Don't forget why Ben Johnson was hired.

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered | Episode: “Don't forget why Ben Johnson was hired.” Podcast Date: December 9, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan Bernstein and longtime producer Matt Abbatacola dig into the ongoing development of the Chicago Bears under head coach Ben Johnson. The heart of the discussion is why Johnson was hired and what fans should (and shouldn’t) expect from the offense—specifically in relation to young quarterback Caleb Williams. The duo warns against reading too much into recent, more “simplified” offensive approaches that stray from Johnson’s principles, drawing lessons from past Bears regimes and underscoring the importance of building a sustainable, potent attack. The episode also touches on NFL news, memorable sports moments, and a quirky tangent about a Church of Scientology commercial.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Bears Offense & Ben Johnson’s Philosophy

• Second Half Adjustments Against Packers:

  • Matt flags that while the Bears offense improved in the second half vs. the Packers by including more boot action, rollouts, and half-field reads, this isn’t sustainable or truly “Ben Johnson football.”
  • "They did it out of necessity and some of that stuff works. There's a time and a place to do that...But when you start doing that, you limit the offense.” — [02:04], Matt

• Why Fans Shouldn’t Love the ‘Boot Action’ Approach Too Much:

  • Half-field concepts “dumb down” the offense and restrict growth. Drawing comparisons to the Nagy/Trubisky era, Matt and Dan are concerned about limiting Williams early.
  • "That is a perfect example of what coaches would refer to…as dumbing down the offense. That is simplifying the offense in a way Ben Johnson doesn’t want to do.” — [02:42], Matt

• The Mitch Trubisky/Nagy Parallel:

  • They reference how cutting the field for Trubisky temporarily worked but limited long-term success. Nagy ultimately ceded playcalling, but the simplified set couldn’t evolve.
  • "They had to do it because their quarterback couldn't read a defense." — [05:01], Matt

• What Ben Johnson Was Hired For:

  • Johnson’s mission is to build a robust, advanced offense—one that consistently challenges a young quarterback to “get it” as a pocket passer, not just improvise with athleticism.
  • "His job is to teach Caleb Williams...as a pocket quarterback...The movement of the pocket is there as a tactic. It is not the basis of the offense.” — [06:04], Matt

• What Happens If They Start Simplifying Now:

  • If the need to simplify arises this early, it signals serious developmental concerns for Williams.
  • "If in fact you're already there, if you're already at this point, well, they got to cut the field in half. Then you got a big, big problem." — [05:07], Matt

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2. Comparing Ben Johnson to Past Bears Coaches

• Dan: “It hasn’t been up to Ben Johnson standard, period.” — [06:27]

  • The difference from Nagy: Johnson’s offense is proven. Fans can’t demand both offensive ingenuity and basic, comfort-zone play for Williams.
  • "You can't be excited about having Ben Johnson as your head coach and start asking him to cut the field in half." — [06:29], Matt

• Emphasizing Development Over Short-term “Comfort Plays”:

  • Matt: Winning now with half-field reads isn’t real development. Johnson’s task is to “push the boundaries” and elevate both QB and offense together.
  • "That's not development and that's not why Ben Johnson took this job. He didn’t take this job to run the Alex Smith offense." — [09:59], Matt

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3. Building for Sustained Success, Not One-off Years

• Why Athleticism Isn’t a Long-term Plan:

  • Dan cautions that relying on Williams’ improvisation and athleticism might eke out wins for a season but can’t sustain playoff runs or build a dynasty.
  • “It could probably give you a year of winning games based on Caleb's athleticism. But that's not something that you build on.” — [08:41], Dan

• Skill Position Fallout:

  • If the offense gets overly simplified, playmakers can be left out, hurting morale and limiting effectiveness.
  • “You're going to have somebody on the other side of the field…never seeing the ball.” — [08:51], Matt

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4. Signs of Progress with Caleb Williams

• Recent Improvement:

  • Matt notes Williams is “starting to see it now”, reads are more correct, and timing is improving—though accuracy and full processing still lag.
  • “There were indications that his eyes are getting better staying up, that the timing…is starting to slow down…just not quite at that level yet.” — [10:43], Matt
  • Dan agrees: “While he may not be at the point where he's pulling the trigger…he's at least seeing it now. And that was a big step.” — [11:53], Dan

• Key Development Criteria:

  • Don't get tunnel vision on stats or short-term outcomes. The right offense will make the numbers follow.
  • “The stats will take care of themselves if the offense works...He has to see it. He's got to process it, he's got to anticipate it. And we're not quite at that level yet.” — [12:08], Matt

• Challenging Williams to Grow:

  • Johnson must keep pushing challenging concepts, using “dumbed down” plays sparingly—even if they work in certain situations.
  • “You want to continually be challenging, challenging, challenging.” — [13:14], Matt

• Don’t Confuse Real Play Design with Freestyling:

  • There’s a difference between designed rollouts and improvisational sandlot football. Johnson’s system is about layered choices, not “Superman” escapes.
  • “Don't confuse those [designed rollouts] with the ‘I'm a Superman, I'm going to escape’...Those aren't what we're trying to get to.” — [15:48], Dan

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5. The Broader Bears Picture

• Enjoying Progress While Staying Realistic:

  • While the team is winning (“nine games does change it a little”), they’re still a work in progress, and likely not on a Super Bowl path yet.
  • “Even with a work in progress...the Bears can still win a playoff game this year...But I don't think they're going to win a Super Bowl this year.” — [17:42], Dan

• Not Winning “Cutting the Field in Half”:

  • Both hosts emphasize the team can’t reach championship levels if they stick to limited, “basic” offense for their quarterback.
  • “They're not going to win a Super Bowl cutting the field in half for the quarterback. They're not.” — [18:15], Matt

• Johnson Needs to Stay the Course:

  • Don’t bend your offense to fit the QB’s limitations. The hire was about building a cutting-edge system for the long haul, not short-term comfort.
  • “He [Johnson] has to stay with his game plan. He can't adjust his offense to match what Caleb Williams can do for the moment, that doesn't benefit anything for the future.” — [18:22], Dan

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6. The Ben Johnson Persona—Shirtless Celebrations & National Perception

• Memes and Locker Room Culture:

  • Ben Johnson’s shirtless celebration is already a running joke—even referenced nationally (including on a kids’ broadcast).

  • "It's because of his offense and his ability to get the most out of what a quarterback can do...That's what you celebrate in him. It isn't the everything else." — [19:26], Matt

  • Both hosts joke about how Johnson’s locker room antics will be remembered if the Bears don’t win, likening it to the infamous Mike Singletary pants-dropping incident.

  • "If you don't win games, Dan, that turns into...He was a gimmick guy. It wasn't real." — [32:13], Dan

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7. Quick Hits: NFL & Sports Notes

• Philip Rivers’ Tryout:

  • Both are amused (and skeptical) that Rivers, out of the league four years and with ten kids, tried out for the Colts. They joke about him “getting out of the house.”

  • "Take up fishing. Don't go back if you're tired of being in the house...Go hunting. Take a walk. Go birding. Don't go back.” — [56:28], Matt

  • Stats: Rivers' last game was Jan 9, 2021, playoff loss to Buffalo.

  • "You don't want any of this...not these guys. Too big, too fast, too strong, too good." — [57:07], Matt

• Scientology Commercial:

  • Matt gives an entertaining, scathing review of David Miscavige’s unintentionally sinister TV ad for the Church of Scientology, likening him to a “B-movie villain” and the “serpent from Genesis.”
  • "It is the most unintentionally, deeply sinister 30 seconds you've ever seen in your life.” — [46:15], Matt

• Notre Dame/ACC Realignment:

  • Brief, late-in-episode discussion about whether Notre Dame should fully join a conference, suggesting the Big Ten is the logical move.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "That's not ultimately what Ben Johnson wants to do. I just want to be really clear about this...when you start doing that, you limit the offense." — [02:04], Matt
• "That is a perfect example of what coaches would refer to...as dumbing down the offense." — [02:42], Matt
• "They had to do it because their quarterback couldn't read a defense." — [05:01], Matt
• "If in fact you're already there...Then you got a big, big problem." — [05:07], Matt
• "You can't be excited about having Ben Johnson as your head coach and start asking him to cut the field in half." — [06:29], Matt
• "His job is to teach Caleb Williams...as a pocket quarterback." — [06:04], Matt
• "It's not a good thing and it's also not sustainable." — [08:34], Dan
• "That's not why Ben Johnson's here. He's not here to run...that. He's here because he knows how to pick up big chunks of yards and spin that scoreboard like a pinball machine.” — [07:38], Matt
• “It's not about chasing the stats, it's about chasing the success.” — [12:08], Matt
• "You want to continually be challenging, challenging, challenging.” — [13:14], Matt
• “Don't confuse those [designed rollouts] with the ‘I'm a Superman, I'm going to escape’...Those aren't what we're trying to get to.” — [15:48], Dan
• On shirtless celebration: "If you don't win games, Dan, that turns into...He was a gimmick guy. It wasn't real." — [32:13], Dan

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:29] – Early discussion: Bears offense, Packers game adjustments
• [02:04] – “That’s not the offense.” Why Ben Johnson are resisting half-field concepts
• [03:13] – Drawing parallels to the Nagy/Trubisky era
• [06:04-07:38] – What Ben Johnson wants: growth, complexity, “pinball machine” offense
• [08:34] – Flaws of relying on QB improvisation for wins
• [10:43-13:14] – Caleb Williams’ progress and what true development looks like
• [15:48-17:42] – Designed rollouts vs. scramble drills; offense as a work in progress
• [18:15-19:26] – On not winning with a cut-in-half offense; necessity for sticking with Johnson’s big-picture plan
• [29:36-33:43] – National perception of Ben Johnson’s shirtless celebration
• [46:15] – Review of the sinister Scientology ad
• [56:05-59:13] – Amused reflections on Philip Rivers’ tryout with the Colts

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Final Takeaways

• Don’t Clamor for Simplicity: The Bears must trust the process with Ben Johnson, even if growing pains for Caleb Williams are visible. The ceiling is set by their ability to master a challenging, dynamic offense—not by reverting to “what works now.”
• Embrace Patience in Development: Sustainable success is built on developing a QB to “see it all” and run a full-field attack. The flash of successful improvisation is a byproduct, not a plan.
• Remember Why Ben Johnson’s Here: He wasn’t hired to be a meme (or to run the Alex Smith offense); he’s here to build something enduring and explosive.

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This summary captures the major content segments of the episode, bringing clarity for listeners new to the show and for die-hard Chicago sports fans eager to keep pace with the evolution of the Bears from a smart, critical perspective.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312 Sports.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered is brought to you in partnership with my bookie and also thanks to Protein Bar and Kitchen Delicious, nutritious and protein packed food and drinks. Check out the [e-mail] I'm Dan Bernstein, that is Matt Abaticola.

As good as the Bears offense was in the second half and as many plays as Caleb Williams made in the second half when they did things a little bit differently and changed some things around, can I make sure that we don't start getting the wrong impression of something and can I just nip something in the bud before we because I am experience tells me that we're on the precipice of something happening that shouldn't. And I'm going to explain why.

The Bears did in the second half of that game when the passing game got better against the Packers. Yes, the Bears did more boot action. There was, there were more planned rollouts. There was more half field stuff that was going on.

Don't get used to it.

A lot of things can be true here and I know it's hard sometimes when we're talking sports to understand that multiple things can be true in that game. A lot of those plays worked and they got him on the move in Williams. They got him his eyes moving differently than just dropping back, being a stationary target for Micah Parsons or Rashawn Gary and trying to time everything up.

That's not the offense.

That's not ultimately what Ben Johnson wants to do. I just want to be really clear about this. They did it out of necessity and some of that stuff works. There's a time and a place to do that. I'm not saying take that stuff out of the play playbook. There are plays that involve moving the launch point that, that involve getting him out on the run and having the option of using his feet and pump faking getting down the field. But when you start doing that, you limit the offense. Now I'm going to use a phrase here that is loaded.

And I know it's loaded, but it has to be said when you are running half field stuff. That is a perfect example of what coaches would refer to. Maybe not publicly, but that's dumbing down the offense. That is lessening the number of options. That is simplifying the offense in a way that Ben Johnson doesn't want to do.

So Bears fans will be hearing this and they're thinking, wait a second, didn't we go through something like this before and the answer is 100% yes. That the last time we were talking about this and the last time the Bears offensively and philosophically had this conflict philosophically was in the Nagy administration was the 2019 and 2020 when Mitch Trubisky wasn't getting.

Needs to be said that we don't even know if the naggy offense would have worked with a quarterback who got it. We don't know. It was never proven. It was probably overcomplicated and too cute by half. But understand that whatever they were trying to put in, whatever they were, were reteaching and all the words we used about factory defaults and stripping him down and rebuilding him, and they brought in all the virtual reality stuff to try to let him see defenses. And he never could, he never could read a defense. So against Nagy's desires, against them pushing and pushing and pushing and every say, hey, look, this, this side to side stuff, the moving pocket stuff, the Shanahan style stuff, this is all working. We gotta do this. And neg's like, no, no. Then they remember they he gave up play calling. They gave it to Bill Lazer and Bill Laser's like, okay, we're gonna run this stuff now. And it only gets you so far because it's basic, it's rudimentary. It's easier for defenses to figure out when you are playing half field. Layered concepts.

They didn't want to do it. They had to do it because their quarterback couldn't read a defense.

So please don't start. Don't fall into this trap. Do not fall into this trap just because some of this stuff worked better in a game. And he's good at it. Caleb Williams is good at it. He can do all of that stuff. But that's not why you brought Ben Johnson here. He's not here to run. Run that. And you gotta understand that his job is to teach Caleb Williams to have him get it as a pocket quarterback. He can get out and run. When it comes to actual scrambling off script, bring it. But the scrambling isn't supposed to be on the script. The movement of the pocket is there as a tactic. It is available to them. It is not the basis of the offense. And if in fact you're already there, if you're already at this point, well, they got to cut the field in half. Then you got a big, big problem. Big problem. If you feel your key to winning or your key to a passing game, which has been bad of late, it has not been up to NFL playoff team or certainly super bowl champion standard. And I'm not just looking at completion percentage.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, it hasn't been up to Ben Johnson standard, period.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's where it starts. That's fair. Yeah. The difference between Johnson and Nagy and people are going to unleash arrows at me for even making the comparison. Ben Johnson's offense is proven to work right. That's the difference. Nagy never called plays. He was a. He was a glorified quarterbacks coach when he got the job. Smart guy, charismatic guy, talked a good game. Maybe he'll end up being a good coach, you know, now that he's been knocked back and reassessed. And there are plenty of stories of people who figure some things out, but he wasn't ultimately a real good head coach for the Bears. Every nice thing that we're saying about Ben Johnson, you can't be excited about having Ben Johnson as your head coach and start asking him to cut the field in half. You can't have both of those things if you're excited about everything Johnson's doing, the way he's managing the emotions of this team, the way he's getting excited, the way he might be picking a fight with the Green Bay coach for fun and the whole taking his shirt off thing.

The good, better, best, all that stuff is fun. But if you're embracing Ben Johnson, you've got to embrace what matters most about him. And what matters most about him isn't the other stuff. It's not the other frothy chants and removing clothing. He's here because he knows how to pick up big chunks of yards and spin that scoreboard like a pinball machine. That's what he's here for, pinball machine. So you've got to understand that, and I know you do. But we get. We have the recency effect of seeing that happened to work in the last game. And we know that when we see him scrambling. Oh, yeah, more of that, more of that. That's where he's comfortable. That's fine, but that's not a good thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not a good thing and it's also not sustainable. And it could probably give you.

A year of winning games based on Caleb's athleticism. But that's not something that you build on and build on and build on to have consistent playoff appearances.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're also not going to make your skill position players all that happy either, because you're going to have somebody on the other side of the field who's running a lot of decoy routes and never seeing the ball like If Ben.

[Dan Bernstein]

Johnson wanted to, he could run his offense like this, like what we saw Caleb had success with against Green Bay. But then that takes away from everything that he wants to do.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's not why he's here.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it's also not something you can build on and get consistent at, at. Consistent at winning. If you want, if you want one fluke year every so often, you can get that with coaches, even bad coaches, you can have that happen. We saw it. Mark Trustman had it, Matt Nagy had it. Ben Johnson is having a nine and four year right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is the debate that's going on about Jaden Daniels too, right? If you want consistency, yeah. Where Jaden, they, they. For Jaden Daniels, they, they did simplify things. They did make it more collegiate and say, you're good at this already, go ahead and do this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And there's a difference in a short term project, how do we win the next game.

How do we get through this game? How do we scoring the most points with what this guy can do right now? And they see that's not development.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's not development and that's not why Ben Johnson took this job. He didn't take this job to run the Alex Smith offense.

[Dan Bernstein]

And we said from the start of this season, Dan on this show and Ford progress as well, that we realized Ben Johnson got here and then he realized it's a much heavier lift rebuild than I anticipated. Yes. And that's where they're at. So if you want just that, you know that real quick, let's do what we can to get some points on the board now and not build for the future. Well, then you stay on that path. But that's not why Ben Johnson's here. That's not why he's getting 13 million a year over the next, you know, four years including this year. So five years. But that, that's not why you brought him in.

[Matt Abaticola]

But there's a lot going on amid all of this because we get caught up in, you know, this year and the first seed and the seventh seed and the NFC and what can they do? And we get very, very caught up in what's going on for this year. You've got to look bigger sometimes. And that's just my choice right now is to recenter what we're talking about when we're talking about the Bears and Caleb Williams. It isn't just the next matchup, the next game, the next play. It's is he the guy? And if he's the guy, he's got to get it. Yeah, he's got to. You can't all. If you've already are cashing that in, you're like, well, we got to run this, this offense because this is all he's got. It can't be yet. It can't be. I don't think it is. I don't think it is. And I think that especially going into the last game, there were indications that his eyes are getting better staying up, that the timing of the offense, it's starting to slow down a little bit for him, that there are still accuracy issues, but the reads were more correct. Yeah, that's good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, we've talked about that for the last few weeks. That while he may not be at the point where he's pulling the trigger and the timing and the rhythm that he needs to, he's at least seeing it now. And that was a big step from where we were at the first quarter of the season where he wasn't actually seeing the correct things.

[Matt Abaticola]

I just, I want it to be clear that as we're evaluating everything that he does to evaluate the high end and when we talk about high expect expectations, it's not about is he at 58% or is he at 68% that that all comes out in the wash. The stats will take care of themselves if the offense works. Let me say that again. The stats will take care of themselves if the offense works. It's not about chasing the stats, it's about chasing the success. Then you'll, you'll get all the stats and your receivers will all be happy, happy, happy. Everything works if the offense works. But he has to see it. He's got to process it, he's got to anticipate it. And we're not quite at that level yet. He can throw to the guy he sees sometimes and he can make incredible, astounding superstar plays and throws.

Often outside the pocket. Like some of these throws that he's capable of making, there's maybe like peak Mahomes. You're talking about some of the stuff Josh Allen, you're talking the stuff on the run, the velocity, the one that he got to Zacchaeus through someone else's closing hands, that's arm angle, velocity, some of that stuff. The ability that he has needs to be overlaid over a strong understanding of what every gear in this, in this offense is doing, what every mechanism is doing and can do on every play. That's the big project. So the last thing I want to see is in the effort to win every next Game and being having won nine games does change it a little. It does it does it that maybe that there is saying, well, I know this isn't exactly what I want to do, but we got to do some of this now. I'd love to talk to Ben Johnson about this. I would love for him to be asked about, how are you? How are, how are you? Balancing. It's a word I use a lot in questions, balancing, reconciling. Because the coaches do this all the time. That ideally you don't want to be reinforcing, simplistic, dumbed down offensive concepts because they work. You want to continually be challenging, challenging, challenging. When he puts a game plan together, he's going to start tearing up pieces of paper if he thinks, well, I can't run this or I can't run this or if we don't establish this in our scripted stuff, we're not going to get to it later. And I do. I still think there's a disconnect between their scripted plays and their, and their later plays.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, there is and you can, you can see it by the performance on the field. But also, let's not confuse. There are times where Caleb Williams escapes the pocket and we talked about this a lot this year, where they get to those secondary plays and what are the secondary rules? What are you supposed to do when he's outside the pocket? That is not a design play. Now the rollout, the Cole commit that worked for the Eagles game, that was the interception in the game against the Packers. That's a design play that has about four different options to it. So don't confuse what's designed to roll out outside the pocket because there are plays like that. Don't confuse those with the I'm a Superman, I'm going to escape. You know, I'm the great Hadani Houdini. Hadoony. Is that what I mean? The great Hadoony. And I can get outside the pocket, throw my Superman cape on. As Ben Johnson said, we're mixing metaphors.

[Matt Abaticola]

All over the place.

[Dan Bernstein]

All over the place. And then, and then make great plays based on his athleticism and his arm strength. Don't confuse those. Those aren't what we're trying to get to.

[Matt Abaticola]

You have those.

[Dan Bernstein]

That means that that frontline protection broke down, which is certainly what Ben Johnson does not want to see because that ruins everything. That's where it all starts for his offense, whether it's the run or the pass.

[Matt Abaticola]

And in large part they've got that kind of fixed.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, they have for sure. Now Again, you won against a really good team. That creates a lot of pressures in the Green Bay Packers. And the first half the protection is quite. Wasn't there for what Ben Johnson needed in the offense. And you saw that where there was no rhythm, they, I mean they went through an entire half with zero rhythm, offensively speaking. And that's not just the byproduct of not being very good at what you're doing. That's being forced by the Green Bay Packers. I think Michael Parsons finished with eight pressures.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. But the idea, the, the, the concept of this offense is there's an answer for everything.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, correct.

[Matt Abaticola]

You just got to see it. You got to, you got to execute it. It's got to be on time. But, but if it's on time and if you see it, there's always an answer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. And we talked about that a lot where his pre snap recognition, being able to understand what the defense is doing. And then all right, if they do this and I see this, where am I going? He has to know immediately. And he's still processing that, that portion of what Ben Johnson wants.

[Matt Abaticola]

I want to make sure that our assessment of quarterback development is not necessarily tunnel visioned, is not necessarily completely weighted to the outcome of the game or to any individual stat. Is he getting it? Is it on time? Is the read correct? And this thing, it's like sometimes it's like coats of paint that it's not gonna be. All of a sudden the light goes on and you just see it that little by little this is, we're watching this development while everything else is going on. While they've won nine games.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. They won games. We've talked about that too, Dan. About enjoying the moment that they're in. And I still believe that even with a work in progress, which is this offense is. The Bears can still win a playoff game this year. I don't think it's going to be hard.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I mean. And they're not even in the playoffs yet. I mean they're, I mean they need at least two more wins in these. Of these next four. They need at least 11 to get into the playoffs. What I would feel comfortable with it, but I don't think they're a, they're going to win a Super bowl this year. I just, I just don't. Because of these, these deficiencies on offense still.

[Matt Abaticola]

I also don't that' larger point. They're not going to win a Super bowl cutting the field in half for the quarterback. They're not. They're not.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're not. And Ben Johnson still needs to stick with his game plan. And if it makes, if it makes Caleb Williams perform at a lower level than we want, or if it makes him uncomfortable, he has to stay with his game plan. He can't adjust his offense to match what Caleb Williams can do. For the moment, hiring him, that doesn't benefit anything for the future.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. There's no point hiring him if that was the case. He may. If they, you know, if you get to the super bowl and they're putting a game plan together and it's one game and you say this is what we have to do to win this game, that fine, I get it right there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. If you're there.

[Matt Abaticola]

I guess that, that's what I'm trying to express here is that's what they did in the second half against the Packers. They did what they had to do to try to compete and win that game, which they. They could have won.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Had he seen Cole Comet come open, you know.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he saw it. Had he thrown it sooner?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, either he saw it too late, recognized it too late, whatever was too late.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Something in that process was just too late because he had him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but. But the whole idea of why Ben Johnson's here, it's about building consistency and being a contender to win the division.

[Matt Abaticola]

Every year and being on the forefront of offensive thought in the league. It's pushing the boundaries. It's. Any play can score big chunks of yards. There's always a weakness in the defense that can be exploited by the pattern combinations, by the checks, by the cans, everything. There's always an answer. If you trust Ben Johnson, if you like him, if you think this is the right hire, you gotta understand why you think it's the right hire. It's not because of celebrations. It's not because of good, better, best. It's because of his offense and his ability to get the most out of what a quarterback can do in a very complicated array of pass patterns and combinations against man or zone. That's what you celebrate in him. It isn't the everything else. And if the offense works, it's. It'll all take care of itself.

[Indiana Football Player]

Good, better, bet. Good, better, best. Never let it rest.

[Matt Abaticola]

Never let it rest.

[Indiana Football Player]

You're good. Gets better and you better get better.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you haven't gotten the app yet, you got to get the app. Well, what app? It's the brand new free 312Sports app in the Apple App Store and Google Play. So get the app, register your account, and then you can win Great prizes like dinner for two at Chicago Firehouse, Smashburger or Giordano's. That list up there, I was, as I understand it, they're going to populate that list with things that we just kind of get here at Hubbard Chicago. And it might be restaurants, it could be concert tickets, it could be all kinds of stuff. So just enter the promo code Bears. Bears on any reward for a chance to win. So you pick it out, you enter the code Bears and then you have an opportunity to win it. But most importantly, the app just allows you contact with the show. Make sure you get a lot of contact. Yeah. And then, and then look, you can. There's the voice messages, there's the lot of voice messages and then we can also ping you if we're going to go live, if there's breaking news, we can send you all that stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but that promo code is Bears. Like Chicago Bears.

[Matt Abaticola]

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Play back. What I said about. Well, we had it last night about Saquon Barkley.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, Barkley. I said, take the Chargers and the points.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that's right. And Saquon. I said Saquon Barkley at some point is going to look like Saquon Barkley again. And it is hard for him to do it because they can't block that offensive line's terrible without Lane. They've gone for the best offensive line to one that doesn't allow a running back to get out of the backfield without being hit. They're really bad. You lose Lane Johnson, all of a sudden the wheels come on. You lose Jason Kelce, all of a sudden things aren't the same with what they're doing up there. It's just not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I do love that Jalen Hurts was the first player ever to have two turnovers in the same play.

[Matt Abaticola]

So that was. I texted you immediately. I just said, dude, just had two turnovers on the same play. And then I thought, have we ever seen that? Have we ever seen that? So then I hear somebody said, it's the first time since 1978. And of course, you know where my brain goes. Who? Bears quarterback who did it in 1978. It's gotta be Bob Evolini. Please be my Guy, please be Bo Avellini. And then I realized it's only. They only said 1978 because that's how far back the record keeping went. Nobody did it in 1978. Yeah, that's just. That's.

[Dan Bernstein]

They can only go back. It's the first time ever. Throws interception.

[Matt Abaticola]

As far as we know, it's the first time ever. I'm sure it's not right, but it's the first time in recorded football history somebody's had two turnovers on the same.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's pretty special play though for a quarterback to throw an interception. Intercepted, knocked out of his hands. Quarterback recovers it, he gets it knocked out of his hands. That, that's really great. I mean, because it would. It would require multiple fumbles if it's not the quarterback doing it to get two turnovers on one play.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. And then there's all of the rules about once it's, you know, fumbled, you can't advance it on a fumble. So there would be like for that to happen. Yeah, the way it did was great. It was, it was fantastic. What a weird game. What a bizarre game. And I've got a lot of other notes from that game. I watched for the first, right up until. For the first three plays from the very, very start of the pre game right at 7:00'. Clock. I watched the Monsters Inc. Game because they made reference to it and Joe Buck was like, well, if you really want to like, you know what, Joe, I'm going to take your advice on that for a little bit. I want to see what they're doing over there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you see the producer on the TV side that was dressed like Sully? No. They had a guy in a full costume and they brought him out on camera, which I'm sure he loved.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was Jason's costume when he was three.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, really?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

This guy wasn't three.

[Matt Abaticola]

He was Sully.

[Dan Bernstein]

He was probably 60.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. But still it's a memory for me of him. Like he saw the costume and he put it on and he was so excited that he was sprinting in circles.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like a dog banging his head against.

[Matt Abaticola]

The wall around the house. No, not yet. He actually had good balance at that point. Oh my God. He had like this. And just. That was one of his best Halloweens. Best Halloween. I think the weather was really Good.

Was that 07456? Yeah, I think that's what it was. And that was. We got still pictures of him as Sully and so. And I love Monsters Inc. Yeah, it's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

I love it. Yeah, it's really good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just the actual original. The ride at Disneyland is fantastic. They had Billy Crystal. Billy Crystal and John Goodman, I guess, had recorded all this stuff. So the comic timing of everything wasn't great. But I tried to watch it through the eyes of a kid who had a Monsters, Inc. Fan to see all the stuff that they were doing. And I don't know. It's kind of. I was trying to explain it to Beth and Zoe. Like, what are you watching? I said, I'm watching Monday Night Football. Like, what do you mean? I said, this is the actual Monday Night Football game. They said, no, it's not. There's Mike Wazowski out there. And I said, I know, but it's overlaid. It is. They're running it through a computer, so it's a little delayed, but this is the actual game. And I couldn't explain it. So then I flipped back, like, hey, so watch this play.

[Dan Bernstein]

You went back to the Raptors game.

[Matt Abaticola]

It said, watch this play. And now watch this play. And they go, oh, okay. But in the pregame, they came back from one of the locker room speeches. I don't remember if it was Billy Crystal or John Goodman who had delivered the locker room speech. And one of the broadcasters, Dan Orlovsky, and the other, the big voice guy, said something to the effect of, well, he reminds you of Ben Johnson. He's not. He's shirtless in the locker room.

So I started thinking, like, is this already a national joke?

Like, if it's. This is the kids broadcast and they're giving in a little. A little dig on Ben Johnson.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, I sully.

[Matt Abaticola]

Doesn't wear a shirt. Mike doesn't wear a shirt. That's like, Ben Johnson shirtless in the locker room.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've thought about how this. This would play off the coach going shirtless, you know, and I think I heard some regret in his voice when he was like, I don't want to take away attention from the. From the players, but I did it for the city of Chicago. They deserve it, too. They've been along with us for this ride. Like, he better keep winning.

[Matt Abaticola]

I was thinking of this.

[Dan Bernstein]

He better keep winning, because that. That's going to turn into. You remember the moment when Ben Johnson took his shirt off in the locker room?

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, this is. This is why I bring it up. If I were Matt LaFleur.

I would have started my prep week for the Bears with that.

And I don't have to say much. I like how so full team film.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, you mean with.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, full Team film.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

You put that up there and you just point to it. I don't think you have to say anything.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you're probably right.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think you say guys.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Because, you know, I watched the.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is who we're playing Sunday.

[Dan Bernstein]

What do you think? Let me ask you this now. What do you think would have happened? Locker room, Bears beat the packers in Lambeau.

[Matt Abaticola]

My hope is that Johnson would have gone the other way with it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, that's your hope. What do you think would have happened?

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't. Oh, boy. I don't know. Because of everything they built up in George McCaskey talking. Maybe game ball for George.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think it would have been way over the top. Right. Like crazy. Screaming.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like once you've done that. Yes. You're the guy that does that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. So I watched the locker room, the post game locker room of Matt LaFleur, and it was very, like, you could barely tell that they, they won the game. You know, it's very subdued and, you know, he talks, he gets his pointer. He gives out one game ball. He doesn't give out two. He gives out one game ball. And he's just, he's very matter of fact. And it's very businesslike. It's very different. Very different.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm just saying that I, I would have.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it's okay. And I'm not saying what Ben Johnson does is bad.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm not either.

[Dan Bernstein]

But I'm just saying you.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you're.

[Dan Bernstein]

If you're going to be that guy and you took your shirt off, you've got to keep winning games.

[Matt Abaticola]

Context.

It'S. It's.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because if you don't win games, Dan, that turns into. He was a gimmick guy. It was a bit. It wasn't. It wasn't real.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was all just in the moments.

[Matt Abaticola]

If this tanks, he's. He's shirtless guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, 100%. 100%. Yeah, I like that. That would have been a good. Yeah. If I'm. If I'm at LaFleur, I just, I put that up and I say, hey, guys, we're going to talk about our opponent this week here. I show that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep, that's it.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then head out to the field.

[Matt Abaticola]

See, yeah, that was my instinct, too. And then to hear it on their special monsters shirtless in the locker room. To me, that just showed that there's a penetration of the effect of that, of the response. And I guess we'll see.

[Dan Bernstein]

We'll see the consequences of it nationally as games go on, as Ben Johnson's career goes on because if he's not the guy that if he doesn't bring that super bowl to the Bears in his five year window, if he lasts the five year window, I'm not saying that I'm advocating for it or think that will happen, but if he doesn't, that'll always be, hey, do you remember the time when Ben Johnson took his shirt off in the locker room?

[Matt Abaticola]

I got a couple of other observations.

[Dan Bernstein]

I wonder how he feels about it now.

[Matt Abaticola]

He probably. He.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like I said, when he, when he answered the question about it, I felt like I heard regret, okay. In his voice. That it was like, I don't want to take away from the players.

[Matt Abaticola]

I thought about it too. This is what I know. My wife. Oh, my wife would have met me at the door.

[Dan Bernstein]

She would have said, what the hell is wrong with you?

[Matt Abaticola]

Exactly. My wife would have met me at the door and said, what are you doing?

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, I wondered that point of it too. I wonder, like when he got home. Yeah. Like, what is. Because, you know, he talked about his kids seeing him and saying, no shirt. No shirt. Like, I wonder what his wife would have said, you know, if she would have said bendy, like, how do you feel about that now? Do you think maybe you should have done that?

[Matt Abaticola]

Or she's got to go drop off the kids at school and they're like, oh, I saw your husband.

[Indiana Football Player]

He took his shirt off.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was so cute. Oh, that was so cute. What did you think? And I guarantee you she's like, yeah, you know, he's excitable.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Firing up his guys. It just feels like one of those.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it does.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or maybe he comes home, he goes and asks her, let's look at it. Where he says, honey, like, he comes.

[Dan Bernstein]

She'S in the kitchen doing something. She's watching a show or she's on a computer doing her own work.

[Matt Abaticola]

Binder takes off his hat, keys down, opens the fridge. He's just like, you know, looking around.

[Dan Bernstein]

He'S like, hey, honey. She's like, oh, hey.

[Matt Abaticola]

She's like, oh, yeah, I left. There's some beef stroganoff here. I left of the microwave. He's. Oh, awesome. Thank you. Was that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, what?

[Matt Abaticola]

Too much? What'd you think of that?

[Dan Bernstein]

What? What did you, like, you saw it, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

What did you. What you think?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, what? You know, he's got the high pitched voice going.

[Matt Abaticola]

She comes, yeah. And she says.

I can't tell you how to do your job. I wonder.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've been thinking about it. And just if he had to do it again. If he would do it and again. I get it. Wiener Circle. And at your guy. And it was awesome. It was awesome.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was.

[Dan Bernstein]

But now I just wonder, you want.

[Matt Abaticola]

To be national shirtless guy? You don't want to see the echo of that when the Monsters, Inc. Broadcast is making fun of it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Because it kind of. It kind of has to work now for you. Otherwise that's what is going to be remembered.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. Remember when Mike Singletary dropped his pants? Yeah, that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is better. But. But that. Yeah, that. That's. That's. When you look at Mike Singletary's coaching career, that's it. That's what's always brought up.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dropping his pants in front of the team. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Hey, remember the hall of Famer with the eyes and great player for the Chicago Bears? And remember when he was a head coach of the Niners and he dropped his pants? Oh, yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Didn't Joe Cap pull his dong out?

[Dan Bernstein]

He pulled out Mike Singletary's dong.

[Matt Abaticola]

Come here, Mike. Gentlemen, I got something to show you. What are you doing? Ah, second. I gotta reach in here and there you go. What do you think of that? No, I think.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think Mike Singleton is in the locker room. Hey, guys, say hi to Joe Cap. Joe, come on over.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hi, everybody.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, Mike. Thanks. Unzips his pants and pulls out his dong. And then grandma throws a dildo at him.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think. I think Joe Cap did that. Like reporters at some point. Terry's talking about, look it up.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'll look at it.

[Matt Abaticola]

They're Joe Cap. Thanks to Protein Bar and kitchen. We've been talking about them a lot because we love them and they've got something brand new going on there. And especially this time of year when you're consuming, I don't know, maybe more calories than you otherwise would or. It's like our little butler's pantry of a kitchen over here where there's always stuff that's been sitting there. Is it Liz that has always. There's like.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know who it is.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think candy and donuts.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think generally. And the candy I kind of thought maybe. Maybe came from Liz.

[Matt Abaticola]

But people bake or marketing, but bake things and set them there. Usually.

[Dan Bernstein]

Leftover food generally comes through sales in some. Some form or.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's not just leftover food, though. I honestly. There are people who are bringing baking stuff just for the office.

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or like for other things. And then there's extras. And they don't want them sitting at Home. So, like, who needs an extra dozen cookies at home if you're alone? You know, if you bring them here.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know, it's like, different. I'm working at a place where, like, people, like, really like each other, so I'm kind of getting used to that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then people just bring stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

I brought in my turkey carcasses and left them.

[Matt Abaticola]

Valuable.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I was waiting for you to go pick through them. Scavenge, Make a.

[Matt Abaticola]

Make a soup. It's great for soup stock.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dip the whole thing in there. But if you're eating a lot, consuming a lot of calories, and then, you know, like, look, middle of the day, you just need something energetic and filling and healthy. Protein bar. They just dropped their power players menu. So it's all your favorite PBK classics, but they packed everything with even more protein. And because you're listening to DBU, you get an extra 50% off when you order through the PBK app or at any of the digital kiosks in the Chicagoland location. So even you should have the app. But even if you don't, the kiosk there functions as if you do because you just go in and you punch in dbu and then you can have the power Mexicali, the power Cobb salad, the power black bean bowl, the buffalo bowl, the spinach and pesto, all powered up. 50 grams of protein. 70 grams. 56, 50, 53. All of those items over 50 grams of protein and they have a better for you. Protein packed take on an eggnog shake. The. Is it Califia or California almond milk? Holiday nog.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I gotta try that. I still got. I've gotta get over and do that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Apples, maple syrup, vanilla whey protein, nutmeg and cinnamon. 50% off. Your next protein bar and kitchen Visit. Up to $25 off, one use per person when ordering in the app or at a digital kiosk offer. Not valid on delivery or catering orders and not available at airport locations. But go do this and you'll feel better about yourself. Protein bar and kitchen all day. Power.

Great job by Laura Rutledge. At the end of the game last night, I don't know if you saw it amid the. So the Chargers win on the interception. The defense is going crazy. And Philip Phillip Rivers. We're gonna get to him. I was looking. I was looking at the whiteboard. Justin Herbert was not all that excited. He really talked about keeping your cool. And maybe because his hand was hurting, he was wearing this giant clown glove on his left Hand. Because he had his hands broken. He just broke it. He just had surgery. They put, like, screws and a plate in, and they made him this giant hand armor thing. And he was terrible, except he was a running back, basically. He was a college quarterback last night, and he was great at playing college quarterback, not great at throwing the ball. And at one point, he couldn't even hand off with his left hand. He had to do, like, this reverse little twist handoff so you could say he was really hurting. He was in a ton of pain. He wanted to go celebrate with his teammates. And they went. They said something like Joe Buck says, well, we're gonna send it down to Laura, who's hustling to get an interview. And she was running across the field, and you saw the cameras. It's live. But you see her. You see Justin Herbert's back, and she's, like, running up to him saying, hey, Justin, can we talk to you for a second? Can we please talk to you for a second? And she got the interview. He even said, I'd rather not. I wanna go celebrate with my teammates. Can we talk to you just for a little bit? And he was clearly a little annoyed, but. But was nice and professional and. But that's. That. That's doing the work. Yeah, right there. And I don't even know if she's got shoes on that are conducive to running across a field.

[Dan Bernstein]

She took out a linebacker, too, on the way.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Just elbowed, kicked another guy over. But. But look, that's. That. That's when that job gets difficult and real. The camera was on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Yeah. I bailed at the start of the fourth for other viewing purposes. But the. If you're the winning quarterback on a Monday Night Football game, you better expect that that's kind of going to happen.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think so, too. And also, like, look like you're happy. I know you're in pain, but. And Harbaugh is doing most of the happy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, well, I wonder how, like, how happy you can get with having that psycho as your head coach? Which, by the way, I would like. I wanted him as the Bears head coach two years ago. So don't take that as, like, a negative thing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you already said before the game about his quarterback playing with a broken hand? Do you hear? Harbaugh said.

[Dan Bernstein]

What did he say?

[Matt Abaticola]

He said something like, well, it's a good chance for him to show his fortitude when I had cartilage removed from my knee and I played the same week.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's a lunatic.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right? He cut Out a chunk of my meniscus. Like that's just football. That's just what you're supposed to do.

[Dan Bernstein]

They took half his brain and he still played. They only use half the field, though.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's a good, great lip read too. Great job. Great job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Justin Herbert wasn't very excited after the game.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, no.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know who was excited after their game though?

[Matt Abaticola]

Who?

[Dan Bernstein]

Mendoza.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh.

[Vrbo Advertiser]

The Big Ten champs. How does that sound?

[Indiana Football Player]

It sounds so beautiful. I want to give all the glory to God. We were never supposed to be in this position, but by the glory of God, the great coaches, great teammates and we have around us, we were able to pull this dog. Whoever thought the Hoosier would be here, but now the Hoosiers are flipping champs.

[Matt Abaticola]

Let's go.

[Vrbo Advertiser]

You guys call yourself a bunch of misfits who found the right home at Indiana? Why was this the right place for this group?

[Indiana Football Player]

It's the right place for process oriented. We're going day by day, whether the offensive line, the defense, the coaches, special teams. We're all process oriented to one goal. That's our thing, is we're brothers. We can drag teams into the deep end because we know that we're gonna stick together and we're the strongest glue ever.

[Vrbo Advertiser]

Tell me about finding Charlie Becker. Third down, two minutes to go. We talk about Heisman moments, but take me through that one.

[Indiana Football Player]

What an incredible Charlie's been. But he's been every single day in summer. We were always throw before practice, before at 7am on Sundays, doing spots, doing routes, and now you see it to come to fruition. He's my roommate. Couldn't be happy for such a young man as well. As well as our defense playing lights out and well, everybody just what an incredible moment.

[Vrbo Advertiser]

Congratulations. Enjoy it.

[Indiana Football Player]

Thank you so much. God bless. Go Hoosiers.

[Dan Bernstein]

Very excitable young man. It's like his answers start and it's like his answers are going downhill and he just gets faster and faster and faster and then. And then like he answers the. He's done talking and then he comes out of that and he's like.

[Matt Abaticola]

And what? Yes. Where was I?

[Dan Bernstein]

It's really good. He was flipping jams.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, I thought they were flipping Chance. No, they're.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no, they're flipping. I don't think he swears.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't think so either.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, I think if you deliberately say flipping.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep, that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't swear. Which is.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's cute.

[Dan Bernstein]

But very excited to have. Very happy for him. That was a fun game.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. It was flipping Chairs. We're flipping champs, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's like his eyes roll in the back of his head and all. You see the whites. And then he answers the question. His eyes come back, he's like, hey, sorry, I'm here. All right, one more thing, one more thing. What do you got for me?

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you see the advertisement during the game that ran for the Church of Scientology?

[Dan Bernstein]

I did not. And you texted me on this.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

I don't know if you can find it, can you. Is it. If it's on YouTube, it is a. It's an advertisement for the Church of Scientology. And what they did, the big mistake that they made, was rather than hiring an actor, you've got Tom Cruise.

You'Ve got John Travolta.

[Dan Bernstein]

Tell me, like, briefly describe the commercial, because there's a bunch here I can see.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. The commercial is their. Their dear leader, David Miscavige.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Talking about how you may think that you may have these ideas about Scientology, but it's not what you expect. And then they. There is a montage of things, and then he has another voiceover at the end, this dude, whoever David Miscavige is. And I think he's just there. Like the guy that took over for L. Ron Hubbard.

He is the most sinister looking and sounding person. If you'd gone to central casting and said, find me the most obviously B movie, villainous, evil person you could possibly find, and I don't know if he is or isn't, I have my suspicions. But the figure that he cuts through, how he looks and how he sounds is of the most untrustworthy, sinister person you could possibly find on the planet. And everything he says is laden with deadly portent. Everything sounds threatening and looks threatening. There is evil in that man's eyes. I know nothing about him. I want that to be very clear. That's the first time I ever heard him talk. I thought it was a bit you could not parody. It is the most unintentionally, deeply sinister 30 seconds you've ever seen in your life. And they take all of these other expensively filmed. Oh, they're volunteering or it's cheering children. And then at the end, it comes across as absolutely chilling, terrifying, like a Jordan Peele thing or a Paul Verhoeven. It's not even over the top enough to be Paul Verhoeven.

It's just a razor of.

Evil. It is incredibly sinister.

And it's not trying to be, but anybody with a brain would watch that and just go, oh, my God.

So tell me if And I don't know if you've got it, but it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I can't.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's.

[Matt Abaticola]

And it aired twice, apparently a lot.

[Dan Bernstein]

More Church of Scientology commercials than I anticipated finding. I guess they run one during the super bowl every year.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know. But they ran this same ad twice. And it's this guy in. In.

A very. Almost too sharp, too expensive suit. His hair is done like, everything is just off in just the right sort of cinematic, villainous ways.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, boy.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't even know who you'd cast in his role, but it's a. Why did you put this guy out front? Keep him away from cameras. There's something wrong with that dude.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he's. He's serving as the second and current leader of the. Of the Church of Scientology.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right after L. Ron Hubbard, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So.

[Dan Bernstein]

But apparently started early on in the early 70s. His father got interested in the church, so he started going, is this the.

[Matt Abaticola]

One whose wife disappeared? And they never said where she went or why.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then Miscavige left high school on his 17th birthday, went to Clearwater, Florida, to join Sea Org, a Scientology organization established in 1968 by L. Ron Hubbard.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's the one that goes into international waters. And no law applies to them because they're offshore. That's what allows them to dodge a lot of laws because Sea Org claims that they operate in, like, maritime law.

[Dan Bernstein]

Some FBI investigations around Miskovich.

[Matt Abaticola]

Look up. There's some story with his wife. I don't wanna get into the whole thing right now, but there's apparently a lot there. I haven't done enough to be conversant in it, but.

If you ever want to get chilled to the bone, watch that commercial. Watch that it is. And you got Tom Cruise. Use Tom Cruise. Everyone loves Tom Cruise. Use John Travolta. You've got your guys. And more than that, you've got a whole giant roster of beloved front people. And you put that guy that is like the personification of the serpent from the book of Genesis from the Garden of Eden.

If all of a sudden the actual serpent from the tree became a human being, it would look and sound like that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. She disappeared in 2007.

[Matt Abaticola]

Mm. Same year that we had the Sully costume for Halloween. I knew it. Knew it had something to do with it. It's all tied together. Don't you see?

Over here I've got like, post it notes and red yarn connecting pushpins.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I don't. I'd have to read more about this.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, Just Just. I don't. I watched it twice. The first time I just kind of went. And then the second time I paid more attention to it and. And I didn't feel good. It's scary as hell, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, he looks like a.

Central casting for, like, TV evangelist, but, like.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, but not smile. Like way more.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, that's a really creepy looking.

[Matt Abaticola]

Way creepier. Way more. But not like a Joel Osteen, I'm taking your money. Creepy. Like, usually an evangelist is like, okay, haha, I'm. You know, I'm. I'm.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm so. This is more like I'm doing a bunch of hookers.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right? It's one thing to be the televangelist, like a tawdry. I'm taking your money and no, you know, send me money or God will kill me. This is different. This guy's. This guy's got bodies.

This guy's got, like, mass graves somewhere. He's like. He's used poison gas on people. Oh, boy. It's just what it looks like. That's the image.

That. That. That dude has done. The image that you get is a person who has done dark, dark, horrible things and wants to do more dark, horrible things.

[Dan Bernstein]

So, looking at the Google machine, Shelly Miskovich is not currently missing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Where is she?

[Dan Bernstein]

The LA Police Department investigated a missing persons report filed by aaliyah Remini in 2013 confirmed that they found her to be alive and safe. The LAPD closed the case shortly after the report was filed, stating it was unfounded.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, all right. Just. If you're ever around this guy, be careful. That's all I'm gonna say. That's just your public service announcement today. If somehow you ever have any interaction with that guy. I don't know anything really about what the Church of Scientology does other than the south park episode that we saw. Everybody sort of. That's kind of the story of it, but. Whoa. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

She was last seen in public at her father's funeral in 2007. Pictures of her attending the function service online. However, she's not been photographed since. The church denied that she had disappeared and said that she was fine and merely a private person.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right.

[Dan Bernstein]

She's not a public figure, and we ask that her privacy be respected. A Scientology spokeswoman said in 2013.

[Matt Abaticola]

In 2013. 12 years ago. Okay, all right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Very private.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right. Interesting thing. This is the best possible gift that you can get for somebody like, and I'm not saying this is. It has to be for grandparents, but. Oh, my gosh. Is the Aura frame perfect for whether it's grandparents or aunts and uncles or just as a special surprise, because you can customize it before you send it and you say, what's an Aura Frame? It's a digital picture frame. And you can download the Aura app, connect it to WI Fi, preload photos that you can keep adding from anywhere, anytime. You can personalize a gift. You can preload photos before it ships to your intended recipient. You can even add a message then to personalize the gift. And then this person opens the box because each frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag. And you open it up and then it's a picture frame with a photo or multiple photos loaded in of whatever you want. I was thinking too, you could even send it as a roast or a gag. It's a great roast gift. Or like a guy who lost your fantasy league and you want to. There's a certain embarrassing picture you want loaded in there. This is the way my brain works. But oh man, could you do that. The Aura frame is really cool. And especially this time of year, if you're looking for a deal and something easy, this does everything. It's the perfect gift because you go to auraframes. Auraframes.com to get $35 off Aura's best selling Carver Mat frames that have been named number one by Wirecutter. Use the promo code DBU at checkout. It's auraframes.com promo code DBU. It's exclusive to you because you're listening and the frames sell out fast. Order yours now, get it in time for the holidays. You can mention us at checkout. That always does nice things for the show. Terms and conditions apply. Aura frames at aura a u r a frames.com promo code D B U.

So last night, Philip Rivers had a tryout with the Colts. That's right. Philip Rivers. He's 44. He's been out of the league for four years.

[Dan Bernstein]

Last game was January 9th of 2021.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. Out of league for four years. Out of football for four years. And he had a tryout.

So I guess the reports are he threw. Well, I don't know what he's thinking. I know. How many kids does he have now? Ten at least.

[Dan Bernstein]

I remember I thought he had seven. Let me take a look.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's got a lot of kids and. But here's the thing, man. Take up fishing. Don't go back if you're tired of being in the house and you're just annoyed and you're stir crazy. You got all the money in the world. Go, go. Go fish in the Gulf or something. Go do something. Go hunting. Take a walk. Go birding. Don't go back. You don't want any of this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he has a. 10. He has 10 kids.

[Matt Abaticola]

10 kids.

[Dan Bernstein]

21, 18, 17, 15, 14, 13, 10, 8, 4. And a newborn.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hike.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, not newborn anymore. That's October of 23. So two years old.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just. If you want to get out of there, and I, believe me, I get it, but you don't want to go back to playing football, man. No, no, no. Not these guys. Not. No, no, no. Neither. Too. Too big, too fast, too strong, too good. And it resets his hall of Fame clock. He's a semifinalist for this year's hall of Fame class and very likely to be a finalist and very likely to be in the hall of Fame. But if he's on an active roster, it'll be another five years.

Come on. Your kids will all be retired by then.

[Dan Bernstein]

Does he strike? He's the kind of guy that cares.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know. I don't know anything about him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Possible last gasp for the Colts.

Rivers uncorks it.

[Indiana Football Player]

Sliding grab made at the 45. Pasco loses the football and the Bills jump on it with white.

[Dan Bernstein]

So that was January 9, 2021, his final game. Final throw as a Colt in a playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. 27, 24.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, let it be. Let it be. Every. Every former player has that feeling. Every former player, you know. You know, if I just. How many times has it gone? Well.

It doesn't.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know why he's inspired to do this, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Because he's in a house with 10 kids.

Is it Flacco?

[Dan Bernstein]

He sees Flacco and he's like, if Flacco can do it, he's older than Flakes.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's three years older than Flacco.

[Dan Bernstein]

He thinks he's better than Flacco.

He sees Joe Flacco, Frankenstein's monster, out there slinging the ball. Sees the Colts are a first place team with a chance to make a.

[Matt Abaticola]

Playoff run and Riley Leonard's hurt, so.

[Dan Bernstein]

He could do it. Be the guy. I'm rooting for him. I hope he does it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, be great story, but you don't want that.

[Dan Bernstein]

What if he gets like, he gets sacked this first time that he's like, man, I'm good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, this walks off the field.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I'm out.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm out. That's. Forget it. But don't reset your hall of Fame clock. You don't Want to just sit around another five years, you might have four more kids in that time. You don't want to do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

A lot of kids, man. Ten's a lot of kids.

[Matt Abaticola]

Two is a lot of kids. I can't. I don't know how you got a house with four in them, but they're not all your fault.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a busy. It's a. It's busy when they're all home, man. It is. The calendar is just stupid.

[Matt Abaticola]

As of Friday, we're gonna have two in the house, and that's impossible.

[Dan Bernstein]

And yours are old.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know, but he's falling down the stairs every 30 seconds, you know, banging his head on everything.

[Dan Bernstein]

So please stop playing. We. On the stairs.

[Matt Abaticola]

We have to put up, like the. We have to pad the corners of the tables now, like he's 2.

[Dan Bernstein]

You have to childproof it again.

[Matt Abaticola]

When he comes home, we're gonna child proof. I don't think we have to worry about the outlets. We'd have to put the little.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've been around Jason.

[Matt Abaticola]

We're going to pull the foam rubber back on the corners of everything and childproof it so he doesn't get another concussion.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, the. Where are the Colts at? The Colts are at Seattle this weekend.

[Matt Abaticola]

No.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. That's a. That's a late game for us on cbs.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Hey, Phil. Phil.

Hobby. Get a hobby. Get some binoculars and go look for birds. There's snowy owls right here at Montrose. Come on down. Hang on. Look, I got. My fishing gear's in the basement. I'll lend you something. Just go. Go. Go walking or something. How about golf? Golf is good. Golf doesn't hurt.

[Dan Bernstein]

No. You like pickleball doesn't hurt.

[Matt Abaticola]

Go play pickleball.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's too young for pickleball.

[Matt Abaticola]

Play bocce. Find a bunch of old guys. Pour yourself a little Vin Santo.

Go play bocce.

[Dan Bernstein]

This Thursday night game is Atlanta at Tampa. Our Sunday night game is Minnesota at Dallas. And next Monday is Miami at Pittsburgh.

Thanks.

[Matt Abaticola]

Before we wrap the. There's going to be a press conference today where we're finally going to hear how Notre Dame is going to approach the end game of whatever they're trying to do. I don't know exactly what they're. If they're trying to leave the ACC or trying to have the ACC fire them. I don't know if this is like a Brian Kelly, LSU situation where Pete Bavaque is like, well, look, I need to force them to invoke this particular clause in the contract, and we can't be seen as being in breach because we can't break a deal. But they might be in breach. So I'm not exactly sure how they're trying to position this, but Notre Dame has to make a decision. Do you want to be in a conference? Do you want to be in the acc.

Or do you just want all the benefit, all the positives of being in a conference without the commitment and without sharing your television money? Because at some point the ACC is going to be like, look, you're not a full, you're not a member of the conference for the money making sport. Football pays the freight. And you can say you want all of our other sports. This isn't about field hockey. This isn't about volleyball.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

This isn't about fencing. It's football, football, football. And you're not a member for football. So decide what you want. If you want all of this preferential treatment as if you're a member and you say you're the most important affiliate or associate because of your other teams or because of the. You provide the opponent to them. I think you and Jim Phillips, Pete, you got to sit down and just make this decision. If you got to rip the band aid off, I just say, look, we're done. We're an independent, we're not part of a conference and we get all our TV money, that's fine. But they've negotiated a pretty sweet deal to essentially be a member of a conference without having to share their TV money. And now they don't want any downside to that. Well, this is it. This is the downside.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, they should just, I don't know why they don't just join the ACC for football or, I mean, they, they like this year alone, they played Miami, they played Pittsburgh, I think they played NC State, they should be in the Syracuse, they played Boston College.

[Matt Abaticola]

They should be in the Big Ten. It's. If you look at Stanford historically, but they should be in the Big Ten. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no, I agree with that.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's, that's the best fit. Just join the Big Ten.

That's where they should be. You got Ohio State, you got Michigan, usc. Go ahead.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, play USC every year anyway. Just. Yeah, join the Big Ten. Yeah, we can, you know, we can start that, that rivalry between Illinois and Notre Dame.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, they'd probably be claiming that there is one somehow. That's just kind of what they do. December does not have to be the most expensive month of the year because you will be betting with my bookie. 12 Days of Christmas coming soon. Daily offers dropping back to back across sports and casino. What are the daily offers? Well, they're bet and gets their profit boosts. They're free spins, they are surprise drops for social users, for telegram users. And it's not like December doesn't have all kinds of opportunities for us. What are we talking about? You're running down the schedule right now. All that NFL stuff, all of the bowls, the college playoffs, college hoops. Those are all opportunities to cash and it's your best opportunity. Now when you go to my bookie, you punch in DBU for Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. Just those three letters DBU and your first bet is covered up to $500. If you go big and miss on the first bet, use your bet back bonus token and run it back. Bet on anything, anywhere, anytime. Only with my bookie. That's going to do it for Dan Bernstein Unfiltered on this Tuesday we got forward progress coming. Today we have organization championships trying to figure out what the free falling bulls can possibly do. There's finger pointing going on there, a lack of leadership and some huge questions there. So we're going to address that all and that's going to drop late afternoon today, but that does it for us. We've been brought to you in partnership with my book Dan Bernstein unfiltered.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unfiltered on 312 sports.

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