The NFL Scouting Combine is upon us once again, and prospects of all makes and models find ways to earn… or lose… millions of dollars before playing a single down of professional football. No pressure. But it’s not only players that have a lot to prove. The Wonder Twins, Ryan Pace and John Fox, could be faced with a steep learning curve in their first draft together. The debate is already raging about what to do with the seventh overall pick. |
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Flash back to 1985. Wham! owned the airwaves, gas was $1.20 a gallon, and the Monsters of the Midway were roaring their way towards a Lombardi Trophy. Flash forward to 2014 and those same Monsters are looking more like stuffed teddy bears. The team couldn’t have laid a bigger egg in their home opener, dropping an overtime heartbreaker to the lowly Buffalo Bills, 23-20. Now, the Bears will hit the road to visit one of the NFC’s best, the San Francisco 49ers, to help them christen Levi’s Stadium. Why did I mention 1985 to start this post? Well, like any other Bears team since, this team can learn quite a bit by studying the ’85 team. That was obviously the last time the Bears won the title. But there was another significant thing they did nearly 30 years ago that hasn’t been repeated since. Therein lies the key to getting their season back on track in Week Two for the Bears. The right team is representing the NFC in this year’s Super Bowl. Yes, even after picking San Francisco 49ers to be my NFC representative since last season when they bowed out against the Ravens, and even after actively cheering for them to beat these same Seahawks on Sunday. Why? This team has the ‘it’ factor. Point blank. We can rebuild it. We can make it stronger. That was the takeaway message I took from Phil Emery and Marc Trestman’s exit press conference. We can forget Chris Conte’s mishap (good luck finding another team, Chris). We can forget the final 46 seconds that took the Bears from a playoff sleeper to mediocre sob story. What we should be focusing on is this upcoming offseason, which will be the reason the Bears return to playoff contenders instead of pretenders for years to come. The Bears ruined Christmas... Don't try to brighten my spirits with the fact that they can still make the playoffs with a win next this Sunday against the Packers. After last night's showing, do you really think this team, especially this "defense" (and I use that term lightly), will do anything against the top tier of the NFC? They'd likely just bow out in an embarrassing first round loss, one that closely resembles last night's. Perfect, the Bears have brought out my inner Scrooge just in time for the holidays... I tried to be optimistic. I really did. You think I would know better by now. They even got some awesome early gifts from the Packers and the Lions. And yet they laid an egg of historic proportions against a team that literally had nothing to play for. Allow me to introduce a hashtag here: #TypicalChicagoSportsMove (except you, Blackhawks. You guys buck the trend. Thank you for that ray of hope.) Here's a collection of random, depressing thoughts and stats resulting from last night's trouncing at the hands of the Eagles. I'm sure you'll enjoy! |
AuthorThe name's Joe. Some people call me JoeFlah. Die hard Chicago fan, sans the Sox, through and through. When I'm not injured, I like to lift iron repeatedly. I do way too much research on exercise and nutrition for my own good. Archives
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