Bill Belichick has been denied the HOF | Bo Nix has an ankle | Todd Monken got a job

Summary

---

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Bill Belichick has been denied the HOF | Bo Nix has an ankle | Todd Monken got a job
Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola

---

Episode Overview

This episode is a lively, unfiltered ride through major NFL headlines, with Dan and Matt bringing their signature Chicago Bears focus and sharp opinions to bear on the Hall of Fame snubbing of Bill Belichick, Bo Nix’s troubling injury history, and Todd Monken landing the Browns head coaching job. Aside from Bears-related angles, the hosts riff on broader league developments, coaching carousel updates, and the evolving culture of the NFL.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bill Belichick Snubbed for Hall of Fame Induction

(00:54 – 14:00)

• New Rules & Voting Process Explored:
  • Coaches are now eligible for Hall of Fame consideration one year after stepping down, not five. This made Belichick eligible for the first time.
  • Bill Belichick failed to receive the necessary 40 out of 50 votes for first-ballot induction.
  • The process is confusing and, per Matt, "utterly insane" to have omitted one of the game's greatest coaches.
• Sando’s Voter Breakdown:
  Dan reads from respected writer Mike Sando, clarifying possible reasons for the Belichick snub, including:
  • Strategic vote allocations by voters assuming Belichick was a lock.
  • Protest votes against new rules.
  • Spygate grudges.
  • Prioritization of senior players.
  • Quote (03:35):
    “This is a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick.” — Mike Sando (read by Dan)
• Tone and Attitude:
  • Neither host is especially moved by the “tragedy” of Belichick missing (Matt: “I have zero feelings and emotions for it. I just know that it’s wrong. That’s all I know.” – 02:27)
  • Both agree the Hall of Fame is mostly wrangling with its own significance.
  • The voting process, with subjective human involvement, is bound to be messy and occasionally silly.
    Quote (11:08, Matt): “When you have the parameters being subjective and humans involved, it's never going to go the way it should go.”
  • Ultimately, the hosts find it fitting that Belichick’s Hall experience is as weird and complicated as his NFL career:
    Quote (13:38, Dan): “Sort of confusing and twisted and filled with all kinds of gray areas and generally makes you uncomfortable. Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Belichick.”

---

2. Bo Nix’s Ankle Injury and Denver’s Gamble

(14:10 – 25:55)

• Sean Payton’s Remarks:
  • The Broncos acknowledged knowing about Bo Nix’s predisposed ankle condition; it wasn’t “if” he’d break it again, but “when.”
  • Bo Nix has reportedly had “several” ankle surgeries since high school—a detail that surprises both hosts.
• Skepticism on Health Prognosis:
  • Matt and Dan question Payton’s claim of having “no concerns” for Nix’s future:
    Quote (16:25, Matt): “How can you have no concern about it when he’s had several surgeries?”
  • Matt reasons through the risk for a 25-year-old QB with multiple ankle surgeries, suggesting the franchise took a major gamble.
• Transparency Issues:
  • Limited public info on the extent and specifics of Nix’s injury history.
  • Comparing medical red flags with prior Bears picks (e.g., Tommy Harris, Chris Williams, Kevin White).
• Broader Point:
  • The NFL’s medical gambits are often high-risk, especially at quarterback.
  • Hosts hope Denver’s medical team had the full picture, but express doubt.
  • Humor:
    • Tangent about Sean Payton aging and his hands looking “odd” at press conferences.
• Player Age Context:
  • Bo Nix already 25, will turn 26 soon (23:08).
  • Impact on career window and value vs. other QBs in the league.

---

3. Todd Monken Hired as Browns Head Coach

(30:51 – 38:43)

• Monken’s Resume & Reputation:
  • Local Chicagoland coaching ties; former Georgia OC; ornery, no-nonsense personality.
  • First NFL head coaching job after years as a coordinator.
• Strategic Fit:
  • Matt likes hiring an offensive mind while the Browns have questions at QB (e.g., Shador Sanders’ development).
  • Jim Schwartz, the incumbent defensive coordinator, might depart after missing on the head job—but keeping him would be smart.
  • Memorable Moment (34:52):
    • Playful confusion between “Pantera” (the band) and “Panera” (the café), riffing on Schwartz’s “leather jacket, motorcycle guy” persona.
• Outlook:
  • The move shakes up the coaching carousel, leaving only the Raiders and Cardinals as vacant jobs.
  • Brief speculation where ex-Bears head coach Matt Nagy might land:
    Quote (37:33, Dan): “Get out of here. Go do your thing...He’ll be a great play caller for someone else.”

---

4. Bears Offseason, NFL Culture, League Tidbits

(38:51 – End)

• Bears News:
  • No major developments. Bears organization seems stable, and roster improvement is about supplementing a division winner, not overhauling a mess.
  • Dan notes a positive shift away from the old days of offseason trouble for players:
    Quote (43:27): “I think…now the presumption of off field troubles is [not] there the way it used to be. The NFL is growing up.”
• Player Relations and Support:
  • Discussion of better player support systems, particularly when it comes to off-field conduct and supplement/drug policies.
  • Coaches’ tone and leadership (e.g. Dallas 90s, Ditka era Bears) influences offseason behavior and team focus.
• Upcoming NFL Draft:
  • This year’s draft class is “rich in edge rushers”—a promising sign for teams like the Bears seeking defensive talent.
• Other NFL Tidbits:
  • John Gruden discussed as a possible Jets advisor, Aaron Glenn cleaning house, the perennial “where do the lost coaches go?” question.
  • Lighthearted tributes to sports media colleagues and humorous behind-the-scenes stories.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Belichick’s Snub:
  • “It's completely asinine that he's not a first ballot Hall of Famer. But that's the way you've developed this process now.” (10:01, Matt)
• On Subjectivity in Hall of Fame Voting:
  • “When you have the parameters being subjective and humans involved, it's never going to go the way it should go, period.” (11:08, Matt)
• On Bo Nix's Health Concerns:
  • “How is it you can clearly say, oh, I'm not concerned about his health moving forward?” (16:25, Matt)
  • “A 25-year-old man who's had three surgeries in the same ankle… that's the condition.” (23:51, Matt)
• On the Browns Hiring Monken:
  • “Local guy. He’s from Wheaton, Illinois, went to Knox College—the school of hard knocks.” (31:42, Dan)
• On Jim Schwartz:
  • “I've always found Jim Schwartz a little annoying because…‘I ride a motorcycle. I wear a leather jacket. I love Pantera.’ All right, dude…oh, that's Panera…” (34:52, Dan & Matt)
• On Modern NFL Offseasons:
  • “There was a time when we would openly say, well, it's not a matter of who's going to get arrested, it's how many. …That happens less and less now…” (41:21, Dan)

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Belichick Hall of Fame Snub – 00:54–14:00
• Bo Nix’s Ankle, Denver Fallout – 14:10–25:55
• Browns Hire Todd Monken – 30:51–38:43
• Bears Outlook, NFL Trends – 38:51–End

---

Closing Thoughts

Dan and Matt deliver a robust sweep of NFL intrigue, with their classic blend of research, wit, and Bears-centric perspective. Whether breaking down the political chess of Hall of Fame voting, voicing skepticism over injury-riddled quarterbacks or riffing on the quirks of new head coaches, the episode is a must-listen for fans who want both league-wide insights and a true Chicago flavor—all without ever glossing over the weird, idiosyncratic details that make football fandom (and this podcast) so compelling.

Transcript

[A]

Why choose a Sleep number Smart bed?

[B]

Can I make my site softer?

[A]

Can I make my site firmer?

[C]

Can we sleep cooler?

[A]

Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side. Your sleep number setting J.D. power ranks sleep number number one in customer satisfaction with mattresses purchased in store and online. And now the more you buy, the more you save on beds, bases and more. Plus get free home delivery on most beds with base limited time. For J.D. power 2025 award information, visit jdpower.com awards check it out at the Sleep Umber store today. I mean, if you're a Bears fan.

[C]

You'Re thinking Forward Progress. Come on.

[A]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.

[C]

All kinds of stuff happening across the NFL and we are here to talk about it on Forward Progress, a Chicag Bears podcast, Bernstein and a Bata Cola. What's up? Bill Belichick is not in the hall of Fame. And that's hilarious. It's absolutely hilarious. Every single reaction is funny. Because first of all, ultimately, who cares? And second of all, the the hall of Fame doesn't seem to understand why its own rules allowed this to happen and maybe even steered this toward happening.

[A]

Yeah, so this was a new rule that that allowed. So normally the waiting period for a coach was five years like a player, but they've changed that where a coach could get in after one year of sitting out. So this would have been the first year that he was eligible to get in and he didn't get in. He failed to get the 40 of the necessary 50 votes that were there. So we'll say that he got 39 at least. But there were at least 11 people or, you know, 10 people that said he's not going to be a first ballot hall of Famer, which is completely and utterly insane, Dan. I mean, utterly insane that he's not a first ballot hall of Famer.

[C]

Now, whether it is or not is up to you to care how much that matters and what extent of international incident this is.

[A]

But I don't care. I don't care. I have zero feelings and emotions for it. I just know that it's wrong. That's all I know. And then I'm done at that point.

[C]

So Mike Sando, who is one of the top tier NFL writers, put a post out. He is. He's been doing this 30 years. He's with the athletic and the Pro Football Writers association of America. Here's what he wrote that I think everybody Needs to know before we all do the Belichick hot takes. Okay, he says, I'm a Hall of Fame voter who saw Belichick as a slam dunk. I don't know anything about these specific results, but the question is, how could this happen? Before I list the possibilities, understand this. Belichick, Kraft, Craig, Anderson, and Greenwood are competing for one to three spots separate from the 15 Modern Era finalists. 50 voters each pick three of the five. Between one and three make it 40 plus votes needed for anyone besides the top vote getter to make is a zero sum game. That's a huge change made last year. 250 total votes to go around for five candidates with a high bar for clearance. Now we count the potential ways Belichick might get fewer than 40, even when 40 plus on the committee may think he's a Hall of Famer. Okay, so here's, here's the bullet points he gives you. Okay, let's say four or five voters who were strong advocates for specific senior players figured Belichick is going to make it regardless, so they funneled their votes to competing candidates in hopes of boosting them over the 40 vote threshold. Let's say a few voters prioritize senior players on the thinking Belichick's back in the room next year, while the players on the ballot this year might disappear into the senior pool forever. Let's say a few voters found spygatecheating disqualifying. Let's say a few voters protested the new rules of making coaches eligible one year of retiring instead of five. Whatever the case, I would see this as a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick or any candidate not making it. He says there will be changes to the process. I predict.

[A]

Yeah, that, that all. All makes sense. I understand it. And I could see people holding a grudge because of Spygate and holding a grudge because the rules have changed, which Bill Belichick has nothing to do with. He just was a guy that got eligible sooner rather than later. It's just. It just. It just doesn't seem right. It just. It just doesn't seem right that Bill Belichick and, and I, I've also heard Dan, too, people have mentioned, well, you know, without, without Tom Brady, Bill Belichick was, you know, a losing head coach without, you know, Tom Brady there. And I go, sure, if you want to. You want to do that to him. He was also the head coach there while Tom Brady won all the Super Bowls. One, six, I think, Right. With The Patriots. Yeah.

[C]

And he's also the guy who, when Drew Bledsoe went out, put the force of his trust and development and support behind Tom Brady. Yes.

[A]

I also looked. So I wanted to look at one name. I didn't want to spend too much time. Look at this. I looked at Bill Walsh. I immediately, immediately thought of Bill Walsh. I thought, what is Bill Walsh's record as a head coach? Bill Walsh was 102, 63 and 1. As the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, 1979 to 1988. His record without Joe Montana, 27. 27 and 1. All right, so if you're going to hold a grudge against guys, then let's do it across the board. That can't be a reason why. I think what Sando said there has got to be spot on. It just he's a victim of some bad circumstances. And I think it was at a point where it was really, really thin, Dan, that all it might have taken was one or two people to say, well, they screwed the Rams with Spygate. We're not going to get him in, or one or two guys to go, you know what? This isn't right that a guy gets in after one year. So I'm not going to give him my vote. And that might have been the, you know, thinking, he's going to get in. My one vote's not going to matter, you know, or these two people might have thought, you know what? My vote's not going to make that much of a difference. He's going to get in. I don't like the fact that the rules change, but I can't give him my vote just for that reason alone. And then they come to find out, well, he didn't get in. And then you could pull the whole trump card, like Bill Polian, who was like, well, I'm not 100% certain that I voted for. I can't really recall if I voted for Bill Belichick or not.

[C]

I don't know. I don't know if I voted for him. Come on, man, please. The funny part of this is that it's the hall of Fame itself that is concerned about how it looks. Yeah, that's what's happening here is the everybody in football who's invested in how the hall of Fame looks. You got guys out there like Dan Pompeii, where Dan Pompeii has now become the writer who's kind of in charge of the hall of Fame, that he's the senior guy that knows politics, that really knows the way that these presentations work. You know, Jack Silverstein did that with us as well. And elsewhere, the Chicago sports historian who's done an excellent job with his version of what Bill James referred to in the Baseball hall of Fame as the politics of glory and talking about how all that works. It's a very arcane system, but it seems to me like the canton is worried about itself and it's worried about its importance and worried about how its own significance is going to decrease because of the way it's looked at. Well, and this is. Can this be this, this august and important body, if it's not allowing the fact that he didn't reach this threshold somehow speaks negatively about the, the, the. The hall of Fame itself? And I'm gonna say this. Look, you know what? I love free and fair elections. Love them. I love them. Those are the rules. Those are the rules that you set. And you kept changing everything. And you wanted it to work out. You wanted to be inclusive and free and fair, and people made their votes based on your rules and what they knew. Okay, all right, well, then be happy with it. Live with it. Say, all right, why don't you support your voters instead of say, well, our voters are clearly wrong. Not necessarily. I think that if the hall really believed in itself, and so now we've got. We've got to go retrofit everything to make sure that the voters are represented differently by their votes and their feelings. I don't like that either. They voted.

[A]

Yeah, they voted. And that's the way the vote came out. So that's just, that's just how it happened. And these are the rules and the parameters. And if one person wants to withhold their vote, vote because they don't like the way the votes, the voting rules changed, and then Bill Belichick is the victim of this, then. Then that's just the way it is.

[C]

Yep. Too bad for Bill Belichick. Too bad.

[A]

It's completely asinine that, that he's not a first ballot hall of Famer. But that's the way you've developed this process now. And that was one of the possible outcomes, and that's the outcome you got.

[C]

Here's what's great. His entire career, Belichick's entire career, there's been always something over complicated or pained or made unnecessarily difficult or unhappy. And for this process to also somehow end up unnecessarily difficult and unhappy, it's very funny and covered up and unknown and mysterious. Right. So this, this, this has been Belichickian in, in its sort of tortured and bizarre and Byzantine and inexplicable. Perfect. Okay, great. Awesome.

[A]

You know, I don't, I don't want to, I don't want to get into a conversation where we're trying to, you know, write the whole process correctly as far as hall of Fame voting.

[C]

I don't care.

[A]

Yeah, I don't care. But when you have the parameters being subjective and humans involved, it's never going to go the way it should go, period. It's just that simple.

[C]

There is no should.

[A]

Right. If there aren't definite solidified parameters to what makes someone a Hall of Famer, whatever sport it is, then there's always going to be a problem because that's just the way it goes. And until you have concrete thresholds that say this is what qualifies someone, then, you know what? If you're going to vote on it, this is one of the possibilities of what happens. And own it. Own it and accept it and say, yeah, he's not a first ballot hall of Famer. That's what we've decided. These 50 people have this on their plate to decide. And the 50 of them decided that, yeah, he wasn't a first ballot hall of Famer. I think it's completely. I think it's stupid. I think all of it, baseball, football, it's all dumb. Either you're a Hall of Fame player or you're not. And the fact that your vote can go from 12% your first year to, you know, 82% in, you know, whatever the final year is in baseball. Your stats haven't changed, you haven't changed as a player. It's either you're good enough when you're done or you're not good enough.

[C]

Well, I do think, especially in baseball, we have seen a better understanding of statistics, a better understanding of what, what your accomplishments mean, context change, the ability to understand what you do, and certainly retroactively apply modern statistical analyses have helped us understand people were better than maybe we thought they were or worse than maybe we thought they were.

[A]

I get that. And maybe that applies in a handful of cases, but when you have guys that votes increase by 60 to 70% and you're not looking at statistics differently. It's just this guy doesn't deserve it until this year. That's. That's stupid. Either the guy's in or he's not.

[C]

I'm.

[A]

Either you're a Hall of Famer or you're not a Hall of Famer.

[C]

I'm not going to Go to bat for Bill Belichick and I'm not going to go to bat for the Pro Football hall of Fame.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

I. Neither one deserves to have somebody say, hey, this is. This is unjust. Because that, that looks really ridiculous when we're talking about certain things today, especially the stuff we talked about on DBU today.

[A]

To throw around the word.

[C]

To throw around the word unjust. This is wrong. It's wrong. Okay. Is it?

[A]

Yeah, I think, I think. I think how you just said it is really the best way to describe it. It's very fitting for Bill Belichick.

[C]

Yeah, perfect.

[A]

It's very fitting.

[C]

Perfect. Sort of confusing and twisted and filled with all kinds of gray areas and generally makes you uncomfortable. Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Belichick.

[A]

Yes, ideal.

[C]

Ideal outcome. But boy, there's just by this morning, so much happening across the NFL too. There's names and news and things.

[A]

Yeah, there's a lot going on. You know, it's. Again, Bill Belichick, you'll get in eventually. Sorry, my man. You know, like he even cares.

[C]

He's.

[A]

He's knee deep in UNC football right now, which is more important to him. I wanted to talk about the things happening in Denver right now as well, too. So I don't know if you saw what, you know, Sean Payton had to say about, about Bo Nix and his ankle injury. Apparently he's had multiple ankle surgeries going back to high school and what happened where he had a fracture in his ankle and the second to last drive in the, in the, in the game heading into the AFC Championship game. Sean Payton said that it wasn't a matter of if he would have a fracture, it was just a matter of when. This was a predisposed condition that they were familiar with and knew about and that again, it wasn't a matter of when this was going to happen or if it was going to happen, just when it was going to happen. And, and that he'll rehab and he'll. He'll be good and be good to go. So this is a condition that I don't know what the condition is and it clearly isn't something that clears up or ends with one surgery. Is this going to be an issue for the rest of his football career?

[C]

Well, did you see, like when.

[A]

When is. He breaks his ankle again?

[C]

Next you see this line. Peyton said he has no concerns about Nix's health going forward, even though Nicks has had several ankle operations going back to high school.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I just said that. Yeah, yeah. But this goes back to high school.

[C]

First of all, how many is several?

[A]

Right. And how can you have no concern about it when he said several?

[C]

How many is several? And going back to high school isn't enough like that. All that did was make you. Whoa, okay, how many is several? When exactly were they and what were they?

[A]

So let's just say. And let's just put a number to it so we can talk through it. Let's just put the minimum number of three.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Let's say that he said three prior ankle surgeries before this one. So this would be four going back to high school. So over the last. Was that nine years. In nine years, this would be his. At minimum, let's say, fourth ankle surgery. How is it you can clearly say, oh, I'm not concerned about his health moving forward?

[C]

You can't.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

You can't.

[A]

And I wonder. I had never heard of anything of this until just now. Until this week. Right. Like, this wasn't part of his. And honestly, I can say, you know, I didn't dig too deep into the drafting of Bo Nix, but is this, like, were the Broncos very familiar with this? Was this a public thing that. Oh, yeah, he's had some ankle concerns, you know, going back to being in high school, but we don't think it'll impact his professional career. We're going to draft him where we're drafting him. Like, I don't remember hearing any of this. Have you?

[C]

I All I'm looking back on a couple of scouting reports here. This one just says broken ankle in mid November of 2021 and had surgery.

[A]

Okay, so 2021.

[C]

2021, broken ankle in mid November and had surgery. So this was from a scouting report that was. It doesn't have the date of publication, but it seems voluminous enough. We need to go back to the Beast or see what Dean Brugler had written. But that's one surgery.

[A]

That's one. And he said there were several. So we know we'll again put it at a minimum of at least three. So there's two other ones that at least occurred prior to 2021.

[C]

I'm looking here. Weaknesses here. Here we go. This is from. Is this NFL.com no, this is Sports Illustrated under weaknesses in his scouting report near the bottom, it just says suffered broken ankle in 2021 that required surgery. Parenthetically, second broken ankle separate since high school. Okay, so same. It doesn't even say it's the same ankle. But if it's. Has he broken the same ankle twice and now three times.

[A]

Well, when the way Sean Payton put it about a predisposed condition, I would assume it's the same ankle. Correct. I mean, wouldn't you just assume that without having someone tell you definitively?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

So. And maybe he misspoke when he said several, and maybe it was just two. But what, what condition does he have that was like, oh, we know he's going to break his ankle again. We just don't. We just don't know when it's going to happen.

[C]

There's nothing listed in his NFL.com scouting report, specifically on his overview. There's a lot of nice things that they say under weaknesses. There is nothing about it.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, he's, he's a, he's a, he's a good quarterback. Clearly having done what he's done his first two years in the NFL. And it clearly wasn't a, a roadblock to them investing in him as their, their, the franchise quarterback. It's paid off to this point, but certainly terrible timing that you lose the guy going in the AFC Championship game that you're hosting while you knew that this was going to happen and it really couldn't have come at a worse time for you. But I just, I just don't know how you can. Unless, again, unless there's more to come out from this to say, oh, yeah, this is the final piece.

[C]

Or they say, this is it. The doctors have said that once, this might happen again, but now they put a pie of metal in there and it's going to be stronger than ever and he's fine.

[A]

Yeah. And it's never going to be an issue again.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Until we hear that. So. And maybe that's the case. Maybe that's what motivates Sean Payton, is saying, I, I don't have a concern about it moving forward, but we haven't heard it. Right.

[C]

So if your medical people didn't flag that at the combine or anywhere else, then you're going to have an issue. Your, your, your football people are going to have an issue with your medical people. You, you can't draft him without them knowing. Look, this is what's probably going to happen. Draft picks are like that. The Bears understood that with Tommy Harris when they drafted him, and they got, they got him where they wouldn't otherwise have gotten him.

[A]

Right. It wasn't there. Another one. Was Kevin White just bad or was he, did he have injury stuff?

[C]

Which one?

[A]

Kevin White?

[C]

No. Kevin White. No, there was no. He was clean coming out. That was when he got to camp. They said well, he's fine, he's fine, he's fine. Always got a broken leg.

[A]

Okay. All right.

[C]

And then there was got Gabe Karimi, Mark Colombo.

[A]

Colombo, yeah, with the back.

[C]

Chris Williams from Vanderbilt. Remember the tackle with the bad back?

[A]

Yep.

[C]

Remember when we saw him walking in.

[A]

Bourbon a, like an 85 year old man?

[C]

Yeah. We say, well, we know he's got a back issue. So look, and your doctors make your decisions and you decide if you're going to exercise a bit. Colston Loveland.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

Colston Loveland, dealing with an injury. Kieran Amagaji, dealing with an injury. This is, this is football. It happens all the time. But for something as important as a quarterback, I hope that we find out ultimately that the Broncos knew everything they needed to know and this is everything they say it is.

[A]

Because otherwise, but, but dealing with an injury and dealing with a predisposed condition, that could be a chronic issue. That's, that's completely different than a guy, oh yeah, in his senior year he had this issue, but he's going to be fight. Now a back, on the other hand is something I would be really concerned about. A back would be an area for me that I, I would really have to go really, really long and hard with my medical staff to say, yeah, you know, he might have back issues, but it's going to be fine. A guy breaks his leg or breaks an arm his senior year, I'm not going to let that, you know, deter me from, from taking the guy if I want to in that position in the draft. But a guy with a predisposed condition in his ankle that, oh yeah, it's going to break, well, God, you know, fingers crossed it doesn't happen going into the AFC Championship game or fingers crossed it doesn't happen going to the Super Bowl. You know, hopefully it's early in the season. You know that, that's not a way I'd want to operate my football team.

[C]

Especially at his. He was already over aged as a pick, I think. Is it, isn't he already 25?

[A]

Is he really.

[C]

Is he older? I think so. I, I think he came. I think it was already 20, 24, 25.

[A]

Now you might be right. Let me see here.

[C]

Yeah, See how old he is. Because if he's, if his ankle is even older and that is.

[A]

Yeah, he's 25.

[C]

Yeah. So he had that going against him already. And if they're saying, look, this is part of the problem and now it's fine and he doesn't, he's not going to develop an arthritic condition, but anytime you're increasing the number of surgeries, it ain't good.

[A]

Yeah. And he turns 26 the end of February.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. February 25th. 26.

[C]

How old is Caleb?

[A]

24. Isn't he? Or three.

[C]

24. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's, I mean, that's a big difference when you start talking about the value of a pick like that. But either way it would, it would have been Jarrett Stidham in the, the super bowl regardless. So.

[A]

Yeah, he'll be 25 in November. Caleb.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah. You know, and it's, it's one thing to talk about a kid, you know, if there's a kid that needs multiple surgeries in the same joint, you know, you're talking about an 8, 9, 10 year old kid. You're not, you're talking about a body that's not developed and still growing and plates are still moving and developing. I mean, a 25 year old man who's had three surgeries in the same ankle, that just doesn't, oh, you know, that'll heal as he grows. No, that's where you're at, man. That's the condition.

[C]

It's a little different for somebody who's a normal sized human being than it would be for a basketball player. Or look at Kyle Long, for example. Once that started going, that was it. Yeah. And however many surgeries he had on, on that, on that foot, that was it. That's a big human being that's got to move real fast and it makes, it's like what we've been saying about the difficulty that Ozzie Tropillo is going to have coming back from his torn patellar tendon and looking at the histories there and the comps and how difficult it may be.

[A]

But yeah, and as you mentioned, what, 55% don't make full recovery and at that position with that injury. Yep. And if my math is right, that's more than half, Dan.

[C]

See, that's why you're good. That's how we have you here, so you can do all of the complicated mathematical work for us.

[A]

But you know, it's just, you add this to the, the weird story of the Bo Knicks season because, you know, the game ends and then, all right, they have the press conference and then Sean Payton comes back out 20 minutes later to another press conference says, oh, Bo Nix is having surgery, season's done, and now it's like, oh, yeah, well, we knew that there was a condition. And you know, he's had several surgeries going back to high school, but he's going to be fine going forward. It's just. It's a really weird story, and I'm glad I'm not invested as a Broncos fan, because otherwise I would care more. But it's just. It's weird. It's odd. It's a really strange happening to. I mean, I think. And Sean Payton's weird, too, in my. What happened to him? I don't know. Like, does he have, like, a condition where his hands have swollen or. His hands always been that big, Just look like they're, like, odd size. The press conference, they just look. They looked weird. And he's gotten old, too.

[C]

The first time I saw Sean Payton. The first time I saw Sean Payton, I was at Soldier Field Soldiers watching the scab Bears play the Saints.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that's right. He was.

[C]

And he was quarterbacking the Bears. Bad. I should. I feel bad. I feel like I was. I wasn't supporting the striking players by even going to that game. I was back in town from college, like, oh, we have Bears tickets. I go to Bears games.

[A]

I was like, oh, you're. You are a bad fan.

[C]

Yeah, well, you know, they were. The Bears were good, and Mike Hoenzy was rallying them until. Until somebody got to Mike Hoenzee and said, stop being good.

[A]

Another note on the Broncos, too. They fire their offense coordinator, Joe Lombardi. Okay, so you have, you know, you have a game with your backup quarterback who hadn't taken a snap in a couple of years that you thought was going to be the greatest MVP player of all time, and then your OC gets fired. You know, after the. After that game, that Blizzard game in the second half, that just.

[C]

We expected better of you.

[A]

A lot of. A lot of. A lot of odd wrinkles from the end of the Denver Broncos season.

[C]

Well, there's oddness all over the league right now. John Gruden was apparently approached by the jets as they're looking to amass offensive minds there. Aaron Glenn, who looks like he doesn't know what he's doing, has been allowed to keep casting off all of these assistants. He keeps firing Greg Walker. So I think that's what. That's what I keep. Every time there's a Jets story and there's another assistant coach gone, I keep picturing another Greg Walker walking out of the front door in his White Sox uniform. That's it. Greg Walker's fired. He's White Sox hitting coaches. Off they go. Here goes Gary Ward. Here goes Von Joshua.

[A]

Aaron Glenn has a press conference. Yeah. Today we've decided to let Greg Walker go.

[C]

Yes. Once again, we realize the problem is Greg Walker, the White Sox hitting coach, and that's why we're firing him again today. And they asked John, and John Gruden's like, no, why are we talking to John Gruden?

[A]

I saw that it was an undisclosed, like, senior consultant role. So I, I don't, like, I don't know what's happening. What's happening with the Jets. Like, you know, I. Aaron Glenn seems like a real likable guy. You know, he'd be like a guy that I'd like to root for as my coach, but what a disaster. What a mess.

[C]

And the fact that we know that the owner has his grandkids essentially running the team because they're playing Madden and, and just sending him text messages or emails or however they talk to grandpa like, hey, grab it. Here's what you should do. Okay. They must know.

[A]

Well, you know, it's just another season that we get to hear, you know, from former score colleague who we got to hear from yesterday, which was really nice during the Terry tribute. Mike Greenberg, huge Jets fan. I was, I was looking forward to hearing his thoughts on his honesty, but it's, man, it's like, it's like, you know, going through years of Cubs, you know, desert land, you know, desert life of just, you know, wow, you know, bottom of the barrel in the National League. And then, yeah, I was. I always enjoy hearing Greeny talk about, about the jets, but what, what a, What a nice day yesterday. And to hear his contributions to it was just amazing. I had never, never heard that he was on the board for the who you crapping interaction between TV and Ditka. He was running the board for that. It was great. It was great to hear him tell the story.

[C]

That's amazing. It's amazing.

[A]

Yeah, there was, it was. And so a nice day yesterday. And you did great sitting in for a couple hours. It was fun to hear. Thanks.

[C]

And it was fun to hear until you dropped an F bomb.

[A]

Yeah, I know. I'm just, I'm so used to it now. I'm just comfortable that we can swear. My favorite part of it, though, I gotta tell you, was when a whole string of producers got to, you know, got a couple minutes each person. So it was like Shep and Matt Rodewald was in there too, as an update guy. And Joe Ostrowski and BMAC and Chefkowski made the comment about, like, this is the portion of the guest that he referred to as Murderer's Row. It was really Funny.

[C]

Well, I thought the best line of the day, the winner of the day was Chris Ronge.

[A]

Oh, box. Yep.

[C]

Who comes on at 7 o' clock and welcomes everyone to the Terry Bors Dead post game show.

[A]

Yep. Very funny. Very funny. Because you know who would have laughed at that?

[C]

Terry Corset.

[A]

Terry.

[C]

Oh, my God. I'm still laughing at it. I just. For him to decide, like I'm going to say this and to lean into it, say, it was just awesome.

[A]

Yep. It really, really was.

[C]

It really was slayed. We've got a new Browns head coach. Did you see this?

[A]

I do. I did see this. Yes.

[C]

Todd Monken. My guy, Todd Monken. They did it. He's fun. This is the guy with his play sheet in his pants.

[A]

Yeah. And I just, I like the fact that they hired an offensive guy.

[C]

Mm.

[A]

I mean, I still don't know what they're going to do with Shador Sanders. And I, I again, I saw some, you know, some plays, you know, some flashes a little bit in that. In that Bears game. And I can say that's honestly the most I've watched him play. I don't know if he's the future for them, if he can develop into an NFL quarterback. I don't know if it's there or not, but I'm glad that they at least went with an offensive guy because they have a question mark at quarterback. So let's get a. Let's bring a guy in to help the quarterback develop and grow. Someone new. Yeah.

[C]

Local guy. He's from Wheaton, Illinois. He went to Knox College, the school of hard knocks. Great little Division 3 liberal arts school, as everybody knows, and the guys certainly worked his way up. When you look at his history of everything he's done in all the places he's been. Probably best known as an offensive coordinator for his work with Georgia under KIRBY Smart from 2020 through 2022. But he is, he's another one of these guys who can be a little ornery, doesn't necessarily suffer fools. He can answer questions brusquely or curtly. And he's. He's the cousin of Jeff Monkin, who's the head coach at Army. His younger brother used to coach St. Charles east and West Chicago, and he's the defensive coordinator Glenbard South. But the, the Monkin coaching family is a thing. Is the head coach of the Cleveland Browns is.

[A]

This is his first head coaching opportunity.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Longtime coordinator. I mean, in the NFL. As, as, as far as he know, this is the first one.

[C]

No, he Was the head coach of Southern miss from 2013 to 2015.

[A]

Okay. But NFL wise, he's always been a coordinator.

[C]

His NFL experience is Brown's offensive coordinator. In 2019, it was the Buccaneers first offensive coordinator and wide receivers, then offensive coordinator alone for the Bucks. Browns offensive coordinator, then to Georgia, then back to Baltimore as OC and now head coach of the Browns.

[A]

What year was that? With Tampa as the OC who did he have as quarterback?

[C]

2016, 2017 and 2018.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

So was that. Was that.

[A]

That's not Jameis Winston? Is that too far ago?

[C]

Jameis in there? I think it'. I think it's too early, maybe, but I don't remember anything distinguishing Tampa's offenses at that time. No, look it up. It wasn't. We were after Bruce Gradkowski at that point, I believe. Right. They had 2018. Buccaneers had Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick.

[A]

Okay. It was. Okay, so it was Winston Fitzpatrick.

[C]

A little bit of Fitz magic in there for him.

[A]

All right, well, congratulations to Todd Monkin. And that. That. That's another job filled.

[C]

But Jim Schwartz might be out now as D.C. right, because he wanted the head coaching job. He might be done. So the. The chairs are still moving around.

[A]

So, yeah, he's. It's not definite that he's done. It's not that Monkin wanted him out, but maybe he pulls himself out of being there after not getting the job he wanted. But if. If Monkin could convince him, make him stay to be part of the staff, that would be a great, great move. Hey, I'm gonna worry about the offense. You worry about the defense. Kind of a similar thing to what Ben Johnson does with. With Dennis Allen. I think you could do a lot worse than trying to keep Jim Schwartz as a defense coordinator.

[C]

No, he's good at his job. I've always found Jim Schwartz a little annoying because it was like, I ride a motorcycle. I wear a leather jacket. I love Pantera. All right, dude, just like.

[A]

Oh, dude. Have you been there lately for the, like, a soup and salad combo?

[C]

No, that. That. That's Panera. Oh, I thought he was saying Pantera.

[A]

Oh. Oh, you're probably right. That. Yeah, that actually Spanish fits.

[C]

Panther.

[A]

Yeah, that fits better.

[C]

Motorcycle. I. I love cheese and broccoli. Soup in a bread bowl.

[A]

Yeah, that makes. Better. It probably wasn't Panera. You're probably right.

[C]

Right. He was. He was like, the world's biggest. Although now that I'm picturing, if you. If Panera decided to do, like, a special combo in memory of Dimebag Darrell, That Would be really cool. Like somebody.

[A]

Somebody.

[C]

I don't know which. Which massive Chinese corporation owns Panera, but whichever one it is, somebody should say, hey, you know, we really should do this. And do. And do a dimebag Daryl special of some kind.

[A]

So, I don't know, some kind of soup or a salad with, you know. You know how they put the Parmesan cheese, Those little plastic baggies that you.

[C]

Oh, the little glassine bags.

[A]

Yeah, that's what it comes with.

[C]

Put a couple Buds in there.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Though I would like to see Jim Schwartz as a spokesman, though, for Panera now and, like, just going face first into her bowl of broccoli, cheddar soup.

[C]

No utensil picture rolling up on the motorcycle like. Like Guy Fieri.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Today on Triple D. Oh, I gotta.

[A]

Check on our guy, too. I told you he fell, right? Broke his leg. He was in a wheelchair. Yeah, well, they were filming one of his shows.

[C]

Oh, yeah, I think you did tell me that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Bad accident. So gotta check. Gotta check out, make sure he's doing all right. We need to get him on the show. I. I gotta. I gotta work that for DBU.

[C]

Why don't you get him in from the 50? That would be great.

[A]

You don't want to talk to him, though. I thought you'd want to talk to him.

[C]

No, I do. I do, but. I know, but he's really. That's your thing. I wouldn't want to. We could.

[A]

Yeah. All right. I'll work on it, see what we can do. All right. But Todd Monken is now the head coach of the Browns. We'll see what happens there. Again, so that leaves us with the Raiders and the Cardinals. Is that it? Raiders, Cardinals. Yeah, because everyone else is done.

[C]

So where's Matt Nagy going to land now? Is Matt Negie still. Yesterday we went through what Andy Reid told him, and it was like, you know, time to go call play somewhere.

[A]

Get out of here.

[C]

Go do your thing.

[A]

Yeah, Matt Nagy's a great guy. I love him. He's a great play caller. I just don't want him here. But he's great. You should take him.

[C]

He'll be a great play caller for someone else.

[A]

Someone else. Not the Chiefs. Yeah. So, right. Raiders and Cardinals. That's all that's left. We do this every show. We should probably write it down somewhere.

[C]

Wouldn't that be a smart thing to do? To write it?

[A]

Yeah, they just cross it off after one gets hired. Or.

[C]

Or we have to keep doing it even well into next season.

[A]

Right. When they. Even after all the coaches have been hired, we can.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Debate open job. All right. We're gonna leave it at Raiders and Cardinals.

[C]

Okay. And good luck.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

If that's all those accurate.

[A]

We'll see.

[C]

Todd Monket. I would. I can't wait to see how that plays out. I can't wait to see what his relationship is like with see the media responsibilities of a coordinator might have suited him just right.

[A]

Somebody the head coach might overwhelm him or be too much.

[C]

I don't know. I don't know. Somebody say why, why do you put your laminated play sheet in the front of your pants? Where else am I going to put it?

[A]

Well, we'll, you know, we can check in with our guy in the season. Yep.

[C]

He'll love him.

[A]

Our Brown love Ford. Oh, definitely. He'll love.

[C]

Oh, those guys will be going out for Wings together within a week probably.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

No question. I think he'll absolutely take to that. Do we have any Bears news? I don't think we do. I think we do not. I think the Bears are taking their time off. And you know what? There was another thing that I was thinking about too. As we go through Bears withdrawal now, there were seasons in the past where we used to think about, okay, what are the embarrassing off season Bears headlines going to be? Because this is what the coaches used to refer to as. As like scary phone call time. Because when your players are out of your building and left to their own devices, this is when sometimes people make some bad choices and there are some bad judgments and the phone rings at three in the morning or another time, you're like, hey, you gotta talk to your guy here. We just picked him up for something. Or this had happened. That happens less and less now in the NFL. And I had to think about, yeah, there was a time when we would openly say, like, well, it's not a matter of who's going to get arrested, it's how many. It happened at Ryan polls first year, remember they had a bunch of guys, a bunch of guys with gun charges and doing stupid things and then they fired their player relations guy. Polls came in. He's like, why, why are you bugging me with all these issues? Why do we have all these get rid of all these players and get rid of the people in charge of relating to these players or telling the players how to behave. They clean that out in a hurry.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, of course you can't guarantee that none of that kind of stuff happens off the football field, but I think the, the head coach kind of sets the tone of things and I mean, we can look back at some of the all time greats, look at the, the Dallas Cowboys, the of the 90s, and that was, that was all ego driven stuff. Even, you know, with, with Jimmy Johnson and you know, even in the 80s with, with Ditka and how that, that became bigger than football itself. And that was all ego driven. You know, your head coach sets the tone. And there's no, again, there's no guarantee that players don't step out of bounds even, you know, in the off season. But, you know, your coach turned the page. He's looking forward to 2026. I think that that kind of tone kind of permeates through the players who really want to take what happened in 2025 and say, man, I don't want to feel like this again, you know, that it's too valuable, it's too important. I don't want to walk away at the end of the season going, I left something out on the field in a game that we probably should have won and gave away. I don't want to feel that way again.

[C]

And another part of that too is the way the outreach is conducted, the way the communication is. You, you want them to get away. You don't want to bug anybody. Right? But you also, yeah, but you also want to, you want players to know that the support systems are there, that, hey, if you need something, if there's a question, and especially when it comes to the supplements, when it comes to what you're taking, what you're endorsing, run that by the league. There is a hotline. You call immediately, you say, this is the product. Please research every ingredient in this product. Can I take it that you, that you. I hope that before everybody leaves you, at every exit interview, there's a reminder and every player is given a little card or something on their phone or a team app where they say automatically, if you ever need anything, reach out here. Or they can put out little ways to keep in touch that reminds everybody, you know, we're not, we're not playing right now, we're not in training camp right now, but you're still representing our organization and you still have some things that may have an effect on your career here or elsewhere.

[A]

Right? And then get out the door, stop.

[C]

Thinking about football, go play golf, go fishing.

[A]

And then here's the date. And when this date hits, be ready, 100% all in. Yep. Yeah.

[C]

And that's, I'm a little more confident that there is that because, because otherwise a lot of that rah rah stuff and everything people said is kind of garbage. You know, you, you prove it on the field and you prove it in the way you take care of your own business. And I think at the NFL level that the trust is there for, for players to be professionals. And I think that it's been actually notable. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I don't think for a lot of teams now the presumption of off field troubles is there the way it used to be. And that's because the, the NFL is growing up and there's a lot more at stake and they're, I think they're better at helping out the players who might need a little more structure and a little more support.

[A]

And it's just, it's really nice too that we're not sitting here, you know, a week, a little week plus from the super bowl saying, all right, here's how the Bears need to overhaul their roster through the draft. Here's how, here's how the Bears need to overhaul their roster with free agency. What can we do with cap space? It's so nice, it's so nice that we're looking at the draft in free agency as supplementing a division champion. We're going to supplement it to see what we can do to go further and not an overhaul.

[C]

And apparently early reports of this year's draft say it is rich in edge rushers.

[A]

Rich edge rusher, good guy.

[C]

Rich edge rusher. Yes. Yeah, not to be using rich ramen. That's our cat. Different rich ramen, different guy.

[A]

But yeah, that's what I've heard, I've heard from a few different people that I, I check in on for draft stuff. And yeah, the edge rushers, it's, it's going to be one of the, one of the best drafts you can have.

[C]

Good. Well, we will leave it at that. For today's Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears and NFL podcast here on 312 Sports. Progress is stopped.

[A]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.

[B]

If getting more fiber and protein while reducing net carbs, sugar and calories fits your health goals for the new year. Get better macros in your go to dishes Herobread from a quick 19 gram protein breakfast bagel to Taco Tuesday for the family. Your favorite recipes are covered. They have sliced bread, tortillas, bagels and more with protein and high fiber. And there's 05 grams of net carbs and 0 grams of sugar. To help hit your goals with easy swaps for your favorite bready dishes, Herobread is offering 10% off your order. Go to Hero Co and use code HERO26 at checkout. That's 10% off with code HERO26 at HERO CO. All figures per serving of Hero Bread contains up to 18 grams of fat per serving. Not a low calorie food. See nutrition facts on Hero Copy.