This is our Moment

[G08]

Guys I'll be the first one to admit in my younger days that I fell victim to blind loyalty and fandom for this team. Every week we had a chance to win, no matter what, I always saw that little sliver of chance. Reality eventually would kick in and I realized that core was never going to accomplish what many of us wanted.

Enter Matt Nagy and an aggressive Ryan Pace. I didn't think we would trade for Khalil Mack... our GM values draft picks like malk values role players on cheap contracts. So what does he do? Trade future picks for Anthony Miller, for Khalil Mack, goes out and overhauls the WR position. On the surface it looked like maybe he knew this was his last shot at getting this thing right... putting HIS stamp on the Chicago Bears and defining his legacy.

I created a thread asking if I was the only one not drinking the kool-aid and some of my fellow "beaten down Bears brethren" chimed in and echoed what I felt: this franchise found a way to let us down time after time after time. We knew Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay would always find a way to **** us, and wouldn't you God damned know it week 1 it happened to us again. The optimists of the world told us to relax and that this was a good team... I didn't care to take anything at face value anymore -- not with this team -- until they earned it.

Well... here we are. It's week 11 and we're in first place. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are currently 2 games behind us and there is a lot of talk brewing that Mike McCarthy is a goner at the end of the season. Our game was flexed to Sunday Night Football because we're taking on the second place Minnesota Vikings, and if we win we will have a solid 2 game lead over them (and 3 game lead over the Packers).

I understand Nagy is talking about this being another game and that it has a little more importance since it is a divisional game, but I'm not ******* buying it. This is it -- this is OUR moment to show the rest of the world and the NFL that the NFC North is ours. The table is set and everyone will be watching how we perform. You couldn't ask for a better story for the ascension of Mitch Trubisky and our Chicago Bears than to come out and make a statement on national television.

What are our Chicago Bears going to do? I can't ******* WAIT for Sunday night, baby!!

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

Preach on brother G! 

 

No matter what,  we've got an exciting team. Pace has been aggressive and decisive, and even though he's had a few misses I think he's done a great job of swinging for the fences and right now it looks like he's gotten a whole lot of it right. Nagy is a really cool coach that's just getting started. Our D is a badass group. Mitchy just might be really good!  

 

It's November and I haven't thought about the draft, aside from to think "hey, usually about now I'm doing mock drafts, whats up?"

 

It's a great time for us Bears fans, seeing some results, dreaming big and going into every weekend thinking the Bears have a lot of ways to win.

 

Good on ya

[beardown3231]

It's time, guys. It's time.

(BTW, I believe Green Bay is 2.5 games behind the Bears, not 2)

[WindyCity]

The tough part is if we lose, which I think we might, can people keep their sit together and realize that this is still trending in an incredibly positive direction.

A loss to the Vikings will really separate the fans and the media who are waiting on something bad to happen so they can get back into their old ways of bashing the Bears and everything is bad.

The media will be the most interesting to watch.

My guess on "same old Bears" narrative pushers

-Mully and Haugh

-Tribune

-Laurence Holmes 

[dll2000]

1 hour ago, G08 said: The optimists of the world told us to relax 

 

Hi. How ya doing. Actually more of a cynic than optimist. My attitude was it really doesn't matter that much either way.  Putting too much into fandom or a hobby is chasing the wind. 

Anyway, I got into volunteer coaching like 25 yrs ago for kicks and giggles. When Internet and traveling clinics connected us nationally I got to learn from some truly great and knowledgeable coaches. Old coaches will talk football with you for hours if you just ask them respectfully.  They dont even have to know you.  As long as they arent busy with their teams or better if they are recently retired. 

So while I myself dont know everything, I know how great coaches think. Nagy has shown a lot of great coach traits.

1) He loves the game

2) He loves to teach

3) He doesnt let ego or stubborness get in way of changing, adapting or winning. Got a good D coach? Let him do his thing.

4) He sees a problem and attacks it.  Bad redzone results. We are going to spend all week on redzone O.  Kicking problem at soldier field wind.  Go to soldier field and kick. 

5) Build your O through your process and program.  Don't panic at early problems you knew would be part of learning curve.  Stay the course and work toward longer term goals. 

[G08]

@dll2000 I wasn't sure what to expect of him during the coaching search last off-season. I didn't like how his offense sputtered after taking a solid lead in the playoffs against the Titans. But there's SO MUCH MORE to coaching than just X's and O's, as you described above. I'm impressed with him as a person, as a communicator, and most importantly as a leader of these young men. I sincerely hope Nagy/Trubisky will be the next Payton/Brees. Keep them together for the next 10-15+ years.

[JAF-N72EX]

When was the last time any of us were actually excited about an upcoming year/game? Feels weird. In the past, even a win didn't feel like anything. In fact, It was just "okay, so what, all we did was play ourselves out of draft position". It's different now and that's a good thing. 

I don't care how this season turns out. Playoffs or not, the team has already exceeded my exceptions and has given us something to look forward too next year for the first time in years.    

[WindyCity]

1 hour ago, JustAnotherFan said:

When was the last time any of us were actually excited about an upcoming year/game? Feels weird. In the past, even a win didn't feel like anything. In fact, It was just "okay, so what, all we did was play ourselves out of draft position". It's different now and that's a good thing. 

I don't care how this season turns out. Playoffs or not, the team has already exceeded my exceptions and has given us something to look forward too next year for the first time in years.    

This season at its base for me was about 2 things,

1. Did we hire the right coach? Yes, I am certain we did.

2. Do we have a QB that can win in the NFL? I think so and I am optimistic.

 

The winning games, the competing for the playoffs, this is all house money for me right now.

[dll2000]

I think next season is the year to be really excited, but next year is never guaranteed.

Mack and Trubisky could be injured and out for season and in a blink its all over. 

So if you have an opportunity this year go for it, even if it isn’t the plan. You may never get another shot.  

[Nads786]

I agree you have to go all in. My expectations have risen and I can’t wait for SNF this weekend.

If we can get to the playoffs this year I think we can make some noise.

🐻⬇️

[Heinz D.]

4 hours ago, G08 said:

 Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are currently 2 games behind us and there is a lot of talk brewing that Mike McCarthy is a goner at the end of the season. 

Don't say that!

I don't even want to think about it. It'll give me nightmares. I want McCarthy to continue to unravel to the point that he makes Gutekunst cut all of their running backs, forcing Rodgers to throw it on every down (except for their package of quarterback run plays), and then play Rodgers at safety to make up for the loss of Clinton-Dix. 

3 hours ago, WindyCity said:

The tough part is if we lose, which I think we might, can people keep their sit together and realize that this is still trending in an incredibly positive direction.

I'll be able to keep things in perspective, for sure. But I'm an old bastard. However...

I didn't bring this up in the GDT, but all of us here in our little Bears corner of things are approaching this game cautiously; most predicting defeat, pretty much everyone predicting a close game.I'm just going to put this out there, and we can play with it...

What if the Bears STEAMROLL the Vikings?

This isn't my prediction, mind you, I honestly don't know what to expect, but the fact of the matter is that the Vikings have been anything but consistent and it seems to me that if Mack and co. get rolling they can make for an extremely long night for Cousins. And as good as the Vikings defense is, there's not way they'll totally handcuff the Bears offense. 

 

[G08]

29 minutes ago, Heinz D. said:

Don't say that!

I don't even want to think about it. It'll give me nightmares. I want McCarthy to continue to unravel to the point that he makes Gutekunst cut all of their running backs, forcing Rodgers to throw it on every down (except for their package of quarterback run plays), and then play Rodgers at safety to make up for the loss of Clinton-Dix. 

I'll be able to keep things in perspective, for sure. But I'm an old bastard. However...

I didn't bring this up in the GDT, but all of us here in our little Bears corner of things are approaching this game cautiously; most predicting defeat, pretty much everyone predicting a close game.I'm just going to put this out there, and we can play with it...

What if the Bears STEAMROLL the Vikings?

This isn't my prediction, mind you, I honestly don't know what to expect, but the fact of the matter is that the Vikings have been anything but consistent and it seems to me that if Mack and co. get rolling they can make for an extremely long night for Cousins. And as good as the Vikings defense is, there's not way they'll totally handcuff the Bears offense. 

 

I've been pessimistic about this team because I've been wanting them to prove to me who they are. Early on in the season (GB, MIA) I thought they didn't know how to win/close out games. With our backs against the wall we win 3 straight in a row and are sitting in first place of the NFC North through week 10. Think about that.

Now we get a game flexed to SNF, the team is excited about it because it means the world will be watching. Does anyone think they're going to **** the bed? I don't. Bears come out and make a statement.

Bears - 34
Vikings - 17

[Heinz D.]

12 minutes ago, G08 said:

Bears - 34
Vikings - 17

Yeah, that's the thing, isn't it? I'm not saying it will happen, but it's entirely possible. 

[Superman(DH23)]

Honestly I'm starting to feel it a bit too.  I think 10 is going to have a great game as I felt before the season that weeks 10-16 is when we would see Trubisky really take some big steps and get red hot.  I had us at 10 -6 in The preseason partly bc I felt like we would really see this offense at it's best to end the year.  This is such a statement game.  Under the lights, with the whole league watching they can change a lot of minds by showing up and showing out.  I dread saying it bc I dont want to be disappointed or disrespectful to the opponent but you know that Nagy and 10 are going to have something for this game, and I can see the Bears dog walking the Vikings.  Now in order to do that, everybody has to be at their bests, offense, defense, and specials.  I think we'll know pretty early in the game if that is what we are getting 

[Pool]