Alex Brown - Chicago Bears Alumni

1) Alex Brown is a former defensive end for who played for the Chicago Bears from 2002-2009.

2) Born is Jasper, Florida to a football family, Alex went on to star at the University of Florida for the Gators from 1998-2001. His collegiate highlights were numerous as he was named a 2 time First-Team All-American, 3 time First-Team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, won an SEC championship in 2000 and is in the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

3) Since football, Brown is involved in many businesses including All Pro Sports Performance, a fitness facility in Gurnee that offers personal training and group fitness sessions for athletes in any sport. Alex runs the All Pro Sports Performance with former Bears teammates Adrian Peterson and Jason McKie. 

D: Who's the best Packers player you ever played against?

AB: Probably Brett Favre. He was pretty good. But I think Aaron Rodgers is better. So I am going to say Aaron Rodgers. He's the best quarterback in the league in my opinion. I still think he is. He's good. He's legit.

D's Follow Up: I think Aaron Rodgers is the best Packers player right now. I think Donald Driver was great too. I think Tom Brady is the best QB ever but Aaron Rodgers is right behind him. Brett Favre was an awesome player but I think Rodgers is a little bit better. 

J: What is your favorite Chicago Bears memory?

AB: My favorite team memory is going to the Super Bowl, no question. So it's going to the Super Bowl my own personal moment is when I blocked the kick against Green Bay. To take us into overtime and then win that game in overtime was awesome. Individually that's my best memory but as a team nothing trumps going to the Super Bowl. 

J's Follow Up: I thought he would say the Super Bowl because getting to the Super Bowl is the biggest accomplishment you can get in football. It makes me happy when the Bears beat Green Bay so that's awesome that he helped win the game for the Bears in Green Bay. I hope they win this Thursday night. 

 

The boys and I spent another Tuesday night at the Chicago Huddle taping at Chili's in Vernon Hills. With the Bears on a short week playing the Packers and current players busy with meetings this past Tuesday night, the Huddle turned to Chicago Bears legend Alex Brown to join in on the fun and to be the special guest host for the show. When we found out Alex was going to host, we were excited for the opportunity to see him for a second time and interview him for the blog. At our first meeting, Alex allowed us to try on his NFC championship ring and Jordan was able to get his treasured #96 Alex Brown jersey signed.

                      

Tuesday night was the first night that Danny went to Chili's as his true authentic self, a crazed Packers guy and he was decked out in green and gold from head to toe. This made me nervous because have been regulars at the show for four years and now the cat is officially out of the bag to the everyone. It's true, Danny is a Packer. There's no turning back. We've come to terms with it but going to the Chicago Huddle show on the week they play the Packers seems a little extreme, right? Not for Danny. It was important for Danny to be Danny, so off he went with his Jordy Nelson jersey, Packers hat and sunglasses. 

Danny jumped in first to say hi to Alex and was greeted as we expected...he was met with "hey, what's going on here?" and Alex joyfully brought him in for a hug and told Danny that "we need to do something about this". Once he saw Jordan in his own #96 jersey, Alex said "Yes! Yes! Guess what? We're going to get them on Thursday. We're going to get them." Of course, Danny immediately replied with a forceful "Nope." Alex is one of the happiest players we have met and seems to always be having fun and he certainly made the boys feel special and was excited to answer their questions.

Danny wanted to know the toughest Packer Alex ever went up against. Alex began with Brett Favre and eventually landed on Aaron Rodgers and called him the best QB in the NFL. It came as no surprise to me and I actually believe Aaron is the top QB as well as much as it kills me to say it. You can't go wrong with either guy but I think Aaron edges Brett in accuracy, throwing on the run, mobility and he just doesn't turn the ball over. Danny is lucky to call #12 his QB and I hope we have a guy in the same mold waiting in the wings for the Bears, Mitchell Trubisky. In his brief preseason debut, I saw accuracy, mobility, and the ability to throw on the run and he seems to have the "it" factor that you need to have to be a top level NFL QB. Time will tell but hopefully we have the next Aaron Rodgers and he wears #10 for the Chicago Bears.

Jordan jumped in next wanting to know Alex's favorite Chicago Bears memory. Brown's favorite team memory was going to the Super Bowl in '06. I'll always have amazing memories from that season too that include the 7-0 start to the season, the snow falling down as they win the NFC championship against the Saints at Soldier Field and watching Devin Hester return the opening kick of the Super Bowl for a TD. Alex was part of an amazing team and I can only imagine how awesome it was to be in that locker room. He was a major part of one of the most dominant Bears defenses in history.

Alex's personal favorite memory was blocking a potential game winning field goal against the Packers in Green Bay in 2008. Alex's blocked field goal kick of Mason Crosby with 25 seconds left set up the Bears to win on a field goal in overtime to take home a 20-17 victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field. No matter the record between the two teams, beating the rival Green Bay Packers has to feel amazing and to do it in their storied stadium as a player for the Chicago Bears has to be a tremendous feeling. Here's to hoping the Bears can pull off the upset tonight and leave with the same feeling Alex Brown had back in 2008!

Thank you Alex for your time with us at the Chicago Huddle and we look forward to watching you on Comcast SportsNet for pre and post-game Bears info!

Akiem Hicks - Chicago Bears

1) Akiem Hicks is a defensive lineman wearing #96 for the Chicago Bears.

2) Entering his second year with the Chicago Bears, Akiem was drafted by New Orleans in 2012 and played his first 3 years for the Saints. He also played 1 year with the New England Patriots after being traded from New Orleans early in the 2015 season.

3) As seen on week 1 of the Chicago Huddle television show, Hicks shared that inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman and outside linebacker Willie Young are among his best friends in the Bears locker room...although the fact that Willie Young has never invited him fishing (Young's favorite pastime) has him reconsidering Willie as one of his best friends.

D: Who's your favorite quarterback to sack?

AH: Aaron Rodgers! I like Matt Stafford too though but definitely Aaron Rodgers.

D's Follow Up: I was mad at Akiem Hicks when he said he likes to sack like Aaron Rodgers. He's on my favorite team in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers. I wore the Bears hat because my dad made me wear it. I'm not wearing it again. I love that he wants to sack Matthew Stafford. I don't like his team the Lions and I always want the Packers to beat them. 

J: What's your favorite part about living in Chicago?

AH: The food. I never knew I loved deep dish pizza but I do. Also Italian beef. I never knew I loved Italian beef so much either. I bet you eat at Portillo's too, don't you? Do you like the beef?

J's Follow Up: I like deep dish pizza but I don't like the beef at Portillo's. The hot dogs are my favorite to get at Portillo's. My favorite deep dish pizza is from Silo (in Lake Bluff). Maybe I'll see Akiem at Portillo's soon?

The boys and I were excited to make our 2017 Chicago Huddle debut after the Bears week one loss to the Atlanta Falcons. This is our 4th year as regulars to the weekly tapings on Tuesday nights at Chili's in Vernon Hills and we make it to most tapings throughout the season. Danny still wants to join in on the fun and be there when we meet the Bears but his love for Green Bay runs deeper than ever and he is clearly a Packer for life...and yes, I told him to wear the Bears hat but I also apologized to him and said from now on he can just wear what he wants : ). We still love him and hope he continues to join us when we meet our favorite Bears players.

We found out early Tuesday morning that Akiem Hicks would be the guest on this week's show and we decided this was a can't miss opportunity. We have met many of the members on this year's team but this was our first opportunity to meet Akiem Hicks. Akiem has been the best Bears defensive player up to this point this season and was the biggest difference maker for the Bears defense throughout the 2016 season. He has been so impressive that the Chicago Bears recently signed him to a 4-year contract extension for $48,000,000. We are excited that we get to see #96 causing problems for NFC north teams for at least four more seasons in a Chicago Bears uniform.

Danny was up first with his question and he asked Akiem about his top quarterback to sack in the NFL. Jordan and I both knew this was a great question to ask but we also thought we knew what the answer would be. Danny didn't think twice about it and his face was priceless when Aaron Rodgers came out of Akiem's mouth. Danny clearly wasn't thrilled with the response but Jordan and I heard what we expected and hoped to hear from a player on the Chicago Bears. 

The Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers is the oldest rivalry in the NFL dating back to 1921 with over with 194 career games played. Although the Packers have dominated this rivalry over the past few years, the all-time series between these two teams is tied at 94-94-6. We will admit that the Packers have been a consistently great team since Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers started playing QB but each year we look forward to these rivalry games regardless of record and we always hope to see the Bears defeat the team from the north. With the Bears-Packers game coming next Thursday night and the players wearing their Thursday night color rush jerseys, we hope to see Aaron Rodger's jersey full of grass stains from sacks recorded by Akiem Hicks.

Jordan was excited to hear about Akiem's favorite part about living in the Chicagoland area. After living in New Orleans for 3 seasons and the Boston area for a season, he was curious to know what he loves about Chicago. Akiem's response was immediate when he told Jordan he loves the food. Akiem didn't know he loved deep dish pizza as much he does and I understand where he's coming from personal experience. Growing up just north of Rockford, IL, I never had much experience with deep dish pizza until I moved to the north suburbs after college. Once I got a taste of Silo pizza in Lake Bluff and Lou Malnati's pizza, my life was changed forever. I love pizza any way I can get it but my favorite pizza in the world is a large deep dish sausage pizza from Silo. There is nothing better. 

We want to thank Akiem for taking the time to answer our questions after the taping of the Chicago Huddle. Akiem, if you have the opportunity to read this post, we'd love to invite you to meet up with us at Silo on a Tuesday night and introduce you to the best deep dish pizza in the world. Bear Down!

 

Leonard Floyd - Chicago Bears

1) Leonard Floyd is an outside linebacker wearing #94 for the Chicago Bears. He was selected as the 9th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

2) Leonard was a defensive standout at the University of Georgia where he tallied his best season as a junior when he recorded 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three passes defended and one fumble recovery.

3) Growing up in Eastman, Georgia, Floyd was a two-sport star in high school where he competed in football and track and field. In 2011, he was the shot put champion at the Region 3AA meet recording a career-best throw of 14.96 meters.

D: What is your favorite sport to play other than football?

LF: Basketball is my sport. If I wasn't playing football I would try to play basketball.

D's Follow Up: Basketball is one of my favorite sports too. If I could be a pro sports player I would choose basketball or football too. Leonard Floyd would be probably be good at basketball because he's tall and fast. 


J: What is your favorite cartoon?

LF: My favorite cartoon right now is Adventure Time on Cartoon Network.

J's Follow Up: I don't know much about Adventure Time. I haven't watched much of that show. I do know it's on Cartoon Network and I know it's one of my cousin Alex's favorite shows. Danny also has a friend who loves that show. 

At the start of his rookie season, Jordan and I met first round draft pick Leonard Floyd at a signing offered by Sideline Marketing based out of McHenry, Illinois. We saw him during the week of his first matchup against the rival Green Bay Packers. While at the signing, Jordan asked Leonard to sack Aaron Rodgers for us at Lambeau and he told J that was his plan. As you can see in the photo above, Leonard granted us our wish and recorded the sack on #12. Unfortunately, the Bears came up short and fell to the Packers in Green Bay that Thursday night but Floyd had the best game of his young career and gave Bears fans a glimpse of what to expect from defensive star for years to come.

Selected 9th overall, expectations are certainly high for the young outside linebacker in Chicago for the 2017-18 season. Floyd showed flashes of speed and power last season recording seven sacks to finish third among all NFL rookies. With the first regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field this Sunday, we hope Leonard can record two sacks on Falcons MVP QB Matt Ryan. Although we respect Matt Ryan as a player and person and are honored that he was our first athlete showcased on Vincents Go 3 On 3, we are ready for the Bears to #beardown and pull off the upset against his Atlanta Falcons. 

Johnny Knox - Chicago Bears Alumni

1) Johnny Knox was a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears from 2009-2012.

2) Selected as the 140th pick in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Abilene Christian University, Johnny finished his college career as the career leader in touchdowns (30) and was named a second team All-American in his final year.

3) Johnny retired from football in 2013 after a career-ending injury. He lives in Lake County with his wife and three children and makes regular appearances meeting with Bears fans in the Chicagoland area.

D: What's your favorite activity to do with your kids?

JK: I like to go to the zoo with my kids and learn about animals. I love to watch the Discovery Channel too. The closest I can get to those animals is going to the zoo to see them.

D's Follow Up: The zoo is one of my favorites too. I like crocodiles, snakes, sharks, lions, and tigers. I like the gift shop and visiting rattle snakes (at the zoo). It's cool that he takes his kids.


J: What is your favorite way to exercise now that you don't play football anymore?

JK: I like to golf. I don't do much running anymore because of my injury. I try to get out and golf as much as I can.

J's Follow Up: Awesome! I'm a golfer too. I understand why he can't run anymore because of his injury. Golf would be a good sport to play because it's not hard on the body. I hope I can golf with him sometime.

Our family took advantage of the opportunity to see Johnny Knox at Emil's Pizza right here in our hometown of Mundelein this past Friday night. This was our third time meeting Johnny but our first opportunity to interview him for Vincents Go 3 on 3. 

Always regarded as one of the fastest players on the field, Johnny was a lightning-quick, deep threat who had Bears fans on the edge of their seats on Sundays hoping the QB would find him in the end zone for six. It didn't take long for Knox to showcase his speed as a deep threat. He made his first career catch during his rookie season that went for 68 yards against the Green Bay Packers.

Johnny told Danny that he loves to go to the zoo with his kids. We always like to hear about the interests of athletes outside of the sport they are known for playing. Our family has a love of animals and we also enjoy visiting the zoo. With our dalmatian dog, Perdi, and our bearded dragon, Zeke, along with two boys at home, our house can feel like a zoo at times too. We are fans of Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo in the Chicagoland area but we also love to visit the Racine Zoo in Racine, Wisconsin. If we want to avoid traffic and crowds and have a more relaxing day, that's our pick. We are curious to know Johnny's favorite zoo in the area and it would be cool to run into him at the zoo someday. It sounds like he might have a ton of knowledge about animals and enjoys learning as much as he can. 

Golf has really picked up in our house lately as both Jordan and Danny now have their own sets of golf clubs. We have visited Countryside Golf Course in Mundelein twice in the past two weeks to hit golf balls at the driving range. They also love to head out on the course in the golf cart and play nine holes. We love that Johnny likes to play and he told us that his kids have started taking swings in the backyard too. We're not sure of Johnny's favorite courses in the area but maybe we'll run into him on the links. It would be amazing to add Johnny to our team and complete our foursome.

Johnny Knox has always been very friendly to our family and we were excited that he wanted to be featured on our blog. He is a great guy and Chicagoland is fortunate that one of our own decided to stay in Chicago as he continues to represent the Chicago Bears in a first class way.