Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Can the Bears compete harder?
Host: 312 Sports
Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abatacola

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan and Matt grapple with the Chicago Bears’ dismal 0–2 start under new head coach Ben Johnson. They dissect the team's total collapse in the latest loss—including disorganization, defensive failures, a lack of competitiveness, and deeply unsatisfying coaching responses. The hosts balance their analytical breakdowns with the raw frustration of longtime fans, calling for greater accountability and urgency while questioning if the new regime is up to the task.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Coaching Disappointment & Communication Issues

• Immediate Reaction
  • Dan and Matt express shock and disappointment with how badly the Ben Johnson era has started, emphasizing they did not expect this level of dysfunction. (00:20)
  • Dan calls the standard coaching excuses “unsatisfying and a little bit scary.” (00:20)
• Lack of Transparency
  • Matt wishes the coaching staff would avoid clichés and vague explanations that suggest a lack of control or answers. He’s concerned by the tone Johnson has taken publicly. (01:02)
  • “I wanted him to avoid like those coaching cliches and those types of things that...present an image of out of his control.” — Matt (01:02)

2. Systemic on-field Failures

• Defensive Meltdown
  • Bears allowed 511 yards—“a shock” on every level: defensive line, linebackers, corners, and safeties all underperformed, especially after Jalen Johnson exited with injury. (02:12)
  • “It’s so systemic as to leave us without [hope].” — Dan (02:12)
• Offensive Struggles
  • Caleb Williams, though not the main problem, has not met rookie expectations. His bad interception was heavily criticized. (03:38, 04:12)
  • “He’s just not playing as good as I thought he’d be playing right now…But again, he’s not the main reason why they’re 0 and 2.” — Matt (03:38)

3. Locker Room Vibes & Player Frustration

• Potential for Emerging Tension
  • Matt and Dan discuss the likelihood of player leaks or off-the-record comments as frustration mounts. (05:13)
  • Jaquan Brisker’s raw postgame quote is called out as a sign to monitor locker room sentiment:
    • “Shit, I ain't never had 50 put on me ever in my life. Ever. Not even in a video game. That shit was crazy to me.” — Brisker (Highlight read at 05:50)

4. Questioning Defensive and Offensive Coaching Staff

• High-profile Hires Underperforming
  • Dan lists the all-star coaching staff, questioning why all the supposed expertise has translated into chaos and disorganization. (06:40)

5. Run Game & Offensive Line Breakdown

• Statistical Lowlights
  • Bears’ running backs dead last in the NFL in Expected Points Added (EPA) per carry and in success rate, despite the investment in the O-line and high-profile staff like Eric Bieniemy. (07:36)
  • “Not only do you have a bad running back room, now you have a bad offensive line, which wasn’t on the bingo card for the 2025 season.” — Matt (08:37)

6. Ben Johnson Postgame Soundbites

• Blandishments and Missed Tone
  • Johnson praised player effort: “They fought the entire game...” (09:37)
  • Dan and Matt call out this as an inaccurate portrayal given the team’s collapse and the fact that starters were benched late. (10:02, 41:55)

7. Critical Game Decisions & In-game Confusion

• Fourth Down Woes
  • Hosts flag concern that relying on fourth-down conversions is a symptom, not a cause, of deeper offensive issues. (14:08, 14:31)
• Clock Management Blunder
  • Recounting a confusing sequence at the end of the first half: Johnson was unaware of a rule application, leading to six seconds being put back on the clock and a crucial Lions touchdown. Both hosts were infuriated by lack of sideline urgency and clarity. (15:10–24:01)
  • “I am not letting that six second play happen until I fully understand what's going on.” — Matt (22:25)

8. Competitiveness and Team Identity

• Lack of Fight
  • Dan harps on how the Bears failed to compete, contrasting Johnson’s passivity with Dan Campbell’s aggression for Detroit. (19:46–21:30)
  • “They allowed a team in game one to just take it over, to just strangle them...They’re missing a level of competition that we were told was everything that made Ben Johnson who he was.” — Dan (19:46)

9. Injury Fallout

• Jalen Johnson
  • Breaking news: Johnson is out indefinitely with a groin injury that may require surgery—serious blow for the defense. (29:00, 42:44)
  • “He’s the best individual player on the team.” — Dan (29:46)
• Re-injury Concerns
  • TJ Edwards re-aggravates his injury; both injuries prompt questions about Bears’ medical management and conditioning. (29:54–30:32)

10. Player Accountability and Excuse-Making

• Caleb Williams on Offensive Issues
  • Williams, when asked about the offense: “It's new coach, new offense and all of that and a bunch of new players and we're all trying to figure it out together...” (30:53)
  • Matt rails against this as a lame excuse: “I’m tired of hearing it, Dan…. It’s a lame ass. Excuse.” (32:15)
• Listing Excuses
  • Both hosts track a pattern of fate-based excuses (“when it rains, it pours,” “these games just happen”) and call for the coaches to compete and problem-solve, not rationalize failure. (33:26–34:17)

11. Bright Spots and Isolated Positives

• Rookie WR Rome Odunze
  • Odunze ties his TD output from last year after two games, ranks top ten in yards and TDs among WRs. (39:23)
  • “There’s some positive there. That’s the one thing because I want to find something that was good about this team through two games.” — Matt (39:23)
• DJ Moore & Montez Sweat Underwhelming
  • Both high-priced players have been invisible, with minimal production and impact. (40:11–40:52)

12. Around the League & Schedule Context

• NFL Comparator
  • Dan observes that even as more NFL data pours in, the Bears’ performance looks worse in comparison—raises concerns about missed divisional opportunities given weak opposition. (37:50–38:18)
• Next Week Outlook
  • Bears open as a slight favorite against the Cowboys, but both hosts express skepticism. (37:44)
• Joking about Backup QBs
  • Light banter about Jake Browning (Bengals) and Joe Flacco (Browns) still being in the league. (41:05–41:27)

13. What Should Happen Next

• Call for Honest Internal Evaluation
  • “What I do need is a stark, honest evaluation internally that everybody’s in the right spot…” — Dan (36:04)
  • Both hosts agree that eyewash and empty gestures won’t help; they want true accountability and competitive intensity ramped up from coaches downward. (36:04–37:19)
• Reflections on the Season Trajectory
  • Both voice concern that things will not improve unless the staff quickly changes communication, player management, and attitude toward adversity. (44:18–44:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Defensive Collapse:
  "Allowing 511 yards was a shock. I didn’t think the defense could possibly be as bad as it was on every single level... It's so systemic as to leave us without [hope]." — Dan (02:12)

• Player Frustration Loud and Clear:
  "Shit, I ain't never had 50 put on me ever in my life. Ever. Not even in a video game. That shit was crazy to me." — Jaquan Brisker, via Dan (05:50)

• End of First Half Fiasco:
  "I am not letting that six second play happen until I fully understand what's going on...There is no shot, that ball snapped until I fully grasp what just took place." — Matt (22:25)

• Ben Johnson Excuse-Making Called Out:
  "They fought the entire game." — Ben Johnson (09:37)
  "He didn’t sound happy." — Dan, after Caleb Williams’ comments on being benched (26:25)
  "It’s not competitive enough." — Dan (24:01)

• Excuse Fatigue:
  "When it rains, it pours. You know, these games happen, they just kind of happen. You’re the coach. Do something about it!" — Dan (33:28)

• On “Getting to Know Each Other” as Excuse:
  "There’s only 17 games in a season. You don't have the luxury of 162 or 82 to let things slide...You can’t go from the start and say, all right, we'll figure this out by week eight, then you’re done." — Matt (32:15–32:50)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Opening & Disappointment with New Regime: 00:20–01:02
• Defense/Offense Full Breakdown: 02:12–04:12
• Locker Room & Brisker’s Quote: 05:13–06:37
• Coaching Staff Under Scrutiny: 06:40–08:37
• Run Game Statistical Woes: 07:36–09:31
• Ben Johnson Postgame Clip & Critique: 09:37–14:31
• End of First Half Confusion: 15:10–24:01
• “Competing Harder” Theme Emerges: 19:00–22:04
• Injury Updates Jalen Johnson/TJ Edwards: 29:00–33:15, 42:44
• Caleb Williams Excuse Critique: 30:53–33:10
• Lack of Team Identity & “What Do They Do Well?” 34:17–35:10
• Call for Honest Self-Examination: 36:04–37:19
• NFL Comparisons & Bears’ Outlook: 37:44–41:27

Summary

This episode of Forward Progress is a wide-ranging, unsparing breakdown of the Bears’ early season collapse. Dan Bernstein and Matt Abatacola hold the new coaching staff and front office to account, reject excuse-making, and demand a genuine uptick in competitiveness and urgency—calling out mistakes in-game and in communication alike. There’s precious little comfort to be found: even isolated positives are wrapped in concerns about deeper systemic failure, injuries, and a potential loss of locker room faith. If things don’t change quickly at Halas Hall, the frustration inside and outside the building threatens to boil over.