I wonder if Detroit might to you look like a team that could start to go the wrong way

with some changes to their roster.

You might not feel that way.

Green Bay, Minnesota, probably Kyler Murray now.

There's a lot to look at in the NFC.

Yeah, it's a tough conference.

I mean, you look at the West getting, you know, those three black off teams in North

got two of them and almost had, you know, could have another one if the lines weren't up

set by the Steelers.

So yeah, it's a tough division again for the Bears.

That's kind of the issue.

Because, you know, I'm not ready to counter-try it out just yet.

I think if this year they struggle and regress, I'd be, all right, like maybe I'm not

worried about them in the future, but there's still a pretty good team.

They beat the Bears twice last season in, you know, Green Bay.

It's for whatever reason.

So they had the Bears number up until this year.

They're always tough.

But the NFC in general, you know, Seattle, I don't think they're getting worse.

I think the 49ers and Rams got better.

I think the East is really interesting because I think the commanders got a lot better.

And I think Dallas is going to be a sneaky good team this year.

I think they have a high-powered offense.

I think their defense would be better.

So you just kind of look around, and it kind of feels like what you were saying were

the NFC is kind of now starting to rise up in the AFCs.

They take a little bit of a step back.

Well, to see, I mean, obviously that depends on the chiefs and the bangles and the Ravens.

I think Buffalo will still be up there and Denver will too.

But yeah, it's a tough conference to be in right now for the Bears.

Yeah, Caleb Williams will have a lot to say about the big picture in the NFC as will Jordan

love.

I mean, he's a few years in his career now, but Caleb Williams is a big one.

101 pick.

Very good, Zach, anything else you want us to know, your work at Bear Report, what kinds

of now that the official offseason is here or the official league year, rather, is here.

What can we look for?

Yeah, just daily coverage, updating what I know about the Bears.

We're doing grades on the signings and now that everything's official, we can call them

signings.

Yeah.

And maybe, you know, the Bears might be on the X-Gravity watch again.

We'll have to kind of pay attention to that.

But no, I appreciate you guys having me on and I'm looking for, I'm actually, I'll be

out there in Buffalo for the Bears game this season, new stadiums.

I'm looking forward to seeing that and I have some family out there.

So I'm looking forward to seeing them too.

Wonder if it could be week one or week two to open the stadium.

Yep.

That week one or two sounds ideal, probably a prime time game too.

Full circle.

We started talking about a week one in the Bears game and here's another possibly.

We don't know that yet.

Thank you, Zach.

We appreciate your time.

Thank you so much, guys.

I appreciate it.

You're welcome.

Zach Pearson of Bear Report.

Yeah.

We don't know the schedule yet.

The Sabers are a big distraction from that's right by usual time spent trying to figure

out, which is almost always entirely futile.

What the schedule will be.

Okay.

We'll squeeze it in.

In fact, we can squeeze in this nugget now.

If people didn't hear the schedule news today, there is often schedule news.

The schedule news today is that bleak is looking at a Thanksgiving Eve game Wednesday Thanksgiving

Eve.

Squeeze, squeeze one in, squeeze another game, another day of the week to parachute in

on a Wednesday.

I only have one objection.

I'm not all righteous about how much football there is.

I feel like the ship has sailed a long time ago.

I thought it was too much and they'll probably burn it down and that has not happened.

Yep.

Wednesday night is waivers.

Yeah.

Well, waivers are tough when the week has already started before they've run.

We might have to do something about that Thanksgiving Eve to me is for watching a hockey

game.

That's it.

I don't want to.

I feel, for me, and a lot of Buffalo Onions feel the same way.

It's like obviously it's a holiday that's not a holiday.

But the Sabers are home game on that Wednesday is a part of it and a football game is just

going to get in the way to me.

I don't like it.

It's a hockey day for me.

You've got Thanksgiving, you've taken over Christmas, you know, I don't need you on a Wednesday.

But you're right.

I mean, saturation, it's never going to be too much.

Is there a saturation?

There is not a saturation point.

It just keeps coming back for more.

So I've given up that too.

But I mean, I'm not going to bitch and moan.

I don't need a Wednesday game.

I mean, you've got to give yourself, you know, room to do that.

We will take a break 803-050, you know, we're not.

Do we want to squeeze news in here?

The bills are signing Bradley Chubb to a three year, $43.5 million deal.

It's worth up to $52.5 million.

All right, is he good anymore?

I don't think so.

You see, I was just saying you have to keep that capacity, but you were just describing,

you know, in tow, because you might need it.

And here, you're already back to it.

And I might be right there with you huge money will figure out more.

Sal Kupaccio coming up at five lines open for your calls 803-050, Mike Schopen, the Bulldog

WGR.

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