

The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast
Chicago Sports Network
The Charter Podcast is where you can find everything you need to know about the Chicago Bears. Our team of Ruthie Polinsky & Clay Harbor bring you postgame reaction, interviews, and game previews. We’ll provide you with latest and have some fun along the way. New episodes available every Thursday throughout the season.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 25, 2019 • 21min
Ep. 186: Running backs of interest at the Combine with Rotoworld’s Josh Norris
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 running backs? Can the Bears find value in the middle rounds of the draft?
3:15: What traits stand out when looking to project pass-catching ability for a running back from college to the pros?
4:30: Josh offers a few running backs to watch at the Combine and in the coming months
11:00: What portions of testing at the Combine are you looking at for running backs?
14:30: How is the class of edge rushers shaping up?
16:40: Obligatory…but thoughts on Kyler Murray?
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Feb 21, 2019 • 14min
Ep. 185: Shedding light on the Bears new DC from the golf course
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 situation...since he had a similar experience with Jim Harbaugh when he was coaching the Bears (9:30).
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Feb 20, 2019 • 27min
Ep. 184: What should the Bears aim to accomplish at the NFL Combine?
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 pick for a running back is a good idea.
1:00: What questions do we want answered by Ryan Pace & Matt Nagy next week?
7:40: Do the Bears need to shift away from taking the best player available to drafting for need?
16:20: Robbie Gould is likely to get tagged by the 49ers. Now what?
20:45: Thoughts on trading a pick for a running back…like Cleveland’s Duke Johnson?
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Feb 14, 2019 • 31min
Ep. 183: Just how good has Ryan Pace been?
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 their confidence in Ryan Pace heading into the draft
05:11 – Laurence goes into why he’s not been as crazy about Pace’s tenure as others have
7: 30 – Ryan Pace’s mid-round picks have historically been great – but can they take the next step?
10:03 – Allen Robinson may have been underappreciated this year
11:15 – a deep, deep dive into the Bears’ kicking woes since Gould left
16:03 – How confident are we that Pace can find a suitable kicker?
21:28 – Cam defends Cody Parkey for some reason
24:15 – How likely are the Bears to sign Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell?
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Feb 6, 2019 • 27min
Ep. 182: What lessons should the Bears take away from the Super Bowl?
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 Belichick & Brady are together in New England?
6:10: What should Matt Nagy have been watching for in the Super Bowl?
8:00: Should Ryan Pace follow the Rams’ blueprint in building the Bears’ 2019 roster? Can he?
18:15: Kudos to Matt Nagy for running away with coach of the year honors
24:00: Do we like Bobby Massie’s contract even more now that details of it have been reported?
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Jan 29, 2019 • 30min
Ep. 181: We don’t appreciate Bobby Massie enough
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 issues weren’t the fault of the O-line?
6:10 - Why Massie is worth the reported $8 million/year salary
8:30 - Is returning all 11 starters on offense a good thing?
11:30 - Why not make Bryce Callahan the priority?
15:00 - What’s the priority now that Massie is under contract?
18:25 - Thoughts on Chuck Pagano?
27:00 - Super Bowl predictions
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Jan 23, 2019 • 31min
Ep. 180: Mitchell Trubisky is a Pro Bowler!
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?
1:20: Mitchell Trubisky is a Pro Bowler. Did he deserve it? Does it matter?
6:30: Why it’s cool to see Charles Leno and Cody Whitehair get Pro Bowl nods, too
9:05: The Bears are going to London! Neat opportunity, or cause for concern?
12:45: Did the NFC/AFC Championship games make you think the Bears are closer or farther to the Super Bowl?
15:10: Would you rather your team lose on Cody Parkey’s double-doink or on an absurdly missed pass interference call?
19:10: How should the Bears go about fixing their kicking situation?
23:00: What does Ryan Pace need to do to address the run game?
26:40: Sneaky positions of need for the Bears in 2019
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Jan 14, 2019 • 31min
Ep. 179: Bears seem to close door on Cody Parkey, but not Kareem Hunt
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 appearance. Is he done in Chicago?
16:00: What should we expect from Chuck Pagano as he takes over the Bears’ defense?
26:00: Odds and ends on Bryce Callahan and Leonard Floyd as the offseason begins
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Jan 7, 2019 • 27min
Ep. 178: Wrapping up the Bears’ season after locker cleanout
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 over, so now what?
10:30: Hear from Allen Robinson about why he’s confident in the Bears’ offense moving forward
15:15: What changes may be made to this offense?
18:20: What will Matt Nagy learn from this season?
22:00: Looking ahead to Ryan Pace’s offseason
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Jan 7, 2019 • 24min
Ep. 177: And just like that, the season is over
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.
0:30 – What is the feeling in the Bears locker room after the loss?
4:45 – Can you believe that is how the Bears season ended?
7:15 – Does Cody Parkey have a job with the Bears next season?
9:00 –Bears need more accountability for lack of performance
12:00 – Evaluating what was a really good season for the Bears
13:00 – What to expect from Mitchell Trubisky next year
14:00 – Is there a way to keep Vic Fangio?
15:00 – What do Bears need to clean up for next season?
16:00 – Does sour end to this season dull optimism for next year?
17:15 – The Nagy/Trubisky tandem going forward
19:15 – Evaluating Trubisky’s game and season as a whole
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