Bears rookies Dillon Thieneman and Sam Roush will both fulfill a lifelong dream Sunday in Charlotte when they play in their first NFL regular-season game.
Thieneman, a safety out of Oregon, was selected in the first round of the draft, while Roush, a tight end from Stanford, was chosen in the third round.
"Over the weekend, it's kind of hit me," Thieneman said Monday after practice. "Going through the preseason, then make the official roster. Now you're starting to get into it; last night I was watching film, prepping for the game. It's like, 'Geez, I'm really where I wanted to be, being that little kid.'"
Roush has also been preparing himself for this moment for as long as he can remember. It was almost an expectation due to his family lineage: His grandfather, Phil Olsen, played in the NFL, as did his great-uncle, Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. In addition, Roush's father played football at Duke.
"I was pretty young when I started dreaming about it," Roush said. "I always knew football was something I was going to do, and I want to do it really well. The NFL's always been the dream. It's awesome to be here. [But] I don't want to fall into the trap where 'I've made it, I'm in the NFL.' There's still a lot to be accomplished and there's so much I can get better at. [But it's] definitely a dream come true."
Thieneman has enjoyed playing in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's scheme.
"I think it's pretty simple," Thieneman said. "There are complexities within it, but a lot of times he makes a call and he lets people on the field just play football. We'll make checks on the field. We have rules for everything for how things work, but if we see it a little differently, he's like, 'you guys are out on the field, you guys call it.' That's been pretty cool."
Thieneman was expected to team with veteran Coby Bryant at safety this season. But Bryant sustained a leg injury in training camp that required surgery and will sideline him indefinitely. Since Bryant went down, Thieneman has worked with experienced pros Cam Lewis and Xavier Woods.
"I feel very comfortable with them, both vets," Thieneman said. "They definitely have a lot of experience [and are] able to help me. I've been talking to them a lot just in the meeting room, like how they see things, and out on the field, we'll talk once we're on the sideline. I feel very comfortable and able to communicate and kind of anticipate what the other guys are thinking."
With each passing week, Roush has gained a firmer grasp of the playbook.
"Obviously, there is a physical jump from college to NFL, and then there's definitely a mental jump as well," Roush said. "So, I'm running schemes that I haven't run before, and I am understanding the kills and why we're killing it, kind of understanding where the point should be in the run game, all the techniques and pressure looks. You can call out pressure versus leverage. That can help the offensive line because they know their combos are going to come off flatter or whatever is going to happen."
Roush has learned a lot from fellow tight end Cole Kmet, a seventh-year pro.
"He's super detail-oriented," Roush said. "It's been really cool to watch him go through his process. He's doing like an hour-long warmup before practice, which is pretty impressive that he is able to come in and do it every single day. It's been great. He's a guy that does it the right way. And it's awesome to be in a room with guys like Cole and Colston [Loveland] and be on the team with a lot of really great players. That greatness rubs off as long as you're subscribing to the culture and continuing to get closer to guys."
