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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Patrick Finley

Bears 'Hard Knocks' highlights: After streaming delay, Caleb Williams reveals Olympic dreams

Streamers hoping to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Bears’ win Saturday — or even DJ Moore’s visit to the Museum of Ice Cream a few weeks ago — were left waiting for 75 minutes Tuesday night.

A week ago, those with the Max app on their phones, tablets or televisions were able to watch the premiere episode of “Hard Knocks” live, just like cable viewers were. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, though, the show still wasn’t posted to the app. Max released a statement saying “the episode will be available soon.” It finally appeared 75 minutes after the start time.

Those who watched the show live — or eventually on the streamer — saw quarterback Caleb Williams say he’d be interested in playing flag football in the Olympics. The sport will make its debut in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Last year, NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly said the league was willing to work with the NFLPA on allowing current and former players to play.

The episode featured safety Jonathan Owens speaking at a team meeting after returning from Paris, where he watched his wife, Simone Biles, the world’s greatest gymnast, win three gold medals. Later, cornerback Jaylon Jones asked Owens if Biles was like LeBron James and Michael Jordan combined. Owens settled on a different comparison.

“Kinda like how Serena [Williams] was,” he said.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s practice battles against receiver Keenan Allen were highlighted, as was Williams’ burgeoning connection with fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze.

For the second straight week, the episode was more family-friendly than “Hard Knocks” episodes of years past — perhaps a product of the Bears having the final cut. Amazingly, there was no cursing for the second straight week. Also, there was ice cream: The show followed Moore on a trip with his family to the Museum of Ice Cream downtown.

“Dangerous off day,” he said.

After making a catch in Saturday’s 33-6 win against the Bills, “Hard Knocks” narrator Liev Schreiber declared that Moore looked “smoother than a bowl of soft serve.”

Bears on HBO’s "Hard Knocks"
Caleb Williams stood in front of a Bears team meeting, rattled off his signing bonus — $25.5 million — and engaged in a time-honored rookie tradition: singing.
As an added bonus for fans, the Sun-Times has included a special “HARD KNOCKS” Bears BINGO card. Viewers can check off the key people or storylines on the card as they are mentioned on that night’s episode.
The “Hard Knocks” crew teased to a “hilarious” surprise in the first episode.
After years of fighting it off, being featured on the series has turned out to be a non-factor in training camp so far.
It calls upon the franchise’s past and future.
The Bears’ “Hard Knocks” documentary series won’t debut until Tuesday, but backup quarterback Tyson Bagent might already be able to claim the funniest reaction.
The “Hard Knocks” crew teased to a “hilarious” surprise in the first episode.
Hell has frozen over. The Bears will be on “Hard Knocks.”
The Bears are going to Max out their television time.
The Bears have had plenty of forgettable seasons in the four decades since they won the Super Bowl. The fact they’ve climbed back to national relevance is a positive.
The Bears were chosen for the HBO show for the first time since its launch in 2001.
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