The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast

Ep. 265: Expectations for Mitch Trubisky moving forward

JJ Stankevitz is joined by Cam Ellis and John "Moon" Mullin for a wide-ranging discussion on Mitch Trubisky and expectations for the embattled QB now that he's made 32 starts in his uneven career (1:30). The trio then discuss Trubisky's leadership and evaluate his body language during the Chargers game (13:00), before wrapping up with a discussion of the Eddy Pineiro missed kick hash mark saga (23:00).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 264: Bears commit to the run...but did they learn their lesson?

After another frustrating week for the Bears, Matt Forte, Olin Kreutz, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown join Laurence Holmes to discuss whether or not Matt Nagy and the Bears have lost faith in Mitchell Trubisky and whether they should consider a trade for a new quarterback. Olin says the Bears simply aren't a good football team right now and the guys question whether David Montgomery taught Nagy a lesson.1:28 - Takeaways from a brutal loss to the Chargers6:27 - Bears finally commit to running the ball10:53 - What do we think about the Bears overall? 11:56 - How the Bears can re-establish a new identity16:53 - Did David Montgomery teach Matt Nagy a lesson?20:52 - What needs to change most before next week?24:00 - Should the Bears go trade for a QB? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 263: Previewing Bears-Chargers with ex-LA LB Kyle Emanuel

JJ Stankevitz is joined by former Charges linebacker Kyle Emanuel to break down how Los Angeles will try to scheme against the Bears' offense (1:43), if this is a good opportunity for the Bears to get their run game going (2:50) and the impact of All-Pro safety Derwin James' absence (5:04). Then the focus turns to the offense and what makes Philip Rivers so effective (8:26), what Russell Okung's return means for the offense (10:12) and if Melvin Gordon's holdout is still affecting his play (11:28). The pod finishes with Emanuel's thoughts on the Bears after spending four years in the league (16:00). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 262: Mitch Trubisky & the Bears’ offense under fire

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis, and John "Moon" Mullin check in from Halas Hall to discuss a team and a QB under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. The trio tries to separate Mitch Trubisky's struggles from the bigger-picture issues on offense (:30), before discussing the offensive play-calling and run/pass differential (9:00). Then, the guys break down the missing running game, otherwise known as the Bears' #1 fix on offense (12:30), and what kind of spark could get this team going again (20:30).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 261: Bears trounced by Saints, and questions abound

Laurence Holmes is joined by Olin Kreutz, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, and Alex Brown to break down the Bears' highly dispiriting 36-25 loss to the Saints at Soldier Field. The guys discuss why the loss was so disappointing and frustrating (2:00), the lack of progress for many players since last year (5:00), the possibility of somebody other than Nagy calling plays (10:00), whether the Bears can save their season and still make the playoffs (14:00), and the massive problems in the run game this season (22:00). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 260: Previewing Bears-Saints with NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson

JJ Stankevitz is joined by New Orleans Advocate/Times-Picayune Saints beat writer Luke Johnson to preview Sunday's game at Soldier Field, starting with why the Saints have been able to keep winning without Drew Brees (1:29). JJ runs his concerns about the Bears' offense going against the Saints' defense by Luke (4:28) before getting into how New Orleans is viewing Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky and Chicago's lagging offense (8:17). Luke then explains the impact of Alvin Kamara's absence (10:40) and why Teddy Bridgewater has been so effective since tagging in for Brees (14:55). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 259: What should we expect from Mitch Trubisky vs. New Orleans?

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and John "Moon" Mullin look at the likelihood Mitch Trubisky returns on Sunday against the Saints, and what the Bears should expect from him when he comes back (02:00). Plus, JJ is concerned about how the Bears can attack standout Saints CB Marshon Lattimore (09:00) while Moon and Cam dive into what positions need to be better to help Mitch out (11:00). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 258: A big news day at Halas Hall

JJ Stankevitz and Cam Ellis look at the difficult decision and impact of Kyle Long going on IR (1:48), and how Bilal Nichols' return to practice could help alleviate the difficulty of replacing Akiem Hicks for a while (8:25). Plus, Mitch Trubisky returned to practice on Monday (13:10) and the guys look at how Matt Nagy talked about how he spent his off week (17:55). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.