Bears general manager Ryan Pace spoke to play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak on WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM prior to Thursday night's preseason game against the Bengals in Cincinnati. The following is a transcript of that interview.
On last Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game:
"It's always good to see a lot of the younger guys on your roster play and get a lot of reps, and that was the case. You'd like to win the game. We're trying to win all of these. But good back-end development of our roster."
On coach Matt Nagy immediately after the Hall of Fame Game:
"He was pretty charged up. That is important for him. We had an opportunity there with a two-point conversion, but there are a lot of other things we're looking at in the preseason and it was good to see a couple of these younger guys step up."
On quarterback Mitchell Trubisky making his preseason debut tonight:
"It's a combination of all the new resources here along with learning the new offense and you can feel that gelling together with each one of these practices. I think he's put a good week of practice leading into this game and it's going to be exciting to see him do that tonight."
On right guard Kyle Long also making his preseason debut:
"Same thing. He's in a really good state right now. I think we've been really smart with how we've brought him back in. [Offensive line coach] Harry Hiestand has been outstanding just with pushing the right buttons. I think Kyle's in a good place and it's going to be good to see him back in action."
On receiver Allen Robinson II building a rapport with Trubisky:
"Allen's a pro, first and foremost. He's a really good route runner. He's got a big-time catching radious. Really good hands. And you feel that chemistry growing with Mitch. That's going to be important as we go forward and that's just something that takes place in these practices."
On outside linebacker Leonard Floyd:
"He's healthy. He's practicing well. We're excited about him. I know [defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is excited about him, Matt too. He's doing a good job right now, but the big thing for him is that he's got to stay healthy and I think we'll see the production."
On rookie Anthony Miller's impressive performance in training camp:
"He's obviously stood out in these practices. He's what we thought when we evaluated him at Memphis. He's a really good route runner. He's sudden. He's quick. He's got good hands. He's ultra-competitive. And we love his play demeanor. That's infectious. The more of those guys we have the better we'll be.
On any new developments with Roquan Smith's holdout:
"There are really no new developments to this point. It's something that we're working through and obviously I feel like a broken record here but we want him to be here but it's just part of the process."
On keeping details of the Smith holdout private:
"I hope people can respect it. I definitely appreciate the questions and understand the questions, but out of respect to the player and the agent it is a sensitive topic and I think it's best if we just keep that behind the scenes."
