Caleb Williams needs a new nickname.

Summary

Forward Progress — A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Caleb Williams needs a new nickname
Host: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Date: April 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Forward Progress dives deep into Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’s efforts to trademark the nickname "Iceman," a moniker already linked to basketball legend George Gervin. Dan and Matt analyze the controversy from legal, marketing, and fan perspectives, debate whether a new nickname is in order, and explore the broader implications for athlete branding. The duo also examines the latest Bears draft projections and discusses the growing intersection of NFL teams and high-profile media personalities, specifically the league’s response to Troy Aikman's consulting role with the Dolphins.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caleb Williams vs. George Gervin: The “Iceman” Nickname Dispute

[00:54–11:32]

• Trademark Drama:

  • Caleb Williams, the Bears’ new quarterback, is seeking to trademark “Iceman,” a nickname long identified with George Gervin. Williams is also trying to trademark a logo and silhouettes of his notable plays.
  • Gervin’s camp is contesting the application and seeking to protect both “Iceman” and “Iceman44.”
  • Potential for a legal standoff unless both parties agree to settle amicably.

    “We know that Gervin is trying to block the application...one of these petitions gets approved and then the other will be contested.” — Matt, 01:31

• Williams’ Motivation and Understanding:

  • Williams admitted he didn’t know about Gervin’s nickname, saying:

    “It’s all respect to George. I didn’t know he had the nickname. I understand maybe what he's trying to do. We haven't talked.” — Caleb Williams quoted by Matt, 02:53

  • Matt and Dan find it odd that Williams claims he “can’t control” how people use his image while simultaneously pursuing legal control, calling out the contradiction.

    “Caleb, you can control what people are making and selling of you.” — Matt, 04:24

• Trademarking the Silhouette – the ‘Jumpman’ Problem:

  • Williams is also seeking to protect his signature pose, but Dan notes this effort might run afoul of Nike’s “Jumpman” logo, and courts use the “ordinary person” confusion test.

    “Nike could easily just say, no, that’s too similar to Jumpman.” — Matt, 05:08

• Sentiment on Nicknames and Earning Them:

  • Williams originally didn’t like “Iceman,” only warming up to it after teammates used it.
  • Dan and Matt critique the idea of choosing your own nickname:

    “You can’t really give yourself a nickname, though. That doesn’t really work.” — Dan, 11:04 “It’s very douchey to give yourself a nickname.” — Dan, 11:20

• Respect for Gervin and Public Memory:

  • Matt pushes back against younger fans who dismiss Gervin’s legacy, highlighting the reason intellectual property laws exist.

    “The fact that you haven’t heard of George Gervin is the point...That’s why there’s patent law, that’s why there’s copywriting, to keep people from doing it.” — Matt, 08:49

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2. Bears Possible Move to Indiana

[13:14–15:08]

• Dan references an opinion piece suggesting that if the Bears relocated to Indiana, fans will still travel, analogizing with Notre Dame game day traditions.
• Both agree the real obstacle is that players (and possibly coaches) likely don’t want to live in Indiana compared to affluent Lake Forest.

  “The players don’t want to live in Hammond, Indiana.” — Matt, 14:25

• Plenty of tongue-in-cheek solutions, including AirBnBing player homes.

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3. Ravens OTA Update: Lamar Jackson’s Leadership

[15:08–16:04]

• Briefly touch on league-wide news: Lamar Jackson shows up for the first day of Ravens’ OTAs under new head coach Jesse Minter.

  “He’s there for day one. Didn’t want to disappoint his new head coach...Ready to be a great leader and a great teammate.” — Dan, 15:23

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4. Bears Mock Draft Reactions (Chad Reuter’s 5-Rounder)

[17:03–24:44]

• Draft Trends & Rules:

  • Dan tracks new names in mock drafts, but the Bears’ options are still mostly familiar.
  • Chad Reuter has the Bears drafting safety Dylan Thienaman at #26 (violating Matt’s rule: don’t draft a safety in the 1st round, especially not a white safety).

    “Two of my first round rules: it’s don’t take a safety in the first round...and don’t take a white safety.” — Matt, 18:23

• Day 2 Picks:

  • Bears projected to select tackle Austin Barber (rated “eventually an average backup” — drawing concern about value) and Malachi Fields, a developmental WR.
  • The hosts argue that in a win-now mode, these picks should be instant contributors, not developmental.

    “If you can’t compete now for this job, then you’re probably not worth drafting or having on your roster.” — Dan, 24:23

• Nicknames & Roster Depth:

  • Joking about confusion if both Austin Barber and Austin Booker are on the roster.
  • The value of reliable offensive line coaching (Dan Roshar), the need for WRs who change the game right away, and incremental upgrades across positions.

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5. Coach/Front Office Dynamics:

[25:00–26:43]

• Ben Johnson empowers assistants and does not want “yes men.”
• Wide receiver drops led to him demanding fixes from position coach Antoine Randle El.

  “Set up a jugs machine and fix this, fix this shit.” — Matt, 26:19

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6. League Integrity & Media Consultant Crossovers: Troy Aikman and the Dolphins

[26:43–36:10]

• Aikman’s Dual Roles:

  • Troy Aikman openly talks about consulting for the Dolphins, saying he has "something at stake" and that Miami hired him for his insider knowledge.

    “I have something at stake...I feel like my fingerprints are on it as well.” — Aikman quoted by Matt, 27:38

  • NFL refused to comment, but the hosts highlight the conflict: Tom Brady, as Raiders part-owner, was barred from access, and similar rules should apply to Aikman.

• Potential Fallout:

  • Broadcasters with team ties could make other franchises less willing to share info, undermining trust in media access and league transparency.

    “If you’re a team now, why wouldn’t you be scrambling around just to cover your ass? Hire [broadcasters]...for your own inside knowledge?” — Matt, 29:19

  • Dan argues if you want to be in a front office, leave the booth.

    “Get out of the booth, that’s fine. Go ahead and do that.” — Dan, 33:48

  • Matt likens it to a lawyer with a conflict of interest or a “lobbyist working in the government.”

    “At least give us the appearance of propriety.” — Matt, 33:55

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On athlete branding disputes:
  “You wouldn’t go through all this trouble...unless there’s massive dollar amounts attached to it.” — Matt, 07:06

• On trademarking your own nickname:
  “It’s very douchey to give yourself a nickname.” — Dan, 11:20

• On legal protection for legacy athletes:
  “That’s why there’s patent law...Because you haven’t heard of these people.” — Matt, 08:49

• On questionable value picks:
  “If you can’t compete now for this job, you can’t compete for any job.” — Matt, 23:06

• On coaches and responsibility:
  “Set up a jugs machine and fix this, fix this shit.” — Matt, 26:19

• On Aikman’s consulting role:
  “That’s exactly why the two aren’t supposed to commingle.” — Dan, 32:37

• On NFL’s lack of transparency:
  “At least give us the appearance of propriety.” — Matt, 33:55

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Important Timestamps

• 00:54 – Williams discusses his attempt to trademark “Iceman”
• 04:53 – Williams trying to trademark his silhouette; the Jumpman/Nike parallel
• 07:05 – Williams admits he didn’t initially like “Iceman”
• 08:48 – Matt on why Gervin’s legacy matters and patent laws exist
• 11:04 – Debate over athletes picking their own nicknames
• 13:14 – Opinion: Should the Bears move to Indiana?
• 17:03 – Bears mock draft breakdown and pick evaluations
• 23:01 – Value of OL and what a pick at #57 should bring
• 25:00 – Ben Johnson’s management style and demands for accountability
• 26:43 – League integrity: Troy Aikman’s Dolphins consulting role and NFL’s silence

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a spirited exploration of what’s in a football nickname—particularly when money and legacy are on the line. Dan and Matt balance sharp legal analysis with classic sports banter, offering meaningful takes on both the Bears’ short-term prospects and the NFL’s looming challenges over media figures and inside information. For Bears fans and NFL observers alike, this podcast delivers an entertaining, insightful look at where fandom, business, and tradition collide.

Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, if you're a Bears fan,

[Matt DiCaliola]

you're thinking forward progress. Come on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward Progress A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and MattDiCaliola on 312 Sports.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Here is your forward progr that you have earned as we talk Chicago Bears and NFL on 312 sports. And Caleb Williams is finally weighing in. We are finally hearing what the Bears young star quarterback has to say about the developing situation trying to trademark his Iceman nickname. So what's he saying? Well, I'm not sure he quite gets it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that, is that your, is that your conclusion?

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah. So he talked to Front Office Sports and then I'm reading the story in multiple places. The one I have in front of me here is from cbs and they, they lead with the fact that Caleb Williams wasn't a big fan of the Iceman nickname, but now he's warmed to it and he's trying to trademark the nickname. He says it was never about taking the nickname from George Gervin because we know that Gervin is trying to block the application. He's filed his own application. I also gave you all the lawyering as they're trying to sort through whether or not this can simply be worked out amicably between the two men with some sort of consideration or if in fact one of these petitions gets approved and then the other will be contested within the 30 day the contestation period.

[Dan Bernstein]

You mean if they can work it out between the three men because isn't Red Grange involved or.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, no, not at the time. I just said he could be if he wanted.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt DiCaliola]

There, there were some, there was some speculation that Chuck Liddell and or local Chicago politico Jerry Iceman Butler would be involved because he and George Gervin had met before and Gervin said that's the only time he met another Iceman. But at the moment it is just these two.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt DiCaliola]

And Gervin, it was Iceman during the 70s. And the, the Williams comment here was he told Front Office Sports the following. It's all respect to George. I didn't know he had the Nickname. I understand maybe what he's trying to do. We haven't talked. Him and I should be. He and I, and we may at some point, but it was nothing between George and I should be. George and me, we got all kinds of programs.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, Jesus Christ, just read it, dude.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, it bugs me. This stuff's so easy. He said. Like I said, I didn't know. Williams filed four trademark applications that, if approved, would protect the nickname, a logo, and two silhouettes of his famous touchdown pass, granting him exclusive rights to that intellectual property for commercial use and prevent others from using the likeness for profit without authorization. Gervin's business managers said they wrongly believed he already held an Iceman trademark. And once Caleb Williams application came to light, they contacted the US Patent Trademark Office to seek protection for both Iceman and this is the first time learning Iceman44. So this is the question that sort of bugged me.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Or the answer that did when Williams said, it's more or less people making clothing or things like that. I can't control what people are making of me or anything like that. And putting a name on it, it's just to control that aspect of it. That was the main reason for doing it. Caleb, you can control what people are making and selling of you. Right. And that is the entire point of this. Right. This is why you're doing this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wait, I don't go back one second. Did you say that he was trying to trademark or patent the silhouette of his famous touchdown? Is that what you read?

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yes. Where? It wasn't the touchdown.

[Dan Bernstein]

It wasn't the touchdown. It was the fourth.

[Matt DiCaliola]

It was the fourth down. They said not a touchdown.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Good catch.

[Dan Bernstein]

They were wrong in there.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah, they're wrong in that. You're right that it was. It was the fourth down pass where he did sort of the Georgia.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Which I think he's going to have trouble with because I think Nike can easily, easily just say, no, that's too, too similar to Jumpman. It's clearly you're doing it because of Jumpman. And it is reasonable that. And not. Not a reasonable person. The standard is an ordinary person could mistake the two. I think that 100% you're correct, that if Nike wants to challenge that, they could have an easy challenge on that. But when Williams says it's more or less people making clothing, I can't control what people are making of me in anything like that. Putting a name on it. That's. That's what this is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt DiCaliola]

That's the point of it. This is Your legal effort to control specifically that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Your image. Yes.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah. Your image and your likeness. This is what in your name. This is what you're doing. This nickname cannot be used by anyone. Or that silhouette can't be used by this. This is your effort to very specifically control this. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I agree with you, too, on the. On the silhouette and how close that is to the Jumpman that Nike. And if that's. If that's the standard is an ordinary.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yes. It's not a reasonable person. It's an ordinary person.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I see that. There's. There's no contest in that one.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Right. Because if somebody says, hey, stop at the shoe store. Pick me up a pair of shoes with the logo of the guy with his arms out and his legs spread, you could easily come home with the wrong shoes and wonder, why did I just pay $300 for these? So that could happen. But then Williams said, this is Caleb Williams. At first, I didn't per se, like the nickname. I thought there were cooler nicknames. And then it all kind of came together. My teammates gave me the nickname. My teammates started calling me at. Around the facility and things like that. I just kind of let it fester and become what it is. Now. I've actually earned a liking of the name. Hi, Frank. That would be Frank the dog.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's interesting. Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

You're going through a lot of this for something you don't like all that much. So my response would be, you wouldn't be doing it if there weren't massive dollar signs attached to it. It's one thing you're gonna say I'm doing it just because I love the nickname and I want it to be my nickname. And it's important to me. That tells me that Gervin's people should call Caleb's people and figure it out and. And not necessarily let it get to some sort of official grievance through the patent office. Just come up with some money, figure out some standard by which he could use it, that would be okay. And negotiate accordingly to make everybody happy.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's got to be. Yeah, I think you're spot on with that. Yeah. That's really interesting to hear. To hear him say that he didn't even like the. The nickname. I mean, because you. You wouldn't go through all this. This trouble, like you said, unless there's massive dollar amounts attached to it for something you didn't even like and you've had to warm up to, and it was a nickname you didn't even want to accept from your own Guys in your own facility.

[Matt DiCaliola]

So, okay, then. Then you're. You're doing this for financial protection reasons, and that's fine. That is within your rights. But what if you've never heard of George Gervin or never heard of the nickname or don't know anything about him? Just call him. Just talk to him about it. See if he can work something out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, real quick, too. Oh, God.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Sorry, sorry. I was just gonna say that I've heard from a lot of people, including my own son, who's like, just let him have it. No one knows who George Gervin is. No one knows he was called the Iceman. And my response was, and will be to so many people who are saying that who cares? He's. Now that. That's why these laws exist.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct.

[Matt DiCaliola]

The fact that you haven't heard of George Gervin is the point that it's not all about the next person being allowed to just have a name or an image or a likeness and own it. That's why there's patent law. That's why there's copywriting, to keep people from doing it. Because you haven't heard of these people.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. But there also are a lot of people who've heard of George Iceman Girvin that are still walking the planet today.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yes, indeed there are.

[Dan Bernstein]

Including the man himself.

[Matt DiCaliola]

But there are. Yeah, the actual George Gervin who's standing right here saying, hello, I'm right here, and played for the Bulls. Had a pretty interesting last little run there with the Chicago Bulls. In fact, I was excited when they got an aging George Gervin. But come on, man. I've never heard of him. Who cares? Well, what. That. They'll. They'll figure that out. If they've got a. You know, they're lawyers.

[Dan Bernstein]

If we can be specific. I don't know if you're being specific and accurate with it, but did your son really not know George Irvin's like, he. He knew, right?

[Matt DiCaliola]

He. He. I think he'd heard it, but I. But I sent him the poster. I'm like, this is an iconic poster. I know a lot of people who had this poster. And when I showed him that, he's like, oh, okay, all right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because, I mean, your kids, like, trivia, knowledge and understanding of the NBA and knowing, like, that's. It's. It's not. It's not. Okay. It's not normal. No. So for him to.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, he knew.

[Dan Bernstein]

So he knew of it.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Okay, he knew, but I don't think he knew. Like, he could he could give you. He probably knew it was a four time scoring champion. Yeah. But I don't know that he knew the significance of Iceman.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Okay. And Caleb doesn't even really sound like it's that big a deal to him.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, he doesn't. And yeah, that's the whole point is like, if he wants to stop people, I mean, that's the whole point of doing this. And I agree with. People shouldn't benefit off of his image and his name and his likeness. That's the whole point of what these laws are for.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yes. Yeah. That's why they exist.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Like if you don't like, he doesn't have to take over the Iceman nickname if he doesn't like it to protect himself from people benefiting off of his likeness and image.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No. And he can also pick a different nickname if he wants.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. If one that he likes. But you really can't, you really can't give yourself your. A nickname, though. That doesn't really work.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No. It gets back to the Cheers episode when Cliff Clavin decided to nickname himself and there was. There's an entire episode about, about nicknaming oneself.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, you can't. You can't. It's very douchey to give yourself a nickname.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah. Has that ever worked in sports or is it usually boomeranged into something better? I'm trying to think of a. If anyone has said, I'm deciding my own nickname, like LeBron James's. People marketed him as King James, but he didn't say that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. Because that, it just doesn't work. I can't think of any one instance of any walk of life or any, any, any, any industry of life that, that someone made up their own nickname. And it's, and it worked because it's, it's very douchey. You can't, you can't do that.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Well, Shaq used to do it. Right. Didn't Shaq say like big philosopher and big Aristotle and.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but you never take Shaq serious, though.

[Matt DiCaliola]

He's.

[Dan Bernstein]

But it works for Shaq because he's funny. So maybe that's one instance right there. Like when you wanted us to call you Dan the Man and you kept insisting that, like it just. That never. It never worked. It never stuck. So we were never going to do that. I know you, you tried for a while, though.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Someday it'll, someday you'll, you'll realize that

[Dan Bernstein]

I, Dan the Man was a great nickname.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I never did trademark it. And I'm not counting Chad Ochocinko. Johnson because he changed his last name to that or like, you know, Ron Artest changed his actual name.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh yeah. What did it, what's his name? What did he change it to? Meta something or Meta World Peace.

[Matt DiCaliola]

And there have been guys who have changed their, their. I don't know of an example of somebody who, who officially gave somebody their own nickname and everybody thought it was cool and like.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I'm sure one of our listeners here in our community will, will send us a message on YouTube as they're listening to the show. We'll share with that. Hey, I don't know if you saw this. Just wanted to point it out. I don't want to get into it. On Chicago Magazine.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

There was an opinion piece written by Edward, Edward McClelland, about the Bears moving to Indiana. And it's, it's. Take a look at it if you have a chance to read it.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Potentially moving to Indiana.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, potentially. But the title of it is Hit the Road Bears. He says if we can swallow our pride, letting the team slip across the Indiana border actually makes a lot of sense. So take a look at it. I thought it was well written. Again, just his opinion on things.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Well, we've said that. I said it too. I said if they want to go over there and save us all the aggravation and let the business friendly state.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Give them all the money and take it away from their taxpayers. Go ahead.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. One of the points he brings up is, you know, Bears fans will still stay in Chicago even for the games playing in Hammond. And he, he makes a crossover. And you see this a lot if you're downtown when teams come in to play Notre Dame, people don't stay down in South Bend. They stay in Chicago.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, I stayed in South Bend and I would much rather have.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And you make that drive for the game to go from Chicago. So the same thing will happen, of course, for the Bears. Now, the only thing that would be a potential problem, Dan, is if all the players have to move to Indiana, which we discussed thoroughly on this show.

[Matt DiCaliola]

So that was, that was brought up initially. The players don't want to live in Hammond, Indiana.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Why not? Maybe they want to go bass fishing with that. Have you asked them? If you asked every member of the Chicago Bears and say you could live here in your palatial Lake Forest estate or you could live at that. I think they might take the latter.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, Damon Neil's in. He's in a. Though, remember now that's.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Well, not. Yes, he is. For. For.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, for now. So, yeah, he's. He's there. So Bears. Yeah, Bears. Maybe they could live with him.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Daniel's house. There you go. Somebody you. You could be there. All the Bears.

[Dan Bernstein]

Airbnb it.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Actually, yes, he could airbnb it to the Bears. And they could all be at the house of Diamond.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, I saw this note, too. The Baltimore Ravens. We talked about this because Declan Doyle made a comment about wanting all players there for the OTAs.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Guess who showed up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Guess who showed up. Yes, Lamar Jackson. He's there for day one. Didn't want to disappoint his new head coach, Jesse Minter or offense coordinator Declan Doyle. So he's there. So that question that we asked and brought up on this show, he answered for us and he's there for. Ready to be a great leader and a great teammate for the Baltimore Ravens.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Good for him. As the Jesse Minter era begins. That was. That's good leadership. It is. It is good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because how many. There were 10, 10 new head coaches this year, this cycle. Right. So those are. That's 10 teams who can start earlier than the other other team. So Lamar Jackson shows up for Baltimore day or night.

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[Dan Bernstein]

There was a new mock draft put out and you know, I monitor all of these things because I like to see different names. I like to find new names, but

[Matt DiCaliola]

they keep being the same names.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're keeping the same names except Dan. You're very excited. Chad ruder on NFL.com he released a five round draft. I just wanted to look at the Bears first two picks to see the first.

[Matt DiCaliola]

We've seen a lot of Zion Young and we've seen a lot of Emmanuel McNeil,

[Dan Bernstein]

Miller, Warren.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Warren, yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

So there was one. There's two new names here. One, one name we've seen a lot of. Okay, so Chad Roy Reuter in NFL.com A couple of notes before we get down to the Bears. He has Jeremiah Love going to the Giants at number five, which is the first I've seen.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then he has the jets at 16 taking Ty Simpson. So in the first round, he actually has the Bears moving down to one spot in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. So the Bills move up one spot. They give the bears back their fifth round pick from the D.J. moore trade. And with the 26th pick, he has the Bears selecting safety Dylan Thienaman from Oregon.

[Matt DiCaliola]

That's not a new name.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not a new name. I said the one old name. Two new names. But that also violates one of your first round rules.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Two of my first round rules, it's don't take a safety of the first round unless it's some, like, generational spectacular player. And don't take a white safety.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's violated right there. Pick number 26. But two new names, though, for pick number 57 and 60. So the second round he has at 57. The Bears selecting Austin Barber.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Don't make us do this with Austin Booker and Austin Barber.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I didn't think of that. How many times I would get that wrong. An offensive tackle out of Florida. 6, 7, 3, 18 and NFL.com his combine score was 5.88, which initially my brain, I thought that's too low. And when I looked up the chart, that means eventually becomes an average backup.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Awesome.

[Dan Bernstein]

So not good. That's not what you want at 57. And then at 60, they have. Chad has the Bears selecting Malachi Fields, the wide receiver from Notre Dame. 6, 4, 2, 18. Combine grade from NFL.com of 6.29, which we've seen that a lot, eventually becomes an average starter. So two new names. How do you feel? Like when I read the Austin Barber eventually becomes an average backup.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Eventually. Yeah. Like if he. If he maxes out someday, son, you can be an average backup. Welcome to the Bears. Which actually, it's a nice living. It's a, you know, it's a. It's a. It's a. Changes your life. It would be a worthwhile career. Nothing against that, but as a fan, when the team is in win now mode, it doesn't exactly get you going.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's. It certainly doesn't. But there were two new names. I was really excited to see that until I dug a little bit deeper on it. So, yeah, Chad Chad, I know we don't, we don't like this mock draft because it violates your first round rule.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then it brings about a backup, average backup starter and then a wide receiver at 60 who eventually will be an average starter.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Well, they have guys. I thought that already on the team you've got John A. Walker, who is your developmental wide receiver, that they by all estimation, they believe he's on the rise. I don't know that you need another kind of project wide receiver out there.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I think if the Bears take a wide receiver with the first one of their first three picks, it needs to be a guy that impacts like immediately.

[Matt DiCaliola]

It needs like, how about a crazy

[Dan Bernstein]

fast guy that to me is a top 60 guy. If you're doing that at wide receiver. I like if you want to get a wide receiver on day three, a guy you can develop and bring along, I'm fine with that. But not, not in, in day one or day two. Not in your top 60 picks.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, that's not a developmental pick. Those. Correct. Those picks have to affect winning immediately.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Because we've seen that already from this regime.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah. Coming in matter right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Whether you're starting, whether you're in the game plan or whether other people are worried about game planning for you matter. And maybe, I don't know, maybe they think it just takes them a lot of time to learn a very complicated system. I don't know. They have no. I, I, I don't know that I would want them to use a pick there on some high upside later guy when, who knows if even we're going to be here then I'm, I'm greedy with the Bears right now. I'm really. You should be. I don't have a lot of patience and I'm just greedy. I want them to, they've replaced Duvernay, they've replaced Zacchaeus. Have they replaced Zakia? Yeah, probably. So it would make more sense if they took a tight end there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, who's the, who's the guy they signed from Detroit? The, the returner, though?

[Matt DiCaliola]

Oh, what's his name? The, the 31 year old?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yes, he and I will remember his name.

[Dan Bernstein]

Raymond, right?

[Matt DiCaliola]

Khalif Raymond.

[Dan Bernstein]

Khalif Raymond. Yes.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Thank you. Khalif Raymond.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. So that's your guy. Yeah. And you know, I like the fact that he actually had the Bears taking an offensive tackle because you know how that important that is to me. But just if you're taking a guy at 57, he better not be eventually an average Backup? No, like he better be a guy that's competing for the job now at

[Matt DiCaliola]

57, if you can't compete for this job, you can't compete for any job.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's actually a good way to put it too. Right. If. Yeah. If you can't step in situation, there

[Matt DiCaliola]

might be a, there might be a fourth round pick.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, you're. No, you're. You're. You're absolutely correct on that. I mean, looking at. Yeah, yeah, right.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Say, with whom am I competing? Well, we got this kid from Canada who wasn't drafted. We got Braxton Jones on a one year deal and then Karen Amagadji if he's healthy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, remember we have this kid from Canada that couldn't play in our last playoff game. Right.

[Matt DiCaliola]

So we had to move out of there. Oh, and Jordan, have we heard anything about McFadden who started at guard?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no, not that I can recall. Was there anything to be heard?

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, I just like, I'm not hearing his name as somebody's like, well, he's definitely going to be, you know, rostered in the mix. Is we in Luke Newman, we thought.

[Dan Bernstein]

Seems like McFadden would be a guy on the roster, right? As a, as a. Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Like I would guess if he, I mean, they felt correct that he's automatically at the very least a depth backup. But who knows? Yeah, who knows? I'm not, I'm not taking anything for granted, including what's going on with the running backs at the moment. And I think if they, if they got an offer to move Tyson Bent once quarterbacks start getting hurt, they would do that too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, that's a, that's a great point you make because if you can't compete now for this job, then you're probably not worth drafting or having on your roster. But you're not going to take a guide 57, given your current situation and say, oh, he's a developmental guy that will work on that, maybe can be a backup one day. Which. What the hell? Like, what are you doing there?

[Matt DiCaliola]

I don't know. I know if you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, if. Great point. If you draft a tackle, even if it's day three, it better be a guy that can compete in this situation right now because you're not in some kind of solid situation where we have the opportunity and the time to develop this body on this roster. Not in that position. You don't have that time.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I will say that from what I'm hearing that their offensive line coach, Dan Roshar has a lot more say than I Previously understood that when Ben Johnson hired him, there really was not a lot of history or relationship there. And as, as the season went on, he earned a lot of respect internally. And my reason for optimism on this line, whatever they do is because of apparently how the, the extent to which they've entrusted Roshar to be a part of the, the close knit decision making group.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, does that seem to kind of fit the way that Ben Johnson has talked about the way he runs this organization? Yep.

[Matt DiCaliola]

He doesn't want yes men.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he doesn't. Well, first of all, he doesn't want yes men, but he also, he's not going to be involved, hands on, off like he. Here's our philosophy, here's our plan, here's the program we're developing and designing. Go execute it. He's not going to be there with the offense like offensive, like Dan Roshar is in charge of that. Dennis Allen's in charge of the defense. And we talked about the, the, the lack of, of or the significant number of drops from the wide receivers. How he talked a couple of weeks ago how disappointed he was not only in the players, but in the coaches,

[Matt DiCaliola]

but in Antoine Randall and basically told him, set up a jugs machine and fix this, fix this shit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? Yep. Because he's not going to be out there doing that. It's, that's your job. You're in charge of that. I mean, he'll CEO and run the offense and be in charge there and he'll, you know, hands on with Caleb. But you got your field, man. Go do it. Go get it done. I'm not happy with the wide receivers. I'm not happy with the coaches.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Let me add one more note from something that caught my eye in the NFL today. Okay. And that was the, the fact that the league has declined comment after Troy Aikman talked about his role with the Dolphins. Did you hear what he said?

[Dan Bernstein]

Wait a second. So this is different though. I didn't know that they, they were asked about it and decided not to and didn't decline to saying anything when

[Matt DiCaliola]

they were first asked about it. The last comment we have from the league about Troy Aikman's involvement with the Dolphins as an influential consultant. Right. The league said they will address the situation at the appropriate time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt DiCaliola]

So the NFL was asked about his, the latest comments and the NFL declined comment.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, that's.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah, that's interesting. So here's what Troy Aikman just said. He talked to Clarence Hill Jr. Of DLL S Sports. I will say I'm pulling for the Dolphins because now I have something at stake. I think they hired two really talented, wonderful people, and I think that's going to prove itself out. But yeah, I'm pulling for them. I want to see them do well because I feel like my fingerprints are on it as well. So we know here that Tom Brady, as an owner of the Raiders, is prevented from participating or in 2024, was prevented from participating in pregame production meetings. And Brady is not allowed to enter team facilities. He is not allowed to attend practices. He. And now he's allowed in the production meetings, but now can't entertain facilities, can't attend practices. Why should that be any different for Troy Aikman, who admits he has something at stake, that he is pulling for the Dolphins, that these hires were in large part his, and that he is a paid member in some way of the Dolphins front office? Why shouldn't those same restrictions apply to Troy Aikman?

[Dan Bernstein]

There's, there's no reason why they shouldn't. I mean, if the, if the, if the concern is Troy Aikman, a paid consultant by the. By a team, getting information from Team X and sharing that information, that's the concern, right? That would be the fear.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Well, there's more, there's more in the comments where Aikman says, I think the Dolphins were wise in understanding my relationships around the league and knowing that I have information they don't have or can't get. And I think they were smart in taking advantage of that. Okay, so if you're a team now, why wouldn't. They're part of the arms race, why wouldn't you be scrambling around just to cover your ass? Hire Chris Collinsworth. Hire any, anybody else you can find out there who's doing this. Hire Lewis Riddick, hire Kirk Herb street, hire Charles Davis.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then how does this, how does this impact the broadcast where, like if you're, if you're a team now and you hear Troy Aikman say that stuff, and if you're, you're the Patriots and, and they're, and you know, and Fox is coming in to do a Patriots Dolphins game, how willing are you? How much would you talk to Troy Aikman then?

[Matt DiCaliola]

Right. Like, it hurts him as a broadcaster and it hurts the league. It hurts everybody. Because if he admitted they're hiring me because of how I know the league and my relationship.

[Dan Bernstein]

We talked about this when it happened that Monday night football game, Titans and Dolphins, when he went scorched earth. Yep. On the Dolphins in the fourth quarter. He went after the head coach. He went after the quarterback. Yes.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yep. And the plan. And they had no. No solid plan for what to do with tua. So you're going to be questioning the broadcasting and the motivations for some of the opinions. And then if you're hiring him because of his contacts around the league, like you said, everybody around the league is going to be wary. They're not going to talk to him the same way, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

I would think so, yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Like you're. It's not. I'm not going to give you anything proprietary that you're going to go take to the Dolphins. Why wouldn't every team now be immediately dividing up all the wisdom and trying to cancel out the. The advantage gained by having one person who's got all this inside knowledge? The NFL is, Is handling this poorly. There should be. Maybe Brady was just so powerful and so big that Brady cowed them out of doing it. But you got to put in a hard wall here at some point if you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I also think too, with the Brady situation, and maybe I'm just wrong. Maybe this is my, my own thinking on it. Because of how successful he was in the league for so many years. I think a lot more people didn't like or even hated Tom Brady because of his success and because of the arrogance of Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick during that. That those championship years, that maybe people went harder against Tom Brady's ability to get information or be around teams for his broadcast than people would do it. Right. Because I don't think the feelings are similar towards Troy Aikman.

[Matt DiCaliola]

No, there isn't as much animus toward Troy Aikman, but the point is the same.

[Dan Bernstein]

The point is the same. Right. But I think that maybe that's why they're not going as hard, though, because it's not the same level of. Of dislike toward Troy Aikman as there was for Tom Brady.

[Matt DiCaliola]

And I think Aikman's words make it worse. I, I think what he's like, yeah, I know all this stuff because I'm a broadcaster. Of course they'd hire a broadcaster. Well, that's not why the two. That's exactly why the two aren't supposed to commingle. Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. So when. Now you. You brought this up in the middle of the season. Like you. You brought it. When this story first came out, you brought it up. And it's, you know, at my first, My, My thought to. It was just not as. As strong as. As yours as you. As your feelings were. But it. It is very significant and I'm glad that you called it out in the middle of the season when, when this originally first came, because they shouldn't. They. The, the two areas shouldn't mingle at all.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Right. Because then you start to question everything and it makes, it makes everybody less valuable, less informed, and makes everything feel kind of weird. I don't want to watch a game where I'm questioning why is this his opinion. It's hard enough to watch an NFL game wondering if the play you just saw happened or not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. It's. It's interesting too, Dan, because the, The NFL has been so protective and has been of the shield, you know, and they're always going to be protective of the shield. And this is something that, that is a, Is a slight against the shield. It opens up questions and opportunities to question the integrity of the shield. And it's, it's always something they've really gone out of their way to protect.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I thought if Tom Brady wanted to be an owner, he should own, and if Troy Aikman wants to work in a front office, go to work in a front office.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Get out of the booth, that's fine. Go ahead and do that.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I, that's. But I'm old fashioned that way, I guess.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I just don't think it's appropriate. That would be the equivalent of a lobbyist working in the government or, you know, a lawyer with a conflict of interest. And when you're, you're questioning motivations, it's not, we're not dealing with incredibly important things when it comes to football in that card. But there are a lot of people that take football that seriously because it takes up an outsize place in all our lives. So at least give us the appearance of, of propriety. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I guess if, you know, we talked about it last week on this show, if they're not willing to say much of anything or do anything with Steve Tish and the New York Giants.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Different issue. But.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, yes, a very different issue. But if they're, if they're not willing to do that, why would they even. Why give two shits about Troy Aikman being in the booth and working for a team and getting information to funnel to his team as much as he can.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Yeah. When you have this gross owner that was having all his dates set up by a cartoon super villain, that's fine. Oh, you know, he's. It's Steve. He's okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

He gave it away to his kids. So I guess, I guess, you know, to close that up, it just. I'm not I'm not too surprised that the NFL didn't have anything to say.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Well, no, but they, they're going to have to. And I think if, if this continues to be a story when he has thoughts or if other people. Like I say, for the extra check, if you're a broadcaster right now and instead of having to go drive an Uber, you can just call up all the teams and have your agents say,

[Dan Bernstein]

hey, I'm available, so that Troy Aikman drove Uber on the weekends to during the week, maybe.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I just know that if you need a second gig and an easy one, make your. If you're Chris Collinsworth, hell, I know he just sold a pff or whatever it was, or 200 million, but go ahead, make yourself available. Say, yeah, you want me to consult? I can consult. Leak says I can consult. I can help you find somebody. You can, you can buy a lot of my knowledge the teams are giving me because I'm a broadcaster, because they didn't think I was working for another team. You know, that's if you're another team. Like, wait, I told him all this stuff because he's a broadcaster. I didn't think he was gonna go take a job with my rival and tell him everything I told him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Exactly.

[Matt DiCaliola]

And now you can do that?

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt DiCaliola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's good gig if you can get it.

[Matt DiCaliola]

I guess so.

[Dan Bernstein]

All righty then.

[Matt DiCaliola]

And that is Forward Progress for this Monday. Make sure that you are always checking in on the latest of with our thoughts, the Bears and the NFL here on 312 Sports for progress has stopped.

[Dan Bernstein]

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

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