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- [00:02]
Dan Bernstein
10, 219219.
- [00:09]
Matt Abatacola
Forward progress Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.
- [00:21]
Dan Bernstein
Monday. Forward progress is here. I'm Dan Bernstein, that's Matt Abatacola. And we are here on 312 Sports and dealing with the aftermath of a Chicago Bears embarrassment. And we didn't sign up for this. We did not sign up for the start of the Ben Johnson regime for this administration to be this much of an embarrassment. But here we are. And we have yet to hear anything satisfactory other than the usual coaching blandishments about how the, the fickle winds of the NFL just cause things like this to happen. It's very unsatisfying and frankly, it's a little bit scary.
- [01:02]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, I don't, you know, I'm trying to think through it, like, what, what do I want him to be saying right now? Like, I wanted him to avoid like those coaching cliches and those types of things that, that present an image of out of his control, present an image of I don't know what to do from here. And those things he's saying, it gives me those fears and concerns. I don't believe he is that way. I mean, I want to believe that. I want to believe that he has full control and that behind the scenes he's saying things very differently than what he's expressing publicly, which I get, I understand it. But this is, and I think, you know, you said it correctly, like, this is just not what we expected for it. Is that, is that really his fault that I had higher expectations for the way this team was supposed to look? Again, we can recap this and say it, reiterate it many times. Didn't expect them to be two and oh, at the start of the season, I just didn't expect them to look like they'd never played football before and to be so disorganized and to be so terrible offensively, not just the quarterback, but the offensive line. There's just too many things going wrong that shouldn't be going wrong at this time.
- [02:12]
Dan Bernstein
Allowing 511 yards was a shock. I didn't think the defense could possibly be as bad as it was on every single level. The line was bad, the linebackers were bad, the corners were bad, the safeties were bad, and everything went to hell as soon as Jalen Johnson left the game again. And we'll probably get some indication today how long he and TJ Edwards are going to be out with their respective re injuries of what they were dealing with before. But it's so systemic as to leave us without. If it's one thing, if we knew that they were only picking on Tyreek Stevenson or if there it was only either a zone defense that was bad or a man defense that was bad or a specific personnel package that was mad. The fact that the issues are so broad based after this off season and after all these changes is frightening. And we haven't even really spoken about Caleb Williams yet because he, he wasn't the primary reason why things didn't work. I thought for the most part he was okay, except for that one horrible, inexplicable interception that he threw that was so bad and so negative that it weighs heavier than just one misstep.
- [03:38]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, it's. It's interesting that he, he has not been the player that we expected these first two games with Ben Johnson as head coach. He's not been the sole reason why they're owing to. He's had some issues. He's just not playing as good as I thought he'd be playing right now. And again, I didn't expect him or demand of him that he's the best quarterback in the league at this point. That's not realistic. But I just expect him to be a little better. But, but again, he's not the main reason why they're 0 and 2.
- [04:13]
Dan Bernstein
Well, let me get back to something. The point that you made about the differential between what is being said internally and what's being said externally. And I think you have said, and it's been an ongoing theme and I think it's a good note on your part that early on in his tenure, at least during training camp, before there were any real wins and losses to discuss, Johnson has been honest until he realizes maybe he's a little too honest. And then he's like, well, you know, here's what I actually mean. I thought there was a little bit of that yesterday when we were trying to decipher what he was saying about Cairo Santos and why they brought in Jake Moody and getting some of those mixed signals. But that's. It's neither here nor there. My point being that reporters are going to start picking around in the locker room a little bit because we'll get that answer. I want to know what the players are hearing. Yeah, I want to know what's being said in the position rooms. I want to know what they are being told about jobs being at stake.
- [05:13]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, it's interesting that you say that because I was thinking about that this morning coming in and was just waiting. Like, when does that happen that someone talks to a reporter and shares what's going on at Hallis hall. And like, is it, is it coming up soon? Is it sooner than it than we maybe anticipated something like that ever happening in the first season of Ben Johnson? Is it later in the year when things look really completely out of reach? Now there's still 15 games to go. It would seem like a complete miracle to have any kind of impact on this season in a positive fashion, but it's a lot of football and a lot of injuries could happen to other teams as well.
- [05:50]
Dan Bernstein
Well, I know who I'm sticking close to is if I'm covering this team, I am not moving far from Jaquan Brisker because you saw what he said after the game, what he told the athletic. Shit. I ain't never had 50 put on me ever in my life ever. Not even in a video game. So that shit was crazy to me. Yeah, check that. Read that again. Shit, I ain't never had 50 points put on me ever in my life and ever, not even in a video game. That shit was crazy to me. That's your starting safety. I'm not going to, I'm not going too far from him and I want to know what's going on.
- [06:32]
Matt Abatacola
That's a good point. Also, just reiterate one of the. One of the positive draft picks for Ryan polls right there.
- [06:38]
Dan Bernstein
Yep.
- [06:38]
Matt Abatacola
So his first one. Right. 2022.
- [06:41]
Dan Bernstein
The players start to know and coaches are going to start to sweat a little bit even this early. And this was this all star coaching staff. Antoine Randall, L, Eric B. Enemy. Everything that was said about all these big names, you've had all these big jobs. Here comes your Dan Rushar from the Saints and he's going to coach the offensive line. Dennis Allen, who's been a head coach at two different stops. Man, this team of rivals. Not everybody agrees on everything but Ben Johnson understands going to surround himself with some of these people at all that have some differing opinions. There's some holdovers in Richard Hightower.
- [07:17]
Matt Abatacola
And do you remember the impact that Dennis Allen was going to have on a first year coach because he was a head coach. Remember that, that narrative that, oh, he's been there, he's done it, he'll be able to help and advise and guide and, and help, you know, so he doesn't have the missteps that a first year head coach could have.
- [07:36]
Dan Bernstein
Speaking of running backs too, I saw this post. This is Mina Kimes earlier the Chicago Bears running backs. This is under Eric B. Enemies room here. Dead last in expected points added per carry and success rate last in the NFL for every team that's played two games. Fix that. That is the we start talking about what to fix and we're just so, you know, here on for progress today. We're going to play some sound that we heard yesterday and go through what Ben Johnson said as we awai any news on injuries and or possible moves that are being made and how they're trying to contextualize and compartmentalize this. Want to talk a little bit also about the things that happen around the NFL and look at the Bears through that contest because that's not great either. With every game and with every outcome, with every bit of data that comes in, the Bears are looking worse even when they don't play right. And that's getting a little bit scary.
- [08:37]
Matt Abatacola
But, you know, you talk about the running backs, though. The, you know, this was something we addressed coming into the season, that it's, it's not a very good running back room. Like we knew that. We saw that. But we were being told that the additions on the offensive line were going to overcome the deficiencies in the room and help improve the running game. And then Ben Johnson's there to help design plays that are going to make them most effective. And now we're seeing quite the opposite. Not only do you have bad, a bad running back room, now you have a bad offensive line, which wasn't on the bingo card for the 2025 season. You invest all that money on the interior portion of the line. You have your two tight ends that have been there, so they're not new and no one's learning them. Caleb Williams isn't learning who is, who his tackles are. And yet it's one penalty after another after another after another. On top of being able to not run the football effectively, let's hear what.
- [09:32]
Dan Bernstein
Ben Johnson had to say when he came out and addressed the media immediately after the game.
- [09:38]
Ben Johnson
Listen, anytime you lose a game like that, man, it's a, it's a kick in the teeth. It. Nothing about that feels good. Unfortunately, I've been through a number of these over the course of my career. You know, these guys, I tell you, they're hurt. You know, it stinks.
- [10:02]
Dan Bernstein
They fought.
- [10:03]
Ben Johnson
They fought the entire game. And you know, when you play a good team on the road and you have turnovers and you, you don't convert on fourth down and you give up explosive plays on defense, you know, it can go sideways in a hurry. And that's, that was really the name of the game. You know, offensively we were able to move the ball a little bit in the first half and then the turnovers and the lack of fourth down conversion bit us in the rear. And then, you know, defense has more explosive plays than we wanted to going into the game. We knew that they were an explosive offense and we had a plan and we didn't contain those playmakers very well. You know, the quarterback for them really, really got after us and made us hurt. You know, I look at his numbers and it looks like he had an outstanding day. Certainly felt that way on the sideline.
- [10:51]
Caleb Williams
Throughout.
- [10:51]
Ben Johnson
So. And then in the second half, you get behind by, by that much and it becomes a throwing game like that and really just plays into their hands. So penalties were still an issue for us. You know, false starts. We had a couple of those. We had some holdings.
- [11:04]
Matt Abatacola
Yep, had some holdings. The explosive plays. I mean, Jared Goff had four plays over 30 yards. It was so frustrating. We were talking about this in the post game yesterday, Dan, that the, the defensive line couldn't get to, to Jared Goff. When he doesn't, he's not, he's not a very mobile quarterback. He's not going to run. If he does run, you can catch him. He, he's going to step up in the pocket and you can't ask. I don't care if it's your starting defensive back or, or secondary guys or, or even, you know, practice squad guys. You give a quarterback like that five or six seconds to throw the ball with a wide receiver like Brown or the tight ends they have, he's, he's going to make plays downfield. It's just going to happen. Four over 30 yards. Why were they not getting to Jared Goff in the pocket? I just, I just don't understand. He's not going to escape and run. That should, that should change the mindset going into the game about how you pressure, knowing he's not going to run and hurt you with 50 or 60 or 70 yards rushing on the game.
- [12:00]
Dan Bernstein
Well, and once you realize you're not getting home, you got to compensate for that. What do you do if you're not getting home with four? Well, you can send more if you have to and try to pressure or you can drop to landmarks and just understand that you may not get there, but you're going to take away everything and make him throw into really tight windows and you're going to try to bracket their top guys. What surprised me was when you have TJ Edwards, an inside backer covering a wide receiver, you can only do that and teams do stuff like that, but you don't realize it because their pass rush is getting home.
- [12:46]
Matt Abatacola
Right?
- [12:46]
Dan Bernstein
It happens all the time. You're going to decide on mismatches and sometimes you have to do that. You have to say, well, it's not ideal, but the mismatch won't matter because the quarterback is going to be running for his life and he's not going to have time to see him on a, on a, a crossing route that takes forever to develop. We can hand him off or we can cover him and we can end up with a linebacker on a wideout because we're going to have enough pressure. But when you don't get the pressure, that's when you get the separation and that's when you wonder why was, why was he being asked to cover this person? It's not because they thought that Edwards can keep up with Aman Rasing Brown or with Jameson Williams, whoever may be, whatever wide receiver is going to be next. It's the fact that it's not supposed to matter because of the pressure.
- [13:31]
Matt Abatacola
Right?
- [13:32]
Dan Bernstein
And it's, it's not getting there. No one's winning. No one's winning. And the way Dennis Allen teaches the front four, it's not a one gap disrupt. It's also not a true two gap either. Where you're lined up over a guy. It is still a physical throw your guy out of the way and out physical. Your guy beat, beat. However, you have to get him attack, attack, attack. And he wants these long, rangy, athletic guys and they're not winning their matchups yet.
- [14:08]
Matt Abatacola
I also didn't like in those comments when he talked about the lack of fourth down conversion. If that's an issue for your offense, looking back after a game or lack of fourth, like, that's that to me, that's not good. That just, that just. That stood out as something I don't want to hear my head coach talk about. Like, if you're consistently counting on fourth down conversions, then there's a problem with your offense.
- [14:32]
Dan Bernstein
I was just going to say it's a symptom. That is first of all being in fourth downs and having to go for it and then not getting it all. It is a further indictment of basic offensive issues. You're just sort of abstracting it or blaming a symptom rather than blaming the actual problem.
- [14:52]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, no, you're right. Yep, Absolutely.
- [14:55]
Dan Bernstein
I don't mind them going for fourth down. That's great. I mean, it's a yard though. It's a yard. And you say, well, DJ readers tough. Then run away from him. Then run a little quick hitting pass. Do something. Do something.
- [15:11]
Matt Abatacola
All right. I also wanted to hear from Ben Johnson as he talked about what happened at the end of the first half of the game.
- [15:18]
Ben Johnson
Had the official right next to me throughout that process. He told me it was halftime. So we went in for halftime. And then what happened?
- [15:24]
Matt Abatacola
What did they explain?
- [15:26]
Ben Johnson
Land came over to me at the end of the third quarter and he. He told me, I believe, that they ruled it out of bounds. They reviewed it and said it was inbounds. And so it was a 10 second runoff. So we'll see what it looks like on the. On the game tape.
- [15:42]
Dan Bernstein
That.
- [15:42]
Ben Johnson
That certainly was not communicated to us.
- [15:46]
Matt Abatacola
So how is it that you don't find out what took place till the end of the third quarter? I just don't. I just don't get it. Like, that's. That bothers me so much. Like, I'm not leaving the field until I understand. I'm not letting the next play happen until I fully grasp as the head coach what's taking place. Why did the clock run down to zero and now you're putting six seconds back on? I need to understand. And then on top of it, it's not that difficult of an explanation.
- [16:13]
Dan Bernstein
We screwed up. Yeah, we screwed up.
- [16:16]
Matt Abatacola
Was out of bounds. He was in bounds. I don't know how they thought he was clearly inbounds when I saw it happen in real time with a beautiful catch. And so because we screwed up, we have to run 10 seconds off the clock.
- [16:26]
Dan Bernstein
He was in bounds. The question is where the contact occurred. If it's.
- [16:30]
Matt Abatacola
And the contact was inbounds like it was. I agree that he was down and his hand was on him. I saw it when it happened.
- [16:35]
Dan Bernstein
I mean, I can. I can give the official a little grace that maybe he didn't see exactly as he's looking to find, you know, two feet inbounds or one shin inbounds. And also seeing the contact.
- [16:48]
Matt Abatacola
Sure.
- [16:49]
Dan Bernstein
They're supposed to work together to determine that. It's easy if it's college, because you know that he's in and he's down and that's it. The difference in the pros is obviously, you have to know was, did the contact occur before he slid out of bounds? And I understand that that's possible, but I also agree with you that at least show your players that you're not satisfied with the answer or you're completely dissatisfied with the work that the officials are doing. It's not baseball where you can light a fire under your team by getting kicked out or it's not Norman, Dale and Hoosiers kick me out of here and let the assistant run things. But I do think it sends a message when you're obviously just completely satisfied with something that.
- [17:37]
Matt Abatacola
That just screwed you, Right? And again, it's not that difficult to understand what took place. They made a mistake. The rules are we're going to do a 10 second runoff. It landed at 16, so we run off 10. Now you're at 6. It's not hard to understand. And he didn't know what really took place till the end of the third quarter when someone approached him. So what's being said in the locker room if you're, if you're confused, your players are confused with. What are you saying? I don't know. They just screwed us there. And like, well, what's being communicated at that point, because it can't be good. You can't walk away as a player going, oh, all right, I get it now. No, he probably complained and said that something was done to them. And then on top of it, how about you stop the fucking play to begin with, right? Make that so that doesn't happen. And then there's no issue.
- [18:29]
Dan Bernstein
It had to be weird too, because you're looking at, you're headed back to the locker room, you got a bunch of adjustments to make. You've got guys to talk to, you got information to gather. You don't have all that much time. It goes fast. Most of your team is probably among themselves going, what was that? What just happened?
- [18:44]
Matt Abatacola
Correct.
- [18:45]
Dan Bernstein
They may know what that was. Why did they just score what they feel kind of hit over the head, so they're going to be distracted. When you're trying to make change, you're trying to figure out what's going on and actually coach these guys, and nobody has an answer for what just happened.
- [19:00]
Matt Abatacola
And he said at the end of that cut that it wasn't communicated to him. I don't, I don't, I don't get that. You have the right to have that conversation and say, hey, you know, whoever the, the head official is, whatever his name is, explain to me what just took place. And then if, if it was explained like, hey, we made a mistake, or we thought he was, he was out of bounds, he was inbounds. Therefore, the rules are a 10 second runoff. It landed at 16. We ran off 10. It's at 6. It's not hard to understand. And then you go back in the locker room, explain what happened, and then you move on. But now it's like, oh, you know, I don't know. It was. You know, even came out of the locker room at halftime. I heard on the radio call, and he was pissed about it. He still didn't know what was happening. Clearly, we understand that now because he didn't know what took place till the end of the third quarter.
- [19:46]
Dan Bernstein
This comes down to. I hate to globalize this too much, but the Bears need to compete harder, and that starts with the coach. They're not competing. They allowed a team in game one to just take it over, to just strangle them. They didn't give them a case of the strangles. They just strangled them, and they just took it, and they knew they were taking it, and everybody felt it, and they didn't have an answer. And then they got kicked in the crotch over and over again in game two. And exactly what you're saying about Ben Johnson, like, oh, okay, half's over. All right. Not sure what that was. And after both games, when it rains, it pours. You know, they're a good team, and things just got away. They're missing a level of competition that we were told was everything that made Ben Johnson who he was to earn this reputation, that this Lions thing about going forward on fourth down came from him. And all this stuff about when you do it and how you do it and competing, I see it come from Dan Campbell like that. That's the guy we were making fun of or saying, I'm going to bite your kneecap off. But he's backing it up, right? He's coming right after you. And he's bringing out all this. All this garbage that we talked about on DBU today with Brian Branch, right? Johnson betrayed us. Everybody knows that's. That's crap. He didn't betray anybody. He took a job. But. But he's. But he's doing it. He's pulling out all the stops and doing all the silly football stuff, and there's some of these new.
- [21:28]
Matt Abatacola
He knew his team couldn't lose this game. They could not start the season.
- [21:31]
Dan Bernstein
Why couldn't the Bears say the same thing? But why can't the Bears do that? Why can't why can't other teams say, hey, we're playing the Bears? It's. There's a learned helplessness here, to use a psychological term, that this. The whole idea of changing coaches is that they shouldn't have, that the Bears are supposed to. Under this coaching staff. They're supposed to be that team. It's Ben Johnson who's supposed to be saying we can't lose this game and we're not going to lose this game because of the players we have in this and the staff that we have here. And yet they're allowing other teams to out compete them. That hurts.
- [22:05]
Matt Abatacola
That does hurt. And so let me just refresh my memory real quick. That. So there's, there's six seconds left on the clock in the, in the second quarter and then that's when the Detroit scores. I think it's right. And that makes it 21 to 7. Correct. Is that, is that my, my timeline correct there?
- [22:21]
Dan Bernstein
Yes. It was the eight yard touchdown pass from Goff to Brock Wright. It's 21 to 7.
- [22:26]
Matt Abatacola
Okay, so it's 14 to 7. You think you're going in the halftime down one touchdown, six seconds, gets put back on, and then they're down 14 going into halftime. I am not letting that six second play happen until I fully understand what's going on. Like, if I don't understand it as the head coach because I'm not as deep in the rules of understanding what just took place, then you're going to explain it to me so I fully understand before that clock starts again and that touchdown is scored. There is no way in hell I'm allowing another play to happen if I don't fully understand what, what took place when the clock said zero and the official next to me said, locker room, halftime go. And then we're called back out on the field. There is no shot, that ball snapped until I fully grasp what just took place.
- [23:16]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, and you know what? You probably go back to that other official and if you really want to talk about the mechanics of it, the official that said it's halftime, go to the locker room, you say, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. You told me this. He's saying this. We're watching this. Somebody's got to tell me what's going.
- [23:35]
Matt Abatacola
On here right before, before another play happens. I need to know fully. And then I can walk back to my sideline and say, all right, here's what happened. I get it. It makes sense. Here's the rule. Now we got to go stop this fucking play. But instead he was like, I don't even know what happened. I don't, I don't know. Am I mad about it? I'm confused. And then you're down 217 instead of 14 7. I just, I don't, I don't get that. I don't like it at all.
- [24:02]
Dan Bernstein
It's not competitive enough.
- [24:04]
Matt Abatacola
And again, it's not that obscure of a rule or that hard to understand. It's not.
- [24:12]
Dan Bernstein
I want to thank everybody for joining us yesterday, and I hope it never happens again. I hope we never have to start our post game midway through the fourth quarter because the Bears are losing by as much as they are. I have a feeling we will, and I don't mind if we have to do it because the Bears are winning because that. That'd be great. Yep. But the fact that we had to go on and begin the post game because the game was effectively over when it was really sucked, but the outpouring, the attention was great, the attendance, the viewership, everybody, this is going to be a thing. We're always going to be there after post games and whenever we need to be to go live here on YouTube or anywhere else. We appreciate you really doing this on forward progress, but the nature of that and the fact that right when I. Because I had to switch, I was upstairs, set this all up, came downstairs, I turned on the TV and Tyson Bagen is in. So the Bears effectively said, okay, we understand that it's over. I mentioned yesterday, and you remember that I said, it's important how the Bears manage this so as not to give any indication that this was a punitive move, that they're saying, caleb Williams, you suck. Get out your bench. We're putting this guy in because he gives us a better chance to. They've got to be very clear on that or everybody's going to start getting the wrong message. Even though Williams wasn't great, wasn't awful, but he wasn't great. I think we should hear what Caleb Williams had to say after the game about his performance and about the fact that he was taken out.
- [25:40]
Caleb Williams
I think. I think in that situation, it sucks that, you know, your guys are out in the field and, you know, you're. You're not. And that's frustrating because you put so much time, energy and effort, and those guys are out there still battling, and, you know, you're on the sideline, but it was, you know, coach's decision, and you got to move on from it. And I think. I think in that situation, you know, I'm thinking of how can I help this team, this offense, Whether it's, you know, me saying something on the field or, you know, to whoever or, you know, completing one more pass or whatever case may be just to get them a momentum going, get us going and, you know, get this. Get this, you know, get this team rolling, to get these guys rolling and try and go win games.
- [26:25]
Dan Bernstein
He didn't sound happy.
- [26:27]
Matt Abatacola
No, he did not.
- [26:28]
Dan Bernstein
And he shouldn't be happy. But, but a lot of his guys weren't out there. I mean, they did kind of call off the dogs a little bit. They emptied the bench on defense, too, that you saw some reserves come in there and get a little bit time. It's almost, it was almost like a basketball game.
- [26:46]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, but I, I don't, I don't get it. And I, I don't, I don't like that move either. Like, he wasn't in jeopardy, obviously, you can get hurt on any, any particular play, any single play. But he wasn't in, he wasn't, you know, there wasn't 12 sacks. He wasn't being thrown around. And you know, things that we saw to Justin Field where he was still out there at times, I, I don't, I don't like it. Like you had opportunities to play. Your, your backup quarterback, played 16 of those snaps. That's too much. That's too much for your healthy starting quarterback beyond the sideline watching. And when we, when we got ready to start the post game show. I don't have a TV with an eye, with an eye shot when I'm down in the home studio. You said that he was off alone on the sideline. Correct.
- [27:28]
Dan Bernstein
Every time they showed a cutaway. And I hate to try to infer too much from a lot of these shots, these cutaways, because you never know exactly what's happening when the camera's not on him. And we tend to look at, look at these snapshots and draw conclusions and project our own feelings on there. But it did appear that he was just kind of wandering around and listening into the helmet speaker and doing the Patrick Kane mouth guard chew. That seems to be his thing, too. We see it before the snap where he's got the mouth guard half in and half out.
- [28:01]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, I just, I don't like it. I don't understand it. You still had opportunities to have your full offense out there to make plays. You know, it's not the offense and Caleb Williams that gave up 52. You know, he didn't throw three pick six. That allowed Detroit to open this game up. Their defense was getting gashed. I like, keep him out there because all we keep hearing, Dan, is how they don't know each other. Oh, we don't know each other. We're still getting to know the player. We're still getting to know each other. Like that's been a common theme. Well, here's, here's an opportunity in a in a game against a team that's really good to get some more time together and to get more stuff on film.
- [28:38]
Dan Bernstein
But instead we have.
- [28:40]
Matt Abatacola
And you're in your backup quarterback plays.
- [28:42]
Dan Bernstein
Some breaking news here as we are recording forward progress this Posted by Adam Schefter Bears Pro bowl cornerback Jalen Johnson is out indefinitely with a groin injury. The team is still evaluating the full extent of the injury, whether surgery is necessary.
- [29:00]
Matt Abatacola
Oh, boy.
- [29:01]
Dan Bernstein
And how long Johnson will be sidelined. He exited the second quarter. The Bears lost to the Lions after sustaining the injury while breaking up a pass. He missed all of training camp, all of the preseason and Chicago's opener with a groin injury before returning and re aggravating at Sunday. He now is out indefinitely.
- [29:19]
Matt Abatacola
Oh, boy. So Johnson's out with a. Johnson's hurt. It's. That's, that's not good. Not good. I didn't like it going into the game when it was like, well, it's a division opponent and you know. And you know, lost the first game. Got to get back out there. Not if you're not ready to go back out there. Well, that a hell of a play on the, on the Brown attempted reception. I mean, unbelievable play that ended up possibly ending his season. Like, good grief.
- [29:47]
Dan Bernstein
He's the best individual player on the team.
- [29:51]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, dude, you can't mess around with groin injuries. You just can't.
- [29:55]
Dan Bernstein
Well, they messed around with a hamstring injury with TJ Edwards. He re injured that as well. Because now, now there's going to be forensic reporting done on this. Who knew what and when, how was he cleared and who decided that it was okay for him to play.
- [30:11]
Matt Abatacola
And this also goes on the flip side of the conditioning that we've been discussing as well, too. That's all. It's all, it's all in the same handbag together. That's not good. Not good news. So Jalen Johnson out indefinitely and the possibility, they don't know yet of surgery. Not good.
- [30:32]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I don't know how often surgery is done unless there's a complete avulsion of an adductor muscle. And we're going to find out a lot more, but who? Boy.
- [30:47]
Matt Abatacola
All right, here's one more cut I want to play from Caleb Williams talking about the offense and not clicking right now.
- [30:54]
Caleb Williams
I mean, I always expect to come out and play well as an offense. That's the expectation. But it's not really necessarily surprising or anything like that. You know, it's new coach, new offense and all of that and a bunch of new players and we're all trying to, you know, figure it out together at one and like I've always said, move together. You know, Everybody do their 1/11 and move together when the ball snap and go execute the plays that are called.
- [31:18]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, they're still getting to know each other. So he's not too surprised that the offense isn't clicking. I don't, I don't buy it. It's unacceptable. I mean, you all didn't get together at Hallis hall for the first time last Monday on Monday Night Football and be like, hey, you know, hey, I'm Caleb. Oh, I'm Joe. Nice to meet you. I'm your new right guard. Like, you don't, that's, that's not what happened. And there's, there's hundreds of hours and thousands of hours on some of these guys and game film. Like you don't understand who your players are. You're still getting to know each other. I get it that the off season isn't what it used to be, you know, back when guys had to, you know, get part time jobs and sell shoes to, you know, to earn a fucking living. This is what you do full time, all the time, year round. This is all you do.
- [31:59]
Dan Bernstein
And you, and you get an extra OTA because you hired a new coach. You're given more time. You're given a special allotment, a special dispensation by the league to practice more.
- [32:16]
Matt Abatacola
I'm tired of hearing it, Dan. I'm tired of hearing it. That we're getting to know each other. I'm tired of, it's a, it's a lame ass. Excuse me, there's, there's other teams that hire a new coach and get new. Free agency is not a new thing. Guys are moving teams every goddamn year. And, and, but like for the Bears, we, you know, we're getting to know each other. And then people bought into that bullshit last week when it was like, it's, it's, it's premature to judge this team. You need to give them at least four, four weeks or six weeks before you start looking at it critically. Really? No, I don't think so. There's only 17 games in a season. You don't have the luxury of 162 or 82 to let things slide where you can sustain a massive losing streak. You don't have that luxury. It's football. You have 17 games. You can't go from the start and say, all right, we'll figure this out by week eight, then you're done. And your season's done.
- [33:10]
Dan Bernstein
Especially because Ben Johnson said, quote, there's no reason why we can't win this year.
- [33:16]
Matt Abatacola
Right. And then you come out and you look like you've never played football before in your life.
- [33:19]
Dan Bernstein
There's no reason why we can't win this year. We should keep a list of already the excuses that are being made.
- [33:25]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, I'm tired of it.
- [33:27]
Dan Bernstein
Because we've.
- [33:27]
Matt Abatacola
I'm tired of it.
- [33:29]
Dan Bernstein
We've got two lists going. We've got the list of the fatalist comments about sort of the. The winds of fate that are just buffeting the Bears, that they're just like that little feather that floats and with no control and it goes wherever the winds blow them. Well, when it rains, it pours. And then second week, these, these games happen, they just kind of happen. You're the coach. Do something about it. Make. When you, when you recognize it's starting to happen, make it not happen. The whole. When it rains, it pours. When it rains, do something about it. Make sure it doesn't pour. Do the job. Do the work. Compete. Set the tone. You're the coach. You compete. Another saying, getting to know each other. Oh, well, we. Or we're going up against a, against a tough team. These are excuses.
- [34:17]
Matt Abatacola
Yep. You know, you asked the question yesterday, and it's, it's, it's stayed with me. What do the Bears do well? And, and there isn't one thing that they do well right now after two games. It's really unfortunate. It's not just one thing or one area that they need to clean up. So I just, like, I wonder how, after all the, the entire off season and you start the season, how is it possible that it's this bad, that it's not one thing or one area, that if they just cleaned up this thing, they would be more competitive? There's so many things. Why is the old line struggling so badly? How is the defense, 32nd points, 28th in yards allowed? How is it so bad in two games? I just don't understand how it's gotten this bad, this quickly. It doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't.
- [35:10]
Dan Bernstein
And why are people. Why are people re. Injuring themselves? Why are defensive players particularly getting tired already during games? What was, what was training camp? What were you doing? What was going on?
- [35:24]
Matt Abatacola
I don't, I don't know. I don't know. I don't get it. Because it's, it's. It's possible for other teams to get new coaches, new assistant coaches, new players and not look like they've never played football before. I've seen it. I've seen games this year, you know, and I want to. I want to just go back to what we talked about in DBU with our tight ends. I just want to share this, in case you haven't heard it yet. Our two tight ends, Loveland and Cole Comet, nine targets, five receptions, 72 yards, no touchdowns, one first down, gained 7 yards after the catch. Like, how is it so bad so quickly?
- [36:04]
Dan Bernstein
Now? I want to be very clear here. When we start saying, what's next? And how do you show you're competing? I don't want eyewash. I don't need anybody to throw a tantrum. I don't need necessarily some sort of public sacrificial lamb. But what I do need is a stark, honest evaluation internally that everybody's in the right spot, that there isn't a way to make Luther Burden's speed matter more or to make maybe Shemar Turner's intensity matter more, because that's what you need. Because that guy's a crazy person. Right. In all the scouting reports, because he's the guy that was, like, stomping on people and hitting him in the balls, and they just said they have to turn his flame down a little bit because he's just a maniac. Well, maybe. Maybe dial that up instead of having him inactive. Yeah, I don't think there's any single magic move, and I don't think that there's any kind of. I don't need sideline screaming. I don't need clipboard breaking, but this team's just got to compete harder and better. They had the first game and they dribbled it down their leg and. And they never had a shot in the second game.
- [37:19]
Matt Abatacola
No.
- [37:20]
Dan Bernstein
You got a winnable game coming up this week against Matt Eberfluss.
- [37:24]
Matt Abatacola
The Bears are. Right now, I think they're giving a point. I mean, so obviously it's. It's a pick them game, but slightly like it's. I was. I was blown away when I heard that. That they're. They're slightly considered the favorite in this game. Like, I haven't watched much Cowboys football this year, but about them. Cowboys.
- [37:45]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I don't think they're any good.
- [37:46]
Matt Abatacola
Well, obviously they're not if the Bears are favored to win.
- [37:51]
Dan Bernstein
Okay, but how bad are the Bears now that we get more NFL data as we take a look around the league a little bit, we saw this. This. Apparently, again, more excuses like, well, that. That Vikings team, they. They're. They're really Stopped to run well. And they're really this. J.J. mcCarthy can make plays on you. J.J. mcCarthy didn't. Didn't really know how to hold a football last night. They had nothing.
- [38:14]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, that's your. That's your home opener. That's quite the showing there.
- [38:18]
Dan Bernstein
They had absolutely nothing. So when we start saying how good are the Bears relative to their opponents? I'm not sure how good the Vikings are. And I know that we're going to look back at the end of the year and probably say that was one of the divisional games you should have won. I think you called that. We know the packers are tremendous. If they did this to the Lions. They're real good. So it's very, very early to determine some of this stuff. But overall, with every data point we get, it looks worse and worse for the overall quality of the Bears. They did get some good news on the schedule though, if Joe Burrow might need surgery on a toe ligament injury. Turf toe is no joke. I know it sounds like it is, but it's not. I've had it. Yeah, obviously it sucks. And if he's. If he's out and they got. What's it. I can't believe they still have that guy sticking around. Whoever. I forgot who their backup is. He's like replacement, replacement and fine. Good luck to them.
- [39:24]
Matt Abatacola
Can I give you some bright, bright, like a bright spot about this bear season so far because I was trying to find one. Desperately find something to be positive about. Roma Dunes A has tied his touchdown output from last season already through two games. He's actually tied among NFL receivers for the most touchdowns through two games. He's 16th in the NFL. No, I'm sorry. He's ninth, ninth in yards, ninth in yards, ninth and receiving yards and tied for first with three touchdowns. So there's some. Some positive there. That's the one thing because I want to find something that was good about this team through two games. And so far it looks like Roma Dunes A, despite the couple drops that maybe you should have had yesterday, still being very productive in his. In his output for the first two games right now.
- [40:11]
Dan Bernstein
Do. DJ Moore.
- [40:13]
Matt Abatacola
What about him?
- [40:15]
Dan Bernstein
How's he doing?
- [40:17]
Matt Abatacola
Is he. Is he on the Bears?
- [40:20]
Dan Bernstein
That's the guy you paid.
- [40:21]
Matt Abatacola
Yeah, he. Remember he's number two in your salary cap hits for this year.
- [40:25]
Dan Bernstein
Number. Number two in salary. The number one guy. You can't find either Montez Sweat. Anytime he wants to make a play, he's entitled and. And invited.
- [40:34]
Matt Abatacola
But I mean don't expect it anytime soon. Let me See here, let me pull up your guy because I know that you're excited about DJ Moore. What has he done so far? Eight receptions.
- [40:47]
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
- [40:48]
Matt Abatacola
For what is that? 114 yards.
- [40:52]
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
- [40:53]
Matt Abatacola
No touchdowns.
- [40:55]
Dan Bernstein
Any of them? Yeah. Memorable. Significant.
- [41:00]
Matt Abatacola
Monday night yesterday? Not that I can recall.
- [41:05]
Dan Bernstein
And by the way, the. The backup quarterback for the Bengals is gonna be taking over is Jake Browning.
- [41:11]
Matt Abatacola
Oh, really?
- [41:12]
Dan Bernstein
Very quarterbacky name. He's.
- [41:15]
Matt Abatacola
He's still in the league. I didn't know that he was even in the league.
- [41:17]
Dan Bernstein
I didn't either. Yeah, Jake Browning. Okay.
- [41:21]
Matt Abatacola
I learned on Saturday that Joe Flacco is still in the league too, for the Browns. Right.
- [41:26]
Dan Bernstein
You knew that, though.
- [41:27]
Matt Abatacola
Well, I did, but then I thought that was after last season. He was. Was done. I didn't know they brought him back.
- [41:33]
Dan Bernstein
Well, so we're going to hear more from Ben Johnson today about some of this. Obviously they're going to. It sounds like that Jalen Johnson's going to need imaging on the re injured groin. And if he needs surgery, that's probably toast. But it's. I hate to say he's been Bears already, but to hear Ben Johnson say, well, they fought the entire game. That's not true.
- [41:56]
Matt Abatacola
Correct.
- [41:57]
Dan Bernstein
And things could go sideways in a hurry.
- [41:59]
Matt Abatacola
But Dan, you can't say they fought the whole game when you ended up taking most your starters out with half the game or half the quarter to go in the fourth quarter.
- [42:06]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, they fought the whole game until it was garbage time and need to take everybody out.
- [42:09]
Matt Abatacola
Right.
- [42:11]
Dan Bernstein
Come on, man.
- [42:13]
Matt Abatacola
You didn't even fight the whole game. What are you talking about? Like, as the coach, you didn't fight the whole game. And one thing I will say I appreciate about, about Ben Johnson because you don't want the, you know, the sideline tantrums and the yelling and the screaming and, you know, snapping clipboards over your knee. He's never going to do that stuff. That's. That's not him. Like he's not going to be that meatbally guy. That's. That's not going to be him. So something you don't want, you're going to actually get that from the head coach. So there's another bright spot for you.
- [42:44]
Dan Bernstein
This is the latest on the Jalen Johnson injury. This comes from Adam Schefter and Courtney Cronin where he said the quarterback initially sustained a groin injury while training during the off season. He later told the Pivot podcast that he tore his adductor off his pelvic bone. He was placed on the non football injury list in Late July, missed all of training camp, the preseason and Chicago season opener. So I'm confused. If he actually tore it off the pelvic bone, doesn't that have to be surgically repaired?
- [43:22]
Matt Abatacola
I would think. I mean, I'm not, I'm not a doctor.
- [43:25]
Dan Bernstein
But knowing there could often be an avulsion fracture as part of that. So I want to know if he was correct in that self diagnosis at that point and if now, if that has happened now, his season's probably over.
- [43:43]
Matt Abatacola
Yes, correct.
- [43:45]
Dan Bernstein
If indeed it's. He has torn the groin muscle off the bone.
- [43:50]
Matt Abatacola
To me, that's when they said indefinitely. When Adam Schefter said that he was told indefinitely. That to me is. We just, we're not prepared to tell you that he's done for the season.
- [44:00]
Dan Bernstein
Well, they're probably just waiting on imaging to confirm it. Yeah, but sometimes a doctor is going to tell you beforehand based on the level of, of swelling, bleeding, etc. Wow. Okay.
- [44:15]
Matt Abatacola
Well, when it rains, it pours, Dan. When it rains, it pours.
- [44:19]
Dan Bernstein
Well, things just go sideways on you. You know, games like that just kind of happen. I hope there's a different internal message. I hope what is being said publicly, we're already here. I'm already at the point where, because of the way they're very passively phrasing all this stuff that I hope things are more direct and more serious and more active within the walls of Hallis Hall. I really do.
- [44:45]
Matt Abatacola
I hope so. I mean, I'm leaning that way that that's the case, that he's a smarter guy than this. I really, I really do. But I don't know. And we won't know until we hear otherwise from someone inside.
- [44:56]
Dan Bernstein
Well, that's forward progress for today and obviously we're gonna have more news to react to tomorrow. So thanks so much for joining us. Make sure that you subscribe and rate and download and be a part of this community because, you know, we had a, we had a nice little bump I saw in people subscribing for yesterday in the post game. You should be here all the time because we're always here. We're always talking to you about everything going on with your Chicago bears here on 312 Sports.
- [45:35]
Matt Abatacola
Forward progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.
- [45:48]
Dan Bernstein
Sam.