Ben Johnson Issued a Code Red

Summary

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Ben Johnson Issued a Code Red
Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the aftermath of a disappointing Bears loss, specifically a tough outing against the Ravens that disrupted the team’s recent hot streak. Dan and Matt dive deeply into first-year head coach Ben Johnson's response to adversity, particularly his public challenge to team leaders to “clean it up” and address a cascade of undisciplined penalties and red-zone woes. The hosts analyze Johnson's messaging, parse the team's fundamentals, and discuss locker room dynamics, ultimately framing the head coach’s approach as a "Code Red" moment for the Bears’ leadership. Throughout, their tone is sharp, irreverent, and deeply steeped in Chicago sports culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The “Code Red” Moment for Ben Johnson and the Bears

• Johnson's Coaching Test:
  After a deflating loss halted a four-game win streak, Johnson faces a critical early-career test: can he rally his team and fix lingering, fundamental issues?

  • “Let’s see now. Another very winnable game for the Bears coming up against the Bengals.” (Dan, 01:33)

• On the Locker Room Call-Out:
  The hosts home in on Johnson’s message: he’s putting the onus for discipline and accountability on the players, particularly the team’s veteran leaders.

  • “...He’s not—I’m not saying he's giving up or he's done doing his job, but he's saying, I've done everything I fucking can. You guys need to start doing something different now.” (Dan, 14:01)

Penalties and Discipline—Who’s Responsible?

• Penalty Woes by the Numbers:
  The Bears are suffering from the worst net penalty yards in the NFL by far:

  • “You're at negative 279 net penalty yards and the second team is negative 142, and they've played one more game than you.” (Dan, 16:52)

• Johnson’s Shift of Responsibility:
  Johnson repeatedly tells the media that fixing penalties and discipline is now in the hands of the locker room leaders—not the coaches.

  • “Us coaches have done everything we can. It's on them now to fix it.” (Dan, paraphrasing Ben Johnson, 12:54)

• Peer Pressure and ‘See Something, Say Something’:
  The show explores the risks and ethics behind using team peer pressure to enforce discipline.

  • “When a coach expects players to police themselves, you gotta really trust that it's gonna be done the right way. There are some locker rooms where that can turn really ugly, really ugly fast...” (Matt, 15:18)

Ben Johnson Audio Analysis

• Red Zone Play Calling:
  Johnson’s postgame comments reveal the challenges of game planning for red zone efficiency and adjusting to unexpected defensive looks.

  • “He also needs to get better at times…he got kind of duped a little bit this week against the Ravens…he didn’t see [the expected defenses] inside the 10, and when he’s not seeing those things…it makes it harder for him...” (Dan, 05:32)

• Player Development and Calibration:
  Johnson emphasizes ongoing work with rookie QB Caleb Williams, calling out both positives and the need for quicker processing in real time.

  • “We're going to keep on working through that process…and I think we're going to be in good shape. I did think he took a step forward here this week.” (Ben Johnson, 19:08)

• On a Key Interception:

  • [21:36]
    • Ben Johnson (on what he wanted from Caleb): “I'd like to see him check that ball down.”

The “Code Red” Reference (A Few Good Men)

• Drawing from a listener question, the hosts frame Johnson's moves as a metaphorical "Code Red"—an order for internal discipline reminiscent of the film A Few Good Men.
  • “Ben Johnson ordered the Code Red.” (Dan, 36:03)
  • The episode includes a playful roleplay and soundbites from the film, highlighting both the seriousness and dark humor of the current situation.

Leadership and Locker Room Culture

• The Ethos of Peer Correction:

  • “If you see something, say something. It's as simple as that. We got to continue working on our practice habits and get better in that regard.” (Ben Johnson, 25:18)
  • The hosts express skepticism about the efficacy and healthiness of “snitching” culture in NFL locker rooms, especially this late in the season.

• On the Impact of Injury and Being ‘Ghosted’:

  • Insight into how injured players struggle with identity and relevance:
    • “You turn into a ghost in the NFL when you’re hurt, you’re gone. You feel like you’re here, but you're not here.” (Matt, 11:12)

Player Perspective: Drew Dahlman Interview

• Mechanical Approach to Fixing Penalties:
  • Dahlman advocates extra “focus” at specific moments, delivered in a methodical, engineer-like manner.
    • “Really hammering down that chain of focus will help us.” (Dahlman, 29:28)
  • The hosts find the answer both technically accurate—yet frustratingly vague and insufficient.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

Ben Johnson’s Directness

• [09:31]
  • “We got to play a cleaner game, complement each other better…we have to eliminate the penalties. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot way too much and we gotta be more efficient in the red zone…”
• [21:36]
  • “I’d like to see him check that ball down.”
• [25:18]
  • "If you see something, say something. It's as simple as that…"

Dan & Matt’s Commentary

• [14:01]
  • “I’m not saying he’s giving up…but he’s saying, ‘I’ve done everything I fucking can. You guys need to start doing something different now.’” (Dan)
• [15:18]
  • “When a coach expects players to police themselves, you gotta really trust that it’s gonna be done the right way…” (Matt)
• [16:52]
  • “You’re at negative 279 net penalty yards and the second team is negative 142, and they've played one more game than you have.” (Dan)

Bears Identity & Culture

• [11:12]
  • "You turn into a ghost in the NFL when you’re hurt, you’re gone. You feel like you’re here, but you're not here." (Matt)
• [19:08]
  • “He was very efficient…we had 11 explosives, nine of those in the passing game…did a good job delivering that football…but there’s a couple that need to be automatic…we missed on.” (Ben Johnson)

Humor & Pop Culture (Code Red Bit)

• [36:03]
  • “Ben Johnson ordered the Code Red.” (Dan)
• [34:43]
  • (Satirizing Johnson’s call to the leaders, using A Few Good Men quotes)
    • “Did you order the Code Red?”
    • “God damn right I did.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ben Johnson’s Tone & Press Conference Takeaways: 09:31 – 14:13
• Team Discipline & Leadership Messaging: 14:13 – 18:52
• Caleb Williams Development/Interception Analysis: 19:08 – 21:47
• Red Zone and Penalties Discussion: 22:03 – 26:28
• The Code Red Analogy & ‘A Few Good Men’ Segment: 33:56 – 36:53
• Drew Dahlman Interview & Focus on Penalties: 28:35 – 32:29

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Episode Tone and Style

The episode is delivered in a breezy, irreverent, and highly informed style—mixing sharp criticism and analysis with self-deprecating humor, Chicago sports nostalgia, and layered pop-culture references. Dan and Matt do not shy away from profanity and directness; they demand accountability and honesty from both coaches and players, mirroring the expectations of a loyal but weary Bears fanbase.

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Summary/Takeaway for New Listeners

This episode will bring you up to speed on the urgent issues facing the Bears as the Ben Johnson era hits its first major turbulence: a stubborn lack of discipline, questionable red zone play calling, and a rookie quarterback still finding his feet. The hosts articulate why Johnson’s public challenge to his team leaders is both a necessary jolt and an inherent risk—rightfully described as a "Code Red" moment for Bears culture. If you crave smart, raw, and occasionally hilarious Bears analysis, Dan and Matt deliver in spades, making this essential listening for fans seeking more than just the score.

Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Matt Abaticola]

TED219 219.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward progress A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312.

[Matt Abaticola]

We give you forward progress on 312 sports. I am Dan Bernstein along with Matt Abaticola. The campaign for the whole Ben Johnson coach of the year thing. Remember when I said that this game, that this is going to be the one. You go to Baltimore and you win that game, you get that boost? Well, it didn't happen, but now it's an interesting coaching test. I think this is fun. I think in the first year of a guy about whom we're this excited, it's cool to watch him coach a little bit. And that's where my focus is this week. Because he knows they got knocked back. They were feeling themselves a little bit. They got their little heat check. They had the four wins in a row. And when Tyler Huntley up and beats you like that and you end up hurting yourselves in a game where yesterday, as we're sifting through and it's tough to find things that we can designate as positives, then you're hit with injuries. Let's see now. Let's see what happens now. Another very winnable game for the Bears coming up against the Bengals.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. What did the, the jets put how many points on them? 37, 38. Somewhere in there. I mean, it was an upper 30. I don't know what the exact score was, but they won that game with Justin Fields, who was basically released and fired and shit all over by Woody Johnson. It was bad and it was real bad.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know, I bet Woody Johnson would be well served with some kind of public apology to do something for sure. How simple.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, he, he really went out in a, in a, in a way that I've never seen an owner go out about a player before.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And to try to undercut your head coach as well. And you know, good for Aaron Glenn to, to, to keep doing what he wanted to do as the head coach. And then I'm really glad for Justin Fields as much as I as I thought they wouldn't win that game. And I laughed at you for even having that idea of making that as a pick, I'm, I'm really happy for Justin Fields. I've always, you know, it's funny, we have these, these sport plaques, you know, pictures of an athlete with a little thing and you know, a nice wood, wood plaque that the boys picked out. Like they have one of Shaq and Michael Jordan and Hank has one of Khalil Mack. Jackie has one of Justin Fields hanging in his room. And we just recently switched rooms around and I said, hey, do you still want to put this up? He said, well, yeah. And every time I see it, it makes me happy that he doesn't look at him as a guy and his performance and how he's played or viewed in the NFL. He liked Justin Fields and he still wants his picture up on his wall. And I see it and I like it because I like Justin Fields. I always liked Justin. I was happy when the Bears got Justin and I think he got screwed somewhat by the coaching staff. He had to endure.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's also one thing about kids of this age, this generation, is if they like a player, it doesn't have to be their home team guy. They can just keep liking a player because they like the player. They know that uniforms change. They sort of bake that in to everything.

[Dan Bernstein]

That wasn't like when we were kids. I mean, you got to a team and you were on a team.

[Matt Abaticola]

Harold Baines got traded. I was in college and I felt terrible when Harold Baines got traded. What do you mean? He's not supposed to be in another team?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, then if guys, you know, guys were to leave, it just, it pissed you off to see him in another uniform.

[Matt Abaticola]

Remember the Jim Edmonds calls we took when he came to the Cubs? I'd rather they lose with Jim, with Jim Edmonds than win with it. Like, oh, come on, man. Some of that stuff was so dumb.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, I was a little meatballing. I didn't want. Oh my God, Jim Edmonds.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hell no. I don't remember you being it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't like that at all. Yeah, there's some guys like, you know, McMahon going to the, to the packers, you know, Mongo in a Packers uniform. It's just there, there's certain things that just certain time in your life, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

I think things have changed because, you know, my situation's a little different where my kid is, is just still now going to go get a Pistons Javante Green jersey. And when somebody likes Javante Green that much, and I think he's the only.

[Dan Bernstein]

Person I noticed on his, on his Instagram page I'm looking and it says Javante Green fan page.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think it says five Javante Greens.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, my God.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is what it says.

[Dan Bernstein]

It definitely says Javante Green fan page.

[Matt Abaticola]

When they played the Lakers, he went. Not just because LeBron was coming, because Javante was there guarding LeBron at one point.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's why he wanted.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, and he's. He's in like the 10th row and he's. When Javante Green gets switched onto LeBron, it's on his Instagram, I think. Yeah, get him, Javante. Come on, Javante. And he steals it from LeBron.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's great.

[Matt Abaticola]

And takes it out. He's like, yes. And then I texted him. He's like, dad, I think my life has made it to its pinnacle. So that's it.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's all downhill from there. But Ben Johnson does have an opportunity this week to kind of rebound from that game. The whole team does, obviously. And still now, seven games in, we're still hearing from Ben Johnson talk about the things that he's. That he can do better as a head coach. And I think we've. We've discovered that some of those areas, he's done that to cover up for the team in certain units and maybe particular players, but he also needs to get better at times. And I think he's learning, and I like the term, the lower, lower half, bottom part of the red zone, how to call plays. And I think he got kind of, kind of duped a little bit this week against the Ravens that the defenses he was expecting to see inside the 10, he didn't see. And when he's not seeing those things, it makes it harder for him having a game plan going in. I'm going to call X, Y and Z. When I see this, they don't see it. That puts the onus on the quarterback at the time to make the necessary adjustments or to see something different that you initially would see with the expected defense. That's not there now. And we know that he doesn't see things quickly. As quickly as he needs.

[Matt Abaticola]

And this comes down to scripted plays, a scripted plan versus unscripted.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Versus just making sure you're. You can ad lib and you can. Yes. And.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And, you know, it's interesting. I want to go back real quick before we get into some audio, because I have some Ben audio to play for you. And then Drew Dahlman. And then I think we're going to get on the same page and we'll. We'll turn the page.

[Matt Abaticola]

We got to get on the same page.

[Dan Bernstein]

But no, that's the. My goal is before this ends, for us to get on the same page. And then we'll look ahead to week nine. But if we're not on the same page, it's going to be weird because I'm talking week nine. You're still talking week eight.

[Matt Abaticola]

What if I'm in the top of the page and you're in the bottom of the page? We have to be in the exact same part of the page.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, they don't say that. They just say be on the same page, which might. Oh, my God, you might have just unlocked something. Maybe they are on the same page. They don't realize that there are different sections of the page. Anywho, we've got some Ben Johnson audio to get into. One thing I want to. I want to get back to is that interception that Caleb threw. And we'll have a clip from. From Ben as well on that. But I want to go back when I said yesterday that both things can be true, that it was a good read and he maybe should have had a different read, not the one that Ben wanted him to. It was a good read. It just. You're right in the fact. It was just pure timing. If he throws that ball, I mean, it was Rome, right? He makes his break. He literally took five or six steps.

[Matt Abaticola]

The ball wasn't out. The ball's got.

[Dan Bernstein]

The ball wasn't out. That. That was. That was wide open.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was a good read. It was a late throw.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it was. It was a good read. So I'm going to give him that because he was wide open. He made that break and he had. If he throws that ball two seconds sooner. And one other note, watching that Chiefs game last night, which I just. I don't know when I'm going to stop betting against the Chiefs. I don't know, like, why I just keep doing it to myself because I.

[Matt Abaticola]

Eventually, they're not going to be good again.

[Dan Bernstein]

Eventually. Yeah, but Pat Mahomes is just. And I'm not saying anything new here. He's so fucking good. Alien. And you can have a quarterback hold the ball for four or five seconds when you have a fucking offensive line that blocks like a motherfucker. Because that's what they do. They block so well. And I'm surprised to not hear Joe Buck or Troy Aikman talk more about the play of the offensive line. And I get it. Pat Mahomes gets all. All the spotlights on him. And look at his vision. Look at his vision. Look at his vision. He's got great fucking vision. But when you have five or six seconds, you can have really good vision.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, ask him about that same vision when he was playing the Eagles.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Like you can have, you can have great vision when you're able to take your time and scan. When every guy's being accounted for and no one's getting on your ass and he's very mobile, he can step up and yeah, I'm not taking anything away from him. The guy has great vision. He's got like pilot like vision. I mean, he could be in Top Gun tomorrow and he sees things all over the field. But it helps when you have an offensive line like that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward Progress, as always, is brought to you by beer, church brewing, New Buffaloes Brewery pizzeria and a historic church wood fired Neapolitan pizza small batch craft beer brunch every day. Visit beerchurchbrewing.com all right, let's get to some Ben audio.

[Dan Bernstein]

He met virtually with the media yesterday. I want to start just with his opening comments, which leads us into the, the current injury situation for your Chicago Bears.

[Ben Johnson]

We got to play a cleaner game, complement each other better. You know, we had good field position on offense a number of times and we simply didn't score enough points. You know, we have to eliminate the penalties. We're shooting ourselves in the foot way too much and we got to be more efficient in the red zone as well on offense. You know, I thought defensively we came out and we, we played well for the first, call it, three and a half quarters and then that, that end there, you know, we gave up two touchdowns to finish the game and allowed 30 points when all was said and done. So, man, it's just, it's really not that far off than how we've played the previous four games. And yet we won because we had those takeaways. And so this week we didn't get the takeaways. And when you play ugly football like that, it's a lot more difficult to win the ball game. So we're on a mission here this week to get this all cleaned up and I have complete confidence that we'll do that injury wise. We've got Dom Robinson is going to be out for a few weeks here with the high ankle. We've got Shemar who's got an acl so he'll be out for the season. We've got Luther in concussion protocol right now. And then we got Oz who is day to day.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, it's interesting how the guy who's torn his ACLs out for the year.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is the second guy you mentioned. Yeah, I think that'd be kind of.

[Matt Abaticola]

Be a bigger deal. It's too bad for that kid and especially for a rookie, it's too bad to be out for the season at this point because it's hard to stay engaged.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

And the most important thing that the veterans are going to tell him is you turn into a ghost in the NFL when you're hurt, you're gone. You feel like you're here, but you're not here.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you don't matter anymore. I mean, as much as that sounds terrible, you just don't. You don't matter. You're not on the field impacting game.

[Matt Abaticola]

Plans and people see you limping around pre surgery, post surgery, et cetera, and you're there with, you're more with the doctors and the trainers and everything. But you gotta try. You've gotta stay engaged, you've gotta do mental reps. You've gotta be as much as you can be in meetings and try to be involved and alive as a, as a player, because you are, you're, you're gone now. You, you are the, you really, you're a ghost. You exist, but you don't exist.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And you know, Ben, you heard Ben talk about the, the penalties, the red zone efficiency, the two main things that came out of that game. We talked about em at length yesterday and just run a recap here. What, what, what Ben just said.

[Ben Johnson]

We're on a mission here this week to get this all cleaned up and I have complete confidence that we'll do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

How are you going to clean it up? What's your mission?

[Matt Abaticola]

You've been saying this for a while.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. And if it's a mission this week to get it cleaned up, why hasn't it been cleaned up yet? Like why, why are we starting this mission now? Obviously it hasn't started just now.

[Matt Abaticola]

What was, what extra plan was being held back, Right. That you weren't already using or if.

[Dan Bernstein]

Something was, if it wasn't being held back, what are you doing differently now to make that change? And obviously the only thing that we, we've heard from Ben yesterday and Sunday was putting it on the players. It's on the leaders. That's the first time he said, right, it's on them. We've done enough.

[Matt Abaticola]

He pointed at the locker room. Essentially, we've beat that drum.

[Dan Bernstein]

Us coaches have done everything we can. It's on them now to fix it.

[Matt Abaticola]

And before we go any further. Yeah, I thought that was a big deal. I thought he was telling us to help him fight his battles. To help him is in the meat. This is how a coach uses the media that I remember. Coach calls out, coach puts it on players. That's a big thing. Doesn't seem to be a real headline.

[Dan Bernstein]

It doesn't. I thought it would be more of a thing.

[Matt Abaticola]

I really did.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because earlier in the year, when he called out the team for now practicing that, that. That became something larger in the media, I thought this would too.

[Matt Abaticola]

We're in season.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, Ben said, these are. Now I'm paraphrasing, but he said this, Dan, Us coaches, we.

[Matt Abaticola]

We've.

[Dan Bernstein]

We've pounded that drum virtually. What I'm hearing is, I'm done. It's on them now to fix it. I've done all I can. We've done all we can. It's on them to fix it.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's what I heard.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know if that's a message just to them or if it's a message to Ryan polls. I don't know, but it should. It should be there. There's.

[Matt Abaticola]

Ryan players are too stupid to understand what I'm coaching.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's bigger meaning here than. Than just that. He. He's not. I'm not saying he's giving up or he's done doing his job, but he's saying, I've done everything I fucking can. You guys need to start doing something different now.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think to put it in different words. Not that you're wrong. I'm not trying to danceplain this, but there's only so much I can do. I think that's what he's saying. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I think he's saying, like, I get it.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know it's my responsibility. I know I'm in charge. There really is only so much I can do to make them stop.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, no, he's right. And I'm glad you said that because it just. It takes me back to being a 12U football coach. Like I tell the guys, we tell them this. There's the same things we're telling over and over and over. And I find myself saying, I can't be out there with you on the field. I can't play guard and do this, you know, the correct action of pole and, you know, identify the right linebacker to hit. I. I can't do it. We can demonstrate it. We can rep it. We can go over it in practice again and again and again, but I can't do it. Yeah, I like that. He's basically saying, I've done all I can. There's nothing more I can do. It's either you start performing or that it impacts your future, basically.

[Matt Abaticola]

But we also get to sort of the ethics of the invocation of peer pressure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And when a coach does that, when a coach expects players to police themselves, you've gotta really trust that it's gonna be done the right way. I think you have to have a certain awareness and understanding of. And I think trust is the key word, that things will be handled properly, that the right messages will be sent. Because there are some locker rooms where that can turn really ugly, really ugly fast. And a professional one shouldn't. But I would worry at the high school level certainly about saying, well, I trust my guys, my presum lieutenants, my capo regimes in there. They'll take care of business for me.

[Dan Bernstein]

They.

[Matt Abaticola]

They know what coach wants. And I don't have to. I don't have to see the sausage get made about how we get people in line in this locker room, you know?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah, no, I get it. I get it.

[Ben Johnson]

We're on a mission here this week to get this all cleaned up. And I have complete confidence that we'll do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I hope so. I mean, he is confident that they'll do that. And I hope. I hope they do. I hope they're able to work it out. And I hope that the team leaders get the right players in the right places to do the right things and everything that needs to be executed is executed again. I'm not asking for flawless. I get it. Penalties happen. Guys make mistakes. They're human athletes. I understand, but you're at negative 279 net penalty yards and the second team is negative 142, and they've played one more game than you have.

[Matt Abaticola]

Can I add another aspect to. If I'm trying to channel Ben Johnson here? I'm hearing something else. What do you. All right, getting. I'm getting something else. I'm getting not just. I've done everything I can do when it comes to the penalties. Wait, hold on. And I'm so busy with Caleb Williams right now. Let me work on the quarterback. Quarterbacks are my thing. I'm a quarterback. When you hired me, it was all about the quarterback. Our success or failure is still all about this kid. I only have so much bandwidth. I am all in on trying to fix Caleb Williams. I don't want to worry about offsides and false starts and neutral zone infractions and encroachments and illegal formations right now. Let me just handle Caleb Williams.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And I don't. I don't think. Oh, I like that. And I don't think he's saying anything at his. At his coaching staff here. I think the coaching staff is probably like, coach, we're doing everything we fucking can. There's nothing else we can do. Like, we go over it, we rep it, we talk about it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Have they thought about a sticker chart?

[Dan Bernstein]

What do you mean?

[Matt Abaticola]

You know, like, for kids with their chores.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, they should start doing stickers on helmets.

[Matt Abaticola]

You can't do that in the NFL.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, you can't just. Just adds sticker chart. Maybe they can get like. What's a big sponsor for who's on the M flag? Abbott, I think maybe they get Abbott stickers and it just be part of their advertising plan. But sneakily can be. You did well today. You didn't have any false starts. You get an Abbott sticker.

[Matt Abaticola]

There were teams. I mean, I think the Rod Marinelli loaf thing was an actual chart where you'd get.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, seriously, they.

[Matt Abaticola]

They do that. Try a sticker chart.

[Dan Bernstein]

Then he wouldn't wait. Did he wrestle a bear, too? No. Who wrestled the bear?

[Matt Abaticola]

Rod Marinelli.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was Rod, right? Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not every week.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no, he did every week. That's why they went 00:16. Right. He was too busy. Where's coach at? He's not at practice again. Now he's wrestling the bear.

[Matt Abaticola]

Huge scratches across.

[Dan Bernstein]

That wasn't a bear. That was Terry Boers. All right, so then we asked yesterday, any positives in this game? And we said there were no positives to be found. Well, you know, Ben Johnson sees things differently, Dan. So here's Ben Johnson.

[Ben Johnson]

He. He was very efficient with the football there early in the game. I thought he had a number of throws that were on time. We hit a couple in Breakers. That was encouraging to see as well. You know, we were explosive in the passing game. I want to say, Overall, we had 11 explosives. Nine of those were in the passing game. So I thought he did a good job delivering that football. There's a couple that, as we talked about, that need to be automatic here at this point, halfway through the season that we missed on. And so we're going to keep on working through that process and. And I think we're going to be in good shape. I did think he took a step forward here this week.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, so we didn't see many positives or any positives, actually. And is this. Is this coach speak? Is this coach trying to rally his quarterback who had a pretty down week? I mean, this was a Pretty bad mark on that. That progression of getting better, getting him to the level that he needs to be. Is that his coach rallying behind him or is that a professional NFL head coach seeing things that we don't see, seeing things differently?

[Matt Abaticola]

Or is that a low bar.

[Dan Bernstein]

Another option which I don't like either.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Or is his stand.

[Dan Bernstein]

He had the right uniform on. His shoes were tied. I thought he made. He took a step forward today. He did pretty fucking good, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

I want to know what rubric is he using?

[Dan Bernstein]

He had the right jersey this time.

[Matt Abaticola]

He didn't fall down every time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I guess I didn't mean to burst your bubble. No, no, there was no. No bubble burst. But I guess that's just another way to view it. He showed up on time. He was at the game. He got to the right stadium this week.

[Matt Abaticola]

Great attitude.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he didn't show up at the orange jersey. Had the right jersey on. Brought both shoes this week.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just saying, you know that there's always.

[Dan Bernstein]

A kid on the team woke up on time.

[Matt Abaticola]

There's always that kid on the team that you're, you know, good job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Showed up. I had, I had a guy like that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Your glove on the correct hand.

[Dan Bernstein]

Couple. Couple years ago. Had a guy that if he went, when he'd show up to the games with the correct color jersey, I was always. It was always a win.

[Matt Abaticola]

Clap it up.

[Dan Bernstein]

No matter what happened. Like, no matter what happened after that, it was a win. He had the correct jersey on. Ben was also asked about Caleb's interception. Remember, you know, Ben said it was a bad read, wanted to go somewhere else. Caleb immediately said, oh, it was a good read. Yeah, good read. Good read. Here's what Ben was asked about, what else he should have done.

[Ben Johnson]

I'd like to see him check that ball down.

[Dan Bernstein]

There you go. Ask and answered.

[Ben Johnson]

I'd like to see him check that ball down.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't edit anything else out of that. I took the question out. I didn't edit anything after that. Okay. That's all he said.

[Ben Johnson]

I'd like to see him check that ball down.

[Dan Bernstein]

Great. There you go. Check that ball down.

[Ben Johnson]

I'd like to see him check that ball down.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's all you got to do.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good, good. We ask for straight answers. There's straight answer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, he does. He does give you some straight answers. All right. This is Ben Johnson talking about the false start penalties.

[Ben Johnson]

We've talked about it with the players. We'll certainly make sure that they understand, especially now that we lost a game and the penalties were A big culprit as to why we didn't have the success we wanted to. I think now we can. It really opens Pandora's Box up here where, hey, all hands on deck. On deck here. We got to get this thing fixed. And we've been harping on it as a coaching staff, and when it results in a loss, I think it just magnifies the issue that was at hand.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's not what the Pandora's Box stories about.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's funny. I. I heard that. And the second time I listened through it, I'm like, Dan will have a comment about Pandora's Box.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's. That's. I knew that means.

[Dan Bernstein]

But what I didn't like in that, though, Dan, is now that we lost. Now that we lost, like those penalties and those mistakes.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know what he means.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know, but it should still be.

[Matt Abaticola]

A bigger issue in a win. I know, but he. What his. I know exactly what he's saying.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, go ahead.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's saying that no matter what I say, the players will listen more when we lose because of it. The fact that we win and everybody's excited and good, better, best. Never let it rest that. That papers over the message say, hey, guys, I know we won, but I totally get his point. But he wasn't an English major, was he?

[Dan Bernstein]

I couldn't tell you.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think he was like a computer science major or something. Because reference to Pandora's Box is about something that you do that looks like it's no big deal, but you end up with horrible consequences because Pandora had this box that had all the awful in it. Everything.

[Dan Bernstein]

All the evils in the world, all the world stuff.

[Matt Abaticola]

And she basically said, oh, I wonder what's in here and open it up. And everything horrible came out and everything got horrible and all that was left at the bottom was a faint hope.

[Dan Bernstein]

So then he's saying that losing is like opening Pandora's box and the false stars come out.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, okay. That's just a complete misuse of that reference.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. Ben Johnson was also asked about the team leaders. We talked about that yesterday. And what is the message to the team leaders? Because the team leaders are now in charge of cleaning this up.

[Ben Johnson]

Would like us to stay on side. So, you know, it's. It's. Yeah, it's. It's discipline. You know, I think they're as fed up with it is. Is everyone is in the building and so they understand it's just not what good football teams do. And I think they're going to take ownership of it. I Think we're going to be just fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Back again.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think they are going to take ownership of it. That again, puts the onus on them. Fix yourselves.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, he said it, the coaches. We've done all we could. We're done. We've done all we could. We've been beating that drum and it's not taking impact.

[Matt Abaticola]

We've been pounding that message.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Now it's on the way you want to put it.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's on. It's on the leaders to do this. You guys handle this. Fix it.

[Dan Bernstein]

So he was asked what was the, like, the call to action for his leaders.

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, if you see something, say something. It's as simple as that. We got to continue snitching, work on our practice habits and get better in that regard. And I think they understand what I'm looking for. We're going to be in good shape.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't like that either. I mean. Yeah, this the. See something, say something.

[Matt Abaticola]

Something, say something. Hey, hey, hey, Coach, guess what he. I say that might have been an illegal formation. Hey, Comet, your guy. Your guy commit. He was lined up wrong. If you see something, say something.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the new message.

[Matt Abaticola]

Snitches get stitches, I thought.

[Dan Bernstein]

But he said, we're going to work. They're going to work on their practice habits, too. Like, are we. Are we still doing this here in week seven or, I'm sorry, week nine after seven games, we still talk about our practice habits. Get better at our practice habits.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, he's harped on that. He said we don't practice like a winning football team.

[Dan Bernstein]

We don't practice.

[Matt Abaticola]

See something, say something after practice. All right, now he gets out a big, big pen. All right, tell me who screwed up? What did I miss? What did I miss? Tell me. Tell me who screwed up.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's not talking about tattling. It's just, you know, if you're. If you're a team leader and a guy's fucking up for the third time in a row in practice, call him out. But why is that happening already? That's your job as a leader. That's what you're supposed to do as a veteran guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

So he's got his. His group of people reporting to him, his spies. This is not healthy.

[Dan Bernstein]

But, you know, if you see something.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know what he means. I know.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know you do.

[Drew Dahlman]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. And let me ask you this, because I have one other cut I want to play. A cut from Drew Dahlman. Actually, there's two questions and answers. I know. I saw before well, before Ford Progress, after dbu, you went and got another cup of coffee. Did you. How many. How many cups have you had? And this is. These are, like. They're not drinking caffeine free, right? No, it's not. DD caf.

[Matt Abaticola]

No. Caffeine's good for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. No, I'm just asking because I'm wondering how many of you had today, because I want to test your level of excitement right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, this is my third.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Are you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Where are you at?

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

On a caffeinated level.

[Matt Abaticola]

On a caffeine, I feel. I don't. I'm not getting, like, the tingly scalp.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're not there yet. Okay. Because I think we were there yesterday, weren't we? Tingly scalp yesterday?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I think. Yes. But I think it's because I didn't get as much sleep because of the World Series that I'm. I'm still catching up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, so you're good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm going to need another.

[Matt Abaticola]

Before organizations win championships, I have two questions.

[Dan Bernstein]

Back to back from for Drew Dallman and his answers. I asked because I really have never dived into anything that he has to say. He's very excitable, really very passionate. A lot of intensity. I was concerned when I heard the cuts, how that would impact your caffeine level if you were caffeinated. Really?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I would be taken over the edge.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Over the edge. And I didn't want that for either one of us.

[Ben Johnson]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't want to be over the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Edge, but you're good, though.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hold on. Should I do some box breathing?

[Dan Bernstein]

You're good, though, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Pandora's box breathing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

All the evils of the world, you breathe them in, Breathe them in, breathe them out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Breathe them in, breathe them out.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I have hope.

[Dan Bernstein]

But more importantly, though, Dan, what you.

[Matt Abaticola]

Have to remember, if you see something, say something.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forget that. All right, so here's Drew Dallman. You're good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

The penalty issues, obviously, have been consistent since the start of the season, but they're not necessarily a common thread to all of them. How do you get your brain around the cleanup process and trying to minimize those offensively or going forward?

[Drew Dahlman]

Yeah. I think we were talking about today, obviously, you know, as we've been talking about it last couple weeks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Drew Dahlman]

I think doing our best to. To kind of analyze the why for some of them as they keep coming up. I think it'll help us categorize and kind of know, like, well, obviously you're focused all the time, but pay Particular attention at these exact moments, Things like that. Everybody's focused during, you know, the course of the game, but there's always moments where you need, like, some extra concerted effort for those. Those kinds of things. So I think that that'll be a big step for us.

[Matt Abaticola]

False starts have been the most prevalent. What do you sense is the. The greatest responsibility in making sure that those come down?

[Drew Dahlman]

Yeah, I think it's. It's tough to. To point at any one thing. I think as a whole. And, you know, definitely for myself included, I've had issues with that. It takes that consistent focus and kind of processing the order of events. And, you know, we have a lot of things that need to happen post snap, but the focus needs to be pre snap initially, then transition to, you know, during the snap and post snap. So I think really hammering down that chain of focus will help us.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's actually very well spoken.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no, of course. Yeah. It's just. It's the pace.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's almost professorial.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, that'd be a tough class.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's what I mean.

[Dan Bernstein]

That would be a real tough class.

[Matt Abaticola]

He reminds me of a couple of professors I had where you kind of start to get that ASMR thing and you get the rhythm going and you just sort of like.

[Dan Bernstein]

That cannot be like a pre 11am professor.

[Matt Abaticola]

Exactly.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not at all.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's what that reminds you of is.

[Dan Bernstein]

That'S like an 8am Monday morning. I'm just gonna drop now.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I'm okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

At 8:00am oh, no.

[Matt Abaticola]

Post lunch I might.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because. Because especially in college, the food was so good. I used to eat these enormous lunches.

[Drew Dahlman]

Huge lunch.

[Matt Abaticola]

Didn't have that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, just. I mean, they're gonna clean it up with just focus. You got to focus more, and you need to have extra focus, you know? So really, the main culprits are who?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, it was commit, but he didn't play.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

You had Dexter there over. He's on that. On the offensive side of the ball. Yeah, Tuney had one right. I think he had his first penalty. I'd have to go back through.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And it was. It was right a lot.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's everybody.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but I just. I just don't like the idea of. All right. No, you got to have extra focus. Like, just be professional from the start. I get it. There's pre snap stuff. There's the transition during the snap, and then there's the post snap.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's right.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know. He is correct, but it's not helpful.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, he should be A lawyer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Should be a lawyer. Not a trial lawyer, though.

[Matt Abaticola]

But no, no, he should be a lawyer. Every.

[Dan Bernstein]

Every Jerry would go against immediately.

[Matt Abaticola]

But everything he's saying is. Is absolutely correct. But I don't know what to do with the information.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, just focus more. Just focus more. All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why weren't you focused before? And. And what? And if you have a finite amount of focus, does extra focus on this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Take away from somewhere else?

[Matt Abaticola]

You're less focused on something else?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I don't know. It just. It seems like a really easy solution. If it's that easy, then it should have been happening already. There's gotta be more to it.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right. He was a mechanical engineering major at Stanford.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, there you go. He's super smart.

[Matt Abaticola]

But what I'm saying. But he's looking at this through a mechanical engineer's lens, perhaps of this, then this, then this, then this. Looking at process.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

We have to do it in this part of the process. In this part of the process and then this. I get it, but.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I understand, but I just. It can't be that simple, though. It just can't be a matter of focus. Like, what. What is the issue? Is it the players aren't smart enough to execute the plays? Is it the scheme? Is it not being communicated correctly? Is it not being delivered correctly in the huddle? I just, like. There's got to be a root cause to why this is a crisis situation. Negative 279 net penalty yards, and the second team is at 142, and you've played one less game than they have. This is not something that just gets cleaned up with extra focus. What is the root cause of what's going on here? And Ben has said, you know what? We're done. Coaches are done. We've done our. We've done our part. We've done all we can do. It's on the leaders now. Go clean it up.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, what do you like next? Next guy who commits one is cut during the game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And every player who will be cut immediately during the game.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, if it just. It can't be that easy. It can't be that simple about. Just go ahead and focus. All right? I wish I could take all credit for this, but I can't. There was a listener who commented in YouTube, Matt Smith, 8730.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he asked, did Ben Johnson just order a code red? All right, so he asked the question by saying.

[Matt Abaticola]

By pointing in the locker room, essentially. He didn't literally point to the locker.

[Dan Bernstein]

Room, but verbally yeah, he was saying, it's on the leaders.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's on the leaders.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now go on the players. It's on the leaders.

[Matt Abaticola]

Didn't Ditko talk to the players so.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because he just didn't want to talk.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Talk to the players. I'm going to go get drunk and drive home and run into a tree.

[Dan Bernstein]

So our listener, Matt Smith, 8730, asked, Did Ben Johnson just order a Code Red?

[Ben Johnson]

You know, I really put it on the leaders there in that locker room to get this ship going the right direction in that regard, us coaches, we've been pounding that drum now for a while, and we haven't gotten the results we wanted. So it's on the leaders here on this team to. To get us right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Would you turn to the chapter that deals with Code Reds, please, sir? Just flip to the page in the book that discusses Code Reds. Well.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, you see, sir, Code Red is a term that we use. I'm just wondering if you've ever heard.

[Ben Johnson]

The term Code Red.

[Colonel Jessup (A Few Good Men Clip)]

What is your point?

[Matt Abaticola]

My point is that I think Code.

[Dan Bernstein]

Reds still go on down here.

[Colonel Jessup (A Few Good Men Clip)]

Take caution in your tone. I'm a fair guy, but this fucking heat is making me absolutely crazy. You want to ask me about Code Reds? On the record, I tell you I discourage the practice. Off the record, I tell you it is an invaluable part of close infantry training, and if it happens to go on without my knowledge, so be it. I run my unit how I run my unit.

[Ben Johnson]

Us coaches, we've been pounding that drum now for a while, and we haven't gotten the results we wanted. So it's. It's on the leaders here on this team to. To get us right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you order the Code Ray?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'll answer the question.

[Matt Abaticola]

Question? You want answers? I think I'm entitled. You want answers? I want the truth. You can't handle the truth.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you order the Code Red?

[Matt Abaticola]

I did the job. Did you order the Code Red? God damn right I did.

[Ben Johnson]

You know, I really put it on the leaders there in that locker room to. To get this. Get this ship going the right direction. In that regard, us coaches, we've been pounding that drum now for a while, and we haven't gotten the results we wanted. So it's. It's on the leaders here on this team to get us right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ben Johnson ordered the Code Red.

[Matt Abaticola]

Nicely done.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's there now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good call.

[Dan Bernstein]

Matt Smith, 87, 30.

[Matt Abaticola]

You, Lieutenant Weinberg? You Bernstein? You Bernstein?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, for sure. It would definitely be a Bernstein.

[Matt Abaticola]

I love how. Because sorkin wrote that to make it sound just seething, dripping with antisemitism. Who's gonna do that?

[Drew Dahlman]

You?

[Matt Abaticola]

Lieutenant Weinberg? And they get a guy like Kevin Pollock, you might as well have put a tallis on him and had the long beard. The beard's so long, it's like over the table and down to the floor.

[Dan Bernstein]

So that's it. Ben Johnson's Code Red has been issued.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's good.

[Dan Bernstein]

It is good.

[Matt Abaticola]

And there's a story apparently, where the first take that they did when Jessup is being confronted and it gets. It's broken, that there was an audio issue or something, or somebody stumbled and. And Nicholson was like, oh, I can do it again. No big deal. I got it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I've heard Kevin Pollock on an interview. He, you know, talked about that whole movie. Great interview. Yeah. Just fantastic interview. So good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Really, really good. He's funny and. Do you like that movie? I would kind of say you're kind of.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I. What I don't like about it is it's sort of like Slap Shot. The number of people who go out of their way to not really understand the point of the movie and celebrate the wrong aspects of it. Like, yeah, Colonel Jessup, it's like, no, his hubris, his lack of understanding is what brought him down. He loses.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who misses that?

[Matt Abaticola]

A lot of people, really. It's sort of like people who talk about. Who think about Slap Shot. Is this celebration of hockey violence with the Hansons when I explain. No, it's a movie written by a woman whose brother played hockey. And it's her perspective on the stupidity and silliness of hockey fighting, machismo culture. It's a satire.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So. But yeah, it's funny.

[Dan Bernstein]

People missed the point. Interesting.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's a well acted movie.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I really enjoy it.

[Matt Abaticola]

My only problem with Sorkin is. Is hearing. Is hearing the. The typewriter. It's so written.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah, it's fine. I mean, it was a play. It was a play. Wasn't it a play? First A Few Good Men.

[Matt Abaticola]

No. You sure?

[Dan Bernstein]

It was.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's just amazing. Didn't Rob Reiner direct it?

[Dan Bernstein]

He did.

[Matt Abaticola]

It just.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, if it writes and feels like a play, though, I have to double check that, make sure that. That I. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's funny. When I banged my keyboard, I was in my email.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you type something?

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I was in my email.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you just send something you shouldn't have?

[Matt Abaticola]

I was worried about that because I just saw my email. I did it as a bit. And then I just saw my. SO in my company email. It just highlighted this tutorial we have to do where the subject line is, please complete your assignment. But it cuts off in the window and it says, please complete your ass.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, you should. Yeah, your ass is. I was gonna tell you earlier, your ass is incomplete. Dan, I was wondering. I thought maybe you left part at home.

[Matt Abaticola]

First thing I looked up. So I'm like. And I hit the keyboard and all it says is, please complete your ass. So I guess I have to do that, don't I?

[Dan Bernstein]

A Few Good Men opened on Broadway at the Music Box theater in Manhattan, November 15, 1989. So it was a play by Aaron Sorkin that first produced on Broadway.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, very good.

[Drew Dahlman]

I thought.

[Dan Bernstein]

I remember reading that.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Because it, it, it feels like a play in the movie itself.

[Matt Abaticola]

That explains it. It's stagey.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, it's very stagey. And that, that makes sense. See, look how smart you are when you, you watch things. Things you pick up on.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, but no, that was. I did not know it was like, look at that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I taught you something today. Mark it down.

[Matt Abaticola]

Today I learned today.

[Dan Bernstein]

You learned. Oh, actually. Well, the most important thing that you learned today though, Dan, and I hope you don't forget this.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you see something, say something. Yeah. All I saw was please complete your ass.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, well, complete your complete. Complete some love.

[Matt Abaticola]

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[Dan Bernstein]

All right, I'd like us to get on the same page as we look ahead to week nine.

[Matt Abaticola]

That'd be great.

[Dan Bernstein]

And we see what is going to transpire here this week with the leaders in charge of cleaning up the offensive mess that the Bears have created. Week nine Thursday night game. We have Baltimore at Miami with possibly Lamar Jackson returning for that game. Then getting into the meat of the week, the Chicago Bears at Cincinnati. The Bears are minus two and a half early. Line on that game.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Now is. How's Joe Flacco?

[Dan Bernstein]

Super duper. Yeah. I don't know if he's in or out. I don't know. Sure did. If I was quick enough on the different machine, I might have been able to to drop it on you.

[Matt Abaticola]

But he is because of my incomplete ass.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's how he is. Minnesota at Detroit. So got divisional game. Carolina at Green Bay. The Chargers are at Tennessee. Atlanta goes to New England. San Francisco at the Giants. The Colts are playing Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Then we have Denver at Houston getting our late games. Jacksonville at Las Vegas, which I'm hoping that's our regional game. That would be amazing to watch. New Orleans at at the Rams. You have Kansas City at Buffalo.

[Matt Abaticola]

You saw that. New Orleans is going to Tyler Shuck as their quarterback.

[Dan Bernstein]

Spencer Rattler.

[Matt Abaticola]

Spencer Rattler rattling bog. Hey ho. The Rattlers done.

[Dan Bernstein]

So the Chiefs coming off a win last night go to Buffalo. Seattle is at Washington and the Monday night game next week on November 3rd is Arizona at the Dallas Cowboys. Oh, yeah. Not. Not interested. A couple of games there that are interesting. I want to see.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's a better slate this week.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Colts and Steelers interest me. The Chiefs in Buffalo, of course. Hopefully that's the big game we all get to see. Would like that. Oh yeah. The Seattle washing games Sunday night football. So more Washington on an island game. And then of course the. The Minnesota Vikings at Detroit. Want to see Detroit motorboat those sons of bitches and take them out and.

[Matt Abaticola]

We'Ll be digging in deeper to the Bears matchup with the Bengals tomorrow. Don't forget. I got to get started on my top 10 Bengals.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Drew Dahlman]

I got to get excited.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. We have top 10 Bengals on DBU Friday morning. We're going to. We'll have a Bears guest for Ford Progress. We'll have a Bengals guest. If it's not a football Bengals guests. It'll be like a Bengal tiger like, trainer. Someone who can talk about Bangles.

[Matt Abaticola]

A lot of those big cat trainers are in prison.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I mean, we're on video. We can talk to anybody we want. Screen time in prison, Joe. Wait, is Tiger King in prison?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Die. Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

The other. The other guy was even worse that Doc Antle.

[Dan Bernstein]

Doc Antle?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, the big blonde haired guy who fancied himself some sort of Hindu God fake guru who had all the little concubines running around.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, boy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, he went away.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I mean, again, people do get screen time in jail. So if it's not a football bangle, maybe we can get a Tiger trainer on. Okay, maybe Tiger Woods. Who knows? We'll see what we can get.

[Matt Abaticola]

That'd be a good get.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bengals on Friday. All right, this has been Forward Progress. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe. Go to the YouTube channel. If you're listening to Forward Progress, you should also be listening to dbu. Don't confuse the two. One, we talk about everything, including the Bears. The other is all Bears and NFL focused. Subscribe to both. Like both. Someone asked an email the other day, what can I do to help help the podcast out. You know what you can do is you can listen, you can subscribe everywhere, and you can tell your friends. Maybe you talk sports with people, but you never talk to sports radio. Do they know that we're here? Tell them. Say that you're enjoying it. We'd like to check it out.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I ran into somebody other day because I really miss you on the score.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, guess what?

[Matt Abaticola]

Hello.

[Dan Bernstein]

There you go. See, some people don't know, so.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, oh.

[Dan Bernstein]

Share that information.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I even. My guy Bob at the Jewel. Yeah, My guy Bob works over at Lane Tech.

[Ben Johnson]

Who?

[Matt Abaticola]

I did not. He was not on my list of people I thought would be pod savvy.

[Dan Bernstein]

He is, though.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I don't mean that as an insult. I just. Bob's an old time dude. Yeah, you know, big, always wearing Bears stuff. He's an old Chicago old timer. And I saw Bob, how you doing? Hey, Danny, how are you? And I said, good. He goes, really? Bears reporter really love the podcasts. Really liking the. Hey, look at you, Bob.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's great.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it was fun.

[Dan Bernstein]

So tell people to listen. You want to check all the information out about 312Sports, go to 312Sports Comm. It's really easy. All the stuff's there. Later this afternoon, there'll be a new OWC coming out. You can check that out for all the Bulls talk that you do want.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then we will talk three and oh, Bulls. The three and oh, Bulls place Bulls.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. They're winning the goddamn Super Bowl.

[Matt Abaticola]

Bulls are going to Super Bowl. That's right.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, we'll talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for listening. It's Forward Progress here on 3 1, 2 sports. Ted219, 219 forward progress a Chicago Bears podcast with D&Matabaticola on 312 sports.

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