Chris Welch: Bears Stadium Talks Are Happening, But No Special Session Yet

Summary

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Chris Welch: Bears Stadium Talks Are Happening, But No Special Session Yet
Hosts: Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola
Date: July 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Chicago Bears’ stadium situation, with a particular focus on updates from Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch regarding legislative sessions and stadium negotiations. Dan and Matt also react to the latest CBS Sports NFL offensive infrastructure rankings—which position the Bears near the very top—and riff on NFL news, memorable sports moments, and pop culture crossover events in a signature blend of analysis and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kevin Warren Bears Event: Tickets Still Available

[01:24 - 03:47]

• Dan announces an upcoming speaking engagement with Kevin Warren (Chicago Bears President & CEO) at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest on July 16, highlighting the surprising availability of tickets.
• Promises “an inside look at Bears football, NFL leadership, and the future of the Bears,” as well as business and cultural discussions.

“If you want to go ask questions of Kevin Warren in Lake Forest … it appears that 48 tickets have been sold including the blocked off areas. … I would absolutely go.”
— Dan Bernstein [02:03]

2. Chris Welch Stadium Talks Update

[03:47 - 05:21]

• Dan recaps Speaker Welch’s comments to press: discussions are ongoing about the Bears stadium; no special legislative session called yet.
• Both hosts clarify that calling a special session would mean a deal is already locked.
• Matt emphasizes that the new stadium is expected in Arlington Heights, since the Bears own the land.
• Welch pointed reporters to Rep. Cam Buckner as a key figure in negotiations.

“If … that session is called, it’s not about getting votes together. The votes are done. It’s a done deal. And a Bears stadium, whatever the proposal will be, will be agreed upon at that point.”
— Matt Abbatacola [04:28]

“He deferred to Cam Buckner … pay attention to the things that Cam Buckner is saying and doing…”
— Dan Bernstein [05:05]

3. NFL News & Light Moments

• Ty Simpson’s “Fire Hydrant” Comment
  [05:21 - 06:36]

  • The new Rams QB compares learning their offense to “drinking from a fire hydrant” (mixing metaphors) → banter about the expression and personal anecdotes.
  • Laughter ensues over the awkwardness of the phrase.

• John Riggins’ Jersey Retirement and Surprising Jets Tenure
  [07:20 - 12:28]

  • John Riggins to have #44 retired by Washington. Matt confesses ignorance about Riggins’ time with the Jets, Dan shares memories of Riggins’ football card.
  • Amusing discussion about 1970s trading cards, hair, and a Riggins brush with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

“I had no idea John Riggins played for the Jets. … I started watching football regularly in 1983.”
— Matt Abbatacola [08:54]

“The best story about John Riggins was when he drunkenly hit on Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor … I think the quote was something like, ‘Hey, loosen up lady.’ ”
— Dan Bernstein [11:02]

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4. NFL Offensive Infrastructure Rankings (CBS Sports)

[13:49 - 22:17]

• Dan outlines a detailed CBS Sports ranking of NFL “offensive infrastructure” by play callers, offensive lines, weapons, etc. (excluding QB).
• Matt and Dan predict, then are stunned to see Bears ranked TIED FOR #1 (with the Rams).
• Discuss the underlying reasons: elite play callers, great pass catchers (stars for Rams, depth for Bears), above average O-lines, solid running backs.
• Commentary on national perception and the optimism for rookie QB Caleb Williams.

“The two best offensive ecosystems in the NFL: Chicago and LA.”
— Dan Bernstein [20:56]

“My heart had them at 3 and my brain said 11.”
— Matt Abbatacola [22:14]

“Ben Johnson and Sean McVay are two of the very small handful of best offensive minds in the league… But in a vacuum, Caleb Williams has just about as good a chance for success on a play-to-play basis as he does because of the talent around him on all areas of the field.”
— Dan Bernstein [21:03]

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5. Lack of Bears Defensive Talent in ESPN Rankings

[22:17 - 24:19]

• Dan quizzes if any Bear is included in ESPN’s top DT rankings. Matt: “Not a chance in hell.”
• Quick scan: none recognized. Roster names dismissed humorously.
• Breakdown of named DTs; Jalen Carter at #3, but knocks on his motor/effectiveness consistency.

“Good answer. Heart, head, any other part of the body … there’s no honorable mentions, there’s no getting votes.”
— Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola [22:48]

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6. NFL Quarterback Contract and Roster Nuggets

[26:14 - 28:30]

• Jacoby Brissett’s minor contract dispute with the Cardinals: skipped voluntary workouts, lobbying for pay bump.
• Brief rundown of Arizona QB depth chart.
• Commentary on the fungibility of journeyman QBs and their leverage.

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7. Pop Culture Interludes & Sports Crossovers

• Noah Kahan at Fenway, Drake May Prank
  [28:44 - 31:46]

  • Singer Noah Kahan does a playful bit involving Patriots QB Drake May during a sold-out Fenway concert. Discussion on Kahan’s popularity and music (“He’s always bitching about … I’m cold and it’s muddy and I’m sad and drunk.” [30:58])

• Celebrity Cameos at Concerts
  [33:08 - 34:39]

  • Brian Urlacher and Caitlin Clark take the stage at country shows. Satirical riffing on the crowd, concert culture, and controversy.
  • Warnings (tongue-in-cheek) about associating with certain artists/events.

• Further Music Tangents

  • Imagining collaborations between Noah Kahan and Shaka Kahn or Michael Franti, laments about “sad indie guy” music, and vitamin D deficiency jokes.

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8. White Sox Banter, Lunch Plans, and Podcast Sign-off

[37:08 - 38:57]

• Brief, humorous White Sox recap and obligatory local sports talk.
• Show wraps as Matt eagerly anticipates lunch leftovers.
• Dan plugs 312 Sports merch and event promotions.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bears stadium deal signals:

  “If they call a special session, a deal is done. … And then they will start working towards building their new stadium in Arlington Heights, which has always been the plan because they own the land.”
  — Matt Abbatacola [04:28]

• On Bears landing at the top of CBS Sports’ offensive infrastructure rankings:

  “The two best offensive ecosystems in the NFL, Chicago and LA.”
  — Dan Bernstein [20:56]

  “My heart, my heart had them at 3 and my brain said 11.”
  — Matt Abbatacola [22:14]

• On Riggins’ 70s look:

  “That is 1973 in a nutshell. When even the white people had afros.”
  — Dan Bernstein [12:16]

• On Noah Kahan’s music:

  “Every song is like, it’s cold and wet, and I’m drunk, and I’m high, and I’m sad. … Move to LA, man, get some sunshine.”
  — Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola [30:39 - 31:15]

• On White Sox fans’ wardrobe choices:

  “If you see a lot of shirtless guys when you’re fishing, it’s because they’ve taken their 312 sports stuff off [to avoid a hug].”
  — Matt Abbatacola [37:13]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Kevin Warren Event Ticket Update: [01:24-03:47]
• Chris Welch Bears Stadium Negotiations: [03:47-05:21]
• Ty Simpson Fire Hydrant Anecdote: [05:21-06:36]
• John Riggins’ Unexpected Jets History: [07:20-12:28]
• NFL Offensive Infrastructure Rankings (Bears #1): [13:49-22:17]
• ESPN DT Rankings & Lack of Bears Representation: [22:17-24:19]
• QB Contracts/Brissett: [26:14-28:30]
• Noah Kahan/Drake May Fenway Bit: [28:44-31:46]
• Celebrity Cameos/Morgan Wallen Concerts: [33:08-34:39]
• Wrap-up & Local Sports Banter: [37:08-end]

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Summary

This episode masterfully juggles the ongoing Chicago Bears stadium saga, offering clarity on legislative signals and a peek behind political curtains courtesy of Chris Welch and Cam Buckner. The surprising national optimism about the Bears’ offensive “ecosystem” breezes in as a high note, with Dan and Matt taking justified pleasure in their team’s new standing.

Characteristic banter on random NFL trivia, legendary players, and poking fun at music industry conventions keeps the energy up and the tone uniquely “Forward Progress.” For any Bears fan or local sports follower, this episode is an essential pulse check on the stadium issue and a welcome dose of comedic insight.

Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

I mean if you're a Bears fan, you're thinking Forward progress.

[Progressive Truckers Announcer]

Come on.

[Matt Abeticola]

10. Forward Progress Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 SP.

[Dan Bernstein]

We award you forward progress here on 312 Sports covering the Chicago Bears, your Chicago Bears and the NFL. I just have a quick update on something that we've been following in various spots on 312 sports and that is we are counting down the days until the big Kevin Warren speech at the Gorton center in Lake Forest. It is it's time to for for you to pay money to hear what Kevin Warren has to say. And according to their website.

[Matt Abeticola]

When is this again?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm sorry, this is Thursday, July 16th. This is a week from today.

[Matt Abeticola]

From today. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

A week from today at the Gorton center at East Illinois Road in Lake Forest. $30 per ticket for adults, $15 per ticket for students. I have looked at the seating chart to see what is available and what time is this? This is 7 to 8:30 a week from today and as of right now it looks like it seats 324 and it looks like there are some areas blocked off for special seating. But it appears that 48 tickets have been sold including the blocked off areas. I think of the 324about 1/8 of the tickets have been sold. So if you want to go ask questions of Kevin Warren in Lake Forest and be there for him to speak, he said he is going to share an inside look at Bears football, NFL leadership and the future of the Chicago Bears organization. You will discover how the Bears are evolving on and off the field. You can hear Kevin Warren discuss the changing landscape of the NFL, the business of professional football, the role sports play in shaping culture, community and leadership in Chicago and beyond. Behind the scenes, look at the traditions, passion and legacy that make Bears fans some of the most loyal in the NFL. This special event offers rare access to what it describes as one of the most influential leaders in professional sports. Kevin Warren.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I don't know if 7 to 8:30 is going to work for my schedule.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, figure it out.

[Matt Abeticola]

Make it go, though. I want to go. Yeah, I have questions.

[Dan Bernstein]

If you're a student, it's $15. I've gone through the. Already gone through the questions I would ask, but just there's plenty of seats still available, so I would absolutely go there. Another note, did you see that Chris Welch, the Emanuel Chris Welch, the Speaker of the House down in Springfield spoke to reporters yesterday?

[Matt Abeticola]

I did.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he said that they're working on stuff that they're getting there. They're not ready to call a special session yet. But as we've told you, when and if they call a special session, a deal is done, correct? They say they're not there yet. They're continuing to work on it. That's the update we got from an unusually available and talkative Chris Welch.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, very important to note that if that that session is called, it's not about getting votes together. The votes are done. It's a done deal. And a Bear stadium, whatever the proposal will be, will be agreed upon at that point. And then they will start working towards building their new stadium in Arlington Heights, which has always been the plan because

[Dan Bernstein]

they own the land. I can't figure this out. This is so difficult to understand. Okay, just, I would just say keep an eye on that. One of the most important people. And he deferred to Cam Buckner. He, he said that basically my guy who's doing this in the house that's putting this all together is Cam Buckner. So instructing us to pay attention to the things that Cam Buckner is saying and doing to bring these sides together.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, couple things for you real quick here. This one is, first of all, this is just great. This is from Rams new quarterback Ty Simpson just drafted. Los Angeles Rams QB Ty Simpson likened digesting Sean McVeigh's offense to his freshman year at Alabama. It's like drinking from a fire hydrant.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, I, I get it because the phrase though the hose is connected to the hydrant.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

But the image, the image of somebody putting to the hydrant. I'm sure thirsty.

[Progressive Truckers Announcer]

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[Dan Bernstein]

It's a lot. Oh, boy.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. As you know, the very common phrase is drinking from a fire hose.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Oh, that's awesome.

[Matt Abeticola]

Young, young quarterback Ty Simpson said it's like drinking from a fire hydrant also would be very difficult.

[Dan Bernstein]

That'd be tough. That'd be because you got to lean down, too. That's the other thing. It's like, you know, trying to drink directly out of the sink if you can't find a cup. And I don't know what keeps happening. Every time I put a cup near my sink, it disappears.

[Matt Abeticola]

What do you mean?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. It's, I guess at home. At home.

[Matt Abeticola]

Does it end up in the dishwasher?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. Yes. You don't know.

[Matt Abeticola]

Did you check?

[Dan Bernstein]

I, I, I don't know what happens. All I want is to have the same cup next to my sink that my wife has next to hers. And hers never goes anywhere and mine disappears. I don't know who's taking it.

[Matt Abeticola]

Is it Jason?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know.

[Matt Abeticola]

It, no.

[Dan Bernstein]

It happens when he's in college, too. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's happening. I don't know. Maybe in, in my sleep, I'm taking it somewhere. I don't know. I don't like it.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'll stop doing that.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it frightens me, but somehow I need to maintain the existence of a, of a drinking vessel next to my sink.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right. John Riggins, former running back for the Washington football team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Team and the Jets. Yeah, we'll have.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay, here. Okay. So he's gonna have his number 44 retired during their Week 9 game against the Rams. He's a pro Football hall of Fame ball carrier. He led them to victory in Super Bowl. What is that, 17? Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

How's his health? Usually when I hear something like this, it scares me.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, that was my first thought, was his health. He played nine, nine of his. Okay, okay, Dan, I'm, What? I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassed to even say this. So I'm reading this story. Riggins played nine of his 15 NFL seasons in D.C. and I thought. What, what do you mean nine of his 15 seasons? What does, what does that mean? That he, that he what?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, what do you mean? He's a Jet. For a long time.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. I didn't know he was a New York Jet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, okay. Yeah, he was pretty good.

[Matt Abeticola]

And I'm embarrassed to say it at 53, I had no idea that John Riggins played for the jets before the Redskins.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay, well, first of all, let's just, Let me, let me just go here real quick.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

He. I'm born in 73. I'm born in 1973. I'm an old man. 53. I ain't getting a whole lot better. So he played for the jets from 71 to 75. I have never seen a highlight of John Riggins outside of a Redskins uniform. Never. I had no idea that he played five seasons with the jets in a

[Dan Bernstein]

thousand yard year in 75.

[Matt Abeticola]

Zero ideas. I mean, I was two years old. I started watching football and regularly in 1983.

[Dan Bernstein]

The only way I knew, the only reason it was, it was more than like just back of mind was that there was, I had somewhere lying around an old football card that ended up in my other football cards and it was John Riggins.

[Matt Abeticola]

So yeah, he was a Pro Bowler that year in 75. And then he was offensive rookie of the year. He was third in offense of the year. Rookie voting his first year in 1971. I had, I had no idea John Riggins played for the Jets.

[Dan Bernstein]

I want you to look up John Riggins tops 1973 card.

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[Dan Bernstein]

And, and you will look at him. You'll say, that's not John Riggins. John Riggins top tops 1973.

[Matt Abeticola]

So year I'm born 1983. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just look at this.

[Matt Abeticola]

No, that's not John Riggins.

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[Matt Abeticola]

No, it is not John. That is not John Rigging.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's Jets John Riggins.

[Matt Abeticola]

So there's two different John Riggins. They're confusing these two.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, the John Riggins that looks like Ogie Oglethorpe.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Was. It was 1973. And look, he's holding the ball wrong.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the other thing is his left hand is not on the point of the football in that picture. Now this is the best part. Look, look at the people behind him leaning on the fence.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So this is taken at like training camp.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. There's a public and there are random dudes. Here's the picture standing behind him. That's. That's John Riggins. And there's like this guy over here and this guy over there. Like, hey, I guess you're taking the picture, man.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, like that's your, that's your tops card.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep, that's how it used to be.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. With fans.

[Dan Bernstein]

Look at the baseball pictures at the same time of the guys holding the bat, like with their hands all weird.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So I had no idea that John Riggins was a member of the. I had no idea he played for the Jets.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well my. The. The. The fate. The best story about John Riggins was when he drunkenly hit on Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day o'. Connor.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not making this up. There was a White House event. And what did he say to her? I think the quote was something like hey loosen up lady. Or honey. Or something like that.

[Matt Abeticola]

Or something like that. Lighten up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Lighten up, honey. It wasn't quite like a Mel Gibson thing like what do you think sugar tits? I don't think it was quite that crass or mean. But he said that's a Supreme Court justice. And he said something to the effect of what's the matter? Loosen up a little bit, lady. Come on, man.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So he was inducted into the hall of fame in 92. He's just the seventh player in Washington franchise history to have his number retired. So they'll do that week nine. Yeah. First thing I thought was his health and then the second thing was what do you mean? He only played a certain number of years for Washington. Had zero. Zero idea that he was. Zero clue that he was a jet. And I'm the more that you shared that that tops trading card. My goodness.

[Dan Bernstein]

You never forget. No it's not. That's. That is 1973 in a nutshell. When even the white people had afros.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh man. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nobody knew how it happened but it just. There. There you go.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm an idiot. I learned that today too.

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[Dan Bernstein]

I learned a lot from this piece here from Jared Dubin at CBS Sports. You know, we always say, you know, graded by position or grading the off seasons, this one is new.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

The 2026 NFL offensive infrastructure rankings. They rank all 32 offensive supporting casts by grading play callers, offensive lines and weapons. So this is very specific here. They said we used a weighted grading system. Each team given a 1 through 5 rating, 1 terrible 5 elite 3 average for play caller, head coach and or OC, offensive line, pass catchers and running backs. It's a change from past years where they didn't include the quarterback in the infrastructure rankings. It's not necessarily how we expect the offenses to perform. It's an attempt to capture which offenses are best positioned for success based on how they've chosen to surround their quarterback. They've divided this into tiers that are more rigid than the order within them. Teams within the same tier should be considered of roughly similar quality. And he says, just as I did the past four years, I compiled an initial draft of these rankings, which I ran by the rest of the writers, editors and podcasters on the cbs sports.com NFL staff and incorporated their feedback to create the version you see below.

[Matt Abeticola]

Can I guess where the Bears are?

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. Well, there are seven different tiers.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. Oh, so they're not ranked like 1 through 32.

[Dan Bernstein]

They are, they are, but the way they've divided the tiers, they sort of, you know, bunched everything around. The one tier is just the Miami Dolphins, and that's at the very, very bottom. So the distance between the Dolphins and the next close is larger than the distance between any other two teams. Just how bad they are, then they have help needed. Is tier six.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Help Help wanted is tier five.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Average incubators is tier four.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Above average is tier three. Okay. Tier two, very good environments. And tier one, which only encompasses four teams, is the best ecosystems.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, I'm going to say that they put the Bears in tier three.

[Dan Bernstein]

Tier three being above average. Okay. That's what you, you have the Bears in tier three.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, because I'm as, I'm trying to take the fan out of me and bring them down lower than I would think. Only because I'm looking at it from a fan perspective.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, let's work bottom to top, then.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And see where. Where you end up.

[Matt Abeticola]

I feel like I'm wrong now. I feel like that's higher, but go ahead.

[Dan Bernstein]

Would you want to. I'll give you a chance. You didn't say final answer. I. I will give you a chance to if. If you want.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm just trying to read off of your response.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or.

[Matt Abeticola]

Or.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or I could just be doing this because you nailed it, and I want to see if you change.

[Matt Abeticola]

No, I'm gonna stay. I'm gonna look for disappointment and say tier three. I'll stay with my original answer, Alex.

[Grainger Announcer]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. Tier 7 is just the Dolphins because they're so bad. Help needed in tier six is 31 through 29. That is in. In 31 is the Titans, then the Browns, and then the commanders. Tier 5, help wanted. And you can stop me and say tell what. What. If you want specifics about what they say here, Tier 5 at number 28 is the Panthers. Then moving up from there, the Giants, the Jets, the Texans, and the Cardinals. Okay, he did say, I tried to bump the Giants up, but Matt Neg has to be considered a below average play caller. So they. They lose points for having Matt Nagy. Average incubators 23 to 18. Steelers, Ravens, Raiders, Even with Brock Bowers and Ashton Genty. Seahawks, Buccaneers, and Patriots.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, I might be higher because I had. There was a couple of teams there I thought were would be above the bears.

[Dan Bernstein]

Tier 3. Above average. We will see now if you're correct in having the Bears in this tier.

[Matt Abeticola]

And what numbers are these?

[Dan Bernstein]

17 through 11.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. Yeah. Now this is kind of where I had the Bears. So let's see.

[Dan Bernstein]

So they have Colts at 17 and up from there to 11. Eagles, Broncos, Saints, Packers, Falcons, Vikings.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay, so there's a third team that I had above the Bears just by what I thought national. National media would say. All right, so, yeah, I was definitely wrong.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, so now we've reached tier two. Very good environments.

[Matt Abeticola]

And this is five.

[Dan Bernstein]

10.

[Matt Abeticola]

10.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, 10 through five.

[Grainger Announcer]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Bears are in this one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Chargers.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bengals, Chiefs, Bills, Jaguars, 49ers.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, so they have the bears one through four. Holy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, wow.

[Matt Abeticola]

So you haven't said. Wait, did you say Chiefs?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. Chiefs are eighth.

[Matt Abeticola]

Did you say Lions?

[Dan Bernstein]

Not yet.

[Matt Abeticola]

Did you say 49ers?

[Dan Bernstein]

I did. I did. 49ers are number five, Rams number one.

[Matt Abeticola]

So Lions, Rams, Bears, and the Cowboys.

[Dan Bernstein]

The Cowboys are number four. The Lions are number three. The Bears are number two, and they're actually tied with the Rams for two and one at the very, very, very.

[Matt Abeticola]

So okay, so. So when you first said this, my first thought as a Bears fan was number three. But I was like that that's way too high. There's no way national, a national media outlet would have the Bears and I. So I started to jot down teams I thought they would have above the Bears, Buffalo, Seattle Rams, Baltimore, Niners, Lions, Green Bay, Chiefs, Bengals and Patriots.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nope, nope. The two.

[Matt Abeticola]

The Bears at 11 is what I would have thought.

[Dan Bernstein]

The two best offensive ecosystems in the NFL, Chicago and LA.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, that's exciting.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ben Johnson and Sean McVeigh are two of the very small handful of best offensive minds in the league. The pass catching groups have either huge stars, Rams or great depth Bears. The offensive lines are above average to good and the running backs are solid. When you account for the quarterback, the Rams have the advantage. That's why Matthew Stafford was able to win MVP last year. But in a vacuum, Caleb Williams has just about as good a chance for success on a play to play basis as he does because of the talent around him on all areas of the field.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's really interesting.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's pretty cool.

[Matt Abeticola]

It is very cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's pretty cool. And this is not necessarily scientific, but this was run by every single person they have on their full NFL [e-mail] so there was a lot of input here and nothing, nothing knocked the Bears off nearly the very tippy tippy top.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, my heart, my heart had them at 3 and my brain said 11.

[Dan Bernstein]

Trust your heart on this one, I guess. Yeah, there you go. So however that makes you feel, there you have it. Now do you think, do you think a Chicago bear is among ESPN's ranking? Talking to executives, coaches and scouts, their positional rankings continue the top NFL defensive tackles.

[Matt Abeticola]

Not a chance in hell.

[Dan Bernstein]

Good answer. Heart, head, Any other part of the body, Even if it's a part of the body that you cut off and set on fire in someone else's garage.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. And there's. There's no honorable mentions. There's no getting votes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nope.

[Matt Abeticola]

Bears are completely blank in this one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Absolutely 100% not a thought. And I'm sorry to Kentavius street and Gervon Dexter and any other Brady Jarrett who you can name among Bears defensive tackles but Aaron Neville and sorry, it's not Aaron Neville.

[Progressive Truckers Announcer]

It's not.

[Dan Bernstein]

What's his. I don't know. Gallimore Neville Gallimore.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh yeah, it's not Gallimore Neville. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's Neville Gallimore and no, no. So Your top group here. Leonard Williams, Jeffrey Simmons, Jalen Carter, Chris Jones, Derrick Brown, Quinn and Williams. Dexter Lawrence, Zach Allen, Milton Williams and Jordan Davis.

[Matt Abeticola]

Not Milton Burroughs.

[Dan Bernstein]

Milton Burrell.

[Matt Abeticola]

Burrell.

[Dan Bernstein]

Milton Burroughs. I don't even know who that is. No, Milton Burrell. That would take six people. If he were living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, you'd need a two man saw.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, he just had a whole neighborhood on fire.

[Dan Bernstein]

Get that done. What happen of Fort Wayne is gone. Well, Uncle Milty set it on fire.

[Matt Abeticola]

Wait, what? Where did, where did Jalen Carter fall? 3 4.

[Dan Bernstein]

Jalen Carter is 3 3.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. They called him one of the toughest evaluations. Immensely talented, made two Pro Bowls. But his pass rush prowess is modest. And even though he batted down six passes, which tied for the most among defensive tackles. Problem? He's a game wrecker. You feel his presence out there consistently. Several evaluators argued it wasn't the case on every snap, and a few said he's not the best defensive lineman on his own team. He flashes 10 times a game but gets dragged too far, often by average players.

[Matt Abeticola]

But still number three, though.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. Yep. That's how talented he is. That even though he doesn't try a lot of the time, apparently. But when he does try, though, it's

[Matt Abeticola]

really good stuff,

[Dan Bernstein]

I guess. Yeah, you want to have him there.

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[Matt Abeticola]

A few weeks ago we talked about the I think it was NFL.com ranked each division by the quarterback groups and the Bears. I think The Bears with J.J. mcCarthy and Kyler Murray Jordan, love Jared Goff and Caleb, I think they were the fourth or fifth group. And the number one group was the NFC west with Sam Darnold, Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, and Jacoby Brissette. And we talked about it and we thought, all right, those first three are really good names. And we thought Brissette kind of got into that, you know, into that group because of the. Because of the other three. Obviously, I didn't know this about Jacoby Brissette and the Cardinals, that apparently they're having issues with his contract. Did you know this?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I didn't.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So he posted a photo on his Instagram stories on Thursday of himself working out with Cardinals teammates in South Florida and amid his contract dispute with a team which I didn't know he was having. So he was out there working out with Marvin Harrison Jr. Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, and fellow quarterback Kadan Slovis. Brissette captioned the picture. Great week with the guys. So apparently he reported for mandatory minicamp in. In June, but he skipped the voluntary workouts as he seeks a pay increase. He is the presumptive QB1, and he's set to make 5.44 million this year. So I didn't. I didn't even heard that there was a contract issue.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't know either.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, not that I care. I just. I was surprised that that guy is thinking he's going to hold off for

[Dan Bernstein]

more money and teams like, oh, okay, all right, well, good luck with that. Yeah, I mean, it. Sometimes it doesn't work out all that well.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. Let me see the Arizona Cardinals qb. Let's see who else is there? I don't even know.

[Dan Bernstein]

I wouldn't look at this if I were you.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, that's right. They. They drafted.

[Dan Bernstein]

They drafted the guy who was allowed to be around Mike LaFleur. Remember Carson Beck?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

My guy who can't really throw. And he said, well, I even got

[Matt Abeticola]

to talk to the head coaches that he even has access. He's even allowed access to the head coach and then Gardner Minshew. So those are your. Those are your quarterbacks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Here you go, young man. There's another quarterback in the news. Did you see this? What happened at Fenway Park?

[Matt Abeticola]

No, what happened?

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, so Noah Kahn, who's immensely popular singer. Yeah, the singer, Noah Kahn. He's on this tour and they're coming. He's coming to Wrigley soon, I think, right?

[Matt Abeticola]

I have no idea.

[Dan Bernstein]

At some point, really soon, he sold out Wrigley Field, and he's in Boston for the Great Divide Tour. And he did a skit. He went into a payphone. I don't know how people know what a payphone is. And he answered the phone and he said, hello, Drake. I thought you got canceled or Kendrick beat you or something. Why are you calling me? Well, I appreciate you coming to the show, I guess. And then on the video board. Wrong. Drake, brother. This is Drake May. I just want to welcome you to Boston Fenway Park. I hear the crowds rocking right now. I hear the crowd. You're the man. Go Pats. So Khan wrapped up the skit with Go Patriots and it was his cameo into one of his songs. And they had. It was Drake May doing the bit about Drake. And I was talking to my daughter about this because we drove by Wrigley Field on the way into work and I, I, I know a lot of people like Noah Khan. I didn't know he was big enough to be selling out Fenway and selling out Wrigley. Really? Yeah, really?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I mean, I, I guess I'm, I'm not a good, good person to ask or I wouldn't be able to take a proper temperature of his popularity. I, I know of his music and I would assume he's very popular. I think I hear him on the Hits.

[Dan Bernstein]

I hear him on XRT channel. I, I hear him on Spectrum Serious channel, but might even have like a,

[Matt Abeticola]

he might be involved in a country song as well, too. Or maybe I'm making that up to me.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, I listen to his music and it's fine. But every, every song is like, it's cold and wet and I'm drunk and I'm high and I'm sad. Like, okay, like, that's no way to

[Matt Abeticola]

go through life, young man.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Move.

[Matt Abeticola]

Get out of the rain. Get indoors.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I don't know. He's always bitching about, like, I'm in Vermont and it's cold and it's muddy and I'm sad and I'm drunk and I'm calling you and you're drunk and I'm drunk and I'm high and it's cold.

[Matt Abeticola]

Is he selling Bob Dylan?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, kind of, but, but just like,

[Matt Abeticola]

move to la, man, get some sunshine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I think he's got a vitamin D deficiency. I think he could just use a little bit of sunshine. Like, get him. I'd like to, as much as I don't like Michael Franti and Spearhead. He needs a little bit of that in him. He needs a little, that, a bit, that sort of beachy, reggae tinged, kind of barefoot thing. If we put them together. That would be an artist I might like. If you take Michael Franti and Noah Kahn and.

[Matt Abeticola]

And. And have.

[Dan Bernstein]

And have them help each other out a little bit.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'd like to see. I'd like to see Noah with Shaka. I think that'd be a good tour.

[Dan Bernstein]

Noah Khan and Shaka Khan. Yeah, Khan.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's all you need. That's a ticket I'd buy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. And then.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then you have the Wrath of Khan and you. You bring out Ricardo Montalban, which, what I thought was a fake chest, but it's not. He actually developed his own pecs for that role. I always thought it was.

[Matt Abeticola]

He had a.

[Dan Bernstein]

He had some sort of prosthetic chest like. Like Sigourney Weaver wore for Galaxy Quest.

[Matt Abeticola]

She had a prosthetic chest that looked like.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, she just had a giant prosthetic chest. It looks fabulous. But I didn't find out until I watched the documentary that it was all. It was all latex. Oh, I probably should have known that because I was like, you know, she. In the movie, she's like 50, and all of a sudden I'm like, geez, I didn't know Sigourney Weaver. Oh, oh, okay. Now I get it. When I watch the document. It's great documentary, by the way.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, you've mentioned that before. Yeah, I still haven't watched it.

[Dan Bernstein]

You still haven't seen the movie, have you?

[Matt Abeticola]

Which one?

[Dan Bernstein]

Galaxy Quest.

[Matt Abeticola]

No. Oh, yeah, that's right. I got to watch the movie first.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. I don't think you're going to appreciate the documentary until you see the movie, but I guess. And apparently athletes have been making some of these cameos at the summer concerts. I was fishing when people were walking to the Morgan Wallen show down here and walking towards Soldier Field. And all the women were wearing the same dress. They were all wearing the same boots. It was like little fashionable cowboy boots with the little V cuts on this outside. And they all had like a. An earthen. Earth toned sundress on. I guess that's sort of the country look.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. And.

[Dan Bernstein]

And apparently Brian Urlacher made an appearance.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, he. I think he walked out on stage with. With Morgan Wallen. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And then Erlacher urged all illegals to leave and all immigrants to. To go to special vans that he. That were waiting for them to drag them away.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. Then Morgan Walton was throwing chairs off

[Dan Bernstein]

balconies and hitting people and using the N word, Right?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, that's what I thought. I said. My instincts on that were correct that those are birds of a concert to avoid.

[Progressive Truckers Announcer]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Birds of a feather flocking together. Okay, got that one. Because Erlacher did it. And Caitlin Clark also made an appearance at a Morgan Wallen concert.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, she did?

[Grainger Announcer]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

She walked out with Morgan Wallen.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. That's what Erlacher did. It must be the thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ooh. Yeah. I would. If I'm representing any of these people, I'd probably stay. Advise staying away.

[Matt Abeticola]

But you do you. That's right. You do you. And if.

[Dan Bernstein]

And enjoy Noah Khan. Maybe I'm not. I'm not doing him justice. And it's much more important. And he's getting. Helping men get in touch with their feelings. I would just think he'd be happier if he were sitting on a boat

[Matt Abeticola]

or at least a sun lamp or something.

[Dan Bernstein]

A sunlight. Yes. Maybe.

[Progressive Truckers Announcer]

I think that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think you've nailed it. I think Noah Khan may have seasonal affective disorder or sad.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he needs the special lamp. And then maybe his music would suck. Hey, how's it going? I don't know.

[Matt Abeticola]

Maybe a little more upbeat and.

[Progressive Truckers Announcer]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Inspirational.

[Dan Bernstein]

It just. It just ruins the bit if all

[Matt Abeticola]

of a sudden he's in a great

[Dan Bernstein]

mood and it's all good and. How's everything? Fine. What are you doing? I'm going golfing today. I don't have time to make music. Too busy golfing. I gotta get this handicap into single digits. Bye. See you, Noah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I know. I've heard his music, but I. I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about it.

[Dan Bernstein]

So. Yes, again, he's. He's sad and he's drunk.

[Matt Abeticola]

Maybe I haven't listened that closely.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he's bereft. And his. His girlfriend left him because he was sitting in a mud puddle being sad, and she's like, all right, I don't. I don't need this aggravation in my life. And they say, you know, you're allowed to leave the. The. The Northeast if you want during winter, you can take a vacation somewhere.

[Matt Abeticola]

But he can't be that far from Drake May.

[Dan Bernstein]

So, like. I guess not. Yeah. But everything's all right. And. And I don't know. I know if somebody. We're not giving away tickets to that, right? We. We give our Joe Bonamassa tickets away. And we have AC DC tickets that

[Matt Abeticola]

are available right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

AC DC on our rewards page. If you go to the 312Sports app or you go to 312Sports.com the promo code is Summer Tickets to see AC DC September 4th at Notre Dame Stadium. That's a thing. So you want to win that and all our other stuff. You had dinners at Little Bob Ariba Wildfire Bristol Renaissance Fair, Four pack, get the app, use the code summer and get those things. So we give you all kinds. And don't forget to get your merch. I haven't. I've yet to award a hug to somebody wearing their DBU or their 312 merch that I see in the wild.

[Matt Abeticola]

People spot you first and they. They rip it off.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know they change or they run because they don't want.

[Matt Abeticola]

If you see a lot of shirtless guys when you're fishing, it's because they've taken their 312 sports stuff off.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, my guy, Robert, or he's not a Bob, he's a Robert or a Rob. He always fishes shirtless.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay, well, maybe because he wears 312 gear, doesn't want to hug.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't think so. I don't think so. He's got no idea. He always comes up to me and complains that there used to be more fish.

[Matt Abeticola]

Are you not talking enough White Sox baseball?

[Dan Bernstein]

He would. He probably would talk more. White Sox.

[Matt Abeticola]

Stop talking White Sox.

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't know the White Sox. You can't talk to White Sox. Stop talking to White Sox. Yeah, that was a rough one last night. I was watching that game. Does Boston always feel like that? Forget it. I'll ask somebody else because, yeah, I

[Matt Abeticola]

didn't watch the game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Defense is just. They were making ridiculous plays all over the place.

[Matt Abeticola]

They win.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, White Sox won. Oh, Red Sox did.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, Red Sox and Sox went. Yeah, but not the right.

[Matt Abeticola]

Sox one. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sox one. Right.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. All right, Cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. We good?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. All right, well, I got. I got lunch to go eat.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I'm sorry, I know you're all excited about the lunch that you made leftovers last night's dinner. Yeah, but see that kind of thing, like a slow cooked. That's going to be so much better today. Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm very excited about it.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then, and then you can just make like gravy rice with this and then put extra little green onion in

[Matt Abeticola]

there, little sesame seed. Yeah. It's going to be good stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, well, I'll let. I'm not going to keep you from that. That is Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears and NFL podcast that we bring you here on 312 Sports. Forward progress is stopped.

[Matt Abeticola]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with

[Dan Bernstein]

Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.

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