“Through thick and thin, Bears win.”
Caleb Williams’ “bar” dropped after the preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and at the end of Episode 3 of “Hard Knocks,” gave fans a mantra to follow — and HBO a great way to end its best episode of the season.
When the cameras took us inside Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ office as he both explained why they were interested in trading for pass rusher Matthew Judon, and then his feelings after Judon went to Atlanta, provided a phenomenal glimpse into things we don’t often see.
That’s “Hard Knocks” at its best.
We got a lot of the quarterback — and plenty from his backup — in the third episode. And for the many Tory Taylor fans, this was a punter-friendly hour of television.
Overall takeaways
Greenberg: If I were a Bears fan, I’d be ready to run through a wall, or at least one of those paper signs they use at high school football games after watching this episode. This was the best of the three episodes so far with a ton of Caleb Williams, inside looks at the front office during the draft and their attempt at trading for Matthew Judon, the awaited Matt Eberflus nickname montage and some fun mic’d up moments with Jaylon Johnson and Travis Bagent, Tyson’s loose-cannon, arm-wrestling dad. It was a pretty perfect episode of a sanitized, team-approved documentary.
Fishbain: Maybe we needed some preseason games to get such a complete episode, or a morning drive to Soldier Field with the punter, but going inside plays with Williams and getting Poles to discuss the Judon possibility in real time provided the behind-the-scenes access that “Hard Knocks” on. As a beat writer who’s there every day, I like getting to learn more about something I saw. This week, we got the comms issues during the game in Williams’ helmet, Poles’ interest in Judon, what Simone Biles thought of the social media chatter about her jacket and how Bears players handled the rain during the joint practice.
GO DEEPER
Bears risers and fallers: Caleb Williams on the run, Kyler Gordon in the backfield
Best moment
Greenberg: There was something for everyone in this episode. If you’re a film nerd, you had Williams Eberflus watching tape at the beginning. If you like human-interest stories, there was plenty of that. If you’re a draftnik, there was the behind-the-scenes look at the Austin Booker selection. If you’re a Lil Durk fan, he was there, too.
For me, the best moment started with the best moment of the preseason game against the Bengals: a look at Williams connecting with Rome Odunze on that 45-yard pass. Watching it again was a thing of football beauty. The “Hard Knocks” access came through after the play.
“That’s what people wanted to see, though,” Williams said to Odunze in the huddle after the play.
“They wanted to see a Caleb scramble to Rome, baby,” said an excited Odunze.
Before the next play, Williams looked at the referee and said, “You like that, ref? That was pretty sweet, right?”
That is exactly what Bears fans want to see. A confident QB who is comfortable in his own skin and who can also, y’know, sling the rock.
Can’t catch Caleb 💨#HardKnocks | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/mjo31h7VP7
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 21, 2024
Fishbain: Selfishly, it was fun seeing the opening scene in Eberflus’ office. Yes, I liked the back-and-forth between coach and quarterback, as we get to continue to watch that relationship grow. We get to see how Williams sees the game, and how Eberflus sees the quarterback position. But I also got the privilege of sitting in that chair and watching Eberflus do what he does best, talk ball while breaking down highlights on that massive screen.
GO DEEPER
Watching film with Bears coach Matt Eberflus: Inside the mind of a teacher
Shout-out to undrafted rookie Austin Reed’s performance. He’s a close second to Theo Benedet in the rookie karaoke competition.
And as we continue to get to know Williams, without him actually doing any sit-down interviews with HBO, it was cool to see him keep the ball from his first NFL touchdown. “Hard Knocks” is top-notch when it comes to everything cinematography, and following that ball from touchdown to Williams’ bag was fun.
Funniest scene
Greenberg: They did a good job replaying the “ferret” interview with Velus Jones Jr., and Eberflus’ nickname parade made me smile. But it’s probably the footage of Williams’ interview with the “Pardon My Take” guys, Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Eric “PFT Commenter” Sollenberger. They cracked up Williams by asking him if he would push a button that kills one Bears fan but promises 10 Super Bowls. After laughing at the idea, Williams motioned that he’d push the button. I’m sure plenty of Bears fans would sacrifice a relative to help make that happen. Maybe it could happen every year, like in “The Lottery.”
Fishbain: This was a small moment, but I got a kick out of the cameras catching safety Jaquan Brisker chest-bumping Eberflus during the game. It’s a brief example of the connection Eberflus has with these players. I also laughed at Bagent saying he’s no chump. Not because it’s not true — it’s absolutely true — but it’s a great look at his competitiveness. The Bagent clips, combined with Matt Ryan talking up his game, made me wonder what Bagent’s trade value was at the end of the episode. He was the star. Is Luke Getsy telling the Raiders to watch “Hard Knocks” and go find a way to get Bagent?
Least surprising scene
Greenberg: We got our “Kevin Warren is building a new stadium” story, though it was much shorter than I anticipated. I suppose this could also count as my funniest scene because all they showed, besides a quick recap and the team’s renderings, was a conversation among bigwigs about what kind of chairs they should put into the prospective stadium’s sideline club. It’s a big decision, right up there with “Where are we putting the stadium and how are we paying for it?”
The funniest part, to me, was Karen Murphy, the executive vice president of stadium development, noting that they had just talked to the rapper Lil Durk about this. Whew, I was worried they hadn’t consulted a Chicago rapper. Next up: they’re getting on a Zoom with Polo G about concessions and having a conference call with Crucial Conflict about parking.
GO DEEPER
Jahns: Caleb Williams’ magic act proves the Bears QB is getting better every day
Fishbain: I was waiting for the Eberflus nickname montage. There still must be more, especially with so many new players. We knew the cameras would find Biles on the sideline, and the Eberflus family in the suite during the game. And really, should any of us be surprised that “Big Cat” found his way onto “Hard Knocks” when his Bears were featured? We’re not getting nearly as much Warren camera time as we might have thought, but I could see him making a point not to be as involved as expected. It’s good that the stadium conversation was so short because the rest of the episode was significantly more interesting.
What we want to see next week
Greenberg: The mic’d up footage from Tuesday’s heated practice, for one. Maybe we’ll finally get some swearing. Just kidding.
Hard Knocks director Shannon Furman confirms to @CHGO_Bears that the lack of profanity this season “is out of respect for the McCaskey family.”
More here: https://t.co/AUWbJ1UnpC
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) August 21, 2024
Speaking of the McCaskeys, how about a feature on the family, which hopefully will include some umpiring footage of George?
Fishbain: We finally got to see a fight on Tuesday! The cameras and boom mics were in the mix, so I look forward to figuring out who Cole Kmet tussled with and which players jokingly jumped onto the pile. The Bears could make cuts Friday after their preseason finale and save some players from having to go through three more practices before the Tuesday deadline. I could see a player who is destined to return to the practice squad have his cut be on camera. The Bears are proud of how they do business — including the toughest part of the business.
Chicago sports media cameos
Greenberg: Man, the directors really love the soothing sounds of Patrick Finley and Chris Emma’s voices asking questions.
No one knew that “Pardon My Take” had taped an interview with Williams, so that was a fun surprise. Fun fact: “Big Cat” is a very early subscriber to The Athletic. Like, maybe the day we launched. (At least that’s what he told me. I never checked.) Doing that interview and making “Hard Knocks” had to be a pinch-me moment, even for someone who is now more famous than a lot of athletes.
Corny Liev Schreiber line of the night:
Greenberg: Since I just wrote a column of fake Schreiber transitions, I enjoyed this one setting up the new stadium storyline: “Chicago, a city that likes to move. Fast. A town that knows what it likes. And what it needs.” He’s no Carl Sandburg, is he?
(Photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
