The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast

Ep. 257: Assessing the Bears at the Bye

JJ Stankevitz and Cam Ellis get together during the Bears' bye week to tackle everything plaguing the scuffling offense. The guys look at the issues on the offensive line, including the question of what to do with the struggling Kyle Long (2:45), the inconsistent run game and how David Montgomery is being stifled so far (10:45), the lack of production from some key skill position players (16:30), and the continuing unknowns at the QB position (22:45). Then, Cam & JJ delve into some things that HAVE gone right this season, like the defense withstanding regression, the team's overall competitiveness, and Eddy Pineiro locking down the kicker spot (28:45). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 256: London losers: Bears fall flat vs Raiders

The Bears defense simply could not stop Josh Jacobs and the Raiders' run game in a 24-21 loss in London. Olin Kreutz, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown join Laurence Holmes to discuss why the Bears couldn't stop the run, what to do with the quarterback situation, and where the team goes from here heading into a bye week with a tough schedule on the horizon.0:45 - Why did Raiders run ball so well vs. Bears?3:25 - Is Eddie Goldman the heartbeat of the Bear defense?7:14 - How did the London factor play into the Bears loss? 9:00 - Evaluating Chase Daniel's game16:40 - Looking at the Bears upcoming schedule 20:00 - Should Nagy hand over playcalling duties?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 255: Bears-Raiders preview with Scott Bair

JJ Stankevitz is joined in London with Scott Bair who covers the Raiders for NBC Sports Bay Area to preview this weekends game overseas.1:14 - Injury report for both teams and what it means for Sunday6:16 - Raiders' offense vs. Bears' defense10:06 - Khalil Mack faces Raiders for first time since trade19:08 - Bears' offense vs. Raiders' defense23:20 - Overall experience in LondonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 254: Should Chase Daniel be the Bears’ permanent QB1?

JJ Stankevitz and Cam Ellis set the table for the Bears International series match-up in London this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.1:52 - Are the Bears better off with Chase Daniel as their quarterback in 2019 instead of Mitchell Trubisky?3:48 - Looking back at Chase Daniel's two starts in 2018 against the Lions and Giants.11:14 - Where is the Bears run game?13:06 - When Trubisky is healthy (Week 7?) he will be the starter.16:33 - What's going on with Roquan Smith?24:00 - The Bears aren't too thrilled to be playing in London.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 253: Daniel steps up, defense dominates in win over Vikings

Laurence Holmes is joined by Matt Forte, Olin Kreutz, Alex Brown, and Lance Briggs to break down the Bears’ 16-6 win over the Vikings to move to 3-1 on the season. The guys discuss a bunch of backups coming through on Sunday (1:45), the continued dominance of Khalil Mack (5:15), whether the Bears can win long-term with Chase Daniel under center (7:00), and who should start if Mitch were magically fully healthy tomorrow (14:45).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 252: Previewing Bears-Vikings with the Star-Tribune’s Andrew Krammer

JJ Stankevitz is joined by Minneapolis Star-Tribune Vikings beat reporter Andrew Krammer ahead of Sunday's pivotal clash at Soldier Field. What's the sense of urgency in Minnesota with the Vikings also staring down an 0-2 start in the NFC North (1:45)? Then, Andrew dives into Kirk Cousins' role in a run-heavy Vikings' offense (3:00) and how Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are handling not getting the ball as much (8:00). On defense, Danielle Hunter and Anthony Harris are guys the Bears need to be aware of (10:15), plus Andrew explains why Mike Zimmer sounds confident ahead of Sunday despite "weird s**t" happening to Minnesota at Soldier Field (15:15). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 251: Nagy’s profane challenge to Trubisky, and a new man on the Minnesota Vikings

JJ Stankevitz is joined by Cam Ellis and the two start by discussing a part of MNF's broadcast which appeared to catch Nagy yelling "Man the f--- up!" or "Shut the f--- up!" to Mitchell Trubisky (01:20). JJ uses this small example to take a look at the two different Nagys-- "Nagy the Offensive Mind" and "Nagy the Leader of the Team" (07:02). Hear from Nagy himself on Tarik Cohen's NSFW locker room Instagram Live (10:22). Then, JJ shares how he thinks the Bears can avoid repeating their Week 1 offensive performance against the Vikings (12:42). Plus, Cam thinks this may be more of a "prove it" game for Matt Nagy than Trubisky (16:07).After the break, J.J. and Cam look ahead to how the Bears defense matches up with the Vikings offense, and why the "Truth Hurts" when checking out Minnesota's running backs (19:15). Akiem Hicks's status may be the most important factor in the game (22:09). Then, J.J. shares some fun stats on how Kirk Cousins performs under pressure (25:47). Finally, why the Redskins game may have been the perfect warm up for the Vikings (30:23).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 250: Bears defense flexes muscles in win over Washington

Olin Kruetz, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown join Laurence Holmes to break down the Bears 31-15 win over the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. The Bears defense flexed their muscles, forcing five turnovers, while Mitchell Trubisksy and the offense finally got rolling. However, as an important matchup with division rivals Minnesota looms, the Bears could be without a few key players battling injuries. 1:00 - The Bears performance on Monday night was huge surprise6:10 – Was the win a statement game or too close for comfort? 12:10 – What more can the offense do to improve?15:05 – The Grudens must really, REALLY hate Khalil Mack17:00 – We’re on to Minnesota See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 249: Previewing Bears-Redskins with JP Finlay

JJ Stankevitz chats with NBC Sports Washington Redskins Insider JP Finlay to preview Monday night's game, which just might be a must-win for Washington (1:20). Also, is the Redskins' defense actually as bad as it's looked in the first two games of 2019? (2:30) Will Josh Norman shadow Allen Robinson and try to shut him down? (6:15)On the offensive side of the ball, JP explains what's made Case Keenum so good this year (9:45) and if rookie wideout Terry McLaurin's explosive start to the season is sustainable (11:55). Plus, JP gets into the impact of left tackle Trent Williams' holdout (13:30) and how it's effected running back Adrian Peterson (15:05). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 248: What’s the deal with the Bears’ bad offense?

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and John "Moon" Mullin look at some of the reasons presented at Halas Hall for why the Bears' offense hasn't been good (06:55), and wonder if there's any reason to hope this group can get better quickly (11:34). Plus, the guys look ahead to Week 4, which might be the most pivotal week of the 2019 season for this team (20:15).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.