Montez Sweat’s impact, Justin Fields-Bears pending break up with Shawne Merriman

On this episode of the Under Center Podcast, Shawne Merriman joins Kenneth Davis and Alex Shapiro to discuss his upcoming Lights Out fight on January 6. But first, they discuss the effect the Montez Sweat trade has had on the Bears’ defense (0:38). Merriman also talks about why he thinks it might be best for Justin Fields and the Bears to part ways this offseason (2:43). Later, he talks about the impact Khalil Mack has had on the Chargers’ defense (7:35) and what the Bears should do at left tackle going forward (8:56). Finally, Merriman talks about his experience with a quarterback competition (16:42) and if it’s time for teams to step away from having defensive-minded head coaches (20:00). Merriman also give his predictions for the Bears’ Week 17 against the Falcons (23:34).

#ChicagoBears #JustinFields #ShawneMerriman

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Montez Sweat’s impact, Justin Fields-Bears pending break up with Shawne Merriman
https://www.youtube.com/NBCSportsChicago

Welcome to the under Center podcast presented by St Xavier University always fortunate enough to be joined by our Bears beat reporter Alex Shapiro please follow him at Alex Shapiro NBCS CLA flipple is running the show of course and we are broadcasting live from the NBC podcast studios here joining us from

Of course lights out extreme Fighting they got an event on January 6th in the Thunder studios in Long Beach we have former NFL player Shan please follow him and Shan maram Sean how are you doing today bro I’m doing well my man how are you I’m doing well man we’re doing well man

Listen we got to talk to you about these Bears man the Bears had a victory this past week but it still hasn’t been the season that we believed that we were going to have but I want to start on a high note you were a dominant Edge

Rusher in the NFL and also you’re from the Maryland area I don’t know if here we thought Mont sweat was this dude and it it may have been because he played with a lot of dudes on that Commander line but what were your thoughts on one

The trade but also his play before being traded and his play after being traded here to the Bears yeah for one I was extremely surprised that not only they got rid of Monte SWAT but they got rid of Chase young all all in one you know normally in those situations if someone even

Looking a clean house and move on from guys they they’re moving one guy right not not both but I think the commanders realized they were so far off that even with those two they’re not going to be that much better of a team because they have so many other hoses feeli and that

End up being the case Mont sweat has always been dominant right and I try to use this analogy the reason why you know I had the sacks in the career that I did was because we were able to put up a lot of points in offense and if your offense

Is not putting up points who’s going to want to throw against that pass rush right and and that’s what it comes down to but if your offense is consistently not giving you any anything to work with it becomes you know bad all the way around so you you see now Chase young

Went out there and had in instant success right they got Nick Bosa on the other side of him quarterback they’re putting up points the same thing with the Bears man I think that once they get their act together on the offensive line I mean they got a lot of positions they

Need to fi but you got DJ Moore you got some targets there that you can go and make you know and get it done um they even got a running game Justin Fields man in my opinion has not got the really the credit that he deserves you know

It’s like putting someone in a bad situation team situation and then blaming everything with him and I’m not saying he’s been spectacular himself but that dude can go out and do some things for you that a lot of other quarterbacks can’t I just don’t think

They put him in position to do it just yet I I want to follow up right on that so do you think the Bears should hang on to him or do you think it would be best for Justin fields to move on or like ju what does Justin Fields need to succeed

What is that best situation for him I I think in this situation is best for both if he Parts if he goes somewhere else now because you’ve seen what you got out of with him uh and it seems like this not a situation where they’re going to

Have anything to build around him in the future and if that’s the case both need to shake hands thank each other for doing whatever they did on the field thanks for you know for drafting him and everything he did for organization this for me and my opinion it’s time for

Justin fields to have a new start somewhere else um where for one he’s not gonna get thrown into the fire and expect to do everything himself with no help around him uh two he get an opportunity to show another team another organization fans that he is the player

That they draft him for he just got he got caught in a really really bad situation overall with the organization not being ready to take on somebody like him um and I think for all parties man it’s best for him to to to move on now

I’m team save Justin and I don’t think a lot of people understand that and it’s kind of what you just said I I want what’s best for Justin and I don’t know if the Bears can they they haven’t provided it for him and I don’t know if

They can but I want him to be able to get to a large contract and I don’t want them to mess up and ruin his opportunity where he’s viewed as a stop Gap than rather being the choice at a quarterback position moving forward what team do you

Think would best perhaps set or or coach would best perhaps set Justin up or that needs a quarterback perhaps next season I I I I’m looking at a team like the Jets um you know Aaron Rogers is not the longterm fix he probably got another

Year or two there I know he signed a mul you know a bigger deal um but in my opinion um the Jets will be a nice fit I think the Vikings will be a nice fit um the commanders depending on what they do with with how over there and how they

Build around him may be a nice fit I just think that he needs a change of scenery man I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his play um yeah he has made some decisions to hold on to the ball a little bit too long this year

And I just think that’s coming down from him wanting to do too much wanting to do more than he than he should have to instead of getting rid of the ball timing routes getting the ball out of his hands he’s indecisive because he’s been hit a lot and theyve they’ve asked

Asked him to do more than what he’s ready to do with that team he’s working with right now and so there there’s about five teams out there that I think that you know that that would be suitable he could walk in right now and instantly make them a better team so

There’s nothing against the Bears and what they’ve done I just think that for both parties at this point in time in his career what they got out of him it’s it’s time for him to move on and go somewhere else I want to ask you about the quarterback uh for the Chargers the

Team near and dear to your heart obviously had an amazing career with the Chargers uh but there’s some questions about Justin Herbert as well and some people are floating out hey should the Chargers trade Justin Herbert and kind of start over because the franchise is kind of up in the air obviously the

Coach is out the GM is out do you think a full restart is on the way or should they hang on to Justin Herbert and still try and uh build around him that cap hit be crazy that cap hit yeah the cap is going to be crazy they got a lot of

Decisions to make with with Bosa coming up and khil khil Matt coming up with his with his big cap pit Herbert I think the question really and then Mike Williams who went down to knee injury you know I think he they’re going to make a move on

Him at some point I think Justin Herbert is a long-term answer um and he he’s already shown that he can play and he can put up numbers he’s shown he’s capable of putting up 30 plus points a game um it’s really hard to excel at a

As a quarterback in the league is when you have a rotating door of offensive coordinators and coaches it’s really hard he’s had three or four of them in his you know in his years of being there hasn’t had a stable situation so if you’re coming in and and you had three

Coordinators already now you got to learn Kell Moors right and now you head coach get fired along with the GM there’s a lot of moving parts and so if you deci if they did something crazy in my opinion to move on from Justin Herbert where do you go right then

You’re talking about rebuilding and the charge of fan base I’ll tell you right now it’s not about no two or three years or four years rebuilding you know they’ve had enough um they had a coach in there who who a head coach who didn’t go and get it done

With great players right Derwin James and um you know de C Max Joey Bosa kenth Murray Kenan Allen look at that look at that roster that they have Eckler look at the Rost Everett the tight end they are stacked if you look at skill position wise offens lineman the left

Tackles are all pro he’s one of the best in the game so if you do decide to do something dra you know you know dramatic or or drastic and move on from Justin Herbert where do you go who do you bring in and are you willing to to sit around

Two three four years in that rebuilding process I don’t think the fans I don’t think the Chargers fans are going to sit back and allow that to happen khil Mack has had a resurging year former bear do you think that he’ll be resigned or will he go on to look for greener

Pastures I I think you have to resign him and you have to figure everything else out because he’s been one of one of them one of the consistent ones right in that in that rotation um you know I want to thank all the the the Bears out there the or front

Office Organization for giving us K Mack who uh you know I I want to make sure I send my my thanks to the Bears Organization for moving on from KH because my my problem with with with the Bears are doing in the front office and what they did with khil Mack you know

What khil Mack is capable of doing but you don’t put anybody on the opposite side of him he was getting double teamed and triple teamed and that led to injuries you know that led to him you know kind of getting beat up because you didn’t give him someone on the opposite

Side of him that was going to take that pressure off they had a good D tackle there but you need as an outside linebacker and pass rusher you need a guy if you’re a great player you need a guy on the other side of you that’s

Going to go out and take care of business and if and the Bears fail to do that that’s why khil ma didn’t play as well as he did with the charges he had Joey Bosa right the the new the new kid Tuli from uh you they just drafted on

The other side of him taking a pressure off he’s a SC alone little fight on little fight on for Tuli um that’s right I’m curious about the the other side of the line the tackles that you’re going against so the other debate in Chicago is what are the the Bears do at left

Tackle they got Darnell Wright they drafted him in the first round this year he looks solid as a rookie but Braxton Jones the debate is should he stick at left tackle or should they get another first round tackle so I’m curious from your opinion as a great pass rusher what

Were the best qualities in tackles that you went up against who were the guys that shut you down and how did they do it well nobody really shut me down who uh who slowed you down you’re right nobody shut you down I should have said that who you

Down you’re right that’s on me that’s on me but you know so you you know it’s a little bit different time right in the tackles of what they were capable of doing I went against the Walter Jones the Willie rool Orlando Paces like those guys those guys that John ran big guys

Who can who can move but they’re not like they are now these these tackles I mean Trent Williams dude it’s like a tight end a oversized tight end with defeat and his movement things like that uh I also play played against a great offens offensive tackle every day and

Marcus mcneel right out of Auburn and people don’t really give him the like he was one of the best of the best when he was healthy until he had that that lower back injury I used to see him every day and so we used to battle every single

Day so by the time I got to the game I was looking at guys like this is this is nothing right I had to see Marcus McNeil every day but you have your your occasional guys that uh you know your wal Jones and of of the world and and um

You know the Joe Thomases you know those guys just give you give you hell for 60 minutes that you actually got to go out there and lay some up and play but I I played against a damn good one every single dayam in practice in Marcus M the

Under Center podcast fortunate enough to have Shan merman former NFL pro bowler joining us here to talk about his lights out extreme Fighting this event that’s taking place January 6 break it down for us man what should we expect got we got a huge event lights out extreme Fighting 13 uh Saturday

January 6th in Long Beach California but you guys can watch live on football TV football sports uh if you don’t have football get this one man we’re stacked up we got I believe we got two or three guys on this card that that may be one

And done with us and head over to the UFC uh we we really do have the next up and cominging guys in this sport um and the fun part about me man I’ve been around this thing for seven been around this sport for 17 years started to train

A little bit my on my own when I played during the off seasons and I just rolled right into it man and now you know we all we often talk about these the guys struggling right the transition after they’re done playing and for me just went right into Combat Sports because

That was that was my love and passion it it kept me disciplined I still train and spar with some of the guys sometime to just you know stay with it stay in shape um and we got a couple guys in this card who I’ve actually sparred with and

Worked with in their gyms and that’s if to be around here man it’s it’s it’s very few times in life you get a chance to do what I did on the football field and now with LD extreme Fighting to build this platform to get these other up andc coming Fighters a platform it’s

Been fun how does it feel to have a platform as you just mentioned to where you’re promoting guys to the UFC and you get to see your guys going on and knowing that you you took a part in helping them and them helping themselves to reach the

Zenith yeah I don’t know if you guys seen the kerick the frog mean when he got his hand up against the glass and he’s holding his hand yes I I don’t know if you guys seen that one but when they take off and go to the UFC man that’s me right because

You see uh you see these young upand cominging um you know fighters who are just gritty they they’re working their tails off they got part-time job some of them still trying to make it you know hear the crazy stories about them sleeping in the gyms and just all kind

Of wild stuff and so when you see them finally get that opportunity you you felt you feel I feel accomplished you know selfishly you know it’s it’s a great feeling that I that I was a part of that but also too we we want to be

The next up and coming leaders and where where the UFC those guys they look at us and saying hey you know life’s out extreme fight man they got they got some of the best talent over there we want to become a pool for them and and I’ve

Talked to Dana about it you know several times and we just uh we we we’re my what the UFC has done with they’ve accomplished and made this sport what it is I mean we none of us even talking about MMA if if UFC hasn’t made it such

A global phenomenon so to even following those footsteps to give these Fighters an opportunity to go there is has been great I’m curious what gives you the bigger Adrenaline Rush delivering a hit on a quarterback in the NFL or taking a big hit inside the ring oh delivering always I mean you

Know I’m I’m giving a hit out that that’s uh that’s where I get my satisfaction from I think ultimately um it’s Combat Sports right it’s it’s it’s collisions it’s punches very it’s very very we got guys that’s transitioning we got some NFL guys I’m going to announce

Here probably in the next 30 to 60 days name people that people know Super Bowl champs um that are coming over taking fights and lights out fighting so that that to me is going to be fun hopefully I can get that get those deals done but um I got verbal commitments from about

Three guys that uh that former NFL one I’m a Super Bowl champ that everyone knows and other guys had a really really good career and that’s going to be a trend here in the next six to 12 months about these former athletes transition in the Combat Sports any bears on your

List no but I got a couple guys I would like to sign up you know over there um but uh yeah you know we’re always looking for more and more up and cominging guys just looking to transition out still feel great want to compete you know in something so we we

Give them that platform to come over and do so of course we were going to watch all the fighters on January 6th but any Fighters particularly to stand out that we should pay specific attention to yeah our our new main event Gilbert nakatani

That that that kid is g to be he he he loves the he loves the bang man he stands up and he BRS he put puts on his show for the crowd sells a ton of tickets he’s a big viewership guy um Jake Woodley uh D1 wrestler um you know

He he’s College College D1 wrestler this dude I got a a video of him taking down Bo nickel a couple times Bo Nichols in the UFC uh as well so he he’s going to be a star of the sport I think as well but this this whole card man we’re you

Know we’re we’re pretty we’re pretty stacked up um and like I said I really do believe that we got one or two guys in this card that’ll be one and done and I know that that UFC is probably looking at them as well that’s January 6 fubo TV

Make sure you tune in at 4 pm that’s when it starts if you’re going doors open at 3 listen let me ask you this you mentioned that the Bears in Justin field should break since you already have said that what should the Bears do with the quarterback position moving forward in

Your opinion Sean I think that you know they go out and and and draft um and then you bring in a nice solid backup and nobody should be a bigger example this year that their solid backups on the street than the Cleveland Browns um you know for Joe Flaco to get off you

Know come off the street and S off of his couch and Performing the way he is right now it shows you there’s a ton more guys out there who can step in and get it done you know you don’t you can draft a guy because he doesn’t have to

Play right away I’m not a big fan of rookies jumping on the field right away any when especially when you don’t have a team around him you know I I these injuries and things that Joe Burrow’s having I believe are you know a test to noine them you know right dragging him

At as a rookie no offensive line and him getting beat up you know his first year and I just don’t I don’t agree when teams do that if you’re going to draft a franchise guy that’s going to be there 10 plus years for you do not put them on

The field by any means necessary until they’re absolutely ready and when I say ready give them offensive line give them some wide receivers give them a defense give him a give him a staff around him and if you can’t do that do not throw him on the field because he’s not ready

Well do you live through that with the Chargers right Drew Brees was around and then the Chargers drafted Philip Rivers who sat for a couple of years and then you know Breeze hurts himself goes off to New Orleans and then Rivers becomes a guy um so I guess what are your memories

Of that what was it like having the two of them on that team and then how do you remember that quarterback competition playing out especially when it was kind of unclear okay is Breeze gonna hold on to this job or is Rivers going to take it

Over well you know I I came into the best situation you can ever ask for as a rookie right that that just doesn’t happen you got a Hall of Fame quarterback for sure and Drew Brees and potential Hall of Fame quarterback and Phil Rivers is right behind them and I

Got a chance to play work with both of them and I you know I was about 15 about I say about 20 25 feet away from Drew Brees when he had that catastrophic uh shoulder injury and um you know it was a it was a competition but then right

Who’s going to play who’s going to go who’s going to start and whatnot when when Drew had that injury it was a clear-cut decision that they were moving on from Drew and going to Philip no matter what and I was with Drew Brees working with Todd Durkin in San Diego

Every offseason and what people don’t know is is what he did and with how he got back on the field no one else would have would have been able to do you know I watched him throw struggle to throw five and 10 yards coming back from that

Thing and I watched him every single week throw a couple more yards throw a couple more you know um more passes and him come back from that so I got the best ends of both Spectrum it was nobody that work like Drew Brees and it was nobody that was more competitive than

Philip Rivers and so I seen both of those guys go at it and it was it it taught me a lot coming in as a 20 21 year old kid I want to go back to the commanders real quick because I think this could affect the Bears you have

Former bear and Ron Rivera’s the head coach and you also have the former Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric benmy uh which again who knows if what happens with the Bears what do you think is going to happen with the coaching situation and also let’s just say if

They move off of Ron Rivera do you think it’s a chance they may promote Eric benemy yeah I think that was the whole the whole goal from the start I I truly do no there there there there’s no need for Eric benamy to leave one organization as offensive coordinator

And go to another one unless he has a real chance a real shot at being a head coach there’s just no need to do it and also you’re leaving a you know Hall of Fame quarterback a Hall of Fame tight end Hall of Fame coach head coach behind

To go somewhere else where you where there’s uncertainty there’s that’s the only way that I believe that a a offensive coordinator leave one great situation to go somewhere else if there’s a promise or some kind of handshake some kind of agreement saying hey if this thing don’t

Work out you’re first in line right that that’s the only way you make that decision also if they don’t make that decision Vimy will be a head coach somewhere it’s it’s period we we’re seeing now with how how much he played a part of K City Chiefs and what the what

He did on that offense they’re not the same team without Eric benamy there and people are not talking about that enough you know yes they’re down a couple players and not they don’t have as as as uh you know Tyre Hill and those guys whatever but if you see that this

Confidence their play calling the things they’re doing the Kansas City Chiefs are not the same team that they were when Eric beny there if anybody thinks that he does have a big part of that is wrong and it’s showing that they’re wrong I mean this is probably near and dear to

Your heart as a defensive guy but do you think the day of the defensive minded head coach is done just because such focus is placed on these offensive guys you talk about hey the the plan was always maybe for Eric bamy to take over and this offense is so important and and

Matching that quarterback with that offensive mind is there no room for anything else at this in this NFL yeah I mean look it’s it’s uphill battle because your head coach you want for one to have a relationship with the team right a players type of Coach type

Type of deal also you want a quarterback friendly head coach that that’s had success working with you know quarterbacks in in the past so you do want some form of that but I I don’t think that’s entirely true I think that even with the lions that right now are

Doing with Dan Campbell just his attitude the way they play the grit you know they’re not offensive minded they’re not saying hey let’s go out and score 40 plus you know 30 or 40 plus points a game they’re they’re phys physical they’re going out getting it done you know also the Ravens how

They’re playing they’re physical so you know there nothing wrong with having a offensive minded head coach there’s no nothing wrong with having a quarterback friendly coach but let’s not let’s not forget here teams that win play defense teams that win are physical you’ve seen what the Ravens did to the 49ers they

Out the other night they out physical and hitting these guys in the mouth and any team out there that’s more physical right now are winning football games across the board that’s cludes the Lions and you know CLE the Browns the Browns haven’t been Stellar on offense the whole entire year but that defense

They’ve been hitting you in the mouth and so I think that there’s there’s going to be a wave here where we started kind of transition back to hey man football is always going to be football even though we’re living in offensive uh driven League you mentioned Lions a

Couple of times um how far do you believe the Bears are away from challenging the Lions as far as being at the top of this division well I said before the season um that the lions were were Pro were my sneaky pick right they were the ones

That were going to creep up um because Green Bay isn’t who they what they were right when Aaron Rogers and that team they had there so they kind of took a step back Kirk Cousins went down you know early during the year but I even thought that when when dvin cook left

You know they wasn’t the team that they were so other other teams in the in certain divisions are going to start to emerge when the other ones take a step back and it this year it’s been the Lions they emerged and Chicago is right there but they have some pieces that

They’re reluctant to bring in a do instead of pointing the finger at finger at Justin Justin Fields I think that they a couple D line in a way with sweat they made they made a you know kind of a attempt to beef that up a little bit I

Think the offensive line has to get better not moving guys around and testing them out if they a right tackle let’s let’s try him out a left tackle see if he’s comfortable there you want your guys at the most comfortable positions unless there’s some big injury

And they got to they gota they got to go forward that way other than that you you want your you want your original position guys like I I’ll say this again man just Justin Fields is going to be a player in NFL whether that’s with the Bears or not he’s he’s competitive you

Know he he keeps fighting I’ve never seen him go out there and just lay a goose egg and be okay with it he wants to go out there and win he says all the right things he’s getting after it but he doesn’t have the pieces so it’s

Whether whether it’s with the Bears or not Justin Fields is going to have success in the NFL at some point what about a prediction for this upcoming game with the Falcons traveling in Chicago face the Bears yeah I got I got the Bear in that

One um I do I do think that when the when the bear are playing like they like they should even even you know using their ability in some of those positions they actually the the record doesn’t really demonstrate how how how good they really are so you look at the record and

You say man they all same old Bears they going through no you look at two or three of these games this year when you looking like man they they shouldn’t have lost those games that’s one or two plays that they gave up and you win one

Of two games every or three games that you gave away the season looks completely different right it looks completely different it puts you in contention you got an opportunity but the fact that they dropped those games that they should have won there’s all the finger pointing going around and it

Always seemed to end up at Justin Fields all right January 6 4M Foo TV make sure you tune in to this MMA event by lights out extreme figh and Sean much more success and we always appreciate when you spend a little time with us here at NBC

Sports you got it my man thanks for having me on thanks you for joining us