The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast

It is a Chicago Football Madness edition of the Under Center podcast. In the spirit of March Madness, Alex Brown and John "Moon" Mullin join JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan to go through a bracket of the biggest Bears names in the 2018 (1:30), 2006 (14:00), 1985 (30:00) and Legends (36:00) regions to see who is the last man standing at the end. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan look at the Packers having better Super Bowl odds than the Bears, if recently-cut Eric Berry could make sense in Chicago and take a deep dive into Cordarrelle Patterson with NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry. 0:30: The Packers have better Super Bowl odds than the Bears? Huh? 6:00: The crew makes fun of the Giants 8:00: What's going on with Bryce Callahan? 10:30...

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan wonder what the Bears will do with the cap space freed up by re-working Khalil Mack’s contract, plus dive into a big day for the Green Bay Packers and debate just how good Aaron Rodgers’ side will be in 2019. 1:00 - The Bears created $11 million in cap space Tuesday morning. What should they do with it? 6:00 - So…any shot at all Le’Veon Bell signs in Chicago...

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan break down what to expect from the Bears next week in free agency, if Landon Collins is a realistic target and why Clay Matthews – yes, Clay Matthews – would fit the kind of guy the Bears need as depth at outside linebacker. 0:50: One final debate: Bryce Callahan or Adrian Amos? 5:15: Could Sherrick McManis realistically replace Bryce Callahan? 9:50: What ot...

JJ Stankevitz is joined by The Ringer’s Robert Mays to look ahead to free agency, and if Ryan Pace will have the ability to be aggressive without much cap space. Plus, why Robert sees Adrian Amos as the better fit to return to the Bears, not Bryce Callahan. 1:00: The Callahan/Amos question is a strong indication of where the Bears stand heading into free agency 2:30: Is it realistic to expect the...

Producers Slavko Bekovic and Cam Ellis check in with J.J. Stankevitz -- who’s at the NFL Combine -- and the three discuss Cody Parkey, the Bears’ draft plan, how the offense should expect to progress in Year 2, and more. 0:45 – Bears confirm Cody Parkey is out 2:00 – Leg strength a priority when looking at kickers? 4:30 – Would the Bears consider drafting a kicker? 8:00 – Ryan Pace ready for all d...

Rotoworld draft guru Josh Norris joins JJ Stankevitz on the pod to break down this year’s crop of running backs and which of them could interest the Bears in April’s draft. Plus, Josh offers his thoughts on if a diamond-in-the-rough edge rusher could be available late in the draft and what the Kyler Murray circus will look like this week in Indianapolis. 1:30: How deep is this year’s class of runn...

Former Bears Head Coach Dave Wannstedt joins Luke Stuckmeyer and Bears insider JJ Stankevitz from the golf course in sunny Florida to shed light on his recent conversation with new Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano (1:30), Ed Reed's Hall of Fame belief in Eddie Jackson (3:00), whether he'd prioritize Bryce Callahan or Adrian Amos in Free Agency (6:15). Plus how he'd handle the Cody Parkey s...

With the NFL Combine starting next week, JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan look at if the Bears should still focus their draft strategy on taking the best players available, or if needs at running back and/or kicker should supersede that. Plus, the gang dives into what questions they want to hear answered from Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy next week and wonders if the thought of trading a draft pi...

JJ Stankevitz, Paul Aspan, Laurence Holmes, and Cam Ellis debate just how good Ryan Pace has been during his Bears tenure, wonder if Allen Robinson was underappreciated this year, and give their predictions on the likelihood of signing either Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell. 00:17 – Laurence describes not watching the rest of the NFL playoffs with the rest of New Orleans 02:46 – JJ polls the room on...

JJ Stankevitz, Paul Aspan and Cam Ellis look at how Matt Nagy can learn from Bill Belichick’s schooling of Sean McVay, and what Ryan Pace can learn from how the Rams went all-in to reach the Super Bowl. Plus, the gang wonders if a recent trend of second-year coaches reaching the Super Bowl is good news for the Bears in 2019. 1:20: Is it a total crapshoot to try to win the Super Bowl as long as Bel...

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan break down Bobby Massie’s four-year contract extension and look at why it was a smart move to retain him, even with Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos set to hit free agency. Plus, the gang likes what they heard from Chuck Pagano last week and offers up Super Bowl predictions for Sunday. 1:20 - Does keeping Bobby Massie mean the Bears believe their running issue...

JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan wonder if Mitchell Trubisky’s trip to the Pro Bowl can be beneficial. Plus, they talk about the Bears going to London next year and how Ryan Pace can fix issues at kicker and running back in the offseason. 0:25: What if you had someone who both knew Sean McVay and was friends with Manny Machado? Would they be an NFL head coach or be playing for the White Sox...

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis digest Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace’s end-of-season press conference at Halas Hall, including the pair leaving the door open for signing Kareem Hunt, Nagy’s criticism of Cody Parkey, the hiring of Chuck Pagano and more. 0:30: Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy leave the door open for signing Kareem Hunt 8:15: Nagy was not happy with Cody Parkey’s “TODAY” show appear...

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis report from Halas Hall after Bears players cleaned out their lockers on a somber Monday following their season-ending loss to the Eagles. Where do the Bears go from here? And how important will growth from Mitch Trubisky be in 2019? 0:50: An update on Trey Burton 3:30: The Bears did not save their best game for the playoffs 6:00: The honeymoon is ove...

Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Alex Brown and host Laurence Holmes were in disbelief as Cody Parkey’s field goal hit off the uprights and the crossbar, ending the Bears season early. The guys break down what the team is feeling after a heartbreaking loss in the Wild Card round, whether or not Cody Parkey will still be on the Bears next season, and look ahead to the expectations for the team next season...

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro joins JJ Stankevitz to get a full scouting report on the Eagles, and what Bears fans should expect on Sunday from a team that seems to be peaking at the right time. 0:50: Is Nick Foles going to do it again? 2:40: How much does Foles elevate the play of everyone around him? 4:45: What to expect from an improving Eagles O-line against the Bears’ front seven 6:3...

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis preview Sunday’s Bears-Eagles playoff tilt, complete with these questions: Will the moment be too big for Mitch Trubisky? And can the Bears’ defense counter Nick Foles’ pixie dust? 0:45: Is Mitch Trubisky ready for the playoff spotlight? 5:00: A blueprint for success for Trubisky against the Eagles’ defense 7:30: How big an impact can Jordan Howard m...

The Bears finish the season 12-4 and now they know who they will face in the playoffs. Laurence Holmes, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown break down the win over the Minnesota Vikings and when they really knew this Bears team was a legit contender. The guys also debate what the most intriguing part of the matchup is as the Bears will have to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphi...

On this special edition of Under Center, J.J. Stankevitz welcomes in Reuben Frank from NBC Sports Philadelphia. How are the Bears approaching their game at the Vikings? How aggressive will Matt Nagy be with his starters and playcalling? Would the Bears rather play the Vikings or the Eagles in the playoffs? Reuben explains why the Redskins game isn't a guaranteed win for the Eagles. Also, if the Ea...

JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin discuss what Matt Nagy’s rest strategy could look like this week against Minnesota (1:10), and if it’s better to face the Vikings for the second time in a week than a red-hot Philadelphia Eagles team (7:35). Plus, JJ and Moon debate whether or not it’s fair to still feel like 2019 is going to be the year this team really becomes a Super Bowl contender (12:10)....

Once again, the Bears won ugly and improved to 11-4 following their win against the San Francisco 49ers. Laurence Holmes chats with Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown about the mixed bag for the Bears offense, as well as their concern level following the sloppy performance. Plus, the guys weigh in on the fight that broke out after a late hit to Mitchell Trubisky and who is the team they LEAST...

JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis look at why the Bears’ culture won’t let them ease up after winning the NFC North, plus the guys look back at the 2017 draft day trade with the 49ers that got the Bears Mitch Trubisky. Also, Bay Area News Group columnist Dieter Kurtenbach joins the pod to talk about how Oakland is handling the Khalil Mack trade now that the Bears are good, and why Sa...

Sunday was a glorious day at Soldier Field as the Bears beat the rival Packers to clinch their first NFC North championship since 2010! Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Alex Brown join host Laurence Holmes to break down the victory and look ahead to the playoffs. How far can this Bears team go? And what is their ceiling in the long term? 0:22 – 2-for-1! Bears win NFC North and knock out the Packers 4:...