Lou Canellis - FOX 32 Chicago - Bears / Ravens Preview

Summary

Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Lou Canellis – FOX 32 Chicago – Bears/Ravens Preview
Date: October 23, 2025
Host: 312 Sports (Dan Bernstein & Matt Abaticola)
Guest: Lou Canellis, Fox 32 Chicago Lead Sports Anchor

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth discussion with Lou Canellis on the state of the Chicago Bears as they prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens. The trio—Dan Bernstein, Matt Abaticola, and Lou—analyze everything from head coach Ben Johnson’s early tenure and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ development, to broader roster decisions and the upcoming trade deadline. The conversation blends critical analysis with longtime fan perspective, offering both expertise and the raw emotion of dedicated Bears followers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Ben Johnson’s Adjustment to Head Coaching (03:04–05:12)

• Is Ben Johnson settling into the Head Coaching Role?
  • Lou Canellis questions whether Johnson has fully “got his sea legs,” highlighting the steep learning curve of implementing his offense with a rookie QB who plays the position differently than Johnson is used to.
  • “He took over Caleb Williams, who played the position differently than he wants the position played.” (Lou Canellis, 04:12)
• Caleb Williams’ fit in Ben Johnson’s Scheme
  • Canellis and the hosts note that Williams’ style hasn’t yet meshed with the requirements of Johnson’s offense, especially in terms of timing, rhythm, and decision-making.

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2. Caleb Williams’ Development & Challenges (05:12–11:35)

• Williams’ Progress, or Lack Thereof
  • Matt observes: “The strength of Caleb’s game doesn’t match the strength of what Ben Johnson’s offense requires of a quarterback.” (Matt Abaticola, 05:12)
• Statistical and On-Field Concerns
  • Williams is holding the ball longer than any other NFL QB, with decision-making and rhythm issues evident.
• Learning to “Win Before the Snap”
  • Dan discusses the importance of pre-snap recognition: “The idea that he’s winning before the snap…that’s what Johnson says, you got to see it the way I see it.” (Dan Bernstein, 07:12)
• Can Ben Johnson Teach His System to Williams?
  • Lou expresses cautious optimism: “I think it can be taught…but this is what Ben Johnson has been screaming about since the start of training camp.” (Lou Canellis, 08:48)
  • Johnson has claimed, “My offense will be playing its best football in December, not in October” (Lou Canellis, 09:58)

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3. Patience and Flexibility from Coaches & Fans (11:35–14:00)

• Need for Patience
  • Matt and Lou agree the team and its fans must be patient. Improvement is gradual, especially with a new coach, a rookie quarterback, and a revamped offensive line.
• Should Johnson Adapt to Williams’ Style?
  • “Ben needs to be a little more flexible and allow Caleb to be Caleb a bit.” (Matt Abaticola, 13:08)
  • Lou thinks this isn’t far-fetched and aligns with the needs of player development.

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4. Offensive Line & Tight Ends — Developmental Timelines (14:00–15:12)

• Developing OL Chemistry
  • Lou references input from Tom Thayer on his own shows: “It takes game time for those guys to develop chemistry up front.” (Lou Canellis, 14:28)
• Surprise at Tight End Usage
  • Bears are last in the league in targeting the tight end—unexpected from a Johnson-run offense.

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5. Roster & Trade Deadline Philosophy (18:21–20:46)

• DJ Moore’s Role
  • Lou: “Caleb Williams has found more comfort in finding A Dunes A than he has DJ Moore...I think there’s a spot for Moore on this roster.” (Lou Canellis, 16:48)
• Approach to Trades
  • Dan and Lou agree the Bears shouldn’t mortgage their future, even at 4-2: “Keep your powder dry.” (Dan Bernstein, 18:57)
  • “I do not want them to do a damn thing at the deadline. I want them to play this season out.” (Lou Canellis, 19:25)

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6. Special Teams – Kicking Situation (20:48–22:00)

• Santos or Moody?
  • Lou expects Santos to start when healthy but praises Poles for finding solid insurance in Moody. “Boy, are they lucky they had Moody...this was a good move by Poles.” (Lou Canellis, 21:04)

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7. Player Assessments – Disappointments & Pleasant Surprises (23:02–32:36)

Disappointed:

• Devin Duvernay (Return Man)
  • Has not lived up to Pro Bowl return reputation. “His longest is 34 yards, and that is one yard away from the very lowest of guys who are listed in the top 50.” (Dan Bernstein, 24:45)
  • They agree Burden is more valuable at receiver than as a return man.

Impressed:

• Tremaine Edmonds (Linebacker)
  • “He is almost double as good as he’s ever been as a Bear…He’s got 61 tackles in six games.” (Dan Bernstein, 26:50)
  • Interceptions “are a function of being where you’re supposed to be.” (Dan Bernstein, 28:13)
• Discuss the importance of availability, recognition, and being in the right place due to coaching and effort.

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8. National Media Perception & Coaching Credit (34:39–36:36)

• Response to Bill Barnwell’s Critique
  • Matt expresses disappointment at ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranking the Bears as “slightly below expectations” despite a 4-2 record and rookie coach. He feels Ben Johnson’s performance deserves more credit.
  • “Ben Johnson hiring alone should have this team in the category of above expectations, I believe.” (Matt Abaticola, 34:39)

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9. Injury Report & Implications (39:20–40:47)

• DJ Moore’s Status
  • Reported as “Did Not Practice” with a hip injury. Discussion about whether it's groin, hip, or sports hernia and the need to rest ailing key players.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lou Canellis on Bears’ Patience:
  “We have to remind ourselves to be patient with this offense.” (Lou Canellis, 10:53)

• Dan on Winning Before the Snap:
  “The idea that he’s winning before the snap…that’s what Johnson says, you got to see it the way I see it, because I know he sees it. Can that be taught?” (Dan Bernstein, 07:12)

• On Not Mortgaging the Future:
  “Do not mortgage the future. Do not. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade Braxton Jones.” (Lou Canellis, 19:52)

• On Special Teams Insurance:
  “Boy, are they lucky they had Moody. Whoever...this was a good move by Poles.” (Lou Canellis, 21:04)

• Matt on Expectations:
  “Ben Johnson hiring alone should have this team in the category of above expectations, I believe.” (Matt Abaticola, 34:39)

• Dan on Defensive Play & Effort:
  “Effort gets rewarded by opportunity...Tremaine Edmonds is fast and long, tremendously athletic, I’m shocked he wasn’t more productive...but he’s doing it now.” (Dan Bernstein, 28:54)

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Highlighted Timestamps

• Ben Johnson settling in: 03:04–05:12
• Caleb Williams holding ball too long: 05:47–07:12
• Teachability of Johnson’s system: 07:12–11:35
• OL & run scheme development: 14:00–15:52
• DJ Moore’s role: 16:43–18:21
• Trade deadline philosophy: 18:57–20:46
• Santos/Moody kicker debate: 20:48–22:00
• Duvernay/Edmonds discussion: 23:02–32:36
• National media critique response: 34:39–36:36
• DJ Moore injury update: 39:20–40:47

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Tone & Language

The hosts and Lou Canellis speak as passionate, analytical Chicago Bears insiders—both supporting and challenging the coaching staff and roster moves. There’s camaraderie, some playful ribbing, and candid acknowledgment of the team’s growing pains. The conversation balances hope with realism: “Patience” and “don’t mortgage the future” are recurring themes.

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Summary Takeaways

• The Bears are a work in progress under rookie head coach Ben Johnson, who is still aligning his system with Caleb Williams’ play style.
• There’s optimism for improvement, particularly by December, but the need for patience is stressed.
• The coaching staff is advised to be flexible; the front office, to avoid short-term gambles.
• Special teams and defense have surprise standouts and disappointments.
• National media underrates the team’s progression under new leadership.
• The trade deadline should be navigated carefully—building, not sacrificing, for the future.

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The episode is essential listening for Bears fans wanting sharp, well-informed conversation—tempered with the honest emotion of true Chicago sports lifers.

Transcript

[Lou Canellis]

Ted 2:19, 2:19 forward progress a Chicago.

[Matt Abaticola]

Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abaticola on three one two sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

We give you Forward Progress on three one two Sports. I'm Dan Bernstein. That is Matt Abaticola talking about your four two Chicago Bears who are traveling to Baltimore to take on the 1 and 5 ravens. It does appear that Lamar Jackson may be coming back as he was limited in practice yesterday. Correct, but we saw the visuals. You saw him jog out on the field. And we will discuss the preparations for that game and more with a special guest. We're brought to you by Beer Church Brewing, New Buffaloes brewery pizzeria in a historic church wood fired Neapolitan pizza small batch craft beer brunch every day. Visit beerchurchbrewing.com our guest on forward Progress is this familiar face. He is Fox 32 Chicago lead sports anchor Lou Can Ellis on Forward Progress. How are you, Lou? How you been?

[Lou Canellis]

What's going on, Dan? What's going on? Matt. Matt. Hey, Lou, buddy.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's great to see you too, pal. Really is good. Thanks for taking time for us today. It's so nice to have you on, pal.

[Lou Canellis]

It's, I'm telling you, it's, it's great to see you guys watching the podcast. Dan, great to see you back. You know, I feel like, I feel like I'm in the major leagues and when a guy with your talent is back in the game, that's where it belongs.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's very sweet of you, thank you.

[Matt Abaticola]

And don't forget, Dan's here too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Also now I have now that I'm working with your guys, Sherman and tingle on 97.1fm the drive. They're complete maniacs, by the way.

[Lou Canellis]

Two of the craziest guy. But they fit, they, they fit the format, don't they? I mean you're going from Zeppelin at seven in the morning to those two guys. So it makes total sense.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And congratulations to 97.1fm the Drive, the 2025 Marconi Award winner for best rock station in the country.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that's amazing.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's awesome. And to our friend Jan Delane who won for behind the Song, won best radio station produced podcast in the country. So a lot of good things are going on here and I just, I know that you're, you're a friend of that program and have been for a long time.

[Lou Canellis]

I love those guys. I listen to the st. As a 61 year old who grew up listening to Zeppelin, Rush, Aerosmith, you name it. So I couldn't be happier For a better group of people.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And just think they've done that with Sherman and Tingle.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know, it's amazing.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's amazing.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, by having Sherman and Tingle, they win a damn Marconi. That's.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's some great management there.

[Lou Canellis]

I love taking a shot at those boys. By the way, tell those guys they still owe me dinner at Gibson's.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm done. Oh, done, done.

[Dan Bernstein]

Absolutely. We'll do that.

[Matt Abaticola]

We'll make them pay for us too. We'll all tag along.

[Lou Canellis]

Please.

[Dan Bernstein]

So is Ben Johnson just now settling into the job? In some ways, this is it. Has to be drinking from a fire hose to go from, oh, I wanted this job. And all of the, all of the excitement and the hoopla and the press conference. He's pumping his fist in Hallis hall and then has his first ever experience as a head coach with OTAs and rookie minicamp and training camp. And now that he's enough into the season, does he have his sea legs yet?

[Lou Canellis]

I'm not sure. I really am not sure. And maybe we, we really saw a glimpse of that Dan this past week. You know, he looks at his quarterback, he figures, oh wait, I got it figured out with the run game now the quarterback will continue to improve and instead you look at what Caleb's done with his, at least his completion rate and then just with, you know, the eyes of just watching him on Sunday and you see maybe he's regressed. I worry and I hate that I'm even saying that, that I'm doubting that the kid is coming along. But I'm going to go back to your original question and that was, does Ben Johnson have a sea legs? I don't think so. I think he is still learning with this quarterback. I think that sometimes he needs to take a step back and remind himself that he took over Caleb Williams, who played the position differently than he wants the position played. He didn't take Jared Goff and say, okay, now we're going to play my scheme. He took a guy maybe never ran a cadence, maybe, you know, was behind center and shotgun in high school in Washington D.C. and in college, you know, with the clap, snap count, you know, leading with the left foot. So many different things with the way Caleb Williams plays the position, I think have been a learning experience for Ben Johnson as well. And maybe it's taking a little longer for the coach to, to get his quarterback to play the game the way he wants him to play it than he thought.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's interesting that you have that perspective, Luke. Because I was thinking about it yesterday and the strength of Caleb's game doesn't match the strength of what Ben Johnson's offense requires of a quarterback. And I wonder how can the two come together? Because it really can't be. Let's meet in the middle and find some common ground. It really has to be more of the quarterback getting to the level that the offense requires and those skills that come with it. Can't. Can those two things be achieved where Ben Johnson finds success in his offense and the scheme he wants to run with the quarterback that needs to run it and Caleb Williams being a part of that?

[Lou Canellis]

Well, let me ask you guys this. If they had lost their last four games, we'd be screaming for a quarterback change right now, okay? If they had lost and you saw from the Dallas game through the Saints game that his completion rate just was dropping to where it fell last Sunday, fans in this town and media would be saying it's not working. And winning cures all ills. Okay, so they have been winning. So we overlook maybe the difficulties that Caleb Williams is having with this offense. I remember going into the season we said, hey, the kid's holding on to the football too long. He's not getting in it. Not getting the ball in the playmaker's hands fast enough like Jared Goff did in Detroit where the Lions led the league in yards after catching. And what do I see? This past week, Caleb Williams held the football longer in the pocket as a quarterback than any other QB in the league. So I hope, I hope Matt, that it works. And I know that all parties hopes it works. But at some point, if it doesn't, if it doesn't improve and the team starts to lose, he'll feel pressure, Ben Johnson will feel pressure and Caleb Williams will feel he immense pressure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let me tie those two things together, if I may. What you talked about was the difference between a college clap snap and learning pro offense. I think the idea of how long he holds the ball is a symptom. But isn't the real issue because ideally where Johnson wants it and as I understand it, the timing, we keep talking about timing, the rhythm like his game just let. We saw it in the numbers, but the eye test just said nothing was connected. There was no real rhythm. Even the good wasn't connected to more good. The good and bad weren't necessarily connected. That when this is humming, the timing starts the moment the ball is spotted. That's when the process begins. The call of the play with the reception of the play in the ears, ears to brain, brain to mouth breaking of the huddle. And I and Ben Johnson both want Caleb Williams to be ahead of the game, be in charge before the balls even snap, let alone how long he holds onto it. He's got to be able to look up there. Maybe you lift the leg, you send a guy in motion. Okay, got it. If this guy comes, I know where I'm going. If he doesn't come, I know where I'm going. The idea that he's winning before the snap, and I think that's what Johnson says, you got to see it the way I see it, because I know he sees it. Can that be taught?

[Lou Canellis]

I do believe it can. And I love that insight. And I'll tell you why I remember. All right, so the Buffalo game, we did not carry on Fox still did the pregame show from the field at Soldier Field, but I was in the press box and on that first drive and remember how great that first drive was to Alameda Zacchaeus for the touchdown. I watched him break the huddle with 18 seconds still left on the play clock. He was up at the. And he was running to the line of scrimmage. And I thought to myself, wow, what a difference from a year ago when every single play was going down to zero on the play clock. And this day, There were still 15 seconds left to play on the play or left to go on the play clock. And you could see Williams comfortable, taking a deep breath, looking at the defense he was facing on Sunday. Watching the game here from my office at Fox. How many times, if you look back at the All 22, Dan and Matt look back and watch and see how many times that play clock is down to one. One time he even got the playoff after the play clock expired, he didn't get flagged for it. And I thought to myself, there's no rhythm, not like it used to be. Why? What's happened? Is he thinking too much? And sometimes I wonder if Caleb Williams is thinking too much if he has thrown. And I'm not talking specifically about plays and where you can reduce the play, call the playbook, and then it's easier for him to. To. To, you know, to go out and execute. I'm talking about the whole process, as you said, getting the play in, getting to the line of scrimmage, seeing what he's got in front of him, making, calling an audible if he has to, and then the snap count. I worry that he's worried so much about other things like, all right, in this defense that I'm looking at Should I run with it now? I shouldn't run with it because he wants me to make sure that if it's supposed to be a Dunes A then I make sure that I, if a Dunes is not open, I check off on DJ Moore and then maybe the safety valve, you know, Swift coming out of the backfield or Loveland, you know, in the middle of the field, five yards up. I think it can be taught, Dan. But this is part of what Ben Johnson has been screaming about since the start of training camp. He said my offense will be playing its best football in December, not in October, not October 23rd in December. And I did, I did something for social media here at Fox on Monday and I said we have to remind ourselves to be patient with this offense.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I'm, I'm taking that, that path as well. As a, as a crazy Bears fan, it is being a little more patient. I still have very high expectations for Caleb, for Ben Johnson, but I want to go back to that, that first coverage, that first question that we had about Ben Johnson sea legs. And I disagree to a certain extent that I think he has evolved and gotten better as a head coach over, over the last four games. And I know, I know winning helps everything, but I see him call the games differently. I loved the challenge he threw on the Saints screen pass or forward pass that they then did a little, a little, a little hitch and got the first down, but it was called back for being a forward pass. I see, I see Ben Johnson, the head coach evolve and I'm going to hold out hope that what I saw develop in the run game under Ben Johnson, his last couple games can also happen with Caleb, but it's going to take a longer amount of time. And I saw a piece online earlier today, Lou, about the Bears off season and Ben Johnson being the highlight of that offseason and being lower, falling below expectations, which I completely disagree with. At 4 and 2 being a first time head coach, I think Ben Johnson is doing an exceptional job. I really am going to hold out that he can really get Caleb to develop into what he needs to be. But does Ben Johnson need to be a little more flexible in allowing Caleb to be able to do what Caleb does? He didn't scramble at all last week, not, not one time. And I do agree with you that I think he is thinking about too much in his head about the technical stuff that Ben's teaching him and Ben wants him to develop and change in his game. I think Ben needs to be a little more flexible and allow Caleb to Be Caleb a bit. Is, is that far fetched? Is that just me being a meatball fan or does Ben need to be a little more flexible as well too?

[Lou Canellis]

I think, I think it makes total sense. I am curious, the article that you read, what are the expectations of Ben Johnson through six games?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I, I don't get it. I mean, I don't get it. It was a thing on, on, on espn it was Bill Barnwell and he listed all the teams and had the Bears as falling below expectations. And I'm like, they're, they're foreign too. Like what do you, what do you want from Ben Johnson putting all these pieces together. And there was other areas that he criticized. But, but calling out Ben Johnson there and categorizing it as falling below expectations. I think they're above expectations right now with Ben Johnson and that's why I believe they're 4 and 2. It's because of Ben Johnson.

[Lou Canellis]

I'm with you and I'll go a step further. You know, we have, I do the show with Tom Thayer Bears game day and Bears game night live and Thayer, you know, really let me into the thinking of an offensive lineman and he said this doesn't happen overnight. I don't care if you're Joe Tunney four time all pro or Jonah Jerrickson or Drew Dahlman, which, you know, Dahlman was the hottest center available during the off season. He said it takes time for those guys up front and game time, I'm talking about real NFL game time. Not OTAs, not training camp, not preseason. Tuney didn't even play in the preseason game time. It takes game time for these guys to develop chemistry up front. And I think we're seeing the result of that with the run game having success the last two, two ballgames since, since the bye week. And I think we'll see continued growth from the offensive line from the, you know, I looked at some numbers yesterday, guys. Bears are last in the league at targeting the tight end. Who would have thought that considering where Ben Johnson was coming from?

[Dan Bernstein]

Do you think the Theo Benedet move in any way means that they see more upside there or is that just got for now?

[Matt Abaticola]

Both.

[Lou Canellis]

Great question. Both. I think that they feel like, wow, this guy was what, fourth on the depth chart when we took over this team, we went to training camp. No one thought, you know, undrafted free agent last year who spent the whole season on the practice squad not given a chance. Team is, we're all going through a 10 game losing streak last year. You're not going to go out and throw a guy who, you know, you didn't, you didn't draft. No one really saw him. The one thing Ben Johnson has said is the kid was kind of lost in Canada. So I think that they're going to grow with him. And if it means him crapping the bed like he did last Sunday against the Saints and grading out as the worst offensive lineman in the league, they're going to grow with it. Because I do believe that for the rest of this season he's their guy. And if things don't get better, if it's, if it's this, I think they're okay with. If it's this and we don't see a dip back up, then obviously they can kick themselves for not going out and drafting or, you know, moving up in the draft to get Kelvin Banks Jr. And left tackle will be first on their list next year.

[Matt Abaticola]

What has been your assessment of DJ Moore this year?

[Lou Canellis]

You know, two weeks ago I would have said that DJ Moore obviously has fallen out of favor with Caleb Williams. Not that they're not getting along, just he's not the favorite target anymore and that A Dunes A has become that number one target. And then I saw this. I don't know, I don't know where I saw it, but I saw this interaction between the two and I said to myself, might have been in one of those locker room celebrations, might have been on the sidelines during one of the broadcasts. And I said, there's still, there's still, you know, boys. And I just feel like Caleb Williams has found more comfort in finding A Dunes A than he has DJ Moore. I think DJ Moore. And then, and then we saw last week this guy out there busting his ass and Lord knows he had a, he had a groin issue, we'll keep it at that. And then had to go to the hospital after the game. But that final drive on that 15 yard swift run, he's downfield still out there throwing blocks. I think DJ Moore still has, you know, a place on this roster I'd hate to see because I know we all like to play the. Hey, trading deadlines coming up. Tuesday, November 4th. What could DJ Moore bring us back in return? I think there's a spot for Moore on this roster. I think he could have success. He's obviously got the fat contract. And whether he's the number one target or not I think is irrelevant to DJ Moore. But I think it's important he remains a bear.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that the fat contract is probably the reason why nobody's going to trade for that. And I heard the name Braxton Jones being brought up as a possibility now that he has fallen out of favor and they seem to have made that decision. But I do think the trade deadline is going to tell us a lot about where they are in the larger picture. Is it worth it to chase the playoffs this year? Is it worth it to try to aggrandize maybe some what someone would think is a surprising 4 and 2 record looking at a surprisingly softer schedule as happens in the NFL. My gut feeling, Lou is keep your powder dry.

[Lou Canellis]

I'm with you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just think that there's that. Take this as hey, we're building something. Let's marshal all our, the, our assets here. Maybe at the end of the season we can get a better sense of things. If somebody wants to leave as a free agent and you get a comp pick that now you have the Ben Johnson's influence over the draft is going to be felt in a different way. I don't want to start mortgaging the future if there is, if there's something positive here to chase a short term.

[Lou Canellis]

Flame out, man, I'm with you 100%. I am with you. I, I do not want them to do a damn thing at the deadline. I want them to play this season out. See what happens in the month of December when he feels like and he knows his talent better than us. Better than.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or lack thereof. Yeah, okay.

[Lou Canellis]

Or lack thereof. But especially on offense. Let's get to December and see where this team is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Lou Canellis]

And if they make a run and sneak into the postseason, wow, what a surprise if they finish 8, 9 and don't but showed great improvement. Terrific. That was my expectation. Nine and eight, even better. Do not mortgage the future. Do not. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade Braxton Jones. I mean unless it is just such an incredible offer like a third or fourth round pick that you can't pass up. All right. How many times have we been in the second half of the season, guys and said man, I wish we had more depth on the offensive line. You never know. Stay relevant in November and December. Give this team, give this. Let this team build some mojo going for the playoffs even if they don't make it and then look ahead the next season.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hey, last thing for you, Lou, real quick. I know.

[Lou Canellis]

Well.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then we'll, we'll let you go. Appreciate your time. What's the, the kicking position? How does this play out with Santos and Moody? I mean for the roster. You can't keep both Guys, no, that's.

[Lou Canellis]

A great question, Matt, and I, you know, I. I believe Santos is healthy. So you'll put him back out there? I. If I'm not mistaken, they can only bring Moody back one more time, okay. Off the practice squad. They're lucky they have him, but, you know, Santos has the money. You'd hate to take the job away from a guy because he got injured, and let's see what happens. But, boy, are they lucky they had Moody. Whoever. For all the. The criticism that Ryan Polls gets, this is one of those moves. And I'll be first to get to beat up Ryan Polls for, you know, having Tremaine Edmonds at linebacker instead of Roquan Smith, and we'll find out. Albert o' Quan felt about having to, you know, leaving the Bears this Sunday, but this was a good move by polls. He got himself a pretty good insurance policy out there, and it's worked out well.

[Dan Bernstein]

Lou, we really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to do this. I know your day is getting busier because you're. We. You turn on 32, it seems like you're always on it.

[Lou Canellis]

You know what, Dan? I. I need you to be my agent, because I'm not.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, Lou, at my house, we don't call it Fox 32. We call it Lou 32.

[Dan Bernstein]

32. That should be our cadence.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, Lou 32.

[Lou Canellis]

I like that. I like that. Hey, it's. I'm doing sports in my hometown. You can't beat it.

[Matt Abaticola]

There you go. It's great to see you, buddy.

[Lou Canellis]

Good to see you guys. Congrats again.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thanks. We'll talk to you soon.

[Lou Canellis]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

That is Lou Can Ellis, lead sports anchor of Fox 32 and a renowned Chicago restaurateur as well.

[Lou Canellis]

Good dude.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just a. Just a good dude.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. I mean, known him since back in the years on the beat when we were traveling with the team. I think. I think he and I were on a. A water taxi in Jacksonville when the Jaguars had first joined.

[Matt Abaticola]

You were at a gondola in Venice. Is that what it was? That's what it was. It wasn't a water taxi.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was my honeymoon.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, they're very, very similar. I get the confusion. Yes.

[Lou Canellis]

But.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I've got a couple of names here. Can I give you the Bear? Currently, I've got a list that I just sort of. The Bear in whom I'm disappointed. And we haven't talked about either of these guys, really, at any length on this show yet. And a Bear with whom I'm really Impressed?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. I'd like to hear those.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know if you can guess them or not, but I'm gonna give you the bear in whom I'm disappointed, from whom. To this point, I expected more.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, let me take a stab at it. So a guy you're disappointed with and a guy you're very pleased with.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, the guy I'm disappointed with, I just thought, oh, that. That's a really good sign because I know he's good at his job.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know who it is, and I don't want to guess it and spoil it for you because we discussed him earlier.

[Dan Bernstein]

Devin DuVernay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Devin DuVernay was a. Has been a Pro bowl return man.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's not playing like one. And I'm trying to keep in mind the fact that the new rules may change the way guys do their jobs, and they've got to get used to new blocking schemes, and maybe this will. All this is just part of the learning process of how kickers are treating kickoffs, et cetera. But if you look, there are 50 names of guys that have returned multiple kickoffs, and when it comes to breaking one, like just one, one. Devin Duvernay's got 18 kickoff returns. His longest is 34 yards, and that is one yard away from the very lowest of guys who are listed in the top 50.

[Matt Abaticola]

So, I mean, should that be more opportunities for Burden?

[Dan Bernstein]

I only have the top 50 in front of me here. Well, Burden, his long is 44. Burden's average is 27.9, and the average for Duvernay is 24.8. Burden's been more effective. Yeah, but if you're using Burden correctly, if Burden's doing what I want him to do, I don't want him returning kicks. Correct. Because I think his value should outstrip that. I think he should be too important to put back there.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. To the receiving game. 100%.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. I want him out there. Effective games. Guys had 100 yard receiving game already. Yeah. So I would much rather see that. And I don't want them to have to fall back on what Burton's doing. But I guess it's just a simple way of saying I expected more from Devin DuVernay. Break one, you don't even score a touchdown. But be a threat.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that's fair.

[Dan Bernstein]

Be a threat. Make them not want to kick to you, because everything else is going on, and there's been some really good special teams play.

[Matt Abaticola]

And remind me, he was. He was cut, then brought back. Right. Wasn't there.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was Procedural, I think.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it was. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

But yeah, he was not cut to cut. I think it was procedural.

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct. Okay. For financial things or whatever it was, or roster stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

Something administrative. But let's go, man.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because I remember when that first happened how you were disappointed. But you know, it was like, oh, they'll bring him back through. But I remember you being disappointed.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Say what? I'm curious. I was curious.

[Matt Abaticola]

Curious, yes, curious.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was definitely intrigued to say, well, why are they doing this? Is he falling out of favor? And do they. Are they going to use Burden? I don't want. Burden's too important, I hope. Like if you take a second round pick.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And if you look three years from now, if Burden is even in the kick returning conversation, something's gone wrong. So it's going horribly wrong.

[Matt Abaticola]

So who's the guy you're pleased with? Let me. Let me try to guess this. Pleased with Kevin Byard.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, but he's not the guy you had.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, this is a guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Offense or defense?

[Dan Bernstein]

Defense.

[Matt Abaticola]

Defense. All right, let's say who you got?

[Dan Bernstein]

Tremaine Edmonds.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just based on his performance as a Bear, he is almost double as good as he's ever been as a Bear. And that may just be because he's underperformed. I'll say his availability has been Great. Great in 2023, started 15 games played in 15 games. 2024, 17 to 17, six for six availability this year. And look at his production. He and I. And I understand that tackle numbers can be weird, but this is a larger sample size here. In his first 32 games as a Bear, he had 223 tackles, so that's 6.96. Okay. Seven tackles a game. He's averaging 10 this year.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's got 61 tackles in six games. In his other two seasons as a Bear, he had a total of five interceptions. He's got three in six games. And say what you want. The same goes for Bayard. Interceptions you can say are, well, the ball happened to find you or the ball or you just happened to be in the right place, right time. Bullshit.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I don't always. No, no, not at all.

[Dan Bernstein]

It is a function of being where you're supposed to be. Being reactive and responsive to the ball. Awareness, hands, all of that stuff matters. And this always goes back to me when I was working with Doug Buffone and somebody talked about a fumble recovery. I think it was John Theory who said it was luck. He was in the right place at the right time, and Doug got really Mad, really mad about that. And he said, for every time it looks like somebody is in the right place at the right time, you don't see how many times a responsible defensive player was in the right place and the ball didn't find it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, because that guy prevented a throw.

[Dan Bernstein]

Time not just prevented a throw, but was where he was supposed to be no matter what happened. And that as long as you are finishing the play, this is effort. That effort gets rewarded by opportunity. And because Tremaine Edmonds is fast and long, tremendously athletic, I'm shocked that he wasn't more productive in the Eberfluss defense that was built in large part around him doing the Erlacher stuff. Yeah, it's there for him, but he's doing it now and he is making the most of some of these opportunities. How many times do we see guys drop? How many? There is an NFL game you watch where you say, oh, if he could only have held onto that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Batted a ball down or didn't batt it to himself or dropped an interception, stepped. It goes right through his hands. But when you're, when you're making sure those, those don't happen and you are.

[Matt Abaticola]

Doing it well, that interception in the Saints game was a product of being in the right place at the right time because again, Jackson wipes out Camara, Edwards tips it, and he's right there to, to benefit for that, that interception. Now, most times, though, and we've seen this with Kevin Byer too, this is a defensive player being well prepared and well coached to recognize what's happening before it happens. You talk about Caleb Williams being able to recognize what the defense is doing to already win the play before the ball's even snapped. That's what good defensive players do when they're coached well with a good scheme in place to game plan against an offense being in the right place, recognizing, yep, I know this motion. I know where this play is going. I know where I need to be. I know where I'm going to be. I'm going to get there. And again, that's a product of effort, but recognition and preparation. And so I think part of that goes to Dennis Allen, too. Yeah, he's been in what we're seeing in this season so far for three through his first six games.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know if he has more freedom, I don't know if he's being more freedom to read and react or if he's locked into a gap every time and a responsibility every time or.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just better coaching, but that's because of what we've seen the last two years.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is why I was really excited when they signed him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

When they threw a ton of money at him. This is why I was excited because he's changing games now with his. With these. This kind of play and this kind of production.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And it's interesting. And we know. We just talked with Lou and he brought up Roquan Smith and why he's gone and why Tremaine Edmonds is here.

[Dan Bernstein]

Remember what was said about. And. And the reason why Roquan Smith was gone. I'm glad you brought it up because that's. That is going to be a building narrative for this weekend.

[Lou Canellis]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Saint Omni. That's. We didn't put Saint Omni on the list of saints. The mythical agent.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Remember that?

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, that's right.

[Dan Bernstein]

We don't think it actually exists. And it anagrams to. It is no man. So I always found that there was something strange going on with Saint Omni.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

But the Bears didn't. Or. The stated reason was the valuation of box linebackers, of inside linebackers, because they get lumped in. In the averages with edge rushers as linebackers. The system has to catch up with that. And the system should be using edge rushers as its own position, just like the draft does, rather than say linebacker, because the term linebacker is outdated.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nickel corner is a linebacker.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. If you, if you look at some of the. The websites that break down salary caps for teams, they have it. They have it specified by edge rusher. It's how it should be.

[Dan Bernstein]

It should be. But that doesn't necessarily affect the way some of the negotiations work positionally because the league is still behind in the way it defines some of these positions. And the idea was, well, you know, box linebackers, stack linebackers, whatever you call them, don't necessarily command the same kind of money because what they do isn't as valuable. Tremaine Edmonds is earning that contract right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. For sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And he just deserves a shout out. That's good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, I love it. Real quick, I want to just go back to that. That piece that, that I brought up with with Lou. And again, I know I'm not. I'm not outraged. I'm not angry. It's a. It's a guy writing a story and basing his own opinion. But I just think it's not giving enough credit to Ben Johnson. So Bill Barnwell wrote, he evaluates the off season by each team and has seven different categories. He ranks them he gives the NFL's best offseason to the Colts. Now again it's, it's a product of the record they're winning. But Daniel Jones, the 1 year 14 million, he's playing well, well above that right now. I get it. Way ahead of expectations. He has Patriots, he has giants, he has 49ers, he has Seahawks which like and oh, and Buccaneers like. All right, well what are you categorizing his expectations before the season started? Because I think people had very high expectations for the 49ers. I don't think they could be playing above that. But anyway, again his opinion slightly above expectations. He has Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Browns and Broncos and Jaguars and again these are again based on all off season moves. Also has the Eagles and the Steelers in that category. Gets to exactly average which is Cowboys and the Chiefs and the Rams. And then we come to slightly below expectations. Buffalo Bills and your Chicago Bears hiring head coach Ben Johnson, signing the Sean Wright and drafting seventh round running back Kyle Menungai. For me and these are the disappointments. He has Drew Dahlman, Dio Grady Jarrett and Colson Loveland. I get it. I get, I get what he's saying. It's his, it's an opinion piece. Fine, I understand it. But for me at 4 and 2, how the first two games looked, how the first two games came out, especially that Lions game where Ben Johnson has this team right now at 4 and 2 with the slightly above average to average to generally below average play of the quarterback, the non existent run game, the difficulty with the offense. Ben Johnson hiring alone should have this team in the category of above expectations. I believe.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that's a well made case.

[Lou Canellis]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I agree 100%.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I just think not enough credit is being given to the hiring of Ben Johnson and the impact he's had through the first six games of this, of this season or with the roster makeup and then how it's developing or did.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bill Barnwell genuinely believe that the Bears were in a better position to take a larger leap? Because it may. He may just not have seen the Bears close enough to know how deficient the roster is. Thank you. This is like my wife finishing my sentences. Sorry, where are we going? It happened this morning because we have a dinner on Saturday with friends of ours and I said, oh, where are we going with. She goes, oh, we're going to the Italian. I'm like, oh, bonanote. She's yes, well, I am your work spouse, trust me. I somehow intuited that when you said the Thing and we're starting to do a thing. The one I just knew.

[Matt Abaticola]

You knew what it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

I knew what it was.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was the one I was maybe with the hiring of Ben Johnson he had hire a expectations and they're slightly below but I don't know, like what do you expect the six and oh, right now, I mean, you know, you look at that, Vikings collapse 5 and 1.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sure. And I know this is sort of like old Bears McCaskey logic, but what about the response to starting 0 and 2 and getting your dick kicked in in the second game?

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. And then being 4. No.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I, so I again, I'm not outraged or angry or international media doesn't respect the Bears, you know. No, it's a guy's opinion and it's fine. It's something to look at and read and think through. But I would give more credit to Ben Johnson, where they're at right now than what the piece gave. But yeah, we can, you know, again, it's a guy's. Guy's opinion and thought, but good stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've got an opinion and thought. I love going to beer church and the reason I do is because now that I've sampled everything on their menu and all of their wonderful small batch brews there, I can tell you from experience that you're going to absolutely love it and you should make time for a special trip. This is the time. Right now we are in absolutely the heyday of the southwest Michigan foliage. You can look at maps and see peak and all that. But if you're thinking this weekend I've just taken a drive out there, or you're looking for a reason to go on a crisp fall day and go to a place where not only can you and the wife or you and the whole family have a great experience enjoying pizza and all their other wonderful food in a historic church. You can watch games, there's all sorts. There's flat screen TVs that are there on the patio and you can make an afternoon out of it as part of your trip out there. And it's really not that far. It's not new. Buffalo is a hop, skip and a jump from Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. And once you try the pizza, you're going to think about, oh wait a second, I'd love to know how to make this. They've got a literal pizza school there in this old fashioned church. It's been there since the 1800s, a civil war era church. They're going to show you when you go to the pizza making school and do a private party there. They're going to tell you all about how the dough is prepared and how it sets and how you stretch it all out to put the ingredients in what order and why and what the sort of the best practices are.

[Matt Abaticola]

It sounds fun to do with the boys. I know you mentioned that with, with kids to do it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, do it. Yeah, I know they'll love it.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I'm, I'm balancing the thought of doing it because it sounds great as a family. But then the idea of bringing the kids on a, on a trip, you know, where would be more fun with just me and Natalie. But so I'm, I'm weighing the. I might have to go twice, might have to go twice.

[Dan Bernstein]

And as far as those, they do this all throughout the year. This is year round. It's a heated patio. They can have up to 300 people do these pizza parties, these pizza making parties at the pizza school. So maybe for the fall, for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, whatever your office does, bring some folks out there, you want to entertain clients or something, do that. And it's just something really different that people will appreciate. All you do is go to beerchurchbrewing.com that's beerchurchbrewing.com and people who know, know. I know because I've been there. But just it's an awesome place with great food and great fun and an atmosphere that is just convivial for all involved. Beerchurchbrewing.com you know, I want to just.

[Matt Abaticola]

Mention something on the Bears injury report because we didn't say this earlier. The did not practice for DJ Moore yesterday and the injury listed his hip. So remember he went out with a groin and it was the whole, didn't travel, stayed overnight. The hospital had a groin injury. Groin injury. And then last week it was listed groin slash hip. Now it's just hip. So I'm wondering what's going on and if the hip thing evolved because of the groin or if the hip happened and it was like hip and groin from the start or they just don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Want to say what it is.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I hope it's not because like sports hernia.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I mean, groin. I mean, would you, would you categorize it as hip if it was a sports injury? I mean, you would still say groin, wouldn't you?

[Dan Bernstein]

Side of the hip. It could be upper groin, near the hip.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, but you would still say groin.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because like hip. Because like groin is like muscular and hip just makes me concerned because of. It's a skeletal issue.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Or. Or. Or it's sports hernia.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or. Or it's an injury somewhere where the pain radiates elsewhere because of the proximity to a certain nerve. The pain doesn't have to be felt in the place where the injury is. But even it's all probably too complicated. Either he's hurt or he's not. And if injury is affecting effort, let him rest.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't play him off. Yeah, for sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't play him. I think that's pretty simple.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Matt Abaticola]

And that will do it for this episode of Forward Progress. Remember, if you're enjoying Forward Progress and you're not listening to dbu, what the hell is wrong with you?

[Dan Bernstein]

Listen to both. And if you're a Bulls fan, OWC is back and doing great. So make sure you are checking out. Organizations win championships as well.

[Matt Abaticola]

And all three have their own YouTube channel. Go to all three, subscribe to all three of them. Click the little bell icon to get the alerts. When things go live and things happen with each show, you can find all the podcasts on any place you find your favorite podcast platform. And just as a reminder to owc, the Apple issues. If you're looking for that on a podcast on Apple, go to the DBU Apple podcast page. You can find all the owc. Until we clear up the issue with the Apple stuff. Whatever's going on, we'll get it figured out. It's still on Spotify, though. Anywhere else you find your. Your favorite podcast, you can find owc. Thanks for being a part of the show today. We thank our guest, Lou Can Ellis. Always love talking to sweet Lou. Remember, tomorrow on Forward Progress, we will have Brian Wacker on. He's the lead Ravens reporter for the Baltimore Sun. So we'll get a little inside look from the Baltimore Ravens. And as well as tomorrow on DBU, it's the top 10 Ravens of all time.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm deep into my research. I know the. I know you're excited as well. Yeah, I. I'm learning a lot.

[Matt Abaticola]

I am, too. I'm finding more ravens than I ever anticipated.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I'm not the committee.

[Matt Abaticola]

The committee is finding.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not holding it to all corvids, by the way. I am doing ravens and crows.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, so you're doing ravens and crows.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ravens and crows are going to be eligible. Okay. Not J's, because technically J's are member of the corvid family.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like a blue jay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, no, we're not doing those.

[Dan Bernstein]

So even though they're technically a corvid, I don't think I'm going to involve them.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, that's Forward Progress. He's Dan Bernstein and Mattabaticola. Thanks for checking us out and we'll talk to you again tomorrow.

[Dan Bernstein]

10.

[Lou Canellis]

219, 219 forward progress a Chicago Bears.

[Matt Abaticola]

Podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abetticola on three 1, 2. Sports. Wherever you go, whatever they get into, from chill time to everyday adventures, protect your dog from parasites with Cridellio Guattro. For full safety information, side effects and warnings, visit cordelioquattrolabel.com consult your vet or call 1-888-545-5973. Ask your vet for Cordelio Cuattro and visit quattrodog.com.