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Matt Abaticola
On July 5, the Chicago Stars return to Evanston vs Utah Royals FC. The Chicago Stars celebrating a summer of soccer on the north side and you don't want to miss it. With an easy to get to stadium and tickets starting at $19, pro women's soccer has never been more accessible. Come to a match for family friendly pre match entertainment. Then cheer on us Olympians like Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Nayer playing right on the lakefront in Evanston. Summer soccer doesn't get much better than this. Get your Tickets now@chicagostars.com Tickets this episode
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Dan Bernstein
What? Why are you looking at me like that?
Matt Abaticola
I'm not gonna be partied here.
Dan Bernstein
I didn't. I would. I. I didn't start it. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. Certainly wouldn't open the show with you humming the opening to the Muppets. I would never do that.
Matt Abaticola
Do do do do do do do do do do do do.
Dan Bernstein
Why are you not saying anything to me? I haven't opened the show yet. Don't ignore me. You know I don't like when you ignore. Why? Now you're just being rude. Oh, there's a text message here from Keith. He wants you to come see him. Oh, now you're. Now you're just being a real jerk.
Matt Abaticola
I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you're thinking forward, progress. Come on.
Dan Bernstein
10.
Matt Abaticola
219. 219.
Dan Bernstein
Forward, progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.
Matt Abaticola
No making fun of this shirt on this show. We did it on the other show.
Dan Bernstein
Fine, but you can't.
Matt Abaticola
I mean, go ahead.
Dan Bernstein
I don't. Well, you should because it's a Detroit Lions fishing shirt.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, it's an awful, awful. It's really bad, and I love it.
Dan Bernstein
Now, I knew it was bad from the way you described it, but I didn't expect this Bad. It's bad. It's pretty bad. Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
And the other thing, too, is I always say, like, you know, no free ads, and we're kind of. It's a free ad for Discount Tackle and for Z Man, and I don't even really. I don't use Z Man.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, but the. The way you described it and the way your family doesn't like it because of all the logos. The logos aren't as oppressive as I was expecting.
Matt Abaticola
Have you seen the back?
Dan Bernstein
It's just the shirt itself is so bad.
Matt Abaticola
Oh, the back is the bad logo, though.
Dan Bernstein
And where did you get this from?
Matt Abaticola
Get it from.
Dan Bernstein
You got him. I don't know. What's the. What's the patch on the right side?
Matt Abaticola
Z Man.
Dan Bernstein
And what's the back? Okay, and so you bought this. Well, and that's not even that bad in the back because your hood covers it.
Matt Abaticola
It was kind of a throw in. It was. It was.
Dan Bernstein
They gave it to you for free?
Matt Abaticola
Well, they gave it to me at a discount. I guess it's like, hey, you're. You're already here. You want to just throw in this?
Guest or Additional Speaker
Yeah, sure.
Matt Abaticola
Why not?
Dan Bernstein
So does Discount Tackle sell anything for full price?
Matt Abaticola
It's all a matter of what constitutes full price. It's just they do it out of a warehouse and in such volume. You know what I like to do? I like to patronize park bait.
Guest or Additional Speaker
But that's.
Matt Abaticola
But that's not why you called. Did you see the Diana?
Dan Bernstein
Oh, so now you're talking to me, though. You're talking to me now.
Matt Abaticola
Well, because you were trying to make me sing the Muppet theme. I'm not singing the damn Muppet theme.
Dan Bernstein
All right, we can start the show now.
Matt Abaticola
Go. It's time to play the music. It's time to light the light.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, so you'll just do it on camera because you want.
Matt Abaticola
It's time to get things started on the Muppet show tonight.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
It's time to put on makeup. It's time to dress up. Right.
Dan Bernstein
But I caught you, though. You started doing it and you caught yourself. I did.
Matt Abaticola
I did start singing it. Because the thing is, too. The truth is, if you follow me around enough, like around the house or when I'm just out in the hallways here, it's very reasonable that I will just break into the Muppets Theme or
Dan Bernstein
song of any kind. That's why we're similar that way very much.
Matt Abaticola
I got it from Terry. When Terry would walk the hallways and he would usually use his songs to make fun of somebody that he would just start making. Remember? Ever Tom Couch. And then Terry would make up stories.
Guest or Additional Speaker
Tom.
Matt Abaticola
Tom Couch. Tom Couch. Chicken like Terry. You can't.
Dan Bernstein
You can't do that. I do it a lot in the car. Even alone, all the time.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
It's a thing.
Matt Abaticola
Harmonies at the top of my lungs. Yes, absolutely.
Dan Bernstein
But.
Matt Abaticola
But this is why you called. Diana Rossini's lying again.
Dan Bernstein
Why? Wait, what is she lying about now?
Matt Abaticola
Because now, remember the whole thing about how she was pulled over by a cop for speeding?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. And she said, let me know.
Matt Abaticola
Texting while driving.
Dan Bernstein
Let me. Let me. Oh, I'm doing a report. I got a thing I'm doing. Let me call your. Let me call your favorite coach. Right? Isn't that what it was?
Matt Abaticola
I mean, FaceTime let you. FaceTime with Brian Dabo.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
Or whoever it was. It was. It was, who's your favorite coach? And she got him on the phone, and she got out of the ticket because she let the cop FaceTime. That was her story. That's what she said. She did.
Dan Bernstein
It wasn't.
Matt Abaticola
It didn't she?
Dan Bernstein
FaceTime? Mike Vrabel.
Matt Abaticola
No, I think it was Dable.
Dan Bernstein
I thought it was Vrabel. Okay.
Commercial Announcer
All right.
Matt Abaticola
I thought it was Dable and Vrabel.
Dan Bernstein
I don't know.
Matt Abaticola
They should go start their own law firm. Vaudeville act. But the body cam footage is now out. So she was on in February with Stu Gotz and company saying that she said. And this was in the New York Times piece, her anecdote that she said that she FaceTimed an NFL coach to help her get out of the ticket. But the video is out. The video has been posted. 7 minutes, 10 seconds, the entire traffic stop. There's no FaceTime call. The officer approaches, she says, I'm an NFL reporter. I just broke that Sean McDermott got fired from the Bills. That's what I was just sending to send a tweet. I was gonna pull over because I have to make calls. I know you don't care, but I wanted you to know my reason why. The officer says, obviously, you were on your phone for a while. I understand you've got a job. Then she said, you know who I was on the phone with? Brian Dable. He wants the job. Next, she asked the officer if he's a fan of the Giants or Jets. I'm actually not a fan of either. The officer says, what's your team. She replies, I'm a Vikings fan. Unfortunately. Rossini then shows him her phone and a text exchange with Vikings coach Kevin o'. Connell. Okay, so she just showed the officer her phone. She also added regarding the Vikings, their quarterback sucks.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, so she never FaceTimed a coach. And you're right, my mistake there on Vrabel and Dable. Dabal. Dabal. Brian Dabal. So she claimed on a podcast that she made the FaceTime call.
Matt Abaticola
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
Okay. All right. And so then the. Now the body cam footage is out, and she never makes the call.
Matt Abaticola
Correct.
Dan Bernstein
Okay. But she did claim to make a call to get out of a ticket.
Matt Abaticola
She said she did get out of a ticket. The anecdote was, I mean, I'm so connected. I've got such acts. I heard they laughed about it.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
She's like, I got out of a ticket by FaceTiming an NFL coach.
Dan Bernstein
All right, so then the body cam shows that there was a lot of.
Matt Abaticola
She made it up.
Dan Bernstein
I got it.
Matt Abaticola
She made it up.
Dan Bernstein
So it's sort of like the. Wasn't it the same, like, save, like, pulled somebody out of a burning car?
Matt Abaticola
That was just weird.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Guest or Additional Speaker
Like.
Matt Abaticola
Like, if you now.
Dan Bernstein
Another untruth.
Matt Abaticola
Just to add to whatever. The whole incident and the series of subsequent incidents and revelations has been that you now have somebody who clearly was having an affair with a coach for a long time, and now in multiple cases, whether it was happening to rescue somebody from a burning car when she was just looking after the person's dog, or now specifically on record saying that something happened that didn't happen, you can't trust her to report anymore.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Can you. Can you go back to saying, my observations, my description of things that are happening is reliable and ethical, that trains left. I don't know that you get that back. It's just odd. Just add it to the list of things that are untrustworthy, not what they seem, somehow strange. And I guess Adam Schefter was on a podcast, too, arguing with the hosts about whether or not the league should be investigating some of these communications. And Schefter didn't seem to understand. If you listen to the interview, he didn't even seem to understand what the hosts were saying about, yeah, no, this kind of conversation shouldn't be happening. You've got a market that can be affected by the news, and you can sway an open market by putting certain news in the bloodstream. And Shefter's like, yeah, well, it didn't end up mattering. It didn't end up helping Them, so what's the point? And the hosts are, like, shefty. It's not about what actually happened. It's about what can happen if these things are allowed.
Dan Bernstein
Right. Let's say, for example, someone were to rig an election to become an elected official and say they were caught doing that illegal activity, and yet they still didn't win the election. It doesn't mean that they didn't break the law and should go to jail, of course. Just because they didn't get the outcome they were seeking.
Matt Abaticola
Of course.
Dan Bernstein
Right. In some cases, some people do rig it and they do get elected.
Matt Abaticola
Right. But this was a case where there could have been a trade market that sent a player to a certain team. It didn't, but it still was their attempt to do that.
Commercial Announcer
Right.
Dan Bernstein
So because it didn't happen that everything's fine.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, well, it didn't happen.
Dan Bernstein
You can attempt to murder someone, lie and steal, but if you're not successful, you should be not punished. Right.
Matt Abaticola
Is attempted murder not punishable?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, Officer, I didn't kill the man. He's still alive.
Matt Abaticola
I missed, right? I'm a terrible shot.
Dan Bernstein
I tried to kill him, but I missed. Therefore, I'm innocent.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, but you took six shots at him.
Dan Bernstein
I'm not a very good shot.
Guest or Additional Speaker
I'm terrible.
Dan Bernstein
Forgot my glasses.
Matt Abaticola
I'm just bad, bad gun.
Dan Bernstein
And I had it pointed the wrong way. Shot myself.
Matt Abaticola
Ow. See? Ow.
Dan Bernstein
Guns are dangerous.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, I was doing it while driving, but you're gonna let me out of the ticket? Cause I'm gonna FaceTime you.
Dan Bernstein
All right. So that's what she lied about.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, I just. It's just another sort of character question, like, what are we doing?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, what are we doing?
Matt Abaticola
We'll find out more. They're not gonna investigate anything. And as always, when we start talking about whatever this story was, whatever it is congealed into now, and it's just sort of sitting there like a cold lump. And somebody should be asking, hey, what. What's going on with this? Are we. Are we looking at this? Are we talking about it? Or is anybody acknowledging this? I don't think anything really is going to happen until she decides that. Here comes. That I'm not going to be a reporter anymore. So I got one last paycheck in me, and I'm going to burn everything down.
Dan Bernstein
But even then, though, what's the NFL going to do?
Matt Abaticola
The NFL won't do anything.
Dan Bernstein
Right.
Matt Abaticola
Hell, there could end up being a payoff of some kind of. Here, the NFL, Right? If she comes and says, hey, here's what I'm about to drop. Who knows, Right?
Dan Bernstein
And here let's have a situation where
Matt Abaticola
you don't say anything and the NFL knows that she has a penchant for hyperbole or for gilding this lily that it wouldn't just be stories, it would be stories plus whatever you want to put on them.
Dan Bernstein
I still, I still think it's significant. When Mark Schlerith said that everyone's nervous and everyone should be nervous, I would
Matt Abaticola
think is now you don't know what she's going to throw in there.
Dan Bernstein
Right. What she could add. Yeah. And then you come back there and say, well, that's not true. Okay, well, if that's not true. But is this part what is? Oh, well, we don't know. That's partial. But we know for sure that this part's not true.
Matt Abaticola
Or they can just, you know, she, she says stuff.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
She goes on podcasts and just makes things up.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. Interesting.
Matt Abaticola
On July 5, the Chicago Stars return to Evanston vs Utah Royals FC. The Chicago Star is celebrating a summer of soccer on the north side and you don't want to miss it. With an easy to get to stadium and tickets starting at $19, pro women's soccer has never been more accessible. Come to a match for family friendly pre match entertainment, then cheer on us Olympians like Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Nayer playing right on the lakefront in Evanston. Summer soccer doesn't get much better than this. Get your tickets now at chicagostars.com/tickets. Best thing that's ever happened to you financially. Go easy.
Guest or Additional Speaker
Sold my car on Carvana. Amazing offer, really.
Matt Abaticola
I hit 200 on a scratcher.
Guest or Additional Speaker
Did the scratcher come to your house and hand you a check?
Matt Abaticola
No.
Guest or Additional Speaker
How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on Carvana.com once.
Matt Abaticola
Okay, that's fair.
Guest or Additional Speaker
It's like the lottery, except you always win.
Matt Abaticola
Not like the lottery at all, actually.
Guest or Additional Speaker
Exactly. Inexplicably good offers worth bragging about. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up. These may apply.
Dan Bernstein
One area that she did impact in her time as an NFL reporter, NFL Insider is voting for Coach of the Year mvp. And one area that we know that maybe was impacted with a vote, which is one vote of many, that Mike Vrabel. Mike Vrabel did win coach of the Year last year, Correct? Didn't he win coach of the year for his 14 and three season with the Patriots? So another NFL reporter, very well known, Jason Locanfora. This is from Yahoo. Sports. He says this talking about the Chicago Bears. He goes there were some skeptics a year ago about whether the supposed wunderkind coach could make an immediate impact and man, did he. His work with Caleb Williams put a lot of nonsense to bed about that QB's ability and leadership.
Guest or Additional Speaker
And.
Dan Bernstein
And we suspect he takes another leap this season. The Bears also should have a better offensive line and more bite on defense. Johnson commands a room has won this group over and the staff is largely back that they lost non play calling offensive assistant Declan Doyle to the Ravens. But that's not going to hold Johnson back. This is his baby and the Bears have a chance to be the top seed in the nfc. What they did in crunch time wasn't just dumb luck. And if he has Williams playing to the level expected and he quotes another personnel executive who says Caleb will be an MVP candidate, that's going to further boost Johnson's spot.
Matt Abaticola
A better offensive line. Why?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I don't know why Lock and Force said that. Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Losing Dalman and replacing him with some combination of Bradbury and a third round pick. Second round pick, second round, second round.
Dan Bernstein
57. Heinz. Maybe because of the. Because of Darnell's growth.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
You have your tackle. I mean your guards are still there. You have a very serviceable center with a guy of the future maybe. And I mean a lot of people are talking about Braxton Jones at left tackle. I mean, if you're looking around NFL reporters, there's a lot of good things. I don't know if it's. If that's all coming from the Bears.
Matt Abaticola
And I don't care what other people are reporting. I just want to know what his logic is because I don't. I think another year under Dan Roshar, another. I don't know. They're also going to coach them better, too.
Dan Bernstein
Well, is that like, could they coach them even better?
Matt Abaticola
I don't know.
Dan Bernstein
So his point was in saying all this is that he believes that Ben Johnson this year, 2026 season will win coach of the Year. That's what Jason Lucken for is saying that he will be the coach of the year.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
And he might have a better chance of it without Diana Rossini voting for. No. They split that NFC and afc.
Matt Abaticola
I don't even know.
Dan Bernstein
Is there an afc, NFC coach?
Matt Abaticola
I don't even know. But it isn't just you take votes
Dan Bernstein
away from Ben Johnson. Damn.
Matt Abaticola
Isn't just the actual voting. It's the campaigning. Who actually who's mentioning. No, but if you have somebody that's what I'm saying.
Dan Bernstein
She's doing that taking votes away from bj. Yeah, yeah.
Matt Abaticola
There's another national opinion about your Chicago Bears here. And this was done with the distribution of NFL off season grades by Seth Walder of espn. The NFL off season grades. And I think when you're talking about out of town national level, it's pretty easy to just cleave to the basic narratives here. And the bears get a B plus by this rubric. Biggest move trading wide receiver D.J. moore to the Bills. Move I liked the more trade.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
Move I disliked. Take a guess here. What what do you think this national reporter analyst disliked about the Bears off season so far?
Dan Bernstein
It's one of two things. It's either drafting Dylan Thienaman or not addressing the edge position.
Matt Abaticola
Move I disliked not adding at edge.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
That's what it said.
Dan Bernstein
Finally, finally somebody has that that opinion.
Matt Abaticola
Wait a second here. The Bears are in a pretty tight cap situation, he writes. It's hard not to look at this team and think it could have used reinforcements on the edge.
Dan Bernstein
Oh boy.
Matt Abaticola
The focus will be on quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense, but Chicago's defense is still a question mark. Okay, all right. But they and here's the paragraph about the old line. In early March, center Drew Dahlman made the surprising decision to retire at age. It was a blow as Dahlman was part of a successful offensive line makeover made the year before. The Bears moved quickly in a tight center market, trading for Garrett Bradbury to give themselves a floor at the position. They also drafted Logan Jones, who they hope can take over in the long term.
Dan Bernstein
There you go.
Matt Abaticola
I don't think they hope he can take over in the long term.
Dan Bernstein
Oh no, it's sooner rather than later.
Matt Abaticola
I think they hope that it's not long at all before he takes that job.
Dan Bernstein
I don't think he's the starting center for week one, but I think it's it's well before the midway point of the season.
Matt Abaticola
It also would not surprise me to see them give him a series or two, even in some regular season games with the ones. Do you remember when it was when Olin Cruz and Casey Wegman were coming and they did a little bit of that. They weren't quite co starters, but I, you know, I might want to check time.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
I don't want to check that season because I and I don't know, maybe they put him in a garden. You know, one thing I remember replacing Jay Lenberg and I'm pretty sure that they wanted to get a look at both of. Because Wegman was good. It was a really good player for a long time, I think. Went to the Chiefs.
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
Matt Abaticola
After that. But I mean, Cruz obviously better if you're talking, you know, all decade and that kind of thing.
Dan Bernstein
But the thing is though, with Ben Johnson, they're not going to waste time. Like if they, if they feel even going in the week one that the rookie is the better start. He will, of course, I mean, nothing's off the table. When you saw what they did in their playoff game, they moved their all world guard to tackle, you know, completely out of necessity, obviously.
Matt Abaticola
Is this right? Casey wegman had a 15 year career. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
How many years was he with the Chiefs?
Matt Abaticola
Well, he was the Chiefs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Then two years in Denver, then two years back with the Chiefs.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, long time.
Matt Abaticola
The guy started 200 games.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, long time. Chief guy.
Commercial Announcer
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
You know, you talked about not addressing the edge on SI.com. i read an article earlier today. Oh, boy. Mike. Mike Moritis maybe was his article. He mentioned two veterans that are not currently signed. They're free agents, they're available.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
And one of those areas that he mentioned was a guy to address the edge. What do you think of this Leonard Floyd?
Matt Abaticola
I don't know what he has left.
Dan Bernstein
I don't know either.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, he's. He's put a couple good seasons up there.
Dan Bernstein
Won a Super bowl, didn't he, didn't he win a Super Bowl?
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, it's.
Dan Bernstein
I mean, was he a top 10 Bears pick?
Matt Abaticola
I think he was eighth.
Dan Bernstein
He was. Yeah, he was. So that's. That would be top. So yes is the answer.
Matt Abaticola
I think I'm gonna check.
Dan Bernstein
Was he top 10? No, no, he was eighth.
Matt Abaticola
Well, I'm trying to remember. Damn it.
Dan Bernstein
Well, that wasn't the question.
Matt Abaticola
Ninth. He was ninth.
Dan Bernstein
You have the papers. Sorry. He was.
Matt Abaticola
He was ninth.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
I was close.
Dan Bernstein
So he's a top ten.
Matt Abaticola
He. Yeah, he's gonna be right. 30. Yeah. 34.
Dan Bernstein
It is.
Matt Abaticola
Yes. And last year only had three and a half sacks. It looks like he's on the. On the downside, obviously.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. He said Leonard Floyd and he also mentioned wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Matt Abaticola
No.
Dan Bernstein
Who is not with a team right now.
Matt Abaticola
No, no, thank you. No, no, thank you. No, I'm good on that. I'm good on Keenan Allen. I thought he was pretty close to done when they had him last time. That's. That's fine on that.
Dan Bernstein
All right, let's save. Let's save the bad stuff for last. I want to Oh, I also. Hang on. Oh, there's. Well, not bad stuff. Bad guy. The Seth Walder off season grades. He gave the Lions of B, the Packers a B plus and the Vikings of B minus. What was the Bears grade?
Matt Abaticola
A.
Dan Bernstein
B plus. Also plus. Right? Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
Wait, here's one for you. This was from NFL.com and this is Bucky Brooks. I know you love Bucky and the
Matt Abaticola
stuff he has sometimes. I do.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. He has all of his NFL awards for 2026.
Matt Abaticola
Okay. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
Hang on. Offensive Player of the Year, A.J. brown of the Patriots. Defensive Player of the Year.
Matt Abaticola
Wait, Offensive Player of the year.
Dan Bernstein
Yes. A.J.
Matt Abaticola
brown. A.J.
Dan Bernstein
brown from the Patriots.
Matt Abaticola
Well, look, I admire the big swing on that, though.
Dan Bernstein
That's a big swing.
Matt Abaticola
That's a big swing.
Dan Bernstein
Defensive Player of the Year is Jalen Carter, the Eagles. Okay. Offensive Rookie of the Year, Casey Concepcion, Cleveland Browns wide receiver.
Matt Abaticola
Wide receiver out of Oklahoma State, Texas A and M. Okay.
Dan Bernstein
Sorry. Oh, don't be sorry. Defensive Rookie of the Year, Malachi Lawrence, Cowboys outside linebacker from ucf. And Dan. Most Valuable player, Caleb Williams. No, It's a quarterback, though.
Matt Abaticola
Josh Allen.
Dan Bernstein
No.
Matt Abaticola
Lamar Jackson, NFC North. Jordan Love.
Dan Bernstein
Nope.
Matt Abaticola
Kyler Murray.
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
Matt Abaticola
No.
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
Matt Abaticola
Okay. Remember what I said before about admiring the big swing? I'm taking away his schnapps. Who wrote this?
Dan Bernstein
Your guy. Bucky.
Matt Abaticola
Bucky Brooks. Bucky. Bucky. Surrender the schnapps.
Dan Bernstein
The combination of Murray's spectacular playmaking ability and Kevin o' Connell's creative scheming could quickly remind the football world why this quarterback won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma and then went first overall in 2019. No injuries have plagued the former Offensive Rookie of the Year in recent seasons, but Murray's dual threat skills should be enhanced by the Vikings playmakers and play design. After watching KOC Transformers struggling Sam Darnold into a Pro bowler in 2024, I'm confident that the coaching wizard can help the ultra talented Murray regain his magic in Minnesota. Given the 28 year old's powers as a dual threat weapon, the Vikings could reemerge with a potent offense to compliment Brian Flores. Swarming D defense, he meant.
Matt Abaticola
What's that? Oh, it swarms every now and then.
Dan Bernstein
Just shoots right out on its own.
Guest or Additional Speaker
Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Really?
Dan Bernstein
Is that what. Keep that away from Uncle Sam.
Matt Abaticola
Maybe that was his problem.
Dan Bernstein
He has a swarming D also.
Matt Abaticola
Yes, he has a swarming D. He's
Dan Bernstein
trying to stop it.
Matt Abaticola
He's like, stay in there.
Dan Bernstein
Don't shoot out again.
Matt Abaticola
He's got a tiny little set of reins on there.
Dan Bernstein
Last time he Went to an acrobatics show. He knocked one right off the.
Matt Abaticola
What happened by Swarming Dude.
Dan Bernstein
Really?
Matt Abaticola
How'd you like some sunny D?
Guest or Additional Speaker
That's different.
Dan Bernstein
I was just gonna say could be a sunny D. A very happy one. Hey, if Murray makes Minnesota a true contender. And if Murray makes Minnesota a true contender. So if you're questioning if he can make them a true contender, you shouldn't be voting for him as mvp.
Matt Abaticola
Okay, I understand if you want to say he's going to be comeback player of the year. He's gonna have a rebound season here. He's gonna remind people.
Dan Bernstein
But MVP, the 8th year pro could add. Could add another major piece of football hardware to his mantle. But remember, it was Matt Bowen predicted Caleb Williams will win mvp.
Matt Abaticola
Well, I know that Matt isn't day drinking. Well, I don't know that.
Dan Bernstein
Well, no, not during the day. Not during workouts. No, definitely not during work hours. That's why he gets a lot in after work.
Matt Abaticola
That's right. Okay.
Dan Bernstein
A whole case of Bush Light. Just. Just making.
Matt Abaticola
As long as it comes in a 30 pack.
Dan Bernstein
Right. Well, I saw at the store the other day they have apple flavored Bush Light.
Matt Abaticola
Oh, you're new to Bapple.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, yeah.
Matt Abaticola
The kids call it Bapple.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, okay. Yeah, that's new to me.
Matt Abaticola
Bush apple.
Dan Bernstein
I would avoid that as quickly as I. Alligator infested water.
Matt Abaticola
Did you see? No. The kids love it.
Dan Bernstein
Really?
Matt Abaticola
It's a huge deal because it's limited and they make. It's like what Coors used to be.
Dan Bernstein
But does it taste good?
Matt Abaticola
I don't know. They don't care. They're in college.
Dan Bernstein
That's true.
Matt Abaticola
The other one is. Look.
Dan Bernstein
That's a good point.
Matt Abaticola
My bad. Look this up.
Dan Bernstein
What am I looking up?
Matt Abaticola
Keystone Apple.
Dan Bernstein
Ooh, they call that capel.
Matt Abaticola
You have to look at the can. You have to see the commercials because look up Keystone Light apple. Do you see the thing with the eagle wearing the maga hat or what? Wearing a base. It's wearing a trucker hat.
Dan Bernstein
Is it real?
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, it's real. And it's a bit like they. It's not a maga hat. It's like an American flag bandana and the wraparound sunglasses.
Dan Bernstein
Well, they really sell this though, right?
Matt Abaticola
Yes, they do. They really sell that beer apple flavored Keystone Light. And like the commercials, I have sparklers and like this is the most American America that ever. America, Ed.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, boy.
Matt Abaticola
It's kind of a smart.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, yeah. The case has got. Yeah. The bandana, stars and stripes and it's got a giant apple and it's talons. No, I've never seen this.
Matt Abaticola
Oh, you got to look up the ads. You got to look up the ads.
Dan Bernstein
I mean, this calls for, like, a macho man Randy Savage to be the spokesperson. Wow. Yeah, that. In a Slim Jim. You're good to go, brother. Well, Funyuns and Funyuns.
Matt Abaticola
Or.
Dan Bernstein
Or no, because you could do like. You could do like a Funyun kebab with a Slim Jim.
Matt Abaticola
What about. What do you do with the munchos with a good bag of munchos? They're not potato chips.
Dan Bernstein
No, they're potato crisps.
Matt Abaticola
They're potato crisps.
Dan Bernstein
And for still. You can still get a bag for $2. It's still the best value in snacks.
Matt Abaticola
Like a big bag.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, Mariano's. You go to the potato chip aisle, snack aisle, you can still get a $2 bag of Munchos. I'm not saying I've done that and eaten them on the way home from the grocery store.
Matt Abaticola
Of course you won't. No, that's only a 711 thing for you, because I've seen that. I say, oh, you know what time. Like, time for what? I'm hungry.
Dan Bernstein
Munchos.
Matt Abaticola
Munchos and the Slim Jim. And then I forget. There was something else you had in there. Was it. Is it an energy drink? Was it a Red Bull?
Dan Bernstein
It was probably a Red Bull. Red Bull.
Matt Abaticola
That's what it was.
Dan Bernstein
I don't drink those anymore.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, Red Red Bull Slim Jim munchos.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. That's a good gas station stop.
Matt Abaticola
That's. That's. That's living there. That's. I'm proud of you there.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, that's good stuff. Now, I've never seen Keystone Light Apple. Do they have a heavy. Is there a Keystone Heavy?
Matt Abaticola
I don't. I don't think so.
Dan Bernstein
Man, oh, man. Oh, it's got. Oh, it even has. It's got, like, the Top gun logo with 250 in the. Oh, man. They're really. I bet you this is a big seller. It's gotta be a big seller.
Matt Abaticola
How much fun did they have designing it? Like, how much. As long as we're doing this, we might as well do this.
Dan Bernstein
Well, I mean, who's gonna buy it?
Matt Abaticola
Like, college kids? Well, music festivals. You don't think, like, people going to, like, riot fest.
Dan Bernstein
Look at the way the things dress. That's who they're marketing.
Matt Abaticola
No, they're. No, they are. No, they're not. They're marketing. It's a joke. They're not actually marketing to these people at this point.
Dan Bernstein
They're not smart enough to realize it's a joke.
Matt Abaticola
I know, but that makes it funnier that the whole thing is a bit. I love that. Because they know the stupid people are gonna be stupid anyway. And they'll be, it's all American. I'm gonna buy it. And then they'll be like, oh, they're making fun of jingoism. I'm gonna buy it. Yeah. Their slogan is the most American light apple beer. So they're trying to be more American.
Dan Bernstein
4.1% ABV fruit flavored lager made its debut ahead of the summer.
Matt Abaticola
Oh.
Dan Bernstein
So it just came out?
Matt Abaticola
I thought it was a couple months ago.
Dan Bernstein
Well, yeah, May.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, was exactly a couple months ago.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. I want to see sales numbers. What? Do you want something?
Matt Abaticola
What?
Dan Bernstein
We.
Matt Abaticola
It has to pass the Abatic.
Dan Bernstein
Know how much they've sold?
Matt Abaticola
No, no, no.
Dan Bernstein
I'm just curious.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
And I would love to see a state by state breakdown.
Matt Abaticola
All right, you're. We're saving the bad stuff for last, you said. What bad stuff are we doing?
Dan Bernstein
Well, no, not well. Not bad stuff, but a bad guy. Oh, wait, we'll save him for last.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
Did you hear about. And this isn't the bad thing I'm talking about. This is bad, but not the guy. Chris Johnson.
Matt Abaticola
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Dan Bernstein
Terrible.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. And if anything else, I know we say this all the time, but I don't remember the extent or not to which the NFL and their doctors have admitted an ALS connection. There finally was an admission regarding cte, but I don't know legally if in fact the NFL has been forced under oath to admit that there is a connection to als. So I don't know what's. What is actionable. I don't know where that stands with whatever veterans have applied for their aid after the fact because all those things become extremely technical.
Dan Bernstein
So Chris Johnson, diagnosed with ALS. He's 40 years old. 2009, he rushed for 2006 yards that year. He averaged 125.4 yards a game. He had 408 touches from scrimmage that year, which led the NFL in his career. 11,906 yards from scrimmage. 2008 draft, probably Tennessee. He was the 24th pick overall.
Matt Abaticola
What I have from NBC Sports, it says that the NFL has recognized the link between football and neurogenerative diseases, plural. And that ALS is a. An explicitly qualifying condition under the league's unlimited concussion settlement fund. Okay, so that's good. I didn't know if it had reached that. Yeah, but it has.
Dan Bernstein
All right. And then finally. And this is where we have the. The bad guy talk. But the. We talked about Terry and Arnold. Yes, yesterday.
Matt Abaticola
My list too. Yes.
Dan Bernstein
The Detroit Lions have released Terry and Arnold after he was arrested last week on felony charge of armed robbery kidnapping. The team announced this yesterday, obviously after we recorded.
Matt Abaticola
But we talked yesterday about the fact that the judge was swayed by defense arguments that his house arrest or his lack of an ankle monitor bracelet should be. Should allow him to go to practices and go to games. And all the Lions are saying is not our practices and not our games. And he. He does remain currently in good standing with the league.
Dan Bernstein
Correct. So as he was. He was ordered confined to his residence in Tallahassee, Florida, except.
Matt Abaticola
And in the river nearby when he
Dan Bernstein
would be playing, training and traveling with the Lions or making court related appearances or legal appointments. So at home, house arrest, except for stuff with the Lions or court stuff. And the lion said, well, yep. No, no, thank you. Go find the Rainbow river and jump in and swim with the alligators. That's what you can do.
Matt Abaticola
So is a team going to pick him up?
Dan Bernstein
No, I would say. Okay. Who has a better chance of being with NFL team this year? Brendan Soaresby or Terry and Arnold,
Matt Abaticola
or
Dan Bernstein
are you more likely to see the golden arches in your menu?
Matt Abaticola
I think. Who's more likely? I'd say Sorsby at this point. Correct.
Dan Bernstein
But no one's. No one's going to touch Terry and Arnold neither.
Matt Abaticola
No, you can't right now.
Dan Bernstein
I mean, and even now, I would say.
Matt Abaticola
Did you see what. Wrote a letter for him though?
Dan Bernstein
No. If he, if he was. Listen, I mean, let's be honest about the NFL. If he was a starting quality player, somebody would be a different discussion. Different discussion. But the Lions were even talking about him even getting back on the field.
Matt Abaticola
So this is the letter that Nick Saban wrote. He sent a letter to the presiding judge and this was trying to persuade him to release him on bail. So this, this worked. This helped. I write this letter because of the exceptional character I witnessed in Terry and Arnold over the more than six years I've known him. Over the years, I have welcomed Taryon into my home and around my family. He has consistently treated my family and my staff with respect, humility, and kindness. In all the time I've known him, he never once gave me cause to question his conduct, his integrity, or his respect for others. I don't ever recall him being involved in any behavior that would be described as aggressive or irresponsible. Based on my experiences with Taryon, I remain committed to supporting him. While I'm not overly familiar with or educated on the charges he's facing,
Dan Bernstein
I don't know anything about anything, but let him go.
Matt Abaticola
I would respectfully ask the court to take into account my experience with Taryon, his character history, and the positive impact he had on our program. And it worked.
Dan Bernstein
I was gonna ask you not to read that.
Matt Abaticola
It worked. Come on. It sounds like the. I wonder if this is like the letter that Joel Quinville wrote for the abusive coach that got.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, that got him jobs elsewhere.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. Brad Aldrich.
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
Matt Abaticola
I wonder if this is like the Quenville Brad Aldrich letter. I don't know what he was doing. Grooming, insulting. And I don't really know anything about this, but hey, you should hire him. You high school should hire him to work with high school age kids. That that actually happened.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. And so Nick Saban's like, hey, I'm not familiar with why he was arrested and that doesn't matter to me because so over many years ago, he was really kind to my family. Let him go.
Matt Abaticola
Maybe you should familiarize yourself next time.
Dan Bernstein
Right? These are some pretty serious charges, Nick.
Matt Abaticola
Well, I can't speak to any of them.
Dan Bernstein
I don't know anything about that, though.
Matt Abaticola
No, I don't know that he was masterminding a kidnapping plot, but nah, that's not the guy. I know he was around my family, wasn't doing that when he was around my family.
Dan Bernstein
After authorities said these weren't the people, these aren't the guys. They had nothing to do with stealing your stuff.
Matt Abaticola
Now we're gonna beat him up anyway.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, we're gonna kidnap them. We're gonna lure him to a house with a woman, then we're gonna kidnap them. We're gonna beat him with guns and put pistols in their mouths. Long as only that swarming d around, we're gonna be fine.
Matt Abaticola
And there's warming D. Put that away, please.
Dan Bernstein
Mr. Flores, come get your D, please.
Matt Abaticola
I can't help it.
Dan Bernstein
It's swarming again.
Matt Abaticola
I've got a swarming D. It does that.
Dan Bernstein
Don't look at me. I don't know if that.
Matt Abaticola
I didn't take my anti swarming pills today.
Dan Bernstein
All right, so if we hear that during a Bears Vikings game, I'm going to lose it. Swarming d. Yes, but Brian Flores is swarming.
Matt Abaticola
Can a single thing swarm? A single thing has to be a part of a swarm.
Dan Bernstein
Well, it depends how fast it moves because it could look like the illusion of a swarm.
Matt Abaticola
That'd be a different verb, though.
Dan Bernstein
I don't know. I like. Why do you got to Bernstein it? I liked it. It was good where it was at. Now you got to ruin it. Now.
Matt Abaticola
Bring it back.
Dan Bernstein
No, we're done.
Matt Abaticola
I ruined it. I killed the joke.
Dan Bernstein
No, joke's dead.
Matt Abaticola
No, it's not.
Dan Bernstein
We had a good thing going, and you just killed it. Well, are we good? Yeah, we're fine.
Matt Abaticola
All right.
Dan Bernstein
Just end it.
Matt Abaticola
Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears an NFL podcast on 312 Sports.
Dan Bernstein
Sports progress is stopped. Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matabet on 312Sports.
Podcast: Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast
Episode: Another Chapter in the Dianna Russini Saga
Date: June 30, 2026
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola (312 Sports)
This episode centers on a new development in the ongoing Dianna Russini controversy, questioning her credibility as an NFL insider after body cam footage contradicted a story she told about getting out of a traffic ticket by FaceTiming an NFL coach. The hosts dive deep into what this means for sports reporting ethics, discuss broader implications around insider media practices, and touch on Chicago Bears offseason narratives and NFC North storylines. The show also includes their trademark blend of sharp NFL analysis, lively banter, and classic Chicago sports fan attitude.
| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 05:21 | “Diana Rossini’s lying again.” | Matt | | 06:07 | “The body cam footage is now out... There’s no FaceTime call.” | Matt | | 08:36 | “You can’t trust her to report anymore.” | Matt | | 10:24 | “Just because they didn’t get the outcome they were seeking, doesn’t mean they didn’t break the law and should go to jail, of course.” | Dan | | 14:22 | “One area that she did impact in her time as an NFL reporter is voting for Coach of the Year...” | Dan | | 16:00 | “A better offensive line. Why?” | Matt | | 22:54 | “No, no thank you. No, I’m good on Keenan Allen.” | Matt | | 24:51 | “Okay. Remember what I said before about admiring the big swing? I’m taking away his schnapps.” | Matt | | 33:29 | “2009, he rushed for 2006 yards that year. He averaged 125.4 yards a game... diagnosed with ALS at 40.” | Dan | | 35:59 | “It worked. I write this letter because of the exceptional character I witnessed in Taryion Arnold over the more than six years I’ve known him...” | Matt (quoting Saban) | | 37:49 | “Nick Saban’s like ‘Hey, I’m not familiar with why he was arrested and that doesn’t matter to me...’” | Dan |
The episode is marked by its conversational, irreverent Chicago sports tone, with heavy use of sarcasm, inside jokes, and direct, critical assessments of both NFL personalities and Bears management. The hosts seamlessly blend sharp football insight with humor and cultural references, making it as entertaining as it is informative.
This episode provides a no-nonsense look at major ethical questions facing contemporary NFL reporting, highlights implications for the Bears’ 2026 season, and demonstrates how player conduct and front office moves shape a team’s outlook. If you want to keep your finger on the true pulse of Bears fandom, Dan and Matt’s mix of skepticism, loyalty, and wit is unmatched.