As a brief pre-column editorial, I thought for YEARS now that I have been told that lockerrooms are populated purely by professionals ... professionals who are there to do their job ... that this sort of thing did not happen because, again, these are professionals.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, on to Señor Columnist's article.


Editor’s note: Always full of thoughts, Dan will start sharing a few more quick hits with you every week in The Bernstein Brief. Consider it a morning thought that may evolve. As always, tune into the Boers and Bernstein Show at 1 p.m. to hear more.

(CBS) Lance Briggs is mentally checking out as a Bear, and he isn’t afraid to admit it.

The seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker spoke with reporters Wednesday, discussing the likely end of his tenure in Chicago and describing how hard it was to concentrate in meetings while recovering from his latest injury.

“I don’t know what to do with myself sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes I sit in the meetings while coaches are talking and sometimes the words just phase out and I’m just staring at the screen. The only thing I can tell is the time. I can see the time and it’s like, ‘Damn, I still got 55 minutes left.'”

It would be nice for a veteran leader to participate, even if he’s not playing. It would be a professional example for younger players and just might make the defense better prepared if Briggs is engaged, interested or available to help.
He’s not, however, and he’s fine with everyone knowing it.

Briggs’ brutal honesty shows he has no fear of repercussions from his coaches, and so little respect for them that he can tell the world he doesn’t care what they say.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I used to be a huge Briggs guy, but he is becoming very unlikable in the last couple seasons. What a turd.

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I hate myself for doing this but I agree with the columnist of note on this. Briggs should be taken to task on it. If you're not excused from the meeting, pay fucking attention.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Well of course he should be taken to task for it.

Is there a successful coach off the top of your head that wouldn't, at the VERY least, quietly sit his ass for a huge portion of the game, if not outright not start him or put him on the inactive list?

My irrational hate for Jim Harbaugh is no secret; I want him to be head coach of the Bears, or the Wolverines, as much as I want to have my sac shorn with an 18th century rusting cheese grater.

Having said that, I will allow myself a moment's daydream of the apoplectic reaction from Harbaugh were he to be coach of this team and woke up to something like this being disseminated in the news, particularly during the week they go to division rival Green Bay in a game the team desperately needs to win if they want to pretend they are anything consequential.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

He was very unlikable and showed just what kind of guy he was years ago with the Lambo accident and DUI avoidance.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Every time Briggs or urlacher speaks to the press they remind all that are listening how little respect for Marc Trestman resides in the Bears locker room.

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Meh, the Lambo accident didn't really bother me.

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This is all very solvable ... I mean, it's a locker room full of leaders, so by the numbers you have to figure this will all be solved very shortly ... the chances are 53 in 53, right? That's, like, 100% chance of a leader taking control any minute now.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Dishonesty is hard to like.

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cut his ass yesterday.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I'm with you.

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I don't know, but it sounds more like an indictment of the coaching staff than anything else. That he drifts off in meetings(while he isn't playing) where sophomoric mistakes are routinely being discussed again and again to no avail doesn't elicit a deep response from me either. I'm fairly certain that he's taken a role in helping the younger players at other times, which allows him to be honest about his involvement in meetings.

Anyone that's ever been around older players has certainly heard the stories about how during injury times they don't feel apart of the team, nor do they feel they have the right to critique/make suggestions to the guys actually playing. IIRC, Joe Greene had a similar sense of detachment when he was hurt & nearing the end of his career. If a longtime leader like Mean Joe felt similarly, what's the great surprise when a cog in the machine (like Briggs) who's never been a leadership type admits it?

My guess is that a jackass like Bernstein is once again blowing something out of proportion just to create more of his usual "controversy". What will be funny will be Leary's response. He's been like a puppy around Briggs and has to be in distress given his reverence for Bernstein.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Is this a suggestion or is there a story you want to tell us about, because if it's the latter you should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Here's the thing though .... you can feel that all you want to .... you don't talk about it to the media in general .... talk to a shrink or a hooker or something, but not the media .... ellipsis for the win .... his feelings aren't necessarily invalid, his actions in regards to those feelings is entirely invalid.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Says the veteran radio host that proudly proclaims they never have meetings and never prepare on a station where, coincidentally, production and preparation have become so rare that a guy that does some gets noticed.

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You know me like that.

Bernstein frequently succumbs to the fallacy that every guy is going to give it their all because they are being paid a six or seven figure salary. "These are professionals." OK... but there are other reasons a guy doesn't self-actualize regardless of monetary compensation.

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"Now comes good sailing. Moose. Indian."

might as well make this the show thread.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Okey-dokey.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

He has aways been easy to dislike. Bad teammate, bad leader and bad guy.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I'm increasingly amused by the "don't talk about it to the media" stuff. Everyone rational adult fan knows this stuff. How many ESPN/CBS/Fox/NBC channels are now dedicated to having ex-jocks talk about this very thing ad nauseum, but an active player can't tell the truth to the fanatics? Every retired player/analyst on the Score has been admitting it for 22 years now, but that an injured player admits it has Bernstein's panties in a bunch?

Like I said in August, Briggs is much slower & injury prone. He's been bad in stretches. He knows it, we know he knows it, he's just committing the public sin(?) of admitting it.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Then I would tune out, like I have.

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Then you've succeeded.

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You know me like that.

Aside from the events this season & the Lambo crash, exactly why has he always been easy for you to dislike?

Until Urlacher left he wasn't a leader. I don't think he's ever openly embraced the role since it was thrust upon him.

More importantly, exactly who called him a bad teammate and why?

I really don't get this venom based upon his play on the field and the general lack of impression he seems to have left off it.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Yet another hypocritical take by Bernstein. Who, realistically, has he provided with a template for success? Certainly not Goff or Abbatacola.

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"Now comes good sailing. Moose. Indian."

I'm pretty sure he can easily choose to not say what he said to whom he said it; let's not pretend otherwise under the nebulous guise of the old "everybody does it" umbrella.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Does my dad know yet?

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dude is a cancer. the malignant kind.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Mannelly spoke up during transition yesterday and said it was no big deal. Bernstein then said it was more about the fact that Briggs felt comfortable admitting it than the actual act. It was actually a decent conversation.

You know why SH dislikes him...

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Football Friday

Gerry Dinardo at 2
Rich Campbell at 4
Dan Durkin at 5
Brian Billick at 5:45

They'll also throw some shade at Rose and the Bulls without talking to anyone about it.