CHGO Digest: Caleb & Bears shine on Hard Knocks, look ahead at crosstown series

Good morning, friends!

Nothing gets me riled up for Week 1 of the regular season quite like Liev Schreiber’s soothing baritone — not even an actual preseason game.

The fact HBO’s and NFL Films’ collaboration is centered around the Bears this season is just the cherry on top.

Tuesday night’s Hard Knocks premiere felt like — possibly for the first time since The Last Dance — everybody was watching. However, unlike the Michael Jordan documentary, Hard Knocks isn’t a glimpse into what was, but rather what could be.

Four more episodes. 31 days until kickoff at Soldier Field against the Titans.

— Patrick Norton

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Canadian Eagle, Caleb, Nick Saban highlight ep. 1

I doubt anybody expected a Star-Spangled Speedo to take center stage on Tuesday night. It doesn’t get much more patriotic than Toronto-native Theo Benedet performing God Bless The U.S.A, donning nothing but a bald eagle swimsuit.

Benedet, an undrafted rookie offensive lineman, quickly won over the hearts of Bears fans throughout Tuesday’s episode but sustained a hamstring injury in last week’s Hall of Fame Game.

• Arguably the highlight of the show? Nick Saban’s visit to Halas Hall and his 1-on-1 conversation with his former linebacker at Toledo, Matt Eberflus. Talking about Caleb Williams, Saban said, “Here’s my theory on why NFL quarterbacks fail at such a dramatic rate: To me, expectations are a killer.”
  
• The 7-time college champion continued, “Development is the key for him.” Eberflus then asked if Saban would do anything a certain way in practice with his quarterback, to which Saban said, “I always stood behind the quarterback. I always wanted to hear their version of what was happening. I was never negative with ’em in front of the team.”
  
• Saban on building quarterbacks into leaders: “You’ve got to have a good work ethic, you’ve got to be able to overcome adversity. You have to reinforce positive performance from the other players. You can’t be a transactional leader.” Instead, Saban suggested molding a transformational leader that serves other people, helping them for their benefit.
  

📺 HARD KNOCKS AFTER DARK | SPOTIFY | APPLE | The CHGO Bears crew breaks down the first episode of Hard Knocks, including what a slip-and-slide taught us about Caleb Williams’ ability to slide.

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Tee off at the CHGO Kickoff!

Time is running out! Hit the links and compete with your friends and favorite CHGO personalities at Cog Hill on August 23rd for the second annual CHGO Kickoff Classic!

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White Sox end streak ahead of Cubs series

I’m sure if you asked any Cubs fan, they’d admit to cheering for the White Sox in Oakland to start the week. No Cubs fan could fathom the risk involved with traveling to Guaranteed Rate Field with a historic losing streak on the line.

That ends one of two ways: 1) South Siders break the 1961 Phillies’ record of 23 consecutive losses, or 2) Cubs fans never live down a loss in the middle of August to a sub-.250 club.

But it’s irrelevant following Jonathan Cannon’s six-inning effort on Tuesday night. Instead, it’s just another Crosstown Classic.

• After Tuesday night’s win, Pedro Grifol remarked, “Any time you win, it’s great. Any time you win after losing 21 in a row, it’s even better. I’m proud of these guys. They keep coming to the park playing hard and they play together.” Wednesday’s loss brought Grifol’s record as manager of the White Sox to 89-190.
  
• Friday will be the first time the Cubs have faced Garrett Crochet as a starting pitcher. Crochet is a 4.0 WAR player so far this season, sporting a 2.60 xFIP in 23 starts. Just five games back of the Atlanta Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot, the Cubs can’t afford to stumble against the White Sox. To combat Crochet and Chris Flexen on Saturday, the Cubs will send Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele to the mound.
  

🎟️ CROSSTOWN TAKEOVER | Join the CHGO White Sox crew for a special night at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday — White Sox. Cubs. Fireworks. Tickets for $70!

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Roundup: Welcome back to CHGO, Cole Kmet!

• In case you missed our big announcement yesterday, Cole Kmet and CHGO are joining forces again! Introducing “The Eighty Five with Cole Kmet“, bringing you into the locker room and on the field with exclusive interviews, plus weekly game discussions with Adam Hoge.
  
  The show debuts next week and will have new episodes throughout the upcoming football season! To ensure you get the first episode as soon as it becomes available, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
  

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1K for 85!

Over 1,000 fans have already subscribed to "The Eighty Five With Cole Kmet" YouTube channel!🎙️

Don't miss out – subscribe now and be part of the action all season long!🏈

LINK 👉 https://t.co/Z5wzuyMqQi pic.twitter.com/drnje1P77n

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) August 7, 2024

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Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

⚾ 8/9: CHGO White Sox Crosstown Takeover at Guaranteed Rate Field!
⛳ 8/23: Kickoff Classic Golf Tournament at Cog Hill!
⚾ 9/6: CHGO Cubs Takeover for Anthony Rizzo’s return to Wrigley!
🏈 9/8: CHGO Bears Tailgate in Chicago! – Week 1 vs. Titans