Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Dan Wiederer: Bears' floor has been elevated — and we can't even see the ceiling (Hour 4)

Episode Date: September 14, 2026

In the final hour, Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote were joined by Dan Wiederer of The Athletic to discuss the Bears’ offensive exploits in their 59-37 win against the Panthers on Sunday in their season opener. Later, Rahimi and Grote fired up the Meatball Machine to hear Score callers’ reactions during and after the Bears’ victory Sunday.

This hour is being brought to you by cars for kids. Dan Weiderer, Bears reporter and senior writer for the athletic. You're going to be relying on a lot of young players, guys that have to materialize into who they thought they were. The Bears are who we thought they were. On-air contributor for 104-3, the score. We'll mention this mainly because Dan Weirer said we would mention this nugget. Host of the Take the North podcast. We're going to take the north and never give it back.

Dan Weeder. Thanks, Coach. We'll go first to Dan Weedier. On Chicago Sports Radio, 104. the score. Crazy. Heck yeah, man. It's Rahimi and Grotie on the score.

You are listening to a Plumbers 9-1-1 football Monday presented by Busey Bank and Great Cliffs. Dan Weeder joining us right now, apparently from the Carolina airport. Dan, we appreciate you joining us in the chaos of travel. I don't know if you knew this or not, but the Bears beat Carolina 59 to 37. I know we did a whole podcast on it yesterday. It's not been 24 hours yet. We're getting closer and closer to that, but what are you thinking about now

after you slept on this win for the Chicago Bears? Yeah, the Bears beat the Panthers Grody, and they beat them pretty good. I was a witness to it. It was incredible to see that type of offensive eruption in the manner that the bears put it together. I think everyone in the locker room afterwards was of the belief that they left some things out there,

and that is incredibly encouraging when you go for 552 yards and 59 points. and you just feel like this team is building towards something really, really special. So I think my biggest takeaway this morning is that the floor for this franchise has been elevated to a level that we are not really that familiar with and the ceiling we can't even see yet. Well, that's it. It's wild to say, oh, here are some stressful moments in the game. What we're talking about a Bears team scoring an amount of points that, frankly,

had been inconceivable for generations of watching this team. and that's where we're at with this. Dan, one of the best things I think about the point total is they did this overwhelmingly on the running game. And to be able to score with 70 plays, 59 points, and do it on the ground, it's not very often you see that combination lead to that result. That says a lot about the success that they knew they were going to have.

I feel like EPA came into this too, and we haven't even touched on that today. Well, look, we know that what makes Ben Johnson special is how devoted he is to the running game. ability to teach it, his ability to install it, his ability to get his players to believe in what he is setting them up to succeed with is incredible. And so you've got this group up front, these offensive linemen that are really, really talented, but also really, really bought in to what they're trying to execute. You've got these running backs who understands what is being asked of them. DeAndre Swift coming into the season, understanding he needed to get better

with his tracks and his aiming points and his ability to see the holes that were there for him and hit them. And so then you get all this stuff put on the tape, and you've got this, as my colleague Kevin Fishbane would call it, proof of concept of like, hey, this is what we told you to do. You guys did it. Take a look at these results. These are pretty impressive. And so there's a lot to build on. And then, as I said, I think this team understands they're going to go back in to the video as early as today. And obviously, in the next couple days, and they're going to see a turnover on the first drive. They're going to see a handful of penalties, five on offense yesterday. They're going to see a fourth and one that they didn't execute.

There were a lot of mistakes in there that the coaches can get their attention back to, you know, center stage with by highlighting that and saying, guys, there's still things we've got to get better at. And yet we did score 59 points and run away from the poor Panthers. With the 59 points scored yesterday, Dan, what were you able to learn from Ben Johnson about what he was most excited about from the game? Did he have a favorite play? What really turned him on in that game? I wrote about this today at the athletic because both Ben and Caleb selected their same favorite play, and it's not the play that you would expect those guys to gravitate towards in a fireworks show like yesterday was, but it was Kyle Monongai's run, which I think we all agree was sort of that upper cut to the jaw that broke that game open, even though there was still a full quarter to play, and they noticed the blocking, right?

And in particular, Jaday Walker up ahead of the play running alongside Minangai, head turned back, trying to figure out how he could clear out a couple extra defenders, ultimately getting his butt back and throwing his rear end out there to make sure that Monongai was untouched for the last 30 yards of that run. And so, you know, like Caleb said, this is who we want to be. This is the identity that we need to have, that we want to have, where it's just all 11 on every single play, doing everything they can to invest in the success of that play.

And so when you get those things and you're able to highlight them, it's really rewarding. And then obviously Jadae gets a touchdown catch later in the game as the true reward for his effort there. And it all just came together in a way where, again, like I think that the euphoria in Chicago right now is unlike anything that I've ever seen in terms of offensive capabilities for the Chicago Bears. Well, and Dan, I couldn't agree with you more. Our segment with Dan Weir is sponsored by Bucie Bank, building business, growing wealth since 1868. I think somebody, and I'm talking to the guy who I think somebody, he is, should do a deep dive

on, it's one thing for the receivers to try to block, it's another for them to actually block and be good at it. And that's what we're seeing. We're seeing effective use, effective blocks, even when there's physical mismatches in a way that I hadn't seen with previous Bears' offenses.

Okay, and so this circles back, Lela, to the leader of the football team, and it's Ben Johnson's ability to reach everyone in that locker. And in particular the offense, as it relates to this conversation, in a way that resonates. And I spent a lot of this summer trying to figure out from guys, why is it that Ben resonates the way he does?

When he tells you to do something, why is it not 100 questions? It's just coach on it, you know? And it comes down to three things, in my opinion. It's one, Ben is Uber confident, right? And you guys hear him speak and you feel the confidence he projects when he talks to us, to them, to everyone, right? There's just a belief in who he is and what he's teaching that resonates. He's proven, right? He came to Chicago with a resume where even on the first day that he held a meeting,

guys knew what the lions under his watch had done on offense. You know, and so that proven nature, I think, just gives you a credibility that provides momentum to everything you're trying to do. And last but not least, certainly it's how fanatical Ben is about his own self-improvement, about his own desire to succeed. Those guys see that every day. They feel it every day and they try to emulate it. So when you talk about, okay, why are receivers blocking the way they are?

it's because the head coach and his assistants have reached them in a way where they are 1,000% bought in, and there is no wavering on any of it. And this is a special sauce, and I'm sure you can hear the excitement the way I describe it, because I've been around a lot of losing football teams over time. And when you see a winning football team start to crystallize with winning ways, you're like, this is why I was so hard on these losing teams over the years because they weren't doing the things that winning football teams do. That's the voice of Dan Wheater, senior writer at the Athletic Covering the Bears,

co-host of the Take the North podcast that we get to perform together. And this segment with Dan Weeder is brought to you by Plumbers 911. Plumbing Emergency, call the plumbing professionals available 24-7 at 1833 Plum 911. And connected to what you were just talking about with Layla with the Great Blocking, you wrote that immaculate article in The Athletic about the Scramble Drill. How much satisfaction did you have, Dan, seeing the scrambled drill play to Roma Dunesay that Layla and I were just talking about the last segments. Yeah, I mean, look, like, that is everything.

You know, and this traces back to how much time and effort this entire group spent on realizing that this has to be a weapon for them to go to to go to and to see that click in that moment where the quarterback throws a ball and a playmaker who's drafted in the top ten shows you his elite gifts at making contested catches, and you get a huge play out of it, and you're in scoring range once again. And you just, again, you see. the positive reinforcement for the work that was put in specifically to make that click within a game. And I don't think it was just that highlight.

I think there were moments in that game or even Caleb as just a really graceful scrambler throughout the two touchdown runs. There's a handful of moments in that game where he's just out there looking for an open target, looking for an open target, doesn't find one, bam, eight yards first out. And those are the things that steal the soul of the defense.

And I think we probably saw that three times yesterday where it was just so calm, under control. next thing you know he's using his speed. He's beyond the first down marker and the Panthers have no answers. Do you guys remember the VH1 show, Best Week Ever? Yeah. Did you think of that when Ben Johnson pointed out what a week DeAndre Swifted had? That's good.

You have your birthday. You have the extension for the contract. And then you are part of a just absolutely demoralizing ground game and a win like that. Right. And like DeAndre hits that first explosive run of the day. and it gets called back because of a hold on Rome. And you're sitting there like, oh, man, you know, we spent a month and a half talking about how ready for this season, D'Andre Swift is to go attack this thing.

And he gets, you know, an early setback. And then he just comes back all day long, the 32-yard run early in that game, where he bounces off a tackle from Devin Lloyd. He spins off a tackle. I think it was Will Lee in the next level that he got off. And it just felt like a tone-setting run where it was the Bears announcing to Carolina, like, we're going to do this all day. Like we're going to punish you up front. We're going to give this guy his opportunity to make plays. And DeAndre went and did that. I think you both are aware of how much I admire the way Swift goes about his business. You know, he's just so soft-spoken, but every single day is in that building trying to figure out what he can do to help the football team. When you see a guy get rewarded financially, come back, get rewarded on the football field with his production, and then immediately say, we've got to go back to work. You understand why the bears want him here. for three seasons beyond this one.

Well, and Dan, another part of it was he was having to be the last line of defense in front of Caleb Williams a couple of times because he was the offset back of Williams was out of the shotgun, and the Panthers wanted to shoot the center gaps. And did you notice how much DeAndre Swift was having to help out up the middle there sometimes? Right. And there's just so much harmony

to this offense right now. You know what I mean? And in the past, we spent many a Monday listening to coaches tell us, oh, we were just, you know, there's just one or two guys that screwed that play up. And now we're like, man, look at how all 11 made that play work. You know what I mean? And so it's a beautiful thing when you find that, you find that level of detail, you find that investment from the group.

And again, like, you know, it's 59 points in the opener. I think we're all level-headed enough to understand. It's not going to be that every week. But there's also a sense that, like, look, there's 17 more weeks and 16 more regular season games to see what they can come up with to take this even to another level. And that's not going to equate to 60 plus points, but I think you're going to see an offense that's CRISPR that responds

and meets its moments more regularly. And you're going to have some real entertaining Sundays and Thursdays and Mondays as the season goes on. On the other side, let us hope that the Bears' defense is not allowing 37 points a game, that they're not allowing 478 yards a game, but it is not a shocker that the Bears' defense is the part of the team that was suspect because we talked about the fact that it probably would be suspect until proven otherwise.

I guess the issue that I have with the defense yesterday was the fact that Tyreek Stevenson and Jalen Johnson were getting exposed yesterday. Jalen Coker having a huge game, eight catches for 138 yards and two TDs. Worried about Jalen Johnson at all, Dan, and I guess to a lesser degree, Tyreeks Stevenson. Well, I've got to go back. I haven't gotten into the defensive rewatch yet, and so I'm eager tonight and tomorrow to kind of get my eyes on that a second time and try to figure out if I can identify what was causing that. Hopefully, Dennis Allen will indulge us on Thursday.

Is it Thursday that we get the air with some questions and some oversight on kind of what he saw as he went back through this performance and can educate us a little bit on why it went wrong. I know we'll look ahead of the Vikings as a promise to the A that we will do that as well, but we'll want kind of his lens on that performance yesterday because it did leave a lot to be desired, and you're going to need those guys in the secondary. them coming into the season. Those guys are going to have to step up and make plays and be part of the coverage in the Russian coverage aspect of the Bears trying to make life hard on

opposing quarterback. So there's going to need to be a jump there. I just need to get a better lens on it to figure out what the common denominators were yesterday. Well, one way to do it, I think, is to ask, you know, Kevin O'Connell's going to game plan off of what he saw. And if I'm KOC, I'm trying to get as much isolation and man coverage for Justin Jefferson as possible. Just that's evergreen. And then the other one is, how are you going to not expose those crossing patterns again, like what we saw the Packards do last year, was similar personnel responsible? Redmond, it looked like, I will say this, like Malik Mohamed yesterday, competed, you know,

and I think that was one of the pluses that we knew he was going to bring to the table when the season started it was going to compete. And his interception at the end of the half, it was after the Caleb Williams touchdown scramble, and Ben Johnson had emphasized that the half for so long, and that wasn't just to his offense. it wasn't, we just need to get better offensively at the end of half. It was, we need to close out as a defense and limit what Ben calls the retaliatory score. When you get an offensive that goes down and gets your points before the half, got the door, slam it shut.

And Muhammad coming up with that interception, I thought, was a big moment in that game and a big moment for a rookie who needs kind of some of those good feelings so they can lean into those when some of those bad feelings occur when he's exposed as the weeks go on. Yeah, and I would never pick somebody like Malik Mohamed to be at all, disappointing on the Take the North podcast. I would never predict something. That is Mark Gordy's guilt brought to you by the Take the North podcast. Because we're dumb and we force ourselves to make these predictions on the Take the North

podcast. And at the end of the season, we tell everybody about our dumb predictions. But that's just one game from Malik Mohamed. Yeah, he looked great and I hope he was terrific all year. You know, it was also nice, Dan, to see Montez sweat get an early sack this season after such a slow start last year, to have that third. 7 sack to stop that drive where it was. I would have liked to have seen more Montez that the game went on,

but I thought it was nice to get one on the sack column for him. I agree with everything you said. Nice to get one. I wanted to feel him a little bit more as that game went on, particularly as we talked about what this matchup was going to be for the bears with, you know, some tackles that they felt like they might be able to expose, including a rookie in Monroe Freeling. You kind of hoped that you could have felt that more through a day,

and maybe that point total wouldn't have ticked up toward 40 with what the defense gave up. But yeah, you know, positive moments all throughout. I will point out that they got that special team's takeaway on the banana ball from Torrey Taylor that Ben was thrilled with after the game. And that's a big moment in that game because it allowed them to retain the lead. They turned that into points there. And remember, that's not too long after they got stopped at fourth and one deep in their own territory where, you know, if that game goes sideways on you, that's what Ben is answering for today on Monday. What, you know, what are you doing going for it on fourth and one deep in your own territory like that? Obviously, that's who,

he is. That's the identity. People in Chicago and the outside world are going to have to be ready for those types of decisions. But for the Bears to quickly regroup, I thought said a lot about their ability to play the game on their terms, get to take away, turn it into points and have the lead again. Well, and Ben Johnson

doubled down on his desires and his goals for this team. And I thought that that was pretty strong of a statement, even after he saw his defense give up 37 points. You know, he once again said, no, I'm sticking to this. I want to be the best

scoring offense ever, and he didn't back away from that at all after the game. So it's almost like you're sitting over my shoulder here. I'm on one of those famed rocking chairs here at the Charlotte International Airport, and writing a little bit of something about that 2013 Broncos team that averaged the record setting

37.9 points and why Ben set that target for this team and what it actually means beyond the goal, which is just the mentality, right? of, hey guys, like, we want to be unforgiving. Every time we touch the football, we believe we can and should score. And so you have to adopt that mindset. There is no time to take a breath.

And I think it was Cole combat in the first week of camp who said, like, we want to be unforgiving. And it's such a good word because it is a mindset. It's like, you know, and I think Cole followed up and said, we're going to score points until they tell us we have to stop scoring points. You know, and so that's where Ben wants their headspace. And so I don't care that it's fourth down deep in our own territory. You got one yard to get. Go get it. They failed.

They obviously were in a bind after that. And guess what? They went and scored 38 more points after that. So they were able to respond and regroup and do the things that the head coach wants them to do. I have been told to inform you about another feature at the Charlotte Airport, even though I don't know that you'll need it. There is a robot that does manicures. Oh, yeah, I don't know. I'm going to go in on that today.

I'm actually a little bit scared of robots these days. My fear is escalating. So if I see that thing, I may either run or I may kick it. Yeah, I mean, as long as it's still working for you, but in this case, yeah, there's a viral video of getting a manicure at the Charlotte Airport by a robot. So there's that as well if you want to like have some free time and check it out outside of the typical airport features like rocking chairs. It's a nice airport here.

They got plenty of food options. I will tell you, every time I travel, it reminds me of how lame O'Hare is in terms of its options for hanging out and eating and just finding a place to get some work done. So that's a challenge to the city of Chicago and O'Hare Airport to help its game. Spoken like somebody who spends time in the American Airlines Terminal. That's how I feel. Good, better, best, never let rest. Dan, you just get yourself back here safely, okay, mister?

All right, you and I will get our podcast scheduled aligned, and you said something very, very fitting here earlier in this hit. You said we're pretty dumb on the Take the North podcast. That is true at all times. Sometimes I think we can be smart too And we'll bring a little both To the equation this week That's right

Keep it at dumb The Take the North podcast Oh yeah See ya See ya Weeter Take care of it Dan Weeter Is our guide right there

Yeah It is a bitch to get our schedules Together these days I'll tell you that right now Because it was a lot easier When I was at Halls Hall all the time We were marching In the same time schedule

But we make it happen That was Dan Wheater That's what good partners do Exactly Exactly Just like you You and I. There's a little give, there's a little take. You got to come to the, you've got to compromise sometimes.

Not every day is the same. That's exactly right. Dan Weeder is the senior writer at The Athletic, covering the bears and co-host of the Take the North podcast as well. Keep listening for your chance to win a pair of tickets to see Weezer when the gathering tour makes its stop in Chicago on September 22nd. Inside Joke, if you know, you know, at the United Center. Featuring special guests, the Shins and the Silver Sun, pickups. Tickets provided by Live Nation, go to Ticketmaster.com to buy those tickets. So here's the deal with the Bears. They scored 59 points yesterday and they're not satisfied with the

59 points that they scored yesterday. We've got audio to prove it from Ben Johnson and Romadunze next on Rahimi and Grody on 104. The score. My name is Lailah Rahimi and Grohemi and Grohdi. My name is Laileraheimie and I love sports and I don't care who knows. We like sports and we don't care who knows. Midday 10 a.m. 2 on the score. Well, the Bears are getting the first place treatment. One of the toughest schedules in the NFL. They take a first step towards those lofty goals and expectations. A monster game, 59 to 37, Chicago. Just the way Ben Johnson wrote it up, just how Ben Johnson has been talking throughout this entire offseason. We welcome you back into Rahimi and Grody.

on 104-3, the score. It is funny how Ben Johnson talked about wanting to just break all the records of the Denver Broncos. And last year he talked about, I believe in a Dan Wheater article, probably others had had it as well that he wants to embarrass teams. And here he is in his second year rubbing his hands together and putting up 59 points on Carolina in week one on the road in a 59 to 37 win over the Carolina Panthers. And I want to say that as many times as I possibly can

because it is a beautiful score to discuss. But let's get into some of this audio here. And I do have it now. My board is refreshed. We had a refresh issue here just a second ago. Got to put the hamster back on the wheel. Yeah, it's amazing. I was like, why don't I see this?

Why don't I see that? Oh, because my laptop was offline. And I can't see the stuff that I'm supposed to be talking about. But Ben Johnson, after yesterday's win, Layla, he doubled down on wanting to be the highest scoring offense in NFL history. Listen, that'll always be the goal. We want to be the highest scoring. We want to have the most wins.

We want to win Super Bowls. That's what we do. We didn't get into this profession trying to be mediocre average. And that's every NFL team. So that is what it is. You know, we make decisions over the course of a week. what's best for our football team to win the game. That's the most important thing,

and that goes into everything that we do. The way he was not backing down, I thought, though, was what's impressive here. There was no doubt in the voice. There was, and then for him to say, that's why we're here, that's what we do. That's letting not just his team know again, but us know how they want to operate.

And I love a good mission statement. I love a good reiteration of a mission statement because things change and sometimes you don't know with head coach. But for him to double down on it when he saw what he saw in the game on the defensive side of the ball. Some coaches will say, well, yes, that's a goal, but we got to adjust X, Y, and Z. It's the way they say things, not necessarily the actual yes, no. And I don't know why you wouldn't keep trying for it. I don't know why you wouldn't do that if you're Ben Johnson.

And to go ahead and put the league on notice to do it in this way, again, via the, the running game, which I think is so crucial in this. A lot of teams would try to pass their way into that. I think of the Patrick Mahomes, for example, Texas Tech offenses back in the day, Cliff Kingsbury, Mike Leach, the air raid and trying

to be a system and a system that doesn't necessarily produce especially at a professional level like this into having that happen. So why not? You've done a lot of the work scoring 59 on your way to get there and you've got 17 games.

as opposed to the 16 the Broncos had in 2013. Oh, my God. 291 rushing yards in this game. Swift 18 for 124. Kyle Menungai 10 for exactly 100. Caleb himself 10 carries for 65 yards in this game. We talked a little bit about Khalif Raymond, who we all expected to be a big part of this offense,

but a third option, right? Probably like Luther Bird and maybe a fourth option, Luther Burden, Roma Dunesay, Colston Loveland. And yesterday, eight catches for 84 yards. I don't know if he'll have that kind of production against Minnesota. Luther Burden, five catches for 63 yards. And then there's a drop-off after that. Roma Dunezai just ended up happening.

He had the big 47-yard play, but just two catches for 52 yards. You mentioned it a couple times today. Colston Loveland with just two targets and a bunch of zeros by his name. He was productive as far as blocking his concern. But it just makes you look at it and say the things that he says come to pass. Like every week it might be different guys. You might have a week where Colson Loveland doesn't touch the football. But then against Minnesota, maybe he'll touch the football 10 times for 150 yards.

And Khalif Raymond will have two catches. So I love the diversification of the offense and the possibilities that exist that you can see after one week of football with the Bears. I don't think you get there by having the same people. produce in the same ways every week. That's not the goal. And that's not offensive success typically in the NFL anymore. I mean, it'll get you there, but it won't get you to a

record-setting number of points. So you have to have multiple threats and too many weapons. And that was my takeaway from yesterday. The bears had too many weapons for what we saw against the Panthers. The Panthers didn't have enough answers, period. And when you thought all your options were locked up,

your quarterback ran 20.9 miles an hour for a touchdown. Oh my God. The bear, can you say that again? I'll say it again. The bears have too many weapons. I mean,

all of this stuff, I think part of yesterday and why the first hour of the show today we named Holy Bleep and go bears, it's because this is still, like there's been spasms of good bears offense in the past.

Like, believe it or not. Flashes is a good word. Like, glimpses. Under Mark Tresman, there was some of it. Even with Jay Cutler. under Lovey, there was some of it

when you had Alshon Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett. We've seen the flashes of it. We saw the flashes of it, even with Matt Nagy at times on individual plays. But this is the real stuff. And I think that it's causing Bears fans and me and you and all of us to be like,

just wow, like how do we handle this? How do we negotiate what we're seeing? Just accept it. And even like yesterday. in the post game show, Olin Croutts was like, I guess I'll have to get used to this as a new way of Bears football. It's real, I guess is what I'm building up to.

This is real what Ben Johnson has been putting out there because as you said, this is what he's been talking about and reinforcing it here once again. It's also what happens when it's based off a system and not just a bunch of plays you like. Yeah. And so I still want to see how much of that Dolphins offense that Ben Johnson said he was going to watch

in his time off during the offseason. and he impressed Taylor with presses two one-terabyte hard drives each. How much of that are we going to actually see echoed? Did we see a lot of that, I think, echoed or at least built upon in yesterday's game? You know, I talked a lot about how I felt like the Rams and Bears had such similar offenses. You talk about 13 personnel and how that works together in concert. I do feel like we saw the beginnings of the foundation of some of that yesterday. Absolutely.

Let's hear from Roma Dunes. This is him after the game, discussed how. there are areas of improvement for the offense. You want to play the perfect game. That's what we're striving for. You know, we've heard the head of snake and Ben Johnson say he wants to be the most prolific offense, you know, in history. So it takes those attention to the details, even when you score 59 points,

harping on those things that you can improve on to get to that point. So we're all bought into that and we're all trying to, you know, accomplish that. So regardless of the points, you know, out on the board, it's about our individual execution, every single play. So there's Roma Dunes. Let me play the Caleb Williams, and then we'll discuss both of these, here because I thought that Caleb Williams really hit at home here on this topic. Caleb Williams, after yesterday's win, discussed how the offense will look from here on

out. I think it's how we want to look each week. And that doesn't just happen. It happens over time. It happens, you know, through training camp OTAs. It happens through the week of preparation that we have. It happens. We'll have an open communication throughout the week about what works, what doesn't work, you know, wide receivers and tight ends and all of that. And then, And then, you know, just the mentality, all of that. I think that's who we want to be each week. And we got to go clean up.

We got to go be truthers. Obviously, this is going to be our kind of worst game. I know points don't necessarily show that. But execution and, you know, the blocking and the whole, the penalties, all these different things. And so just being able to be a truther about who we are and go watch the film. And I know we won, obviously, the goal each week is going to know. We did that this week. And, you know, we're very proud of ourselves.

So being able to go back, you know, tomorrow, we have the 24 hours. go back tomorrow, enjoy it and all of that. But find ways to get better for this next week because we've got a worthy opponent. It's our worst game. That's what he just said. That's our worst game right there. A lot of stuff to clean up. There were penalties.

The penalties were spread pretty evenly, by the way, between offense, defense, and special teams. I don't know what the exact breakdown was, but it was pretty even. Coach, how do you feel about your penalties being spread between all three phases? Is that the all three phases you meant? No. Is that the goal? Like, if you're going to have penalties, coach, is that the way you wanted? You get five, you get four, and you get three.

Two on Dio. Do you want me to mention that part? Oh, yeah, Dio. What do you think about that? He had a nice penalty early in the game. He had two. He had two penalties. Yeah, he had two.

You're right. Garrett Bradbury had a penalty early. Roma Dunes had a penalty early. Montes sweat had an early penalty. Yeah, well, unfortunately for the Bears, the Panthers had a couple of very timely penalties that I mentioned like the negated interception in the end zone. Yeah, well, yeah, the Bears, 12 penalties for 57.

and Carolina had 11 penalties for 84 yards. It was pretty even. That's all you want, right? You want a game. So that's improved. As long as everybody's getting the same calls. Also, Caleb Williams is not using Truthor correctly. Can I just say, like, this is what stood really.

Right, you and I looked at each other at the same time. It is not the, you know, traditional usage of the phrase Truther that we heard from Caleb Williams. Yeah, truther actually means you're searching for truth where there isn't. But it is such a statement on the culture. I know this is well established that Ben Johnson came into Hallis Hall and changed the culture, but the idea that he is saying we need to be truthers about what we need to do like the right way by like way of what Ben Johnson is striving and teaching them. It's a bad word.

Well, no, I'm just saying like it. Truther is like saying you didn't believe Barack Obama was born in the United States. Exactly. But in this sense, in this sense he is saying we can do better and we need to be truthers about the team that we can be, and this has not, this, despite scoring 59 points, was not perfect, and we're striving for perfection. We want to be the perfect bears. We're perfect bear truthers. You've been sitting on this one for a while, haven't you, right? No, it's done on me. It didn't hit me the same way last night. Yeah, that's it. We all listened to the press conferences

the first time, but then the way you say it the second time, that makes it, that makes it different. It's pretty funny. It's just kind of a little funny turn of phrase, but yeah, I like it. These things happen over time. Absolutely. But in the meantime, there is a lot of teaching tape here. And as Olin points out, and I think it's safe to say logic dictates, you'd much rather be teaching after a 59 to 37-37 win than some sort of 37-34 loss.

Right. No doubt. Yeah, textures have been great all day today. We read as many of these as we possibly can. and we haven't been able to read as many out loud as we'd like to as well. But we appreciate all the text at 312644-67-8-8-15. We're going to have to recalibrate as Bears fans. It's just different.

Absolutely. I mean, that's a great point. 224. How bad is Braxton Jones injured? It's a good question. I mean, he came out of the game for a while. Benedet inserted and then I believe Braxton Jones finished the game, right? Like, I think Braxton, I think he's okay.

But hopefully we get an update from the coach out at the hall. today. He got rolled up on. That was an ugly, that was an ugly film that we saw for Braxton Jones. So yeah. Clearly we want to try to keep him

in as much bubble wrap. Also, also, just to button up this other topic. What was all that Ozzy Trapillo listed as questionable talk, Bears injury report on Friday?

Well, what was inaccurate about? He was questionable and he didn't play. So like, I'll take questionable every week from that guy. I don't know if this is a winky face thing or what, but okay.

I'll play this game. I'll play it. There's gamesmanship to be had when it comes to Ben Johnson. You think that the opponents are really like, oh, man, Ozzie Tripillo might play. It got me. But then again, I don't have to care about the actual game plan. I mean, I'll do respect to Ozzie Tripillo. It's not like he's known as like a dominant left tackle yet.

But I mean, don't you, come on, don't you at least list him as doubtful? Is this where you're using the great area of the injury report? There's no doubtful designation. That's true. So I guess he has to be listed. The bears are truthers. They're telling the truth. I just used it wrong now.

Stop it. So that's improvement. You know what? That's improvement. Yeah. Okay. Maybe you'll lose by seven next week, Gerald. So that's improvement.

I want to lose. Why am I so? I know what I'm getting. I know. That sound bite is just for you, Leila. It is just for you. Oh, so many Jerry soundbites are. Uh-huh.

I want to make sure we leave maximum time here for the meatball machine. Our meatball machine is loaded. It is smoking. It is ready to let loose here in just a second. Smoking meatballs. And make sure you have the fire extinguisher, Tyler. Yeah. On and on it.

Before we do that, Weezer giveaway, I got Weezer tickets for you. Caller 6 to the score contest line. 312-4-0-670. You will win a pair of tickets to see Weezer when the gathering tour make the stop in Chicago on September 22nd at the United Center, featuring special guests, the Shins and the Silver Sun pickups. Tickets provided by Live Nation, go to Ticketmaster.com to buy those tickets. Again, the number 312-4-0-670.

The Meatball Machine will be unleashed next for the first time this year on the score. Rahimi and Grody. Appreciate all the flowery comments there. Midday, 10 a.m. to 2 on the score. Score. Hey, guys, check out this meatball machine. Oh, yeah. The familiar sound of the Meatball.

machine here on Rahimi and Grotie on 1043 the score. It's been too long. Yeah, it has. The meatballs are out. And if you, by the way, if you are interested in moving forward, leaving a message for the meatball machine, you go to the 1043, the score on the Odyssey app. Tap voice message next to listen live and share your thoughts, maximum 60 seconds. And we'll share your messages on Monday.

And it is Tyler Buterbaugh that is responsible for gathering all of the meatball messages. Are you ready to let it loose over there? Enveloped. Inveloved. Ben Johnson had a bit of a ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch. By the way, yesterday. Did you hear that? No.

I forget what it was, but he definitely had a little of a-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-s noise. I was watching on YouTube, by the way, and when that happened, like my, I guess the app I was using, the YouTube app, kind of freaked out. And the whole thing looked pixelated. So he went, And the whole screen was all pixelated and weird. Yes, that also happened on Twitter. So it must have been their video feed. There it is.

Meetball us, Tyler. Coming to your life from Burbank. Good to know you. We love the way you play. The Super Bowl polka cherish these days. Hey, bring it on home. Chicago to stay. That's lovely.

That's go, Bears. That fourth down call was absolutely atrocious. I'm kind of wondering if Matt Naggy killed Ben Johnson and took his skin suit and is actually calling plays on the sideline today. As one does. Because that shades of Matt Naggy right there and I didn't like that at all. Whoa. What?

Amazing. Skin suit, right? That was, I kind of wonder, finish with extreme thought. Yeah, that was for you, Grotty. I think that's a... What about a size 12? Perfect. Yeah, you've really got to stop delving into...

of the limbs in every impression. It never stops, man. It really doesn't. It never does. See, now you're influencing our meatballs. I've consolidated all my impersonations, and it's just that. Meatballs and skin suits.

Benjamin David Johnson. Yes, that's his middle name. I was good up. 52 points in a season opener, and there's still six months left in this game. 52 points in this economy? Caleb looks solid

The offensive line looks great The run game has been spectacular He's Caleb's spreading the ball around to multiple targets Yeah the defense has not looked spectacular But they've made enough plays They've gotten a bunch of turnovers Sure, special teams need to stop giving

Carolina and future teams short fields But damn it If this doesn't This is completely unconventional To my fandom and what I I know from football, but if this is what the combination is going to be this year and this is how this team executes, this is the meatball machine. Are we looking at a Super Bowl team, my friends? Where?

Meadol. 17. 17. No. That, that was fun. I'm just relaxing, watching all this other BS football. And think about how we just got 59. and Colston Loveland didn't get a touch.

I would have never believed you if he said we were going to get 59 points on the road and Colston Loveland wouldn't catch a ball. That was something else. Props to that offense. Ben knows something. Ben must know something. I mean, the defense, ew, that was not good at all. And there was plays and, you know,

But we'll get to that. We'll get to that because we're not going to score this 59 every week, and we're going to need the defense down the road. But impressive. First day. Layla, Grody. No, no, no, no. Bear.

So I was listening in the morning. Joe Fortinbaugh, one of the Vegas guys, talking about, oh, this is going to be a pros versus Joe's matchup. You know, you fans, you casuals, you're taking the bears. But us experts, we're taking the Panthers. And you know what? I held off. I held off on taking the bears.

I could be going to Disney World right now if I just follow up. You know what? I'm the expert now, right? Book me Fridays at like 1230 or so. I could give you the picks. The Cubs are going to get swept. I could say that too. Oh.

Anyone else? Any of any other questions? Just ask. Meatball machine first. The guy booking himself on the show. Gotta love that. I actually like the, uh, the solution he came with.

Just tell people what you want. If Fishbane or Hogue cancels on Friday, that guy. That's right. That guy. Hey, what's up, y'all? I almost forgot about this. Y'all know I had to come in

and go ahead and put it in my two cents. Man, go bears all the way out here in the Bay Area. They drive 59 on them. 59. Come on now. nobody none of us have ever seen that anyone within my listening voice whatever ain't never seen that all i'm gonna say is go bears go bear yeah hey rowdy you gotta get him like

18 and a half bears 18 and three quarters just just for that 59 sir 59 bears is what anyway man i can't wait for the season to uh go ahead and season and you know hey We might be privy to something big, y'all. Go Bears! Hey, Meatball Machine, Bears Nation is back. We came into Carolina and destroyed those kitties. Our offense looks like a juggernaut, and Caleb is coming for MVP.

Buckle up, because we're in for a fun season. Bear down. Green Bay, South. Green Bay sucks! Green Bay sucks! Green Bay sucks! Green Bay sucks! Bear down baby! Hey Meatball Machine, um, you know, I'm trying not to be a meatball because I am a totally irrational human being, but my own mother has texted me multiple times today

about the bears saying that she's never seen them score this many points. I don't know what to say about that because she's right. I can't remember the last time either. Because it hasn't happened. What do I do? I don't know. Go bears. Mob.

59 points. Lovelland doesn't catch a single pass. Taylor doesn't even throw for 300 yards. And they scored 50. 49 points. That defense, yeah. And some of the fumbling stuff that happened, also not good. But oh my god, Caleb is going to have an unbelievable season. They got to keep that man upright and keep him healthy. Because if they can do both of those things we could have a very very fun winter bears nice good job meatballs that is a successful week

one of meatballs we appreciate all of those you guys are hilarious you guys are the best and coming up next on rahimi and grody it is time to transition with the afternoon show of spiegel homes they join us in studio next here on the score