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Dan Bernstein
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Dan Bernstein
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Dan Bernstein
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Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312Sports
Dan Bernstein
DBU on 312Brought to you in partnership with my bookie, let me offer an alternative interpretation to some Bears stuff that I think is an application of Occam's Razor, maybe after the fact, where the simplest explanation is probably the correct one here. And it's also a way of learning to take Ben Johnson at his word and and understand that this is our first off season with Ben Johnson as the head coach of the Bears. This is all new for all of us and I think it's easy to kind of fall into old behavior patterns or not look at pieces of information in new ways. And as time is kind of going by here and we're and things are soaking in and I apologize if my senses are late to this because it's been brought up and there's been a question that's been asked about and in some of the Bears discussions I've been having, it's Moving a little bit to the forefront. And this is what's crystallized that what we know about Ben Johnson so far since he's walked into the building, holding him to what he said and how he's done things. I don't think Ben Johnson is speaking in layers of symbolism. I don't think he is. It is giving you sort of ancient aphorisms of football that we have to delve into and parse through. This guy says what he means, and the one aspect that underpins everything with him is competitiveness first and confidence second. Whether or not he ultimately wins a Super Bowl, I don't know. But it will not be for a lack of confidence and commitment and conviction to what he's doing. That's clear. And it is also the fact that he appears to not care about this stuff with Matt LaFleur, where he's competitive to the point of kind of being a dick, which is great if he's your coach. And no, that's. And I'm. That is not an insult where. Where the opposing coach is like, what's going on with this dude? And you know, the taking off the shirt, the whole fuck the packers thing, all of that, it's awesome, make no mistake. But with every bit of information we get, it helps us interpret some other things better or differently. And what I'm talking about is what's going on with the defense and what's going on with all the questions that we've gotten and why, sort of the national media, the preponderance of opinions of the Bears is their pass rush is bad and they haven't fixed it and they haven't done anything about it. And we're like, okay, what don't we know? What don't we know? Why aren't they going after a need here? We mentioned the stuff that Brad Biggs wrote in his mailbag yesterday about quoting the GM of the Lions in saying that, well, you can't go after need. You're going after need is short sighted. And that's just what the fans want. And it's all sort of now, now, now. And that is not the job of a general manager. Okay? So I think the picture that's emerging is actually obvious. If we just turn it a little bit. Dennis Allen's on the clock. Dennis Allen has apparently been told he's on the clock the way he coaches this defense. So stay with me on this one for a second, because when we go to the quote. When we go to exactly what Dennis Allen said, we know that Ben Johnson, when asked about the defensive line says we're going to, we're going to coach him better. He said we. He doesn't coach defense. He doesn't mean we. So when, when he said that guys like Diode, Deng, Bo, Shemar, Turner, we're making progress. And then Johnson said we're going. We're certainly is what he said.
Co-host
We're.
Dan Bernstein
We're certainly going to coach better than what we did a year ago. It starts there. We've made a concerted effort. Made past tense. We've made a concerted effort with how we're going to get that done. Think about that line again, he said. We've basically we figured it out. We have made a concerted effort with how we're going to get that done, how you're going to coach them better. And you got the same people coming back. So they decided this. They've already talked about it. Somebody in this building or multiple people in this building have been already told they didn't do a good enough job. Now let's put this next to what he said about the wide receivers because Ben Johnson also has told us not good enough.
Co-host
Drops that's on the heat, the receivers and the coaching staff. He called out.
Dan Bernstein
He said that? Yes, he said it's on the receivers and the coaching staff. These are people that he can hire and fire. So if he's calling out Antoine Randall, I think that's fairly obvious. And what really made it hit home. And I, and I I'm glad I saved this. I cut and I paste it and I sent it to myself in my email. You know, you get that weird email that you don't remember sending yourself. You ever do that? No. Themselves. I my I always like to go back through my, my personal email. Not my work email, but I said this my personal email. And it just sort of there and it says like from me. And I didn't even know what the subject when the header was Da like okay, I saved this from last week. I saved this paragraph. This is Dennis Allen. We had a lot of discussions this off season about a lot of different things and one of the things we identified was me. Again, we had a lot of discussions this off season about a lot of different things and one of the things we identified was me. We focused so much on installing all the scheme last year because it was brand new and we do have a high volume of things we carry in the defense. We focus focused so much on that. And now he's, now he's switched the pronouns here. This we means me. This is the royal we. So I read this as I focus so much on that, that I lost sight of some of the fundamentals and techniques that it takes to function, to do those things. I don't think we're as fundamentally sound defensively as we need to be. So how do we. I have to coach it better? Well, let's minimize how much I'm focused on the scheme. I changed the we to I there. And let's focus not on what we, the Bears, are going to do, but how we're going to do it. He's been told. He's been told that. He didn't come up with that on his own. No. For sure. And he didn't report to Ben Johnson, say, hey, hey, I've been doing a lot of work here. Here's what I did wrong. He's been told this.
Co-host
Yeah. And we talked about that last week when we went over Dennis Allen's comments that this shift and this focus puts it all on the coaching staff.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Co-host
And if the outcome isn't there, you don't blame the GM who brought the players in. You don't blame the players because you've taken that accountability off of them and you put it squarely on Dennis Allen and his staff. But mainly Dennis Allen.
Dan Bernstein
I think this is pretty clear whether or not it's been said or not, whether it's even been speculated or implied, and it really isn't that big a deal because that's how it should be. You know what this is? This is accountability. This is exactly what we've been asking for. The word gets thrown around and then. And I'll take the blame on this one, because this is something that is right in front of our face. It's right here. These comments are right here. It's just the. They're fudging it with the pronouns where. Where you run out of the. You. You walk right up to the line of really saying. But they know. They know how to sand the edges down on this and present this as the united front and present this as a group and use. But you got to understand inside these pronouns, there's a lot of truth that's hidden by when we becomes I and when me mean when we means we. So my sense is pretty good on this, where when Dennis Allen says, one of the things we identified was me, that's our code breaker. That's our. That's our key to pronoun code here. He came out of it there. That. That broke the surface. One of the things we identified was me. It's not A group of people identifying that that's Ben Johnson. That's the head coach of the team. And when he says, we're going to coach it better on defense, he doesn't coach defense. He does nominally. He's the head coach. He's in charge of how the defense is coached. He's accountable. He's accountable for how the defense is coached. And now he's moving that down a level because we know that's really not his bailiwick. And if he says we're going to coach it better, that means this former head coach of two different teams who I hired and I trusted and they didn't really have. These are not like buddies from 6th grade who came up from, you know, through football together. These are not the de facto brothers. This is a, this isn't any kind of marriage. This is a hiring. He hired a guy to run his defense. Defense isn't good enough. And you know what he's going to do? It's a blink. Hire somebody different to run his defense if he feels that this is, that this year there isn't that improvement. And that's obvious now. This is it.
Co-host
Right. It's interesting, too, because when the, the hire was made, which was a good hire, given his experience in his resume, it was all like, oh, wow, what a good job Ben Johnson did, bringing in this former head coach. This is a guy he can lean on. This is a guy he can go to.
Dan Bernstein
He doesn't need to lean on this guy.
Co-host
He doesn't. And I don't know, over the last year, plus what we've seen from Ben Johnson, that says this is why he brought this guy in, because he needed that mentor type relationship. No. Ben Johnson walked in and said, here's my big set of balls. Here's all the money you gave me. I'm in charge.
Dan Bernstein
Yep.
Co-host
I'm hiring this guy because I think he can run a good defense. And he just told him in this off season wasn't good enough. Do better or you won't be here.
Dan Bernstein
Go sack the quarterback. Yeah, get, get me some sacks or you're going to be sacked. I think that's, that's essentially what this is. And, and it's not that difficult to see. I'm not really breaking any news here. And, and it may be that as you listen, you're like, duh, Bernstein, where were you? Okay, then you beat me to it. Then you're a smarter person than I am. I'm, I'm, I'm cool with that.
Co-host
Well, we, but we took it there last week when we said that the shift in, in focus puts it all on Dennis Allen and his coaching staff, mainly Dennis Allen. But we just didn't take that next step where that conversation was had. It's either get it done this year or there's no next year.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I think that that's been made very clear now.
Co-host
Sounds like it.
Dan Bernstein
It leads us to the next question that is how does that affect the way he does his job? And the answer should be minimally. It should be he was trying as hard as he could last year to make this defense the best it could possibly be. And this year, if he was doing something, needs to do more of something and less of something else. As he mentioned about fundamentals, maybe that saves his job and maybe that is the difference because that's what Ben Johnson maybe speculates. Okay, performance review, what do they call it? A. A pip, A performance improvement plan. Isn't that what businesses do to somebody?
Co-host
It's a sales thing.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, it's not just sales, it's before firing, but mostly sales though before a firing. Somebody can be, look, we're going to, we are going to put you on a plan to incrementally be able to judge how you're improving your performance. And usually it's a one way ticket to a firing and it's simply making sure your Ducks are in a row that you've, you've done everything possible to make sure you're complying with, with the law and HR and everything else to protect yourself from being sued. I don't think that that's what we're going through here because football never generally deals with such things in those ways. But I think that what he's telling him is if it doesn't get better, I can find a replacement. Because how many difference making defensive coordinators are there? How many and how many of them haven't immediately then gotten a head coaching job? And then they recede. Dennis Allen was one of those guys.
Co-host
Twice.
Dan Bernstein
Twice. Dennis Allen was a really good defensive course. Hey, wait a second, why don't we bring this guy in to run the whole thing? And it was bad. And a guy like Jesse Minter, who you've never heard of, all of a sudden he's coaching the Ravens. Jonathan Gannon, you know, Gannon got his shot and now and Jeff Halfley and you, you get your shot fast. And it's possible, you know, Vic Fangio got his shot and failed too. But I would say Vic Fangio, Steve Spagnolo, who are your absolute difference making defensive coordinators where, you know, if I hire this guy and I get him the right pieces, there's no secrets here that this is where we're going to be, that we're going to be ranked here, here, or here in these categories. That it's. There isn't a lot that separates other than a couple of people. There isn't a lot that separates many coordinators. You probably could reshuffle, you know, push a button and spin the wheel and send every coordinator everybody else, and if you got, if you have the quarterback, it's doesn't matter all that much. So I'm not saying this is a. Some, you know, huge tectonic deal in the world of the Bears, but I do think that in his first off season, it's important that we, we start to better understand that Ben Johnson is a no bullshit results oriented coach. And he. They're going to make player decisions and coaching staff decisions based on results.
Co-host
Here's what's interesting to. Another little wrinkle to it. It's like, all right, here's the conversation. Here's what we need to see in 2026 from the defense. Okay, what are we doing with the draft? What are we doing with free agency? Yeah, we're going to bring in some rotational bodies on the defensive line. Okay, great, we did that. Now what are we doing for the draft? Oh, I'm going to give you a safety. I'm going to take a center. I'm going to take a tight end. I'm going to take a wide receiver. Oh, where's that edge guy at? Oh, yeah, there's no one on our board. We're taking, we're going to move up in the sixth round and get you a body at defensive tackle that maybe can play in a year or two. So go out and coach better with the guy that you have.
Dan Bernstein
You got enough.
Co-host
Which also leads to the strange comment that the general manager said that if we improve the back end, maybe we can get quarterbacks to hold the ball a little bit longer. It's like, hey, all right, so this is what we're doing. Coach, what are we looking at? Defensive line, edge, rusher. Oh, yeah. Oh, no, I'm going to take a safety. I want to. I want a center, I want a tight end, I want a wide receiver. Oh, so then how's this going to work out? Okay, we signed Kobe Bryant.
Dan Bernstein
We.
Co-host
We drafted Dylan Thienaman. Yeah, maybe that they're going to hold the ball a little longer and we can get to the guys quicker.
Dan Bernstein
Now maybe that's Ryan Bowles's way of saying ask.
Co-host
Yeah, that's what it sounds like now as we're walking through this conversation.
Dan Bernstein
Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's like, well, whatever his. Whatever. Whatever he wants to do, I, I guess he wants the pass rush to get better because they're holding on to the ball a little bit longer.
Co-host
Maybe we can make the other quarterback hold the ball a little longer.
Dan Bernstein
Yup.
Co-host
What do you think about this, Ryan? Well, there's his office down the hall. Go ahead and talk to him.
Dan Bernstein
That.
Co-host
That. That's what it sounds like.
Dan Bernstein
Maybe a little bit.
Co-host
Maybe we walk through that. That odd comment he make, kind of.
Dan Bernstein
It.
Co-host
Kind of part of it now.
Dan Bernstein
Good call. Good call. Because it's. We've never had a Ben Johnson off season before. No, this is all new, so it's okay. And we could be wrong, but this is. This kind of speculation and this kind of interpretation should, I think, result in what comes next questions. And all it should do is inform the questions that we ask. I think the people on the Bears beat pick up on these things in a way that usually gets this done one way or another. And I do think that if nothing else, Ben Johnson isn't asking for us to, to find excuses for him. He's. He. He doesn't ask for any of that. So by his standards of straight talk and competitiveness, I'll. I'll meet him halfway. And if it sounds to me like the coaching wasn't good enough on the, on the defensive side, it's not a player's issue. It's a coaching issue. And that Allen himself said, what we identified was me, I think we got a. That's enough breadcrumbs for us for sure.
Co-host
And Ben Johnson actually doubled down on the players mindset. Sweat had a great year. And Dial Odengbo and Smart Turner were on the right path before they got injured. Austin Booker, after he got healthy, he came around. So it's not the players. It's not the players we have on this roster. They're fine. They can, they can get the job done. You need to coach them better.
Dan Bernstein
So let's just look at it this way. Then we'll leave it here where as we get into veteran minicamp and we get in to OTAs and to training camp itself, I do think we should look for any differences in the way the defense is practicing, what drills are running longer, what has changed from last year in the way they are coaching the defense, from what we get to see at practice. And we can Continue to ask about it. Now that we've got a line here, that we've got a thread to discuss, I think we stay on. Doesn't have to be every day. Hey, Dennis, Happy Thursday. How are you doing things differently? It's the kind of question that I used to love to ask where if you ask in a way that helps make you smarter about football and you're, you know, not being a jerk about it, if you. And some of this is better. I just. I miss the times when reporters could have casual conversations on background. Not. Not everything on the record, not everything on camera. Just a casual conversation with an assistant coach who wanted to help you understand things, where you're just kind of shoulder to shoulder at a practice and you can say, hey, what's. What's different about that? Or why. Why is. Why is this drill running seven minutes longer than it did last year? Or why are you. Are you running that again instead of just pulling that guy out and teaching him on the side? But you kept everybody out there and you stop practice and talk to, like, these observations, these kind of conversations. Sometimes you would get an assistant say, well, we're doing it differently this year. I gotta. I want to talk to him after every rep. Or I don't want to wait until we get into the film room and do the full defense films. Or I tell his coach to talk about it in the positional meetings. I want to do it right here. It's my ass on the line. I'm going to coach it right here. Like these kind of things, that's how you learn. That's how, you know, it's just hard to do it in and get into some of these more comfortable, unguarded conversations that, don't get me wrong. Are important to the individual coaches, too, because it's a great way for them to control their own narratives, for them to help reporters and help fans understand what's really happening and say, I'm going back to the way I did it in New Orleans. Or I've taken some suggestions about how I do it. This. I talked to the players and the players said they would prefer, instead of springing it on them in film, mention to him right there. Because some players are like that. Some players say, hey, you know, I'm going to respond much better if you correct me in the moment because my head's in it and I know what my body just did, and I can say, oh, oh, oh. So instead of starting with my hand out here, if I have it here, I'm more inclined to lean in this direction. And that might. I might be giving away which way I'm leaning. Thank you. Oh, okay. Okay. And then they can feel. But if you tell it to me later, I'm going to have to remember exactly what that felt like. And sometimes a player wants that kind of coaching. So these are all the intricacies of it. But let's. When we ask questions about it and say, what does it mean that you're coaching fundamentals differently? What does it mean to how you go about your day? What does it mean to how you talk to players? And then we can judge if this gets better when we look at how many points they give up, how many times the opposing quarterback is picking himself up off the ground or being chased out of bounds. So as we move through Ben Johnson's first off season, I think we need to understand that this is. This is something different here. And he is. He is relentlessly competitive, and I think he's pretty honest. And I think Dennis Allen was, too, when he said, one of the things we identified was me. Okay, go get him. The NBA playoffs are easy money at my bookie if you stop overthinking it. You don't really need anything crazy like all of the parlays that I like with the individual stats and the props. There's no spreadsheets. You need a team that you trust. And there's a lot of teams worth your trust right now as we are separating the proverbial wheat from the chaff. And that's why playoff basketball hits so well at my bookie. You got a clean board, and you can keep it simple if you want. You like the Thunder? They're hard to like because they're almost too perfect and kind of annoying, but they win a lot of games, so you want to back them. Back them. And this Pistons Cav series just got real interesting last night with that terrible call at the end. More on that in a second. Then you can ride the teams built to win. Let the playoffs do the rest. If you are new to my bookie, if you've never made a deposit, there's even less reason to sit this one out. That is because we have a promo code for you. It's easy to remember because it's the initials of this show. Dan Bernstein Unfiltered aka DBU. Not aka I want those. You want DBU, and any bet you choose up to $500 is fully covered. So you say, what does it mean, covered? Well covered means you've got a bet back. Bonus token then. And if you make your Play and the bet doesn't hit you, then get it right back. When you opt in using the bet back bonus token with the code dbu. Pick your squad, take the shot. Don't just watch the playoffs. Cash in on them only at my bookie and we do have I've got a bunch of basketball news and notes here. Josh Giddey had the surgical procedure on his ankle. By the way, if you haven't checked out the latest edition of or Organizations Win Championships, the Chicago Bulls podcast that is out and we talked a little bit about that because we were getting that news at the time and it sounds like it was just a cleanup. Josh Giddy says that he's doing all of his offseason work that his he wanted. He wants to be better shooting off the bounce. Says it doesn't mean I'm going to become a Kyrie Irving esque player but being able to keep the defense honest. Says he wants to get healthy. So Giddy had an arthroscopy on his ankle to fix whatever it was and he's out three months. All right. Long as he stays in shape and, you know, lays off the giant cans of Fosters, he'll be all right. It doesn't put on weight, so I trust that he's going to be fine. And now he's got to prove himself when there are new people who, who are going to be judging how he fits what his game is and whether or not he's going to be part of this team going forward. Nobody now is legacied in. Nobody has an absolute spot on this squad. Nobody. Nobody, Nobody. So it's going to be on him to get back and figure this out. The playoffs have been, well, you know
Co-host
what have been cool though, Dan, is to maybe use a time during a meaningless season to have that done. But that's just me waiting until the middle of May.
Dan Bernstein
I bet they didn't want him to I because they couldn't decide under AK when they were competing and when they weren't competing and what they were doing. But if he's going to be back for training camp.
Co-host
I know, I know, I know it
Dan Bernstein
would be different if he if this were going to bleed into training camp for the season, then you're wondering who's on what page here. And we always have any time there's something medical with the Bulls. We've got these questions.
Co-host
Nothing but questions.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, it's nothing but questions about the timing and the the pro. So this is, this dogs the Bulls. This continues to dog them. All these medical things and that's why when we start talking about the draft and looking at that 15 pick and I keep thinking about Jaden Quaintance of and he's. It's why most teams, it's like, look, go to your doctors, get the medicals and that's it. But with the Bulls and their reputation around the league, everything is going to be over scrutinized. Because fair or not, the Bulls have a terrible league wide reputation when it comes to medical supportive players. It's not me saying it. Ask around the league, talk to people. They must improve this reputation about injuries, coming back from injuries, handling all of it. And that comes down to minutes. It comes down to coaching. It starts from the top. It is a huge lift for Bryson Graham right now to get that figured out. And we can just sort of add the questions around Josh Giddey to that right now. But as we watch these games, it's clear the Bulls need shooting and they need rim protection. It's the way the game is being played. There are two all of these teams have there. It takes the pressure off your perimeter defense and off everything that you have to do. Keeping guys out of the paint, keeping guys from getting all the way to the rim. You can live with people beating you in the mid range and if people think that that is, that's the hack, that that's the opening now that, oh well, no one's. These are the open shots. We're going to beat you with twos. It's not easy. Got to hit a whole hell of a lot of them and you got to play great defense if you're going to beat another team with twos. So that, that's a difficult needle to thread right there. When you, when you set up everything trying to. That's, that's your DeMar DeRozan offense. But it, you can't even do that. You can't even force a team to do that without having rim protection. So when I that that is a commonality with all these teams that we're watching. And there's been some furious basketball that we're watching these playoffs too. And last night was. It's, it's not a pretty series obviously between the Cavs and the Pistons. A lot of turnovers from Cunningham, a lot of turnovers from Harden. But I saw Harden play some defense last night. Am I crazy or. There been a couple sequences where he's been actually really good. Just keeping his guy in front of him for two dribbles, even a third dribble. And that's in the NBA, if you can stay with somebody after one dribble that is maybe even slightly above replacement level or at replacement level, two dribbles is really good. Three dribbles is elite. And there's one elite defender at least out there, Osr Thompson. Oh my God. His body responds athletically in a way that seems impossible sometimes. He is. And he got tripped at the end of that game. That should have been called. It's a shame that it wasn't that you. They. They got screwed. I hate to say this. They got screwed and it'll show in the two minute report, but they really got screwed. He made that steal. He got tripped. It was not called and it was not reviewable. But that is a. That isn't just an elite defensive player. Osr Thompson can do things that other people cannot. In a league full of people who can do that, he's even ahead of them.
Co-host
Yeah. Now with that, that overtime win for Cleveland on the road, because I said it's going to go seven and it would be Detroit and the home team wins every game. Now, Cleveland upset that with a possibility now tomorrow night of closing out this series in Cleveland in Game 6, as do the spurs have the opportunity to close it out tomorrow night against Minnesota. But that's in Minnesota. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
And the spurs are going to be tough. I just, I keep thinking your de facto NBA championship is Spurs, Thunder. That. That's just.
Co-host
It's hard not to think that.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. With conferences, the, the way that they are. And as annoying as the Thunder are with it's. They're just too perfect. They're. They're so annoying. Everything is sort of idealized and they all. They're all like good guys and except for Lou Dort, he's a. He's a dirty player. But they, A lot of them say the right things all the time. They all sacrifice for each other. They're all. It's like a boy scout troupe. And even like the, the fans, the way they react to everything and everybody who comes in the game gets. Yeah, they're just. And they're probably going to win the NBA title again. And I, maybe I'm the only one that just finds them annoying. And Shea Gilgis, Alexander keeps getting fouled and there's this belief that they get every single call. Now I would suggest if you don't like the Thunder, don't fall into the trap of thinking they get every call because you're going to go crazy. You're going to. You're going to lose it. I've seen has a way of making you crazy. Even though Shea Gilgamesh Alexander does get fouled a lot. He's. He's, he's super demar is what he is. He's super demar and that's why he's going to be a Hall of Famer into Marmite, too. But Shea will make you annoyed if you're rooting against him.
Co-host
And foul calls have increased by 11% this postseason, which is, which what happens every year. I mean, there's, I mean, 66 of the 80 seasons in postseason play, the foul calls go up. So it's a general trend, but this is a little lower than the normal trend. It's normally between a 14 and 17% increase, and so it's at 11% right now.
Dan Bernstein
I have baseball notes as well, and this one should be easy, and especially on the eve of the start of a Cub socks series at the rate. Don't fall into the bullpen. Don't fall out of the upper deck. Don't. Don't fall over railings at public events. The railings are designed to limit your falling opportunities. They're designed to prevent lawsuits. They're designed to keep you safe. When you see a railing, consider why it's there. And there were some reports that the man. Was it a man, I believe it was.
Co-host
That fell into the Royals bullpen.
Dan Bernstein
That. Because last night at White Sox, Royals, a man fell. And that's, That's a pretty steep fall. Was that 15ft?
Co-host
At least.
Dan Bernstein
At least fell into the Royals bullpen. That means you were over the railing or standing on the railing or leaning out too far and stop doing that. That's their workplace. That's their office. They, they work there. And you're up here and you have. And you get to pay for the privilege of watching them. And they're. They're busy. They're working. I was just thinking here, like, if I'm, you know, in the middle of making a. One of my stupid points and all of a sudden down through the drop tiles comes a fan. Hey, Bernstein, kill any fish lately? Hi.
Co-host
Yeah, Yeah, I just, I just think, you know, stop falling into the, into the play of the play. Stop falling into the bullpen. Don't fall into the seats below. You stop doing there for a reason. And generally, if something like this happens, someone is trying to get a baseball,
Dan Bernstein
it's just a baseball.
Co-host
If you really want a baseball that bad, just go buy one. Yeah, they sell them. They sell, like authentic real MLB baseballs. Just go buy one.
Dan Bernstein
It's just a baseball. And you know what you're gonna do with it. Yeah. You're gonna take it home, and you're eventually gonna play catch with it, like on asphalt or something.
Co-host
It doesn't forget that you have it. And you're gonna pull it and open a drawer one day, and you're gonna move a pair of underwear, and they're like, oh, here's where that baseball is that I got seven years ago.
Dan Bernstein
See, that would be better if when you go to a game, you get dirty, you get your own dirty underwear. Right? Like, how would that make you feel? Wait a second. You're fighting for it. You're like, there's little kids trying to grab. Has no inherent value.
Co-host
Right? So stop. Stop falling over railings. Stop falling into the field of play. Stop falling in the bullpens, and don't fall into the seats below you. And since we're doing this too quick, other psa, if there's a child nearby and a ball is available, give it to the kid. Don't fight a kid for a baseball. If you're an adult.
Dan Bernstein
No, I would go this far. Go buy one instead of even not fighting the kid.
Co-host
If you get one, give it to
Dan Bernstein
him when you sit down. I always. I always taught my kids this. When you sit down, make a plan for the kid to whom you're going to give the ball sitting near. You know exactly. If. If something bounces and lands in my cup, to whom am I giving it? You should know immediately.
Co-host
Look around.
Dan Bernstein
Find a cute kid.
Co-host
Yeah, I'm glad you put it out that way. You said it that way, that if the ball lands in your cup, if a ball comes into your general area of person, that's great, right? Don't leave your seat to go chase after a ball. Don't fight other people and wrestle a ball away. If the ball happens to land into your person, then what kid are you giving it to?
Dan Bernstein
And if it's on the concourse and you're carrying hot dogs and pizza, whatever it is, don't drop everything. It's just a ball.
Co-host
Just a ball.
Dan Bernstein
You just paid $100 for that slice of pizza. Think about that. Think about how much you pay for whatever. That. That. That Sandwich was probably $42, and you're dropping it for. For a $9 baseball or whatever a baseball cost. Come on, man.
Co-host
Yeah, but the main thing is. Stop falling over the race.
Dan Bernstein
Stop falling. Stop falling. Don't fall into someone else's workplace. It's rude. And. And the game stopped because of it.
Co-host
You.
Dan Bernstein
You were a pain in everybody's ass. Because you were stupid and drunk or just stupid. There's a railing. And if. Unless you. If you don't climb up on the railing, it's going to keep you from falling. It's the whole point of it, right?
Co-host
Stay in your seat. It's a dramatic moment in the game that you can stand up or if the game's over, get out of your seat and leave.
Dan Bernstein
But just stay in your seat.
Co-host
Don't fall over the railing.
Dan Bernstein
All right? Another note. And this, this. Another baseball note. And literally a note.
Co-host
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
Because I want to single out and maybe you can find the name of whoever plays the organ at Truest Park. And the only thing better than roses on your piano. I've always said this is two. It's tulips on your organ that the. Whoever's doing that has been noticed twice in this series by me. So if I'm noticing your work and it's like, what is that? So in the first game of the
Co-host
series, it's Matthew Kaminsky, by the way, is his name.
Dan Bernstein
I want, I want to know more about Matthew Kaminsky.
Co-host
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
And I want to know more about, like, how much latitude he gets to do stuff. And does he have any other. Have like a musical background where he just kind of does this on the side? Does he have a band? I'd like to know about Matthew Kaminsky
Co-host
because Matthew Kaminsky is 50 years old. He's from Chicago.
Dan Bernstein
He's from Chicago.
Co-host
He is known internationally for his use of Twitter to interact with fans to select walk on music for members of the opposing teams.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Co-host
The BBC news featured Kaminsky's use of social media to crowdsource ideas for amusing or pointed walk up songs. And Sports Illustrated accused him of expertly trolling with his musical choices.
Dan Bernstein
Okay. So he, he already has a reputation. I just want to say Matthew Kaminsky. A couple things I noticed. I heard the Aqua Lung riff and I thought it was a nod if he is on social media. My thought was, and I didn't put it, maybe there was a name because you know that the bump up has. There's a rhythm to it. You know, we used to talk about this. You know, I think, you know, Jay Zawaski and I used to that you, you read things that follow the Aqua Lung riff. Da da da da da da. So I thought maybe there was a name that was in that rhythm. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. But all of a sudden I listen and I heard, oh, Aqualung riff. And. And then he played Aqualung. And first of all, that song is Gross. The song is about a child molester sitting on a park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent. Not running down his nose, greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes. He's. It's a gross child molester on a park bench. That's what the song is about. He's playing a deep. Dee dee dee dee dee. So I. I hear you. Matthew Kaminsky. I see you working.
Co-host
He was selected as the organist for the Atlanta Braves in 2009. Okay, so Matthew Kaminsky, also.
Dan Bernstein
Let's see here.
Co-host
What do we know about him? He is.
Dan Bernstein
The White Sox named their field after him. Before he left Chicago, they named Kaminsky Park.
Co-host
He sings, plays piano and accordion in polka bands.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, he does.
Co-host
Matthew Kaminsky is a member of the Latin Salsa Orchestra, Orchesta Macabre, the Western Swing band. Back in the Saddle. And leads the Georgia Polka Band.
Dan Bernstein
Georgia Polka. Country Western swing band called Western Swing. Okay.
Co-host
And Latin Salsa Orchestra.
Dan Bernstein
And Latin salsa. Yes. And last night, broke into Dave Brubeck. Did you hear him play Take Five?
Co-host
I didn't. I missed that. I did hear Take Me Home, Country Road that the whole crowd sang.
Dan Bernstein
Then after he stopped playing, he played Take Five. However, he was playing Paul Desmond's saxophone on the keys, where Dave Brubeck would have been playing behind this. But it's. So he wasn't exactly the. The melody of Take Five is played by Pa Desmond. But it was still. I mean, I was. I was just very impressed. I want to say that this is his work. I notice it. He's really good. He's interesting. And when I. And good job on the fly. You. He's from Chicago. I'd like to know exactly, you know, where and when, what high school he went to.
Co-host
He currently teaches the North Fulton School of Music's Atlanta locations. He's taught applied jazz piano at Georgia Tech.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, there's that.
Co-host
Oh, here you go. In 2021, Kaminsky released the album LA Connection. So there you go. He has an album out. You can. You can listen to that.
Dan Bernstein
There we go.
Co-host
Actually, it seems like he has a few different albums out.
Dan Bernstein
Really? Well, hell. Sorry. I just. I, I. Matthew Kaminsky, you are. You have been. You have been noticed. And when your work comes through like that, I, I heard some when I was listening on the radio and yesterday. And the radio experience has also been. Been kind of odd listening to Cubs baseball. I don't. Am I supposed to laugh when. When Zach laughs and Pat Hughes has made what might be a joke, and I'm not sure if it's a joke and Then I think there's, Is there some kind of meta, like anti comedy Python esque bit? Is there a long form bit that's going on where there are things that I don't find funny that, that they find funny and then I'm supposed to feel like I'm missing something? Or are they, are they, am I. It's like gaslighting, like they're all laughing and being entertained by something that I'm not sure is funny. I don't get it.
Co-host
Yeah. I don't know if you need to listen more or if it's just more inside jokes or things that you dismissed in the broadcast.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I thought I listened a lot. I used to work there.
Co-host
I mean, it sounds like they have a lot of fun when they're doing it.
Dan Bernstein
Sure does. And I, and generally, I generally like the call. I don't think I'm, I don't think I miss anything. I think I understand what's going on where everybody is, what the story is. Yes, it's a good call. I, it just there, I, I, I just want a, something to help me understand what I'm missing with why they find certain things funny that don't, or sometimes don't even seem intentionally funny.
Co-host
Last note though, on Matthew Kaminsky too, since he is a Chicago guy. If you're listening to our podcast here on 312Sports, you know Matthew, send him a little love our way. Tell them that, hey, you heard these two idiots talk about his work and. Yeah, and we appreciate it.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, just say, hey, these, these goofs over at 312 sports have said nice things about you.
Co-host
I'm glad you brought it up because in our, in our right before we started recording, because I, I had noticed it and it wasn't like a thing where I latched onto it and like dove in deeper to it. It just, I was like, I don't hear the organ watching games on tv, but I heard him multiple times in the last two games. So I'm glad that you made a point of it because as soon as you said it, I'm like, yeah. Matter of fact, I have been catching the organ guy or the organ person playing. Didn't know who it was.
Dan Bernstein
We have a little bit of Bulls news here that I want to get to. And that is from Shams Sharania on Twitter, who reports that the Bulls are finalizing a deal to hire Orlando Magic assistant GM Steven Mervis as senior vice president of basketball operations under new executive vice president Bryson Graham. The Bulls are also hiring Brooklyn Nets executive AC Law as vice president of player personnel. Okay, so Mervis has spent 12 years rising in the Magic front office, specializing in strategy and player evaluation. So this is the quant guy is my guess here. Law held scouting draft focused roles for the Kings and The Thunder from 2018 to 2025. He played four NBA seasons, including part of 2910 in Chicago, teammates with Graham and the men's basketball team at Texas A and M. All right, so Stephen
Co-host
Mervis from Orlando and AC Law.
Dan Bernstein
AC Law. It's not a C, it's acie, as you know.
Co-host
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
AC Law and Stephen Mervis. I don't know if he's related to former Cub Matt Mervis.
Co-host
AC Law.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, I, I don't know much about him, but this is, this is the, some of the hires that we've been expecting. I can't tell you I've got a strong reaction to these names, but we shall see.
Co-host
Yep. Okay, I remember him.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, don't, don't know the actual names, but they are refreshing, these spots. And now we'll. I just. To me, the number of hires is as important right now as anything else. How many people are you going to bring in to. To get this staff up to a representative number that gets it to the point where of other teams, the Bulls have always had fewer scouts, fewer staff members, a smaller group than other franchises. And I think the total amount of money spent, the total amount of jobs that have to be filled, created filled, etc. Is important to watch here. And these are some data points within that. So we got that for you. So that's good. And I'm also really excited about what you sent me yesterday. And I thought, oh, well, this is really cool. You never hear me talk about competitive bass fishing, but man, this thing Randy Moss is doing is so neat because he's combining a couple of the tours here. Randy Moss is, got some backers, he got some prize money here and he is presenting a historic fishing tournament. We know that Randy Moss loves bass fishing, so he's going to be the headliner of the Champions tournament. And this is Bassmaster Elite and the MLF Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour vying for a record purse of 3.25 million and the largest first place prize in the history of the sport, 1.25 million. And what Moss said was bass fishing has always been a big part of my life and fuels my competitive fire. In retirement, I get the same rush reeling in a bass as I did finding the end zone. Well, I don't know that that's true.
Co-host
Well, for him it is true.
Dan Bernstein
It has some great pictures. My favorite picture of him comes from years ago when he's got the, that like backwoods in his, you know, corner of his mouth that he's holding this big old large mouth he's got and this big smile on him. There are a couple other pictures of him looking like me holding, you know, a two pound small mouth and being excited. But hey, it's going to be a five day event. Three days of competition, they're saying. Fireworks, a flyover, interactive games, fishing activities and multiple musical acts.
Co-host
Now, can you enter this? Can you try to get into this? It's sponsored by, who runs this milf?
Dan Bernstein
Major League Fishing. Yeah, the mlf.
Co-host
It's not the mlf.
Dan Bernstein
Different MILF is a different organization.
Co-host
That's Major International League Fishing.
Dan Bernstein
Major International League Fishing is milf? Yes. Bassmaster Elite and Major League Fishing's Bass Pro Tour. They're both going to be on here. So I think you should do it. No, I can't compete with these guys
Co-host
and don't think you should do it. And I think we should do live shows from there.
Dan Bernstein
I would do that just to hang. But no, I've never been interested in competitive. I have the only. I have competed it back at overnight camp and it was just how many fish can you catch in a half hour? And I kind of hacked it and I, and I won and I changed the game. I made them change the rules the next year because I was doing things that they didn't everybody else, like got into a rowboat and went out with and I, and I just sat by the dock with the tiniest hook I can find. And I was just hooking bluegill one after the other and throwing them in a bucket. And I caught like 175 or something like that. And then they made the Bernstein rule.
Co-host
So you caught 175 fish in a half hour?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, it was something like that because they had to keep dumping out the bucket. Well, there's bluegill everywhere. You get a tiny little hook and a piece of worm on there. They don't, don't, don't get the easiest thing in the world. It's not even fun. And then there was casting for accuracy. And I won that too. But no, I've never competed in bass fishing. I don't want to because it, because I love it. And it's, and it's funny because Randy Moss has talked about it and I've read what he said about fishing being his therapy. And it is for me too. But it's much more about sometimes the meditative aspects, the commuting with nature, the juxtaposition of the nature and the city. There's a lot going on in my head with fishing that I don't want to ruin it. Competing. And I feel the same way about crossword puzzles where I look at my times when I have timed myself and tried to work on trying, playing for speed that I know probably where I would finish. And I just. I don't want to do it.
Co-host
So that's why you don't compete in crossword competitions.
Dan Bernstein
There's so many of them. And everybody. I get. I get invites. I get. I've been asked and I don't want to. Sounds like I don't, huh?
Co-host
Sounds like a blast.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, the tournament. But of these tournaments, though, what I would mean, what I would love to do at the. One of the crossword tournaments is just go hang out in the hotel bar because it's. That part sounds amazing after all the days competition is done, how all of the. These constructors and competitors, everybody who competes and wins these tournaments are like, you know, the Eric Aards and Tyler Hinman's and these legends that. Where I'm never going to, you know, that would be like a guy walking off the, the, the playground and competing against LeBron. So, you know, you don't do that,
Co-host
you know, so you, like, sit at the bar all night and talk with those guys.
Dan Bernstein
Yes. All of these. They're all English professors. A lot of. They're hysterical. They all have different things. Yeah. So that would. I would love to do that. And, you know, I get autographs and see if it's like Brendan Emmett Quigley or, you know, Brooke Husick. And these, these. Brooke is a, an Eric. A guard. Are. I mean, untouchables. Absolutely. Just gods.
Co-host
Well, that ever comes to Chicago and you're going to go to that bar and hang out, let me know.
Dan Bernstein
I know you're going to want to be there. And somehow Bill Raftery will end up closing the bar that night. I don't know how it's going to happen. I don't know why it's going to happen. But some onions, Major league. That somehow that will happen. The PGA has begun. They're out there, they're playing. They're actually hitting golf balls right now. And I gave you my three names, if you're listening carefully yesterday. But betting golf doesn't have to mean just throwing a dart at an outright and then sweating it out for four days. Because in my bookie you can bet the whole tournament and not just the trophy. Right now. Pick a head to head matchup, bet the round you want to follow the cut line Saturday, maybe wait for Sunday, see who you think is going to make a move and bet on that jump. PGA Tour betting is better when you keep it simple at my bookie because you get this feeling you have to know everybody's stats and the number of fairways they hit and scrambling and sand saves and what kind of grass is on the greens. But you don't have to. You have a promo code, DBU, that gets your first bet covered up to $500 when you make your first deposit. So you got that going for you. That's nice. Don't overthink it. Find your angle. Make your pick. Cash in at MyBookie. We missed something yesterday, Natty.
Co-host
Yeah, we did.
Dan Bernstein
We missed something. And this, this one's on you. Because technically, celebrating the anniversary of the release date, yesterday was Top Gun day.
Co-host
It was Top Gun day and I didn't give it its appropriate recognition. So a few, A few things, a few facts. Some little notes about Top Gun for you, Dan. Maybe you didn't know. 1993, producer Jerry Bruckheimer saw an article in National Geographic about naval fighter pilots. Yep. That's how the idea of Top Gun was, was, was birthed. Paramount got permission to shoot the film at the real school in Miramar. The Navy saw it as like free advertising, so that's why they were on board with it. Do you know how much enlistments. Enlistments rose by because of the movie Top Gun? Naval enlistments
Dan Bernstein
over what period of time?
Co-host
I'd have to look that up for. I'm just the, the like immediate impact on it, though.
Dan Bernstein
I, I would say 25%.
Co-host
500%. Okay, 500%. Which is also why I remember this note, too. Remember, there's a movie that. I can't remember the name of it though, but there was a movie about army helicopter pilots that Nicholas Cage was in and they were hoping that it would have the same impact. Oh, that top. It quite didn't. But look, look that up real quick. But yeah. 500 increase. Tom Cruise was only 23 years old. He demanded that the stunts be real. No tricks, no photography, no green screen. His first time up in a plane, guess what happened?
Dan Bernstein
What?
Co-host
He threw up into his helmet. Which apparently in the, in the filming of Maverick also, a lot of these actors were throwing up left and right. I mean, it was just like. It's a constant stream of getting used to that.
Dan Bernstein
Nick Cage by The Way starred as Jake Preston in the 1990 action film Firebirds.
Co-host
Firebirds, yes.
Dan Bernstein
An army helicopter movie often described as a Top Gun style film.
Co-host
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
For the Apache AH64.
Co-host
It didn't have quite the same impact.
Dan Bernstein
He trains under Tommy Lee Jones to combat drug cartels in South America. Yeah.
Co-host
Here are three names that were up for the role of Pete. Maverick. Mitchell.
Dan Bernstein
Sylvester Stallone.
Co-host
No. Nicholas Cage.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Co-host
Patrick Swayze. And even Tom Hanks.
Dan Bernstein
Tom Hanks.
Co-host
But the role eventually, of course, went to Tom Cruise. Director Tony Scott didn't want an orchestra. He wanted rock music, which is why you got Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins. Take My Breath Away won an Oscar as the best original song for the group Berlin. In May 16, 1996, it opened worldwide and became the highest grossing film of the year. It changed the blockbuster formula forever. Killer soundtrack, charismatic hero. And then Hollywood has, of course, copied it for decades. So, 40th anniversary of top Gun. Which is why AMC theaters have released it for a week, starting yesterday. I plan on going next week, probably Monday night, to see if I can do both. I will do both. Top Gun and Maverick.
Dan Bernstein
Boy, if you could get some McRibs in between. It's just, it really is the perfect Matty Night.
Co-host
Yeah, I just don't think it's out, though. I don't think the McRib is out right now, but it's in. In the IMAX, the Dolby Theater, so you get all. You get the full force of it. So.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, well, I'm sorry I didn't get you a card yesterday.
Co-host
It's okay. Well, I, I put my new picture up behind me for this segment, so you can see Tom Cruise and.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, hey, careful with that thing.
Co-host
And Goose. Who's dead? Well, yeah, I always got. I got a lot of arguments with our guy Schmutzy about Top Gun because he didn't like it. And he, he said that. That Tom Cruise, that Maverick deliberately killed Goose and that he should have been thrown in jail for murder.
Dan Bernstein
So he, he just knew that the canopy was going to be right there. He's like, watch this. We're gonna pop the canopy, but it isn't going to go up high enough. And when you eject, you're going to eject right into the canopy.
Co-host
Yeah, it's a pretty weak argument. Pretty weak argument.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, he's right about a lot of things that. I'll grudgingly say that, but no, he didn't deliberately kill.
Co-host
Murder Goose. Exactly. That's been, that's been a point of contention between us for years.
Dan Bernstein
It's a worthy point of contention, though. I think it's the kind of thing that you should both carry to your graves. Well, or after even.
Co-host
We might. You never know. You never know.
Dan Bernstein
That is Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered, here today. Thank you for joining us on 312 Sports.
Co-host
Dan Bernstein, unfiltered unfiltered on 312 Sports.
Episode Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein
Co-host: Matt Abbatacola
Podcast: 312 Sports
This episode focuses on Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen and whether he’s facing a “hot seat” scenario in 2026. Dan Bernstein and co-host Matt Abbatacola break down the current Bears management philosophy, Ben Johnson’s head-coaching style, and the shifting culture of accountability at Halas Hall. Beyond the Bears, the episode touches on other local sports stories, baseball safety PSAs, musical oddities at ballparks, and a round of quick hits on NBA playoffs, Bulls front office moves, and even some competitive bass fishing.
Johnson’s “Occam's Razor” Approach:
Dan notes that Ben Johnson isn’t a coach that plays games with words, emphasizing, “This guy says what he means, and the one aspect that underpins everything with him is competitiveness first and confidence second. Whether or not he ultimately wins a Super Bowl, I don't know. But it will not be for lack of confidence and commitment and conviction to what he's doing.”
(05:22)
Addressing Bears’ Pass Rush Concerns:
The hosts dissect popular concerns around the Bears’ lack of attention to pass rushers in the offseason, and how Johnson and GM Ryan Poles have deferred responsibility to coaching improvements rather than roster upgrades.
Dennis Allen’s Accountability:
Dan zeroes in on Allen’s comments from the offseason, interpreting pronoun usage (“we” vs “I”) as a signal Allen has directly been told to step up.
“We had a lot of discussions this off season about a lot of different things and one of the things we identified was me… I don't think we're as fundamentally sound defensively as we need to be. So how do we. I have to coach it better.”
(08:45-09:16)
Coaching vs. Personnel Blame:
Both hosts argue Johnson is explicitly shifting responsibility to Allen and the defensive staff.
“If the outcome isn't there, you don't blame the GM...You don't blame the players...you put it squarely on Dennis Allen and his staff.”
(10:35)
Allen Put on Notice:
“Go sack the quarterback. Yeah, get me some sacks, or you're going to be sacked. I think that's, that's essentially what this is.”
(14:09)
Performance Improvement Plan Analogy:
Dan likens Allen’s situation to a workplace PIP—“it's either get it done this year or there's no next year.” (14:51)
GM and Head Coach Alignment:
Minimal investments in the pass rush are viewed as a sign of confidence or a test for Allen, rather than a failure to address the issue.
“Go out and coach better with the guy that you have.”
(18:45)
Ryan Poles’s Strategy:
Discussion of Poles's odd comment, “if we improve the back end, maybe we can get quarterbacks to hold the ball a little bit longer,” is interpreted as further deflection to coaching.
(18:46–19:25)
Reporter Strategy:
Dan recommends that Bears media watch defensive drills for any changes in approach, suggesting this is where real accountability will manifest.
(21:43)
On Ben Johnson’s Straightforwardness:
“He is relentlessly competitive, and I think he's pretty honest. And I think Dennis Allen was, too, when he said, ‘one of the things we identified was me. Okay, go get him.’”
(21:43)
Performance Review Real Talk:
“If it doesn't get better, I can find a replacement. Because how many difference making defensive coordinators are there?”
(15:35)
Bulls Front Office Hires:
Josh Giddey Injury & Bulls Medical Reputation:
Playoff Trends:
Stop Falling Over Railings!
“Don't fall into someone else's workplace. It's rude. And the game stopped because of it. You were a pain in everybody's ass because you were stupid and drunk or just stupid.”
(39:47–40:01)
Give Foul Balls to Kids:
“If there's a child nearby and a ball is available, give it to the kid. Don't fight a kid for a baseball. If you're an adult.”
(38:14)
“Matthew Kaminsky, you are. You have been noticed. And when your work comes through like that, I, I heard some when I was listening on the radio and yesterday. And the radio experience has also been kind of odd listening to Cubs baseball.”
(45:08–46:06)
Randy Moss Competitive Bass Fishing:
Top Gun Anniversary:
On Ben Johnson’s direct style:
“This guy says what he means…he appears to not care about this stuff with Matt LaFleur, where he's competitive to the point of kind of being a dick, which is great if he's your coach.” (04:41–05:20, paraphrased)
Dennis Allen's ownership:
“We had a lot of discussions this off season...and one of the things we identified was me...I lost sight of some of the fundamentals and techniques that it takes to function, to do those things.” (08:45–09:16)
On accountability and scapegoating:
“You don't blame the GM...You don't blame the players because you've taken that accountability off of them and you put it squarely on Dennis Allen and his staff. But mainly Dennis Allen.” (10:35)
On Allen’s prospects:
“Go sack the quarterback. Yeah, get me some sacks, or you're going to be sacked.” (14:09)
On baseballs at games:
“If you really want a baseball that bad, just go buy one. Yeah, they sell them...Don't fight a kid for a baseball. If you're an adult.” (37:23–38:14)
| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|-------------| | 01:52 | Bears introduction & Ben Johnson’s blunt approach | | 06:49 | Ben Johnson on “coaching better” & holding staff accountable | | 09:00 | Dennis Allen’s admission & pronoun “codebreaking” | | 14:09 | Ultimate “hot seat” moment for Allen | | 18:45 | Bears drafting philosophy & coaching challenge | | 21:43 | Reporter strategy—how to track coaching changes | | 29:16 | Bulls injury management reputation | | 33:16 | NBA playoff defensive analysis | | 36:03 | Ballpark safety PSA begins | | 40:59 | Matthew Kaminsky (Braves organist) discussion | | 47:30 | Bulls front office hires announced | | 51:28 | Randy Moss bass fishing tournament details | | 56:45 | Top Gun anniversary discussion starts |
Summary prepared for those who missed the episode but want an in-depth, timestamped, and engaging rundown of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered, May 14, 2026.