Tarik Cohen - Chicago Bears (Take 2)

1) Tarik Cohen is a third year running back for the Chicago Bears.

2) Tarik was drafted by the Bears in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft out of North Carolina A&T. He was the tenth running back taken in the 2017 draft.

3) Cohen was named a First-team All-Pro special teams player and selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018 as a punt returner. Tarik was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate this past season.

D: When did you do your first backflip?

Tarik Cohen: I was probably like 10 or 11 (years old)

D's Follow Up: That's baller. I'm 9. I can do a front flip on a bed, a trampoline, and a diving board. I tried doing a backflip at my friend's birthday party once and it didn't go well. I landed on my neck and couldn't move it for a while.

J: Who was your favorite player growing up?

Tarik Cohen: Reggie Bush

Photo credit: Getty Images

J's Follow Up: Reggie Bush is cool. He was a really good player who won the Heisman trophy and I have one of his college jersey football cards from his last game at USC.

Bonus questions from October 2017 at a live taping of the Chicago Huddle show

D: What's your favorite healthy food?

TC: Shrimp. I also like broccoli

D's Follow Up: I think shrimp is bad even though I haven't had it. My dad likes shrimp though. I think broccoli is really good and it's good for your body. I love all veggies except lettuce and spinach. Tarik sounds like he's a healthy eater and that's probably why he's so fast.


J: Who's the best player you've ever juked?

TC: Deion Jones (LB) from the Atlanta Falcons is probably the best player I've juked. 

J's Follow Up: I have heard of Deion Jones but I don't know him very well. I just watched his highlight video and he is one of the best players on the Falcons defense. Juking Deion Jones does not look easy because he's so fast.

On December 17th, 2019, I made a visit to the new Bears Fit facility with my friend Wally to meet Tarik Cohen at his appearance showcasing his new hat collection. Tarik designed 6 new hats for Chicago fans to wear around town and according to the boys they are extra swaggy. 

I ended up buying Jordan the white 29 winter hat that I'm wearing in the photo and I also purchased the "Dad" hat with a special Bears rubber logo on the front with a small 29 in the corner that also has a Bears inspired Chicago city flag on the back. Each hat purchased allowed one fan to meet Tarik at the new fitness facility in Vernon Hills. 

Here's a quick look at the interview from Chicago Tribune writer Phillip Thompson and a link to his article.

https://twitter.com/_phil_thompson/status/1207121244556070912

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-chicago-bears-tarik-cohen-20191218-hiaf7ytlj5hgbmohfn2mydnxzy-story.html

Wally and I both had a good time spending our Tuesday night meeting the Chicago Bears running back. We all know the season didn't go as planned but we believe the team will be back on top next season. This is our last post of 2019 and we hope next year at this time we'll be dreaming about a Bears Super Bowl as the team prepares for the post season. #vincentsgo3on3

Prince Amukamara - Chicago Bears

1) Prince Amukamara is a defensive back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He is also the current Fuel Up to Play 60 Player Ambassador for the Chicago Bears.

2) Prince attended the University of Nebraska from 2007-2010. Amukamara finished his senior season allowing only 18 completed catches against him and was recognized as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was selected as a unanimous first team All-American.

3) In the first round of the 2011 NFL draft, the New York Giants selected Prince with the 19th overall pick. He went on to win the Super Bowl during his rookie campaign with the Giants as they defeated the New England Patriots 21-17.

C: What have you been fueling up with this offseason as you prepare to take on the Packers in September?

Prince Amukamara: My wife has got me into overnight oats. She uses grass fed whole milk and oats and all different types of fruits.

C's Follow Up: A few years ago, my wife Jen, had us eating overnight oats consistently. I liked them a lot and we would switch up the fruits too. I'm ready to get back into making them and it sounds so good right now... especially with the whole milk.

C: How do you get your 60 minutes of exercise outside of the football season?

Prince Amukamara: I like to go outside, play basketball and ping pong and dance occasionally.

C's Follow Up: Prince likes to exercise with some of my favorite activities. I was always a basketball player growing up and I you will find me playing 2 on 1 or horse with the boys in the driveway and I will never pass up a good game of ping pong. I spend most of my time dancing in PE class but my moves are not on the same level as Prince.

(Bonus questions from last season)

D: Who’s the toughest wideout you’ve ever gone up against?

Prince Amukamara: Davante Adams 

D's Follow Up: Davante Adams is a hard receiver to go against. He's as good as Antonio Brown.

J: What’s the pregame meal of choice?

Prince Amukamara: Salmon or chicken.

J's Follow Up: I like chicken but I don't like fish. My dad says fish is good for me but I'm not a fan.

From July 16th through the 19th, I had the opportunity to attend the Fuel Up to Play 60 National Summit with two of my students who achieved student ambassador status for their work during the 2018-19 school year. We joined other student and state ambassadors along with program advisors from all over the country who put exercise and nutrition at the forefront of their programs using the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

Prince Amukamara was one of the player ambassadors that attended the summit and we were so excited that a Chicago Bear was representing his team on the national level. Prince took part in an Ask Me Anything panel and I jumped at the opportunity to ask Prince about how he fuels up his body leading up to the football season and how he exercises outside of the game of football. Believe it or not, Prince even took off his New York Giants Super Bowl Ring during the panel and let everyone take look at it and take photos with the ring. We learned a lot about Prince throughout the one hour panel about how nutrition and exercise play a role in his life and Prince let me know he was working on getting his next ring with the Chicago Bears this season. We wish Prince and his Chicago Bears a great 2019-20 season! Bear Down

Eddie Jackson - Chicago Bears

1) Eddie Jackson #39 is the starting free safety for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.

2) Jackson was a fourth round draft pick (112th overall) of the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL draft. Jackson played college football at Alabama for 4 seasons where he played in 41 games for the Crimson Tide. Eddie was named Defensive MVP of the 2016 (2015 season) College Football National Championship after tallying an interception and three tackles against the Clemson Tigers. 

Photo credit / Getty Images

3) Eddie Jackson has had a tremendous start to his young career posting 121 tackles, 8 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 5 defensive touchdowns in his first two seasons in Chicago. 

J: What do you think of the new Bears 100 throwback uniforms?

Eddie Jackson: I love them. Fly. I like 'em. They're nice, right?

J's Follow Up: I agree. The throwbacks are cool. They are different than the normal jerseys with extra stripes and they look so old school. My brother Danny got one at Bears 100.

D: What was the best part about playing at Alabama?

  

Eddie Jackson: The games. Every game was big. Ole' Miss, LSU. The games were my favorite part.

D's Follow Up: I'd like to play against teams like that too. LSU and Tennessee would be cool teams I want to play.

Photo credit Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

On Monday, June10th, we made a trip to the Goodwill store in Rolling Meadows to meet Bears superstar Eddie Jackson. This was our second meeting with Eddie this year as we met him after the Chicago Huddle show in October. Of course, Danny asked him about his favorite team Alabama in October and couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw in another Bama question. 

But ultimately, the three of us wanted to thank Eddie for helping bring our favorite player, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, to our favorite team. We even have Danny cheering for our Bears now that Ha Ha is in Chicago.

Eddie was excited to meet with the fans and we were surprised to find out they were shooting some promotional material for Goodwill. I jumped at the opportunity to be a customer in the store who receive an intercepted pass from Eddie and perform a touchdown dance with him. Hopefully I'll be in a Goodwill commercial with Eddie during the football season.

It was a great night for the three of us but the best part of the night was the boys gifting Eddie a special locker room sign they had made for him. This is something Danny surprised Ha Ha with for his birthday and we felt like the two starting safeties of the Bears needed matching locker room signs. We love watching Eddie play football and we can't wait to see him side by side with one of his best friends. The Bears turn 100 in 2019 and we think something special is happening in Chicago. 

#VincentsGo3on3

James Daniels - Chicago Bears

1) James Daniels #68 is an offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.

2) Daniels was a second round draft pick (39th overall) for the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFL draft. Daniels played college football at Iowa University for 3 years where he played in 37 games for the Hawkeyes.

3) James is another NFL player that was a multi-sport athlete in high school. He participated in track as well as football.

Photo credit / Robin Alam Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

J: We know you were one of the youngest players in the NFL this season. Who was the oldest player you went up against?

James Daniels: We played Tom Brady this season and I think he's 42 or 43 (Note: Tom Brady is currently 41 years old) The Buffalo Bills had this defensive tackle named Kyle Williams. This was his 14th season in the NFL. 

J's Follow Up: Tom Brady in the GOAT. He has won six super bowls and been to nine. Brady has the experience and that's why he's so good. I saw Kyle Williams in the Pro Bowl this year but I don't know too much about him. 

D: What is your favorite fruit or veggie?

James Daniels: I love getting the different types of green apples because those are super sour. I love the green apples. There's a whole bunch of different types. And my favorite vegetable, I like spinach. I like to make smoothies. I like to put spinach in the blender and blend it up. So when you drink the smoothie, it's doesn't even taste like spinach.

D's Follow Up: I don't like the green apples as much as the red/yellow kind called honeycrisp. I love apples too like James. I don't really like spinach by itself but I don't mind it in smoothies like James because I can't taste it.

On Saturday, February 2nd, we made another trip out to Mike's Sports N' More in Lombard to meet Chicago Bears offensive lineman, James Daniels. James started 10 games for the Bears during his first season and was named to ESPN and Pro Football Focus' All-Rookie teams. He's only 21 years old and will be a key player for the Bears moving into the future. James was great with the boys and excited to share his love of apples and smoothies and his experience going up against two of the oldest players in the NFL. We look forward to meeting up with James again in the near future and we hope he has a great offseason break. #BearDown

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Taylor Gabriel - Chicago Bears

1) Taylor Gabriel #18 is a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.

2) Gabriel was an undrafted free agent in 2014 and signed with the Cleveland Browns (2014, 2015). Taylor played college football at Abilene Christian University where he finished second in school history with 215 catches for 3,027 yards and 27 TDs.

3) Taylor also spent two seasons (2016, 2017) with the Atlanta Falcons where he recorded 68 receptions for 957 yards with 8 total TDs. This offseason, Taylor signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bears. 

D: What's your favorite NFL memory of this season?

Taylor Gabriel: Beating Green Bay to clinch a playoff berth!

D's Follow Up: They used to be my old favorite team. The Bears finally turned it around against the Packers. I'm sure Taylor felt really good and they finally got revenge.

Photo credit / Joe Robbins Getty Images

J: Is it true that you are faster than Tarik Cohen?

Taylor Gabriel: Way faster. It's true. It's facts. Turbo.

J's Follow Up: I think Turbo is faster because because he practices sprinting and running longer routes where Tarik Cohen mostly doesn't practice long runs all the time. So I think the practice helps Turbo be faster.

D: Was it weird to get picked up by Kiko Alonso? 

Taylor Gabriel: It was. It was. That was like two years ago.

D's Follow Up: I watched C'Mon Man on ESPN and saw Kiko Alonso pick up Taylor. All the guys then said C'Mon Man. I really love when they do those.

On Tuesday, January 1st, the VincentsGo3on3 boys drove out to Mike's Sports N' More in Lombard to meet Chicago Bears wide receiver #18 Taylor Gabriel. Taylor is coming off of another huge game as he has a big time catch which helped the Bears finish off the Vikings and their playoff hopes on Sunday. Turbo has been a great addition to the Bears this year and we look forward to having him on our team for the next 3 years. 

Taylor was extremely gracious with his time on New Year's Day as he took a few minutes with each guest in line and carefully signed his name on every Bears item that came his way. The boys and I talk about Turbo a lot in our house and we are curious how close a race between him and Tyreek Hill would be. Tuesday was a special day and we can't wait to see Taylor as he leads the Bears into their first playoff appearance in 8 years. #BearDown

Pat O'Donnell - Chicago Bears

1) Pat O'Donnell #16 is a punter for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.

2) O'Donnell was drafted by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Pat played college football for the Cincinatti Bearcats from 2009-2012 and transferred to the University of Miami as a graduate to finish up his final collegiate season with the Hurricanes in 2013.

3) O'Donnell is playing in his fourth season with the Chicago Bears and is having his best statistical season to date averaging 47 yards per punt and a net average of 39.7 yards. 

Photo credit / Jonathan Daniel Getty Images

J: What's the farthest punt you have ever had?

Pat O'Donnell: In a game? 76 yards.

J's Follow Up: That's the biggest punt I'd ever heard of until we looked up the NFL record and it's 98 yards.

D: Have you ever tackled anyone on a punt return?

Pat O'Donnell: In my second season I tackled Richard Sherman.

D's Follow Up: My brother Jordan met Richard Sherman at a Pro Bowl practice. He's a big guy and was probably really hard to tackle. I would get burnt if I was in the NFL trying to tackle Richard Sherman. 

We recently met up with Pat O'Donnell at our first ever Chicago Huddle playoff taping. Pat has been a staple of the show and we've had the opportunity to ask him many questions throughout the years. Jordan and Danny even got tips on how to punt the ball with proper technique back in 2016.

Pat was great on the show once again and so was first time huddle host Jason Goff. Jason stepped right in for Patrick Mannelly and acted like he has been the host for years. I have been a big fan of Jason's on-air career and the boys definitely recognized his voice. Overall, Pat and Jason gave us an inside look at this week's matchup against the Eagles and we can't wait until Sunday to see our Bears hit Soldier Field for the biggest game in 8 years! #BearDown