Bear Digest

Bears video begs the question: Did top of big board get revealed?

This week's episode of 1920 Football Drive on the Bears website has footage of free agents arriving for the first time and possibly a revelation about their draft board.
Gene Chamberlain|
Drew Dalman came away from his first exposure to the Bears totally impressed and it showed in this week's episode of 1920 Football Drive.
Drew Dalman came away from his first exposure to the Bears totally impressed and it showed in this week's episode of 1920 Football Drive. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

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One Bears moment in the latest edition of 1920 Football Drive on the team's website is causing a social media stir, probably for no reason whatsoever.

It deflects away from some of the defining moments of the Bears' recent free agency push for line help and behind-the-scenes moments revealed.

A moment of titillation for Bears fans who live and die with the draft occurred when defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is depicted at the combine during the 40-yard dash asking a question about one player and the answer from GM Ryan Poles answers: "High. In this year, probably one or two," and in the background Stacy Dales from NFL Network is conducting an interview.

There is much speculation Poles was talking about Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, and that the Bears may have just accidentally revealed their big board.

It all harkens back to the infamous scene from the Stanley Kubrick classic "Doctor Strangelove," when General Buck Turgidson, played by George C. Scott, hollers about the Soviet ambassador.

"I mean, he'll see everything, he'll ... he'll see the Big Board!"


This concern is just about as valid. The Bears don't even have a big board set for the combine but they may have rankings.

Allen could have been speaking about where the player was ranked among defensive tackles. It's anyone's guess.

No one knows because the question wasn't shown and the sequencing isn't necessarily live with the running of the 40s. And Graham didn't even work out at the combine other than to do 24 reps in the bench press.

It's hard to believe Allen would be asking questions about a player while they're all watching 40s being run, just because he was being interviewed by Dales on TV during the workouts.

Besides, even if Graham was ranked first or second on their big board they're not going to get much of a chance to draft him as he's expected to be gone in the first five picks.

There are other more poignant moments in this episode of the Bears' in-house behind-the-scenes look, a sort of in-house soft core version of offseason HBO Hard Knocks except the real version of the Bears last year wasn't exactly hard core.

One defining moment occurs when they show the arrival at Halas Hall for the first time of the offensive linemen acquired. The Bears obviously think the facility is one of the league's best and it has been voted among the top 10.

As Joe Thuney is touring it, his mouth seems to be dropping open every second as he looks around the walls of the building, adorned with the names and jersey numbers of former Bears greats.

"This is unbelievable," Thuney says to Ben Johnson. "Just the names on the wall. Wow. So many legends."

"I was the same way, blown away by it," Johnson said.

This all coming from an offensive lineman who just left an organization where he won two Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes at QB, after playing for another where he won two Super Bowls with Tom Brady at QB in New England.

So consider the Bears' attempt to impress as successful.

Poles sums up what the Bears did by trading for Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing Drew Dalman very effectively.

"We wanted the middle to be strong and highly intelligent," he said. "That's what we were able to accomplish."

Dalman's press conference interview described why this is important, and it's so Caleb Williams doesn't have as much to worry about. Their jobs can be much more important than simply reducing last year's high total of 68 sacks with their blocking. Their recognition of defensive tactics is going to be big.

"We heard Drew talk about it at his press conference," Poles said. "That group can take a lot off of a young quarterback's plate."

One of the other positive moments for the future came when Poles discussed Declan Doyle, their offensive coordinator who isn't even 30 years old yet.

"The (work) volume that he can handle, I mean ... I was joking with (Johnson) the other day, I don't know if I've ever seen a coach do more evaluations and actually it's quality work. Its just really impressive," Poles said. "He can just do so much. You can see why that combination with Ben is going to be special."

The combination of Johnson's unlimited offensive imagination working with a coordinator who is tireless is the kind of tandem that can increase hopes the Bears actually will someday have a 4,000-yard passer and someone throw 30 touchdown passes.

That's a part of their legacy that isn't hanging on the hallowed Halas Hall walls.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.