Bears ‘Hard Knocks’ 2024: Best Fan Tweets, Memes from Episode 3
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVAugust 21, 2024
Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Practice? We talking about practice?
Caleb Williams was, dropping this gem of a quote to open up the third episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday.
“Practice is harder than the game,” Williams told head coach Matt Eberflus, laughing, when asked what he learned from his preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
It sure seemed that way when Williams dazzled fans with a brilliant downfield pass to Rome Odunze and a pair of fantastic scrambles later in that drive against the Cincinnati Bengals, the second of which resulted in a touchdown run. The sequence was featured toward the end of Tuesday’s episode.
NFL @NFLCaleb finds Rome on the run 🔥
📺: #CINvsCHI on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/pUS2TVwuCN
NFL @NFLCaleb the Magician 🪄
📺: #CINvsCHI on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/tuMxB7giTX
Crypto_nobears_LLoyd @CryptoLloydMan i love Caleb Williams what a stud and insanely loose and competitive attitude. #GoBears #HardKnocks
Kevin Lapka @kevcharles112My favorite part of Hard Knocks:
Quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph before his first home preseason start: “You nervous?”
Caleb Williams: “I don’t get nervous”
As simple as it may seem, that’s a key mental element that can make a player great
It wasn’t the most memorable moment of the episode, however. That distinction belonged to backup quarterback Austin Reed, who crushed rookie karaoke with an unexpected Keyshia Cole performance.
NFL Films @NFLFilmsAustin Reed, we were not familiar with your game 🎤#HardKnocks | @Areed365 pic.twitter.com/fqdhq5iFWx
Zack Pearson @Zack_PearsonAustin Reed killed that Keyshia Cole song. That was incredible. #Bears
Chris LoBosco Jr. @LoBoscoAyyy Austin Reed not doing too bad singing lmaoo
It’s not always about a great voice but how much fun you’re having
Papi 🌎 @IamPapi312Keisha Cole I think Austin Reed from the @ChicagoBears need a feature 🐻⬇️🔥🔥🔥🔥
CHGO Sports @CHGO_SportsAustin Reed singing Keyshia Cole is everything I needed in life and more
Noah Adamany @NoahAdamanyAustin Reed takes the cake for rookie karaoke! #HardKnocks
Tyson Bagent’s father, who was mic’ed up during the Bengals game, was also a big hit:
Timothy Regal (The Moonsault Guy) @ScWRegal444Tyson Bagent’s dad is the star of this season of #HardKnocks.
Dude is awesome.
jimmy @chi2334Tyson Bagent and his dad. Caleb of course. https://t.co/mBcT6ayrSr
Craig Crowley @CraigCrowley”They’re happy, they are all rich and have hot girlfriends”. Gotta love Bagent’s dad. #DaBears #HardKnocks
Cole Kmet Enthusiast @CKEnthusiast85episode 3 is definitely my favorite one so far, i’ll give my reasons!
-austin reed karaoke
-poles making a good decision with judon
-TRAVIS BAGENT!!!!
And then there was this:
Andrew Perloff @andrewperloff”I wanted to say I love you, but that would be weird because we just met.” – this is one of my favorite Hard Knocks moments ever pic.twitter.com/62HqftujOG
On the more newsy side, the episode offered a behind-the-scenes look at the team’s pursuit of edge-rusher Matthew Judon, who was ultimately traded to the Atlanta Falcons.
There were reports that the New England Patriots received an offer of a third-round pick from both the Bears and Falcons and allowed Judon to choose his destination, though the edge-rusher denied the story, telling reporters “Don’t believe everything you read or everything you see.”
Albert Breer @AlbertBreerOne addendum to the Patriots/Falcons trade of last week: New England, believing the Bears and Falcons were in a similar category, and with third-round offers from both, gave OLB Matthew Judon his choice of being dealt to Atlanta or Chicago.
Judon, obviously, picked Atlanta.
Regardless, during Tuesday’s episode Bears general manager Ryan Poles expressed reluctance to pull the trigger on a trade with New England unless the team had an extension agreed upon with Judon, who was a hold-in with the Patriots this summer while seeking an extension.
“I don’t want to get the club in a position where we have a player that’s here, we’ve given up a draft pick, and we haven’t had a resolution on a contract,” he said.
Brandon Newberry @bnewbs16The Matthew Judon trade talk on Hard Knocks was really cool to see behind the scenes.
Chris Maltby @ChrisMaltbyBDGood to see HBO’s Hard Knocks shining a light on the #Bears’ aggression to move up and get DE Austin Booker.
After missing out on Matthew Judon, Chicago is going to need someone to step up alongside Montez Sweat on the defensive line.
Here’s to hoping Booker can be that guy.
His reaction to Judon ultimately being moved to Atlanta was also captured by NFL Films.
“If he has 20 sacks or something, yeah, it’ll make me sick,” Poles told Bears director of football administration Matt Feinstein.
