Defensive
I'm not sure what has me the most jazzed; the fact that the Bears have won the NFC North title, or that they have the #1 defense in the NFL
Yeah, yeah, save the heckling; the NFC North is the weakest conference in the game, and Da Bearss didn't have the toughest schedule in the league all in all.
But still:
The Bears allowed fewer than 10 points in their sixth straight home game, the longest such streak in the NFL since Green Bay held all seven of its opponents to single digits in 1935.
The Bears yielded just 61 points in eight home games this season, the fewest by an NFL team since the 16-game schedule was instituted in 1978.
The Bears finished 7-1 at home for the fifth time, following 1986, 1988, 1990 and 2001. Their only perfect 8-0 record at home occurred in the 1985 Super Bowl season.
Don't get me wrong; in my schedule, something's gotta give, and that something is TV sports. Never watch it. Ever.
But there's something oddly reassuruing about Da Bearss being a defensive juggernaut. Even during their nadir - the Abe Gibron years of the early seventies, even before the ugly days when their leading rusher was QB Bobby Douglas (in 1973, Wes Montgomery led the team 230-odd yards - for the season), the sun rose in the east, and only constants were death, taxes and Da Bearss defense. When I was a kid and still had sports heroes, they were the Bears' 'backers Dick Butkus and Doug Buffone, who still dealt the defensive hurt no matter how feebly the offense performed. Watching the Bears back then was a character building experience: from the team's record, one learned to delay gratification; from the offense, to not put one's faith in management; and from the defense, the greatest of life's lessons - persevere, hit high and hard, persevere some more, a good "war face" solves a lot of problems, and persevere even more.
As I do every year, I predict the Bears will win the Super Bowl this year. And next year, and every year after that. I've been right once, and I'm sure I will be again.
Posted by Mitch at
December 28, 2005 12:08 PM
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Mitch, do you catch heck for living in MN and choosing to back a team other than the Vikings? Every family get-together my brother and his son have to berate us because we're Denver Bronco fans. They are really VERY annoyed & totally mystified how people who live in this state would choose to be fans of some other team. My husband started out admiring John Elway when he played for Stanford...our son grew up just crazy about Elway and stuck with the Broncos through thick and thin (lots of that!). But to them (who we get along great with otherwise), you'd think we're on par with people who rip the wings off flies or something. So, just wondering if you get any of that for being a Bears fan (as it sounds like you are).
Posted by: Colleen at December 28, 2005 12:41 PMSo in watching the Vikings I am engaging in a character building experience: from the team's record, I learn to delay gratification; from the offense, to not put one's faith in management; and from the defense, the greatest of life's lessons - persevere, hit high and hard, persevere some more.
Posted by: Kermit at December 28, 2005 12:57 PMThat and don't get caught.
I am die hard Bears fan and to be honest, I wrote off this season as "rebuilding" back in training camp. To have them going to the play-offs is fantastic!
My highlight of the season was going to the "Steelers Headquarters" (the Starting Gate on West 7th in St Paul) in my Urlacher jersey to watch the Steelers pound on my poor Bears. A Steeler fan in the bar asked me if I was lost, to which I responded "I'm a Bears fan, living in Minnesota and watching the game in a Steelers bar....what do you think?"
If we don't go beyond the first round I am still pleased with the season, but I'm hoping for the Super Bowl!
Posted by: The Lady Logician at December 28, 2005 02:50 PMI've never understood the requirement of cheering for the team that the owners have assigned to your town. The teams can move anytime they want, and threaten to, often enough.
It's not as if the Colts have any history or connection to Indianapolis (I'm old enough to remember Johnny Unitas); or the Rams have any history in St. Louis (I'm old enough to remember Roman Gabriel, too). Why should folks in those towns be emotionally committed to the teams temporarily stationed there? And what about people in Cold Omaha, who have no team: who are they required to be committed to? The whole thing is retarded.
It's like being emotionally committed to the success of your side of the gym, divided before the pep fest, yelling "We've got spirit, yes we do; we've got spirit, how 'bout YOU?" God help us if we don't have more spirit than those losers.
.
Posted by: nathan bissonette at December 29, 2005 09:16 AM