Rethinking How We Evaluate Caleb Williams

Summary

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast (6/18/2026)

Episode: Rethinking How We Evaluate Caleb Williams

Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into new approaches for evaluating Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, going far beyond traditional metrics like completion percentage. Dan and Matt get analytical, discussing more advanced stats that contextualize quarterback efficiency, and explore broader Bears/NFL storylines, from possible defensive line moves to dysfunctional coaching in Dallas. The episode is filled with candid banter, informed perspectives, and a healthy dose of skepticism toward headline-driven offseason narratives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking How We Judge Caleb Williams (02:09–11:46)

• Dan calls out the limitations of completion percentage as an evaluative tool for quarterbacks, noting it can be “inflated” by easy checkdowns that don't drive scoring.
• Focus shifts to “Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt+” (ANY/A+, aka the index version):
  • This stat accounts for scoring touchdowns, avoiding turnovers and sacks, and gives credit for bigger plays.
  • The stat is contextual, allowing comparisons across eras.
• Contextualizing Caleb’s 2025 performance:
  • Caleb Williams’s ANY/A+ for last year: 110 (“10% better than league average, just outside the top 10”)
  • “His total adjusted yards per pass attempt was at 7.3…His ANA over A was 6.8, which is solid but unspectacular.” — Dan Bernstein (09:16–10:08)
• Memorable Quote:

  “It is real easy to throw for a high completion percentage. It's super easy. All you do is you throw screens and check downs…you can over-efficiency yourself into a very low scoring offense.”
  — Dan Bernstein (04:12)

• Dan resolves to prioritize ANY/A+ moving forward:

  “I'm going to be looking at that a lot more so than that 70% completion percentage. Because it's a better stat.”
  — Dan Bernstein (10:52)

• Matt chimes in:

  “Mark that and keep an eye on that.” (10:51)

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2. Should the Bears Target Vita Vea? (13:08–18:10)

• Matt brings up SI’s suggestion: Should the Bears monitor Tampa Bay’s star DT Vita Vea due to his contract holdout?
• Dan weighs pros and cons:
  • Negative: Vea is 30, a “zero technique” type not matching Chicago’s current defensive philosophy of “versatility, athleticism, length, and speed.”
  • Injury history and price are concerns.

    “He's on the wrong side of 30 and…he’s not a sideline to sideline guy.”
    — Dan Bernstein (14:16)

  • Positive: Dan acknowledges Vea has been reliable health-wise in recent seasons, starting almost every game.
• Matt points out Vea offers more than Andrew Billings, but questions fit.

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3. NFL Players "Running Out of Time" (18:10–23:09)

• Matt reviews a CBS “Eight NFL Players Running Out of Time” article. Dan jokes, “That’s everybody.”
• Names discussed:
  • CJ Stroud (“won’t bust”), JJ McCarthy (“will bust”), Brian Thomas Jr., Miles Murphy, Malik Willis (“will bust”), Keon Coleman, Marvin Harrison Jr. (“will bust”), Michael Penix Jr. (“will bust”).
• On McCarthy vs. Kyler Murray in Minnesota:

  “I don't know why everybody's pretending that there's a competition there. J.J. McCarthy is not as prepared to take an NFL field and help you win as Kyler Murray is. Come on.”
  — Dan Bernstein (19:44)

• On Marvin Harrison Jr. possibly busting:

  “What a massive scouting fail because…he was considered a can't miss, can't miss guy.”
  — Dan Bernstein (21:40)

• On Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions:

  “There's no such thing as a mild traumatic brain injury…but some of what he had and what we know about the successive impacts and what that can do.”
  — Dan Bernstein (23:14)

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4. Cowboys’ Defensive Dysfunction under Matt Eberflus (25:51–31:47)

• Matt reads a headline about Dallas’s new “secret sauce” for better defensive communication; Dan immediately fingers ex-Bears coach Matt Eberflus.
• Stinging criticism of Eberflus’s play calling:
  • Calls were “one or two entire sentences” — too long for fast-paced offenses, causing breakdowns.
  • Cowboys ranked worst or near-worst in scoring, passing, and third-down defense — blamed on communication breakdown.
• Memorable Moment:

  “Matt Eberflus, ladies and gentlemen, that is a dysfunctional defense. If you couldn't get the call in, that's something you fix in preseason!”
  — Dan Bernstein (27:52)

• Hosts lampoon the NFL’s recycling of failed coaches:

  “Once you're legacied in, somebody's always got a job for you.”
  — Dan Bernstein (29:14)
  “Hey, it's good to be an old white guy.”
  — Matt Abbatacola (29:19) “It doesn't matter how incompetent you are. There will be a job for you.”
  — Dan Bernstein (29:27)

• Their incredulity at Dallas not fixing the issue all season:

  “Guys aren't in the right place...You fix that in a day. You fix that in one practice event.”
  — Matt Abbatacola / Dan Bernstein (31:25–31:30)

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5. Ranking Backup QBs: Where’s Tyson Bagent? (31:53–35:53)

• Matt references a backup QB ranking; Dan advocates for Bagent to be #1 (“radiates preparedness”).
• Context: Bagent is #9 in this list; Anthony Richardson (whom both hosts slam as “awful”) is #10.
• Dan notes the backup QB market will change once the Bears pay Caleb a huge contract — can’t afford luxury backups.

  “Once you give Caleb Williams the half billion, it's going to change your payroll everywhere else.”
  — Dan Bernstein (34:29)

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6. Draft Strategy and Youth Rosters (35:59–36:55)

• The hosts stress importance of getting draft picks right, especially in first three rounds.

  “Those guys have got to be competing for jobs from like from day one.”
  — Matt Abbatacola (36:18)

• Emphasize that the bottom of the roster should be filled with "young, spry special teams players."

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On any stat vs. context:

  “Football is not baseball. It is not an individual sport...But this is another criterion we can use."
  — Dan Bernstein (11:17)

• On Eberflus and NFL recycling:

  “It doesn't matter how incompetent you are. There will be a job for you.”
  — Dan Bernstein (29:27)

• On team building:

  “Filling out the bottom 30 year roster should be young, spry special teams players...your young, flexible, elastic, speedy players.”
  — Dan Bernstein (36:27)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:09 – Start of main content; offseason idle time, Bears player conduct
• 03:27 – Head coach impact, rising standards
• 03:56 – Caleb Williams on completion percentage; stat critique begins
• 06:31 – Explanation and advocacy for Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt Index
• 09:16 – How does Caleb stack up on ANY/A+? Stat breakdown
• 13:08 – Should the Bears target Vita Vea?
• 18:10 – NFL players running out of time; roster pressure; Bears candidates
• 25:51 – Dallas Cowboys defensive dysfunction, Eberflus blame
• 31:53 – Backup QBs list; Bagent vs. Richardson
• 35:59 – Roster building and importance of draft picks

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Final Notes

Dan and Matt bring a blend of data-driven analysis, long-time Bears fan perspective, and sharp-witted commentary. The episode’s central lesson is not to be blinded by easy statistics (like completion %) but to contextualize QB efficiency in a broader, smarter way. Around that, they tackle topical NFL storylines, never shying away from calling out mediocrity — on the field or the sideline. Perfect for both Bears diehards and analytical NFL fans.

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For further detail, listen to:

• [03:56–11:46] for the deep dive on QB evaluation
• [25:51–31:47] for the Cowboys/Eberflus coaching discussion
• [31:53–35:53] for roster construction & backup QB debate

Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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

[Matt Abeticola]

Come on 10219 219Forward progress a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports

[Commercial/Promo Voice]

we give you

[Dan Bernstein]

forward progress here on 312 Sports where we are tracking all things Bears and NFL. We are in the downtime of the off season. The players have in large part been excused from their mandatory training responsib and we presume are training on their own. This back in the day before players were a lot more trustworthy. This was considered the what Jerry Angelo would talk about at the 3am phone call time. This is when and the Bears had some issues with this going back relatively recently. Before Ryan polls took over, the Bears had some people who would get a little frisky in their downtime and do things they shouldn't do and that would end up with them arrested, in trouble, off the team, etc. I do think that we're sort of emerging in general from that being a larger league concern. I think players are getting better about that and they're. Because they're professionals at younger and younger ages and they're growing up faster and they're, they're not being thrown into this sort of lifestyle or the, the job world, the working world in a way that tests their ability to cope. So I think things will be better.

[Matt Abeticola]

But the head coach makes a difference too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Absolutely. I think the quality of the team, I think what, what they think they would be giving up. You hope that when they make some of these decisions in their free time, they're understanding all of what's at stake. And I think now what's at stake is being a part of a team that has really high expectations and possib to lift all these individual broats to different and better things. I noticed that Caleb Williams is once again talking about completion percentage and Williams was asked about that and about what he's trying to do to develop and this is, I'll just give you his quote here. This is reprinted in Bears Wire. We love Bears Wire. It's just get the completion percentage up, keep the offense on the field more, score as many points as possible, be the highest scoring offense. Because that's my part in the team going out there and orchestrating it. Being able to go out and score, whether it's handoffs, passes, whatever, doesn't matter. It's being able to put up as many points as possible to help our team win as many games as possible and then keeping the turnovers very low. Now I love that. And we also know that Ben Johnson has said that there is a goal of a 70% completion percentage and whether that's adjusted completion percentage, I don't know exactly how they're defining it, but 70%, that's the goal. What I want to keep in mind and what I want you to keep in mind is that there are better individual numbers for what Caleb Williams says he wants to be. It is real easy to throw for a high completion percentage. It's super easy. All you do is you throw screens and check downs and easy completable passes. Those little breakouts on the side, those little four yard gains, whatever you want to throw it is within the power of any play caller, quarter, quarterback, coach, whoever. To inflate a completion percentage. You're not going to move the ball very far you're not going to score a lot of points. You're going to move between the twenties just fine that you can over efficiency yourself into a very low scoring offense. So what you can look at is adjusted net yards per attempt. A N A over a. We've talked about it before. Adjusted net yards per attempt. And there's an index version of this which is the equivalent of like a baseball plus stat, like ERA plus, like WRC plus where 100 is the proper level of. And this, this helps you span across eras because it allows you to look in the different scoring environments.

[Matt Abeticola]

Mm.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because there's some low scoring times and higher scoring times. So I love the adjusted net yards over pass attempt index. It's on Pro Football Reference. And what that does is help you look at passing efficiency without using completion percentage because it gives you more points for the for scoring touchdowns and it takes away points for interceptions and it kills you for taking sacks. You're also able to look at it across eras. If you want the actual formula, it's passing yards minus sack yards plus the quantity of 20 times passing touchdowns minus 40, the quantity of 45 times interceptions and divided by the total of pass attempts plus sacks. And then the. That's the. That is for the formula of adjusted net yards per attempt index formula compares that to league average scaled by the league standard deviation. So it's designed to contextualize how passing stats work, allow you to say, well, this was this era in this scoring environment against this error in this scoring environment, how much better are you measured against your peers of your time? Every point over 100 is a tick. A percentage above league average at 100, everyone below, just like WRC plus. I just want to bring that into the lexicon a little bit because it actually cares about what's important, not how many little easy passes you complete, but how you're scoring touchdowns, how you're avoiding sacks, how you're avoiding interceptions. And it rewards you for these big chunks of yards because you're trying for big chunks of yards. So A N A over A. The A N A over A index. Just keep that in mind as we evaluate quarterback play. If you're asking like last year, who were the leaders in it? Well, if you go to Pro Football Reference, it was Drake May and Matthew Stafford tied at 131. Okay. Jared Goff 121. Sam Darnold and Jordan Love at 119. Daniel Jones at 118, Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott at 115. Brock Purdy 113, Josh Allen 111. Pretty good measurement, right?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Where's Caleb?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't see him here. He's not in the top 10. I would have to. I would have to click on him and look him up, but I will, I will do that. I think we're gonna have to deal with some more Caleb's around here in Chicago after this draft too. So this is gonna. I. I'm increasingly fearful of the Caleb Williams, Caleb Wilson thing. That's going to be devilous. His total adjusted. Total adjusted yards per pass attempt was at 7.3, but that's, that's pretty solid. His A N A over A was 6.8, which is solid but unspectacular. I don't have. His numbers are. Here it is 105, 105 net yards. Adjusted yards or adjusted net yards per attempt index. Excuse me. 110.

[Matt Abeticola]

110. Okay. So he was, he was just below what you said was Purdue at 113, which would have been 10. Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Just below there one. So he was 10% better than the average quarterback.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. Just. Just outside the top 10 of the league. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

His rookie year he was at an 88, but he was just outside the top 10 based on that number with a 110 adjusted, they call it. Actually the way, the way they have it here in the adjusted passing numbers is a plus. That it's a NY over a plus and he's at 110. That, that's going to be a number I'm going to look at a lot from here. And just because it's correlation, the mathematical correlation.

[Matt Abeticola]

Mark that and keep an eye on that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, the mathematical correlation with success and that number is very, very high. So I would. I just want to get used to that. Get used to that. And we can come up with a better number, a better name for it if we want. But I'm going to be looking at that a lot more so than that 70% completion percentage. Because it's a better stat.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, no, I like it very much. That's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

So there's. There we go again. Football is not baseball. It is not an individual sport. Football will never be baseball in that regard. But this is a, this is another criterion that we can use. Is he performing well? Well, how, how many points over 100 is that number at any given time? And if 131 is great, great, great. That's. That's where you want to get.

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[Matt Abeticola]

there's another story I want to take a look at. This was from si.com it was Mike Moritis and the title of it caught my eye. It says Chicago Bears should be monitoring Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vita Vea the as he writes he says here we know Chicago Bears could use more help along the interior of their defensive line. So general manager Ryan Pull should be keeping a close eye on Ve's situation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now I hadn't heard anything. This was the first I saw this. I thought this was interesting. Later revealed by NFL Network's Mike Rafalo that Vea's lack of participation in the OTAs and then the mandatory minicamp which he did not show up for, it's all based around his contract. Veo wasn't wasn't practicing in minicamp today and he hasn't been here for OTAs. He says it's related to the two time Pro Bowler's contract as he's entering the final year of his deal from four plus years ago. Is that someone the Bears should be interested in? What are your thoughts as far as I'm torn.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm torn because of two reasons.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Negative side is he's 30 and we

[Matt Abeticola]

just Talked about this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, well, we talked about it on DBU and we looked at it. You remember yesterday in this space when I was reading all the names of the available free agents and with the exception of Trevon Diggs, every single one of them was 30 or older. And what's great about the way the NFL is set up is you're able, for the most part, if you're not an idiot, you're able to pay your best players when they're worth the most money and not before or after. And other sports haven't quite figured that out yet. The NFL, because they've been able to steamroll the union for so long, has been able to do that. And Vea is on the wrong side of 30 and he plays a position that it doesn't seem like this defense really uses that they were. They want versatility and they want athleticism, length and speed. He's an old fashioned zero technique. He's. They got rid of Andrew Billings because Billings wasn't really what they were looking for. They had him, he was fine. And he's this sort of immovable object type. And while Vek is a, is a pocket collapser, he's not a sideline to sideline guy. He's not going to help with speed. He's you, like you say, run at speed, run away from strength. And he's a short area quickness giant zero or one technique. So I don't know. And obviously there's no guarantees of health once you hit 30. He's had his share of various injuries as a lot of veterans have, so I'd have to know what the price is, how they would see him being a fit, how they would make it work. He's great at what he does, has been great at what he does. Can he still be great at it? Is that greatness at that specific job worth it for the Bears?

[Matt Abeticola]

No. Those are all fair points to bring up. And I, I kind of, I, I understand everything you're saying about it, but bringing up Andrew Billings, I just, I mean, he's a very different player from Andrew Billings.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

I mean, Billings was a, he was, he was a, I think he was a negative impact on that defensive line last year. I mean, he might have had a handful of plays through the course of a season, but I think he's, I mean, I think he would be a significant upgrade over, over what our guy. You know, we loved Andrew Billings.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, because he was, he's a jolly

[Matt Abeticola]

fat man

[Dan Bernstein]

and you could hear him on every play. You could hear him yelling I mean, that's, let's not, let's be honest about why we love him. It wasn't because he was great at football. Guys bounced around. I mean, I think literally bounced around from team to team. But yeah, ve is a better player.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I just, I thought it was interesting. The. Then the headline caught my attention and again, Mike Moritis of SI.com I think he very, very, you know, original thought in that the Bears defensive line needs help because no one is saying that. No one has said that these last several months. So it was good on him to catch that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wait a second. I'm, I'm, I'm detecting something regarding the Bears def. Blind. And I should say too, the numbers do. Even though I don't. That I do associate him with. With various aches and pains. He takes the, he takes the field.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. Yeah. No, he's always.

[Dan Bernstein]

He really does. And I mean, he's. For the last four years. Last year he started 17 of 17. The year before, 16 to 16, 15 of 15, 14 of 14, 16 of 16. So he's. When he does play, he generally starts and plays.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, let me throw this at you. This was CBS Sports again, love this headline. Eight NFL players running out of time to prove themselves entering the 2026 season.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's everybody.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, I mean, they had these eight names, though. This is, this is pretty significant.

[Dan Bernstein]

How do they define running? I wonder how they define running out of time and how they define prove. I. There's. Because there's several on the Bears alone.

[Matt Abeticola]

Who would you have on the Bears?

[Dan Bernstein]

Kyler Gordon?

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, I mean, I think we're seeing that direction. If you can't be on the field, that's a pretty obvious answer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I think Braxton Jones is another one of those. He's, you know, the other tackle is about to get a big, big contract, maybe even during this training camp.

[Matt Abeticola]

So I know for Jalen Johnson, it's pointing in the right direction early on here, but that's a, that's significant as well, too. But here's the eight that they brought up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Number one was C.J. stroud of Houston.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abeticola]

And I, I won't read through the whole thing because there's, there's a lot for each guy. But their prediction on CJ Stroud. He won't bust. They say won't bust. The Next one is JJ McCarthy

[Dan Bernstein]

and

[Matt Abeticola]

they say will bust. With the addition of Kyler Murray and reading things from Minnesota people out, you know, after OTAs and minicamp, that the competition, while still maybe ongoing into Training camp. There is a significant gap between KYLER Murray and J.J. mcCarthy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of course there is.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know why everybody's pretending that there's a competition there. That's silly. J.J. mcCarthy is not as prepared to take an NFL field and help you win as Kyler Murray is. Come on.

[Matt Abeticola]

Which also doesn't really sit well with me as a, as a Bears fan though too either because if they get a, a guy that actually play the quarterback position, that's not good, not good for the division. Just more competition. That all. Brian Thomas Jr. Wide receiver from Jacksonville. They have him on the clock. Their prediction won't bust. Miles Murphy, defensive end from Cincinnati, won't bust. Here's another one that we're familiar with here in the NFC North. Malik Willis, quarterback. Now we know he's the starting quarterback now for Miami and he's down there with Jeff Hathley from Green Bay who is now the head coach. Their prediction will bust. I thought that was interesting. They said if the Dolphins are bad in 2026, they'll own a high first round pick in 2027. In an NFL draft loaded with high caliber quarterback prospects even after signing a three year 67.5 million dollar contract in March, Willis could see Miami move on from him already here from now, even if it's not entirely his fault.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, well again it's this time of year where we are, we're, we're looking at the, the content void and people are, are just saying things.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, but still, I mean, okay, reasonable, right? That's reasonable. A reasonable thought. I hope the whole thing busts just because of Jeff Halfley being there. Keon Coleman, wide receiver from Buffalo they say will bust. Marvin Harrison Jr. Wide receiver with the AZ prediction will bust.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Remember how what a scouting fail that would be.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes, for sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

What a massive scouting fail because what was.

[Matt Abeticola]

He was, he was a top five pick, wasn't he?

[Dan Bernstein]

He was considered a can't miss, can't miss guy.

[Matt Abeticola]

Number four overall. Yeah, number four overall.

[Dan Bernstein]

Can't miss the, the ability, the college numbers, the good bloodlines, the whole thing.

[Matt Abeticola]

Here's another name to Michael Penix Jr. And I think he's not going to have his job and their prediction on Pennix juniors will bust. I think, I think TUA takes that job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I mean you gotta, you got a couple of lefties that you're gonna have to make sure you're who you're watching. Make sure you know who you're watching. But as soon as the ball comes out of Their hand. You're gonna know who you're watching.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. And I think we. I've seen enough video of that already. Early on in OTAs and, and then minicamp, you could see the difference. But he's actually one hit. I mean, he's one hit away, though, from. They're going back to Penix. He's.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's soldiering through this is this. I. Look, I've heard people talk about the Polynesian toughness and what he wants to be, what he wants to do. I would have retired if those things happen to me. But I can't make that decision for him, for his family. And it's, you know, he's, It's a, It's a huge danger every time he takes the field.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. I was surprised because what did he have? I mean, I mean, five or six, right? Was.

[Dan Bernstein]

I thought it was very severe. Yes. And two of them were not. Just what they would call there's no such thing as a mild traumatic brain injury, but some of what he had and what we know about the successive impacts and what that can do. He's already made these decisions and I guess it doesn't matter now. I mean, I guess a lot of that damage is done. I don't know if what they've. The doctors have said it can't get worse, even though we know, we know it absolutely can. And we also know what we don't know. I'll be honest, shopping for clothes is not my favorite thing. I just want to look good without overthinking it. Stitch fix makes it easy. You take a quick style quiz, your size, your vibe, your budget, and a

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[Matt Abeticola]

All right, let me throw one more headline out at you and I want to see what your immediate reaction just from this headline line, okay, the new secret sauce to how Cowboys defense coordinator Christian Parker is increasing Dallas's communication.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a lot of words.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

Secret sauce to increasing, not improving, but increasing communication.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So what does that headline tell you? That the problem was last year for one of the NFL's worst, if not the worst, defense,

[Dan Bernstein]

Matt Eberflus. Was he there last year?

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Matt Eberfluss.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's what it is. That would tell me if Matt Eberflus is there, bad things are going to happen.

[Matt Abeticola]

So communication is one of the many reasons the Cowboys defense face planted under now fired Matt Eberflus since release. Pro bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs repeatedly went at Eberflus on the record about communication issues and not enough man coverage usage. But he wasn't alone in those who were dissatisfied. Cornerbacks Duron Bland and Ready Steward told CBS Sports that Eber Fluss's defensive play calls were sometimes one or two entire sentences that left the Dallas defense a step behind opponents in getting lined up both individually and collectively. The end result was Dallas being the NFL's worst scoring defense, 30.1 points per game, the worst passing defense at 261.5 per game and third down defense at 47.3% third down conversion rate, the worst in all those categories. It's more so how fast the offense is moving that speeds you up, bland said. You have to get the call, then get everybody on the same page at the same time and make sure everyone gets good communication. When we're going fast football, I have to know my job. I hope my teammate got it. Sometimes it was moving too fast so we couldn't get the. We couldn't get the communication in at all.

[Dan Bernstein]

What

[Matt Abeticola]

Matt Eber, ladies and gentlemen, that

[Dan Bernstein]

is a dysfunctional defense. If you couldn't get the call in, that's something you fix in preseason.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's something you fix by firing that man immediately.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's something where you say, who's responsible for this and who else can do this job if you can't get the call in and get it to everybody on the defense? That's the most basic stuff. When did they know that?

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, I'm obviously during the course of the season because the season didn't all of a sudden just slip away from them. The defense was an issue from the get go. And if you're, if you're having issues where you're one of the worst defenses in the league, Dan, and you sit around, you say, hey, what's going on? What's going on? What's going on? Well, I mean, we're not getting the play calls in. Okay, like, how much is missing? Well, the whole thing, like the offenses are lining up so fast. We're not even, we're not even able to line up individually. We don't know where we're going.

[Dan Bernstein]

Where am I supposed to go? I don't know. They didn't.

[Matt Abeticola]

I don't know. Coach hasn't got the call in yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's not sure. Where is he now?

[Matt Abeticola]

He is the assistant head coach of defense at San Francisco.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's still in the league.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes, he's still in the league title of assistant head coach. Man.

[Dan Bernstein]

Once, once you're a lifer, once you're legacied in, somebody's always got a job for you.

[Matt Abeticola]

Hey, it's good to be an old white guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Somebody's always got a job for you. It is good to be white.

[Matt Abeticola]

It doesn't matter.

[Dan Bernstein]

It doesn't matter how incompetent you are. There will be a job for you.

[Matt Abeticola]

But I mean that, that's the epitome of incompetence to hear what those guys were saying. And there's more to it in the article and more, more comments from, from current, from current Cowboys players that played with Iberflu last year to say that they, I mean, they couldn't even get calls in and that they were just too long. So no adjustments. There was no, like, hey, these calls are too long. We need to figure a way to speed this up, get it quicker. Nothing changed through the course of 17 fucking games.

[Dan Bernstein]

How can you not be in your very first, first defensive film session after something like that happens and not want to fix that immediately and not have somebody raise their hand, Duron Bland or whoever it is, and say, yeah, I was in the wrong place. I didn't know where I was supposed to be because nobody told me.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, that's the moment I say, how do we make sure this doesn't happen again at all?

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, for me then that's a, that's a reflection on the head coach. Because you think a guy like Ben Johnson would allow something like that to happen? Offensive minded guy hires a defensive guy, says you have the defense, but he's still the CEO.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. It goes to the diva and say, why do we give up so many points? Well, our guys didn't know where to be. Why not? We couldn't get the call in in time. Why not?

[Matt Abeticola]

I don't know. The calls are too long.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

And apparently it's too much to get

[Dan Bernstein]

out in making shorter right now. Yeah.

[Commercial/Promo Voice]

How's.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's hard. And who is. That's Brian Schottenheimer.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who's never been a head coach before.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. And do you think he was to go to Matt Eberfluss, who was a head coach before, whether or not he was, you know, successful?

[Dan Bernstein]

You should. That's your job.

[Matt Abeticola]

That doesn't matter. But he should.

[Dan Bernstein]

But yeah, that's Brian shot. Yeah, that's his job.

[Matt Abeticola]

Like he just. But if he gave the defense over to Eber flus and said, all right, you gotta, you know, coach is there to fix that or that's his thing. Like a guy like, like Ben Johnson wouldn't do that. Campbell wouldn't do that. Obviously.

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abeticola]

Like Sean McVeigh. Do you think he would sit there and say, hey, our defense is giving up point after point of what's going on? Oh, the calls are too long. We're not getting them in in time. Guys aren't in the right place.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, well, I guess the only thing we can do about it.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean. Yeah, you fix that in a day. You fix that in one practice event.

[Matt Abeticola]

No, you're right. That's. That's one meeting. That's the first meeting.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Like, what's the issue here? Oh, you couldn't get the calls in.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why not? And let's shorten the calls and. Or you just do it quicker or come up with code words, whatever you got to do. But this doesn't happen again.

[Matt Abeticola]

No

[Dan Bernstein]

entire season. Okay. That's a dysfunctional organization is what that is.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. One last thing I saw there was another article. You know, I love my list. And there was a list of the, the top 10 backup QB situations in the NFL.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, Tyson Bagen better be number one because they have, they have. He, he has accepted his role. He's the first guy in, the last guy out. I think I made that up. And he, they gave him A nice contract to be ready at any point.

[Matt Abeticola]

He was not number one, Dan, but he was on the list in the top 10. And he was at number nine, though.

[Dan Bernstein]

Number nine. What else does he have to do to prove his worth as a backup?

[Matt Abeticola]

I. I don't. I don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

But everything that one is. Nobody wears a ball cap and holds a clipboard and is. Is. He gives off like he radiates preparedness at all times. You can see waves of preparedness coming off of him. If you stand next to him, you will be more prepared for whatever it is in life.

[Matt Abeticola]

Here's who they have. They have the list. Number 10, Anthony Richardson.

[Dan Bernstein]

He sucks eggs.

[Matt Abeticola]

Does suck.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's awful.

[Matt Abeticola]

Number nine, Tyson Bajan. How did.

[Dan Bernstein]

How did Anthony Richardson get on the list for anybody with eyes?

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, so I'm scrolling through it and what are you doing? That's the first name that come up. That came up. And I was like, all right, well, this is a bad list. If that's number 10, he doesn't know how to play. So. Number nine.

[Dan Bernstein]

I saw that. It's bad.

[Matt Abeticola]

Number eight is Andy Dalton. Tanner McKee of the Eagles. Seven, Davis Mills with the Texans. Six was Spencer Rattler with the Saints.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is all shit. All right, what else?

[Matt Abeticola]

Number five. Let me get to number five here. I'm scrolling through it. Number five was Jameis Winston of the Giants. Four, Marcus Mariota. The Commanders. Three, Frankenstein's monster, Joe Flacco. Yep. At the Bengals, number two. And they have Kirk Cousins as the starter. So they have Fernando Mendoza as the backup. So that's because he's the starter.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, he's.

[Matt Abeticola]

And then the number one backup in the NFL, Mac Jones of the 49ers.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

He had some success last year. What, do you play five or six games anymore?

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

But yeah, the second I saw Anthony Richardson made the list. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abeticola]

So what does that tell you about the other. The other 22 backup quarterbacks?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, we know that. We know how hard it is to even. To have that level of competence. And the problem is how many teams then. And this, this is what the Bears are going to have to deal with when they're probably not going to be able to afford Bajint next year or when it, When. Whenever they make their deal with Caleb Williams. That once that contract is signed, once you give Caleb Williams the half billion, it's going to change the. Your definitions everywhere else, and it's going to change your payroll everywhere else. That's just the world that you end up living in.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I Know that's, that's how it's gonna have to go. So that's why, you know, drafting these.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's Richards.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. It was so bad. When I saw that was 10, I was like, well, this is. I actually, I honestly, when I saw he was at 10, I thought Bajan might be in the top three.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. I mean hell, you had Chris Collins work there glazing like Justin Fields has just gotta watch this kid play. He really should sit down and watch this kid play.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know it's gonna help anybody, but. Okay, that, that's an idea. And maybe he did. I don't know. We'll see if he eventually succeeds. Somewhere he's. He has a problem, you know, throwing the ball to somebody, he's open.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. But when they, yeah. When they give Caleb that big money, man, it's gonna be.

[Dan Bernstein]

Changes your world.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. That's why these drafts are so important. Hitting on these guys. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

When you talk about guys who have to prove themselves. Where's Ruben Hibbelite? You know, they, that, that was a big pick. This guy can really run. And we know the scouts didn't like

[Matt Abeticola]

him, but we do.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he couldn't get on the field. And you, you drafted Zay Frazier and now he's gone. It just left and he didn't never

[Matt Abeticola]

played and have that happen.

[Dan Bernstein]

Can't.

[Matt Abeticola]

You got it. You gotta hit, man. You get those first three rounds especially those guys have got to be competing for jobs from like from day one. They've got to be there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And filling out the bottom 30 year roster should be young, spry special teams players. Maybe you have one older dude there. There's one sort of Josh Blackwell type who's hanging around on the back end because he's such a great example setter and all that. But for the most part he's got to be your, your young, flexible, elastic, speedy players.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, well that'll do it for forward progress for today. I know you still have your day to continue on.

[Dan Bernstein]

I do. We got OWC coming. We got all kinds of good stuff today.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So we'll have another edition, another. This week's episode of OWC will be out this afternoon. Glad you guys waited a day to get the full Tiago Splitter press conference in. And as we look forward to hearing that, that episode this week, what your guys thoughts on Tiago and looking forward to the draft coming up here, which is going to be super exciting for your Chicago Bulls. But that'll do it for us on Ford Progress and talking bears while we got something else here before we're done.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, yeah, I wanted to just mention that if you haven't put in for the rewards yet on the 312 sports rewards page, you probably should. And I don't know if we mentioned this enough here that if you go to the 312 Sports app, which you have to get, get it in the Apple App Store, get it in Google Play, register your account and once you're registered, you go to the rewards and all you have to do is put the promo code in the keyword for any of these for your chance to win. And we change the keyword and we change the prizes each month that we give these away at the end of the month. So you got a couple weeks here. If you want one of the following here. If you want a $100 gift certificate to Abba restaurant in Fulton Market, Mediterranean with a California influence, you want a $100 gift certificate to RPM Italian. You know that one. Contemporary menu, dishes meant to be shared. Modern approach Italian in spirit. Six Flags Great America Family fun with endless thrills. Thrill capital the Midwest. And we have concert tickets. If you want to see Joe bonamassa@raVinia August 12, 2026, you can get it on the 312 Sports app by entering the promo code Cody C O D Y as in Cody Delmendo. Cody. Enter that on any of those four rewards for your chance to win. But if you haven't gotten the app yet, go get the app. It is your key to all things 312 sports.

[Matt Abeticola]

And that'll do it for forward progress. We'll talk to you again tomorrow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward progress has stopped.

[Matt Abeticola]

102192 19Forward progress A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on

[Dan Bernstein]

three one two Sports.

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