Did Ryan Poles believe what he said?

Summary

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Did Ryan Poles believe what he said?
Date: April 24, 2026
Host: 312 Sports (Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola)

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the Chicago Bears’ selection of Dylan Thieneman with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and, more pointedly, the comments made by Bears General Manager Ryan Poles after the pick. Dan and Matt scrutinize whether Poles truly believes what he communicated about roster-building philosophy—specifically his explanation for valuing secondary upgrades over pass rush—and what this means for the Bears’ future, needs, and draft strategy. The tone mixes analytical rigor with the emotional candor familiar to Chicago fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflections on Bears’ Draft Needs

• Immediate Post-Season Priorities:
  • Matt Abbatacola (03:31):
    • Pass rush was the greatest need.
    • Left tackle was the next most urgent, particularly due to injury.
  • Dan Bernstein (03:56):
    • Echoes left tackle as critical, with pass rush a close second.

2. Draft Philosophy Debate: Need vs. Best Player Available

• Poles claims the Bears chose the best player available (Dylan Thieneman), who also filled a need at safety, but not their greatest need.

• Quote:

  "What they did is they addressed a need and they took, according to their big board, the best player available when they drafted. Dylan Thieneman was the best player on their board... But it was not their greatest need."
  — Dan Bernstein (04:12)

• Matt and Dan discuss the tension between drafting for need vs. “best player.”

• The result: The Bears improved the safety position but left higher priorities (edge rusher, left tackle) unaddressed.

3. Ryan Poles’ Post-Draft Comments: Did He Believe Them?

• Poles’ Statement Under Microscope:

  “The D line helps the back end more often than not, but in this situation where we have good corners, good safeties, we can be in position where maybe we can have the quarterback hold the ball a little longer.”
  — Ryan Poles, read by Dan Bernstein (06:14, repeated 08:37)

• Hosts' Response:

  • Matt calls this a “rationalization,” not true conviction.
  • Dan highlights the hedging language ("maybe," "a little longer") as problematic, showing lack of commitment to the direction.
  • Both reject the idea of building a defense from the back forward.

  "No, no, no. You don’t build a defense hoping for coverage sacks. No, it’s the opposite. I think he knows it."
  — Matt Abbatacola (06:14)

4. Ongoing Value of the Safety Pick

• Dylan Thieneman is projected to be “a good, cheap safety for several years.”

• Dan underscores that while he likes Thieneman as a player, safety isn't an ideal position to address first unless your needs align differently.

• Matt raises potential regret in passing on greater needs, and pledges to watch how those taken later—especially edge rushers and tackles—pan out.

  “I care about the Bears. And you best believe I will look at the guys selected after Dylan Thieneman... at the positions that I thought had a greater need and see how they produce.”
  — Dan Bernstein (10:56)

5. Previewing Remaining Draft Targets

• Day 2/3 Targets:
  • Defensive line and offensive line options: Jermad McCoy, T.J. Parker, Kaden McDonald, etc. (12:12–14:23)
  • Discussion of whether reaching for “need” late in the draft is wise or dangerous.
• Brief tangent on folklore and cultural fit of draft prospects (e.g., Jennings Dunker as an instant Chicago folk hero).

6. Questioning Bears’ Recent History at Safety

• Why did the Bears use another premium pick on safety when Jaquan Brisker (drafted 48th, four years ago) was allowed to leave at age 27?

• Raises broad point about draft planning versus reactive, position-by-position fixes.

  “That is absolutely reasonable to ask Ryan Poles what went wrong with Jaquan Brisker... because if you use the 48th overall pick, he should be in his prime.”
  — Matt Abbatacola (19:48, 20:00)

7. Secondary vs. Pass Rush: Building a Defense

• Dan and Matt are consistent: pass rush is the foundation of a defense—helping the secondary, not the other way around.

• Coverage sacks are not a foundation for NFL-level defensive strategy.

  “Adding a guy who has the ability to cover longer. That’s not how the NFL works. It’s not about forcing them or hoping they hold the ball longer... That’s how you get screwed.”
  — Dan Bernstein (22:46, 22:55)

8. The Risks of Drafting a Safety High

• Discussion of positional value:
  • Safety is often easier to fill, similar to left field or first base in baseball: “I don’t want my safety tackling. I want the guy on the ground before he gets there.” — Matt Abbatacola (23:10, 23:40)
• Concerns about Thieneman’s physical traits:
  • “Adequate size with a muscular frame but appears maxed out physically.” — Reading from Dane Brugler’s scouting, (25:26)
  • Hosts compare to past “maxed-out frame” prospects who struggled with durability.

9. Levity and Chicago-Style Sidebars

• Extended riff on Bears’ unfortunate history with white safeties and tongue-in-cheek references to jersey sales and name pronunciation:
  • “Most of Chicago will add an L to the pronunciation of this kid’s name.” — Chuck, listener (31:09)
  • “It’s going to be butchered.” — Dan Bernstein (31:09)
• Humorous digressions about ex-players’ post-football finance careers and local radio stories.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Defensive Philosophy:

  “You don’t build a defense hoping for coverage sacks. No, it’s the opposite. Your pass rush makes life easier on your secondary and not the other way around.”
  — Matt Abbatacola (06:14, 06:49)

• On Drafting Philosophy:

  “Maybe you’re talking about conviction. They love that word. You don’t use ‘maybe’...”
  — Matt Abbatacola (08:50)

• On Comparing Prospects by Draft Order:

  “I know after the fact it’s really easy for me to sit here and do that. But that was not their greatest need.”
  — Dan Bernstein (11:05)

• On Organizational Self-Awareness:

  “A good plan isn’t just that year’s draft. It’s where does this fit with next year’s draft and next year’s free agent class and your pro personnel?”
  — Matt Abbatacola (20:17)

• On the Spitballing Tone:

  “I’m so tired of having to couch these criticisms because these low common denominator fanboys come out...Not my job to cheerlead, bro.”
  — Matt Abbatacola (28:10)

• Fan and Culture Riffs:

  “His name is going to be butchered...His jersey is going to sell. He’s going to be very popular.”
  — Dan Bernstein (31:09) “Do you remember Chris Prosinski?”
  — Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola (32:11–34:36, humorous detour)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:20–04:12 — Draft philosophy: needs vs. best player available.
• 06:14–08:37 — Dissecting Ryan Poles’ comments on defense-building and “coverage sacks.”
• 10:56–12:16 — Looking at which draft needs went unfilled and future comparisons.
• 14:23–16:24 — Second-round preview and possible targets.
• 19:48–21:27 — Questioning the strategy of consecutive premium safety picks (Brisker to Thieneman).
• 22:09–23:10 — The logic (or lack thereof) of building 'back to front' on defense.
• 25:26–27:14 — Deep-dive on Thieneman’s scouting profile and concerns about positional value.
• 31:09–32:14 — Name pronunciation jokes, Chicago tradition.
• 32:11–36:17 — Bears’ past: ‘white safeties’ tangent (Prosinski, Hardin, etc.)
• 37:04–37:51 — Concluding banter about conviction, defensive philosophy, and forthcoming episodes.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The hosts are skeptical of Ryan Poles’ stated draft philosophy, arguing the Bears took a good player at a lesser position of need and used unconvincing logic to justify it.
• Dylan Thieneman is seen as a quality addition, but the choice points to deeper unresolved roster construction issues—especially at pass rush and left tackle.
• Compelling future storyline: How well Thieneman and other options (edge rushers, tackles, etc.) perform will reflect on Poles’ tenure.
• Classic Chicago tone: The discussion is frank, sometimes irreverent, blending football insight with dry, local humor and a deep knowledge of Bears history and culture.

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For a full, passionate, and no-nonsense breakdown of the Bears’ approach and what it means for the future, this episode is a must-listen for any serious Chicago football fan.

Transcript

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[Narrator/Storyteller]

Everybody talked about it since I first moved to Oregon. The big one. The earthquake that trashed the whole west coast. Total destruction.

[Matt Abeticola]

Officially calling it the largest natural disaster in American history.

[Narrator/Storyteller]

I just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all. Even the gun. It was time.

[Matt Abeticola]

Cello American Afterlife presented by Pair of Thieves. The number one fiction and drama podcast in America. Listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts available now. I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you're thinking Forward progress. Come on. 10.

[Dan Bernstein]

219, 219Forward progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.

[Matt Abeticola]

So you know what I've learned? You know what I've realized is really the cool thing about the fact that you and I can just kind of have an entire Chicago sports podcast network and do whatever we want with it. You know what's really fun about that?

[Dan Bernstein]

What's fun about it is that we

[Matt Abeticola]

were trying to figure out how to fit everything we wanted to do into forward progress today. And you said, I don't know, why don't we do two forward progresses today? I said okay. And then you said, why don't we go live and do the draft one and just go live? And I said, okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And so here we are.

[Matt Abeticola]

And here we are talking about the fact that the Chicago Bears locked down their safety position with with the number 25 overall pick. I also mentioned that we did give away a winner. If you're just joining us, like who won steak dinner? Boom. The winner of our contest. There were six of you who selected the correct name of Dylan Thienaman. And from those six we drew one and the winner, Nick Shields. So congratulations to Nick who was selected at random for those correct entries. And he picks up the 100 gift card to RPM Steak here in the city. So happy steak dinner, Nick. Enjoy it. On your friends at Forward progress and 312 sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

So we just want to talk further about the Bears draft pick last night in round one of Dylan Fineman. There was also some comments made from Ryan Poles. Dan, last night to the media, and there's one particular comment that has just stayed with me, and I wanted to discuss it with you and. And I'm glad you. You hadn't heard it yet, because I want to share it with you first and I want to get your immediate reaction to what.

[Matt Abeticola]

What he says. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

So before we get into that, though, let me just. Let me just ask you a couple things. What was, in your opinion, the greatest need for this team after the end of last season?

[Matt Abeticola]

Pass rush.

[Dan Bernstein]

Pass rush.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Pressure the quarterback, right?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

What was the greatest need, in your opinion, off of. Based off of injury at the end of last season?

[Matt Abeticola]

At the end of last season, based off of injury.

[Dan Bernstein]

Injury, yes. Was there. So. Okay, let me just. I'll just.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, yeah. Left tackle.

[Dan Bernstein]

Left tackle. Thank you. Okay. So my. My main priority, as we discussed a lot going into the draft, was left tackle. I said left tackle is their greatest need. The second, in my opinion, was pressuring the quarterback. Okay. So we were wondering how the Bears were going to address their needs along with what their philosophy would be in the draft. Are they going to take the best football player available when they pick or are they going to address a need? Now, what they think they did or what. What they did is they addressed a need and they took according to their big board, the best player available when they drafted Dylan Thieman was the best player on their board when they picked. He also happened to fill a need which they had at safety. It just was not their greatest need, but it was a need that was filled by selecting the best guy on the board when they selected. So what did Ryan polls say about Dylan Thieman? That he's fast, he's smart, he's a great leader, he plays violently, he's obsessed with football. These are all his words. The tape stands out. They watched all the tape on the safeties, and his tape would stand out. There's two things that. That he mentioned about Dylan Thieneman. Speed and versatility, which were the two themes going into this offseason about getting speed and adding versatility to this defense. Ryan Poles did tell us that he can play nickel, he can play strong, he can play free safety. So wherever they need to plug him in and use him, they can do that with his versatility, which is great.

[Matt Abeticola]

Awesome.

[Dan Bernstein]

He was. He was elevated on the board. He was the top guy left on the board when they, when they selected. He did tell us that there were two other guys that were close, but the sequence landed on a need which also landed on the best player available. Those are his quotes. Here's the thing though, that stood out to me that I could not. I can. I have not stopped thinking about it since I heard the. Since I watched the video. The D line helps the back end more often than not, but in this situation where we have good corners, good safeties, we can be in position where maybe we can have the quarter, the quarterback hold the ball a little longer.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. No, no, no. You don't build a defense hoping for coverage sacks. No, it's the opposite. I think he knows it and I think you can tell by his hedging that when he started saying that, it sounded like it was a rationalization.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm reading that word for word. And when he said it, it jumped off the screen to me, Dan, like it was a slap in the face.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I don't like that. That's just. I don't share that philosophy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. I don't.

[Matt Abeticola]

Let me just say that it may be. And Ryan Paul's knows more about football than I do.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. He does.

[Matt Abeticola]

He knows. I mean, I've seen more Bears games than he's seen, but he knows more about football than I do. And I'll just say that I'll disagree that I generally think that your pass rush makes life easier on your secondary and not the other way around. This is a game of acquisition of territory. This is a game where those people up front are the tone setters, not the furthest people away. And especially now. I know we talk about versatility, but when they talk about playing the post, they talk about that ability to. To that's the back end of your defense. It is why I generally don't like using first round picks on safeties. Of course they matter. Every position matters. And I'd rather have a really good safety than a really bad one any day. But ideally, what help when I watch Seattle play and that. That is the. The fashionable comp for obvious reasons. But when you watch their defense, the reason why they're allowed to. To attack, the reason why they have the luxury of playing so aggressively on the, on the. The. In the middle of the back seven and the back of the back seven is because of what the front's doing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's not just. It doesn't so happen to be, oh well, you know, they're good and they're Good. No, this is a. This is causation, not correlation. And most defensive coaches will tell you that. I want. I want you to read that quote again. And don't. Don't pause, don't read it for effect. Just read it through. Because I just want to hear the way he put the words together. It sounds to me like he knows that quote isn't going to go over well.

[Dan Bernstein]

The D line helps the back end more often than not, but in this situation where we have good corners, good safeties, we can be in position where maybe we can have the QB hold the ball a little longer.

[Matt Abeticola]

I don't like them more often than not, and I don't like the maybe. So maybe you're talking about conviction. They love that word. They love the word conviction. You don't use maybe.

[Dan Bernstein]

I underlined. Maybe. It's funny you bring that up. And I also underlined a little longer. This is not anything against or about Dylan Thieman. He's going to be a fine. A fine safety. He's a good football player. He's going to be a good football player for the next several years and a cheap version of a good safety for the next several years. He's going to fill the role that Kevin Byard played last year for the Bears, but he's younger, he's faster, and he's cheaper. Great. It was a good pick to fill a need that they had. It was not their greatest need that they had. It was not their first or second greatest need, in my opinion. But he's a good pick, he's a good football player. He's going to be fine and play really well for the Bears. Okay? This is where the problem comes in for me, is building it backwards. I don't like that. Now, we said, get a guy that will improve the unit that he's a part of and will be a starter from day one. They've done that. So they've done everything that I asked them to do as a Bears fan. And they also said they shared us with. They shared with us their philosophy that they were taking the best guy on the board, not a guy that would fill the greatest need. And that's exactly what he was. He was their best guy on the board when they picked the 25. So they did exactly that. They followed that philosophy through. Now, listen, you can do this for any pick, for any franchise, for any organization, but I don't care about the others. I care about the Bears. And you best believe that I will look at the guys selected after Dylan thieman. From from 26 to 56 at the positions that I thought had a greater need and see how they produce. Now again, you can do that anywhere. You can do that with any team with any pick. That's great. And I know, you know after the fact it's really easy for me to sit here and do that. But that was not their greatest need. Their greatest need was not a safety. And I wanted to see them address their greatest need with the best guy available when they picked. And maybe I'm wrong on it. And that's fine. I can be wrong. My job and my paycheck and my family doesn't matter on my Bears knowledge or my Bears draft picks. It doesn't. His does.

[Matt Abeticola]

So now it comes down to your two picks in the second round. Picks 57 and 60. Yep. End of the second round. So most of the names at the top of the best available I presume are going to be gone. Correct those names if just from Dane Brugler's list here Jermad McCoy, who is his overall 14th ranked player. And we should note that McCoy was the last first round graded player and he's the only first round graded player who remains on the board per Dane Brugler.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

And this was only a draft in which he and Matt Miller had about half the first round being first round grades. Yep. Everybody else at the bottom half was

[Dan Bernstein]

first or 12 to 16 guys graded first round picks.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, right. That's. That's about it this year. So the. The list of who is next is Obviously now Emmanuel McNeil, Warren is out of the picture. Then we got a beef. If they take another safety. Denzel Boston, Avion Terrell or Terrell Colton Hood. These cornerback for Terrell and Hood. The next edge is T.J. parker. He'll likely be gone.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

Kaden McDonald, the top defensive tackle is on the board. I don't think he's going to be there.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't think he'll be there. At 57. No.

[Matt Abeticola]

No. Chase Besantis, Texas A and M guard Zion Young of Missouri. Edge probably will be gone. D' Angelo Ponds the corner if Ryan Bulls believes all this stuff. Hell, keep beefing up the secondary if that's more important to you. And you know I love d' Angelo Pond. Cassius Howell Edge from Texas A and M. Jacob Rodriguez becomes somewhat intriguing depending on the role you want him to fill. Everyone loves Jacob Rodriguez. At linebacker you've got Jeremy Bernard, the wide receiver. Defensive tackle from Georgia, Kristen Miller, Oklahoma Edge, R Mason Thomas. He sounds like a southern litigator doesn't he? Like an appellate lawyer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Representing the interests of the tobacco industry will be R. Mason Thomas of Oklahoma, Brandon Sissay of South Carolina, cornerback. Then we're talking some of these other names down near the end here. This is where coming into play, Dominique Orange, the defensive tackle, Big citrus out of Iowa State.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah, big citrus.

[Matt Abeticola]

We discussed Danny. Dennis Sutton, edge from Penn State.

[Dan Bernstein]

Penn State, yep.

[Matt Abeticola]

Lee Hunter, defensive tackle from Texas Tech, Kieran Crawford. And Edge from Auburn, Gabe Jacobs from Illinois. I don't, I don't, I don't know what your flavors are here that you're liking.

[Dan Bernstein]

So here. Okay, so here's a comment from one of our listeners. Reaching for need is what gets you in trouble. The only player that was taken after the Bears so far that I felt should have been an option was Peter Woods. Okay, fair statement. And, and again, I'm going off what Ryan Pull said because that's all I can do. And Ryan Pohl said there were two other guys that were very close. His words. He didn't have to bring that up in his comments last night, yet he chose to. And we're never going to know who those two guys were on the board, but if one of those two guys who are very close meets a need that is a greater need than safety, that's the issue I have. That's why my brain keeps going back to it. And he never said that. And he just said this was the best guy on the board. And there was no question about it. When we had the pick, we looked at our big board. He was the best guy. It just so happens that he meets a need as well. That's why we took him there. But to hear that there were two other guys and, you know, they're not two safeties. Well, there's three guys at that moment were not three safeties, which is why

[Matt Abeticola]

now also we are going to be looking at the performance of one Emmanuel McNeil Warren, two, Keonte Scott out of Miami, and then LSU's AJ Halsey, because these guys are going to be around right now. And when you say, should you have used a first round pick or would any of these other highly graded guys who were sort of in that first, second range, would they be a reasonable replacement that would have been a better value lower in the draft? I don't know the answer to that, and I am, and I'm not saying that they definitely would be. I just think it will be reasonable to make those comparisons. The other names on this list that I'm just thinking about because we've talked about them and. Or they're interesting. When it comes to tonight would be Iowa guard Jennings Dunker, who would be a folk hero here.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, he would.

[Matt Abeticola]

If the Bears take him because he's just, he's got a little bit of everything and he's just perfect. Mr. Corn Fed Iowa blocking guy. And other names that we've talked about when we start looking at centers. Here's. Here's Jake Slaughter. Here's Sam Hecht. Jake Slaughter from Florida, Sam Hecht from Kansas state. The top two centers that were initially looking around, around that 89th pick now moving up because guys have. What about the Iowa center have dropped down.

[Dan Bernstein]

Logan. Am I, am I making his name up?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. I'm gonna have to scroll down to Logan Jones of. They're all, they're all right in here in this group of like nine names or eight names. Jake Slaughter was 89th. We had Sam Hecht at 92nd, Logan Jones 95th. So this is, we're getting to that portion where it's reasonable for one of these centers to go.

[Dan Bernstein]

So. And we'll also see if there are any moves made if they do move up. I mean, you have 57 and 60. Is that an opportunity to move up with one of those picks higher up in the second round to get a guy you're targeting to not only be on your board, but also fit one of those needs that you have. And listen, pressuring the quarterback is a significant need that this team lacked last year. And you got very fortunate to have all those takeaways. You're not going to have that again this year. They know that if they felt that that wasn't true, then they would have kept all those guys around. But they, they brought in a lot of free agent bodies to be part of a rotation at defensive tackle, which is why I, I thought they would address the edge rusher first. I really did. And I would love to know one day what their board looked like to who those other two guys that were really close to Dylan Thienaman, which we'll never know. But I would love to know that

[Matt Abeticola]

somebody will know, I think.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but it just doesn't, doesn't mean that it'll be revealed. So maybe, maybe seven years from now, page six will let us know. Who knows.

[Matt Abeticola]

Polls's first draft was the Gordon and Brisker draft, correct?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? That's correct.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. Yes. So this is my question. I think I mentioned this on DBU when Mark Potash noted it too. And I don't know if anybody asked Ryan Poles this, but what does it say that you used the 48th overall pick four years ago on a safety.

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[Matt Abeticola]

You, you drafted Jaquan Brisker. I'd love to go back. And he's only 27 years old.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's only 27. And, and he was. And he wasn't even the most expensive free agent that they lost, but still.

[Matt Abeticola]

What?

[Dan Bernstein]

No. So it's not like. But it's not a time. It's not like, it's not like he got a four year, 60 million.

[Matt Abeticola]

They didn't want it.

[Dan Bernstein]

He got a one.

[Matt Abeticola]

They didn't want it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Great. They didn't want it.

[Matt Abeticola]

They let. It was one thing to let Bayard go that I. That it is absolutely reasonable to ask Ryan polls what went wrong with Jaquan Brisker.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? That's a fair, that's a very fair question.

[Matt Abeticola]

Because if you use the 48th overall pick, he should be in his prime. You should be falling all, all over yourself to get him his next contract extension because of how he's played.

[Dan Bernstein]

He got a one year deal, $5 million deal from the, from the Steelers.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right? Yeah. So what that, that I think also needs to be revisited here. We look at these drafts in a vacuum, but a good plan isn't just that year's draft. It's where does this fit with next year's draft and next year's free agent class and your pro personnel? Who are you looking at? Because of coaching changes and scheme changes, where are you finding all of this value? It comes from everywhere. And I think in large part, why do you need a safety now? It's because you, you didn't want to keep the guy that you drafted 48th overall. You didn't want to keep him. What went wrong?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's a, that's a very fair question to ask.

[Matt Abeticola]

You know, and talking about, you're supposed to say, hey, oh, yeah, how old is he? Oh, he's 27. He just turned 27 four days ago. He turned 27 on 420. That's pretty cool. Your birthday's 420. How are you celebrating that? He just turned 27. And they're like, yeah, well, yeah, we don't need him. Why? What happened? That's all? Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

So safety was a need. Safety was not the greatest need. He was the best player on the board. That's why the selection was made. And it all makes sense. You know, I said this earlier on dbu, that he's. He's just part of a puzzle, you know, and if we're looking at, like, the. If we're pulling back and looking at the whole jigsaw puzzle, he's one of the border pieces. I'm not. I'm not mad about it. I'm not upset about it. Is he going to be a good football player? I think so. You know, we'll see how it all plays out. They. They think he is. And I've said all of last season, I'm going to put my trust in what these guys want to do because they proved to me that they deserve my trust as a fan. I'm going to believe that he's going to be a very good football player for this team.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just don't know how they're going to. And I. I need to see them address what I believe are the greater needs of this team. And. And I hope they can get guys that are somewhere high on their board that address the needs which are more valuable. And again, why this is such a thing is because of what Ryan Paul said last night about building it backwards. I just don't like. I don't like the idea of hearing my general manager say, maybe we can have the quarterback hold the ball a little longer, maybe.

[Matt Abeticola]

And he said I. And the other phrasing of more often than not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. But like, adding a guy who has the ability to cover longer. That's not how the NFL works. It's not. It's get to the quarterback as quick

[Matt Abeticola]

as you can and make their.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's about having a quarterback who can make great decisions to get rid of the ball as quick as he can. It's not about forcing them or hoping they hold the ball longer. It's not about having the ability to cover longer. That's how you get screwed.

[Matt Abeticola]

No, also to make another point about man, just in just generally, how I look at safety is sort of similar to how I look at left fielders or first basemen, that they're easier to find than other positions. And they talk about tackling. Of course, you want a sure tackler at safety, but I don't want my safety tackling. You know why? I want the guy on the Ground before he gets there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Yeah. And let me.

[Matt Abeticola]

If you look at teams and I would say go look at teams where they're consistently led in tackles by safeties or have their safeties making a disproportionate percentage of their tackles. That's a bad defense. I only want my safety tackling a guy if he has to.

[Dan Bernstein]

And let me ask you this. Maybe you have right there in front of you because I don't. His size, his size and weight is. He is. I know the Brian polls talked about him being very, very violent. He closes the gap quickly. So we know he has great speed. We saw the videos already, you know, they were out last night of his speed. Does he have the size to play as violently at this level against the best of the best?

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, the question I have about a maxed out frame and he is that. That's what most scouts are saying is there isn't any extra weight that is going to be put on him. This is.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's. Scouts have said that about him because normally you make that transition from college to the pros and where we putting on 15 or 20 or 25 or if you're a big, big fatty, 30 pounds of muscle.

[Matt Abeticola]

I think we didn't. We read that last night.

[Dan Bernstein]

Last night I. Last night I felt drunk without drinking. I don't know.

[Matt Abeticola]

You blocked it all out.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know what happened.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, I believe I'm saying that because it was something that I saw in the scouting report about his frame being maxed out. So I'm going to call it up again. Okay. And he is. Let me look see here in. Yes. The number one weakness listed by Dane Brugler. Adequate size with a muscular frame but appears maxed out physically.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I remember that last night.

[Matt Abeticola]

And, and good. I'm glad you do.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

And if that's the case and here you. This is your pro body. They're not projecting another 20 pounds of weight because that happens all the time. They're looking like, all right, this is, this is it. This is as much as his body can carry that as long as he can do that and keep this speed. Okay. All good. Because he is damn fast. He is described as having mediocre burst and hip turn when covering downfield corners and posts. So maybe a little stiff in the hips which can happen. I mean he's a late first round pick. If he wasn't a little stiff in the hips he'd probably go. He probably wouldn't be playing safety frankly, as I always say. Why are you playing Safety in college. If you're that good an athlete and that fast, why are you a college safety? There may be a really good answer to that. And the answer might be that, well, we. We run a lot of pro stuff at Oregon and mentally he's able to handle all that and he's incredibly disciplined. And it's a really important position in our defense because he helps get everybody aligned, whatever that may be. I'm sure that. I'm sure there's a re. But I always ask that, why are you playing first base in the minors? Why are you playing first base in college? Same thing. Why are you playing safety if you're that good an athlete at a lower level? But if you're maxed out, I also wonder about the. The. Are you injury prone? Are you having to keep this weight on and having to constantly work out all the time? Can you sustain that kind of punishment? He's been described as durable. I hope he is. The last time the Bears had a guy who. I remember being totally physically maxed out and I think it was a third round pick. Do you remember Brandon Hardin?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

Sort of a handsome guy. And I mean, the guy was.

[Dan Bernstein]

He.

[Matt Abeticola]

He was built like a Greek God and they were all excited about him and he was constantly injured.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of course they were excited about him.

[Matt Abeticola]

You remember him, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I do. No, I do that.

[Matt Abeticola]

He was. He. He was 6, 3, 2, 17, this big Hawaiian kid out of Oregon State. Hawaiian. And he just. He kept hurting his shoulders and he was it. That was it. And it was just. He never ever got healthy. I think it's a preseason game. They carted him off the field when he was tackling somebody. But I don't. I'm not, I'm not doom saying here. No. And we're not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not down on him. I mean, you, You've said from the start that you just. You don't want to use a first round pick on a safety, but it's. It's not being down on him or his ability or his potential as a football player.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm so tired of having to couch these criticisms because these low common denominator fanboys come out like other people said, it's a good pig. You suck. Not my job to cheerlead, bro. Not my job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not saying it was a bad pick. No, I mean, that's not what we're saying.

[Matt Abeticola]

25th pick, right. Number 25 picks don't usually matter that much.

[Dan Bernstein]

We looked at the history of it. It's not just you saying that. Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

God, I'm breaking Into Poland. Dynamite. God.

[Dan Bernstein]

Idiot.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, again, I wouldn't have wanted to do something, you know, separate and highlight the fact of wanting to talk about this, but after what polls had to say, it just. It really stood out. And it was in my brain when I woke up this morning. It was.

[Matt Abeticola]

Glad you did that. Yeah, I'm glad you pointed that out. It was. There was a good catch on your part. I had. I had to go to sleep because I knew I had to get up to come in for by my hit with Sherman and Tingle. But he's over the moon about Fernando Mendoza, by the way. Mr. Raider over there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, God, that's right. I forgot. He's a Raiders guy.

[Matt Abeticola]

Raiders. Oh, you didn't see that? He was leaving notes on here. He. He printed out. Oh, I think you were gone. He printed out this big sign that said Fernando Mendoza is God. And he taped it to the door.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know who wouldn't like that is Fernando Mendoza. He wouldn't like reading that. That. That wouldn't be his jam.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, anyway, so I took it down. I took that sign down and I wrote for. And I crossed out. No, I added an O in God. And then I wrote in there, Fernando Mendoza might not actually be all that good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, boy.

[Matt Abeticola]

And I taped it to his computer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did he get mad? Because he actually. He invited me to join Raider nation last year in the midst of the bear season. He said, there's always room. I said, no, I'm good, man. Thank you.

[Matt Abeticola]

No, he was dancing this morning. I walked into their studio and he was grinding on me while dancing. That's how excited he was.

[Dan Bernstein]

That doesn't happen normally.

[Matt Abeticola]

It probably does with him. I don't know. Those two. They probably do it together.

[Dan Bernstein]

He usually dresses up like the Philly fanatic and greets you when you walk in the studio.

[Matt Abeticola]

Assaults me.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Well, so if you don't know what we're talking about. Dan joins the Drive 97.1 to the Drive FM every. Every Monday and Friday at 8:15 for live hits.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

To.

[Matt Abeticola]

To talk with those two, Sherman and Tingle. And they will not let me compete on the 7:30 song challenge because even though when I'm in my car, I've won it before.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, have you really?

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, yeah, I have. And I. I had it today too.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just. I guess Bon Jovi for every song.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's all I do. Well, you know, you could do worse. Probably.

[Dan Bernstein]

I could do a lot worse.

[Matt Abeticola]

But no, I was surprised. I was just. Song seven was. It was pressure by Billy Joel that's a layup. That's an easy one. You know that, Those, those first bars. That's easy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, this is a good one, too, from Chuck. He says, guarantee most of Chicago will add an L to the pronunciation of this kid's name. We talked about this last night. That his name is going to be butchered. It's going to be butchered.

[Matt Abeticola]

Wait, like Dylan Thielen?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, it's gonna be. His last name will be butchered for sure.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, there is. He's got. Ls in the name. It'll be like.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, his first name. He does. Yeah, Dylan. He wants to add it like a

[Matt Abeticola]

third L. Dylan Thielenman. Okay. His name is gonna get destroyed and his jersey is gonna sell. He is going to be very popular. Very, very. If he's good, he's going to be very popular. I don't know how many Chris Conti jerseys sold before the incident. That we will not discuss before the moment. Where is it traditionally we had. So they drafted. I'm trying to think of. Yeah, so Conti, Brandon Hardin, Todd Johnson from Florida.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I remember Todd Johnson. Yes. From Florida. Yeah. Good.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm trying to think Bears white safety, draft history. Now, I know they didn't draft him, and I hate to bring up this name, but you can't do the history of Bears white safeties recently without mentioning Chris Prosinski. Anything I want to say. Look, look up Wyoming. I believe they didn't draft him, but they. They had to sign him because they were running out of dudes. So they signed a guy named Chris Prosinski who'd been on, like, the. The Jaguars.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, Jaguars. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes, yes, yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

Did he go to Wyoming?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, he was a Wyoming cowboy. Yeah, maybe that's not where he went to school. That was just a profession.

[Matt Abeticola]

Do you remember that experience?

[Dan Bernstein]

2011, fourth round, 121st overall, Jacksonville, Philadelphia. The Bears for. Oh, my God, two seasons.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. Chris Prosinski was a Bear. Now, this is not fair to Dylan Thienaman to. To damn him with the. The history of others, but, ooh, that he. I remember Chris Pruszynski would run right at a guy. He'd be in the middle of the field. He'd run right at a guy and he'd stop and the guy would run around him.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, this is so from his Wikipedia, his paragraph about his time as a Chicago Bear. Bad. Przezinski was signed by The Chicago Bears September 29, 2015. Krasinski recorded his first career sack against the Denver Broncos on November 22nd, 2015. Despite allowing a 48 yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. He ended it with six tackles and a sack.

[Matt Abeticola]

Hey, go get him, Chris. C. Pro, as I call him.

[Dan Bernstein]

In 2016, he signed a one year contract with the Bears worth $840,000.

[Matt Abeticola]

I hope he has invested well. What's he doing right now? What high school is he coaching?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he was placed on Injured Reserve 2017, suffering a concussion. In week 15, he was released with an injury settlement December of 2017.

[Matt Abeticola]

Where is he now?

[Dan Bernstein]

Blah, blah. Doesn't say where he is now.

[Matt Abeticola]

He attended Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Wyoming.

[Dan Bernstein]

He married Miss Wyoming though.

[Matt Abeticola]

Hey man, good for him. It's been a. It's been a. I bet he was like an all time great Wyoming athlete. Probably is. I bet he's in like the Wyoming. I bet he's in the Wyoming Sports hall of Fame at some point. Maybe he's running for office.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why is it every. Every. Like every former NFL player, we look up to see what they're doing now. They're all doing the same thing. Take a guess now because we've done this like the last. The last five guys we've looked up,

[Matt Abeticola]

they're all in the financial sector somewhere. Probably in the. In the retail level financial sector.

[Dan Bernstein]

He provides direct client service and plays a vital role of support in portfolio management and the development of defined financial plans for clients.

[Matt Abeticola]

Clients. Bingo.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

Good for him. And just as long as your financial planner doesn't also have to tackle really fast people.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. And I still have concussions. Hopefully doesn't have like a football helmet on backwards when you walk in his office the first time.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm investing in tulips. What? I didn't say anything. Hey, how's it going with my money there? What?

[Dan Bernstein]

I like chocolate chips. Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Thank you. I think we're underrepresented in this sector. What sector? Sand. What?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm investing in the beach.

[Matt Abeticola]

For you. Yeah, People like the beach.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, you have property. Like. Like beachfront property?

[Matt Abeticola]

No, no, just sand. I think we're too light in your portfolio in big piles of sand and shells.

[Dan Bernstein]

I like shells.

[Matt Abeticola]

I don't know why this all of a sudden became a. Like a Chris Prosinski roast. It wasn't. I didn't mean it to be, but. And it's also not fair to Dylan. Theon. I mean, Dylan, we love you.

[Dan Bernstein]

We do love you. We're very excited you're here in Chicago. And we know.

[Matt Abeticola]

But it's unrequited love. We know that too. That there's no way he would love us back. You know why? You know why he loves football more?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, he's obsessed with football. Ryan Poles told us he was obsessed with football. One of his great attributes. Obsessed with football. Although, you know and I know people were angry last night and our live, you know, live reaction post draft pick because of our chant that we were saying of, you know what, don't you want white safeties? When don't you want them? Ever?

[Matt Abeticola]

Ever?

[Dan Bernstein]

It's just for fun, people. Come on, just relax.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's just.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's fun. It's a game. We're talking about a game. That's all it is.

[Matt Abeticola]

How dare you. You disappoint me with not taking this seriously enough. Okay, well, I hope we don't disappoint you when we take the serious things seriously, because maybe I'm crazy, but my rule is usually take the serious thing seriously.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I do, too.

[Matt Abeticola]

I think. I think that works. But what don't we want white safeties?

[Dan Bernstein]

When don't we want them? However. But.

[Matt Abeticola]

But that's okay. We're still rallying. We're still, we're. We're still going to come together and, and make sure everything is fine. Now.

[Dan Bernstein]

I believe he's going to be great. He's going to lead the Bears to hold making quarterbacks hold the ball the longest in the NFL next year, even

[Matt Abeticola]

though it's more often than not, not the way you want to build a defense. And the general manager said that it's okay. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's all good. I'm glad you found that. Good job. Now we should also let people know there is going to be another forward progress outside of just this live one that we've got a whole thing coming up on the latest, the ongoing fallout regarding Mike Vrabel and Diana Rossini and some fairly serious consideration of something that has been talked about but I don't think has been explored as deeply as it should be.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep, I agree with that.

[Matt Abeticola]

So we'll make sure you get that, too. If you think, well, this is weird. Are there two FPS today? Yeah, there are. And they're all here for you on 312 Sports for progress has stopped.

[Dan Bernstein]

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