Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Could Bears be an improved team with a worse record in 2026?
28 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What improvements can the Bears make for the 2026 season?
You would hope from year one to year two with this coaching staff and personnel department, we're so much further along than we were a year ago at this time. So that's what's encouraging to me and Ryan. And I really look forward to seeing these guys hit the grass here in a couple weeks.
That's the voice of Ben Johnson. He is expected to speak at Hallis Hall today. We will bring you his comments here on 104.3 The Score. And Mark Rohde, did you recognize the song that was played for you by Tyler Beterbaugh just now?
Oh, yeah.
This is Big Bang Take Little Bang.
Oh, no. This isn't Ice Cube, is it? It is? No, this is YG. Okay, my reference to Big Bang Take Little Bank is Ice Cube, no Vaseline. Big Bang Take Little Bank, it's a lyric.
But this is the song that was created off of that sample.
Oh, so this is the original.
No, no, this is the song that was... Oh, off of Ice Cube. Yeah, so the sample is the original, so that's the Ice Cube line.
Yeah.
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Chapter 2: How can coaching changes impact a team's performance?
I was so mad when that trade happened. Nobody ever talks about the other side of the John Danks trade, the side where the Rangers lost him, except me. And then I'm like, do you know what I call that trade? The Akinori Otsuka Magic Beans trade. Because I'm like, John Daniels basically traded away John Danks for Magic Beans at Akinori Otsuka.
Why can't Jay Buter hit the baseball?
How could you give $12 million to a Ducky Aramu?
My bumper music that I would like to request, young Tyler Buterbaugh, and this will be for five beauts, is I would like to hear Ice Cube's telling me Big Bang Takes the Little Bang. Now, you probably can't play many more of the lyrics from that particular song, but I would like that isolated, and I would like to feel that coming out of the next break or into the next segment. I got you.
I'll make sure you feel the Vaseline. I'm sure Danny Parkins.
No. No. No. No Vaseline.
No Vaseline.
You're down to three buttes, Pat.
No.
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Chapter 3: What role do turnovers play in a team's success?
That's good. But they had a plus 22 turnover differential. That is wild. They forced 33 takeaways. That's a lot of takeaways. But they might be better on defense this season. With forcing less turnover, which is odd to say, but that's the truth. The second thing they did last year, which is not going to happen again, is they won six regular season games. They're trailing with two minutes left.
Six of them. They won the seventh in the postseason. That's not going to happen again. Now, you can argue that they might not play as many close games because they're better. Certainly fair. But the NFL is a seven-point league in the fourth quarter. It's what the NFL is. So I think the Bears could be better defensively. Caleb Williams is better this year, completes more passes.
Like, they're better per se, but so are the Vikings. So are the Lions. So are the Packers. And the 50-50 games...
go not in their direction they're nine eight right but they're sort of better dvoa better efficiency better epa williams is better so the bears to me is standing as a team that could even finish last in division but really not be like that much worse than last season or even be better damn it jeff schwartz and your logic and stats football experience
I think that's an easy go-to. I hate to say it, but that's pretty obvious. You're not going to be able to depend on comeback victories in the final two minutes of every game. Nashawn Wright's magic is not here this year. Kevin Byard's prowess has left the building as well. He's savvy. He's savvy.
Savvy.
So we all know that there are some really easy areas to look at the Bears and say, yeah, that's probably not going to be as good. And he didn't even mention the gauntlet of a schedule that the Bears have this year. Maybe he did throughout that.
Hold on. So you're just joining in on the raining on the parade here is what you're saying.
Well, I mean... I'm not necessarily agreeing that the Bears are going to have fewer wins this year and be better, but there are logical reasons to point to, and I think obvious areas, which he pointed to. So I agree with that. I haven't even done my record prediction this year because nobody has asked me to.
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Chapter 4: How does the Bears' defense compare to last season?
All right, I'm in.
I'm in.
I mean, why not? The NFL is a year-round discussion, whether or not you like it.
Ray, how many wins are the Bears going to have this year?
Hey, no. No, not yet.
This is baseball season. It's my season.
I do like the idea of it being Bruce season.
Yeah, it is. Bruce came unglued, folks, by the idea of the Green Bay Sox chance breaking out at the rate Cubs and Sox because it's baseball season.
It is, but it's also Bears season because we want to say it is. The problem is Jeff Schwartz is on to something, and he's not the only one who said it. Our guest in the next segment, Danny Parkins, has talked about the Bears being candidates for regression. Yeah. The schedule itself says, hey, congratulations, you won the division. Here's the hardest schedule now because of it.
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Chapter 5: What factors contribute to a team's regression in the NFL?
But he just went with it.
You guys had to point that out to me because I didn't realize I had done it. And you're like, you said Yalen to a player. I don't know what goes through my head sometimes.
Well, that's why I'm like, you know, you can have fun with an inside joke, but the problem is it's going to stick in your head and it pops out in strange places.
Sometimes that happens. I forget which inside jokes I have with which people because, as you might expect, I have lots of little inside jokes with a lot of people.
Yes, it's so true. Oh, we've gotten some really good requests on our text and our Twitch request line for return music. So I'm happy about that. Jeff Schwartz brings up a... I think the problem is... He is bringing up something that we are going to have to get used to thinking about. And how much do you accept it?
If they do regress or the record isn't as good, and it's a bit of lose the battle, win the war. This is a multi-year investment in this team. We know that. So how much is it going to bother you? If what happens to the Lions, per se, last season happens to the Bears.
I don't care unless they don't make it to the playoffs.
Well, that's what happened to the Lions.
Well, right.
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Chapter 6: How does the Bears' schedule affect their chances this season?
I purposefully kept Mark Grady in the dark because it is a billion percent his humor.
Why do you keep keeping me in the dark? Why do you keep doing this to me?
Well, you won't watch the other guys.
That's true. I have been a huge letdown to this show, to you and Marshall.
And really, Ranji and also Lawrence. There's so many other guy references that happen on our station. And with your friends.
I'm hurting myself, I think. You shouldn't be hurt. I am hurting myself. I am not as informed of a person as I could be. And I'm not in on the conversations that other people are in on because I haven't seen it. I'm sorry, Layla.
No, you're not. Are you even going to see it?
Maybe tonight.
Well, we have baseball to watch.
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