Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: Can the Chicago Bears win with Caleb Williams?

Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered (312 Sports)
Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Dan Bernstein
Producer/Co-Host: Matt Abbatacola
Guest: Jack Silverstein, Chicago sports historian

Episode Overview

This episode dives into a recent, controversial three-part investigative report on Chicago Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams, questioning his work ethic, intelligence, and even speculating about a learning disability. Host Dan Bernstein, producer Matt Abbatacola, and guest sports historian Jack Silverstein critically evaluate the story’s journalistic integrity, its use of anonymous sources, and its broader implications—including how narratives about Black quarterbacks have been shaped by harmful tropes. The conversation also touches on the right Bears’ response, why games on the field matter most, and wraps with insight across NFL games and some banter about Cubs baseball and shrimp-related government recalls.

Main Segments & Timestamps

• Intro & Episode Outline: [00:00–03:00]
• Tyler Dunne’s Bombshell Report and Initial Reactions: [03:00–07:50]
• Discussion: Journalism Ethics and the Use of Anonymous Sources: [07:50–18:00]
• Breaking Down the Report’s Key Problems (Sourcing, Dyslexia, and Tropes): [18:00–29:00]
• How the Bears Should Respond & Broader Media Analysis: [29:00–36:15]
• Fan and Historian Perspectives: Letting Football Do the Talking: [36:15–38:00]
• Further Analysis: Inside Baseball Journalism and Sourcing: [38:00–44:30]
• Closing Words from Jack Silverstein: [44:30–45:30]

Other topics covered after major segment: NFL weekend recap, Cubs talk, food recalls, and DBU picks [46:00–end]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Bombshell” Caleb Williams Report

• Origin & Summary: Over the weekend, a lengthy, three-part report by Tyler Dunne (Go Long Substack) alleged serious issues with Caleb Williams—labeling him lazy, dumb, distracted, and arrogant—mostly using anonymous sources from former (and possibly current) Bears coaches and front office.
• Initial Reactions: Dan and Matt express skepticism, with Bernstein saying:

  "Initially I thought, oh boy, this is really bad. And then I started to believe maybe this doesn’t really deserve the time my brain is giving it." [03:47, Bernstein]

2. Journalistic Responsibility & Red Flags

• Jack Silverstein’s Breakdown: Jack deems the report “a very bad piece of journalism and an irresponsible piece of journalism.” He focuses on two problem areas:

  • Overreliance on Anonymous Sources—Reduces credibility and leaves readers without a way to weigh the reliability or context of the accusations.
  • Irresponsible Reporting on Private Health Information—Irresponsibly raises allegations about Williams having dyslexia without proper sourcing or medical expertise.

  "If those New York Times journalists can get women to go on the record about being assaulted, then Tyler Dunn can get some head coach or some assistant coaches to go on the record about saying that a quarterback doesn't work hard." [10:15, Silverstein]

• Key Journalistic Principles Ignored:

  • Use anonymous sources only for high-value, unattainable information (e.g., whistleblowers), not for vague complaints.
  • Provide hard numbers/benchmarks when talking about player habits (e.g., "rarely pulls up his tablet" means little without data).
  • Contextualize and qualify claims—don’t just parrot hearsay.

• Burying the Lead: Accusations of a dyslexia cover-up—a legitimately major story—are "buried" deep in the report, which Silverstein says is either incompetence or deliberate obfuscation.

3. Tropes & Racial Coding in Quarterback Narratives

• Historical Context: Bernstein draws connections to long-standing, racially coded critiques of Black quarterbacks (lazy, dumb, arrogant).

  "Every old trope… about Black quarterbacks: arrogant, lazy, dumb, distracted, leadership issues, not setting a good example, listens to people close to him, difficult to coach. It fits a pattern that makes it easier for me to dismiss whatever the motivation may be." [16:08, Bernstein]

4. The Dyslexia Accusation

• Ethics and Relevance: The panel denounces Dunne’s handling of the dyslexia rumor as reckless, lacking both evidence and proper expertise:

  "Letting coaches and scouts… say Caleb Williams has dyslexia and Ryan Poles knows and never presenting the proof to the reader." [36:14, Silverstein]

• The Only Real Scandal: If true and if Bears management really hid a diagnosis from their staff, that’s a huge story. But there's no sourcing to back that up.

  "If you have a source in the building who's a VP badmouthing the GM, that's a headline. Any journalist who has his sourcing down correctly puts that at the top." [40:34, Silverstein]

5. How Should the Bears Respond?

• Let It Pass: Jack and Dan agree the Bears are doing the right thing—ignoring the story and letting on-field performance override the off-field noise.

  "If the Bears don’t care about what was written and they really want to shut it up, then win football games because that’ll wash all of this away." [36:14, Abbatacola]

6. Final Perspective & Advice to Fans

• Media Literacy: Fans should trust journalism only when there’s evidence, transparency, and accountability—especially with controversial or anonymous claims.
• Let Football Decide: Ultimately, winning games is all that matters for Williams' legacy and narrative.

  "Bears fans… there was, by all accounts, a quarterback who everyone thought was number one. And we got him… I’m excited and let’s see what happens. Bear down." [44:57, Silverstein]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "If I was a journalism instructor and I wanted to craft a piece… to have students find all the problems, I couldn’t have done a better job than [Dunne] did in crafting a bad piece of journalism."
  — Jack Silverstein [06:40]

• "As a reader, if you see a story that is entirely anonymous sources, that's a huge red flag."
  — Silverstein [10:22]

• "Bears fans… There was, by all accounts, a quarterback who everyone thought was number one… And we got him… Bear down."
  — Silverstein [44:57]

• "Every old trope… about Black quarterbacks… It fits a pattern."
  — Bernstein [16:08]

• "If the Bears don’t care about what was written and… want to shut it up, then win football games… If he’s dyslexic… paints his fingernails… sashays away… I don’t care. I want him to win football games."
  — Abbatacola [36:14]

Additional Segments

NFL Week 1 Reactions [46:33–58:20]

• Breakdown of other QB performances (Jordan Love, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers)
• Fun banter about NFL broadcaster promos (Tom Brady, John Madden)
• Lamar Jackson’s incident with a fan and consequences

Cubs Baseball & Quick Hits [58:22–61:49]

• Cubs struggles continue; hopes that a late rally could fuel playoff magic.

“Radioactive Shrimp” Recall Story [61:49–66:47]

• Absurdist bit about a federal warning on shrimp contaminated with cesium-137.
• Imagined implications: “Shrimp Man” superhero origin stories.

Picks & Closing [68:05–70:48]

• Dan and Matt’s “stone cold locks” for Bears vs. Vikings and Monday Night Football props.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Skepticism Required: Major media stories, especially those using only anonymous sources, deserve greater scrutiny and skepticism.
• Consider the Source: Be aware of the patterns (racial tropes, blaming players for systemic chaos, lazy attributions) that recur in negative coverage of certain athletes.
• Let the Games Speak: Winning games is the clearest, simplest rebuke to media dramatics or poorly sourced narratives.

For more of Dan Bernstein’s sharp takes and no-BS coverage of Chicago sports, subscribe to Dan Bernstein Unfiltered wherever you get podcasts.