The Chicago Bears add to the Injury Report before Minnesota Vikings game

Summary

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Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: The Chicago Bears add to the Injury Report before Minnesota Vikings game
Hosts: Dan Bernstein, Matt Abbatacola
Date: September 8, 2025
Podcast Network: 312 Sports

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Episode Overview

This episode, airing on the morning of the Bears' 2025 season opener against the Vikings, dives into a tumultuous pre-game injury report for the Chicago Bears. Dan and Matt break down the impact of multiple defensive injuries, discuss game strategy with a depleted secondary, and dissect what to expect from this remade Bears team under new head coach Ben Johnson. There’s a strong mix of tactical football analysis, lived-in Bears passion, and rapid-fire banter—plus insight into the broader picture (contracts, position groups, and staff shifts).

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Multiple Injury Hits to the Bears’ Defense

• Secondary Devastation:

  • Bears’ once-vaunted secondary now in shambles. Terell Smith out for the year.
  • Jalen Johnson listed as questionable (both calf and groin injuries). Kyler Gordon questionable (hamstring).
  • TJ Edwards (linebacker) doubtful with a hamstring; Josh Blackwell (DB) questionable (groin).
  • “I don’t know that the Bears have a defensive secondary left.”
    — Dan Bernstein [02:58]

• Practice Squad Elevations:

  • Debate as to when practice squad elevations are announced (likely 90 mins before game).
  • Cornerbacks on squad: Trey Flowers, Dante Manning (Makai Gardner no longer listed).

• Potential Fill-ins:

  • Noah Sewell, rookie Reuben Hippolyte Jr. likely to replace TJ Edwards at LB.
  • Running back depth: Kyle Menungai reportedly good to go as backup (after full participation in practice).

2. Strategic Impact of Injuries

• Game Plan Adjustments:

  • Dan expects new DC Dennis Allen to play less man coverage due to lack of healthy DBs; more likely to rush four and avoid exposing reserves.
  • Key is early disruption to rattle Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy.

• Opportunity vs. Challenge:

  • “Your best bet is to make him [McCarthy] be bad at football. And the way you do that is by pressuring him.”
    — Dan Bernstein [07:19]
  • Vikings’ own wide receiver corps battered (“suspended, injured, old or bad” – Matt [09:09]), offering Bears a small silver lining.

3. What to Expect from the Bears’ Offense

• Head Coach Ben Johnson’s Philosophy:

  • Debate over play-calling; Johnson described as “self-aware” and blue-collar—sticks to what’s worked in practice.
  • “It’s less about being viewed as a genius, more about being practical.”
    — Dan Bernstein (quoting Jason Leisure, Sun-Times) [11:41]
  • Heavy reliance anticipated on TE Colston Loveland.

• Scripted Offense:

  • Early downs likely to feature pragmatic, effective plays.
  • Key for rookie QB Caleb Williams is in-game process: get play calls in, break huddle smoothly, make line adjustments if needed.

• Offensive Line Investments:

  • Matt “follows the money,” reviewing Bears’ cap hits and calling out the big spend at left guard and center (Jonah Jackson, Drew Dahlman).
  • Focus on outside zone runs to play to center Drew Dahlman’s strengths ("getting on the move and then allowing DeAndre Swift or Kyle Menungai to make that decision on the cut..." — Dan [24:03]).

4. Defensive Investments – Time to Deliver

• High-Paid Stars Must Step Up:

  • Montez Sweat (top cap hit) and DJ Moore expected to be impact players.
  • Bears betting on new free agent additions (e.g., Grady Jarrett, Dio Odeyingbo) to help generate pass rush.
  • “It’s time. And that was all on the come to—that is a Ryan Poles betting on a guy being better than he’s shown... Because of the attention that should be paid Montez Sweat.”
    — Dan Bernstein [22:32]

• Proof and Respect:

  • “I am not going to start a game double-teaming him unless he shows me.”
    — Dan Bernstein, on Montez Sweat [23:11]

5. Banter, Personal Rituals, and Podcast Expansion

• Game Day Rituals:

  • Matt roasts Dan for his odd “test wing” strategy (taking one chicken wing at a time when watching games).
  • Extended riff on snacks, dips, and spreads for solo Bears fans.
  • “It’s all about process. I’m trying to get the play in, get the play called, get up to the line and see if I have to make an adjustment. But that’s what I’m doing.”
    — Dan Bernstein, hilariously comparing eating wings to game prep [17:50]

• Podcast Announcements:

  • Forward Progress goes daily, with instant post-game reaction shows.
  • In-jokes about YouTube comments expected for the post-game show: “Bernstein sucks.” [32:23]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I don’t know that the Bears have a defensive secondary left.”
  — Dan Bernstein [02:58]

• “Your best bet is to make him [McCarthy] be bad at football. And the way you do that is by pressuring him.”
  — Dan Bernstein [07:19]

• “I feel better having Dennis Allen running the defense... Although you know, last year was all Caleb Williams’ fault. So I’m hoping that Dennis Allen has a plan in place...”
  — Matt Abbatacola [07:35]

• “It’s less about being viewed as a genius, more about being practical.”
  — Dan Bernstein (on Ben Johnson) [11:41]

• “I hope it means using your best players at the right times and maybe I also count on the fact that he knows plays in practice that we haven’t seen in these brief exhibition moments.”
  — Dan Bernstein [13:11]

• “We have the beneficial factor of the fact that the wide receiver room for the Vikings is suspended, injured, old or bad. So that’s always a plus there as well.”
  — Matt Abbatacola [09:03]

• “I have mentioned pork rinds at least once a day.”
  — Matt Abbatacola [28:00]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:56] — Dan on the dire secondary situation
• [03:52-04:50] — Full injury report rundown and possible practice squad elevations
• [07:06-08:03] — Strategies for attacking a rookie QB with a depleted secondary
• [09:16] — Previewing the expected high blitz rate from the Vikings
• [11:41] — Dan discusses Ben Johnson’s “practical” approach to play-calling
• [18:36-22:48] — “Follow the money!”: Salary cap talk, investments in defense and offensive line
• [23:53-25:41] — Why center Drew Dahlman’s role is so crucial for Bears’ run game
• [28:00] — The snack and pork rind banter
• [31:57] — Announcement: Forward Progress is now a daily podcast

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Episode Flow & Takeaways

The episode moves quickly from a sobering breakdown of Bears defensive injuries, through intense speculation about adjustments and play-calling, into broader team-building conversations and well-earned comic relief. For newer fans, it’s both a primer on who’s out, who matters most, and what to actually expect from tonight’s game plan. For diehards, you get the kind of half-hopeful, half-cynical inside jokes that only come from decades of following the Bears and their soap opera.

If you missed it:

• Expect a banged-up defense, a practical game-plan, and more tight, post-game analysis from Dan and Matt—now every single day.

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Be sure to catch the live post-game edition for instant reactions and fan interaction!

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

Ted 219219.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward progress a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola.

[Dan Bernstein]

On 312 Sports we give you Forward Progress on this Bears opening Monday. And not just one.

[Matt Abaticola]

We are going to give you two.

[Dan Bernstein]

Editions of Forward Progress on this Chicago Bears opening Monday. One right now that you have and another when this game is decided or when we make the judgment that one.

[Matt Abaticola]

Way or another the game is second.

[Dan Bernstein]

Quarter, who knows, but we will be live. So I want you to make sure that you subscribe to this YouTube feed and that way you'll get an alert and say, hey, they're on, they're on. And that way you can pop on and your comments might just make it into the post game show as well, because we will. It's going to be first blush where I used to take the time to gather my thoughts and begin to write. And throughout the game I would sit and I'd write down what I thought were lovely turns of phrase and precious little notes. I don't have to do that anymore because now I'm going to go right on and look into this camera and look at that man, Matt Abaticola, and you're going to hear it before I can even write it down.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I'm very excited about it. We had a fun little preview yesterday as we visited with our friend up in Minneapolis, Phil Mackey of Score North.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hi Phil.

[Matt Abaticola]

And we did a little Bears Vikings preview. We had that live yesterday morning. So if you have not subscribed yet to Ford Progress, those are the things you'll miss out on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Also, I know that there's been a lot of talk about the go long Tyler Dunn, Taylor Dunn, who wrote this big piece, Tyler Dunn, Tyler Dunn, all about all of the dysfunction of the Chicago Bears. Are you guys going to talk about that? If you want to hear as thorough a breakdown journalistically about that as you can possibly get anywhere right now, Nowhere, anywhere. You're gonna get a more thorough breakdown of what matters and more importantly, what doesn't matter about that piece than today's Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. So when you get done with this, if you haven't already, check out what Chicago historian, sports historian Jack Silverstein had to say. And our interview with him is gonna, is gonna be the definitive primer on what matters from that reporting.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was really good and it was, and sitting and listening to him, I, I found myself drifting away as, as a listener, I wasn't like, I'm like, oh yeah, right, we're forgot.

[Dan Bernstein]

You were actually interviewing Him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

That is a great sign when you're just like. So this podcast is really.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is really good, actually.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm gonna subscribe to this.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You think you're on the walk with your dog or something? Like, wait a second. No, I'm hosting this.

[Matt Abaticola]

He was. He was fantastic. Wow. Was that good stuff?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah, it was excellent. And now we've got an actual football game to discuss.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's in his time, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know that the Bears have a defensive secondary left. And what really sucks is going into this year. If you had asked me the positional group that is the strength of the Bears, I immediately would have said they may have the single best secondary in the NFL.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I said, oh, not just the starters that you had a guy in Terrell Smith, who was believed to be a potential candidate to start with another team based on the way other people had discussed what he was doing, what players had said about him. So he's out for the year. So, okay, they can weather that. They've got other guys there. They've got veterans, and they've got other people. So then Jalen Johnson has some sort of freak calf injury. He's listed as questionable now with both calf and groin injuries. And we already talked about whether it makes sense to play him or not in this game, especially with Jordan Addison.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Because we discussed it a few days ago. If you missed it on Cinema Benjamin.

[Dan Bernstein]

Which you can't miss.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Cinema bench of critical, important, serious, serious football talk.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Also, Kyler Gordon was a late ad. Questionable with a hamstring injury that he'd been battling throughout camp.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So you remember he. He missed the joint training sessions with the Dolphins. That was early August.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

First week of August. So he. And from. Pretty much from there. I think, if I remember correctly, his preseason was. Was pretty much done. So I don't know if this is something that happened Friday or Saturday. He kind of tweaked things if they're being more precautionary than anything. But if. If he's out and it looks like Jalen Johnson, you know, how, How. How effective can he be with. With two injuries listed now, TJ Edwards is going to be out.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's doubtful. With a hamstring, he's doubtful, but he's.

[Matt Abaticola]

Probably going to be out.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Josh Blackwell is questionable with a groin injury.

[Matt Abaticola]

So that's three of your defensive backs that are on the injury report. So, like, what time. If you remember this correctly, I was trying to think back.

[Dan Bernstein]

When.

[Matt Abaticola]

When will we know if Players were elevated from the practice squad today. Is that, is that 90 minutes before game time or is it sooner than that? I can't. I don't recall.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know exactly when the cut down is. I believe that inactives are 90min.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is that when they announced the elevations as well?

[Dan Bernstein]

It might have to be earlier. And we, I don't know, like when you're, when they're the visiting team, you know, who's traveled and who hasn't traveled and all that, but because that'll be.

[Matt Abaticola]

Key to tell us if there's a couple cornerbacks or defensive backs that are elevated.

[Dan Bernstein]

The defensive backs on the practice squad right now, they've got quarterback Trey Flowers and.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is Gardner still there?

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't see that name.

[Matt Abaticola]

I thought it was Makai Gardner and Trey Flowers.

[Dan Bernstein]

I only see. I see Flowers and Dante Manning.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is the other one. All right, so we shall see if any of those guys get elevated. As far as running back goes, Britton Brown would be that guy. But it looks like Kyle Menungai will be available as a backup running back. And with Edwards out, it seems like they're going to go with the Rookie Reuben Hippolyte Jr. Yeah. Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Because when you, you talk about Manungai there. Yeah, he was a full participation yesterday or on Saturday. So he'll be, he'll be. Yeah, he'll be good to go.

[Dan Bernstein]

Either Noah Sewell or Ruben Hippolyte would replace TJ Edwards, and this is, this is a huge loss.

[Matt Abaticola]

It is.

[Dan Bernstein]

With all that said, the best possibility the Bears have is that J.J. mcCarthy sucks. We don't, we don't know if he's good or bad at all.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, you know, yeah, that's obviously the best case scenario is that he sucks, but he's a, he's a rookie. And even with the Bears maybe being hampered by injuries, maybe still catching up to the pro game his first game, we don't know what kind of mental state he is going into the game. Maybe that'll play a factor and help the Bears out, but, you know, this is certainly a better case scenario than going against a veteran quarterback. You know, having a guy taking his first time. I mean, he could go out and throw five touchdowns. He could suck.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it's. It's an NFL, essentially a rookie on.

[Matt Abaticola]

The road, which is always hard.

[Dan Bernstein]

Divisional game. The atmosphere is going to be island.

[Matt Abaticola]

Game spotlight Monday Night Football.

[Dan Bernstein]

Your best bet is to make him be bad at football. And the way you do that is by pressuring him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the reason why you spent a ton of money on Diode Dangbo and Grady Jarrett was to help do that or at least help Montez sweat do that please.

[Matt Abaticola]

Montez sweat please. Let's, let's do that. Let's. Let's get after the quarterback and you know, I feel better having Dennis Allen running the defense than maybe the coaching staff last year. Although you know, last year was all Caleb Williams fault. So I'm hoping that Dennis Allen has a plan in place to, to be as effective against the Vikings and a rookie quarterback as they would have been with their, you know, with their, with their full staff intact.

[Dan Bernstein]

I do think that the Bears will under Dennis Allen more likely with a banged up secondary be forced to rush for. I don't think you can put one on one pressure on some of these guys back there. I don't know that you want to test the strength and efficacy of reserves that soon but you got to pick your spots because you don't want to let him get comfortable early. And I'm sure with McCarthy they're going to try to have half field reads short to intermediate throws to let him get into some kind of rhythm. Ideally you disrupt that early on and don't give him some opportunities by weakening the back of your defense. But again maybe they say well that's what they're expecting them to do.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well that's what they're. Yeah, but also too it's. It's the NFL and it's next man up and injuries and you have to. And you can't completely change everything you do. And also Dan, we have the beneficial factor of the fact that the wide receiver room for the Vikings is suspended, injured, old or bad. So that's always a plus there as well.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well I'm expecting on the other side Flores is going to blitz. That's what he does. Everything is based off of that 35.

[Matt Abaticola]

To 40% of the time last year.

[Dan Bernstein]

Against Caleb WILLIAMS it was 42%. They average like 38 something 39. One of the highest percentages if not the highest percentage in the league. And what it means is one on one opportunities and it means that your go up and get it guy, your contested catch guy in Roma Dunes A It's time. He was good last year but he wasn't great. He's a top 10 pick.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. Expecting a lot more this year. We discussed it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Go ahead and announce your presence with authority given these opportunities that you have tonight and what are obviously going to be one on ones. And I know that Ben Johnson wants to have some run after the catch stuff. Whether it's run after the catch or whether it is contested one on ones back shoulder stuff. This is why he's here. Go make the play. Now do you remember on a previous episode, I don't know which it was on a previous forward progress when I talked about what we know about Ben Johnson and what we'll find out tonight about my. And I think this is also in dbu, any offensive coach, basketball or football in this case, obviously football has his magic playbook.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they get all excited, I'm going to run this play and that play and whiz bang, razzle dazzle. You just watch. I've got all these cards in front of me and I can deal them all out whenever I need them. And then they have their six weeks of training camp and they emerge from that with a tiny percentage of those plays.

[Matt Abaticola]

Generally speaking, yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Being something you can trust. So what I asked was, is Ben Johnson, does he know about that truth? Does he know that that happens to every coach in his position? And tell me if this answers our question. Jason Leisure's Sun Times article where he says, I'm highly self aware. That's one of my strengths. He said, we like to say no one adjusts better than us. It should be better than we. But I'll, I'll give him a break on that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thank you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Better than we adjust.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thank you, teacher.

[Dan Bernstein]

And what Leisure says is when his team opens the season Monday night against the Vikings, he's sticking to plays that worked in practice. That's a more blue collar, blue collar approach than many might have expected from someone who's been called an offensive wizard. He has thrown the whole playbook at Caleb Williams and the offense over the last last several months. But now it's merely about whatever it takes to get through one game. The goal isn't to score 40, is to score enough. It's less about being viewed as a genius, more about being practical.

[Matt Abaticola]

So that says to me that good. Yes. No, no. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think he's answering you specifically by letting us know he's self. Aware.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sure. What it sounds like, doesn't it?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like I know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Self.

[Dan Bernstein]

Aware. No, damn it. I know that offensive coaches always have to trim down their playbook. I'm not an idiot. I started laughing and I was like, of course I did that. Was I directly asked that question. Is he self aware enough to know that this happens to everybody in his position?

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. And then that also it speaks to what I've said about him. What I think we've learned is that he is a truth teller.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then at times catches himself maybe telling, walks back a little bit. But this is him. He's like, yeah, you know, I'm going to, I'm going to. I'm going to run the plays that make the most amount of sense and thank God. Thank God.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I hope it means using your best players at the right times and maybe I also count on the fact that he knows plays in practice that we haven't seen in these brief exhibition moments.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

The couple of series that they've, they've played and my guess is going to be a heavy dose of Colston Loveland.

[Matt Abaticola]

I and I and I hope it's more than like four plays. You know, I hope they're not running the same four plays over. But really, in all honesty, I really hope that the wide receiver bubble screen that goes for negative 8 is not one of those plays.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why not? You have a problem with that?

[Matt Abaticola]

I do. I'm tired.

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe they're just setting something up later.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm tired of seeing it. I'm tired of seeing it for team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just so they can run, they can mirror it, run something off of it later.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's like, what do you guys run? Well, we run the wide receiver bubble screen that loses yards every time I watch other teams run wide receiver screens and go for 15 to 25 yards.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's all, it's all timing, it's all insane. It's all when you hit it. Either that or the. The Matt Negie quick interior shovel pass to the tight end and crack toss short side. We'll see in the first 15 when we see the scripted plays and see the reactions to the formations. I want to see too. When they break the huddle, we're still looking at process.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Get the play in, get it called, break the huddle, get to the line with time, let Caleb Williams look it over. And then do they motion somebody? Do they reduce the formation? Do they go from empty to adding a back as a protector once they get an understanding of who might be coming? Because that's what Flores are going to do. And if you maybe snap it quick, catch them in their disguise, look and hit a guy for six and take the free cheese.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm. I'm so excited for this. Yeah, I can't wait to be. I'm going to be bouncing off the walls all day. I really am.

[Matt Abaticola]

How do you do you like as a fan? Do you. Do you like the fact that they have the first Monday night game? Did you like. Yeah. You don't care. Yeah, sure. I wanted to watch it yesterday. I just. I. There's something about being the only game, and, like, the first week of the season, it's just. It's. There's a lot of extra going on there.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've just. I've got to get my pace down. It was different previously when I had a different job and I knew I was writing and I was still really active on Twitter, setting up my mise en place, my little cockpit that's sort of arranged there on the coffee table.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

And now you're one chicken wing.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then you go back to the kitchen for a second chicken wing.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's gonna be later. I have to figure out I'm not gonna eat until we're done with our.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm sorry. I couldn't let go of that all day yesterday. It was in my brain. It's just. It's so weird that you, like, you take one chicken wing at a time.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a test wing. Sometimes you're grazing if you're at. If there's a. If there's a spread.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I know. I.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't defend this again.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm not asking you to, so you don't have to. I just. I still think it's weird.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wings before. I've done a test wing.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think you. I think you take two or three at the start.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's not a test. One wing is a test. And then maybe you nibble another thing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Listen, all right, I get what you're saying.

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe there. Maybe there's, like, burrata and prosciutto.

[Matt Abaticola]

But the idea. But the idea of walking back from the kitchen with that one test wing, then maybe that's what I have a problem with.

[Dan Bernstein]

They should eat it right there over.

[Matt Abaticola]

The other wings, not over it. You don't have to eat over the plate. And plus, it's your family. You don't have people over.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is my family. I could be at an elegant party with heads of state.

[Matt Abaticola]

But you're not. We're talking about you watching a football game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, how do you know? Maybe I'm watching a game at an elegant party with heads of state.

[Matt Abaticola]

Maybe you're at the White House.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, on the new rose garden club lawn thing, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

The umbrellas with the yellow and white umbrellas and the white metal.

[Dan Bernstein]

Seriously, like, it's like, the grossest country club you've ever seen.

[Matt Abaticola]

So, like, eat that one chip. Eat the test wing.

[Dan Bernstein]

They have the horrible plastic surgery.

[Matt Abaticola]

What is up with that? I don't know. The Giant cheeks and lips and your.

[Dan Bernstein]

Eyes are closed and seriously, make me look like a squinty eyed fish. All right, give me $35,000. Here you go. Okay, now you're a squinty eyed fish.

[Matt Abaticola]

Shell a couple of bas balls in your mouth and just store them there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Shiny squinty eyed fish.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's really disgusting. Oh. So here's my thing. Just eat the test wing in the kitchen before you leave. Then maybe you want to grab a few more with you. Just the idea of going back and forth with one wing is so bizarre.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let me handle that. I'm not making you do it.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know. All right, fine. I'm sorry. I don't mean to judge you for it.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's all about process. I'm trying to get the play in, get the play called, get up to the line and see if I have to make an adjustment. But that's what I'm doing.

[Matt Abaticola]

If it's just you by yourself or you're just at home with the kids, do you really have that much in the spread?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, if it's just me, I'm usually. I don't eat during the game. Ever.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, because it's too early.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I just, I don't. I don't want to bother with it. I got enough going on. I'm watching the game, man.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sorry.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm taking notes. I'm watching my Chicago Bears do their thing.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right. What else are you. What else are you looking for tonight?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I think we need to look at the. That through a different lens. It isn't necessarily what we're looking for. It should be where the material resources are that matter the most. Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And it's, it's. You know, I've been saying this for years and we talked about this. Follow the money. I always follow the money when there's a story involved. Follow the money. And I just wanted to revisit the Bears salary cap and look at cap hits for this season as we follow the money. You know who number one is on the list, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Number one cap hit at the moment?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, at the moment. For 20, 25. All we care about this season, it's Montez sweat.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

At just under 21 million, number two.

[Dan Bernstein]

Jalen Johnson.

[Matt Abaticola]

DJ Moore.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ah, okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then there's a quite a bit of a drop, actually. Let me see here.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm trying to think who's still in rookie deals and who's been paid. Tremaine Edmonds is making a lot of money, correct?

[Matt Abaticola]

He is at 14, 9. 14, 9. I wanted to look Specifically at the offensive line, too, to see. Now look at the investment that was made. Jonah Jackson at 7 million this year for. Oh, I'm sorry, no guaranteed salary cap number. Here we go. Cap number. Yep. Blah, blah, blah. Jonah Jackson, 14 million. 7:50. So 15 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Drew Dahlman is next at 14 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, circle that name. I want to get back to that.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, we'll get back to that one. Joe Tooney at 8 million. And then we drop down to Darnell Wright at just under 6 million. And then we have.

[Dan Bernstein]

Glad to see you have this so organized.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I do. I'm just. I got to scroll down here. My computer. Yeah. Where's the other.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, where's the other tackle?

[Matt Abaticola]

It's a guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a tackle.

[Matt Abaticola]

Makes money. Yeah. What's his name? Blackwell.

[Dan Bernstein]

Jesse, give me a Greek salad.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't like Greek salads. Darnell Wright at 6 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Greeks actually make it too polish with.

[Matt Abaticola]

Everything on top of the Greek salad, which actually sounds good. You dirty bastard, you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I met you.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not our guy. So Darnell Wright at just under 6 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

These are the people who deserve to be watched.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, no, I think so, but it's just, you know, again, and we talked about these yesterday when we were visiting with our friend up in Minnesota, Phil Mackey, who does score north for Purple Daily. All the investment. All the investment on the interior line. Yeah, I get it. And it was. It was just crazy to hear about how there's such a lack of pressure from the interior portion of the Vikings defense. I know they didn't go and fix the lineup just for this game against the Vikings or their times against the Vikings, but you had all this investment in the middle. You left the ends right where you're at. You still had no idea what was going on with left tackle. You were auditioning guys at left tackle throughout the entire off season. And all the pressure from the Vikings comes from their outside. Your guy, the Viking, he's going to be fine for. For this game. Andrew Van.

[Dan Bernstein]

Andrew Van Ginkel.

[Matt Abaticola]

Van Ginkel. The greatest Viking name ever.

[Dan Bernstein]

If you missed our list that we brought you, we'll get it out of the greatest Vikings. We'll get it up of all time. You got to listen. Nobody gave you a list quite like we did.

[Matt Abaticola]

But, you know, you look at where the money spent on the offensive line, and you. Then you question about looking at the tackles. But really, for me, just a refresher for going into this season. Montez Sweat, DJ Moore, at the top of that list. Got. Got to see More I mean I think as sweat. He's had one one season of double digit sacks. I think it was 2023 the the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Combo year but not with the Bears.

[Matt Abaticola]

But he had six with the Bears. Six and a half.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. He led two teams in sacks I.

[Matt Abaticola]

Believe but so he has never had a double digit sack season outside of that one combo.

[Dan Bernstein]

And no excuse now you got Grady Jarrett next to you. They went out, they spent money on no dingbo.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's time.

[Dan Bernstein]

And that was all on the come to that was that is a Ryan polls betting on a guy being better than he's shown.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because of the attention that should be paid Montez sweat.

[Matt Abaticola]

And so far that has not shown.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well that's what we'll see early. Do they double sweat or do they let him affect the game before they decide to do that? Yeah, because there are certain guys like you watched Michael Parsons yesterday. You had an entire team trying to block him the moment they realized he was on the field.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not that way with sweat. I think with sweat. You got to make him prove it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh I agree 100%. I'm not going to start again in a Bears uniform. He hasn't proven it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I am not going to start a game double teaming him unless he shows me.

[Matt Abaticola]

I have to 100% and you just.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hope that that's not a strip sack fumble.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you. Did you hear any of Micah Parsons comments about the Lions going into that Lions game? About how he hates the Lions. Always hated the Lions.

[Dan Bernstein]

He always hated.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's really. It was really weird.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's always hated the Lions.

[Matt Abaticola]

I guess he has. He talked about his time in Dallas whenever they would play the Lions. It would always be good games.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And he's always had a really strong hatred for. For Detroit.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I don't know if he was just feeding the packers media and the packers fans. It's a little weird. I thought it was strange. It's like it caught my ear enough to make me stop and listen. It was weird.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now I mentioned to circle and double back to the name Drew Dahlman.

[Matt Abaticola]

Drew Dahlman.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've been for I don't know how long now talking about the significance of the center position as a skill position. It's not sexy. It's not left tackle, it's not wide receiver, it's not a cover corner. But it is the fulcrum of everything a successful offense does is based on the success of that position. Drew Dahlman is an outstanding outside zone blocker. The Bears have promised to be varied in their run game. And this gets back to Ben Johnson's level of self awareness when he says, I know that this happens and that they're going to go with what worked in practice. I don't think it's going to be a whole lot of exotic stuff. I don't know how much duo ISO inside zone. I expect them to lean heavily on outside zone because that's what Drew Dahlman does best, getting on the move and then allowing DeAndre Swift or Kyle Menungai to make that decision on the cut of when to hit it up against the grain. It may also allow for half field reads for Caleb Williams and see if he can make some of these layered throws. But. But I. That's what I do expect. I expect a reliance on outside zone run, but I'll be watching Drew Dahlman. It's. You got to remind yourself to do it sometimes. Watch the interior line.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

But. But I. I'm going to do my best to remember to do that there. Everybody's got their own way of watching games. Not every time, but sometimes a few plays, especially early on rundowns. I'm going to watch the center and let the camera take me to the ball.

[Matt Abaticola]

And that's what's really important about having a good broadcast team. Because sometimes you have some broadcasters, they may be the highest paid in the business where they're watching the ball the entire time and that's all they talk about is where the ball goes. And they don't teach you anything else or show you anything else about the broadcast because it is hard to do. It's hard as a fan to be at home and not take that moment, you know, every few plays to watch what's happening outside and away from the ball. But yeah, Drew Dahlman, it's going to be, you know, I. First I thought you said Hatfield reads, not half field.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's hatfield reads.

[Matt Abaticola]

There's McCoy reads. Yeah, I didn't know. Maybe that's part of Ben Johnson's playbook.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or James Hetfield reads.

[Matt Abaticola]

I was like, I didn't. I'm not familiar with the portion of the playbook.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. Enter left. You're giving him Hetfield reads.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Not the Hatfield reads. Okay. Those are half field reads.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Got it. Yeah. So. Yeah. And we'll see. Again, complete idiot. Well. Well, yeah. Are you just now getting that?

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. That's what I thought you said. I heard Hatfield reads.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of course you heard it that way.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So then automatically went to Hatfield and McCoy reads and different kinds of reeds.

[Dan Bernstein]

They've been. You know what they've been. They've been a feudin. Well, that's in apostrophe.

[Matt Abaticola]

Better feudin than diddling.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, it depends. I'm not gonna say that I don't think I can concur, doctor. It depends if you're getting or if you're being receiving.

[Matt Abaticola]

I cannot wait for this game tonight.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know.

[Matt Abaticola]

I cannot wait.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know. I'm gonna have to eat something soon.

[Matt Abaticola]

What are you gonna. What are you gonna do for a spread?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not. I'm. It's gonna be midnight when I'm eating, right. We're gonna be done. We're gonna take.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, yeah, well, you won't eat. But what about snacks, though? You don't have any game snacks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Snacks?

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm gonna have game snacks.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not gonna have game snacks.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, you're not gonna have dips or spreads?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not giving people over.

[Matt Abaticola]

But it's for yourself.

[Dan Bernstein]

Dips and spreads, yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

You don't like dips and spreads for yourself?

[Dan Bernstein]

I love dips and spreads, but they're not part of what I do for myself. For a game, I will.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm gonna do a whole thing of dips and spreads.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now. As soon as we get done recording this, I think I'd have a big bag of po and that'll be all that.

[Matt Abaticola]

I have mentioned pork rinds at least once a day.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know why?

[Matt Abaticola]

You eat pork rinds every day?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, well, yes, sometimes.

[Matt Abaticola]

Maybe the chicharrones.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're awesome. Yeah, they're awesome. Especially Mac's brand in the green bag at Mariano's. The crap Mac Max. Cracklins.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, is that what they are?

[Dan Bernstein]

Cracklins? Oh, my God.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know what? I'm gonna add pork rinds to my list tonight.

[Dan Bernstein]

You should know, I spent all summer fishing, and I always kept them in my car and I kept them in my pockets. You know, you catch a couple of.

[Matt Abaticola]

Small mouths out of the bag.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just throw a couple in your pocket.

[Dan Bernstein]

You reward yourself with a nice fried up piece of pork skin because you caught yourself a fish that's living right there, mister.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, well.

[Dan Bernstein]

You kidding me?

[Matt Abaticola]

Maybe I'll add pork on my list. Are you kidding me?

[Dan Bernstein]

You should.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, I can't wait.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, I can't either. And the great news is the moment this game is decided, we are going to be on live from our respective home studios. And speaking of studios, by the way.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah, place is looking great.

[Dan Bernstein]

Thanks to Dave Karwaski, who painted this all by himself.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did he really?

[Dan Bernstein]

On Sunday he came in and did this entirely by himself. Hands and knees. He had an actual painter's cap on. He put down the drop cloths.

[Matt Abaticola]

No painter's pants though. Oh, he. Oh yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Several pairs of painter's pants.

[Matt Abaticola]

Multiple at one time. Oh yeah. No, he'll.

[Dan Bernstein]

He'll. He. He kept changing many costume changes the entire time. But yeah, our guy Killer Karwski came in here.

[Matt Abaticola]

Car.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow, that's great. Yeah, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

I didn't know he did that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. All by himself.

[Matt Abaticola]

I painted yesterday too. I was painting my stepson's bedroom.

[Dan Bernstein]

Really?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did he have like a little kids thing that he wanted painted?

[Matt Abaticola]

No. So we actually. There was an extra room in the basement that we've done some remodeling to. To kind of make it more of an everyday bedroom. And he moved down in the basement. It was.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what Zoe's gonna. Zoe.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was the youngest. So we, we went in order by age to take this basement bedroom and all the three older ones skipped it. They passed on it. They screw up and the youngest one took the. He was like all over. He. He was.

[Dan Bernstein]

So here's what they don't understand.

[Matt Abaticola]

Going into it. He was like. He thought for sure he wouldn't have a chance at it. So he was like. He was mad going into the whole process.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're gonna be killing. Kicking themselves.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. So it was the youngest one. The nine year old is moving in the basement and the other ones are.

[Dan Bernstein]

Going to be kicking themselves when they said they have no place to sneak a girl in.

[Matt Abaticola]

The 13, the 12, 11 year old.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, they're going to be so mad.

[Matt Abaticola]

They all said no to live on their own.

[Dan Bernstein]

In the basement.

[Matt Abaticola]

There's like a kitchen area.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh my God. There's a bathroom stash beer down there.

[Matt Abaticola]

There's, you know, there's the secondary living room with the TV and the leather couches.

[Dan Bernstein]

That is amazing. Massive screw up.

[Matt Abaticola]

It is. But it's also where my studio is though, so he can't do too much because I'll be down there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, she told me because I'm gonna be up so late, she doesn't want me coming.

[Matt Abaticola]

Coming to bed tonight.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, she says you might as well just sleep downstairs because if it's gonna be one in the morning or whatever it is, I don't want you to wake me up. All right, well, I mean we're gonna.

[Matt Abaticola]

We'Re gonna have a long active post game show. I don't think we'll be going to 1 in the morning. I don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

It depends how long it takes me to eat.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, that's right. You have to have dinner.

[Dan Bernstein]

Preheating the oven, doing like a shepherd's pie from scratch. I gotta go out and slaughter the lamb.

[Matt Abaticola]

Ramsey over.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, right. I gotta have to slaughter the spring lambs. Oh, boy, that's screaming.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's your dinner party tonight. Gordon Ramsay and Hannibal Lecter.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. Now, then I would put out dips and spreads.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, you would be the spring.

[Dan Bernstein]

If I had those two over, I would put out dips and spreads. All right, so that is forward progress number one for this Bears Monday and forward progress number two for this Monday will be after the game. Do not miss it. You can get this. And make sure that you're subscribed to everything, to this, to dbu, to everything we do. And, you know, we buried the lead. We didn't mention, you know what forward progress is now daily.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. Totally forgot. My bad.

[Dan Bernstein]

We completely bailed on that. We're doing this every day now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So we're gonna have lots of forward progress for you. We had one yesterday. We're gonna have two today. We're gonna have another one Tomor more reaction. You can share your comments. Maybe we'll have some comments from our YouTube as well. You can actually, we'll have comments up and up and running Dan, during our live forward progress tonight post game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. And you know how to pop them up on the screen. They'll be up, bernstein sucks.

[Matt Abaticola]

Bernstein sucks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bernstein sucks. Bernstein, you're a hypocrite.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then you'd be like, matt, why do you keep sending that?

[Dan Bernstein]

That's all that's coming in. Bernstein, you suck. Aren't you the same guy that said, why should I listen to you? You suck. Yeah. So that'll be most of the comments.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's tonight, though. More progress live post game show.

[Dan Bernstein]

By the way, that meeting on Friday was. So you want to know how things have changed here? Just the way that 312 sports is being run by these people. When they said, hey, when do you think it would be possible for forward progress to start being daily? Because what we're seeing, we think it'd be a really good idea if you guys went from a couple times a week to doing this every single day. And we're like, Monday. Yeah, we'll just do it Monday.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, we'll start. We'll start Tuesday, because Monday was already scheduled. Yeah. How about Tuesdays? Tuesday work for you guys?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? It was just Tuesday then. And they're like, yeah, sure. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sounds good.

[Dan Bernstein]

See how easy things could be?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's amazing.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, cool.

[Matt Abaticola]

We'll see you tonight.

[Dan Bernstein]

See you tonight.

[Matt Abaticola]

Post game.

[Dan Bernstein]

219. 219.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abaticola on 312 Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sam.