Mike Ditka and Coach K talk Bears; Duke coach calls Tarik Cohen ‘so damn tough’

Former Bears coach Mike Ditka thinks the team will make the playoffs and praised quarterback Mitch Trubisky in a one-on-one interview with Duke coach and Chicago native Mike Krzyzewski.

On Krzyzewski’s SiriusXM show, “Basketball and Beyond with Coach K,” which aired Thursday night, Ditka singled out Trubisky, while the Duke coach praised running back Tarik Cohen.

“The quarterback is just maturing into one of the best quarterbacks in football,” Ditka said. “If you try to name their running backs or some of their defensive backs, you probably couldn’t do it. they’ve done a good job of putting a lot of people in the right place, and they play hard together.”

He said the Bears are “probably gonna win that division, unless they get some real key injuries.” He said the defense “didn’t even miss” Khalil Mack while he was injured, and praised the star outside linebacker and coach Matt Nagy.

Krzyzewski was enough of a Cohen fan to remember his alma mater, North Carolina A&T, and wonder aloud how small he was.

“He’s good. … it’s hard to see him, and then all of a sudden he breaks loose,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s do damn tough.”