Dan McNeil talks Bears past, present & future | Take The North
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Bears fans, this is Take the North. What's the reason, Doc? It's here. With your hosts. All these guys. Dan Wiederer. The whole key to sustaining success in this league is to have a quarterback play that is top tier and can consistently push you down those roads.
And Mark Grody. We're allowed to at this point. Bears fans are allowed to right now dream big and predict what you want out of the season. We're going to take the North and never give it back. Hello again, everybody, and welcome in to the Take the North podcast. Dan Wiederer is off once again and in his place. If you are watching the video, you recognize the face. And if you don't, shame on you because it is Dan McNeil. Let me get this straight. Let me make sure I have this right. Chicago sports radio titan. podcaster and writer i took that right from his brand new book which i am now showing right here on the podcast i bear witness by dan mcneil danny mack what's happening brother that's quite an introduction grody i'll try to live up to just a little bit of that hype but you know don't scold anybody who doesn't recognize my face you got to keep in mind
you got a generation of sports radio listeners people who hear rahimi harrison grody several times a week um who have no idea who the hell daddy mac is i mean i'm yesterday's news i'm i'm i'm washed up you know that's okay that's what i do now um one last time i did one of these someone said chicago radio legend i said you know what that means it means you don't have a job That's what it means.
So when you're washed up or you lose a job, there's two choices you have. You can either do a podcast or write a book. It would seem that you have just you just you've accomplished both of those things.
Congratulations. Look at me.
When was the last time you did a radio show on the radio? I don't even remember. I can't keep track of you, buddy.
Does that include whether Barstool wouldn't count? That's not terrestrial radio. I did.
Who is Dan McNeil and why did he write I Bear Witness?
I was on with Spiegel and the vacationing Dan Weir after Terry Boers passed away. But that wasn't hosting. That was that was in a guest capacity. That is good.
That's right. That's right. I do. I remember that. I remember, yeah, Speig's pretty much conducting the interview that day because of Terry Boers. So yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me. The book is great, by the way, Dan. I feel like, again, I bear witness. You should read it. I recommend it. It's one of those books that I knew once I picked it up, I wouldn't stop. I finished this puppy in two days. I felt like it was written for Honestly, I also feel like we could probably, and this is not hyperbole, we could probably, you and I, do an hour on every chapter of this book. The only complaint I had the entire time that I was reading the book Is that when you were talking about former Bears linebacker Joe Kane and the Amos joke that he had made regarding the pandemic that I wasn't mentioned.
Do you realize that that was you and I that conducted that interview? And I was it was one of the I thought it was one of the funnest, most hilarious interviews that I have ever been a part of. Just riding the Danny Mac wave with you. because you were so nice. You had a choice of these things and you had me on and we had the laughing Joe Cain on. So that's my only complaint about the whole book.
your point is noted and i believe it was you who threw the bait in the water that made him tell the joke about amish chicken or where he wasn't about amish chicken so much and he asked if this was during the pandemic i think this was late spring of 20 and he said do you think the amish know we're in a pandemic and it just broke us all up But you're right. I did not give you attribution. And that's that's my bad. I feel terrible.
I am honestly OK with it. And I enjoyed every bit of reading it. As a matter of fact, I was sitting right here on this very couch when we did that. This was my my pandemic station. There's so many different directions I can go with you regarding the book. I do want to ask you a few questions before we get to some bears of now questions that I have for you.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:10
2
Who is Dan McNeil and why did he write I Bear Witness?
2:10–5:00
3
How does Dan McNeil describe his radio career and transition to podcasting and writing?
5:00–17:57
4
Was the 2018 Bears season just a one-off or a turning point for the franchise?
17:57–24:19
5
Why does Dan McNeil trust Ben Johnson and the current QB more than past Bears leadership?
24:19–38:16
6
Is Montez Sweat worth his contract and how does the Bears pass rush really look?
38:16–45:14
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Rahimi & Grote Show
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Neville Gallimore talks Bears' 9-3 loss to Vikings, Caleb Williams' injury
Bears aren't ruling out Caleb Williams against Eagles, but will he play?
Best of the Bears on 104.3 The Score: Reactions to Week 2 loss to Vikings
Full Show — September 21, 2026
Dan Wiederer talks Tyson Bagent's opportunity to shine (Hour 4)