Caleb Williams: What's at stake for the Bears QB?

Summary

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Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Caleb Williams: What's at stake for the Bears QB?
Host: Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola
Date: December 17, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on what’s at stake for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in a pivotal Bears-Packers matchup with significant playoff implications. Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola break down everything from personnel developments and injuries, to the psychological and legacy-defining aspects facing Williams. The hosts provide analytical detail plus the energetic, passionate tone Chicago Bears fans have come to expect, while also bantering about league-wide trends and sharing inside stories.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears-Packers Week 2: Injury Updates & Defensive Highlights

• The Bears start Packers Week with momentum after linebacker DeMarco Jackson wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week (00:24–01:50).
  • “Seven tackles, a sack, an interception and two pass breakups in the 31 to 3 win over Cleveland. … It really gives you confidence in a coaching staff when a guy like that can be playing the way that he is.” — Dan Bernstein (00:44)
• Injury reports (Bears & Packers) are reviewed, focusing on who may or may not play and what that means strategically (02:06–03:29).

2. Micah Parsons’ Absence and Defensive Impact

• Discussion on the Packers’ defense missing Micah Parsons and possible coaching adjustments (03:29–03:49).
• “Here’s Jeff Halfley’s chance to burnish his resume as a head coaching prospect. Show us now what do you made of now without Micah Parsons.” — Dan Bernstein (03:49)

3. Grady Jarrett’s Take on the Rivalry (Includes Clip and Fun Banter)

• Grady Jarrett expresses excitement for being “in the middle” of the Bears/Packers rivalry and reflects on personal motivators (04:33–06:44).
  • “You get to see the attention that it gets from across the whole national media, but really to both fan bases… I just can’t be grateful enough to even experience it.” — Grady Jarrett (04:33)
  • “Show up and show out. It need to be the loudest game we had all season… Soldier Field need to be shaken.” — Grady Jarrett (05:37)
• The hosts riff on Jarrett’s voice and liken it to Clubber Lang (Mr. T in Rocky III); humorous asides about Chicago icons, practice exhaustion, and pop culture (06:44–08:17).

4. Playoff Implications and Caleb Williams’ Spotlight

• Bears’ postseason hopes: Even with a win, playoff berth might not be clinched without additional help (09:35–09:59).
• Caleb Williams’ individual narrative:
  • “What could this game mean for Caleb Williams on an individual performance level...the positive consequences for Caleb Williams in this game?” — Matt Abbatacola (10:03)
  • “It’d be rocket fuel for him…if he rises to this occasion and this platform…and is a win because of guy. That’s really it… This will be a career definer, potentially.” — Dan Bernstein (10:27)

Notable Quotes:

• “If the Bears win the game and it’s clear they win in large part because of Caleb Williams…this will be a career definer.” — Bernstein (11:20)
• “He’s going to be compared to Jordan Love moving forward for the rest of their careers as long as they’re in the NFC North together.” — Abbatacola (12:18)

5. Analyzing Packers’ Blitz Tendencies and Defensive Stats

• Packers blitzing less than most teams, but highly effective when doing so; what this means for Williams (14:43–15:46).
  • “They may not blitz often, but when they do, it’s very effective.” — Matt Abbatacola (15:28)
• Bernstein: "Ideally, you want your quarterback to be blitzed because … they don’t think they can get home with their front four … it’s going to leave opportunities…” (15:46)
• Packers strong vs. the run and limiting explosive plays; Bears will need Williams to excel with pre-snap reads and take advantage of any mistakes (17:17–18:49).

6. Growth Areas for Caleb Williams & Offensive Scheme

• Importance of Williams’ development as a field general—not just “managing” the game, but impacting it (18:49–19:57).
  • “Don’t manage the game, win the game.” — Dan Bernstein (19:55)
• Opportunities for Bears’ O.C. Ben Johnson to scheme effectively with depleted WR corps—potential for creative formations, “bully” concepts, and using tight ends more (24:25–26:28).

7. Explosive Play Metrics & Yards After Catch (YAC)

• Bears rank in the league’s top third for explosive passing/rushing plays, though some drop-off from earlier in the season (20:47–22:21).
• Need for more Yards After Catch from Chicago receivers, with Luther Burden currently leading but still low in NFC rankings (26:28–27:03).
  • “That tells you the offense isn’t clicking yet because it’s based on middle of the field…get guys into open areas where they can run…” — Bernstein (27:03)

8. League Trends: Missed Tackles & Defensive Culture

• The Packers and Bears both excel at minimizing missed tackles—just two separate them (30:45).
  • “The Bears have 74 missed tackles. The Packers have 72.” — Matt Abbatacola (30:46)
• The Patriots have the lowest missed tackle count; Bernstein’s “eye test” for defensive teams proves accurate (30:52–32:29):
  • “They look like they wrap up. They grab your foot. The other guys come in there...” — Bernstein (32:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If he (Caleb Williams) rises to this occasion … this will be a career definer, potentially.” — Dan Bernstein (10:27)
• “He’s going to be compared to Jordan Love moving forward for the rest of their careers as long as they’re in the NFC North together.” — Matt Abbatacola (12:18)
• “Don’t manage the game, win the game.” — Dan Bernstein (19:55)
• Clubber Lang reference: “Does he not sound like Clubber Lang?” — Matt Abbatacola (07:25)
• Humorous sidebars about practice exhaustion, Randy Johnson’s photography company (with logo of a dead bird), and the possibility of bird interference in a game, leading to a read from the NFL rulebook about foreign objects on the field (36:49–39:06).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• DeMarco Jackson’s Award & Defensive Depth: 00:24–01:50
• Packers’ Injury Report & Defensive Trends: 03:29–03:49; 14:43–15:46
• Grady Jarrett Interview & Rivalry Talk: 04:33–06:44
• Playoff Picture & Caleb Williams’ Stakes: 09:35–13:10
• Comparing Williams to Jaden Daniels/Jordan Love: 12:12–13:10
• Packers Defensive Schemes & Blitz Rates: 14:43–16:59
• Opportunities for Williams’ Growth: 18:49–19:57
• Bears Explosive Plays & YAC Discussion: 20:47–22:21; 26:28–27:03
• League Missed Tackle Rankings: 30:45–32:49
• NFL Rulebook and Bird Interference (Fun Moment): 36:49–39:06

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Tone & Style

The hosts weave sharp, analytical football insights with Chicago-style humor, casual banter, and pop culture callbacks. They emphasize emotional stakes for both players and fans while maintaining credibility—using stats and elite-level NFL knowledge, but never letting the conversation feel stilted.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode masterfully blends practical Bears-Packers analysis with an exploration of legacy and growth for rookie QB Caleb Williams. The hosts set clear stakes: a signature win will mark Williams’ true arrival in Chicago lore, especially if he’s the undeniable “win because of” guy. They highlight the game’s strategic chess match and underscore that, even among adversity (injuries, strong Green Bay defense), there are huge opportunities for Williams’ and the Bears’ offense to show next-level growth. The episode serves as both a scout’s-eye breakdown and a pumped-up rallying cry for anxious, hopeful Bears fans.

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Transcript

[A]

I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you're thinking forward Progress. Come on.

[B]

10, 2, 19, 219.

[A]

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

[B]

We have reached the Wednesday of Bears packers week number two. We'll find out who gets back on the practice. The day began for the Bears with some really good news. DeMarco Jackson, NFC Defensive Player of the week.

[A]

Congratulations.

[B]

How cool is that?

[A]

Very cool.

[B]

Seven tackles, a sack, an interception and two pass breakups in the 31 to 3 win over Cleveland. So for a guy who is just a bottom of the roster, almost like borderline practice, squatter, special teams guy, former fifth round pick to blossom to win a job over Noah Sewell as a starter. Just, he was, he was forced in because of necessity and God, coaches love these stories. They love telling these stories and it's just great to see and it really gives you confidence in a coaching staff when a guy like that can be playing the way that he is. And you know what, the fact that he's doing it without a dominant front four in front of him, to have linebackers perform this well. And this is three now. You know, Tremaine Edmonds was on pace for a Pro Bowl. TJ Edwards is really good when he plays. And now you got another guy here who's blossoming. And it's not like he's just cleaning up what's being left for him by a dominating front four. It's pretty, pretty solid, pretty strong.

[A]

No, it's good stuff. And it's, it's, it says a lot to, you know, the coach is having these guys ready to step up and play. We've talked about it all year long. When you get your reserves and even your reserves or your reserves in there playing and a guy comes up and he gets NFC defensive player of the week.

[B]

That's really cool.

[A]

Really big mark. Just taking a quick look at the injury report that was out yesterday, too. Andrew Billings did not practice with an illness. Luther Burden, the ankle, Rome the foot and Eamon Ogbong Miga was out with a hamstring. Those are the four that did not practice well.

[B]

It was also a projection of what they would have done had it not been a walkthrough. It's an estimation.

[A]

Yeah. Because of the odd week.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that's what it was for those four. For the, the Packers.

[B]

How much time you got?

[A]

Well, I'm going to just mention the ones that did not practice. Josh Jacobs with a knee ankle, Marshawn Lloyd with a calf hamstring. Micah Parsons obviously out with that knee. Zach Tom with a back knee. Lucas Van Ness with a foot. Christian Watson, chest, shoulder.

[B]

Josh Watson will be practicing though.

[A]

He will be practicing.

[B]

We saw that Note that they think he'll be back on the field in some capacity today. They said he is getting better. I don't know they're playing games or not, but I don't know if he's playing in this game.

[A]

But we'll see, we'll see when that happens. Josh Wiley with a concussion. Don Tavian Wicks with an ankle did not practice. And Evan Williams, good Bourbon, did not practice with a knee.

[B]

All right. And we know Micah Parsons is out.

[A]

Yes. And how that impacts. So they obviously have the opportunity to. It's not, it's very different from losing a player in the middle of a game and making those in game adjustments. Not planning for that. They have a full week. It's still a good defensive unit. Obviously losing Micah Parsons. No one would want that if that's your team.

[B]

Here's Jeff Halfley's chance to burnish his resume as a head coaching prospect. Show us now what do you made.

[A]

Of now without Micah Parsons. So it's actually interesting. They were actually, they blitzed less last year than they blitzed this year. They blitzed less without Micah Parsons than they have been blitzing this year with Micah Parsons on their roster. So a couple things to get into. First, I want to hear some sound from Grady Jarrett. He met with the media yesterday and I'm going to let this play out. It's a couple minutes of Grady Jarrett. He's first asked about the rivalry, being in the rivalry, Bears, packers and then a couple of follow up questions to that and we'll let this play out. So this is Grady Jarrett meeting with the media.

[C]

Experience it from afar is different from being in it. And I can't tell you how much fun it is just to be be in it, you know and, and just the respect that you give it and how much it means to, you know, not only these, the two programs, just the football world, you know what I'm saying? You get to see the attention that it gets from across the whole national media, but really to both fan bases how much it means and I just can't be grateful enough to even be experience it, you know, be in the middle of it. So I definitely want to put my best foot forward so we can get on the winning end of it as a competitor.

[A]

What is it like having a game.

[B]

Like this in primetime?

[A]

Late December Division.

[C]

Yeah. Like I said earlier, man, it's what you play football for, is what you dream about. The opportunity to play prime time football, robbery game, playoff implications, see the implications. I mean, you can't stack up. You got two prime QBs, two really good defenses. I mean, you can't ask for a better, better moment. And I'm excited to be a part of it.

[A]

Commended the fans and just the impact they may have even had on you guys. What could they do for you guys Saturday night against the.

[C]

Show up and show out. Show up and show out. It need to be the loudest game we had all season, need to rock that stadium. Soldier Field need to be shaken and. And we know the chance. They like to chant, and we're gonna make them happy, give them something to chant about, and we gonna go put up a good showing for them.

[B]

When you moved here after living in.

[A]

A different part of the country your whole life, did you meet anybody? Is there anybody in your life who told you off the field, hey, you gotta beat the packers or, you know, anybody you bump into, that kind of made you.

[C]

You know what, man? I had a academic advisor. We called him Cheecha Clemson. And he loved the packers, man. He loved the Packers. So obviously that mean he hated the Bears. But he always wanted me to go to packers and be like, he just love bj, Raji and all them guys. So he like, yeah, great, man. You play the game so hard. Me like, bj, Raj. I say, all right, all right, Cheech, you know, whatever, whatever. So I ended up going home, but so me playing for the Bears now, I can't wait to go out there, you know, put up best foot forward. I'll give old Cheech a call and.

[A]

Say, how you like that?

[C]

So shout out to my guy, man. And so I'm excited to be on this side of the rivalry. And we want to bring a dub back to Chicago.

[B]

Okay, yeah, Cheech at Clemson.

[A]

You take that, Cheech.

[B]

All right. That's who they're picturing. However you want to do it, whatever you need, whatever it takes. If it's Cheech that's doing it for you, go get them.

[A]

So just listening to that, something came into my head here, and I wish I'd have pulled it up sooner, but I want to play this for you. Tell me if this is what you heard. Also.

[B]

Getting out while you can. Don't get a sucker.

[C]

No statue. Give him guts. I told you I wasn't going away.

[B]

You got your shot. I'll give me mine once you get the hell out of there.

[C]

Shut up, old man.

[B]

I ain't going nowhere.

[A]

Does he not sound like Clover Lang?

[B]

There's a little in there.

[A]

He sounds like Clover. I'm listening to it going.

[B]

Who is this?

[A]

Yeah, well, he's got Clover Lang.

[B]

Well, Lawrence Tirow is from here, so he's. He's a Chicago guy. I think he's still around here. Where's Grady from?

[A]

Let's take a look. There is no.

[B]

That's it. Want to see a real man? I'll show you a real man. He'd be fun to hang out with. See if Mr. T's around, wants to stop by, chill with us for a while.

[A]

Grady. The quick Google search says Grady Jarrett's from the United States. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[B]

Otherwise, Greg Bovino would have shipped him out already.

[A]

He's born Atlanta, Georgia.

[B]

All right. I don't know. It also sounds like Grady's a little out of breath. It's a speech pattern.

[A]

He was a bit out of breath, and he kept wiping his brow. I think he just came from practice, obviously. Hope they were, like, not just walking to the podium. Right. That might explain something. How many steps up to that podium?

[B]

Right. Ow.

[C]

And why don't you tell all these.

[B]

Nice folks why you've been ducking me?

[C]

Politics, man.

[B]

This country wants to keep me down, keep everybody weak.

[C]

They don't want a man like me to have the title because I'm not a puppet like that fool up there. You know, you got a big mouth, you know, Come out and close your b.

[B]

Come on. Apparently, they didn't like each other during filming.

[A]

Oh, seriously?

[C]

Yeah, like that. So. So shout out to my guy, man. And so I'm excited to be on this side of the rivalry, and we want to bring a dub back to Chicago.

[A]

Yeah. I think if he was doing that tone with a little more anger, like, delivering it sound like Clubber, I'd have.

[B]

To think about that. I have to think about that. Just as far as the voice quality. I don't know. I'd like to hear him, like, in a game, yelling at teammates and stuff. Then. Yeah, it would come out.

[A]

Get that more sound. Yeah, that's good. So, yeah, a little bit from Grady. Jared. But one thing I wanted to ask you.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Looking about this game, this, you know, evaluating this game. Second game of the. Of the season for Bears, Packers. We know the implications that this has for the team.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

We know that a win doesn't guarantee a playoff spot. Other things need to happen. They're not at that point where they Control their full destiny yet?

[B]

Well, they do have. Yeah, I mean, they do control it.

[A]

They do. But you get a win, they don't.

[B]

Need help to get in the playoffs yet.

[A]

You still need a Detroit loss for this high for this weekend.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. So you could win and still not get in.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Not have a guaranteed spot.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Which. That's going to make my anxiety go up a bit.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Okay. Now we know the playoff implications for the team itself, but I wanted to look at Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams alone. What could this game mean for Caleb Williams on an individual performance level? Like what? What are the implications, the ramifications, the positive consequences for Caleb Williams in this game?

[B]

It'd be rocket fuel for him.

[A]

Right.

[B]

If, if, if he has his. If he rises to this occasion and this platform, this opportunity under these lights Saturday night with everybody watching and he has one of his best games and is a win because of Guy. That's really it. If the Bears win the game and it's clear they win in large part because of Caleb Williams, it will be eventually looked at should he reach his own personal goals and should he reach the highest levels of his potential. This will be looked at at one of those moments of solidification, of validation. Absolutely. This will be a career definer, potentially.

[A]

Yeah, I agree with you 100% on that. No, it's not.

[B]

I don't think I'm overstating it.

[A]

No, I don't think you are at all. Because it's all set up for that.

[B]

You're 10 and 4 now.

[A]

It doesn't mean that he goes on from this game, if he plays well to be the best quarterback or perfect quarterback week after week. That. That doesn't mean that. It doesn't mean if he performs poorly, that they still can't go on and win or make the playoffs or eventually win a Super bowl with he as the starting quarterback.

[B]

But if he's. If he's the one.

[A]

If he's the one. If he's the reason why. Because what this does. What. What did he experience all of last year? What was all the narrative of last year?

[B]

He was running for his life and while there were some good plays here or there and clearly had all the talent, there wasn't enough around him or enough protection to allow him to work his magic.

[A]

And then the narrative of him being the number one pick and in comparison to Jaden Daniels, what did we hear all of last year?

[B]

They picked a wrong guy.

[A]

Picked the wrong guy. Look what Jaden Daniels did with his team. Look at Jaden Daniels Here, look at his Jaden Daniels numbers. It was a comparison and I get it. I understand why you're picked one, two. That's, that's going to happen. But he was compared to Jaden Daniels. He's going to be compared to Jordan Love moving forward for the rest of their careers as long as they're in the NFC north together.

[B]

And Bo Nix.

[A]

Right. That, that's going to happen. But looking at our division, only he and Jordan Love are going to be talked about and compared to. Look how, look what Jordan Love did in that win and Love got the.

[B]

Better of him last.

[A]

He did. So this would be a huge step for Caleb Williams if he's the win because of guy in that conversation in those comparisons moving forward that yeah, Caleb does belong in this class. Caleb does belong in that conversation with Jordan Love.

[B]

I do think a lot of it has to do with should the Bears win eventually, how does the season end? Does it end with them making the NFC Championship? There will be multiple points of more important games. But this is a big one. This, this is a big one for. It's the biggest one we've had yet. There's no question. I think it's completely fair to say this is the most significant career defining game he will have played yet in his young career.

[A]

Yeah. And if they win Saturday and they don't clinch a spot yet Saturday, then the next biggest game will be the 49ers game.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

And we'll see what that, what impact that has on week 18 and that Lions game. Hopefully the Lions game is meaningless. Hopefully it's. It's set and it's set in stone what the playoff picture looks like before they go into that Lions game. Because I, and I mean that just for me personally, I don't need that for week 18. I don't need anything nail biter. I don't. I don't need anything hanging in the balance going into a Lions game in week 18.

[B]

I agree that it would be nice to just sort of sit back and say, all right, let's get everything in order. Let's get some guys healthy. Yeah, let's be in a position to optimize our roster if you're the Bears. And yeah, I, I don't need that aggravation.

[A]

I don't, I don't need that anxiety with it. And now looking at what Caleb will be facing in this Green Bay game and the Green Bay blitz rate for this year, dan is they're 21% which is 28th in the NFL.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So we know that they're not going to blitz him a lot. They're going to have a lot of guys in coverage. They're going to try to take up a lot of space.

[B]

We don't know that.

[A]

Well, no, we don't know that.

[B]

We don't know it because given what.

[A]

Their trends have been through 14 games.

[B]

But those are trends with Micah Parsons.

[A]

Right. So we'll see.

[B]

We don't know at all.

[A]

But we also know that they blitzed last, last year less than they're blitzing this year. And last year they didn't have Micah Parsons the keys in the tape.

[B]

Like what you're doing now is you're finding Halfley tape without Parsons and whatever you can find. What is he, what does he like to do in the absence of a single dominating pass rusher?

[A]

And here's what's interesting with Micah Parsons. So this year when they would blitz, even though they were one of the lowest blitzing teams in the NFL, their pressure rate was second to best in the NFL when they do blitz. So when they, they may not blitz often, but when they do, it's very effective.

[B]

Well, you know how I feel. I am on the record stating ideally you want your quarterback to be blitzed because it tells you that they won. They don't think they can get home with their front four.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And it's going to leave opportunities for your quarterback to be ahead of the game to see from, to recognize who the blitzer is, to check to the proper call. Once he recognizes that there's 42. 42 is coming. I know it. And I may be able to tell my teammates that I know he's coming without alerting the other team so they don't call it off. You know, some of the devil's in the details here.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

About once you can it and whether you've said it, if you say out loud, 42 is coming or maybe there's a, there's a dummy point where you're pointing to the guy opposite him, but that's telling your teammates, you know, that this guy's coming instead and they don't call it off. And then you've got your guy and you know who's open. That's where I want it to be. I want them to invite it. I want, I want Caleb Williams to lick his chops when he knows that that blitz is coming because he knows there's a one on one. He knows somebody's going to be hot and open.

[A]

So they, they blitzed last year at a rate of 17% which was 31st in the league. They're blitzing this year at a rate of 21%, 28th in the NFL. The packers do have 13 takeaways, which is pretty low for, for their, for their defense. Very strong defense, but not a whole lot of takeaways.

[B]

Dan.

[A]

They are a League Best at 10% missed tackle rate against running backs, and.

[B]

They force a lot of missed tackles against their running backs.

[A]

So that's a league best. Their eighth against the run in allowing 100 yards a game.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Now when the Bears played two weeks ago, Manungai and Swift ran for 120 yards. So they got better than their average. Okay, looking at the Bears running backs, in this last game they played the packers, Swift averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Monongai 4.1. Manungai had a long of nine, Swift had a long of eight. So they're not going to give up a lot of big run plays. They're not going to miss a lot of tackles on your running backs. They're the best in the league at it. They allow 3.8 yards per carry. That's third in the NFL. They allow 6.3 yards per attempt on the pass plays. That's third best in the NFL. So they're not giving up a lot of big plays. They're passing defense, 20 plus passing yards plays. They have 34. 34 explosive plays in the passing game, which is fourth best in the NFL. So this is gonna be an opportunity for Caleb Williams. And they do allow 20.1 points per game, which is eighth best in the league. The Bears did score 21 last time, so right there at that average. So this is setting up for a lot of opportunities for Caleb Williams to play a really smart game, to play in control, to know what's happening pre snap, to make the right calls pre snap.

[B]

Yes, that. Well, that's the next level. That's what we keep assessing with every performance. It's not about the final numbers all the time.

[A]

Right.

[B]

How is he playing the position? Where is he in his. Where a quarterback should have natural advantages. And I think we both noted from the last game and the last couple of games, his cadences are getting significantly better. He got a free play last game. He drew a neutral zone in fraction. That's one step. Being comfortable with the cadence. Now we got to see it in, in the hand manipulation, the, the sleight of hand, the ability to sell fakes. He's never really had to do this before as a quarterback, and now he's got to do it at the Highest level for the most important reasons. And then, you know, being able to stand there at the line, read everything as you're barking out your signals and know where you're going with it.

[A]

So it's more. And it's not about being a game manager. I don't like that term for being a game manager. That just means that you're not, you're not imparting your own ability on the game itself.

[B]

Don't manage the game, win the game.

[A]

Caleb Williams has the skill set to impact the game with his own abilities. So it's not about being a game manager. It's about being in control and it's about knowing what's presented in front of you and being able to take advantage of it. It's a really good opportunity for Caleb to continue this development and to show even more because the opportunities will be there. The packers can stop the run. They're not going to miss tackles. You're not going to get a ton of yards rushing against them per play. Now again, they got 120 last week or two weeks ago. They average 100, so they were better there. But along of nine, along of eight, they're not going to have those opportunities there. So Caleb has to take advantage of what he's going to see pre snap to be comfortable, to be confident, to know what's there, make the right calls and to and to impact his own skills and ability on this game to lead the Bears to the victory.

[B]

Do you have at your fingertips a tracker of explosive plays? Because that is a stat. Explosives are Pass plays of 20 or more and run plays of 10 or more. Are the Bears trending upward in explosive plays? And because that's the thing about when you look at percentages and yards per play and all that really the way Johnson measures his offense are the number of times he can grab giant chunks of yards.

[A]

So in the passing game, this is offense passing 20 plus yards. The Rams are number one at 57. The Bears are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10th in the league at 47, top third. So they're, they're top third. But you remember they were higher up earlier in the year. They were actually leading the league at one point in explosive plays. So they've dropped a little bit. Other other teams have, have added more to it. But from 47 to 57, it's not like, it's not like they're the Saints who have 20, you know, and then looking at the rushing game, let's see if they have 10 plus so they don't show 10 plus here on NFL.com they show 20 plus.

[B]

I was just curious and I'm sorry for making you do that on the.

[A]

Fly here, but The Bears have 10 plays of 20 yards or more in the rushing game. Okay. So those, those will be and so they don't have 10 plus but they have 20. So they have 10. And that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9th.

[B]

That's pretty good. Yeah, sounds like it should be good. And a lot of teams pile those up against lesser defenses. The Bears have placed their faced plenty of those, but I know that that's how they look at their offense. Every play should have an opportunity to be explosive. And there are some where especially early in the year when you can look at the all 22s and say, well, he could have thrown it here or we've looked at DeAndre Swift in the past. I said, oh, if only he'd seen this lane. He's Swift is doing much better at that. Yeah, Swift is finding and seeing some of these holes in a way that looks more impressive to me than at any other time as his game DeAndre.

[A]

Swift, his game has stepped up from the start of the season to where it is now at a level I didn't think he would achieve.

[B]

I'm with you.

[A]

His, like you just mentioned, his, his vision and his ability to cut back or cut out when needed has been really impressive. I didn't think he still had that gear or level in him.

[B]

Let me add to what you're saying about this opportunity for Caleb Williams and this point to cement himself at a certain level of quarterbacking with a win because of when I look at the Bears injury report and I can feel comfortably dubious if that's a term that Roma Dunes A is going to be available or effective and frightened, more frightened actually frankly right now about Luther Burden because of the way he's playing than I have been that I am About A Dunes A. Let's say they're they're both out. As we were talking yesterday, we were looking at Maurice Alexander and JP Peterson, the practice squad guys. We'll see if anybody gets elevated Thursday or Friday. And then having Devin DuVernay, having John A. Walker, D.J. moore and I might be missing one these outside of the tight ends.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The other opportunity here is for Ben Johnson to say, all right, okay, here's what I got. Watch me scheme some stuff up here. We were talking about their bully formation the other day. The stuff he had from the Greg Roman or the old Mike Ditka Ed Hughes eagle formation with the two tight ends in the backfield, that full house inverted wishbone that they. That is referred to as reptile. And they practiced all that in training camp. What else is there? And if he says, okay, I'm down, wideouts, time to bring out something else that we don't even know what it is. We don't know what was installed in camp. Hey, hey, hey, guys, remember this. This could be a chance for Johnson to say, I was ready for this. That's why we put this in in training camp, knowing that we could get to a game in December where we're missing wideouts. So we've got a plan to use. We have a way to get explosive plays. We have a way to take advantage in the passing offense, to scheme up certain routes without our top wide receiving talent, with the exception of DJ Moore. That's what I'm waiting to see too. Because then it's yet another piece of evidence that suggests you've got somebody who is ahead of his counterpart, who's ready for the next thing and said, I don't care who's out there. That's the famous Bum Phillips line from coaching. He can take yearn be his and he can take his and beat your. Whatever. How you can translate that from. From the deep Texas. And I think Johnson could be one of those guys. And this might be a week in which he proves. Might be his chance to say, I don't need Roma Dunes A. I don't need Luther Burden. I got enough right here. I got enough guys who have uniform numbers in the 80s that I can get them open. Our stuff can get them open.

[A]

Yeah. And that's. That's another level of growth that I want to see from this offense is the ability to have Caleb hit guys in stride and make yards after catch. That's going to be big. If you look. If you look at the. Just the NFC right now. I didn't do a full NFL dive, just nfc. The Bears leader in yards after catch outside of running backs.

[B]

Burden, right, is Luther Burden. Yeah.

[A]

And he's like 20th in the NFC among wide receivers and tight ends. That needs to improve. And then Roman slightly behind him. DJ slightly behind, behind Rome, but that's not high enough.

[B]

That tells you the offense isn't clicking yet because it's based on middle of the field. Get guys into open areas where they can run without a lot of clutter around them in space.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. It says a lot about the offense. Or says you're playing the Bengals, one of the two.

[B]

And you don't really need to throw ever. But if you are. Well, actually, that was the one that they won the game because Colston Loveland was able to break away, right? Yes.

[A]

Because three guys bounced off it.

[B]

Yes. I think, though, that when this thing's humming, when it's. When it's really doing what it's supposed to do, you've got enough time for fast guys to be running deep in breaking routes that allow them to catch in the middle of the field and have all the different places to run away. Ideally, the ball placement improves.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That. You're not throwing on this shoulder, you're throwing on the. You're leading toward that open space and getting them there on the run. And I'm hopeful it will.

[A]

It was funny a lot of the comments this week when we talked a lot about Cole Comet catching and falling. And last week he caught and ran.

[B]

He did.

[A]

And then he finally got hurt. He got hurt because of it. And so people were all like, he didn't rumble. He didn't know. He doesn't rumble either. Does Colson Loveland.

[B]

You were mad about the description by Kevin Cooler.

[A]

No, but it stood out that it was. It was not a correct adjective to describe Colson Loveland.

[B]

It is why I texted you Monday night.

[A]

Because that dude rumbles.

[B]

Darnell Washington.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The former Georgia vending machine.

[A]

Vending machine.

[B]

Who's a tight end. He caught the ball. He's 300 some pounds. Yeah. And it was Joe Buck as like rumbling into, like. Yeah, there you go.

[A]

That works.

[B]

That is proper application of rumbling.

[A]

I was looking at also some tackles here because we brought that up too. Talking about the. The Packers. So mentioned the packers at a 10% missed tackle rate versus running backs, which is number one in the league.

[B]

That's.

[A]

That's impressive. You know the answer to this. What team has the most missed tackles?

[B]

The Bengals.

[A]

Bengals. Do you know what their lead right now is in that stat over the next worst? Yes.

[B]

Is this by total tackles or by percentage?

[A]

It's by total tackles.

[B]

Oh, God. So here's what I give me.

[A]

The Bengals, number 146.

[B]

That sounds like a lot. Is that. That's 10 a game.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You have 10 statistically designated missed tackles per game.

[A]

Per game.

[B]

Okay. I'd say the next one is under 100.

[A]

Okay. So there are 1, 2, 3, 4. Over 100. The next closest, though, and this is surprising to me too, given the head coach, is the Pittsburgh steelers.

[B]

Huh.

[A]

At 113.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But the Bengals are 33. That's a lot and they were. They're out of pace to break a record as a team for most missed tackles.

[B]

That's a lot.

[A]

The Steelers, 113. The Colts, 111. The Las Vegas Raiders, 110. The Commanders 103. Do you have a guess?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Now, we talked about the Packers. We talked about them going into the game, coming out of that game as well, too, that they don't miss tackles. Can you guess the number of missed tackles that separates the packers and your Chicago Bears?

[B]

For you to ask that, my guess is it is a statistically insignificant number.

[A]

It is five. It's two.

[B]

Okay, it's two.

[A]

I was surprised to see it that close. The Bears have 74 missed tackles. The packers have 72.

[B]

While you have that in front of you, can I just do this as a personal eye test? Check. And I don't have it in front of me. I'm just. This is just based on my eye test, and I don't see every game. But when I have watched the Patriots and their ability to make contact meaningful, it seems to be like, you don't.

[A]

Have this in front of you. You're not. You're not bullshitting me, right?

[B]

You can come, right? Or walk around and look at my screen. Okay.

[A]

Because I'm just going to tell you right now, you are correct. They are number one.

[B]

Really?

[A]

In the NFL?

[B]

I was going to say definitely in the top 10% or top quarter, because they look like they wrap up. They grab your foot. They other guys come in there. And I know that the Texans, as far as swarming to the ball, the Texans look like a hornet's nest. They look like a hornet's nest getting on like an invader, especially in those uniforms. They get all scary looking, you know, moving around. They swarm noticeably. So I think they're probably good as well. But the Patriots, to me, have always looked like they move with intent defensively.

[A]

And this is on profootball reference.com their advanced defensive metrics. The New England Patriots are number one in the league. And missed tackles at 53. The Bengals have won 43.

[B]

Six. Many.

[A]

And the incredible Patriots have 53. And then they missed three a game.

[B]

That's maybe three and a half a game.

[A]

Then you go to The Chiefs at 62, the Lions at 63. The Rams at 64. The Titans, believe it or not, are 68. The Bills at 69. The Niners 71. Broncos also 71. Then you get to the packers at 72, the Giants at 73, the Bears 74.

[B]

Surprising.

[A]

It is surprising. Yeah, it's a titan. Surprised me too.

[B]

Okay, good. I'm just. I'm. I'm.

[A]

Yeah. No, it's a good eye. Good eye. Good catch on your part. Yeah. They are number one. And it's almost. Almost 10, 10 away from the next. Next best team.

[B]

I wonder how much that's a culture thing too, because there's a.

[A]

There's been a lot of talk about it about. About my. My half brother Mike Vrabel.

[B]

Good coach.

[A]

When he. When he went in, there was a couple. There was a. Several starters that had remained from the previous regime that were. That on the defensive side of the football that he got rid of. You know, they were starters previous and he got rid of them. They just. They didn't fit what he wanted to do.

[B]

And they've got several starters who were cut by other teams.

[A]

Right. That they picked up and are now playing.

[B]

They just made it better. They're just getting better performance out of. They're making them matter more when other teams, like, I don't need this guy on my roster. At all. At all.

[A]

Yeah, at all.

[B]

Not a special teams guy. We. We don't need him here. And Vrabel has picked up guys and they're starters on a good team.

[A]

Well, I mean, look what the Bears have done to DeMarco. Jackson's a guy. Naysha Wright is a guy. CJ GJ is a guy. That again, that's. This man. That is. That is beyond house money, whatever the next term is there.

[B]

No, it is. That's. That's. It's meaningful.

[A]

The Patriots, though, that. How about that game? So they're up 21 nothing on the bills and they end up losing that game. I got a really good buddy of mine I used to work with out in Massachusetts and he. Huge Patriots fan and we text at every NFL Sunday.

[B]

Is he a mass hole?

[A]

He is not a mass hole. He's a really good dude. Okay. One of the best guys I've known. He was. He's actually in the Navy and he was. He was a. He was a fighter pilot and his.

[B]

No wonder you love him.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that's my guy. When I learned that.

[B]

Does he have a call site?

[A]

He does. It's the best. It was boob.

[B]

That was his call sign.

[A]

Call sign was boob. Yeah, it was great.

[B]

That's awesome.

[A]

Yeah. My buddy Rob. Rob Byron, he's just a fantastic.

[B]

What did he fly? F. A18 hornet spider. You know, I had to ask him.

[A]

I can't remember what it was, what he flew.

[B]

That's really cool.

[A]

Yeah. It was really.

[B]

Hey, can you tell me another story?

[A]

Oh, dude. Yeah.

[B]

Did you snap towels?

[A]

When I learned that he probably regretted being friends with me. Did you ever bite at the air in front of somebody? Did you ever tell anyone they could be your wingman? Did you play shirtless volleyball with jeans on? Jeans on?

[B]

Did you go to the bar and play piano?

[A]

So boob and I, we text, play.

[B]

Great Balls of Fire.

[A]

And we're like, throughout this whole year we've been texting about, oh, let's see if they can meet up in the Super Bowl, Bears, Patriots again.

[B]

And.

[A]

And so we texted the other day and it was, it was 20, like 21 to 3, 21 nothing. And I'm like, oh, man, look at this. I haven't, I haven't. I didn't text back, though. I couldn't. I love him too much to give.

[B]

Him shit about their Bears, Patriots, Super Bowl.

[A]

Yeah. Drake May, Caleb Williams.

[B]

Oh, that'd be good.

[A]

Well, let's get past Saturday first.

[B]

Well, also, did you notice on the field last week the pigeons?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Were they.

[A]

Were they low or is it just looking field? Okay, so when they were, they were taking off. Were they helping the block?

[B]

Okay, so there were several things that I was noticing. The pictures, you could see them away from the play. And it happens all the time at Wrigley with the gulls. Yes, sometimes pigeons too. But there are times a year where the gulls would come in and they come swooping across right in front of the center field camera. And they look like pterodactyls as you're looking at the pitcher's back. And all of a sudden, I don't know why, they'd sound like a red tailed hawk, but they come through and. And people were wondering about what would happen if the pigeons became involved because theoretically they could. Yeah, they could deflect a pass or they could get just in the vision of somebody.

[A]

Just ask Randy Johnson.

[B]

Well, I'm so glad. And meanwhile, have you seen Randy Johnson's logo for his photography company?

[A]

Is it like an exploded bird?

[B]

It's like an upside down bird with X's for eyes.

[A]

What do you mean? He has a photography company?

[B]

He's a photographer.

[A]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[B]

Yeah, no, he's super into like sports photography.

[A]

Really?

[B]

That's his thing now. You'll see him sometime. Like, you can't miss him. You see this giant 610 guy with a Fu Manchu mustache and a mullet at games. He is a professional photographer and the logo's great. So thankfully in his mailbag in the Trib, Brad Biggs answered this question. The question says, what does the NFL rule book say happens if a pass happens to strike something on the field of play? Perhaps a pigeon during a game says, incomplete pass, replay the down. Or a secret third thing. So Brad Biggs did the research.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It says, fortunately, the pesky pigeons or whatever type of annoying birds had decided to hang out of the field during a portion of Sunday's game. I think they were pigeons. Could have been doves. Didn't get that involved in the action. They weren't bothered by the players on the field. Digging through the NFL rules, it appears that if a thrown or kicked ball happens to strike a bird, the play would be ruled dead and the down would be replayed.

[A]

So that's actually in the NFL rules.

[B]

While the rules don't specifically account for unwelcome flying visitors. Here it is. I'm going to read you the rule. This is rule 7, section 2, article 1R.

[A]

Oh, I thought it was 1S.

[B]

I know, right? It's okay. Do you have it in front of you? You don't have it open in front of you?

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay. If a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object like a bird, the ball will be dead immediately and the down will be replayed at the previous spot. In the event the down is replayed, the game clock will be reset for the time remaining when the snap occurred. The clock will start on the snap. All penalties will be disregarded except for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, which will be administered prior to the replaying of the down. So Big says a bird would be lumped under other object.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

The play would be reviewable. I don't remember anything. Like we've had issues with the giant scoreboard.

[A]

Play would be reviewable. If it hits a bird, what's their review?

[B]

Whether or not it hit the bird.

[A]

Oh, well, I mean, if you can clearly tell, they would just replay it.

[B]

Right. But if. If you. The bird is, you know, could you imagine what you'd be looking.

[A]

So he throws it off slightly. Doesn't stop the ball in movement.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or you review the play, but he.

[B]

Has to strike it. So by this rule, what I'm thinking is what if a guy's running with the ball in the open field except there are birds ahead of him and he's got a. If they don't touch him.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he has to make his way around the birds or somebody's trying to catch A pass and a bird flies in front of his face. Doesn't touch anything, but prevents him from catching the ball because it takes his eyes off the ball or blinds him to the moment of the catch.

[A]

It sounds like too bad.

[B]

That sounds like too bad.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So what's the move? Oh, it's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Junior. Remember when Sean Connery takes his parasol.

[A]

Oh, yeah. And he gets the birds to fly.

[B]

And the plane ends up getting covered in gall and crashing into the mountain. See?

[A]

So suggesting we do that.

[B]

I don't know. How can you make the birds an advantage?

[A]

You know how you prevent that dome to stadium?

[B]

Theoretically.

[A]

Theoretically, yes.

[B]

There's birds in the parking garage every once in a while.

[A]

Yeah, it's weird.

[B]

There's a roof in the parking garage. I see birds down there.

[A]

You see bird, like a bird, like inside a target or something. It's just. Yeah, yeah, it's weird.

[B]

That's probably awesome for the bird.

[A]

Yeah, probably.

[B]

There's no predators in there and you get plenty of food, right?

[A]

Well, you don't think there's like, shopping, do you?

[C]

No, no.

[B]

They got buying stuff.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

But there's all kinds. It's a grocery store.

[A]

It's a cool logo. The Randy Johnson logo. Yeah, it is. It's neat. I didn't know he was a photographer. That's very cool.

[B]

Yeah. I need something to do.

[A]

What a great transition in life for he.

[B]

I guess. I mean, I guess he always liked doing it and he's very serious about it.

[A]

And I wonder if he does nudes of himself. Sets the camera up on a timer.

[B]

You know, his nickname is well earned. Big unit is for a reason.

[A]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[B]

Yeah, you did.

[A]

Well, I knew that was his nickname. I just thought he was.

[B]

Why do you think call him that?

[A]

No, because he had a monster schlong.

[B]

Yes. I was thinking of doing that for our top 10. In truth, I wasn't going to tell you this because for the second time around, when we're doing top 10 packers.

[A]

Oh, you were going to do Guys of Big Wieners.

[B]

Going to do peckers.

[A]

Oh, top 10 peckers.

[B]

And I was going to reveal it.

[A]

At the end, Woody.

[B]

I was going to do my whole list famously. And then you'd say, like, what are you doing? And I would say, oh, I thought it was Peckers.

[A]

What we're going to do, though, for Friday's episode of DBU, since we've done top 10 packers, we're going to do the bottom 10 packers of all time.

[B]

Actual Green Bay Packers.

[A]

Actual Green Bay packers. The bottom 10 Green Bay packers of all time.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

That'll be fun.

[B]

For whatever reason.

[A]

Yeah, any. Anything you want, anything you want to do with it, that'll be your call.

[B]

And I do think that in some of the biographical information, we are going to be able to go to some fun places.

[A]

I hope so.

[B]

So I'm really looking forward to it.

[A]

Yeah, we'll see.

[B]

Yeah, I know.

[A]

Alrighty then.

[B]

All right. Well, I guess you're good.

[A]

I'm good.

[B]

Well, you just gave me a sigh like I disappointed you.

[A]

Oh, no. You know, you never disappoint me. So we're good. It was a sigh of like, I'm looking for the clothes.

[B]

That's what you're trying to.

[A]

Because you try to sneak it in on me and I'm never ready.

[B]

Are you ready?

[A]

No. Yes.

[B]

And he's ready now. And that is forward progress on three. 12 sports.

[A]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and matta batacola on 312Sports.

[B]

Save over $200 when you book weekly. Stays with Vrbo this winter. If you haven't seen your college besties since, well, college.

[A]

You need a week to catch up.

[B]

In a snowy cabin, take a week long vacation and save over $200. Book [e-mail].