Kevin Warren’s Stadium Strategy… or lack thereof

Summary

Podcast Summary: Forward Progress – “Kevin Warren’s Stadium Strategy… or lack thereof”

Podcast: Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Date: May 19, 2026
Episode Theme:
A blunt, detailed exploration of the Chicago Bears’ stadium debacle, focusing on Kevin Warren’s public negotiation tactics, the ongoing drama around potential sites (particularly Hammond, Indiana), internal Bears leadership issues, political squabbles, and the rising costs and missed opportunities facing the franchise.

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Main Theme Overview

The episode dissects the Chicago Bears’ repeated and, in the hosts’ view, cynically orchestrated flirtations with alternative stadium sites outside Chicago, specifically Hammond, Indiana. Dan and Matt lay bare how Kevin Warren, Bears President and CEO, has mismanaged the search, turning it into a “leverage show” rife with bad faith, political theater, and escalating financial risk. Amidst toxic sites, political grandstanding, and internal dysfunction, the hosts argue the Bears’ leadership has prioritized optics and leverage over transparency and competence—costing the team time, credibility, and hundreds of millions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Hammond, Indiana Stadium “Charade”

• Timestamps: 01:52–05:00
  • The hosts ridicule the supposed interest in building a stadium on a toxic slag heap in Hammond, calling the public flirtation a “charade.”
  • “[Kevin Warren] put together this group and they got everything moving so quickly and they were able to hoodwink a bunch of people into thinking they were actually moving there.” – Dan Bernstein (02:22)
  • The Chicago Tribune headline is savaged: “Bears Hammond site would be on Slag heap proposal put stadium near hazardous waste sites and refinery.”
  • Notable moment: The hosts repeatedly refer to the Hammond site as “a literal mountain of shit”—calling out the absurdity and environmental danger.
    • “It's on a mountain of shit.” – Dan Bernstein (04:00)
    • “Yes, that's what it is.” – Matt Abbatacola (04:37)
• Key Takeaway: The Hammond proposal was never serious, only a tool for political leverage, with massive hidden clean-up costs ($300M+) making it a nonstarter.

2. Kevin Warren’s Role & Missteps

• Timestamps: 05:00–14:44
  • Warren’s tactics are laid bare: more political operator than builder. His track record in Minnesota (Vikings stadium) is re-examined, with Dan and Matt claiming he was only a camera-friendly frontman, not the actual dealmaker.
  • “You've called Kevin Warren a politician. That's what he is.” – Matt Abbatacola (05:45)
  • “He's not here to be believed.” – Dan Bernstein (13:51)
  • The frustration with Warren's performative letters and bluster is a recurring theme—contrasted with a lack of real progress or accountability.
• Internal dysfunction:
  • The hosts discuss confusion within the Bears: “...powerful people not knowing who's speaking for the Bears... Does this count as being an official statement from the Bears? Are you on record as a team?” – Dan Bernstein (11:53)
  • Dan questions why George McCaskey didn’t handle negotiations directly, instead of hiring a “slick talking carpetbagger.”
• Key Takeaway: Leadership is hamstrung by self-doubt and misplaced trust in an executive who excels at optics rather than execution.

3. Political Kabuki: Leverage, Deadlines, and Delays

• Timestamps: 06:09–07:23; 13:51–14:57
  • Brandon Johnson (Chicago’s mayor) and state-level politicians are mocked for a “clown show” of late demands and budget posturing.
  • The Bears’ timeline keeps shifting to coincide with legislative sessions — a dance to maximize public leverage and avoid blame.
  • The league (NFL) is increasingly impatient with the Bears’ delays, demanding explanations at owner meetings.
  • “That's why the NFL keeps calling them on the carpet and saying, why are you guys fucking around? What are you doing?” – Dan Bernstein (07:15)
  • Global events (tariffs, oil geopolitics) have escalated construction costs, making delays ever more expensive.
• Key Takeaway: The stadium saga is more about showmanship and political leverage than actually building.

4. Comparisons, Costs & Opportunity Lost

• Timestamps: 15:15–16:53
  • Titans’ stadium in Nashville: started planning after Bears and is nearly done—with a Super Bowl on the horizon—illustrating Bears’ missed opportunities.
  • Clean-up and land purchase costs (a “third of a billion dollars” just to prep Hammond) add insult to injury.
  • “They started field Titans started a year after the Bears. And it's going to be ready. And they now have a Super Bowl.” – Matt Abbatacola (16:14)
  • Projected costs for Arlington Heights stadium (Arlington Park) are skyrocketing (working cost: $7 billion).
  • “Keep an eye on that.” – Dan Bernstein (16:41)
• Key Takeaway: By dragging their feet and misplaying political games, the Bears have lost time, wasted money, and ceded competitive advantage to other NFL franchises.

5. Leverage and Spin vs. Reality

• Timestamps: 18:13–23:32
  • The hosts lampoon Warren’s letters and repeated claims that his moves aren’t “about leverage.”
  • “This is not about leverage. Yeah, that's all it is, Kevin. It's all about leverage.” – Matt Abbatacola (22:24)
  • The history of Bears’ empty threats about moving (including to Gary, Indiana in the 1990s, which infamously ended with a cardboard stadium model at a press conference) is recounted.
• Key Takeaway: These antics are not new—the Bears have a longstanding habit of public negotiating with little intent to follow through.

6. Leadership Insecurity and Perception Management

• Timestamps: 11:53–14:57; 23:04–26:44
  • The impact of digital-age media management—Warren’s penchant for public displays, hagiographic profiles, and locker-room cameos—is thoroughly critiqued.
  • “That's a terrible sign when somebody does that. And that's when I started to get an inkling. And then you start. And people are like, yeah, Big Ten couldn't wait for him to go. He left us with a. Remember what he left them with?... Terrible deals.” – Dan Bernstein (25:12)
  • Recurring doubts about Warren’s priorities and actual results.
• Key Takeaway: Team ownership’s insecurities led to unnecessary, costly, and ineffective layers of management.

7. Stadium Site Reality Check

• Timestamps: 18:40–24:12
  • Basic questions—about land toxicity, clean-up costs, timeframes—were barely addressed until unbearably late in the process.
  • “That should have been the first question… Who's gonna pay for that cost and what's that gonna cost? What's the timeline on that?” – Matt Abbatacola (18:40)
• Key Takeaway: The entire Hammond effort was a gambit, not a plan, with basic due diligence ignored until damage was done.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's on a mountain of shit.” – Dan Bernstein (04:00)
• “You better believe that he'll be there on camera in the locker room after a victory or on the phone on draft day… Why the fuck do you need to talk to a draft pick?” – Matt Abbatacola (17:53/18:14)
• “When he got hired for this project, we talked to people in Minnesota who told us what really took place. And it wasn't him. That was all I needed to know.” – Matt Abbatacola (20:18)
• “This is not about leverage. Yeah, that's all it is, Kevin. It's all about leverage.” – Matt Abbatacola (22:24)
• “I think I'm just a hater.” – Dan Bernstein, on Aaron Rodgers, in a lighter closing segment (33:39)
• “And then we will bury him in Hammond, Indiana, under slag and treated human waste.” – Dan Bernstein, closing out with dark humor (35:16)
• “Forward progress has stopped.” – Dan Bernstein, outro (35:32)

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Additional Segments

The Bears’ 2026 Travel Schedule

• Timestamps: 26:48–29:54
  • Discussing Bears’ low travel mileage this season—the third least in the league—and examining whether travel really impacts team results (conclusion: it’s marginal compared to core performance factors, i.e., QB health and talent).

Brief Detour: Aaron Rodgers’ Steelers Move

• Timestamps: 32:11–35:16
  • A tongue-in-cheek dialogue on Dan’s “hater” status regarding Aaron Rodgers as he joins the Steelers, concluding with a comedic riff about burying Rodgers under the Hammond slag heap.

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Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• The Bears’ stadium plan remains mired in delay and dysfunction, driven more by leverage plays and optics than real project management.
• Kevin Warren, according to the hosts, has failed as a leader—good at spectacle, poor on follow-through.
• Ownership (McCaskey family) shares blame for outsourcing leadership and decision-making to the wrong hands.
• The franchise’s missteps have cost time, hundreds of millions, and have failed to move the project forward—as rival cities and teams (Titans/Nashville) surge ahead.
• The hosts’ tone—sarcastic, exasperated, and ruthless—matches the deep frustration of the Bears’ fan base.
  • “Forward progress has stopped.” – Dan Bernstein (35:32)

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For diehard fans or casual listeners: This episode provides an incisive, unsparing look at the real cost of failed leadership and PR-driven process—both for teams and the city of Chicago. The big question remains: What will it take for the Bears to finally get out of their own way?

Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

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

[Matt Abeticola]

Forward Progress a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

We give you forward progress here on 312 sports and we give it to you right now as we about the Chicago Bears and the NFL. It's unbelievable to me, Matty, that from the moment the Bears started their whole trumped up charade about pretending they're interested in Hammond, Indiana from the moment it began. Well, it's December, right? I think it was December.

[Matt Abeticola]

It sounds right middle of December when

[Dan Bernstein]

he said we are expanding our options and now we're gonna be looking at northwest Indiana. And they put together this group and they got everything moving so quickly and they were able to hoodwink a bunch of people into thinking they were actually moving there. I mean, and I remember at the time, what did I say? I said, you really think that the Chicago Bears goal at any point is to end up trying to build their stadium complex on a toxic swamp out of state where nobody lives? And now just now, just Today, just this morning, the headline of the Chicago Tribune, Bears Hammond site would be on Slag heap proposal put stadium near hazardous waste sites and refinery. We've known the stadium site forever.

[Matt Abeticola]

We've said that.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is the first thing we said.

[Matt Abeticola]

And it was December 17th that Kevin Warren put out that open letter to Bears fans saying that they need to expand, including northwest Indiana.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, December 17th. And the first thing we said when. The moment, even when they pinned down the specific site was the first thing we said. And now, what's going on here today?

[Matt Abeticola]

What?

[Dan Bernstein]

We woke up today on May 19th. On May 19th. The anniversary of my first day working in Chicago radio, by the way.

[Matt Abeticola]

Aw. Happy anniversary.

[Dan Bernstein]

Thank you. And now we're in the fourth graph here. The location also sits near several hazardous waste sites, across the street from an oil tank storage complex and in the shadow of the Midwest's largest oil refinery. The site near Wolf Lake in Hammond said in the past area residents fought to get the site cleaned up. The result was a golf course built on top of a mountain of slag, a rocky waste product from steel production that was capped with biosolids that are treated human waste. It's on a mountain of shit.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes, that's what it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's on a literal mountain of shit.

[Matt Abeticola]

And we've said that months ago that it was not a viable site for the Bears to move their stadium to. We said that. We said that the location was not okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Location not okay for these reasons and for the fact that no one's there.

[Matt Abeticola]

No one's there. And I read a piece. Yes. Last night Eric Lambert put out. I saw it on Sports Mockery. I saw it on X. And he just. He went after Kevin Warren and how he's fumbled this and dropped the ball on this, how George McCaskey is not happy with him. And in the article, it talks about upwards of nearly $300 million just to clean the site. That alone is enough to say nothing's going to be built there. No one's going to spend $300 million to clean the site. Northwest Indiana to build anything. Anything. You think the Bears were legitimately thinking about moving there? It was all a game. You've called Kevin Warren a politician. That's what he is. We knew from the start what his involvement was in Minnesota to get that stadium built. He was the front man for the cameras, for the interviews. He didn't do any of the work behind the scenes to get the stadium built.

[Dan Bernstein]

We also saw when he had his initial. The whole Chicago thing, his entire dance and dalliance with the city that went nowhere.

[Matt Abeticola]

Nowhere.

[Dan Bernstein]

Despite this clown show that Brandon Johnson is putting on right now that just has everybody annoyed and confused. Yes, that. Because it makes no sense. And boy, the governor gave it to him yesterday. Did you hear this?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is kind of typical. The mayor has shown up at every spring at the end of session to pronounce what he would like to see happen. But to show up in May and have a bunch of demands seems like late in the game. It's unfortunate that's happened most years. Like, basically, you gotta do this when you're budgeting for it, not after the budgeting is done.

[Matt Abeticola]

Correct. It's all a show. That's all it is. It's a show.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's just a show. And when the governor says he expects this to go through, if you notice why the Bears have been moving their timeline, because they're waiting for this to go through. They're waiting for all the arm twisting and all the buttonholing and all of the cajoling and all of the horse trading and all the things we use about how government works and how mega deals get done in legislatures. That's why they can say, well, we're going to wait. We're going to wait. We're thinking by the end of the summer, we're going to know, we're going to go. And that's why the NFL keeps calling them on the carpet and saying, why are you guys fucking around? What are you doing?

[Matt Abeticola]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

And they've basically said, you know, stick this out. It's going to be fine. We're not going to Indiana. I think Roger Goodell knows when he. When they asked, like, hey, when you come in here, if you're in Chicago, would you mind swinging by and taking some pictures at the site just to show we're serious about it because we really need the help with the leverage. Fine. I'll get. My driver will take me out there. We'll take some pictures.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then at this point, hey, I took those pictures for you.

[Matt Abeticola]

What's going on?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

And that's. It's part of the owner meetings in Orlando. They expect a briefing on it because they want to know.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

And they're getting this shit done.

[Dan Bernstein]

And if they're being honest, the Bears are going to say, like, yeah, it just let the bill go through. It's all going to be fine. Right.

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[Matt Abeticola]

And then what's not going to be said and what's going to be said behind closed doors or on a phone call is George McCaskey talking to Roger Goodell about how the guy that he handpicked fucked this up from the get go. Now the Bears fucked it up from the start and they handed off a raw deal to the guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

It just, he could have done it

[Matt Abeticola]

differently, but he then he made it worse. It's all. And he continues to make it worse.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the biggest problem that the unforeseen problem in the costs, in all these delays, in all these delays has come from tariffs and the closure of the Straits of Hormuz.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right? It's just getting harder and harder.

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[Dan Bernstein]

If you actually talk to people in the building industry or you are in the building industry and you look at what things cost, what building materials cost, what propelling things to places costs, flying anything anywhere, driving anything anywhere. You're talking about burning fuel right now for a mega, mega, mega, mega project. You're adding that just the waiting has ballooned the cost of this.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

I can't even imagine what your Kevin Warren cost is to some of this stuff, let alone all of the rumors of internal communications issues on the Bears side. And I've heard a lot of the same things that other people have heard about powerful people not knowing who's speaking for the Bears maybe and who's not.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's a mess.

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe not quite understanding if this person told me this. Does this count as being an official statement from the Bears? Are you on record as a team? Well, who said what about what? I didn't know this and I did. There's a lot of questions being asked about just the Bears side of things alone right now. I can say that who's speaking for whom, who's official and who's actually representing George at some point? George McCaskey. The biggest takeaway I have on this so far, why didn't George do this himself? Right? Why did you have to hire a slick talking carpetbagger who's always just looking for his next job to come in here and get in front of every camera he can find and be photographed with his Bible as soon as he can find, have his personal biographers around and his preachers and everybody else else. Why did you need that? All George had to do was represent himself and the Bears and do this. And if he said I can't, I can't, I can't. Maybe we want to applaud him for self awareness. I don't know if before Virginia died she said, george, whatever you do, don't do this yourself. I don't know what happened internally. I don't know what happened on whatever functions as their private board, they can do it, can be whatever they want it to be on the board. I don't know if there's any formal public procedures they need to follow here,

[Matt Abeticola]

but if that was done internally or himself and said I can't do this or you shouldn't do this, that's too bad because he could have represented his family and just picked up the phone call franchise, picked up the phone to

[Dan Bernstein]

start the conversation or sat down with the governor, break bread with the governor, let's have dinner, have a sandwich, do something.

[Matt Abeticola]

Not at the hotel restaurant either. Go somewhere nice, just do.

[Dan Bernstein]

But. But the fact that they had to involve Kevin Warren in this. And the fact that it's our.

[Matt Abeticola]

And all the staff that he's hired and all the cost he's brought in,

[Dan Bernstein]

it's the exposure of this now that you got to be really. And, and we pointed out at every single step of the way how dumb you had to be to allow Kevin Warren to tell you, we're doing this, we're doing this, we're doing this. He's not here to be believed. And if you wanna say after the fact, well, hey, he got the legislature to act. The legislature has been acting on their timetable.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

They've acted when they've wanted to act when they've gotten around to it. And with every day that goes by, just picture a pinball score of costs going up.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of spiraling, spiraling construction costs, transportation costs. Everything that's going on here has become insanely more expensive because you didn't hurry before you were murdered by tariffs and the decision to take action that would change the cost of energy in the world.

[Matt Abeticola]

And also, and this isn't. It's a very small number when you look at the big picture of what they're doing, but paying for property that nothing's happening on too, as well.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right, right.

[Matt Abeticola]

You're paying taxes on land that's doing nothing for you. And again, that's a very small cost in the big picture of it all. But he's been doing that as well, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I just. And we read it today. Today. Hey, this Hammond site is gonna need a third of a billion dollars just to make it happen.

[Matt Abeticola]

Just to clean it up. Just to start.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, wait a second. The be going to be built on literal, repurposed human shit. Why, yes, it is.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, Dan. And then the Tennessee Titans started their stadium project. The talk of it, a year after the Bears bought the Arlington Heights property. And what happened this week? NFL awarded a Super bowl to Tennessee because their stadium's almost done. They're going to have the Super bowl in 2030. How about those shovels in the ground before 2025 ends?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know the specifics of the Nashville deal. It's probably a bad deal for taxpayers.

[Matt Abeticola]

Probably.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's probably because most of these are. Unless they are doing like. And we got a name on the fireplace. The Mansuetos Building.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right. But they started field Titans started a year after the Bears. Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it's. And it's going to be ready.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's going to be ready. And they. And they now have a Super Bowl.

[Dan Bernstein]

But wait till you see the number on this thing. Wait when it's done where? When it's done in Arlington Heights. I told you six months ago. Around. I think I gave you what, what the Pritzker's office was using as the working cost for this project of 7 billion.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes, that's right. That's what you said.

[Dan Bernstein]

Keep an eye on that.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they end up being the starting point.

[Matt Abeticola]

The rising costs, that's. That's no one's fault within the Bears.

[Dan Bernstein]

But that's the risk you take.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's the risk you take. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're not going to go down.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right. They're never going to go down. You just didn't anticipate costs going up like this, which they have.

[Dan Bernstein]

You couldn't.

[Matt Abeticola]

You couldn't see that happening. But when you drag your feet and you have someone in charge who's not really in charge or has the resume of having done this, and may we learn that about Minnesota and may in

[Dan Bernstein]

fact be representing himself in more charge than there are people there who want him to represent himself. That's just. I'm just talking about the same rumors that you're hearing.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Be really, really careful when you bring in, because of your own perceived incompetence, when you say, we can't do this. We gotta hire somebody to be the Bears. We have to hire somebody to represent and be the Chicago Bears. But he can't really be too much of the Chicago Bears. Cause then we're scared because he pretends to do this and says he's gonna. Like, it's your own insecurity, your own inability, your own trust in your own ability to make these deals.

[Matt Abeticola]

But you better believe. You better believe that he'll be there on camera in the locker room after a victory or on the phone on draft day. Hey, you know, Ryan, polls.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, you know what?

[Matt Abeticola]

Here's the coach. Hey, coach. I mean, hey, it's nice to talk to you, kid. Here, I'm going to let you talk to the team president. Why. Why the fuck do you need to talk to a draft pick?

[Dan Bernstein]

He's had some success in. In swaying people and making people believe him.

[Matt Abeticola]

Cause he's a politician, Dan.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's really had some.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's what he is.

[Dan Bernstein]

People should know better. He's had some success. And when I gotta look at, like just today you're writing that the site there is uninhabitable. It's been uninhabitable the moment this cockamamie plan was floated.

[Matt Abeticola]

That should have been the first question. That's the first question. Hey, all right. So Hammond Hey, I get it. That's a good idea. You gotta expand the search. I get it, I get it. What are you gonna do to clean up this area? Who's gonna pay for that cost and what's that gonna cost? What's the timeline on that?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? Where's the money?

[Matt Abeticola]

How long is this project gonna be delayed out to clean up the project just to get it worthy to build on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Am I the last person who was at that press conference for Planet park when Michael McCaskey came out and they said, we're going to Gary, Indiana, we're building Planet Park. And they brought a cardboard model out there and they had this whole thing, the Chicago be to Gary, Indiana. Cause that's where we wanna be. And that's this. It's called Planet Park. And at the time it was 1995, 96, look it up. And I think it was 95. I just started, I'm 25 years old and I'm standing there like, the hell are you talking about? And that's what everybody like, isn't that a super fun site? Like what are you doing there? How are you gonna build there? And we asked all those questions at the time. It was hysterically wrong and bad and everybody knew it.

[Matt Abeticola]

And what was the outcome of that for Michael McCaskey?

[Dan Bernstein]

He got fired with. Well, like I wouldn't get fired for that. He got fired for the McGinnis Giron fiasco.

[Matt Abeticola]

But, but that was the, I mean

[Dan Bernstein]

that was the start of like no one believes you. It's not even your. This is ridiculous. You're sitting a literal cardboard model in front of us. So all they did was make all that more expensive. And they did the same damn thing. So why not ask the same questions? Does Kevin Warren have like a built in deflector shield? Look, when he got hired I thought this is, this is all, this is great. But he's. There's been nothing more than bluster and.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. And when he got hired for this project, we talked to people in Minnesota who told us what really took place. And it wasn't him. That was all I needed to know. It wasn't him. They have a beautiful stadium up there. He didn't do it. He wasn't the guy behind the scenes getting the project done. That's all I needed to hear. Kevin Warren in his open letter to Bears fans. The stakes for Illinois are significant. Thousands of union jobs, year round attractions and global events made possible by a fixed roof stadium that would provide long term revenue for the state. And then what's he Say later in the paragraph. This isn't about leverage.

[Dan Bernstein]

Come on, man. It ain't working.

[Matt Abeticola]

This isn't about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. That was decided in the 70s. Come on, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

By George Hallis himself.

[Matt Abeticola]

Correct. This is not about leverage. George fucking Halas said, that's where I

[Dan Bernstein]

want to go because that's where the people are. And it's right near the airport.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, And I don't have to spend $300 million to clean it up to actually build on top of it. This is not about leverage. Come on, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just wonder why it takes. It took everybody this long to ask these questions. You should have asked these questions on day one. Right?

[Matt Abeticola]

When you go out to that site, you get dragged out there by your nose by Kevin Warren because he's going to give you the inside scoop on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because he doesn't want your nose to work when you get there.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because you don't want your nose. I've played Lost Marsh. I had a lovely day playing Lost Marsh Golf Course.

[Matt Abeticola]

Like, it doesn't. It doesn't take.

[Dan Bernstein]

I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time, like, standing there, but you don't.

[Matt Abeticola]

It doesn't take a lot of time to find out what's there. That's the first question. Hey, this is a great idea. I understand what you're doing here.

[Dan Bernstein]

What's involved in this?

[Matt Abeticola]

What's it going to take to get this site ready to build on?

[Dan Bernstein]

We're very pleased with the site. We like the site. We have no issues.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, why don't you. If there's this chemical. This chemical. This chemical. And it's on a slag heap covered

[Matt Abeticola]

by human shit, and that's 300 million. Up to 300 million. Only if there isn't water contamination. If there's water contamination, then you're talking more cost. Where's that money coming from, Kevin? What's the timeline? When can you start? How much further will the stadium project be pushed out until this project or until this property is developed to actually build on it was never legitimate. It was never real. It was all a show. It was all for leverage. This isn't about leverage. Yeah, that's all it is, Kevin. It's all about leverage. And you know who knew that? The governor knew that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think so. And that's why they've taken their time to work everything through. He's got everything arranged.

[Matt Abeticola]

He inherited a tough situation. Because he walked into a place and the ownership had already bought the property, and it was like, all right, now you got to do your magic. I get it. He walked into a hard situation. He took a hard situation and made it so very difficult and fumbled it along the way. Even worse.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's where it stands right now with. With it taking this long to ask some very, very simple questions. And I also. We did a whole dbu. I think it was a DBU that we did on it. When I pointed out the moment that the Bears adjusted their timeline.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I point out, coincidentally, it happened with just around when the state senate would be getting a bill to the governor's desk.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right. And they said it would be late spring, early summer.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're about there.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. I mean, we're getting closer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Got about another. About another month left. Almost exactly.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. It's just. It's really frustrating that it was pretty transparent to see, and people bought into

[Dan Bernstein]

it, and it's only hurt the Bears.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

When you say, well, what if they lo. What if they lose in this money? Scads of money. That's what they've lost. Kevin Warren has really lost a lot. When he came in here, look, even I was like, wow, it's a big shooter here. It's a big time dude. Chicago Bears have this guy. Things are different around here now. And then I started to lose a lot of respect from his rollout, from the way he had two different full biographical publications of his life story and going back to his childhood and supposedly being injured, building a pool and telling his this sort of hagiography and showing him worshiping and what he did. That was a bad sign. That's scoundrel stuff. That's a terrible sign when somebody does that. And that's when I started to get an inkling. And then you start. And people are like, yeah, Big Ten couldn't wait for him to go. He left us with a. Remember what he left them with?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Terrible deeds.

[Matt Abeticola]

They couldn't wait for him to go.

[Dan Bernstein]

He left them with a terrible deal. He sold things he wasn't allowed to sell. That was part of it. He went. He went outside the boundaries that were put in, and he sold rights to things he didn't have the rights to sell.

[Matt Abeticola]

Hmm. That's interesting.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I wonder if that isn't becoming a pattern with some things here. When some of the bosses are like, whoa, whoa, we gave you a lot of autonomy. We didn't give you that much. And that's when you got your, you know, got your Ears open.

[Matt Abeticola]

But you best believe, though, he's in the locker room and he makes sure he's on camera and he'll talk to the draft picks. That. That irritates me, and it absolutely irritates me.

[Dan Bernstein]

It sucks because the team's so damn good and there should be so many good things happening. But ultimately, it's because this ownership didn't trust its ability to play these games and do this stuff and have these interactions that they felt compelled to hire another incredibly expensive layer that hasn't served any purpose.

[Matt Abeticola]

But I understand that, though, from a family standpoint, because they are new to this environment, they're new to the state, they're new to the end. Like, I get it. That all makes sense. That's. It's very. It makes. It makes a great deal.

[Dan Bernstein]

Understand your sarcasm. People are not going to think you're kidding.

[Matt Abeticola]

Like, come on, man. Seriously.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. But that's. That's where we are right now that I've. That I. That the major Chicago news. The site in Hammond is a little gross. Yeah. Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Kind of. Kind of got that figure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Kind of, kind of was and always has been.

[Matt Abeticola]

Hey, we were talking about the Bears schedule yesterday, and one of the things I mentioned late last week was about the travel miles. It looked like the Bears weren't traveling a lot. Brought it up again yesterday on this show, looked at each team and how much they traveled during the season. The Bears are traveling the third least. We looked at the 49ers traveling the most, the Rams traveling second most. So I wanted to go back to this to last year. I didn't. I didn't want to spend a whole ton of time because it kind of came up pretty quickly as I looked at it. How did. How does travel impact the team? Because I even said yesterday, they're not traveling like in coach. They're not traveling like we do. And that's why airports.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, what do the gamblers know? What the people. What are the. What are the odds makers know? What do people who set the lines in large part based on.

[Matt Abeticola]

So they travel much differently than we do as regular people. So I thought, well, how much does travel impact a team? And I just looked at last year, and I didn't even need to look at everybody to find out. It doesn't really do a whole lot. At least for last year's sake, it didn't. The team that traveled the most last year were the Chargers at 37,086 miles. Pretty similar to what the Niners are right now. For this year, The Rams were second last year. 34,008 32. They're in the NFC championship game. Seattle was third with 31,302 miles. They won the Super Bowl. Looked at New England, they were at 12,005 47. So they were lower. The Bears last year were 12,005 22. Baltimore traveled 10,647. Cincinnati traveled 8,007 54. It was the lowest in the least Cincinnati than Baltimore. Their quarterbacks got hurt. Their season hinged on their quarterback's health.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's too easy to.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's too easy to.

[Dan Bernstein]

Real reason. Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

But. But if you look at the teams that had success last year, teams that won the super bowl, they were in the middle of the pack. Seattle, or I'm sorry Seattle was third most. New England represents the afc. They were in the middle of the pack.

[Dan Bernstein]

So isn't Seattle going to be up there every year?

[Matt Abeticola]

I would think so. Being out there, I mean. And yeah. Wherever you're going from there, obviously your division opponent. But anywhere you travel outside your division, you're traveling far.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. No matter what.

[Matt Abeticola]

No matter what. At least what. Four hours on plane.

[Dan Bernstein]

At least.

[Matt Abeticola]

Unless you're traveling or staying within your division.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I know they're looking at some of this stuff when it comes to European expansion or foreign expansion too.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So I, I guess I could go back other seasons and see maybe is last year the anonymity outlier, best outlier for it. I would say it's probably not because I even made that point yesterday that they don't. They don't travel the same way we do.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's not. It's not.

[Dan Bernstein]

There still is an impact on the human body and there's circadian rhythm. Know that.

[Matt Abeticola]

Which is why teams that are forward thinking, they plan ahead as far as when they get there, how they do their nap. Sure. What they do. But yeah. So while it is a point to look at and say the Bears aren't traveling as much this upcoming season and then you add that to the days of rest they have. So there are things you can add to it to say yeah, it's a little more favorable for the Bears to not have to do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not going to make or break the season.

[Matt Abeticola]

Traveling is not going to make or break your season. At least what last year showed me. And again maybe that's the outlier and 2024, it would look a lot different. I didn't go back and look. I will and I have more time to do it. But looking at last year, it didn't matter. Seattle traveled third most. So I think, and we've talked about this, when you have the quarterback, you have the head coach, you have talent, your quarterback stays healthy. Doesn't matter if you travel 30,000 or 8,000 miles.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, well, I thought it was one way of looking at a break after we gave you the all that breakdown of the Bears tax on the penalties that don't get called on their opponents but do get called on them. Maybe just bringing some sunlight to that will have the NFL wondering, oh, this isn't good, maybe we should change it. But it's still going to be down to blocking and tackling.

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[Matt Abeticola]

One other note I have for you on your guy quarterback Aaron Rodgers. We talked about he, you know, he signed his one year deal with the Steelers up to 25 million. Hey, he's in the building yesterday for his physical and was there for the start of voluntary OTA workouts.

[Dan Bernstein]

I can't answer a question about him satisfactorily and that is people ask me like why do you care? No, I'm serious. It's the right question. It's a great question.

[Matt Abeticola]

It's a really good question.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's like why do you care? And it should be easy for me to say I Don't. Whatever. He's old and bad, and he could be old and bad. It's just. Maybe he's that effective a narcissist. Maybe. He's really good at narcissism.

[Matt Abeticola]

He really triggers you.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's like, yeah, he's famous and annoying,

[Matt Abeticola]

and he was so good for so

[Dan Bernstein]

long against the team. Yes. But it's also. It's this current vein glory. It's all of this, like, the league needs me, or I will come back and give them what I can do. And he still acts against the fuming at receivers and blockers, and it's never his fault. And I guess I still enjoy the schadenfreude of it if it makes me a hate. You know what I am? I think I'm a hater.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, God. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think I'm just.

[Matt Abeticola]

Don't even think you are.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm just a hater.

[Matt Abeticola]

You're an Aaron Rodgers hater.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that's what it is. And that is a thing to be.

[Matt Abeticola]

And that's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Where I see a Pittsburgh score, and if I see they lose, I'm immediately looking up the box score because I hope he did badly, and that's fine. Or if I can see a highlight, it's like, pick six. Let's go to Carissa. It's like, things are rough for Aaron Raj. He's like, yeah, you better believe they are.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yep, that's fine. And as long as you understand that and know it, I will support it and still feed material to you.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's just. It's a fact. I think I can't run from it. I can't say. Well, I need to be aware of everybody in this league so I can take them under consideration for my expert opinions. No. Nope, nope. I think. I think I'm just a hater.

[Matt Abeticola]

So Aaron Rodgers there for voluntary OTAs, took first team snaps. Who took second snaps. Was.

[Dan Bernstein]

Can you tell the difference?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. Was it. Will Howard took second.

[Dan Bernstein]

Will Howard.

[Matt Abeticola]

Mason Rudolph third.

[Dan Bernstein]

Aller. Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Drew Aller was definitely fourth. I know that two and three. I may be mixed up, but he was there. And last year, he didn't show up until mandatory minicamp, so he's in the building much earlier this year. Okay, well, so that's a new attitude, Dan. He's ready to lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. This time it matters.

[Matt Abeticola]

Bears, Steelers, Super Bowl, Aaron. Oh, you would love that. All the Aaron Rodgers coverage.

[Dan Bernstein]

I probably would. Like. I can't. I just. I can't be mad if it's something I'm going to enjoy talking about and just can't wait for that Terminator to have the red light in his eye finally dim for good.

[Matt Abeticola]

But it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

And away it goes forever. And then we will bury him in Hammond, Indiana, under slag and treated human waste.

[Matt Abeticola]

And that's forward progress for today on 312Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward progress has stopped.

[Matt Abeticola]

10, 219, 219 forward progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matabeticola on 31 2Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

Everybody talked about it since I first moved to Oregon. The big one. The earthquake that trashed the whole west coast. Total destruction. Officially calling it the largest natural disaster in American history. Just. Just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all. Even the gun. It was time cello see why American Afterlife is the number one fiction and drama podcast in America. Presented by pair of thieves. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Available now.

[Matt Abeticola]

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[Matt Abeticola]

I love my VRBO for the location. Good reason.

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[Dan Bernstein]

Cause pools are cool.

[Matt Abeticola]

I feel the love book of verbo that's loved by guests. If you know you verbo.