Dan Bernstein Unfiltered on 312 Sports – "Chicago Bears Injury Concerns | Feedback Friday"

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This lively episode brings together Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola for their signature “Feedback Friday” mailbag, mixing sharp Chicago sports analysis—especially regarding the injury-riddled Chicago Bears—with smart, heartfelt, and hilarious listener interactions. Topics move rapidly from Bears news to food and pop culture, touching on other city teams and listener feedback from around the globe, culminating in an inventive, comedic, “Top 10 Steelers of All Time” list, laden with trademark banter and tangents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chicago Bears Injury Crisis

• Main concern: The Bears may be missing all key starting linebackers (TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Noah Sewell) for their upcoming game, which is a significant threat to the defense’s integrity, especially against an Aaron Rodgers–led offense.
• Dan’s take: Tremaine Edmunds’ absence looms large due to his “remarkable” year, highlighted by his length, zone discipline, and leaping ability.
  • Quote (Dan, 03:09): “He has been able to dissuade lots of passes with his length and his discipline...I don't want this to be like when you didn't really appreciate Brian Urlacher until Hunter Hillenmeyer came in.”
• Defensive adjustments: The duo discusses possible replacements, including deep reserves like DeMarco Jackson, or unconventional use of DBs as nickel linebackers.
• Matt’s concern: Unprepared, inexperienced players facing quick-passing attacks from elite QBs is a recipe for disaster.

2. Feedback Friday—Listener Mailbag Highlights

a. Bears and Kevin Warren Stadium Remarks

• Dan shares the YouTube comment of the week—on giving Bears President Kevin Warren a game ball instead of a player, quipping he should have gotten “a shovel” to break ground on the new stadium instead.
  • Quote (Dan, 04:30): “Here you go—give him a golden shovel. Go put that in the ground somewhere.”

b. Food Mishaps & Home Run Inn Pizza

• Stories from listeners about accidentally baking pizzas upside down, especially with Home Run Inn cheese pizzas due to indistinguishable sides. Matt gives grace, admitting, "Fine, fair enough…if you're drunk or you're high, whatever, you might throw it in upside down." (07:18)

c. Product Placement Jokes

• Jokes about Parmigiano Reggiano cheese getting its own product placement agent—imagining absurdly obvious movie dialog.
  • Quote (Matt, 08:07): “Wow, that cheese was delicious! Of course it was. It’s Parmigiano Reggiano.”

d. Small Town Tales & Werewolves in Illinois

• A listener from Podunk, IL, describes a local “werewolf” scaring kids at the bus stop. Dan riffing: “You should always be prepared for an outside werewolf.” (09:01)

e. Pope Bob & Ecclesiastical Sports Fandom

• Fantasies about the Pope being a show listener, riffing on church and sports references merging.

f. Taco/Nacho Food Hacks

• Listener shares hacks for taco night: wrapping Taco Bell–style hardshell tacos in melted-cheese flour tortillas for crunch and less mess.

g. Global Listeners

• John from Berlin, Germany reflects on cultural spaces and community, referencing their discussion of Pope Leo’s message about “the city being alive” due to arts and culture. His heartfelt note thanks Dan for highlighting an inspiring side of the faith.
  • Quote (John, 16:09): “The Pope described, and you extrapolated, the very heart and vision we have for our work. Very few people understand the thing we do…your distillation of the papal address was the closest I've heard anyone get it in a while.”

h. Nighttime Eating Confessions

• Uncle Pete from the Chicago area finds solace in Dan’s own gluttonous late-night eating stories, feeling validated in his “nighttime degenerate” habits.

i. More Listener Anecdotes

• Oddball stories, like an adult baby “nursery”/fetish business in Mount Prospect—a real sight according to a local.

j. Thanksgiving & Novelty Foods

• Listener Robert discusses Amazon’s Thursday Night Football theme and the discovery that the composer is Pinar Toprak, a woman, which they celebrate as progress in a male-dominated field.
• Deep food talk: Thanksgiving-flavored Oreos, creamed corn traditions, and “Jiffy Lube cornbread” becomes a running gag (“I go to Jiffy Lube for my cornbread…”).
• Quote (Matt, 36:15): “Did you really? I said Jiffy Lube cornbread...I go to Jiffy Lube to get my cornbread.”

k. Annoying Holiday Commercials

• Listener “Tall Paul” in Boston rants against over-recycled, lame commercials for Buffalo wings in major ad campaigns, spotlighting three different brands with the same tired “do buffalo have wings” gag.

l. Amazon Sledding Commercial

• Dan’s (and Matt’s) issue with the implausibility of an Amazon holiday commercial featuring elderly women sledding: “There’s no shot they’re getting back up the hill ever.”

3. Musical Interlude—“Good, Better, Best” AI Song

• Closing mailbag, the hosts play an AI-generated “Good, Better, Best” nursery rhyme as a comedic send-off, echoing an earlier joke about Aaron Rodgers. Ends with “Go the f**k to sleep.”
  • Quote (Dan, 47:24): “Thank you…I was hoping it was going to go that direction…” (listener-generated content – Ryan in Seattle)

4. Top 10 "Steelers" of All Time

(Starting at 50:34)

• Hilariously Unfiltered: Not the Pittsburgh Steelers, but a mixed bag of steel-related (and “stealer” as in thief) cultural references—a “committee” list with both sincere and tongue-in-cheek entries.
• Format: Each host presents their own “top 10,” resulting in laughter, confusion, and playful banter.

Dan & Matt’s Notable Picks:

1. Steely Dan (band)—Dan’s #1 for musicianship and cultural influence.
   • Dan, 73:52: “The cool thing about Steely Dan is they always worked at the highest level of their intelligence…still absolutely jams.”
2. Iconic “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” Photo—Matt’s #1, honoring the Mohawk Skywalkers (Native steelworkers).
3. Steel Magnolias (film)—Acknowledged for cast and cultural status.
4. Andrew Carnegie & J.P. Morgan—Steel industry titans.
5. Steel Curtain—The famed 1970s Steelers defense.
6. Danielle Steel—Bestselling romance author.
7. Public Enemy’s “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”—Dan’s music pick.
8. Justin Steele (Chicago Cubs pitcher)—Dan’s local nod.
9. Richard Steele (boxing referee)—Dan highlights his legendary presence.
10. Steelers Wheel ("Stuck in the Middle with You")—Dan’s musical trivia.

Honorable Mentions Include:

• The Hamburglar
• The Steel Drum instrument
• Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger (noted “stealers”)
• The Pink Panther (“stealing” the diamond)
• Man of Steel (Superman)
• Wrestling’s George “The Animal” Steel

Memorable banter about the definition of “stealer,” the odd history of McDonaldland characters, and trivia about the band Steely Dan (e.g., Chevy Chase’s stint as their drummer in college).

5. DBU Picks (Sports Bets) – [78:21]

• Matt: Raiders -4 vs. Browns (Shador Sanders expected to start)
• Dan: Miami Heat +2.5 vs. Bulls, Kobe White over 2.5 threes, DeAndre Swift over 11.5 receiving yards (expecting passing game impact due to Bears’ injuries).

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Injury Panic:
  “The Bears may be down all their linebackers and last time I checked that’s not great.” — Dan Bernstein [01:20]

• Linebacker Importance:
  “He has been able to dissuade lots of passes with his length and his discipline… I don’t want this to be like when you didn’t really appreciate Brian Urlacher until Hunter Hillenmeyer came in.” — Dan [03:09]

• Kevin Warren Game Ball (Listener Comment):
  “Instead of a game ball, someone should have given him a shovel.” — Dan quoting listener [04:30]

• On Thanksgiving Oreos:
  “Turkey and gravy—I don’t want a cookie like that.” — Matt [34:17]

• Jiffy Lube Cornbread Running Gag:
  “Did you really? I said Jiffy Lube cornbread... I go to Jiffy Lube to get my cornbread.” — Matt [36:16]

• Listener Mail—Berlin note:
  “...the cultural spaces we create are vital to preserve and grow the human spirit and its connection to the divine.” — John in Berlin, read by Dan [16:09]

• Musical trivia & banter:
  “You know their song... ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’—that became popular again because of the scene in Reservoir Dogs.” — Dan [66:13]

• Steely Dan’s Origins:
  “If you are curious about the name Steely Dan... it comes from a steam-powered dildo mentioned in the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch.” — Dan [76:53]

Episode Tone & Style

• Language: Direct, irreverent, honest—occasionally laced with sarcasm, but never mean-spirited.
• Dynamic: Dan and Matt riff easily, mixing sports authority with long-running in-jokes, rapid tangents, and a willingness to let segments wander into pop culture, food, and listener lives.
• Community: Listener voices are centered, with international reach and a community vibe; their contributions frequently drive both serious discussion and the show’s signature absurdity.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:20] Main Bears injury report/open
• [04:29] YouTube comment of the week (Kevin Warren/shovel)
• [06:00] Home Run Inn pizza story & food mishaps
• [09:02] Small town werewolf story
• [11:16] Taco hack & Taco Bell talk
• [13:59] Listener mail from Berlin
• [16:38] Listener Nighttime Eating Confessions
• [34:09] Thanksgiving Oreos & creamed corn debate
• [41:23] Holiday commercials listener rant
• [50:34] Top 10 “Steelers” segment begins
• [78:21] DBU Picks (sports bets for the weekend)

Takeaway

This episode is a quintessential slice of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered: blunt, channel-surfing but insightful Chicago sports talk, laugh-out-loud riffs on food and culture, and deep connection with a loyal, far-flung listenership. The main sport storyline—Bears defensive uncertainty—feels almost secondary to the lived-in banter and mailbag camaraderie. If you want a podcast as Chicago as an undercooked pizza or contentious Cubs bullpen, start here.