Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – "Chicago Bears: The New Cool Team in the NFL Thanks to Caleb Williams"

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein
Producer/Co-host: Matt Abbatacola
Podcast Network: 312 Sports

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola dissect the meteoric rise of the Chicago Bears as the NFL’s "cool team," spurred by the electric arrival of quarterback Caleb Williams. The discussion is a wide-ranging, unfiltered tour of what makes an NFL franchise cool, how the Bears finally fit the bill, and why the city and the league feel primed for a full-on Bears takeover. Beyond football, the episode touches on major moves in Chicago baseball, the NBA, and media moments with typical irreverence and straight-shooting sports banter.

The Chicago Bears – Finally the ‘Cool Team’ (01:48–25:55)

What Makes a Team "Cool"?

• Dan breaks down his criteria for NFL coolness:
  • "The team's got to be good. You can't really be…unless there are some serious extenuating circumstances, you can't be bad and cool." (04:54)
  • Other factors: stylish branding, memorable players, an engaged fan base, a compelling story, and the right historical context.
• Classic vs. trendy branding:
  • Dan weighs the Bears’ "consistent and classic" look: "When you're able to show old highlights and guys are recognizable and the colors are identical and the logos are the same, maybe there's something to be said for that." (09:23)

Bears' 2025-26 Transformation

• The team’s recent success and excitement:
  • "The Bears clearly were good enough this year. They were ridiculously exciting." (08:09)
• Caleb Williams compared to other star QBs:
  • "Caleb Williams is maybe the most unpredictable, exciting quarterback in the game...you automatically lose points…when something's been around for a while because it's always Next, next, Next." (08:29)
  • Matt: "Even with Caleb…I look at Caleb and Pat Mahomes as the two guys that are the most exciting, athletic, unpredictable quarterbacks in the league." (11:05)
• Caleb’s impact on perception:
  • Matt: "Those two guys are 1, 2. However, whatever order you want to put them in. And then the gap down there is…a big…significant gap…There aren't any other quarterbacks in the league right now that can do it at the level that those two guys do it." (11:24)
  • Dan: "It's been a real long time…it’s been forever since the Bears were the 'it' team." (21:51)

Star Power & Marketability—Who's Next After Caleb? (13:30–19:12)

• Is Colston Loveland the second marketable star?
  • Dan: "If you're marketing the Bears after Caleb Williams, who is the next player?... the answer might be Ben Johnson [coach], but he doesn't count because he's not a player." (15:29)
  • Matt prefers Jalen Johnson: "You need a guy that's got some personality and can back it up on the field…So it would have been Jalen Johnson for me." (14:11, 19:16)
• Arguments for offensive stars:
  • Dan argues for highlighting offensive connections: "It has to be a target of Williams...the kinetic imagery of a pass leaving the hand of one and landing in the hands of the other." (15:42)
  • Discussions around Colston Loveland and Luther Burden as potential breakout marketing stars (16:15–18:10).
  • Anecdote: The viral moment with Kyle Monangai and Luther Burden during the Packers playoff game, showing team personality and chemistry (16:26–17:22).
  • "I think Burden’s got a little bit of what you’re looking for."—Dan (17:23)

The Bears as a National Product

• NFL's likely marketing push:
  • "The league is going to push Caleb into next year and maybe more than just Caleb." (09:52)
• Predictions for Bears’ cultural impact:
  • "I would, I'd like to listen to any other team's argument. You find another franchise…make the case and say this team, this coach, this situation is cooler than the Bears. I think it's an uphill battle for you." (18:10)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "It's like the fan base hated Jay Cutler. There's nothing. There's no charisma. It's just the—it's like a black hole. Charisma. Charisma, yeah." — Dan (22:01)
• "Cool and good and likable, though. It's like the trifecta if you're…if you're marketing and selling that." — Matt (24:31)
• "You had the whole counterculture thing with [McMahon]…but he wasn’t that good." — Dan (23:41)

Which Other NFL Teams Are "Cool"? (25:48–31:08)

• Dan and Matt run down the league, team by team, with dry humor and rapid-fire analysis:
  • Patriots, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Texans, Colts, Titans, Broncos, Chargers: "No."
  • Chiefs: "Probably were the cool team for a stretch." (26:25)
  • Cross-conference: Giants have some potential with new players but "wrong coach" (27:28); Eagles, Cowboys, others don’t meet the test.
• Summary Style:
  • Dan: "A lot of this is first blush. A lot of this is…immediate sense…Are you compelled? Do you get a sense of, like, that little, like, frisson when you think about the team?" (26:43)
• Even the Raiders, Rams, 49ers, and others get a summary dismissal—the Bears are in a league of their own for 'coolness' right now.

Rapid Baseball and NBA Segues

White Sox Trade Luis Robert to Mets (33:54–42:00)

• Trade reflects franchise mismanagement:
  • Dan: "[Robert] is, for now, a perfect symbol of squandered opportunity. He is unrealized potential wrapped up in a perfect baseball body." (33:59)
  • Recap of Robert’s peak (2021), stats, and how Tony La Russa’s hiring de-railed Sox momentum.
• Return for Robert is underwhelming:
  • "It's a salary dump...that's all it is." (38:19)
  • Discuss prospect Luisangel Acuña and pitcher Truman Pauly. "He sounds like a Fed governor." (39:22)

Bulls, Derrick Rose, and Michael Jordan on NBC (52:37–58:54)

• Bulls win recap and reflection on trading assets:
  • "Even the way Vuchevic is playing. He's had good legs lately…If he wants to show that he's got enough legs...they've got to do something here." (51:46)
• Derrick Rose jersey retirement & tribute pizza at Giordano’s
• Michael Jordan’s return to NBC a bust:
  • "Jordan used that interview to tell you everything he doesn't like about the modern NBA…these guys suck. I didn't suck. Get out of my house. That was it." (54:00)
  • Matt: "He did nothing to help the product on NBC at all... Not only did he not help your product, he actually talked shit all about the product." (56:38)

Hall of Fame and Chicago Sports Odds & Ends (44:30–49:10)

• Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones get Hall of Fame nods.
• Love for generational sports names—Danny & Jimmy McCaffrey, Lad McConkey, Mike Shanahan’s Chicago roots (45:01–46:16).
• Dan: "Andrew Jones...he would be there to catch the ball...didn’t need the Jim Edmonds stuff." (47:34)

Memorable Quotes

• "It's a real long time. It's been forever since the Bears were the 'it' team and even when they were good with Cutler, having Cutler ruins all of everything." – Dan (21:51)
• "Cool and good and likable...it's like the trifecta if you're marketing and selling that." – Matt (24:31)
• "You find another franchise in the NFL right now and make the case and say this team, this coach, this situation is cooler than the Bears. I think it's an uphill battle for you." – Dan (18:10)
• "[Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes] are 1, 2…It's not being a good quarterback or a great quarterback...There aren't any other quarterbacks in the league right now that can do it at the level that those two guys do it." – Matt (11:22)
• "If you're marketing the Bears after Caleb Williams, who is the next player?...the answer might be Ben Johnson, but he doesn't count because he's not a player." – Dan (15:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:48 — Start of actual content; United Center moment with Caleb Williams and Pete Crow-Armstrong
• 05:30 — What makes an NFL team ‘cool’? Breaking down the criteria
• 08:09 — Why the Bears finally check every box, especially with Caleb Williams
• 13:30 — Debating who is Bears’ second marketing star after Caleb
• 16:26 — The viral water bottle moment with Burden and Monangai
• 25:48 — League-wide scan: Do any NFL teams rival the Bears for cool?
• 33:54 — White Sox trade Luis Robert: discuss repercussions and symbolism
• 44:30 — Hall of Fame, sports names, Mike Shanahan’s Chicago connection
• 52:37 — Bulls win, trade value talk + Derrick Rose jersey retirement
• 54:00 — Michael Jordan’s NBC ‘comeback’ and its flop

Episode Tone & Style

Unscripted, sharp, and distinctly Chicago, Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola blend deep sports knowledge with the self-deprecating, wisecracking style that has endeared them to local fans for decades. Quotes are candid, honest, and include explicit language where natural ("the fucking ball out, you piece of shit." – Dan on Carlton Fisk, 21:39) and the conversation thrives on real-time banter, friendly disagreement, and authentic fandom.

Bottom Line

If you want to understand why the Bears are suddenly the NFL’s new "it" team, this episode provides a street-level guide to Chicago’s sports psyche—and how one player, Caleb Williams, has changed everything, with no filter and no filler. The debate over who’s next in line for franchise stardom, the league-wide scan for potential "cool" rivals (finding none), and a smattering of baseball and Bulls talk round out another hyper-current, engaging hour of Chicago sports radio reborn as podcast.