Summary of Episode 3 of the Chicago Bears training camp
The third episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears came out Tuesday night — right on time, after being delayed for over an hour for thousands of viewers last week due to a streaming error on Max. And that’s a good thing, because this week’s episode is the strongest of the season so far.
The Bears are preparing for the upcoming season with a number of notable players and storylines, such as the development of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Cameras will capture everything from training camp to the preseason, with five episodes airing on HBO and Max, narrated by Liev Schreiber.
The third episode covered the Bears’ joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals before their preseason game, a failed transfer for defensive end Matthew Judon, an unforgettable singing performance by undrafted rookie quarterback Austin Reed, and lots of punts.
Summary
This week’s episode capped off the Bears’ preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, as head coach Matt Eberflus sat down with Williams to discuss his performance since his first start. Williams received rave reviews as national media raved about his plays, including Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” podcast, which featured an interview with the quarterback previewed during the episode.
The focus then shifted from QB1 to QB2, where we learned about Tyson Bagent’s life and upbringing – as well as his desire to show that he’s more than just a nice backup story. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Austin Reed brought the house down with his rendition of Keyshia Cole’s “Love” for his rookie talent.
Quarterbacks were the focus of this episode, but we also got a behind-the-scenes look at the Judon trade attempt with general manager Ryan Poles and learned why the Bears couldn’t sign the edge rusher. We watched Tory Taylor’s practice highlights and his teammates’ reactions, Velus Jones talked about how he and his ferret came to be, the rainy joint practice of the Bears and Bengals and the preseason game at Soldier Field.
3 stars of the episode
Tory Taylor: Punters are human, too, and this episode allowed Taylor to shine during his first training camp. Taylor explained how he came to the United States from Australia and showed several highlights from practice that amazed his teammates — including Williams. The rookie punter also has duties as a holder for kicker Cairo Santos, which were highlighted during the preseason game in wet conditions.
Tyson Bagent: Brett Rypien was in the spotlight in episode one and Reed was a key player in episode two. Finally, it was Bagent’s turn and he did not disappoint. The second-year quarterback was praised by Matt Ryan, who visited Poles, and numerous highlights from both practice and the game were shown. There was also quite a bit of coverage from Travis Bagent, Tyson’s father, from the stands at Soldier Field while his son was in the game. Bagent was sensational in the game against Cincinnati, making this week’s episode the perfect episode to put him in the spotlight.
Caleb Williams: Williams will play a big role in every episode of Hard Knocks. After all, he is the No. 1 overall pick. But even though you knew that from the start, Williams was still one of the stars of the episode. From his interview with Pardon My Take to the sideline conversations during preseason games, he was everywhere this week. But his best moments came when he made those spectacular plays against the Bengals and didn’t let go of the ball after his first touchdown. You could see how much that meant to him when he carried it to the locker room at halftime.
Best moment
It was difficult to pick out a single moment from this episode. From Reed’s impressive vocals to the hilarious “Pardon My Take” interview question about sacrificing a Bears fan for 10 Super Bowls, there were many standout scenes, but the best was when I got the inside scoop on the interest in Judon from Poles himself.
Judon was traded from the New England Patriots to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick, and it wasn’t long before word got out that the Bears were interested. Hard Knocks captured the conversations Poles had with other members of the Bears’ front office about signing Judon, including Eberflus and senior director of player personnel Jeff King, who had a conversation where they believed the deal would go through.
Ultimately, the trade fell through in part because the Bears did not want to sign Judon without a new contract. “Our wording basically says if the contract is not signed, he will return to New England,” Poles told his special adviser Ted Crews.
When Poles didn’t get the trade, he admitted to director of football administration Matt Reinstein that he was conflicted with the parameters he had set. “I agonize, but when you have your own guardrails that are supposed to help us stay on track, we certainly fought against them to get the player,” he said. “But when it comes to losing all flexibility, I don’t think that’s smart, even if he’s successful. If he has 20 sacks now or something, that would make me sick.”
Feinstein, however, put Poles at ease with his comparison. “It’s Judon for one (third-round pick) and some significant financial demands,” he said. “We traded one (fourth) for four years of Austin Booker.” Poles shrugged and nodded, acknowledging that Feinstein made a good point.
It’s these behind-the-scenes moments that make Hard Knocks so compelling. Watching the general manager wrestle with how much he would give up for a player like Judon is riveting for any NFL fan, let alone Bears fans. It’s a moment that had implications for the team’s future, and we got to see how it played out from the Bears’ perspective.
Memorable quote
“The training is harder than the game.” – Caleb Williams
During the first few minutes of the episode, as Eberflus and Williams review film from the Bills game, the head coach asks his quarterback what he learned from his first game experience. Williams smiled and admitted that the practices were tougher, and Eberflus agreed. This shows just how talented the Bears defense is that Williams faces every day.
Reactions on social media
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