Ben Johnson - OC or Head Coach?

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Ben Johnson – OC or Head Coach?
Podcast: Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola (312 Sports)
Date: September 10, 2025

Main Theme:
Dan and Matt break down the aftermath of the Chicago Bears’ opening night loss under new head coach Ben Johnson. The debate centers on whether Johnson is showing the qualities of a true NFL head coach or operating more like an offensive coordinator thrust into the top job. The hosts analyze Johnson’s first media session, his handling of in-game adversity, and his responses to pivotal moments, using extensive sound clips to illustrate their perspectives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immediate Takeaways from Ben Johnson’s First Loss

• Hosts’ Tone: Bluntly critical yet hopeful, mixing forensic breakdown with Bears-fan exasperation.
• Dan sets the context: Johnson was "completely out coached," and the team "was completely outplayed" in key moments, highlighting the pressure on Johnson to account for a disappointing debut ([00:20]).

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2. Press Conference Dissection: Ben Johnson’s Coach Speak

• Opening Comments ([01:41]):
  • Johnson stresses "effort wasn’t an issue," but "execution has got to improve, particularly there in the fourth quarter."
  • Hosts’ Reaction: Classic coach deflection—blaming execution means the plan was fine, but the players failed.
  • Quote:

    “Execution’s got to improve. That means my plan is correct. They just have to carry out my plan better. Which, the irony of that, that's also coaching.”
    —Dan Bernstein ([03:22])

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3. Handling Player Development: “Still Getting to Know the Player"

• On Caleb Williams’ Accuracy ([04:32]):
  • Johnson: “I’m still getting to know the player… I’ll see how I can help him through the play calls or what’s being said on the sideline.”
  • Hosts’ Reaction: Alarmed by vagueness and detachment—“the player” instead of naming Caleb Williams. Suggests a concerning lack of connection.
  • Discussion: Is it acceptable for a supposed offensive genius to still be “learning the player” weeks into the job? How long is the learning curve?
  • Quote:

    “As the head coach, you should know who Caleb Williams is by now... You should have known who Caleb Williams was before you took the job. That’s why you take the job.”
    —Matt Abbatacola ([05:15])

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4. Quarterback Usage & Pocket Dynamics

• On Caleb Williams Running ([08:42]):
  • Johnson: “We needed those rushing yards… We were drying up a little bit there in the running game, and so he was able to help complement that and move the sticks.”
  • Hosts’ Reading: Clear preference for Williams to stay in the pocket. His running is a bug, not a feature—it’s “necessitated by a broken pocket, not design.”
  • Quote:

    “It’s clear to me... The running game should take care of itself without needing quarterback rushing yards. The first thing he references is elusiveness in the pocket.”
    —Dan Bernstein ([09:21])

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5. In-Game Management: Timeouts & Challenges

• Wasted Timeout ([12:00]):

  • Johnson takes blame for a timeout: “I was late getting the call in. That's my own issue.”
  • Hosts’ Challenge: Surprise at Johnson's self-blame—are excuses already being made for the rookie quarterback? Or is Johnson struggling to adapt to the broader head coach responsibilities?
  • Quote:

    “Is he already using up his shields—however many shots he can take for Caleb and say that’s not on him?”
    —Dan Bernstein ([13:13])

• Bad Challenge Decision ([15:08]):

  • Johnson admits to being “a little influenced by people around me” on the sideline rather than trusting spotters upstairs—rookie mistake.
  • Discussion: Importance of process and detachment in the heat of the moment.

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6. Offensive Line/Run Game Issues

• On O-Line Performance ([19:25]):

  • Johnson admits: “We need more from our runners… I think in the run game, we were subpar overall and then protection had spurts of being really good and then other times where we didn’t give Caleb enough time.”
  • Hosts’ Research:
    • Matt brings receipts: In five prior matchups vs. Brian Flores, Ben Johnson’s running games (in Detroit) succeeded even against top defenses.
    • Quote:

      “You did it there. Why couldn't you do it here? Is it personnel, running back, O-line, or play calls? Or...you can’t properly identify who the mic is and set your blocking scheme accordingly?”
      —Dan Bernstein ([25:11])

• Run Game Breakdown ([21:34]):

  • Johnson blames lack of synchronization in identifying "the mic," creating problems versus a "multiplicity of fronts."
  • Hosts Appreciate Honesty:

    “I really appreciate that honest answer... that you’re not on the same page because you’re getting the most important identification that you can have pre snap wrong.”
    —Dan Bernstein ([23:00])

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7. Defensive Adjustments—Who Really Won at Halftime?

• Johnson claims Vikings’ DC Brian Flores made few halftime changes, sticking mostly to a four-man rush ([26:00]).
• Hosts Disagree: Both Dan and Matt insist the defensive approach changed significantly, with pressures and coverage disguises creating havoc in the second half ([26:50] – [27:40]).

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8. Communication & Injury Issues

• Kyler Gordon “Tightness” Timeline ([27:58]):

  • Johnson’s explanation raises questions—player felt tightness all week, told trainers late. Are communication lines robust enough?

• D.J. Moore’s Injury Status ([29:29]):

  • Inconsistencies as Johnson initially claims “no significant injuries,” then admits he hadn’t seen the official report, only had texted with Moore.
  • Quote:

    “So, again, hold on. You started out the press conference by saying there were no injuries, and you haven’t gotten the injury report yet…”
    —Dan Bernstein ([29:43])

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9. Late-Game Clock & Rule Management

• Kickoff Rule Mixups ([31:29]):
  • Johnson: “Felt like we could kick it out of the back. We weren’t able to get that done. In hindsight, I should have kicked it out of bounds.”
  • Hosts Debate New NFL Rules: Time management, new kickoff rules, and possible tactical improvements.

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10. Momentum, Accountability & Coach Mentality

• On Momentum Swings and Losing Control ([34:42]):

  • Johnson: “When it rains, it pours sometimes… Once one bad thing happens, if you’re not careful, that can also be contagious as well and catch fire. And that’s what happened…”

  • Hosts Critique: This sounds passive, not the voice of a coach who takes charge. Coaches are supposed to arrest and reverse negative trends, not shrug about them.

  • Quote:

    “That’s in your control as a coach… Your job is to take advantage. Arrest any sort of erosion of good feeling and make sure that everybody’s mentally prepared to not have that happen.”
    —Dan Bernstein ([35:26])

  • Memorable Analogy:

    “Put that shit out before it catches fire, man. Before it spreads.”
    —Matt Abbatacola ([38:05])

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11. High Standards, Learning Curve & Emotional Takeaways

• Host Matt’s Perspective: Admits his standards for Johnson were the highest he’s had for any Bears coach—possibly too high for a first-time head coach ([41:09]).
• Dan Offers Perspective: Emphasizes it’s still only one game—a long season ahead.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On coaching accountability:

  “I don’t need aphorisms from the side of a salt shaker. You’re the smart offensive guy. Sometimes it rains; sometimes it pours? I want answers.”
  —Dan Bernstein ([37:03])

• On rookie learning curve:

  “He’s smart enough to know what he doesn’t know. He’s going to learn. He’s going to be better. There is... it’s not unreasonable to expect things to improve. And this is me talking.”
  —Dan Bernstein ([40:01])

• On expectations:

  “The standards that I have set for Ben Johnson are the highest that I've had for a Bears coach in my lifetime... Maybe I’m expecting too much of a guy who's still learning how to be an NFL head coach.”
  —Matt Abbatacola ([41:32], [42:07])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Critique of Ben Johnson: [00:20]
• Ben Johnson’s Press Conference: Opening statement: [01:41]
• Discussion: Johnson calling Caleb 'the player': [05:01]
• Caleb Williams’ running ability: [08:42]
• Timeout Wasted (Timeout/Play call issue): [12:00]
• Challenge Flag Decision: [15:08]
• O-Line and Run Game Issues: [19:25], [24:03]
• Breakdown of Flores matchups: [24:03]
• Defensive Adjustments: [26:00]
• Kyler Gordon’s Injury Timeline: [27:58]
• DJ Moore injury confusion: [29:29]
• End-of-game clock management/kickoff: [31:29]
• On losing momentum ('when it rains it pours'): [34:42]
• Hosts reflect on setting standards: [41:09]
• Closing thoughts on learning curve: [42:07]

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Final Thoughts

Summary:
The episode offers a sharp, emotionally honest, and deeply informed dissection of Ben Johnson’s first week as Bears head coach. While Johnson’s analytical strengths and willingness to take blame are noted, Dan and Matt question whether he’s ready to command a complete NFL program—or whether his press conference "OC mode" signals a longer, rockier transition to head coach. The hosts weigh their own expectations, caution patience, but voice the collective anxiety of Chicago’s football faithful.

For Listeners:
A must-listen for fans grappling with hope, doubt, and déjà vu—and anyone tracking the unique challenges of a promising coordinator stepping into the head coach spotlight.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

10, 2, 19, 219.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward progress a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abaticola on 312 Sports. You got it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward progress, 312 Sports. Bernstein, Abatacola and the Bears are dealing with the aftermath of an alarming opening night loss at and today we're going to sort of settle into what is going to be our weekly pattern here. Usually it'll be on a Tuesday rather than a Wednesday, but I think it's our job to break down the answers that this coach is giving to questions about his first game, his first loss and his first time getting pantsed as a coach at the NFL level. He was completely out coached his team when it mattered, was completely outplayed and now he's got an answer for it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So I have all the sound from, from Ben Johnson. He, he met the media and kind of reflected on game one, that that head coaching debut, the loss of the Vikings on Monday Night Football. I've listened to it several times. Dan and I have several thoughts on things and when we get through everything, there's a bunch of cuts we'll get through. Want to talk about Ben Johnson, the head coach.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. But let's, let's start it off and we'll let Ben Johnson speak for himself. And these are his opening comments from his press conference meeting the media in just one second.

[Ben Johnson]

Went back, watched the tape and some good football and tape, but too much inconsistent stuff that popped up that we'll address, we'll clean up and we'll keep it moving. Effort wasn't an issue. Those guys did good job playing hard and competed the whole night. But the execution has got to improve, particularly there in the fourth quarter. Told the players last night that, you know, we got a short week and we'll head on to Detroit. So really they're on their own here today. Player day off. And then we're going to go ahead and turn the page here quickly because we got a our first road game at hand. But it's a good opportunity for us to really define who we want to be on the road. We kind of talked about that in the preseason against Kansas City and didn't have the results that we were quite looking for. So this would be a good opportunity for us to get deep in our preparation and look to compete for another division opponent. Good news is no one got hurt last night. No injuries of consequence. So that was one bright spot from the game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, first of all, DJ Moore got hurt.

[Matt Abaticola]

DJ Moore did get hurt.

[Dan Bernstein]

They can say whatever they say. I saw him get hurt. I saw him on the field through an entire commercial break.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So keep, keep that in mind. That end portion there. About, about no one getting hurt. No one getting significantly hurt. No significant injuries.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. It's an NFL game. People got hurt. We saw DJ Moore get hurt. There was. Turn the page again.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. That's one of his things.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now this is.

[Matt Abaticola]

Now, remember we talked about this. Get on the same page, then turn the page. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Very important because they said we weren't on the same page in some things. Can't turn it till you're on the same one.

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct. And well, you can.

[Dan Bernstein]

It would just be bad effort wasn't an issue. Execution's got to improve. Now what that means, no matter what we hear later about parceling out blame, accepting blame, being self critical. Classic coach speak. Execution's got to improve. That means my plan is correct. They just have to carry out my plan better. Better. Which the irony of that, that's also coaching.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. Because when you talk about not being on the same page, that's coaching.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

When you talk about missed opportunities and guys not being in the right places, that's coaching.

[Dan Bernstein]

I have too many notes already for 30 seconds of a press conference.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, so we'll continue on and these have questions and answers. And so all this, I'll fire these off for you, Dan, and we'll talk. This is a question about Caleb's accuracy and we'll go from there with Ben Johnson. It seems as though with Caleb's off target throws, they seem to come in spurts. Is that a question of getting him to settle down or do you see something else?

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, I'm still getting to know the player. I thought he started off really well early in that game and then it certainly is. The game went. Seemed to fizzle a little bit and then towards the end he came to life again. And so, you know, that's something that we'll have to work through. I. I'll see how I can help him through the play calls or what's being said on the sideline to just keep him, keep him in the best spot and help him out and support him the most. And. And we'll go from there.

[Dan Bernstein]

First couple things.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

The player.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. Still. Still getting to know the player.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not Caleb.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

The player. And he made it clear that he needs help understanding the play call or however well he needs.

[Matt Abaticola]

He said he could help him better with. With certain play calling. So there's, there's a lot there. First of all, I'm still getting to know the player like you are the top offensive genius coming out of this off season. Right. As the head coach, you should know who Caleb Williams is by now and.

[Dan Bernstein]

Be fixing what's wrong.

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct. You should have known who Caleb Williams was before you took the job. That's why you, that's why you take the job.

[Dan Bernstein]

You said you took the job.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Because you knew who Caleb Williams was. You had all off season and a few preseason games, one he didn't play in to figure out what he does well and what you need to do as far as play calling to help him be a better quarterback early in this season.

[Dan Bernstein]

The player.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, I didn't like it. Okay, I didn't like it one bit. But if you're still learning who the player is, like, what's our learning curve here? I mean, is it, is it, is it eight games?

[Dan Bernstein]

Let's be fair.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is it seven games?

[Dan Bernstein]

If we say you don't really learn a player until coaching him in regular season games, sure. Okay. That is granting that, that as a coach, you, until you put in a game plan, there's an opponent that is trying to knock his block off, and you begin the learning process in the regular season when the live fire starts, then that next question is, how long until you know him? Yeah, a full season.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because that is fair. And I'm glad you said that because I had that in my brain. That is fair, because watching him in practice and coaching in practice is very different than coaching in games. I get that. And so I will allow that. Yes, absolutely.

[Dan Bernstein]

Look at me being the voice of reason, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

You being the voice of reason. I thought it, you said it first. But that's, that's the, that's the next correct question. Oh, well, then how many, how many games will it take to learn who this player is?

[Dan Bernstein]

Did anyone ask that?

[Matt Abaticola]

Because immediately, not in this press immediately.

[Dan Bernstein]

When he says I'm still learning the player. That next question should be, how long do you expect it to take to have a satisfactory learning of the player?

[Matt Abaticola]

And that, that, that's a hard question to answer, I think, but I think a good question would have been, well, tell me what that process is like in learning the player. Like what, what does that look like? Because I've never been a head coach.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I think you need to say, tell me, say, what is that?

[Matt Abaticola]

What is that process?

[Dan Bernstein]

What is the process of learning the player?

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Where and where are you in it?

[Matt Abaticola]

And if he were to say, like, the answer would be, oh, you know, that's us watching game film together of actual Real live games. All right, well, then how many. How many of those games or how many of those sessions do you think it would take before you learn who the player is? Or I would say learn who Caleb is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. All right, so next one is about Caleb and his ability to run during.

[Dan Bernstein]

A game.

[Ben Johnson]

Their estimated ability to really turn on the jets. And so we've got a number of athletic players on our defense. And. And I saw it all throughout training camp. Him being able to break the pocket and. And some of our athletic DNS or linebackers, he. He's able to extend the play that way. So that. That came to life last night, and we. We certainly needed those rushing yards. We were. We were drying up a little bit there in the running game, and so he was able to help complement that and move the sticks.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, hang on one second, Dan. Let me play that one again. Hang on. Caleb obviously did some damage with his legs last night.

[Ben Johnson]

I'm curious, in the time that you've been with them, what has struck you about the speed that he has in open field? He's got the elusiveness in the pocket, and then I think he's got underestimated ability to really turn on the jets. And so we've got a number of athletic players on our defense. And I saw it all throughout training camp. Him being able to break the pocket and some of our athletic DNS or linebackers, he's able to extend the play that way. So that came to life last night. And we certainly needed those rushing yards. We were drying up a little bit there in the running game, and so he was able to help complement that and move the sticks.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. He doesn't want him running.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, he doesn't want to run that.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's clear to me that he. The running game should take care of itself without needing quarterback rushing yards when the first thing he references is elusiveness in the pocket.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

This offense comes down to the quarterback being in large part in the pocket unless otherwise designed.

[Matt Abaticola]

But it was interesting at the end of that comment, he talks about how it. It complemented the. The actual running game. It complemented the running game because we needed those yards. We got kind of stale. But the only reason he ran is because your pocket broke down. You couldn't protect him, and he had to. Otherwise he's getting murdered.

[Dan Bernstein]

It also.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's not a positive thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Now, the fact that he turned it into a positive outcome in gaining yards, that's not part of your designed playbook.

[Dan Bernstein]

It also brings into question his ability to read the field. That. That's the other aspect there. Is he running because he's deciding not to throw where you want him to throw?

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you can say after the fact, yeah, we needed it. Yeah, it. It supplemented or complimented our yardage total. But we saw from his facial expressions that Ben Johnson certainly would prefer that he allows the play to develop and only to the point where it's time to release the football.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And I don't think that's something that we would get, that he wouldn't share that with us. Like, he and Caleb going over plays and saying, all right, well, you missed D.J. here. He was wide open for about seven yards.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why aren't your eyes on him?

[Matt Abaticola]

And you missed him and then you ran instead. That's not the play we want. Like, the pocket wouldn't have broken down and you wouldn't have been under pressure had you thrown that ball two seconds earlier when he was wide open and no one was near him. How did you miss that? Why did you miss that? What are you not seeing?

[Dan Bernstein]

What do I need to. Or what do we need to put in? Or what kind of cue. What kind of visual training? Look, they've got that whole VR set set up there with the goggles and everything. You could put him in that lab. In QB lab. And over and over and over and over again. Keep showing him. Here's where your eyes are. He's open now. He's open now. Throw it. He's open now. Throw it. Throw it again. Right, like this is. You got to teach this stuff if it's teachable.

[Matt Abaticola]

And again, that. And. But how do you. How do you teach something when he's seeing it too late? Is that something that can be corrected?

[Dan Bernstein]

We're going to find out.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or is it. Is it Bajan time? Don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't troll. Yeah, you are. You know what? That's. Don't unleash that. You don't want that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Unleash the hounds.

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't want that.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, so he was asked about the wasted timeout in the fourth quarter.

[Dan Bernstein]

The fourth and three in the second.

[Matt Abaticola]

Quarter or second quarter. You guys had to use a timeout.

[Ben Johnson]

Before actually running the play. What did you diagnose today? Both on the procedure of having to.

[Matt Abaticola]

Use that time out there and then on the actual misfire of the throw.

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, that was the timeout itself. I was late getting the call in. And that's. That's my own. My own issue. But we knew we wanted to go for it. We felt good about that call, you know, Caleb, we talked about it this afternoon. That's one. That's one of the few that he would like to have back.

[Matt Abaticola]

Timeout was on him. Wait, didn't get the call in.

[Dan Bernstein]

Then why would he. Then why would Caleb like to have it back?

[Matt Abaticola]

Because it was a bad throw.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, but he doesn't know. He's not saying. All right, but he's taking the blame for it being late.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's taking the blame for the wasted timeout because he couldn't get the call in in time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, then.

[Matt Abaticola]

Then you get the throw. Right, which was a bad, horrible throw. And that's one of the few that Caleb would like to have back.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. It would really surprise me if Ben Johnson, of all people, is getting a play in late.

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct. So what is that right there? Because this is what I thought. I thought that he's just taking the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Blame, that already he's using up his shields. However many. However many shots he can take for Caleb and say that's not on him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because that, like you said, it just. It doesn't fit what we know of Ben Johnson. I'm. I would be really surprised that Ben Johnson is late getting a call in.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unless, again, let me. Let me play devil's advocate here. I agree with you. It's unlikely, but let's just say that Ben Johnson is learning about head coaching and that maybe there was possibly something else, some fire he had to put out, some. Some information he was getting regarding what was going to happen on the defense the next series. I don't know how he chooses to process information and how he self selects his inputs, who gets to tell him what and when. Maybe it's possible that he's like, yeah, you know what? I got. I was bit. I. I got distracted. I had something else come up. I was putting out a fire over here. I was talking to somebody. I'm just trying to give him a little bit of grace in the possibility that he's learning how to streamline his own sideline operation.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, that. That's fair, because we talked about on DBU this morning that I kind of didn't allow him the grace that maybe he needs of learning how to be a head coach. That I had higher expectations for him in this game than I really should have.

[Dan Bernstein]

Everything changes after the ball's kicked off.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, you're right. But. So there's a. There's a cut I want to go to because it kind of gives us some insight, too. As far as the buck stops here, I make the decisions. It's. It's My team, It's my process. So listen to this. This is a question about. About the challenge. The bad challenge play that he had on the challenge. And the Hawkinson play looked like Noah.

[Ben Johnson]

Sewell dislodged the ball.

[Matt Abaticola]

What did you see on that? To throw the flag?

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, I saw. I thought I saw knees up. And so that's. That's on me. I got to do a better job listening to the guys up top. You know, I get influenced a little bit for the first time with the people around me, and I just. I got to stay true to the process.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. So there's a little bit of both. There's a little bit of the people around me.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, so he got a little influenced by the people around him on the sideline. We got to challenge that. Coach got to challenge that. His knees were up. His knees were off the ground. That ball came out. They clearly were not.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the guys up top clearly see your nuts.

[Matt Abaticola]

The guys on top, the guys in the booth are saying, no, no, he was down. He was. That. That's what I'm hearing there. Guys around him on the sideline. You got to challenge that. Got to challenge that. I was influenced by the people around me, but the guys up top, he goes, I have to. I have to trust the process.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, let them do their jobs then.

[Matt Abaticola]

Let them do their jobs.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, that.

[Matt Abaticola]

That up in the booth. Yep. You can't. You can't challenge that.

[Dan Bernstein]

You get excited.

[Matt Abaticola]

We see it better than you do.

[Dan Bernstein]

And everybody likes to see what they want to see in those regards. And don't listen to the fans, as they say, or you end up sitting next to them.

[Matt Abaticola]

Which I guess depending on your seats might be a bad thing. Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Or who the other fans are. Oh, my God. Our first season tickets are the woman who used to chain, the guy that used to chain smoke, and the foul mouthed woman in the Schurz High school windbreaker. Every Bears game, you guys have seats still? No. My dad let him go. There was a PSL thing, and eventually he's just like, I'm not doing this anymore. Because we were all. Cause we. We initially were on the 35 yard line on the east side, and then when they redid the end zones, he was able, I think, to add a seat if we moved. Yeah, we moved to the north end zone, which I actually loved. That's when I learned football.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

That and my first year on the beat, being able to talk to Bears coaches and really learn it. But I began to understand blocking and angles when we had end zone Seats.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you. Did you go to a lot as a kid?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, almost every home game.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, really?

[Dan Bernstein]

It was our whole day.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's what we did. Those were Sundays. We packed everything up and we got sleeping bags. And before there were chemical hand warmers. These hand warmers like asbestos lined like a giant locket that had asbestos in it. It was a metal box that would snap closed and you would literally light a fuel stick. And the fuel stick would warm this box and you'd have one in each pocket to keep your hands warm.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, well, I didn't. I don't think I knew that. That you went to like almost every game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

We saw some awful football.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah, I bet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Horrible football.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, here was another question about. He just. He gives his full evaluation of Caleb in his. In his first start here as head coach. How did you assess Caleb as far as going through his progressions and then the actual throwing accuracy?

[Ben Johnson]

It was up and down. We had. We had mixed. There were some things that he did that were top notch, and I would put him up there with some of the best in the NFL. He had a couple throws with guys in his face that he delivered on target that were very tough. I thought he did a good job evading when he felt pressure. And yet there were still some that we would like to have back. There are probably three or four of them that we counted on tape that at a minimum that we would want back. And so, you know, he was very. He came up today, we chatted for a while, and he's very self reflective on it and critical of himself. And so it's a starting point for us. And we're looking to get better next week.

[Matt Abaticola]

The starting point, three or four on tape that we wish we had back.

[Dan Bernstein]

At a minimum.

[Matt Abaticola]

At a minimum. But other throws.

[Dan Bernstein]

Best in the NFL.

[Matt Abaticola]

Best in the NFL.

[Dan Bernstein]

That first one, my hst. I got it here. Still got the notes that. That first one. Yeah, but that's not enough. That's got to be every. Every time. If you're already thrown around. Among the best in the NFL. The best in the NFL don't have that many that they want to have back because you don't get them back.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, next one. He's asked about the play of the offensive line.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, Coach, I'm just curious on what.

[Matt Abaticola]

You thought about the offensive line.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then watching the tape, if you saw the play with Darnell Wright where.

[Matt Abaticola]

They called the hold and what you.

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, I think anytime you don't rush for as many Yards as you were hoping for. You look at the stat sheet and it said for over 100 yards, but really a lot of those were from Caleb. So we, we need more from our, our runners, whoever that is, receivers or, or the running back room. It doesn't matter. And so I think in the run game we were subpar overall and then protection had spurts of being really good. And then other times where we didn't give Caleb enough time. So. So, you know, you get down by a couple scores, you make it a drop back game and it makes it a little bit easier to. For the defense to tee off on you. That's not where we want to live necessarily. We like to keep. Keep them guessing as much as we possibly can. So, you know, we got to make sure that we're still playing with a lead there.

[Dan Bernstein]

The run blocking was bad. Does he address the fact that. That each interior lineman individually allowed four pass pressures?

[Matt Abaticola]

He did not. He did not. And was not asked. That was not brought up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Because they were. It wasn't just the run game that was bad. The pocket was breaking down all night. Okay, all right. But I. Look, you've got to run the, A good offensive line can run the ball when the other team knows you want to run the ball.

[Matt Abaticola]

But it was interesting though to hear him talk about getting down by two scores, which they did late in the fourth quarter. And then, you know, you make that a drop back game and allow a defense like that.

[Dan Bernstein]

You were up 17 to 6.

[Matt Abaticola]

You were up. You were up two scores.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I don't want to hear a scenario answer based on the fact that they already blew the game.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. You were up two scores. Right. And then you found yourself down two scores late in the fourth quarter. All right, so more, more on the, on the running game. With the running game, I'm sure you expected to get more out of that. Is, is it the, the blocking, the, the calls themselves or, or what do you think gets more juice out of the running game going forward?

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, well, I would start with this. That. That was a top five run defense from a year ago and they, in their opinion, they, they improve their front. And so it's, it's hard to start with. And so you got to give them some credit. But with that being said, we, we anticipated to be on the same page more than what we were. There were, there are some times that when we made the mic point, we weren't all on the same page. And I think that's a little bit time on task. That's also a Multiplicity of fronts that we're seeing this particular week. He makes it very difficult, but, yeah, we all got to be on the same page. So the sooner that we can grow as a unit, it's five guys all playing as one. And if you include the tight ends, it's six or seven as a part of it as well. You know, I thought Swift ran hard when the. When the ball was in his hands. There's probably a couple reads where he could have hit it. Maybe a little bit different, but for the most part, I was pretty pleased with how he played.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're pointing to the wrong middle linebacker. Yeah, well, the mic is not always technically the middle linebacker. It's based on how you count the gaps. But you're. You're misidentifying the fulcrum of the defense that keys your protection and your blocking scheme. What?

[Matt Abaticola]

And don't forget, thanks for the honesty of the answer.

[Dan Bernstein]

I have to say, I appreciate him actually answering a question.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think he's an honest guy. He's a truth teller and then sometimes catches himself.

[Dan Bernstein]

For now, I really appreciate that honest answer that you just said that you're not on the same page because you're getting the most important identification that you can have pre snap.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wrong.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Remember he talked about the multiplicity of the fronts they were seeing. Keep that in mind. Keep that in mind.

[Dan Bernstein]

But remember, that didn't happen too late.

[Matt Abaticola]

Keep that in mind. We'll do that next. But remember, he starts off that answer by talking about this is a top five run defense. Okay. And the question was, is it play calling? Is it the blocking? Oh, no, no. You got to remember, it's a top five rushing defense, and they. They think they improved. So I went back. Remember, this is the. The fifth time. The fifth time now that Ben Johnson has faced Brian Flores. Right? Because it was. It was two times last year. Two times in 2023, I went back to look at what the Lions did as far as rushing against a Brian Flores defense.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ooh, you got receipts?

[Matt Abaticola]

I did bring receipts. So this is the first game in 2023 when they played each other. Lions win 3024. The Lions rushed 36 times. 143 yards for three touchdowns. The second game in 2023, the Lions won 30 to 20. They rushed 23 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, the first game they met each other, The Lions win 31, 29. They rushed 27 times, 144 yards and two touchdowns. And then the final appearance, the final game last year, they played each Other was the final game of the season. Lions win 31 and 9. They rushed 31 times, 178 yards for three touchdowns.

[Dan Bernstein]

And that is with a quarterback in Jared Goff that doesn't run. Who doesn't run?

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

So that is all the running game.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's all the running game against what was a top 15, five defense that he said last year. Top five run defense.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow.

[Matt Abaticola]

And they improved this year.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, well, that's.

[Matt Abaticola]

But they were a top five run defense when they did all of that.

[Dan Bernstein]

You did it there. Why couldn't you do it here?

[Matt Abaticola]

So is it. Is it a personnel issue? Is it the running back issue? Is it offensive line? Is it play calls?

[Dan Bernstein]

Is it the fact that you can't properly identify who the mic is and set your blocking scheme accordingly?

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, nice work. What's next?

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, so remember we talked about. He mentioned there the multiplicity of the fronts. Okay, so let's hear this. This question and answer about. About Brian Flores and what he was doing defensively.

[Ben Johnson]

Ben, you mentioned last night some of the adjustments that Brian Flores made after halftime when you went back and watched the tape. What were some of the things that maybe the Vikings were doing differently and then what.

[Matt Abaticola]

How did that.

[Ben Johnson]

How did you guys kind of handle.

[Matt Abaticola]

That, you think in the second half?

[Ben Johnson]

Yeah, I would say his adjustments really started early in the game. There was less pressure than what he was accustomed to doing. It was more four man rush, which probably was a testament to the interior guys. He added, he felt like he could get pressure on our quarterback, which is four rather than his normal five or six. You know, you saw the first drive, we were able to make it down the field and score a touchdown. And then we kept shooting ourselves in the foot. Whether it was penalties, lack of a rushing game. You know, we're in a number of second and longs that turned into third and longs. And that's not a way you want to live, particularly against a good play caller like that and a talented defensive front and secondary like they have. So I don't know that it changed a whole lot at halftime. I just didn't feel like we executed very well in the second half.

[Dan Bernstein]

I thought it changed a lot at halftime.

[Matt Abaticola]

It changed a lot at halftime. It changed a lot. He did start the game off by rushing just the front four, which was successful in getting pressure, but he was able to escape the pocket and create some plays and some yards with his feet. All right, but they got pressure with only the front four, and by doing so too, Caleb was also Able to check down rather easy. I mean, throwing the. I mean, he started off the first two passes to DeAndre Swift, and they changed the way that they approached it. Taking away those check downs, bringing more pressure and. Yeah, then you can add more pressure to it and some. And some different looks and send different guys when you do have the lead, which they eventually got in the fourth quarter.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I didn't see what he said.

[Matt Abaticola]

I thought. I thought it changed significantly from the first half to the second half, especially.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because he's talked about how much he prides himself on their ability to adjust. So I don't know that I saw what he saw then. I thought it did change.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right. Then there was a question about. About Kyler Gordon, which is interesting to hear as well. And real quick, what happened with Kyler.

[Ben Johnson]

Kyler, you know, over the course of last week, was starting to feel some tightness. He ended up feeling. We came in on. On Sunday, I believe, and talked to our trainers about it for the first time. So we put him on the injury report and felt like he wasn't quite ready to go.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, timeline issues here.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that is an issue.

[Dan Bernstein]

That this wasn't reported to the training staff until the day before the game.

[Matt Abaticola]

He was feeling tightness all week, but then he. He fight. Now, did he finally come in Sunday and talk to the training staff or was this something they were aware of all week?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Did they know he was feeling tight?

[Matt Abaticola]

Sunday was just like, yeah, I don't think I can go.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. I don't know what we can presume there. I hope that those lines of communication are wide open for them to say, all right, we'll keep an eye on it. Keep us updated. After we practice, you're gonna come in for treatment. We're gonna give you ice and stim and theragun and whatever else you need to get rid of that tightness. But he couldn't play and it was a late ad. You would think that if this were.

[Matt Abaticola]

An issue, it would have been something along the way.

[Dan Bernstein]

You would have had a full practice designation. But also have said, you know, tightness and something.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

At least list of body parts or.

[Matt Abaticola]

Was limited at some point during the week. But yeah, it wasn't the issue. All right, so this was the. Remember the very first. His opening comments talks about no significant injuries right.

[Dan Bernstein]

In the game, except we saw DJ Moore get killed.

[Matt Abaticola]

So then there was a question about DJ Moore.

[Ben Johnson]

How is DJ Moore at the end of the game after that hit? Yeah, I have not got the injury Report yet. We're about to have a staff meeting here in just a minute, and. And I'll have more details there. As far as I know that through his text messages, he. He sounded like he was okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

So, again, wait, hold on. You started out the press conference by saying there were no injuries, and you haven't gotten the injury report yet, but.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hadn'T seen the end report yet, but his text message said he's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is the same team last year that on multiple occasions had traumatic brain injuries reported late in the week that didn't show up. So I certainly put that down as a possibility for all the excuses that were made. Oh, well, sometimes these concussion symptoms come later. And I don't know what happened to DJ Moore or what they tested for, but he was on the field through an entire AD break, lying there. Something happened.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And maybe. Maybe this is just a case where I'm looking too much into it, but he starts off no significant injuries. Oh, what happened to D.J. moore? Well, I haven't seen the injury report yet, so you can't say that if you don't know. You can't. But again, you know, maybe that's just me again, going. Going too deep into looking too closely at it. I don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

At any point was he asked if there would be any changes to the depth chart or if anything like that was a possibility?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, he was not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. And I know his answer would be it's always a possibility. We evaluate that every week. We always want to make sure that we have the best possible roster and the best possible lineup available for our next opponent. But I'm just curious why it wasn't asked. And the other thing on my list was. Would be regarding that last kickoff.

[Matt Abaticola]

So here's. Here's that cut. So no question on this. He was asked about, you know, evaluating his own. His own performance and looking back at things he might. He might want to do differently. But he does address the kickoff.

[Ben Johnson]

Okay, I just talked about the challenge. That's a big one right there. That timeout in the second half. Those. Those things are very valuable, and having that at the end of the game would have been huge for us. I didn't think I called a particularly great game. I could have adjusted a little bit better to the lack of pressure that flow was giving us. And so I can do a better job there. And then at the end of the game, felt like we could kick it out of the back. We weren't able to get that done. In hindsight, I should have kicked it out of bounds.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Or someone suggested this to me.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

With the new rules, if a kickoff doesn't reach the landing area, it's a dead ball, Right?

[Matt Abaticola]

I believe that's correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

So why not just knock it off the tee? Then no time goes off the clock.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's an immediate dead ball and there's no time at all off the clock. So we all have to get used to what the new rules are on kickoffs. And I don't know how long they give it to establish that it's a dead ball and it didn't reach the landing area. But if you just come up and tap the ball and it falls off the tee, it's dead right there. Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

If a kickoff does not make it into the landing zone, it is treated like a kickoff. Out of bounds, the play is immediately blown dead and the ball is spotted at the receiving team's 40 yard line.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, so you don't have to kick it out of bounds.

[Matt Abaticola]

You don't have to. You just make it short of the landing zone.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just tap it. You don't even need to take the time to kick it out of bounds.

[Matt Abaticola]

So. But it has to go. Does it have to go further than 10 yards, though? Because if you just tap it off, would that be considered?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, because you haven't declared an onside kick.

[Matt Abaticola]

You have. You have to declare. That's right. So, yeah, so just, just kick it short of the landing zone.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just roll it off the tee.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And then it's immediately blown dead and spotted at the receiver's 40 yard line.

[Dan Bernstein]

Out of bounds.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Just to be safe, you could boom it out of bounds and it still goes, right? No, you're right. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's off the T. It's in front of the tee. It's dead. I did. This was brought up to me by a, an emailer. Speaking of which, we do have an email. I want to bury the lead here, but we do. I was going to put this on socials. If you want to email the show, you can email me. It's dan312sports.com matt312sports.com it's pretty easy. [e-mail] matt312sports.com all right, so here's a question. This is.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is a. I love this one. And it was one of the two questions from Courtney Cronin. And this was about the missed field goal and what led up to the missed field goal. And listen to his answers, Ben. The final 49 seconds of the third quarter with the.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think it was the hold on, Darnell.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then the missed throw to Cole and then the intentional grounding. When you watched it back today, like, you know, what did you notice? Just about, like, the way that. That kind of snowballed into.

[Ben Johnson]

Then the miss.

[Matt Abaticola]

Field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Ben Johnson]

You know, when it rains, it pours sometimes. And you know, a lot of times when. When things are stale, all it takes is one player to make a play. And. And it just shoots a shock electricity through the entire team. And likewise, it. Once one bad thing happens, if you're not careful, then. Then that can also be contagious as well and catch fire. And that's. That's what happened. Unfortunate because we were in a good position to score points, at least a field goal there, and then we ended up backing it up and made it a very difficult field goal attempt. So that was costly.

[Matt Abaticola]

When it rains, it pours. Sometimes bad things happen. And I can catch fire, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's awfully passive.

[Matt Abaticola]

It is awfully passive, and it also shows. And again, maybe I'm just. I'm getting too. Too granular with it.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's in your control as a coach.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Your job, as in those situations about being prepared, is to take advantage of. Make sure you're ready for those things. Arrest any sort of erosion of good feeling and make sure that everybody's mentally prepared to not have that happen.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's your job.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's the job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sometimes these things happen. It sounds like the way Ryan Polls approaches a draft. Well, that's what the pick we had, and that's what it came to. And that was on the board. Stop being so passive. Yeah, but that's the kind of fatalism that's our job.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. We're not coaching. This is sometimes how I feel about Billy Donovan after games.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

But Billy Donovan is the. He's got the best seat. He's the best observer of everything that happened. And after a game, he. He'll tell you exactly what I saw. But I always think. But you're the coach. You're the one person that can do something about it. That's what you're being paid to do.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sometimes these things just get away from you. Why?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So when that one thing happens, it's your job to stop it so that the second thing doesn't happen. Then the third thing doesn't happen, which then leads to the fourth thing, which is a missed field goal and lost points.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And then the thing being you lost.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. You know, sometimes these things, they catch fire when it rains. When it rains, it pours.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't, I don't need aphorisms from the side of a salt shaker.

[Matt Abaticola]

No. Like you're, you're the smart guy. You're, you're the smart offensive guy. These things. Hey, sometimes it rains and sometimes it pours.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was Vinny Del Negro after the, the Bulls set a record blowing the largest lead that late in a game in the history of the NBA. And he came out, he goes, it happens. No, it doesn't. It hadn't until tonight.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's right. It literally had never happened before.

[Dan Bernstein]

His life was. It happens.

[Matt Abaticola]

It happens.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, it has now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sorry, coach. It never has.

[Dan Bernstein]

It actually hasn't happened. Yes, this is the first rain whenever ran support that. Ooh, ooh.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I just, I don't want to eat like again and again. Maybe my expectations are too high for a first time NFL head coach, but he, but he's the smart guy. Yeah, yeah. You know, when it rains, it pours and sometimes those things happen and they catch fire. Well, shit, put that shit out before it catches fire, man. Before it spreads.

[Dan Bernstein]

I always.

[Matt Abaticola]

You got that little kitchen fire. Keep it contained, dude.

[Dan Bernstein]

I always think about this, the scene in the movie Bananas where the, the protagonist is a visiting foreign diplomat who is a foreign head of state and he is assigned his security detail. Like the secret service come up to him. They say, these are your secret service men and they're here to protect you. He's like, okay, got it. These two burly men ensues and immediately a guy runs up to him and smacks him in the head and runs off and one guy goes, we missed him. We get most of them. It's like already. Yeah, well, you know, these guy spiraled away from us, that one.

[Matt Abaticola]

So you know what, and those are, those are all the other cuts that we're going to, we're going to play from, from his time that he met with the media.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're going to do this every time there's a post game. We're going to break down stuff.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, we have to. Yeah, you have to hear it and we have to talk through it and listen to it because, you know, hearing it multiple times, it kind of changes perspective from, you know, anger to maybe, maybe I'm expecting too much, Dan. And like, what is an appropriate learning curve? Although I've seen other guys step right in and like do it well, I just, I had higher expectations. I think it starts with the overall game and we've talked about this, that I didn't expect Monday's game to look like a Bears game. And it looked more like a Bears game than any Bears game I've seen in a long time.

[Dan Bernstein]

And sadly, he's sounding like a Bears coach.

[Matt Abaticola]

And sadly, he's sounding like a Bears head coach. It's been settled in for a few seasons.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let's. Okay, let's just be reasonable here.

[Matt Abaticola]

So help me, it's one game. Yeah, it's one. It is one game.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's smart enough to know what he doesn't know. He's going to learn. He's going to be better. There is. It's not unreasonable to expect things to improve. And this is me talking.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I don't understand what's happening.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just feel the need to counterbalance some of this. I think it would be.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I'm glad because I think it would be. Normally, that would be me. But I'm. I'm ready, dude. Last night I was ready. I was ready to move on from. From everyone. I was like, I'm not doing this for another season.

[Dan Bernstein]

You mean two nights ago.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, last night, as I was listening to this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I see. Okay. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I'm like, I'm not ready. I'm not ready to do this again. I. I can't. I refuse to sit through and watch another quarterback fail. I'm not ready to sit and listen to another head coach, not be an NFL head coach. And now this morning, a little different. So I think my expectations were just too high that I have to allow a bit of a learning curve from an offensive coordinator who's now a head coach for the first time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I. I'd be lying if I said I liked a lot of what I heard. I like the fact that he took some blame for some things more than his predecessor. But his predecessor. I. I don't want to compare him to an all time dolt. No, that's part of the problem.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's an insult to. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

You can't even do it. Throw out Ibrahim Floose. Forget everything that happened in the Refluz era.

[Matt Abaticola]

Insult to Ben Johnson.

[Dan Bernstein]

I do not want to stoop to compare him to a blithering idiot.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

But the standards are higher for him for what he's purported to be, what the league has said. It's not just. It wouldn't be just us. It'd be everybody.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, yeah, and I need to keep that in perspective too, because I think what you just said there, that the standard is higher. And for me, me individually, as I'm speaking as a Bears fan, only me, the Standards that I have set for Ben Johnson are the highest that I've had for a Bears coach in my lifetime. And then I've started watching the Bears regularly, regularly since 1983. Okay. And this is the highest standard by far that I've ever had for a Bears head coach.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, coming in.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, Coming in. Yes. The highest standards by far. Not even close. John Fox, they were pretty high standards because I wanted him to make this an NFL football team again after Mark Tressman.

[Dan Bernstein]

But you didn't know that John Fox had retired.

[Matt Abaticola]

I didn't know that. He was just coming in to, you know, find out new craft beer, places to drink in Chicago, and be a hell of a guy because I love John Fox. The standards were a bit higher coming out of Mark Tressman, but, you know, he did his job. He made it an NFL organization again. He made it feel like NFL football and not Canadian League football. But these are by far the highest standards I have. And maybe it was just too high. Maybe I'm expecting too much of a guy who's still learning how to be an NFL head coach and deal with everything on a daily basis, particularly in a game. What it means to be a head coach.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I guess I'm. You and I are experiencing exactly what I've said about the Bears and what I said at length on today's DBU is making sure that we can understand the alarming nature of that loss and the urgency with also understanding. It's 1 of 17. It was the first one of 17. And maybe they put a floor in here and they recognize there may be some remedial stuff and they've got to undo some things and rethink some things, but at least they've got time to do it.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know, I'll tell you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yikes.

[Matt Abaticola]

One thing I need to see in the game on Sunday. We'll talk more about as we start the preview. Bears, Lions, and we'll give you the top 10 Lions of all time, too, before the week is up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Can't wait.

[Matt Abaticola]

I need to see those open routes that weren't thrown on Monday night. I need to see those at least thrown. If they're not completed. Okay, I'm going to. I'm going to live with that. I'm going to say, hey, here's a step in the right direction.

[Dan Bernstein]

Some interceptions in there.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm okay with that, too, because those throws have to be there. I need to see. That's one thing I'm going to start keeping a list of things I need to see on Sunday afternoon. One of those things being those throws being attempted. Now, if they're not completed or if they're intercepted, I at least need to see that he recognizes these are the routes that were open. Here's the throw I'm making. I need to see those happen.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's Maddie. I'm Dan. That's forward progress.

[Matt Abaticola]

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