Mike Tomczak, the former Chicago Bears quarterback who now volunteers as a coach at Youngstown State, joined Dan Proft to break down a wild weekend in football, starting with Texas’s second-half comeback over Ohio State. Tomczak, an Ohio State alum, said he was rooting for Texas quarterback Arch Manning despite his own Buckeye loyalties, praising Manning for delivering a signature comeback win after enduring heavy preseason expectations tied to his family name. He noted the game came down to a single point, and that his own bet on the money line rather than the point spread cost him, calling it a cautionary tale for bettors.
Asked to compare today’s college game to the one he played, Tomczak said the sport has become far more exciting because offenses now use the full width of the field, tracing the shift back to rule changes in the early 20th century that opened up the passing game and reduced dangerous collisions. He pointed to the rise of the shotgun formation and the run-pass option as evidence of how much more space modern quarterbacks have to work with, crediting that evolution for the increase in athletic, dual-threat quarterbacks succeeding at every level, including his own Youngstown State signal caller, reigning FCS Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard, who accounted for six touchdowns in a recent game.
Turning to the Bears’ 59-point season-opening win over the Panthers, Tomczak said he was not worried about the pass rush despite a defensive performance that let Carolina’s Bryce Young look sharp for much of the game, arguing the coaching staff will find the right scheme as the season progresses. He acknowledged the run defense numbers were concerning but noted the old coaching adage that teams typically make their biggest improvement between week one and week two. He singled out rookie safety Zah Tishman for flying around the field with the kind of instinctive aggressiveness that recalled Bears greats like Doug Plank and Gary Fencik, while cautioning that a safety leading the team in tackles usually signals that opposing offenses are getting to the second level too easily.
On quarterback Caleb Williams, Tomczak was effusive, saying Williams’s touchdown throw to Rome Odunze showed elite anticipation, coverage recognition and location, and praised his football intelligence and rapport with new head coach Ben Johnson. Tomczak credited Williams’s quarterbacks coach, former Ohio State signal caller J.T. Barrett, for helping refine that awareness, and said Johnson’s scheme is designed to attack a defense’s weaknesses relentlessly. He said only time will tell whether the Bears can sustain that level of offensive production, with a Sunday matchup against Minnesota next on the schedule.
Proft and Tomczak closed by remembering former Bears fullback Matt Suhey, who died last week. Tomczak, visibly emotional, called Suhey a close friend and one of the great instigators in the Bears locker room alongside Walter Payton, comparing their bond to the friendship depicted in the film Brian’s Song. He said Payton’s son Jared has discussed the possibility of a similar film project honoring Suhey and Payton’s relationship. Tomczak recalled Suhey’s early interest in trading stocks and options as a young player, saying he was clearly destined for success beyond football, and noted Suhey’s business ventures, his family’s deep ties to Penn State football, and the outpouring of support from former teammates and Chicago sports figures at his funeral. Tomczak said he expects the Bears to honor Suhey’s memory at Soldier Field this weekend.