Change is Good for the Soul
(Published on nwitimes.com) (September 19, 2016)
Well, that was a fun NFL season.
What do you want to do now? Play chess? Checkers? Lawn darts?
Although my trusty newspaper's agate page tells me there are still 14 games left to be played this year, my desire to watch the Chicago Bears traveling horror show has been ground into paste. At this point, I'd rather observe actual bears battling pistol-wielding cowboys (which, truthfully, sounds fantastic) than the allegedly professional football players who will suit up Sunday night in Arlington, Texas.
And to think, this season began with so much promise ...
I'm sorry. I couldn't say that with a straight face. Certainly, we all knew the 2016 Bears campaign was going to be the football equivalent of a 16-car pileup. What we didn't expect, though, was for said pileup to also include a helicopter crash, two overturned garbage trucks and a missile being shot at the calamitous scene.
Which is an understated way of saying Monday night's 29-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was ... not good.
Sifting through Monday night's wreckage in search of a positive development is an arduous task, but one thing does come to mind: The Bears have firmly entered their name in the race for next year's No. 1 draft pick. So, at least they still have something to play for.
Let's face it, even with a schedule that's softer than dryer lint, there's an excellent chance with quarterback Jay Cutler wounded and Brian Hoyer being foisted upon us, the Bears are only going to prevail in two or three games. Maybe four if God is a Bears fan (Spoiler alert: God is not).
I can’t tell you how to live your life, but I’m choosing to steer into the skid. Rather than gnash my teeth at the unrelenting deluge of defeats inexorably marching our way White Walker-style, I’m going to pull a bizarro Al Davis and root for the Bears to “Just lose, baby.”
I'm tired of watching the second-best quarterback in Bears history (Cutler) who also happens to, paradoxically, be terrible at his job.
There are a slew of signal callers in the college ranks who can throw interceptions in bunches and get hurt on the same play. Let's give one of them a try next year. Change is good for the soul.
The Bears' maddening inability to acquire a young, talented quarterback (the last time the team had a fledgling QB worth his salt was Jim McMahon in 1982) was magnified Monday night when Eagles rookie Carson Wentz carved up their secondary with crisp passes and accurate reads.
Another sobering reminder of the front office's ineptitude is coming down the pike Sunday night when the Bears square off with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
Certainly, there are no guarantees Wentz and Prescott are franchise saviors, but at least they give their fans some semblance of optimism.
The only hope the Bears' triumvirate of Cutler, Hoyer and Matt Barkley offer their fanbase is they hope they'll live long enough to see someone not named Cutler, Hoyer or Barkley manning the quarterback post.
Here's to a season filled with defeats and a 2017 draft pick so robust, the Bears can finally put someone behind center who doesn't make me wish I was born anywhere but Chicago.
Enough is enough.
What do you want to do now? Play chess? Checkers? Lawn darts?
Although my trusty newspaper's agate page tells me there are still 14 games left to be played this year, my desire to watch the Chicago Bears traveling horror show has been ground into paste. At this point, I'd rather observe actual bears battling pistol-wielding cowboys (which, truthfully, sounds fantastic) than the allegedly professional football players who will suit up Sunday night in Arlington, Texas.
And to think, this season began with so much promise ...
I'm sorry. I couldn't say that with a straight face. Certainly, we all knew the 2016 Bears campaign was going to be the football equivalent of a 16-car pileup. What we didn't expect, though, was for said pileup to also include a helicopter crash, two overturned garbage trucks and a missile being shot at the calamitous scene.
Which is an understated way of saying Monday night's 29-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was ... not good.
Sifting through Monday night's wreckage in search of a positive development is an arduous task, but one thing does come to mind: The Bears have firmly entered their name in the race for next year's No. 1 draft pick. So, at least they still have something to play for.
Let's face it, even with a schedule that's softer than dryer lint, there's an excellent chance with quarterback Jay Cutler wounded and Brian Hoyer being foisted upon us, the Bears are only going to prevail in two or three games. Maybe four if God is a Bears fan (Spoiler alert: God is not).
I can’t tell you how to live your life, but I’m choosing to steer into the skid. Rather than gnash my teeth at the unrelenting deluge of defeats inexorably marching our way White Walker-style, I’m going to pull a bizarro Al Davis and root for the Bears to “Just lose, baby.”
I'm tired of watching the second-best quarterback in Bears history (Cutler) who also happens to, paradoxically, be terrible at his job.
There are a slew of signal callers in the college ranks who can throw interceptions in bunches and get hurt on the same play. Let's give one of them a try next year. Change is good for the soul.
The Bears' maddening inability to acquire a young, talented quarterback (the last time the team had a fledgling QB worth his salt was Jim McMahon in 1982) was magnified Monday night when Eagles rookie Carson Wentz carved up their secondary with crisp passes and accurate reads.
Another sobering reminder of the front office's ineptitude is coming down the pike Sunday night when the Bears square off with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
Certainly, there are no guarantees Wentz and Prescott are franchise saviors, but at least they give their fans some semblance of optimism.
The only hope the Bears' triumvirate of Cutler, Hoyer and Matt Barkley offer their fanbase is they hope they'll live long enough to see someone not named Cutler, Hoyer or Barkley manning the quarterback post.
Here's to a season filled with defeats and a 2017 draft pick so robust, the Bears can finally put someone behind center who doesn't make me wish I was born anywhere but Chicago.
Enough is enough.