David Haugh | 670 The Score Chicago Host

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Financing subject to credit approval. We welcome David Hall from our Chicago affiliate, AM670 The Score, getting set for his own morning show. I'm sure at this point, your eyes are rolling back in your head, talking about the Bears and the number one overall pick. But did I miss something? Did Ryan Pauls tip his hand?

Morning, Amy. You know, I think when you listen closely, as often as we have had to listen closely here in Chicago, I do think there was a little bit of a shift in tone. And the way that I talked about it on the Mollie and Hawes show here in Chicago was that when you talk about wanting to do right by somebody, I think that philosophically you've reached a point in your mind and also in the minds of your football team and for everyone to know that you're probably going to be doing something because that's going to require you to do right by him. And I think those comments came on the same day that Matt Iberpluss described his ideal quarterback and what situations his ideal quarterback excelled in. And in each category, they were categories that Justin Fields really had fallen short.

So we do have our amateur detective badges here in Chicago. And the football police has concluded that this might have been this might have been a case that we're getting closer to solving based on those comments. As someone who has watched this team extensively, what are the pros and cons for drafting Caleb Williams and parting ways with Justin? Well, I think they're definitely more pros than cons, and I've always been one who has believed that it's time for them to move on. The way I framed it, Amy, is that the Bears, it's not so much a debate as it is a luxury that they have right now that they can make to they can make a decision and they have two choices. One is a good one.

The other one is better. The good one is that they keep Justin Fields and they trade out of that position and they surround him with more talent. Yeah, they're going to be a better football team and able to potentially contend for the NFC North title as early as next year. The better decision is to take your chances on what could be an elite talent.

A guy who and Caleb Williams, people who evaluate talent for a living have a pretty good consensus that he's one of the best prospects coming out in more than a decade. And that's how you win Super Bowls. So that's a better choice to me, because if you're the Bears, you haven't gotten it right at the quarterback position.

Traditionally, historically, that's all stuff that we understand. And if you really want to swing to the fences, you take Caleb Williams and you don't entertain any kind of trade options or proposals, because this is the guy that despite what you could get in return for that pick, this is the guy you want to build around. Ask the Texans if they would take a haul for C.J. Stroud or the Bengals, if they would take a haul for Joe Burrow or the Jaguars and Trevor Morris. Typically, they would say no.

They would hang up the phone because you need that guy to get where you want to go. Well, we'll talk about Caleb in a second, because he's done an extensive interview about Chicago and it sounds like he's getting ready for the possibility. But when you look at Justin in these last few years with him, where do you point the finger of, I don't want to call it a failure, but the shortcomings and why it didn't work? He didn't reach his potential, I think, in Chicago in three seasons, and I think that there was shared responsibility. If you wanted to blame Pye, I think the majority or maybe just 60-40, you know, he wasn't surrounded with talent. Then he had a coaching staff that didn't quite know how to maximize his talent and try to force him into a box, square peg and round hole and all that. But I do think that Justin Fields does bear some of the responsibility as well, because he never really took that next step as a passer.

Things were too hard. He did not really grasp the easy throws and the layups were more difficult than they needed to be. If you graded the flashes and his running ability made him special, if you graded the flashes, he was an exceptional and an extraordinary player. But I think he needs to get more consistent and I think he can be a starting quarterback in the league, but I think that comes with some limitations.

He can improve, he will ascend, but I just don't think he's going to do that in Chicago. David Hawes getting ready for his morning show, Molly and Hawe, on our Chicago affiliate, AM 670 The Score. They've talked about this ad nauseam.

Oh, and we're only a couple months away from the draft. Fantastic. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. What did you think of or what have you thought about Caleb Williams and what you've seen of him in college, but also his comments to Pete Thamel, the interview that he did in which he really raved about Chicago? I really think that was one of the more important developments in this pre-draft process that he talked to a reporter with whom he is obviously comfortable. And he cleared up a lot of the misconceptions and misinformation that had been lingering out there for far too long.

I don't think that it was I don't think it was really fair to hold Caleb Williams responsible for some of the things maybe he didn't say and we didn't hear him say. So what he did, I think the big picture bullet points, he said he would play in Chicago. He said he's going to talk Friday at the Combine. He's going to let people get to know him. And he also wants to be great. And in this in this football town, I think those are things that people have been waiting to hear.

He also played the crowd a little bit understanding where he is. And he did say he loved deep dish pizza, Walter Payton and Michael Jordan. There's no better way to pander to the bear crowd and the bear fan base than to mention those things. So good.

All right. Let's pivot to baseball a little bit. Craig Council taking over as manager of the Cubs. Cody Bellinger is back. What's the excitement level if we're grading on a one to 10 scale? Finally, it's a relief as much as excitement.

Amy, we've been waiting for this for a very long time. They go out and they coach council in November and the beginning of an off season full of excitement and raised expectations. Waited to get Bellinger officially into the fold till yesterday.

That was because it was a long dance with Scott Boris. Right now, there's excitement because the Cubs won 83 games last year, but blew it down the stretch. They needed to get Bellinger back for them to be legitimate contenders in that division.

And now they are. So there's there's anticipation for opening day and the Cubs are going to be good again. And that's always fun because I think when you go out and you get the highest paid manager in baseball, you tell everybody in town you're serious about getting to the postseason because it's been far too long since they've been there. I keep hearing words like sledgehammer and uncomfortable and change with Craig Council. What is the out to do?

What needs to be changed with the Cubs? I think it's got to be more subtle than it may be a sledgehammer. I think he's a guy that's going to be very direct, but you're going to see him over time.

Oh, I didn't think of that. Oh, wasn't that really a good move? He's got he's not somebody that is is got to be the loudest guy in the room and he certainly might be the smartest. But I think over time you're going to see the way that he not only handled the bullpen, but uses his lineups, keeps people fresh and makes in-game decisions that maybe will give the Cubs an advantage they haven't had before. Not that's not a disrespect to David Ross. David Ross was the right guy at the right time for this team when he was hired and replaced Joe Maddon. But likewise, I think Craig Council is the right guy to take them to the next step.

David Hall is with us from AM 670, the score in Chicago. What's wrong with the, I almost said the Bills, I'm still in football mode. What's wrong with the Bulls? What's wrong with the Bulls? They're coming off one of the biggest wins of the season after one of the biggest losses of the season. I know, but... They were crazy.

The extremes, I'm getting dizzy. Everybody in Chicago doesn't know. The Bulls are terrible, then the Bulls are back. I don't know what to believe because last night double overtime kept us up way too late for people that worked the morning show. But it was worth staying up for because they had 74 rebounds against the Cavaliers. 74!

That's crazy, Amy. I don't know, the Bulls, they're a bad team. They're under.500, but they're still going to probably sneak into the play and raise some hopes and earn the right to get swept by the Celtics. Well, you say 74 rebounds and I think a lot of missed shots. That's a lot of missed shots.

Oh my gosh. That's on brand. They can't shoot the three. They can't hit the three.

DeMar DeRozans is the master of the mid-range, but this is a team that really isn't constructed great, but now they have all kinds of injuries and now they're just trying to hang on. Before I let you go, I have a special place in my heart for anyone who does a polar bear plunge. I see that's on your horizon. Well, you know, Amy, this has been a very unusual winter in Chicago. I picked the most mild winter to do it. It's going to be 60 degrees Sunday on the lakefront and I am going to take the polar plunge.

I can't wait. Wait, forget the air temperature, David. What's the water temp going to be like? I'm in denial.

I have no idea. I just know it's going to be 60 degrees out and I can do this because I want to do it. I've been wanting to do it.

It's a great cause, Special Olympics Chicago, so I'm looking forward to it. Well, just so you know, not to scare you or anything, but I did one with the Maryland State Police and Special Olympics in Maryland a few years ago in the Chesapeake Bay and the water was 35 degrees. First of all, try not to run into the water because when you do, you'll trip and fall flat on your face because the water holds up your lower half and your top half has got momentum.

Maybe it's just me. I tripped and fell flat on my face in the water and then within, I don't know, about 15 seconds, I could not feel my lower half. Whoa. I could have done without knowing that, Amy, but I look forward to seeing the video pop up somewhere on your Twitter feed if you have it. I do have the video.

I've actually never shared it, but maybe just to show support for you. Thank you. I appreciate that.

I know the help I can get. You can find David on Twitter at DavidHaugh, H-A-U-G-H. You can hear him on AM 670 The Score in Chicago, plus the Odyssey app getting said to do his show, Mully and Haugh, and also the Take the North podcast. Great to have you again. Have a great day. Thanks so much for a couple of minutes. Anytime, Amy.

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