← Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast
Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast
Bill Huber - SI.com Green Bay Packers beat reporter
00:33:27
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- [00:01]
Narrator
Several homes in the suburb of Northwood had the most beautiful landscaping.
- [00:05]
Dan Bernstein
Such perfection.
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Narrator
The neighbor responsible retiree Arvin Shreve.
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Guest/Survivor
It reminded me of Mr. Rogers.
- [00:11]
Narrator
But Arvin hid a dark secret. My mom took me to this house.
- [00:14]
Dan Bernstein
And then I never lived with her again. Arvin's message was I have a key.
- [00:18]
Guest/Survivor
To get you into heaven.
- [00:19]
Narrator
Gardens of Evil is the unbelievable story of the Zion Society cult told by those who lived it. Find Gardens of Evil inside the Zion Society cult. Wherever you listen to podcasts, VRBO makes.
- [00:31]
Bill Huber
It easy to claim your dream summer spot with early booking deals from homes with pools to poolside loungers.
- [00:37]
Dan Bernstein
When you book a vrbo, you don't have to reserve any loungers. They're all yours. Get that early booking deal@vrbo.com Limu Emu.
- [00:47]
Matt Abeticola
And Doug Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual.
- [00:59]
Dan Bernstein
Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally by Doug Limu.
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Bill Huber
Is that guy with the binoculars watching us? Cut the camera. They see us.
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Matt Abeticola
Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com Savings very unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company affiliates excludes Massachusetts. I mean, if you're a Bears fan.
- [01:20]
Bill Huber
You'Re thinking forward progress. Come on.
- [01:30]
Matt Abeticola
Forward Progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 sports.
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Dan Bernstein
We award you forward progress on 312 sports. It's a Chicago Bears podcast. Now getting ready for the latest game of the year for the Bears. And despite Kevin Warren and George McCaskey's best efforts to distract you and to hijack the spirit spotlight to steal all the attention, we, at least on this pod, are focused on football and on what looks like once again, something that should be a hell of a game. And despite injuries, despite everything else, just the matchup of these two coaching minds on what looks like it's going to be a really nice day for football. Temperatures expected to be around 40 degrees during the day and certainly playable on into the evening. Just counting down the hours before this one gets going, as we always do and try to do for you on Fridays, we are going to give you an opposing scouting report this time. It is coming from our guest, Bill Huber of Sports illustrated. Bill Huber, NFL, who has been on the Green Bay beat since 2008. He joins us on forward progress. Bill, how are you?
- [02:54]
Guest/Survivor
I'm good.
- [02:54]
Bill Huber
How about you guys?
- [02:56]
Matt Abeticola
We're doing great, man. Thanks for taking the time. I know you're relatively new to the beat, so you know hopefully we have some information to learn. So you've been doing this a long time, man. That's good. Good for you. What's it been like for you from going back to 2008 to where you are now, the transition of quarterbacks and head coaches? Where's the team at for you right now?
- [03:13]
Bill Huber
You know, it's been remarkable, like, during my time, like, you got to go back to the Rodgers to Cobb touchdown for, like, the last, like, really big Packers Bears game. This really wasn't so much as a rivalry. It's kind of a bullying, right? I mean, just like the Bears beat the snot out of the packers year after year after year for a couple decades now. It's been three decades of packers dominance, and it looks like it's finally a rivalry, guys. Which is fun, right? I mean, who. Who wants to see, you know, whether it's the packers beating the Bears or the other way around, me. He wants to see one team beat the other, like, every single game out, you know, so it's.
- [03:46]
Dan Bernstein
It's.
- [03:46]
Bill Huber
The coaches are good. You know, I think I was not quite sold on Jordan Love. I am now. Looks like Caleb Williams is going to be really good. These guys are going to be at the top of the division or right at the top of the division for a decade longer. I mean, what more could you want?
- [04:01]
Dan Bernstein
We made a lot about the perfunctory handshake between the two coaches after the last game. They downplayed it. We know that when Ben Johnson took the job, there was just sort of a playful barb that was thrown in the direction of his counterpart. How are these guys and the amount of love lost between them. How much is just kind of a wrestling bit that they're allowing to happen? And how much is an actual rivalry between the coaches?
- [04:31]
Bill Huber
Yeah, I can't get in the mind of Matt LaFleur. He's downplayed it. But if I was him, I'd be like, what the hell are you doing? What do I have to do with this? You know, I get it from. From Ben's perspective, you're trying to win the press conference and say the right things to the fans. I get from what he's saying, but if you're a LaFleur, you're like, what the. What do I have to do with it? So, I mean, if Leflore is annoyed, I don't blame him for what Johnson said. I don't blame him either. I mean, you know, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Like the shampoo commercial says and so. But yeah, if I'm leflore, I'm annoyed. I certainly want to win the game. But he wants to win this game for far bigger reasons than, you know, some January comments, obviously.
- [05:08]
Matt Abeticola
So you mentioned Jordan Love, that you weren't, you weren't sold on Jordan Love. Now you are. Well, I'm curious to know the transition there for you. What did you see at first? What. And what won you over for, for the quarterb.
- [05:19]
Bill Huber
Yeah. I mean, look at his first two years. He was bottom half of the league in completion percentage and. Right. Kind of tore the top in interceptions. I mean, that's not winning football. I mean, look, this is Green Bay, it's supposedly title town. You're not going to win a championship when your quarterback's ranking 20th in completions and he's among the league leaders interceptions. You're gonna win football games that you're not gonna win the important ones this year. I. He's top 10 in completion percentage. You know, somewhere around there he's cut back, way back on the interceptions. Until last week he threw a couple buddies. I mean he's, he's completing passes to the right guys rather than the wrong guys. So that's an obvious starting point. And again, he fell short in the key moments last week at Denver, but he went into that game, I think, right behind Caleb as far as fourth quarter comebacks and game winning drives. So why, why does the quarterback get paid a gazillion dollars? He's paid a bunch of money to win football games that he won. He, he'd been the decisive factor in a few of them. And to me that's, that's what it takes.
- [06:23]
Dan Bernstein
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has heard his name mentioned as a possible head coach. Somebody who is already in that group of, of those who might be interviewed, that next group. And he's got a big test here without the guy that made it all happen for this defense in Micah Parsons. And you know, we can sit here all day and talk about X's and O's and sliding protections and just how much of what they do had been based off how disruptive Parsons could be. And I think that there is, it sounds like there's a level of confidence that the packers had been a pretty good defense before Parsons even got there. How much of that is them sort of reminding themselves, you know, whistling past the graveyard that everything is okay and how much of that is just true?
- [07:15]
Bill Huber
I think it's true. Look, first of all, athletes, as you guys know, they, they don't think like You. They don't think like me. I can say that the season ended at Denver when Parsons went down.
- [07:27]
Dan Bernstein
Did you?
- [07:28]
Bill Huber
Yeah, but they don't, they don't have to believe it. And they, and they don't. Which is why again they, it's why they, they are who they are. I mean they're great athletes for one, but they just don't think like the rest of us do. They're way too competitive to say, well, that's it, let's go schedule some tee times. Last year they were sixth in the NFL in scoring. Michael Parsons was with the Cowboys. They're eighth this year. So statistically they're basically, they're the same. They're, you know, total yards and points allowed, they're about the same. They forced a whole bunch more turnovers last year than they did this year. They're doing some better things this year than last year. But by and large, statistically it's, they're really not a whole lot different from last year when they didn't have Parsons. So yeah. Can, can Green Bay play, play up for the defense? Yeah, of course they can because they played it for 17 games last year. The defense wasn't why they lost the Eagles in the playoffs. It's because the special team screwed up and everybody got hurt on offense. So yeah, I think when Green Bay says that they can play winning defense, look, they came in August, they thought they were a championship worthy defense. That's when Parsons was still with the Cowboys. Yeah, honestly, they believe it and I think they've. Their defense is plenty good enough to get them maybe where they want to go. And you know, the NFC is really good, but I don't know, there's like any team that just, you know, makes it shake, makes anybody shaking their boots. Like the Bears have a heck of a chance too, right? I mean, I think going back to the Rams game, I thought the Rams are by far the best team because their defense is good. They just got destroyed in the fourth quarter by Seattle. So yeah, it's anyone's game. I think Green Bay's got a shot at it.
- [09:03]
Matt Abeticola
Now looking at this game for both, both sides of the ball, both teams have a lot of players on the injury report. Packers list is a little bit longer than the Bears. Lots of questionable guys though for the, the Packers. So two guys I just want to ask about because I didn't even realize that Jordan Love had a shoulder issue. It's his non throwing shoulder. What was that he was dealing with? Obviously no, he wasn't limited at all. In practice, he's playing. He's fine. But what's going on with his shoulder?
- [09:30]
Bill Huber
Yeah, he scrambled and got hit against the Giants like five weeks ago. Okay. There was a time where he was handing off with his wrong hand to kind of make it work, but, yeah, he's fine. He's been full participation here for a bit, and he'll scramble, he'll take some hits. He's basically on injury report because he.
- [09:45]
Matt Abeticola
Has to be okay. And then what about Christian Watson? He'll play. He's good to go for this weekend.
- [09:51]
Bill Huber
He says he is. So I don't have any reason to doubt him. You know, he. That he was hospitalized on Sunday. He practiced on Wednesday and Thursday. Again, it's. Again, it's another point where these guys are just not like the rest of us. Yeah, he's tougher than me. He's had a lot of injury issues throughout his career, but he'll play through this one.
- [10:08]
Dan Bernstein
There's a bit of a problem that's been developing on the packers, and that is keeping their tempers in check. And I know this is something that you wrote about the. We saw it watching Keshan Nixon sort of taking the bait against Luther Burden. Burden will not be playing. And then there were three unnecessary roughness penalties in the first half for the packers in the Broncos game. It was. This was Parsons previously and then Kingsley and Agbare. Is this something that is endemic to them right now? If it was enough to draw a public warning from Matt LaFleur, is this part of the way that Halfley coaches some guys to just kind of like, be at that arousal level, to kind of be on the edge? Does it take anything away to get that warning?
- [11:02]
Bill Huber
Yeah, it's a good question, LaFleur. Seriously. No, I. When I asked it the other day, he was like, he's. The phrase. I take it personal. It has been. Endemic is probably a good word for it, though. I mean, this is not just a. I mean, they've been pretty good about it this year, but there's been games like these big games I think they get. There is obviously that fine line that you got to get to between being aggressive and going too far. And they've had, you know, Keyshawn Nixon has been kind of a ringleader of that over the years, and so has Enigma, he said. Had a couple of them. You know, Nixon says he'll be fine for this game. He seems to have really taken the coach's message to heart that, you know, special teams coordinator Rich Basachic called it selfish penalties Keyshawn Nixon took the blame for it, too. I forget the exact wording that he used. We talked about it yesterday with him. So, yeah, it's. It is a problem. You mean you just can't. You can't give away 15 yards? I mean, on. In the Denver game, Parsons finally drew a holding penalty. It's been like eight weeks since he'd drawn a holding penalty. So it's first and 20. They throw a short pass out in the flat, they wrap up the Broncos receiver, they pick him up and slam down to the turf. 15 yards, first down, the Broncos go score a touchdown. It's like, what are you doing? Just. It's just, frankly, it's stupid football. And so they better get it fixed because, again, it's really no different than any other team. There's just. No, there's not enough barges for air in these games to just give away 15 yards and points.
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Matt Abeticola
So being around the team and, you know, hearing from the defensive side of the packers, when they talk about Caleb Williams, talk about the Chicago Bears this game coming up on Saturday, what are you picking up on? What do you hear from them as far as their best plan of attack against Caleb Williams? Like, how do they prevent him from making these superman plays that he makes or getting throws downfield? What's the best approach that they're going to take against Caleb?
- [12:52]
Bill Huber
Yeah, they got to set up the run better than they did last week or last week two weeks ago. I mean, it's like the defense, the run defense was fine, but the Bears just continually, especially the second half, they just moved the pile again and again and again. So places should have been third and five became third and two. So if you stop the run, you can kind of take away some of that bootleg stuff where he's really lethal. So I think that's the starting point. Then you just got to get the guy to the turf. Which is easy for me to say, you know, on this podcast, because, I mean, we've seen Caleb do it again and again. It's like vintage Aaron Rodgers, really, where Aaron Rodgers was dead to rights and he just somehow wiggles his way out of it and throws a 25 yard pass for a big play. So, yeah, I think it starts with the run and taking away some of that action stuff. So then it becomes more, drop that game. You probably got a better chance against him.
- [13:35]
Dan Bernstein
How much do they miss Tucker Kraft?
- [13:39]
Bill Huber
Yeah, I got no words for you. It's like, I mean, it's not quite Micah Parsons level, but, I mean, I looked at it Last week before the Denver game, he was fourth and third or fourth in the league among tight ends in Yak. He missed like a month of football at that point. I mean, it's just, it was absurd. He was the one guy that you could throw the ball for 2 yards. He didn't get you 10. I mean, his mindset was to never get tackled by the first guy, which is a great mindset to have, but he actually did it more often than not. He was, it was absurd. He led the league and missed tackles by tight ends last year. He's two years in a row. He's gonna lead the tight ends and yards after the catch per catch among tight ends. He's just, he's a freight train and a really good run blocker in, in a league where so many tight ends now are just overgrown receivers who don't want to be bothered with the blocking stuff. I mean, he was a legit three down guy. He was, he was a stud and that was a, just a massive blow to him. Luke Musgrave is a decent enough player, but he's. They can put all their tight ends in the world out there. None of them are Tucker Craft combined.
- [14:39]
Narrator
Northwood was a quiet, idyllic American suburb. But the beautiful landscaping hid a dark secret.
- [14:44]
Dan Bernstein
The horror that happened inside those homes was such a pretty facade, it just didn't make sense.
- [14:50]
Narrator
The immaculate yards were designed by retired landscaper Arvin Shreve.
- [14:54]
Guest/Survivor
He reminded me of Mr. Rogers, but.
- [14:56]
Narrator
Arvin was not who he appeared to be.
- [14:58]
Matt Abeticola
He's proclaiming to be a prophet.
- [15:00]
Bill Huber
Arvin's message was, if you do all.
- [15:02]
Dan Bernstein
These things for me sexually, then I.
- [15:04]
Guest/Survivor
Have key to get you into heaven.
- [15:06]
Narrator
My mom took me to this house.
- [15:07]
Dan Bernstein
And then I never lived with her again.
- [15:09]
Narrator
My podcast, Gardens of Evil tells the unbelievable story of the Zion Society cult and an investigator who rescued dozens of children from the clutches of a predator. It reveals tactics used by abusers like Arvin or anyone who manipulates for their own selfish ends. And it's the story of resilient survivors who are finding ways to heal three decades later.
- [15:29]
Dan Bernstein
Forgive yourself.
- [15:30]
Bill Huber
Keep moving forward.
- [15:31]
Dan Bernstein
You didn't know any better.
- [15:33]
Narrator
Find Gardens of Evil inside the Zion Society cult. Wherever you listen to podcasts, the holidays.
- [15:40]
Guest/Survivor
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- [17:13]
Matt Abeticola
Mentioned Aaron Rodgers, and I know it's been a few years removed since he was with the team, but what is the, the overall sentiment about Aaron Rodgers, looking at it from like a Packers fan viewpoint or the organization? Because, you know, he goes to the jets, he gets injured, he misses a year, he has an average year and now he's with the Steelers and he is his own guy and an odd bird at times. But what's the overall perspective or thought sentiment of, of, of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay?
- [17:38]
Bill Huber
Yeah, I mean, it's not like the Brett Favre love hate thing at the time, but there's a considerable number of fans, I think, who, who got tired of them and they didn't, they didn't win enough big games and some of that was Aaron and a lot of it was defensive meltdowns and epic disasters, injuries at the wrong time. So as part of that, as we probably all recall, Covid was a interesting time and people around both sides of it had passionate and bullheaded views about it. I'm not going to get into who's right or wrong on it, but I think there's a lot of fans who didn't like the way Aaron talked about it or handled it. So yeah, I think there's some lingering feelings there. I think when it's time for him to retire and he goes to the hall of Fame, I think that'll, that'll all be gone. I mean, he was, that was freaking great. I mean, as much as Brett Favre dominated the Bears and Aaron Rodgers just, I mean, he owned the Bears. I mean.
- [18:33]
Matt Abeticola
Oh, we know, we know. Frustrating.
- [18:37]
Bill Huber
It's like he was the quarterback. He just had this Mastery of. Of making big plays but never making big mistakes or almost never making them. He was. Is unbelievable.
- [18:46]
Dan Bernstein
Now that this rivalry is rekindled in a way that it is really worth it because like you say, this could be a dog fight for the years to come. The way this is setting up, it's great for everybody involved because it's certainly fun football. My guess is you're around our age and we were talking earlier about memories of the rivalry and we'd been talking about Kenny Stills and Mark Lee and Charles Mart and hell, I go back as a kid to the Chester Markhole Alan Page blocked field goal and remembering even John Brockington and some of that stuff. When it comes to your early. The Bears, packers memories that are seared in your mind, what are they?
- [19:34]
Bill Huber
Yeah, I was. In fact, I just wrote about Mark Lee and all that a minute ago for something else I'm writing. So I was what, 12 at the time? Yeah, I mean, that was my memories of it. It's like, it's like we were talking about earlier, like it was a rivalry, but one team was the bully and sure as hell wasn't the packers back then. They were cheap shot artists. Right. You know, there was like, the only thing that mattered was being the Bears. Yeah. Because you stunk as a team.
- [19:59]
Matt Abeticola
I mean, 8.
- [20:00]
Bill Huber
8 was a great year in Green Bay. So that, I mean, that was the early memories. And then it just became how the tables turned with, with Favre. Like, Green Bay just won every game and generally throttle them every game. So there's a lot of. I mean, it's our generation. I can MSMELL it's what, two generations of packers fans who have no idea about it. You know, the Bears might very well win on Saturday. There'll be a lot of Packer fans melting down over it because they just have. They've never seen it like the. So, yeah, it's great. It's great. This is, it's. This sport is so much better when these guys are playing. Involved in football games rather than just playing football games, you know.
- [20:40]
Matt Abeticola
Hey, Bill, we do. I do appreciate your time. Thanks for, for jumping on this morning with us and spending some time. Look forward to catching up with you down the road as well. Are you. Are you heading down to Soldier Field for the game on Saturday?
- [20:50]
Bill Huber
On Saturday. It'll be great. Yeah, Looking forward to it.
- [20:52]
Matt Abeticola
Okay, good. Well, safe travels to you and enjoy the game. Enjoy the, the nice weather. It's a little cold today, but it's gonna be a lot, lot nicer on Saturday. So look forward to a really, really good game between both teams. Thanks for your time, pal.
- [21:04]
Bill Huber
All right, take care, guys. Appreciate it.
- [21:06]
Dan Bernstein
That's Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated who has been covering the packers in one way or another, I think since the late 90s Green Bay Press Gazette and has been with SI doing SI since 08.
- [21:18]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, but long time, long time guy.
- [21:21]
Dan Bernstein
Did you notice last night, by the way, and I think they did talk about this on the broadcast, that Sean McVay was using 13 personnel? So I was, I was taking some notes on. Okay, just in general watching what you can do with three tight ends. It's one running back, three tight ends and a wide receiver. So we know the Bears are down two wide receivers. Cole Comet said yesterday he is going to play. You got Loveland, and at least as a blocker, you have Durham Smythe. So I was thinking, why not, why not test exactly what he was talking about, having a third and two instead of a third and six. Because you're moving people. And especially what makes it so exciting for us and for anybody who follows the Bears to have trust in a coach that he's got a little something for you. No matter, no matter that he's put. There's a couple plays that he put in, maybe not even not this week. Maybe he had him in camp and he said, guys, I'm going to put this in. Just remember it. I may not call on this until later in the season and maybe this is the week for some stuff. And I'm interested because he's not afraid to use it. I think Last Night with McVay was the first time I saw a flea flicker that was used for something other than a deep pass. It was used pretty much just to hold a layer of linebackers that they were willing to sort of endanger the ball in the way that they were. But they did a lot with these three tight end formations using play action. And it does set up some individualized play action opportunities. If you trust your quarterback to read it properly. And it's got to be from under center, that was the other. My other takeaway from that is just doing it out of the shotgun. Basically cuts the knees off of it. If you're gonna run these heavy packages and you're gonna change your, your, your matchups on the outside, do it under center because then the timing works and the angles all work better. But if, if the wideouts are. If you know, John A. Walker is going to be active. We have yet to hear today if there's going to be a practice squad elevation of as a Peterson or Alexander and Lamade. Zacchaeus is going to have to make up for that game. When he lost his job, he's going to have to make up for the drops that he had because he was, when the season started a much bigger part of their passing offense.
- [24:08]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, he certainly was and he was included a lot more insignificant in the game plan. But you know, and obviously I want Rome to play. I want Luther to. I mean you'd be crazy to say, oh it's not, not that big of a deal. But I'm also not, not. It's not like panic mode because you still have Colson Loveland, you still have DJ Moore, you have Cole Comet Loveland and more. I think Loveland has four touchdowns on the year. Moore has five touchdowns and Rome leads the team with six.
- [24:31]
Dan Bernstein
After getting off, by the way, Loveland closing in on the second best rookie tight end year in Bears history.
- [24:39]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, so I mean obviously, obviously I want those guys to play but. But I'm not too concerned about the passing game with the guys they still have out there with Ben Johnson be able to game plan and to and to get those opportunities for those guys to play. You know, if DJ's feeling himself a little bit after that two touchdown game, this is a great time to feel yourself going into this game. You know, it's the first time he's been part of a winning team since high school. Isn't that crazy?
- [25:05]
Dan Bernstein
I guess that's right.
- [25:06]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah.
- [25:07]
Dan Bernstein
What's his first time having an actual quarterback in a long time?
- [25:11]
Matt Abeticola
It sure is. But first, first winning, winning season since high school.
- [25:15]
Dan Bernstein
Wow. Well, certainly glad to see him peaking this year at just the right time when they need him to be as important as he is.
- [25:26]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. A couple things I just wanted to share too real quick. We talked about these the other day and it's just things if you didn't know about the Green Bay Packers A League Best 10% missed tackle rate against running backs. And then when we dove a little deeper into the, into the missed tackle numbers, the Bears and Packers are right there together as far as their tackle.
- [25:45]
Dan Bernstein
Last game they weren't.
- [25:46]
Matt Abeticola
Well, not last game they weren't. No, they weren't. But it just, it seemed like when we talked about it that it would have been a bigger differential between the two teams because the packers look like they hit you and if it's one guy they stop you right there. But the numbers, I mean the Packers I think have their. Bears have two more missed tackles on the season as a team than the packers, so it's pretty close, but where they stand out because they are league best against running backs. Now, that game last time they played two weeks ago, they were giving up 100 yards rushing a game. The packers defense and the Bears in Swift and Mononga, I got 120, so they were greater than the average. Still no real long yards, though. As far as runs, I think Manungai had a nine yard run and Swift at an eight yard run. So they weren't breaking out the long plays, but it was the commitment to the run that the Bears needed in that second half to be able to make some passing opportunities downfield. So I know Ben Johnson will stick with the run. They're going to be committed to the run and we'll see what they can do this week against the packers without Micah Parsons.
- [26:49]
Dan Bernstein
And this is the Fox number one Booth the Bears have for this game. Is that right?
- [26:57]
Matt Abeticola
I want. I want to say that's correct. Yeah, it is. It's. It's your guy Brady, right. Saturday night.
- [27:02]
Dan Bernstein
That's what I think I did. Number one Booth, right?
- [27:04]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
- [27:05]
Dan Bernstein
So Burkhart, Brady, Rinaldi and Aaron Andrews.
- [27:12]
Matt Abeticola
Aaron Andrews, yes.
- [27:13]
Dan Bernstein
Okay. I think Brady's getting better.
- [27:16]
Matt Abeticola
No, he has. And I think we mentioned that maybe going back three or four weeks ago that he, he. It seems like he's actually getting more involved with preparation for the week because it's not just talking about his own experiences or his time or, you know, reliving Patriot things. Actually talking about what's happening on the field with the players. You saw that note in. Or that the article in Awful Announcing about Caleb Williams, speaking of Monday Night Football.
- [27:39]
Dan Bernstein
And I know you wanted to talk about this. I did see that. So apparently in an interview with. I think it was Jimmy Trina of si, Joe Buck mentioned that it wasn't just one interview opportunity that Caleb Williams missed with Troy Aikman, it was two, where they had set up a zoom and they waited on the zoom and Caleb just never showed.
- [28:04]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, he missed a week one, and then the second time they had him Monday Night Football after that was during the broadcast when Troy had that commentary and there was a lot of, oh, why does Troy Hakeman hate Caleb Williams? So that the second time it had happened because he had missed a Monday Night Football prep meeting for week one as well.
- [28:22]
Dan Bernstein
I don't know what's going on there. I just. I wish I had. I don't have a hot take for you. I really.
- [28:26]
Matt Abeticola
No. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But that's, you know, then it shouldn't come as a surprise if you're going to be a little negative. I mean, if you're blown off meetings, which is part of what these guys need for preparation, that's, that's valuable time for them.
- [28:38]
Dan Bernstein
I will say this. If it, if, if Caleb were my kid, I'd have a big issue with it.
- [28:45]
Matt Abeticola
If, if it's something that you're supposed to do with the league, if I'm the coach, I have an issue with it.
- [28:50]
Dan Bernstein
I be what you're supposed to say. Keep your commitments. I'm a big keep your commitment guy, certainly when it comes to parenting, because I think so much of life is just showing up. It's amazing how successful you can be if you just are where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there. It sounds like nothing, but it gets down to planning. It gets down to, you know, how, when do you wake up, how much time do you really think something. Always allow extra time. When in doubt, leave earlier. All that stuff. I'm. You can, you can ask both of my kids how I am on that. So it does, it bugs me a little bit to hear that. I have to say, it really does. Now that I've talked about it. The fact that if there was an appointment, if there was a meeting scheduled and he didn't show up and left them hanging there without a text, without a note saying, hey, my, my therapy went long or my treatment or my practice, whatever it is, or our schedule change, that happens. But to do so without communicating, just bad manners.
- [29:53]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. You know, like I always say, Dan, in my house, that if you're not 15 minutes early, you're late.
- [29:57]
Dan Bernstein
There you go. You're Tom Coughlin.
- [30:00]
Matt Abeticola
Is that who it was? I think it was that, right?
- [30:04]
Bill Huber
Okay.
- [30:05]
Dan Bernstein
Wasn't it Tom Coughlin?
- [30:06]
Matt Abeticola
It might have been, yeah.
- [30:07]
Dan Bernstein
It was after he took over the Jaguars because he was the first coach of the Jaguars and his whole thing when they were an expansion team was just like, we're going to set the tone. And anybody who was on time for a meeting was considered late. And oh, and also no sunglasses and pants. And you weren't at practice, you weren't allowed to sit on your helmet.
- [30:29]
Matt Abeticola
Well, that's a good rule.
- [30:29]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, that's a good rule too.
- [30:31]
Matt Abeticola
But yeah, Tom Coffin, always red faced, even when he wasn't angry.
- [30:35]
Dan Bernstein
Correct. In the cold, he would get wind burned. Right. He would always get really, really red.
- [30:40]
Matt Abeticola
Though, all the time.
- [30:41]
Dan Bernstein
Pink.
- [30:42]
Narrator
Several homes in the suburb of Northwood had the most beautiful landscaping.
- [30:46]
Dan Bernstein
Such perfection.
- [30:47]
Narrator
The Neighbor responsible retiree Arvin Shreve.
- [30:50]
Guest/Survivor
It reminded me of Mr. Rogers.
- [30:52]
Narrator
But Arvin hid a dark secret. My mom took me to this house.
- [30:55]
Dan Bernstein
And then I never lived with her again. Arvin's message was, I have a key.
- [30:59]
Guest/Survivor
To get you into heaven.
- [31:01]
Narrator
Gardens of Evil is the unbelievable story of the Zion Society cult told by those who lived it. Find Gardens of Evil inside the Zion Society cult wherever you listen to podcasts.
- [31:12]
Dan Bernstein
While we're mentioning sort of the television broadcast there, let me just add that the Amazon broadcast on the prime broadcast has gotten really good, top to bottom. I just, I want to. The panel of Karissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth. That's as close to being, like, comfortable with each other. They are clearly friendly enough with each other. It's not forced, it's not fake, and it's pretty good. I think whatever. Whatever Amazon's got going. Their basketball stuff was also really good. And boy, did Adam Silver call out espn. Man, he just destroyed espn.
- [31:56]
Matt Abeticola
Oh, yeah, I heard.
- [31:57]
Dan Bernstein
You hear that? Yeah. Oh, he's like, well, you guys, because I love the way you do it where you. You actually teach the game a little bit. You don't just talk about who wants it more and who's trying hard and who's got energy. You actually explain why things happen, which is just a shot across the bow of espn. But I think that they do it on football really well. I mean, Al Michaels still still has enough of his fastball. Herb Street's getting a little bit more familiar with the feel and the pace and sort of the tenor of the NFL that he's got. And let me also say, as much as we make fun of those animated, prepackaged, like, stat things and silly animations that they do, of those primes are the best. They do the best job of bringing in a little bit of local flavor and just using something local and of the home city as a basis for some of their stuff. And the quality of the graphics is great. They're bumper music. It must be aimed, like, right at me with some of the stuff that they do. There's like, just enough classic hip hop and some classic rock and then some. Some other deeper cuts. They do a really nice job with the overall production of. Of their broadcast, and that. That stuff is. It makes me very optimistic about the quality of their. Their NBA stuff to come.
- [33:19]
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, I think they're.
- [33:20]
Dan Bernstein
The, The.
- [33:21]
Matt Abeticola
The panel stuff is really good. I think that's really good.
- [33:23]
Bill Huber
It's.
- [33:23]
Matt Abeticola
It's very genuine, and it's not. I'M trying to over personality you and be the bigger guy with this hot take or that hot take. I think Thompson leads it really well and it just, it, it flows, it has a really nice flow to it and they kind of work, work really well together. And I like Fitzpatrick too. I really do. I've always, always liked him.
- [33:43]
Dan Bernstein
No, they're all smart and they all like, it's the improv rule where the rule of is always a second city. And they always say work at the highest level of your intelligence. Don't ever dumb yourself down just because you think you're supposed to. And I get the sense that those are the marching orders, that they're able to be themselves, they're able to talk to you like, you know, football. And it just makes it very comfortable.
- [34:10]
Matt Abeticola
All right, so reminder for you that Saturday night Bears and Packers 720 kick. After that game is over, forward progress will be live for our post game show. And it's been fun when we have these, these night games and they've been Monday night, Sunday night games. The post game shows have been a lot of fun. There's always a lot of people that jump on right away and the comments are just flowing right from the start. So if you haven't jumped in on a live post game show yet, give us a try Saturday after the packers game when we're celebrating a Bears victory and their 11th win on the year and hopefully celebrating a Steelers win over the Lions this weekend. So that way we can say Monday, when we come here, the Bears will have clinched a playoff spot after Aaron Rodgers does us a favor and beats the Lions in Detroit.
- [34:56]
Dan Bernstein
And a great way to get in touch with all of the shows that we have at 312 sports, this one included is through our app. And it's an app that you can find in Google Play or the Apple App Store. And then once you get it, register, make sure you say, here's who I am and here's where I'm coming from. And that way you can get registered to win the rewards prizes that we have. And those are dinners at Chicago Firehouse, at Giordano's Shake Shack. And now we've just added a reward that is tickets to see Guns n Roses and Public Enemy when they come to town over the summer.
- [35:34]
Matt Abeticola
Let's go.
- [35:36]
Dan Bernstein
And the keyword for Bears, just B, E, A, R s Bears is going to be your keyword for winning those rewards and that's how we can reach you. Most importantly, once you register, we can say, hey, the guys are about to go on with Forward Progress right after the game. Don't miss it. We just, you know, you can enable those little alerts and notifications to tell you, because a lot of times and it hasn't happened a lot, but sometimes we don't. If there's something that happens in the world of the Bears or elsewhere and we're just jumping on and saying, look, we're going live with something because there's news, we do that too. And you're going to want to be in touch with that. So get all registered through the app and then you got us with you wherever you go.
- [36:16]
Matt Abeticola
All right. Well, thanks for listening to Forward Progress today. Remember, join us Saturday night for our live post game show. We do appreciate you listening and if you're curious about the upcoming holiday week, a full boat of shows. So full boat, full broad of shows. The holidays coming up, we'll still have shows for you. There's some really, really fun stuff scheduled for next week, so make sure you check all those out. Get the 312Sports app at the Apple App Store or Google Play. Go to 312Sports.com subscribe to both YouTube, all three YouTube channels for OWC Ford Progress DBU hit the bell icon. So you make sure you get those subscriptions if you're not on the app. But just do it all, do it all so you have it all there for you. So thanks for listening. Have a great Friday. Have a great Saturday. We'll talk to you Saturday night. For Dan Bernstein, Matt Batticola, 312Sports, this has been forward and go go to Lane RMFW.
- [37:10]
Dan Bernstein
Not really. I'll give it like a quarter before the game's over. Can they last a quarter RMFW for 15 minutes. That's all we want.
- [37:26]
Matt Abeticola
Forward Progress a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 sp.