Dan Bernstein Unfiltered — Episode Summary

Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Host: 312 Sports (Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola)
Episode: Does it matter if Caleb Williams gets 4000 yards passing?
Date: January 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the much-discussed possibility that Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams may become the team's first-ever 4,000-yard passer in a single season. Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola break down why this milestone, while newsworthy, is largely unimportant in the grand scheme—especially in an NFL that now features 17-game seasons and pass-happy offenses. The conversation branches into Bears history, the evolution of football statistics, team-vs-individual goals, and the broader insecurities of Bears fandom. In true Unfiltered fashion, Bernstein and Abbatacola bring sharp, sometimes irreverent, Chicago sports perspective—with a side of their characteristic digressions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Caleb Williams 4,000-Yard Milestone: Meaningless or Momentous?

• Bernstein dismisses the significance:
  "I’m not going to celebrate something that has sucked...the ending of something that sucks is just something to say, ‘Alright, well, there’s that and let’s forget about it.’" (01:24)
  He views this as an inevitable outcome of modern offenses, not a meaningful achievement.
• Comparisons to NFL norms:
  "When you have an offensive mind like [Ben Johnson], that quarterback should be penciled in for a minimum of 4,000 yards...That should be automatic." (02:42)
• Historical context: Both note how added games (from 14 to 16, now to 17) have inflated stats and lessened their meaning.
  "Somehow...we’ve all agreed to not care that they added an extra game." (03:47)
• Cutler and Kramer references:
  Jay Cutler only missed the record by 26 yards in a 15-game season, while Caleb Williams is about to surpass Eric Kramer’s record with an extra game (06:23).

Should the Bears Help Williams Hit the Mark?

• Strongly against stat-padding:
  "If there’s any belief...that he’s supposed to do something to try to get this record...I’m going to be really unhappy. There is zero priority...to try to get him his 4,000 yards." (06:51)
  Bernstein only makes exceptions for incentives that benefit lower-paid or end-of-career players (08:31).
• Pragmatic view:
  "The moment this game doesn’t matter on Sunday, get him out. I don’t care how many yards he has." (09:01)

What Does This Say About Bears Fandom?

• Matt pinpoints the insecurity:
  "...as a Bears fan, as a Bears fandom, we have this insecurity about the fact that we’re the only team that hasn’t done it." (10:04)
• Bernstein agrees:
  "We have always been behind history...It’s time that we modernize. And we’ve done that with Ben Johnson." (10:47)

The Broader Context of Football Stats

• The meaninglessness of modern milestones:
  "When we start thinking about records, football isn’t really that game. Baseball was always that game where the individual season milestones mattered...Football’s just a bunch of massive physical freaks destroying each other." (12:55)
• Laughing about the 4,000-yard club:
  "Caleb Williams can join the ranks of Josh Johnson and Blake Bortles. That’s the pantheon...Congratulations." (09:20)
  "If all you wanted was to do what Blake Bortles did before you..." (16:53)
• Notable “bad” 4,000-yard passers: Jake Plummer, Elvis Grbac, and others, to illustrate that statistics do not define greatness (17:22, 19:44).

Discussion of Bears History and Offense

• Williams better than past Bears QBs:
  "What Caleb Williams has done individually, he has already had a better season than Eric Kramer had in 1995...objectively, he is a better player..." (04:56)
• The real embarrassment is at receiver:
  "If you really want to indict the Bears, it’s much more the wide receiver records than anything else. Like, that’s a real embarrassment. Johnny Morris, yes, yes, like that. That’s terrifying." (13:55)

Player Attitudes: Don’t Care Either

• On Williams’ own perspective:
  "As always, for this, take your cue from the player. He doesn’t act like he gives a shit." (11:41)
  Quoting Williams: "‘That’s what you brought me here to do. Like, that’s what I was brought here to do.’...Of course he can throw over 4,000 yards...in a 17-game season, something’s gone horribly wrong [if he doesn’t]." (11:51, 11:55)

Memorable Quotes

• On Bears fans’ 4,000-yard insecurity:
  "We’re not leading the way to the Super Bowl. So just...pump the brakes a little bit on being insecure on 4,000 yards passing. He’ll get there." — Matt (11:11)
• Bernstein on stat-padding:
  "If he gets 4,000 yards in 17 games, great. I don’t know what anybody wants to do. You want to celebrate? Go ahead. But if you’re that proud that he’s joined the ranks of Elvis Gerbach..." (16:53)
• On meaningless records:
  "You don’t have to be good. You just have to be alive. You just have to keep showing up and eventually you’ll get there in a 17-game season. Just keep throwing." — Bernstein (23:13)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Why Caleb Williams’ 4,000 yards doesn’t matter:
  [01:24]–[04:56]
• On the impact of more games and the meaning of passing records:
  [03:38]–[04:56]
• Bears QB history and wide receiver critique:
  [13:55]–[14:03]
• On whether the Bears should help Williams hit 4,000:
  [06:51]–[09:01]
• Perspective from Williams himself:
  [11:41]–[11:55]
• Humorous takes on the 4,000-yard “pantheon”:
  [09:20], [16:53], [19:44]

Additional Noteworthy Moments

• Jake Plummer is now a mushroom farmer:
  "Jake the Snake has become a mushroom farmer. I’m pretty sure that’s his job." (17:41)
  "If you’re growing mushrooms and you’re not growing psilocybin mushrooms just for yourself, you’re doing..." (18:28)
• Extended riff on historical changes in statistics and football conventions, highlighting how today’s record “milestones” can’t be stacked up historically (23:31–25:22).
• Matt’s point on player contract incentives vs. meaningless milestones:
  "There are favors that are done on this in this week all the time...good organizations are really aware of that, I think." (08:31)
• Light-hearted asides about toys (Stretch Armstrong, GI Joe), failed Bears wide receivers, and even the prospect of new superhero movies (throughout, but especially from [27:49] onward).

Episode Tone

Dan and Matt keep things brisk, candid, and sarcastic; Chicago sports, Bears fan pain, and the futility of fixating on hollow “firsts” all get skewered. The show’s back-and-forth is both sharp and playful, often veering into irreverent humor but staying rooted in their decades of experience and passion for Chicago sports.

Takeaways for New Listeners

• The Bears having a 4,000-yard passer isn’t a reflection of greatness—just a sign that they’ve joined the rest of the modern NFL.
• Team success trumps individual statistics; meaningful records are about wins, not hollow milestones.
• Embrace modernization but avoid celebrating mediocrity—and take your cues from the players themselves, who are focused on the bigger prize.
• If you’re looking for unvarnished, deeply informed takes with a dash of classic Chicago sarcasm, you’re in the right place.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "I’m not going to celebrate something that has sucked. The ending of something that sucks is just something to say, ‘Alright, well, there’s that and let’s forget about it.’" — Bernstein [01:24]
• "When you have an offensive mind like [Ben Johnson], that quarterback should be penciled in for a minimum of 4,000 yards...That should be automatic." — Bernstein [02:42]
• "The moment this game doesn’t matter on Sunday, get him out. I don’t care how many yards he has." — Bernstein [09:01]
• "We have this insecurity about the fact that we’re the only team that hasn’t done it." — Matt [10:04]
• "As always, for this, take your cue from the player. He doesn’t act like he gives a shit." — Bernstein [11:41]
• "When we start thinking about records, football isn’t really that game. Baseball was always that game where the individual season milestones mattered." — Bernstein [12:55]
• "Caleb Williams can join the ranks of Josh Johnson and Blake Bortles. That’s the pantheon." — Bernstein [09:20]

For those who haven’t listened:
Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola’s conversation provides a smart, irreverent, and very Chicago perspective on why the Bears’ possible 4,000-yard passing milestone means little, and why fans (and the media) should focus on real progress instead of arbitrary achievements. The episode is sprinkled with history, humor, and the tough-love honesty that makes “Unfiltered” a must-listen for die-hard Chicago sports fans.