NO BLOCK, NO ROCK: Brian Baldinger JOINS To Talk Ben Johnson, Bears Offense | CHGO Bears

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Adam Hoge (0:37)

From the Xfinity loft in our West Loop Studios in beautiful Chicago, Illinois, this is the CHGO Bears Podcast. Happy Tuesday as we are into week two of the NFL season. Adam Hoge, Mark Carman, Greg Braggs Jr. is from my understanding, I heard this morning in a meeting at City Hall, planning the parade.

SPEAKER_1 (1:03)

Is that right?

Greg Braggs Jr. (1:04)

Yeah, sure. Absolutely. Why not?

Mark Carman (1:07)

Who would you talk to?

Greg Braggs Jr. (1:08)

I don't know. I didn't know. I wasn't aware I was planning the parade. I mean, I am always saying things of jubilation, especially with this Bears team. But I don't know. Did I say something?

Mark Carman (1:18)

I was just following how it's going.

Adam Hoge (1:20)

I just thought you were playing. The mayor called me and said that you were.

Brian Baldinger (1:23)

Oh, I see.

Greg Braggs Jr. (1:24)

Well, you guys are the ones that talked to the mayors. I mean, I got the Mayor Hammond.

Adam Jahns (1:29)

Yesterday, you were building a statue already, right?

Adam Hoge (1:31)

That's what I was going off of. We built Ben Johnson's statue. Well, of course.

Greg Braggs Jr. (1:35)

I mean, I think that goes without saying. I mean, we're building Ben Johnson's statue. That should already be in the process of being molded.

Mark Carman (1:44)

Well, I did read Dan Pompeii's excellent piece on Mike Ditka in the Athletic today. And Ditka apparently loves Ben Johnson and sees a little bit of Ben Johnson in himself. That's 86-year-old Ditka still going strong, which is unbelievable.

Adam Hoge (2:00)

I love you.

Mark Carman (2:01)

Why?

Adam Hoge (2:02)

First of all, I haven't had a chance to read that yet. I'm sure because Dan Pompeii wrote it. It is phenomenal because he's never written a thing that isn't phenomenal. But of all the things that were like top of mind today, you just went straight for the 85 Ditka story. Well, that's on brand for you.

Mark Carman (2:17)

Ditka is back in town. Ditka is living here. Ditka loves Ben.

This guy is talking to Brandon Johnson or whoever he's talking to or not talking to should be talking to. He's building statues. I thought it all came together beautifully. I saw that on some of the 85 Bears. Let's quit bringing that up. I'm like, okay, listen, for all of us, old hats or old heads, somebody I read too many comments.

Adam Hoge (2:45)

Carb's old, that's what he's trying to tell you.

Mark Carman (2:46)

Yeah.

Look, until they do it, 85 will occasionally be brought up. And I think it's being brought up in a way that can the 2026 Bears be some version of the 85 Bears and put that to bed.

Adam Hoge (3:00)

Well, if anything, they're the complete opposite.

Mark Carman (3:02)

Exactly, exactly, which is a beautiful thing.

Adam Hoge (3:04)

The comp, I'm not really feeling.

Mark Carman (3:06)

Well, I'm just saying, can the offense be as dominant as that defense was? One of my better. It was that was a tangential take that I thought had some car methodical. It's a car methodical. Yeah.

Dreaming it big, Dan.

Adam Hoge (3:22)

We have a lot planned for you today.

We are planning to hear from Baldy. I don't know. Can anybody check the McAfee show? Is he still on that show? Because that's I know that's what he was doing before our show. But he's not here right now.

Greg Braggs Jr. (3:34)

Are you saying the McAfee show takes priority over ours?

How dare he? How dare he?

Adam Hoge (3:41)

You know, Baldy was nice enough to call this morning and say, You know what? I got an opportunity to go on McAfee. I'd like to do it. Can we move the pretape and do it live? And I said, that'd be fine. That'd be great. Absolutely.

Mark Carman (3:53)

This is a little too much behind the scenes for my liking. But like, I don't even know what that other show is. Whatever you're talking about. I mean, this is a show.

Adam Hoge (4:00)

I'm worried about competing with Pat McAfee.

Brian Baldinger (4:03)

I think we're a little bit. Take you down, McAfee. I think we're a little bit.