Transcript of Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman at 2013 NFL Combine (part 2)

Transcript, Part 2- Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman at the 2013 NFL Combine, courtesy of Mark Potash, Chicago Sun-Times

What are your thoughts about this draft?

"Well, that's why we're here. We're just getting started with that. And we're getting started with getting to know the players. It started at the Senior Bowl. Most of the time I spent at the Senior Bowl was in interviewing staff and getting our staff organized. So early on the excitement always to come to the Combine to get a first-look at these guys - from my standpoint, from our organization, from every organization's standpoint. So this is where it gets started. Certainly it's been ongoing relative to the personnel departments and scouting departments and things like that, but this is a first look from a coach's standpoint."

New England getting some CFL guys - more up there?

"There's some players up there that have shown that they can play in the NFL. That's been proven over time. There haven't been many but the guys who've shown up down here have done a pretty good job of fitting in. The players up there are very similar to the guys down here in terms of their character; they want to master their craft and be the best they can be. Some of them have had the opportunity south of the border and done well. So to comment on one without talking about the other...

"These guys love football up there. They have dreams of wanting to do it down here. Those that can will give it a try; those that can't have experienced a lot of exciting football up there."

Differences with CFL?

"There are multiple differences, obviously. But just generally the ‘box' is still the ‘box,' the blitzes you seen in the CFL are similar to the blitzes you see south of the border. The field is wider, it's intelligently created, it's a three-down league. The defensive line is a yard off the ball, the field is a mile long and a mile wide. And we're playing with 12 and multiple motions.

"It's a different game but it's a terribly exciting game. It's been around 100 years up there; they must be doing something right. From my standpoint I totally enjoyed every minute of it."

Making game safer - CFL setup better for safety?

"I've got some plays if we ever to a bigger field. Player safety, as a head coach, is No. 1 on the agenda and it's been a point of emphasis every day in the NFL. I'm for anything that looks more closely at player safety and it's our feeling with the Bears that player safety is a No. 1 issue."

Wider field help safety?

"From a medical science question I really can't answer that question. We're playing with an extra player up there as well. I can say that every situation to make the game safer is worth consideration."

Have you finished evaluation of Brian Urlacher situation?

"That's an ongoing process. We evaluated our entire football team as much as we can without seeing him work, without having some formal time with him on the field. As we move forward through the process, through the process and the Spring, things are going to be resolved. But right now between Phil [Emery], the personnel department and myself and the coaching department, we continue to talk about these things and process the information. But at this time we're not going to go any further than that in our discussions."

Do you feel like you are behind on personnel things with the draft?

"I think that's very fair, Dan. As I said coming in, I don't feel behind in the football and Xs and Os side. But certainly in
the personnel side, I've got some work to do just in terms of just the week-in, week-out of when I left the league as most coaches do, you know everybody in the league. You know how your personnel matches up in your division and your conference and throughout the league. That's a big part of it, so as we build our playbook, which we're doing presently along with all the other things that are going on, obviously I'll continue to try to familiarize myself on the personnel side and that would be the side I'm most deficient in going in."

Have you had much time to catch up?

"As of now, no I have not. It's been ... looking at our team from the inside. Evaluating our football team. And again, spending time in meetings with Phil [Emery], the personnel department, our coaching staff. In both areas of personnel internally and the free agency side at the same time finishing up our coaching staff, working on the playbook, which we're doing daily. So that'll be the last piece of the puzzle as we work into the spring and summer is getting to be really acclimated certainly with our divisional opponents, which I'm somewhat, but not to the point where I'd want to be when the season begins and then certainly our opponents upcoming this season."

-Marc Trestman

Part 1 HERE, and part 3 to come