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Mark Potash tells us what he thinks is sustainable about the Bears | Take The North
31 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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bears fans this is take the north what's the reason duck it's here with your host of these guys dan wieterer 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 into the Take the North podcast, along with Mark Potash, who is filling in for our guy, Dan Wiederer. Potsy, of course, the former Sun-Timesman, and he still writes and creates for his own domain, markpotash.net. Potsy, it is a blast to have you back on the podcast here on Take the North. How are you doing, man? I'm doing great, Mark. Thanks.
Great to be on the show. Absolutely. We love having you. Dan, as we record this, interestingly enough, is down the hall from me where he is performing a radio show. He is currently part of the Spiegel and Holmes show, filling in for Lawrence Holmes. So he's sorry he couldn't be here. But, Mark, he did tell me to tell you hello. Well, I appreciate that. I'm always willing to take his leftovers.
That's the state of my life right now, Mark. I'm here for it. It is funny to me that in the shop in which I work, where I have my full-time job right here at The Score, where we are conducting this podcast, the person who doesn't work full-time in this building has left his responsibilities of the podcast behind to be doing a part-time job that he is not usually a part of. I don't get it.
It doesn't actually make sense to me now that I'm putting it together, Mark. Well, Dan's got a lot of irons on the fire. Everything's going good for him. He's got too many jobs. I don't have enough. But we've got to do something about that. Yeah, help a Patsy out for crying out loud. I mean, I don't like seeing the word former behind the Sun-Timesman and all the value that you have provided.
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Chapter 2: What makes Mark Potash confident about the Bears' future?
But by the end of the year... It started to feel as fortunate as some of the bounces were for the Bears, even at the end of the season. There was a lot that felt sustainable about the way they were winning in the final six or seven games, which leads me to the idea that it feels sustainable going into this next season, which I haven't felt in forever, Mark.
Yeah, I mean, and Mark, the three elements, we've talked about it before, the three elements that made it so sustainable or made it real, made it happen this year and make it sustainable, you know, the coach, the quarterback, the offensive line are pretty much still there. So I think, you know, the Bears are going to be ā hey, the ā The Bears won seven games with fourth quarter rallies.
Their coach didn't make any friends at the end of the season in the playoffs. They're going to be pegged as a team that will falter, that is due for a fall in 2026 because they have the seemingly unsustainable elements of all those miracle comebacks, all those breaks, 33 takeaways on defense. That in and of itself is not sustainable.
Um, so they will be pegged as a team, but I go back to the same thing. When you have the coach and the quarterback in place, that, that, that's a game changer as far as that goes. And I think that, you know, uh, I think that's where, uh, there's a, they at least start, they have a foundation of being sustainable. And frankly, you know, it doesn't get talked about enough for you.
They also, they won seven games, but they lost four games late. Also they weren't, They were eight and five in one-score games. I think it's the Vikings in 2022 went like 11-0 in one-score games. Then last year, they were nine and one. They faltered again. The Chiefs, I think, were 11-0 last year in one-score games. Then they went 1-9 this year.
When you're that fortunate, you know, 11-0, 9-1, then you're due for a fall off. They were 8-5. That's a much more sustainable record in one-score games, especially when the strength of your team is coming back.
And that goes back to something I'm sure we'll get to, and that's going back to 2018, the last Bears playoff team, which is when they had that great season, everything went their way, but their defense, not only was their defense ā even if Vic Fangio stays their defense, the strength of their team isn't going to be the same. And when he left, it dropped off.
You know, they dropped off to ā I think it was like from first to 25th in interceptions, from like ninth to 28th in sacks. I mean, they couldn't sustain that. And when the offense didn't make progress, they fell off. This is a much different situation. The strength of this team is ā
unless they get injuries, is going to be better next year because they have the coach, they have the quarterback, and they have at least four-fifths of an offensive line. And so if I'm betting on it, I know they're going to be picked as a team to fall. If I'm betting, I'm betting it's almost more likely that they at least sustain that record. Well, and the biggest ā
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Chapter 3: How did the Bears' season progress according to Potash?
From them just breaking the bank to pay him and from Ryan Poles trading for Joe Tooney and signing Drew Dallman instead of Ryan Bates and ā Who's the lineman, the guard? Noah Jackson or Jonah ā oh, Nate Davis. Oh, last year. Yeah. My point is look at the impact he's made. He's made people better.
And he's made everybody better with the ā I always say with the exception of getting the stadium done. That's the only thing that didn't happen. That was the one thing that didn't get done this year. But that's the one thing he did not have his hands on, right? Yeah. So like everything he touched, I think, has been positive. I just think that's the way he is. I think I think it's been.
So I guess my overall point is I think he's the difference. He's the reason when you say, well, how is this going to be different from like 2019 or whatever or any other any other bear situation? It's because the head coach actually kind of runs things at House Hall now instead of House Hall kind of consuming him with the with the way they do business. And that's a huge factor.
It makes the Bears a different organization. It does. And I'll admit, after reflecting upon it, the optics were right at Hallis Hall the other day. As you said, they didn't have the dual function lectern this time. That's one thing. But the other part of it, too, I admit, I did... I was a little curious as to why we didn't hear from George McCaskey that day, maybe even Kevin Warren.
And then as I reflected, I was like, okay, this probably was something that they planned out, that they wanted Ben Johnson to be the biggest voice there. They definitely wanted Ryan Poles to have his say, but they wanted that to be the power. They wanted to show us that day, football-wise, that that's where the power is. And they didn't want the stadium talk to bring everybody down.
Well, there's that. Which would have dominated the conversation with both of those guys. Yeah. I think they realized that that was not a winning situation for them. So that was a smart move on their part. But you're making smart moves. That's good.
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Chapter 4: What are the sustainable elements of the Bears' success?
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Chapter 5: What does Potash think about the Bears' current quarterback situation?
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Have a great day. Yeah, actually, where are you on the state? Could you handle if they really did it, if they really used Northwest Indiana and they finally pulled the biggest surprise party this season the city has ever seen and said, yep, the Chicago Bears are moving to Indiana. How would you react to that? And where are you with it?
Well, I mean, I wouldn't be happy about that, but I don't think that would alter the direction of the franchise or alter the future of the franchise. I mean, it would just be ā I mean, yeah, it wouldn't be great, but it wouldn't ā big picture-wise, it wouldn't change a whole lot. But I still think you're going to end up in Arlington Heights. Yeah. You think it's still the Heights?
Yeah, I think so. And I'm not saying that this is just a leverage play. You know, it might turn out that that's what it is. But I just think ā I think kind of cooler heads will prevail. They should be in Illinois. They should be ā you know, Arlington Heights, to me, is the spot. I've said it many times. And I think they will be there. But, I mean ā
Yeah, no one's going to abandon the Bears just because they're playing their games in Indiana. I think there would be some really hard, hurt feelings, and maybe even a couple of games, like a fan who's really pissed off about it, maybe they'd stay away for a while. Maybe if a buddy was like, hey, I got a ticket. No, I'm not going there. But it wouldn't last.
It's like when people complain about big changes in baseball. I use that analogy.
analogy they're like the pitch clock and some let's just make it even so adding the dh like it's like it never wasn't part of the national league at this point i think that's the way it would be if the it would be harsh man it would be harsh for my ears honestly i wish they were staying downtown chicago i'm from here i'm a purist i love love love where soldier field is now
I don't want them to even move out of the city, let alone out of the state. But I think as humans, oddly enough, and this is not something that I would tell a younger Mark Rohde, we would probably adapt relatively quickly, and that's me saying this. Yeah, it would only be a factor if they start losing again. Then I think people would be less likely to go, and then it would become an issue.
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Chapter 6: How does the Bears' defense need to improve for next season?
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Chapter 7: What are the challenges facing the Bears' defense moving forward?
To answer the first question, no, he's not the best quarterback in Bears history. That's Sid Luckman. Sid Luckman was brought in by George Halas. George Halas made a trade with the Steelers to get him with the number two pick. It was one of those who said, you draft this guy, we'll take him. And, um, uh, they, he knew he wasn't just a guy who, you know, he wasn't Tom Brady.
Well, maybe this guy can work out. He was brought in specifically for the T formation for run that offense. And, and George Halas said many times that he thought that was the guy who could do it, uh, who, you know, had, you know, everything it took. And so he was right about that. And he made that offense go. It was literally a sensation.
I mean, uh, so, so, and, and when they won four championships and they were the scourge of the NFL, for six years. This is impossible to do. When you win championship, of course his passer rating isn't the same or whatever. 11 game seasons. Most attempts ever was 323. That's why this is impossible. I'm just comparing quarterback to quarterback. I'm comparing Who's the best quarterback?
A quarterback in that, regardless of era, Sid Luckman did more at that position. Okay.
Relative to what he was.
He was more responsible for their success. He wasn't just a guy who happened to be in that spot. He was the reason they were good and so explosive. Okay. And the reason everything. So I would say to me, there is absolutely no doubt that Sid Luckman is the best quarterback in Bears history. But I will say, I mean, obviously, you can't compare. It's hard.
It's very difficult as far as the numbers and things like that and playing quarterback. But, you know, you know, if Caleb Williams was born in, you know, you know, 19. 20 or whatever, he wouldn't have been this guy in 1939 or 1940 either. It would have been a lot of play back then, period. So, yeah, well, that's a whole different show. Right, right, right. But that was the Sid Rothman era.
Yeah, but you're right. But anyway, so yeah, so yeah, I, to me, there's no doubt. And again, it goes back to, uh, I hate to be, I don't, I don't, I'm not pouring cold water on the whole Kayla Williamson. Cause I think he's much different than any bad. I will say, it's just funny. I like, you know, it doesn't take much to excite bears fans about quarterback.
I will say he did some spectacular things. So it's not like there's, it's not like it's fool's gold or whatever, but it's, so he did some legitimately spectacular things that get you excited. But again, you know, I, 20-second in the league and pass a rating. I mean, you know, 30-second, whatever. I mean, he was good, but he needs to be better.
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