6 steps to make you love Chicago Bears this season

For most of my life, I cared more about the Chicago Bears than anything that concerned me. This is the type of admission that is so humiliating, so ashamed, that you know that it must be true. I still have evidence:

1. My family's idea of ​​going on vacation in the '90s was to go to Platteville, Wisconsin, every summer, so that the Bears training camp could watch teams that would inevitably go 4 against 12 in a heat 100 degrees. My favorite memory is my little brother who begs Cade McNown for his autograph, and Cade McNown who says no by leaving his golf cart. My second favorite memory was to see "Men In Black" in theaters.
2. The basement of my parents is basically a bear monument. Most of it is in reverence to the 1985 Bears, who are treated as deities in the city to this day. But this is not all dedicated to '85 bears. There are signed pictures of everyone from Curtis Enis to Tony Parrish, Raymont Harris and Robert Green. Who is Robert Green? He was the 5th 5th against William & Mary who played for the Bears from 1993 to 1996. The only other people with a picture signed Robert Green are Robert Green's parents (probably).
3. To date, 80% of conversations I have with my dad involve the Bears. This has generally been cherished until recently.

Recently, I did not care about the Bears at all.

The game is too violent, the commissioner is a fool and the conversation around the wave of legitimate sports protests has been a nauseating game of cognitive dissonance. I was ready to face it when I could write love letters to Devin Hester and defend the proud honor of American hero Jay Cutler. But I could not face it while watching my favorite team get started by John Fox.

John Fox is Jeff Fisher without advertising. The Bears hired him to bring a professional "footballer" after the disaster of the Marc Trestman era, but the team became more pitiful and less interesting. Fox has won 14 games in three years and will be remembered mostly for his team's game on every possession, systematically leading the league in IR players, and the time he put to the test.

The Bears under John Fox have exhausted all my enthusiasm, and I say it as a person who still writes about the Bulls every day. But now, John Fox is gone. Suddenly, the Bears start to look … respectable? Easy to like? Maybe even a little fun?

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I am back on the Chicago Bears. You can be too. These are the six steps to tell you about the 2018 Bears.

We could publish interesting statistics like this:

We can indicate quotes to like:

"If nothing happens that prevents it from having longevity, you are talking about a Hall of Fame player at, I would say other than the quarterback, the most important position on the court" said Joe Banner, former president of the Eagles for 18 seasons during the successful run of Andy Reid and the Browns' CEO for two.

"He is raising everyone around him. He is an extraordinary person. He is intelligent. He has great leadership skills. This is unheard of. … Maybe you go back to Reggie White to think of a player who has had such an impact on the game without any question mark about it – injury history, intelligence, work ethic, respect, leadership. You choose the word and there is not one thing you can not put next to an A-plus.

Or you can just watch Khalil Mack lift an attacker in the sky with one hand, drive him down through him as if there was nothing but oxygen:

It's about speed to power and it's still one of the most exciting things to watch in football.

If the quarter is the most important position in the sport, the second most important position in football is the guy paid to break it in two. Nobody is better than Khalil Mack, and it's still a certifiable shock that he's a bear. It is perfect for Vic Fangio's 3-4 and will improve every player on this team. The secondary will not have to cover so long, the other players of the pass will face fewer double teams and the attack will benefit from the position on the field.

The Bears had a young defense with a raise before they got Mack. Now, they have a chance to be special.

2. Leonard Floyd and Akiem Hicks can also be monsters

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY HUI Sports

Do you want to double the Mack team? Great, Leonard Floyd and Akiem Hicks are happy to spray your shift in his absence.

Hicks is awesome. He had 8.5 bags last year. He has been touted as the NFL's best 3-4 defensive player. He tweets deep thoughts. And above all, he's already talking to the Packers:

"I know those five guys can not block Khalil Mack, "said Hicks, who was sitting near Mack during the call, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "You know, I really feel like this: they have to put their offensive line together but they do it and put their best product on the field, but I do not think their best product can block Khalil Mack."

Then there's Floyd, who looks almost more like a basketball player than a football player with a 6'6 frame. The Bears exchanged to draft Floyd in the first round two years because of his potential. Now he is ready to turn that into production.

Floyd is a speed chaser in the purest sense, using his 4.6 yards 40 yards to get rid of opposing tackles and put his long arms around the QB. The members of the organization were already talking about a season of 12 bags for Floyd this year before Mack's move.

If he can finally stay healthy. match Mack and Floyd on opposite sides and free Hicks to come to the center has all the assets of an excellent pass.

3. The game should be easy for Mitch Trubisky

Photo of Joe Robbins / Getty Images

It is absolutely right and just to be skeptical of Mitch Trubisky. He sat for three years in North Carolina and only played 12 college games. He did not do anything as a rookie in John Fox's incredibly limited specifications. He is mostly a quarterback of the Chicago Bears and every quarter of the Chicago Bears has been terrible since Sid Luckman put on his leather helmet in 1942.

Every time you take a QB in 2nd place overall Alex Smith is the best compiler, it's hard to be too excited. But even if Trubisky does not have a high ceiling, it is still possible that he is a reliable and competent quarterback. His receivers are a million times better than last year, with free agents Allen Robinson and Trey Burton leading the revamped pass game. The offensive game will be five million times better than last year. He always has Jordan Howard when he needs him. And an improved defense should mean a better starting position.

If Trubisky can really become "reliable and competent", he will be one of the best QB in the history of Bears. This is how low the bar is. For this year, he is basically in the position of Kyle Orton in 2005: bring the ball to your leaders and do nothing wrong.

4. Tarik Cohen is a legend in the making

I offer two proofs for that. First of all, this insane backflip capture:

Second, this shit:

Even the most important, Devin Hester, thinks it's a sick return. Everything about Tarik Cohen is great. He wants to retire earlier to do philanthropic work. He uses NBA compilations. he talk to my colleague Whitney about the fortnight. I like it and you should too.

5. Matt Nagy is not Trestman

It could even be good!

I admit that I bought what Trestman was selling in the day. He was supposed to be an offensive genius for a franchise defined by offensive ineptitude. He aimed to build his players, not to demolish them. And hey, he made Josh McCown a ton of money.

The problem with Trestman is that he was crazy and that football players do not like crazy people.

Nagy has a lot of outlets, but he has proven himself in the NFL, not in the CFL. The Kansas City receivers were widely open all year round. The Bears receivers were wide open throughout the pre-season, especially when their second runners were leading KC's first defense.

Vic Fangio can take care of the defense. There are finally playmakers in the passing game. The attack style of the west coast of Nagy seems to perfectly match Trubisky's forces. There is a chance – a real chance! – The Bears offense could possibly be useful for once in its existence.

6. There are young breakout players everywhere

Many of these Bears are not yet proven, but have the talent and opportunity to make a name for themselves this year. There is the young security tandem of Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson. There is rookie WR Anthony Miller and 26-year-old tight end Burton in the passing game. There's an Eddie Goldman up front, some of whom already believe he's a top-10 defensive tackle. And that's before mentioning Roquan Smith, the rookie insider recruiter that everyone has loved in the rough.

The Bears do not have high expectations at the start of the season. They play in what could be the most difficult division of football. Trubisky and Nagy are both totally unproven. Mack and Smith have just arrived. Making the playoffs after being a team of five wins a year ago would be the best possible scenario.

But after long and exhausting years, the Bears are finally quite interesting to watch again. For a football fan who has spent the last three years in exile, that's enough for me.