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The Sports Report – July 2019

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with Packer Dave and Steve Leventhal

Dave and Steve are joined by Jeff Rich to discuss the start of training camps for the 2019 season NFL. We talk Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals, and more. Also covered are updates on the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers.

Featuring audio from Packer GM Brian Gutekunst, coach Matt LaFleur, along with Chicago Bears players Khalil Mack, Tarik Cohen, and Mitch Trubisky. Don’t miss cameos from Chris Berman and Bob Uecker.

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2019 Chicago Bears Open Training Camp

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The 2019 NFL season in Chicago gets underway in earnest as Bears players began arriving at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

Mitch Trubisky is looking ahead at 2019, but mindful of how 2018 ended. “We want to pick back up where we left off. At the same time we didn’t accomplish what we did last year because we were worried about expectations. Nobody expected us to do what we did last year. Now it’s flipped where there’s all these expectations. We have to do a good job of staying focused and blocking all that out, and doing exactly what we did last year to help us win those games. On top of that do even more, so we can accomplish more than we did last year. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

Cohen sports a Walter Payton jersey

Tarik Cohen described his approach to this season, “We hold ourselves to a higher standard now. The older guys that have been here who watched us go from last place to winning the division, know what it takes to have that success, and to have that work pay off in the regular season coming out of camp, so we’re all going to put our best foot forward. Help everybody that’s new to the team. Help the rookies, so we can achieve a higher goal this year.”

Trubisky insists he hasn’t even shown his best stuff yet. He wants to get rid of mistakes and “continue to make those good plays and being a consistent overall quarterback. Doing the little things like working hard and being a good teammate, and taking care of my brothers.”

Khalil Mack stressed that success starts in training camp. “It starts with camaraderie, and the focus, determination, and the will to win, ultimately. One game at a time, one week at a time. It’s going to be a long season.”

One of the biggest hurdles the team faced last year, was learning coach Matt Nagy’s offense. Having that behind them is big plus for 2019. “It allows us to go further within the details. It allows us to watch more film and install, and talk about every other thing. It allows us to accomplish a lot more throughout meetings. We are also allowed to add more. We can teach the new guys. As a quarterback, you want to master every part of it, so if you know a play insid out, you can teach it to someone else, then when you are on the field, you’re not thinking about it, you’re just playing ball.”

Hear comments from Mitch Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, and Khalil Mack

Photo Gallery

  • A Rolls pulls up
  • Tarik Cohen snaps a pic
  • It’s Taylor Gabriel
  • Cohen’s ride
  • Khalil Mack checks it out
  • Mack talks to the media
  • Cohen sports a Walter Payton jersey
  • Posing with Jarrett Payton
  • Mitch Trubisky at the mic

@radiomogul tags: Chicago Bears, training camp, Mitch Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, Khalil Mack

The Sports Report – June 2019

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with Packer Dave, Steve Leventhal, and John Poulter

The guys are back to discuss the Toronto Raptors’ first ever NBA Championship, the St. Louis Blues and their seven-game Stanley Cup win over Boston, as well as talk of the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers offseason football. John also gives his thoughts on the Major League Baseball season. Lastly, Jeff Rich joins us to talk Cleveland Browns football and the upcoming NBA Draft. We also discuss the trade between the Lakers and Pelicans that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles for the fourth overall pick and three players.

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2019 Chicago Bears OTA’s – Part Deux

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Khalil Mack and Mitch Trubisky were the story this week.

Last year, head coach Matt Nagy had to learn his new players, and the Chicago Bears in turn had to absorb his offensive scheme. In 2019, it is all about building on the success of the previous season.

coach Matt Nagy at OTA’s

Nagy talked about Trubisky’s growth. “He’s learning this offense. But now what he’s trying to do, is master it. Last year he learned it. This year he’s trying to really master it. He’s done a wonderful job right now at trying to get to some of the adjustment s we have withing the plays and the concepts and the schemes.” Nagy intimated that we would see that come to fruition in training camp and preseason games. He added, “He’s watching tape. He’s leading meetings. He’s vocal in the meetings that we have. He’s understanding that when we teach this offense that there’s different levels to it.”

When asked about having Mack for the entire offseason, Nagy commented, “It’s amazing how much he affected everybody (last year.) Now that he’s here, you get to see that he’s does things by his actions. He continues to do that. He shows some of these younger kids who want to be leaders. There’s different ways to do it, by showing up every day. By making plays.”

Khalil has been looking forward to the camaraderie, and getting a deep understanding of the defense early on. Unlike last year where, “having a one and a half weeks before the season wasn’t enough time to prepare.” As typical of his approach last season he vowed to let his play do the talking.

Mitch Trubisky at OTA’s

“It’s feels really great out there,” says Trubisky. “It’s a lot of fun to be back in Chicago, with the boys playing football again. Everyone’s on the same page. Everyone knows what they’re doing. Being year two in this offense. It’s a lot of fun going through it. Having fun executing it.” The third year QB was asked about the new acquisitions. “We got a ton of weapons on offense. It’s a lot of fun for a quarterback. We got a lot of talent around me in free agents we signed, that came in here and learned the offense. They picked it up real quickly. We continue to add great guys that contribute to our culture.” He went on to confirm Allen Robinson’s assessment that the team was way ahead of last year. “Everyone knows what they’re doing. We don’t have to spend a lot of time going in depth on each play, because we know most of the details. We’re helping the new guys, the rookies.”

Hear audio from Nagy, Mack, and Trubisky

Twitter: @radiomogul

2019 Chicago Bears OTAs check-in

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The Chicago Bears begun 2019 organized team activities on Tuesday, kicking off the team’s first edition of on-field work as a team. Other than the imminent possibility of injuries, OTAs serve as an introductory and refresher period. It is a time for install and little else.

Last year’s session of OTAs focused on the installation of Matt Nagy’s offense. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the rest of the team got their first look at Nagy’s playbook, and some of them got their first look at each other. Trubisky got his first reps with a then-revamped receiving corps of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton. This season, however, Trubisky has an established connection with his targets and a familiarity with Nagy’s system.

“Versus last year, which is all I have to compare it to,” Nagy said, “The speed of the plays, especially offensively, breaking the huddle, they know where they’re going. Now they just get to play football. They don’t think as much.”

“Mitch is in and out of the huddle, he sees the defense, and so from the time that we’ve been out here, it’s exciting. You stay cautiously optimistic that he’s going to take that really big jump, which, I’ve been saying that since I got here that it takes time. You see the vision from him within the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.”

Bears head coach Matt Nagy during OTAs

The above quote on Trubisky was an unprompted comment, highlighting how great of an offseason storyline the third-year quarterback has been. As great as the Bears’ defense was last year, and likely will be this year, it will keep that “next step” that Nagy referred to for the Bears to break through their ceiling and into the Super Bowl.

Along with the familiarity that comes with the second year of a new system, changes have been made on the offensive side of the ball, namely that James Daniels and Cody Whitehair appear amidst a position switch and that swing tackle Bradley Sowell is switching to tight end.

“We’re going to try it out and see what he can do,” Nagy said of Sowell’s position switch. “It’s a position right there of that Y-tight end type spot that we could use some more depth, and Bradley has shown us the ability, not just off a two-point play or a touchdown play, but he’s shown it repetitively in practice that he has the athletic ability, the hands, he’s very smart, he knows how to block, all that stuff. So let’s test it out and see. And when I tell you he’s all in, he’s all in.”

You may recognize Sowell more for his appearance in Nagy’s funky plays that turn linemen into receivers, and you may recognize him specifically for this touchdown celebration:

https://twitter.com/nfl/status/1071968839129133061?lang=en

However, Bradley Sowell’s position change signals a possible solution to the need for an in-line blocking tight end that Nagy refers to as the “Y.” Ideally, that role would go to Adam Shaheen, but durability and performance issues have necessitated depth. One of Nagy’s lynchpin philosophies is being as versatile as possible, and Sowell’s presence on the field may tell the defense a run is coming more than Shaheen’s presence. However, depth was needed at the spot and the in-house position change could be an answer to that need.

The other piece of big news was James Daniels and Cody Whitehair switching positions, sending Whitehair to guard and Daniels to center, where he played in college.

“That’s what we’re looking at,” Nagy said. “You know, we’re giving them a chance to look at it and see where it’s at. We feel comfortable with it”

The move was slightly clamored for last year in response to Whitehair struggling with snaps at times. But the chemistry between Trubisky and Whitehair was too important for the installation of the offense to be messed with. With the offense now familiar to Trubisky, existing quarterback-center chemistry is not as prioritized.

Whereas this year’s OTAs is a refresher for the offense, the defense will be introduced to a new coach and system in defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.

Pagano, who was fired from the Indianapolis Colts’ head-coaching job is energized and excited to work with the league’s number one scoring defense from a year ago: “When what you have has been taken away from you, and now you have an opportunity to be back doing what you love, that’s coaching and being around great coaches and great players and guys that love ball, it’s really easy.”

Pagano has said in the past he won’t mess with a great thing in the Bears’ defense. Other than the language, the Bears’ defense will likely look similar to last year’s from a schematic standpoint. One of the anchors of that defense is second-year linebacker Roquan Smith, who led the team in tackles last year.

Bears offensive coordinator Chuck Pagano during OTAs

“You talk about football character and you talk about football IQ, we know the measurables, he’s one of the brightest, smartest guys I’ve been around for just a second-year player,” said Pagano, who coached Hall of Famer Ray Lewis in Baltimore.

The Bears drafted Smith with the eighth pick in 2018 with the hopes that he could be a dominant presence in the middle of the field for years to come, and so far, that seems like a wise investment. Smith had 121 tackles last year, despite missing all of training camp in a contract holdout. He now gets the experience of a full offseason without any contract stalemates, allowing maximum improvement.

“It feels great to be out here with my guys,” Smith said. “So I’m just focusing on getting better with the guys each and every day, so you can’t ask for more than that.”

OTAs are either the first taste of massive changes or a continuation of previous schemes and coaches. Fortunately for a still-growing Bears offense, they fall into the second category. The defense, with such stars Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson and Smith, is good enough that new terminology won’t be a barrier in its success. The Bears’ mandatory minicamp takes place June 11th-13th. We’re still months away from the Week One kickoff against Green Bay, but the Bears are in a good position after OTAs.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Matt Nagy, Chuck Pagano and Roquan Smith:

Chicago Bears 2019 NFL Draft primer

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Draft season is upon us, and after the typical ebbs and flows, falls and reaches of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears will get their chance to add to their playoff-caliber team.

A successful season and a roster with few holes left the Bears with little to worry about, particularly the first night, where they were without a pick as a result of the Khalil Mack trade. The Bears hold five picks, one in the third (87), one in the fourth (126), one in the fifth (162), and two in the seventh (222, 238).

“There’s just so many variables and so many scenarios, cause there’s so much space before we pick” general manager Ryan Pace told reporters in his pre-draft press conference. “There’s a bigger pool of players. So you’re playing out every one of these scenarios, ‘Man, what if this player fell?’ There’s just a bigger pool of players we’re talking about, so a lot of scenarios. So that’s probably the challenge that exists with that.”

Bears GM Ryan Pace during his annual pre-draft press conference

The Bears’ two most pressing needs remain running back and kicker, and the need for the former was exacerbated by the trade of former Pro Bowl running back Jordan Howard to the Eagles. The buzz has been that the Bears will surely take a running back in the third round, but it’s possible they truly believe in the upward arrow of Mike Davis and the versatility Cordarrelle Patterson and Tarik Cohen offer in the backfield.

Pace was sure to mention he doesn’t feel any immediate pressing needs, saying, “”You know, I know right now, running back’s been talked about a lot, but right now, we feel good about that position. We feel good about Tarik (Cohen), we feel really good about Mike Davis, we feel good about Ryan Nall, and we feel good about Cordarrelle Patterson and the things he can do out of the backfield as well.”

If such is the case, depth will be a priority, perhaps on the interior of the offensive line. Cody Whitehair will be a free agent next season and Kyle Long isn’t getting any younger. Ryan Pace has shown a willingness to draft secondary help in the later rounds, particularly at safety. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s one-year deal could call for insurance at the position.

“We’re trying to project right now, who will be there. So I would just say that third round cloud, for example, it’s just bigger than it is in previous years,” Pace said.

With those three positions laid out, let’s start with the sexiest: Running back. The league has grown smarter and learned to understand the pitfalls of drafting a running back in the first round. After the first round, Alabama’s Josh Jacobs is the lone running back off the board.

This crop of running backs is particularly deep, and barring a crazy run on running backs, impressive talent will fall to the third round. Miles Sanders and David Montgomery are thought to be the next best running backs after Jacobs, and there’s a good chance they’ll be gone before the Bears are on the clock at pick 87. A trade-up is always possible with Pace, but let’s assume those two are gone.

Matt Nagy wants his running back to be two things, athletic, and adept catching out of the backfield. Jordan Howard was neither of these things, so he was traded to the Eagles. Memphis’s Darrell Henderson was an uber-productive ball carrier who runs hard and runs far (He averaged 8.9 yards per carry his senior year). He has the breakaway speed to make defenders miss at the second level, and he gets to that point with crafty agility and an ability to avoid defenders. His athleticism and explosiveness compliment his pass-catching abilities, and those three traits make him an enticing fit in Matt Nagy’s system, despite his 5’8 height. If (And that’s certainly a big “if”) Henderson is there, Pace should sprint to the commissioner with the draft card in his hand.

Offensive line is not an immediate need, but with running back being really the only one, the Bears can afford to shore up the interior. The middle rounds of the draft are a good place to find immoveable guards, but those guards also have to move. Another extension of Nagy’s desire for athleticism, a fluid set of interior players is a necessary component in Nagy’s system, particularly in the run game, indicated by the hit the Bears’ run production took they lost Kyle Long due to injury. Some names to keep an eye on over the weekend are North Carolina-Charlotte’s Nate Davis, Penn State’s Connor McGovern and Georgia’s Lamont Gaillard.

We still don’t know for sure what Chuck Pagano wants in his safeties, but the signing of Clinton-Dix indicate he desires balance between defending the run and the pass, at least next to his ball hawking free safety Eddie Jackson. Only two safeties came off the board in the first round, leaving a lot of talent left. Whoever the Bears draft likely won’t be an immediate starter, so it should be a safe assumption that they’ll look more to the fourth and fifth for a project as opposed to missing on a potential instant-impact player in the third. Boston College’s Will Harris made an impact in the run game, and with grooming, his athleticism could project him to be capable in the pass game.

One last thing to keep an eye on is the Robbie Gould situation. The Bears’ all-time leading scorer recently requested a trade from San Francisco, and the Bears immediately came to everyone’s mind. Kicker trade demands are fairly unprecedented, but if Ryan Pace truly wants to end his search for the ever-elusive kicker, the Bears’ fifth is not too high a high price.  

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Ryan Pace:

Archive of Media Interviews – 2018

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During the Bears 2018 season, we interviewed several members of the media covering the team on a daily basis. These are incorporated into our upcoming book release “Return to Respectability.”

Here are the complete audio interviews, with written excerpts. They were used as part of our radio show / podcast The Sports Report.

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times on the Opening Game –Recorded September 10, 2018
Patrick Finley – Chicago Sun Times

“I think it’s safe to say that Matt Nagy was out coached as the game went on. For all of the magic of that first drive, (Green Bay Defensive Coordinator) Mike Pettine, made adjustments. Some of that is Matt Nagy coaching in his first game. He’ll get better the same way Mitch Trubisky is supposed to get better.

On Khalil Mack – “The last time I saw somebody dominate a half the way that he did was Brian Urlacher against the Cardinals way back when. He didn’t have the wind to make it through the rest of the game. Rogers getting hurt was probably the best thing to happened to their game plan. They said ‘the heck with it, we’re going to go three steps and get the ball out’, and that limited Khalil Mack.”

John Mullin from NBCSportsChicago.com – Recorded 10/10/18
John Mullin – NBC Sports Chicago

Discussing the addition of Khalil Mack: “The interesting thing is the ripple effect. What a guy like Mack does is introduce an element like the team had back in 1985. Guys like Richard Dent would get a sack and everyone else said ‘I’m going to get mine now.’”

“The impact he’s had throughout the defense has made everyone else put their foot down even harder.  That gives them the chance to be great.”

“Mitchell Trubisky is 0-6 against the NFC North. At some point he has to start beating those guys. they’ve all stumbled, but they’ve gotten back up. One thing the Bears have been arguably is consistent, with the arrow going up.  After the Bears finish with the four game stretch with the AFC East.”

“What’s tailor made for (Tarik Cohen) he’s got offensive coaches going to him in more situations.    A guy who is good with the football in his hands. Give him to me. I’ll find a place for him.”

JJ Stankevitz of NBCSports Chicago on the Bears 3-3 –Recorded October 24th
J.J. Stankevitz – NBC Sports Chicago

“The expectations with this team should be higher, given what they did in the offseason, adding  Khalil Mack a week before the season. I think you feel encouraged about them. You feel like there a certain things they obviously need to be doing better, but right now they’re a competitive team that needs a few things to go their way to still make the playoffs, but they’ll be playing meaningful games in December.”

“The Bears, before they can really start thinking about this division being weak, they need to start beating teams in the division. They lost the first week to Green Bay. The stretch where they play Detroit – Minnesota – Detroit, that is going to be the critical stretch for this team, assuming they go out and beat the Jets and the Bills in the next two weeks. The Bears haven’t won in this division in a long time, and for them to really say we’re better than last place in this division, they’ve go to start taking care of those games first.”

“Teams knew they had to be aware of Tarik Cohen at all times. The Bears had no other weapons last year. Now you have Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton, or Allen Robinson, and Anthony Miller. That is allowing Tarik Cohen to have a lot of freedom in the offense. It’s giving Matt Nagy a lot of freedom to use Tarik in this way. Because even if a team does key on him, he can be a really good a decoy for the rest this offense.  And even if they do key on him, sometimes he beats the opposing defense. What Matt Nagy has done with Tarik Cohen has been a really good success for him so far.”

Dionne Miller, Sports Anchor,  ABC 7 Chicago –Recorded 11/8/18
Dionne Miller – ABC 7 TV Chicago

“This is going to be the true to test to see where they are at.  5-3 is exceeding expectations. I would say the grade is B plus, A-minus.  I think the last couple of weeks have been easier, but they have risen to the occasion. Now they’re getting healthier.  This next stretch of three games in twelve days is going to be huge. This means something to them. Matt Nagy sets a tone that they hear  listen and relate to in a different way than John Fox. Matt comes in with such a good energy and authenticity, that is legit, and they see it. And what he says works. He’s got their attention.  It’s exciting.”

“It’s fun. The way that they are winning, and how they are growing. How can you not be excited about that.  There are so many great angles to talk about.”

“Getting Khalil Mack back (from injury) is huge.  During that stretch, when people asked them how much they missed it bothered the other defensive players, they said we were good before we got Mack. We were considered a top ten defense.  We’re still those same guys. They really proved that over the last couple of weeks. Last week, getting interceptions all over the place. Leonard Floyd getting into the end zone, and Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson scoring. this is building confidence.”

Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune – Recorded December 10th
Dan Wiederer – Chicago Tribune

“First and foremost we’re seeing that anything is possible for the 2018 Bears. When you take an offense that is as high powered as the Rams. A team that was 11-1 coming into the night, and you dominate them for four quarters, it’s not otr of the question that this team could get hot and make a run through January, and suddenly start eyeing a  a run to the Super Bowl. This team knows what got them here. The way the defense has taken over, and once again gotten on a big stage in prime time and played the way they did shows you this is a fearless team. With great talent, great cohesion and more than anything great confidence to do what they need to do.”

“It’s a special thing to watch this defense play. We’d be remiss not to start with Vic Fangio, who has great respect from all his players, and understands how in this era of offense, how to take apart an opponent. Obviously, they did a wonderful job Sunday night against the Rams. Todd Gurley comes in as the league’s leading rusher. He leaves with 28 yards on 11 carries. That is a testament to the talent that the Bears put out on defense.  It’s a testament to their ability to subscribe to Fangio’s game plan. It’s a testament to Vic’s ability to see those things. So this defense is full of talent, and it’s very well coached, and that’s why they are 9-4 right now.”

Postseason thoughts from John Mullin of NBC Sports Chicago – Recorded January 14, 2019
John Mullin – NBC Sports Chicago

“For the first time, Ryan Pace felt the arrow was pointing up for the Bears. He was vindicated. His quarterback got better. His team got better. His coach looks like the right guy.”

“I think Chuck Pagano is going to be real motivated. Pagano would look good, because he’s inheriting so much talent. I think may be a more stable hire than bringing Adam Gaze was. There’s not a whole lot of worry that Pagano is going to be a one and done guy.”

“I won’t say he had to, but Mitch Trubisky made some strides this year. He became a more accurate guy, completing 59% of his passes in 2017. Then he goes up to more than 66% this year. They finally got him some weapons. He was running an NFL offense with bad receivers, and some accuracy questions. The major steps forward were taken.  You won’t see him get dramatically better, you’ll see him cut out the bad stuff. The bad overthrows or questionable decisions.”


The Sports Report – March 2019

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with Packer Dave and Steve Leventhal

Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon

Joining us this month are Dionne Miller of ABC7 Chicago, just back from Arizona, to talk Spring Training and a some Bears football. Jeff Rich chimes in on NBA hoops, and Adam Lucas, UNC beat writer from GoHeels.com previews the Duke-Carolina game and the ACC Tournament for us.

Don’t miss cameos from Pat Hughes and Bill Raftery.

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The Sports Report – February 2019

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with Packer Dave, Steve Leventhal, and John Poulter

Join us for a Super Bowl LIII (aren’t these Roman numerals getting lame by now?) preview, plus final thoughts on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers’ seasons. Steve highlights the top teams in college basketball to watch out for. Dave sings the praises of the Milwaukee Bucks. John gives us a mid-season update on the NHL, and we try to explain to Dave the unique nature of the FA Cup soccer tournament in England. Lastly, Steve talks with Dwight Payne, a cameraman from ABC-7 in Chicago, who’s been capturing great sports video for the past three decades.

Hear interviews from Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Wade Phillips, and Jared Goff. Don’t miss a cameo from Bill Raftery of CBS Sports.

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The Sports Report – 1/10/19

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with Packer Dave, Steve Leventhal, and John Poulter

On the Sports Report this week, Dave and Steve discuss the hiring of a new Green Bay Packers coach, and the surprising end of the Chicago Bears season. Plus, we preview the NFC and AFC Divisional games this weekend. In the second segment, John joins us to talk NHL hockey and English Premier League soccer.

Hear interviews from Matt LaFleur, new coach of the Green Bay Packers, Kyle Long, Prince Amukamara, and Alan Robinson II of the Chicago Bears, plus Pat Mahomes, Drew Brees, Sean McVay, and Bill Belichick. Don’t miss a cameo from Wayne Larivee, Packers radio announcer.

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