By Paul M. Banks
John M. Crist is the Publisher of the Bear Report Magazine (www.BearReport.com) the only strictly Chicago Bears publication out there. I had the privilege of meeting John and learning more about his fantastic publication last week. Also, if you’re on Twitter, you should follow him because his Twitter message the other day saved my day of work from ruin. Here we discuss the Bears, the biz, the NFL and how technology is affecting coverage of all these topics and more
TSB: Tell me what the Bear Report publication brings to the table…what distinguishes it from other NFL/Bears publications?
JC: Simply stated, Bear Report is the only publication exclusively dedicated to the Chicago Bears. We give Bears fans unique content that they won’t find in their daily newspaper, plus a more personalized approach than what’s available at any national website. It’s actually like running two publications in one, with Bear Report reserved for feature stories and turn-back-the-clock stuff, and then BearReport.com for day-to-day coverage of the team.
TSB: Any memorable stories from the interviews that you’ve done? Or favorite/least favorite interview subjects?
JC: I have a pretty good Olin Kreutz story, and it was my very first day on the beat. During training camp we all eat in the same cafeteria, but the media relations staff forgot to tell me that players sit on one side and then media sit on the other. I woke up nice and early to go for a jog before breakfast, so I’m just sitting at a table by myself, eating my cereal, listening to my iPod, and flipping through a newspaper. I’m hardly paying attention to my surroundings. Eventually, I realize that most of the offensive line is now gathered at my table. Kreutz is the last one to sit, plopping down right next to me. He eventually starts to ask the table, “Who is this guy?” He finally turns to me and says very sternly, “Are you on our team?” I tell him I’m not and that I’m the new Publisher of Bear Report. I was actually kind of flattered for a second and thought he mistook me for a backup wide receiver or something. But before I could pat myself on the back, Kreutz fires at me, “Could you go sit the #%&! over there?” That afternoon at practice, the team finally told me where I needed to eat my meals. A little too late…to say the least.
TSB: Wow! That is quite a story. Kreutz is the captain and has tremendous pull within the organization, so if somebody was going to say something it would have to be him. Luckily, they told me what side to sit on when they gave me my first training camp meal pass. So how did you get started in this field?
JC: After studying finance in college and working in the financial services business for about five years, I pretty much hated every day of it and needed to do something different with my career. Writing had always been a talent I’d possessed, plus I’ve been a rabid sports fan my entire life, so my first paid writing assignment was covering 11- and 12-year-olds at the Florida Little League State Tournament in Tallahassee. All these years later, I’m a member of the Professional Football Writers of America, appear on radio and television programs both locally and nationally, and spend my work days talking pigskin with the likes of Brian Urlacher — I’m incredibly lucky to do what I do.
TSB: Indeed. What trends do see emerging in the sports media world? Print, internet etc. in what mediums are we going to see more/less coverage and how will that change it?
JC: Everybody knows the days of the daily newspaper are going the way of the dodo bird, primarily because more and more readers tend to get their news via the internet. And you must be able to reach your audience instantly these days, which is why I now do as much blogging as I do writing and try my best to leverage technologies like Twitter and YouTube. The idea of holding back a big story for the morning edition is ludicrous nowadays, but this can lead to problems — like we saw with the Boston Herald not too long ago regarding Spygate — when reporting the news first supercedes reporting the news right.
TSB: The Dodo! Yes, what an unfortunate reality that we all must face. I haven’t met anyone in the newspaper industry who would dare disagree with that statement. Tell me about the differences in covering the team at training camp vs. at Halas Hall, home games, road games etc…
JC: Training camp is a ton of work for people in my business, but it’s by far the best time to talk to players because you spend so much time around the team and your access is as good as it’s going to get. It’s much different getting interviews in the locker room before practice at Halas Hall during the regular season, primarily because you only have 45 minutes at a time and you’re sort of on their turf. I’ve always found it entertaining how talkative most of the guys are in the Soldier Field locker room after a win, but then it’s a ghost town in there almost immediately after a loss.
TSB: Yes, Bourbonnais does seem like what a ton of work. So really what are the Bears going to do at Quarterback? Running Back? Wide Receiver? Seriously, could this really be one historically awful group of offensive skill position players?
JC: I’ve always said that Rex Grossman is more talented than Kyle Orton, and I do believe Grossman will ultimately win the job again, but Orton might be a better choice to start since his game is more suited to a team built around defense and special teams. Rookie Matt Forte looks like the real deal in the backfield thus far in Bourbonnais, although his development could be hindered greatly if the offensive line is indeed as bad as it appears at times. The Bears have half a dozen receivers who could all be pretty good, but they lack an alpha dog in the passing game — someone you can throw the ball to on 3rd and 9 and just know he’ll find a way to make the catch and move the chains.
TSB: I agree that Orton seems to be the better fit for this team. Will the O Line take some major steps forward this season?
JC: I see no reason to be optimistic about the offensive line, even though it’s reasonable to assume that Kreutz just had a subpar 2007 and should bounce back strong. John Tait moves from left tackle over to right tackle and will be an upgrade over Fred Miller, but first-rounder Chris Williams is still nursing a bad back and most likely won’t open the season as a starter — which is what this team was banking on during the NFL Draft. The left guard position is also mess, as Terrence Metcalf didn’t get the job done replacing Ruben Brown this past season and Josh Beekman tends to get tossed around like a rag doll in practice.
TSB: Yikes! Can Devin Hester really be a number one receiver in this league?
JC: Hester is truly one of a kind with the football his hands, but asking him to be the primary target on what is right now a bad offense is a tall order. There is so much more to being a No. 1 receiver than having speed and play-making ability, like getting off the jam at the line of scrimmage and making tough catches between defenders in traffic. Not to mention that having Hester on the field for 40 or 50 plays offensively could take away from his artistry in the return game, which would make no sense whatsoever since he’s their most dangerous weapon and can single-handedly change a game on special teams.
TSB: He is truly by far the most exciting player to watch. The tornado warning siren and the mass evacuation in the middle of Bears Camp on Tuesday night, was just nuts?
JC: I just know that it blew up my evening of work. My daily practice recap would have been a complete waste of time since they only ran a few periods of full-team drills before the siren went off, and then no players or coaches had a chance to address the media afterward. Then I woke up Tuesday morning and had no power in my dorm room here at Olivet Nazarene University, so I’ve been scrambling ever since.
TSB: Finally, what are your overall expectations for this season?
JC: The defense can be dominant once again assuming it avoids the injury bug, and the special teams should be among the best in the NFL like usual thanks to Hester, Robbie Gould, and Brad Maynard. However, aside from the tight end position, the offense is riddled with question marks and will have trouble putting points on the board consistently. As much as I’d love to spend February down in Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII, I think the Bears are a 6-10 team as presently constituted.
For more on Crist, his publication and the work that goes into it, click here