Reality check

[Bearsmight]

It's been quite a while since my last post. I guess it's because I've lost much of my enthusiasm for this team/organization. As I sat watching yet another terrible game I got to thinking how bad the Bears have been with few exceptions over a long time. So I decided to look at their history over the last few decades. Big mistake lol. After a few minutes it became clear that the once proud and often champion Chicago Bears have become bottom feeders in the NFL.

In the last 11 seasons they have made the playoffs once only to lose to the hated Packers in the NFC championship game at home. It gets worse. Over the last 30 seasons they have made the playoffs just 8 times. In the last 60 seasons just 15 playoff appearances. That's 2 less than the Cleveland Browns over the same stretch. The only consolation was the 1985 Superbowl (I'm not counting the 63 title because I was 5) which is a distant memory.

It is nearly impossible to see light at the end of a long dark tunnel with the team. If over more than the last half century if this team can only manage to make the playoffs 25% of the time it does not offer much hope for the future. I know I wont stop watching but over the years I find myself watching with only casual interest.

So, you're saying that over the last 11 years... We've been to a Super Bowl, and 2 NFC Title games?

Yeah, most teams would really, really like that.

2005-2013... we were competitive every year, save 07 and 09. This fan-base needs to stop with the "poor me!" mentality. There's ups-and-downs in this league. We had a window in the 00's with Urlacher and the D, had two really good opportunities to win a Super Bowl. We missed it, it's unfortunate... but it happens.

I actually still think that the 2011 season, where Cutler/Forte went down for the season. Was the best shot we had at winning a Super Bowl. The D was playing as good as ever, and we finally had the offense to compliment it. I was at the San Diego game where Jay got hurt. I walked out of the stadium, with no knowledge of it (he finished the game). I said to my buddy, that this was the best team I've seen the Bears have and we were going to the Super Bowl.

Get home, and I see Cutler broke his hand. I was heartbroken. The way we lost to KC and Denver too... just salt in the wound. We could have made the playoffs, gotten both of those guys back and resumed the run. But Caleb Hanie was just SO incompetent.

What we're seeing now, is what happens to most teams when a window slams shut. SB win or not, it's very rare that a team just turns over with new talent, staff... etc... and starts winning immediately.

One day, the Chicago Bears will be contenders in the NFC again... and one day the Patriots will be picking in the top 10 spots of the draft.

No I'm saying exactly what I said, one playoff appearance in the last 11 seasons. That includes this season. I don't know of any team or their fans that would be happy with making the playoffs just 25% of the time over a 60 season period. I am not sure what you are seeing but I am seeing a tradition of losing and failing not a simple re tooling of players and coaches. You cannot look at a small sample like a few seasons you need to look at long term results. When you do you see a pattern of long stretches of incompetence and losing. Mike Ditka was the ONLY coach in the last 60 seasons that made the playoffs consistently 63%, Lovie Smith 37% and nobody else was close. Every team has injuries, good teams win in spite of them.

[Bearsmight]

It's been quite a while since my last post. I guess it's because I've lost much of my enthusiasm for this team/organization. As I sat watching yet another terrible game I got to thinking how bad the Bears have been with few exceptions over a long time. So I decided to look at their history over the last few decades. Big mistake lol. After a few minutes it became clear that the once proud and often champion Chicago Bears have become bottom feeders in the NFL.

In the last 11 seasons they have made the playoffs once only to lose to the hated Packers in the NFC championship game at home. It gets worse. Over the last 30 seasons they have made the playoffs just 8 times. In the last 60 seasons just 15 playoff appearances. That's 2 less than the Cleveland Browns over the same stretch. The only consolation was the 1985 Superbowl (I'm not counting the 63 title because I was 5) which is a distant memory.

It is nearly impossible to see light at the end of a long dark tunnel with the team. If over more than the last half century if this team can only manage to make the playoffs 25% of the time it does not offer much hope for the future. I know I wont stop watching but over the years I find myself watching with only casual interest.

So, you're saying that over the last 11 years... We've been to a Super Bowl, and 2 NFC Title games?

Yeah, most teams would really, really like that.

2005-2013... we were competitive every year, save 07 and 09. This fan-base needs to stop with the "poor me!" mentality. There's ups-and-downs in this league. We had a window in the 00's with Urlacher and the D, had two really good opportunities to win a Super Bowl. We missed it, it's unfortunate... but it happens.

I actually still think that the 2011 season, where Cutler/Forte went down for the season. Was the best shot we had at winning a Super Bowl. The D was playing as good as ever, and we finally had the offense to compliment it. I was at the San Diego game where Jay got hurt. I walked out of the stadium, with no knowledge of it (he finished the game). I said to my buddy, that this was the best team I've seen the Bears have and we were going to the Super Bowl.

Get home, and I see Cutler broke his hand. I was heartbroken. The way we lost to KC and Denver too... just salt in the wound. We could have made the playoffs, gotten both of those guys back and resumed the run. But Caleb Hanie was just SO incompetent.

What we're seeing now, is what happens to most teams when a window slams shut. SB win or not, it's very rare that a team just turns over with new talent, staff... etc... and starts winning immediately.

One day, the Chicago Bears will be contenders in the NFC again... and one day the Patriots will be picking in the top 10 spots of the draft.

That's an incredibly skewed glass half full characterization. How about pointing out that we haven't made the playoffs in 6 years and we've been in last place in our division for each of the last 4 years. You think most teams would really, really like THAT? We need to stop with the "poor me!" mentality? How about we finish outside the division cellar once in 5 years before we start celebrating our success?

I guess I just don't understand why you think that's some outrageous thing to happen to an NFL football team... We're on a down-swing right now. No doubt, but it happens to everyone.

A lot of people here somehow feel like this is some absurdly unprecedented run that we're on right now. It's completely ridiculous.

When you have just 11 winnings seasons in 30 years that's not a bump in the road or a stretch of bad luck. That's the trademark of a bad organization. Until things change at the very top winning seasons will be few and far between just as it has been for 6 decades.

[Mikefive]

It's been quite a while since my last post. I guess it's because I've lost much of my enthusiasm for this team/organization. As I sat watching yet another terrible game I got to thinking how bad the Bears have been with few exceptions over a long time. So I decided to look at their history over the last few decades. Big mistake lol. After a few minutes it became clear that the once proud and often champion Chicago Bears have become bottom feeders in the NFL.

In the last 11 seasons they have made the playoffs once only to lose to the hated Packers in the NFC championship game at home. It gets worse. Over the last 30 seasons they have made the playoffs just 8 times. In the last 60 seasons just 15 playoff appearances. That's 2 less than the Cleveland Browns over the same stretch. The only consolation was the 1985 Superbowl (I'm not counting the 63 title because I was 5) which is a distant memory.

It is nearly impossible to see light at the end of a long dark tunnel with the team. If over more than the last half century if this team can only manage to make the playoffs 25% of the time it does not offer much hope for the future. I know I wont stop watching but over the years I find myself watching with only casual interest.

So, you're saying that over the last 11 years... We've been to a Super Bowl, and 2 NFC Title games?

Yeah, most teams would really, really like that.

2005-2013... we were competitive every year, save 07 and 09. This fan-base needs to stop with the "poor me!" mentality. There's ups-and-downs in this league. We had a window in the 00's with Urlacher and the D, had two really good opportunities to win a Super Bowl. We missed it, it's unfortunate... but it happens.

I actually still think that the 2011 season, where Cutler/Forte went down for the season. Was the best shot we had at winning a Super Bowl. The D was playing as good as ever, and we finally had the offense to compliment it. I was at the San Diego game where Jay got hurt. I walked out of the stadium, with no knowledge of it (he finished the game). I said to my buddy, that this was the best team I've seen the Bears have and we were going to the Super Bowl.

Get home, and I see Cutler broke his hand. I was heartbroken. The way we lost to KC and Denver too... just salt in the wound. We could have made the playoffs, gotten both of those guys back and resumed the run. But Caleb Hanie was just SO incompetent.

What we're seeing now, is what happens to most teams when a window slams shut. SB win or not, it's very rare that a team just turns over with new talent, staff... etc... and starts winning immediately.

One day, the Chicago Bears will be contenders in the NFC again... and one day the Patriots will be picking in the top 10 spots of the draft.

That's an incredibly skewed glass half full characterization. How about pointing out that we haven't made the playoffs in 6 years and we've been in last place in our division for each of the last 4 years. You think most teams would really, really like THAT? We need to stop with the "poor me!" mentality? How about we finish outside the division cellar once in 5 years before we start celebrating our success?

I guess I just don't understand why you think that's some outrageous thing to happen to an NFL football team... We're on a down-swing right now. No doubt, but it happens to everyone.

A lot of people here somehow feel like this is some absurdly unprecedented run that we're on right now. It's completely ridiculous.

OK, let's look at some facts.

You have to draw lines somewhere. So here's where I drew them. Since we went from 14-16 games starting in 1978 and playoffs were expanded, the data starts there and goes forward to today, ignoring the replacement year, 1982. Assuming we win 1 more game this year--not a given--we'll have 18 wins in 4 years. That's one measuring stick. We've had 1 playoff appearance in 11 years, including this year. Since we made the playoffs the year before that, I'll be more conservative and look for stretches of 1 playoff appearance (or less) in 10 years. Note that I got my data from Wikipedia.

And to keep from cherry picking, I chose entire divisions of teams, 2 NFC and 2 AFC.

Teams.........18/4.........1/10

Bears..........14-17.......07-17.... First time these have ever happened.
Packers........Never.......78-92
Lions...........01-04.......98-13
.................05-10
Vikings.........Never.......Never

Cowboys.......Never.......Never
Redskins......Never.......93-04
Giants.........Never.......Never
Eagles.........Never.......Never

Broncos.......Never.......Never
Chiefs.........Never.......78-89
Raiders.......03-09.......02-16
................12-15
Chargers......00-03.......96-05

Patriots.......89-93.......Never
Jets............93-96.......87-97
Bills............83-87.......99-17
Dolphins.......Never.......Never

So let's summarize. The 2 measurement thresholds were hit only 16 out of 32 times. And 6 out of 16 teams never hit either one. So it's not even close to say that "every team" gets to where we are now. Further, you said that we're wrong to think that the run we're on is "outrageous" or "absurdly unprecedented". Well, "absurdly" is pretty subjective. But there's no question whatsoever that we're in unprecedented territory.

[Mikefive]

Here's where I'm at. I'm PISSED. I'm sick and tired of this BS. Lovie had his run and that was decent. But that team got old and we have never recovered, despite punting our GM twice and punting our head coach 3x. We were told that Angelo wasn't getting the job done (true) and we brought in the Emery/Trestman regime. Emery had his issues and Trestman turned out not be a leader of NFL men. Fine. Mistakes were made and it needed fixed. Nobody's perfect and after 2 seasons, we booted them. So we brought in Pace and Fox. And long story short, we continue to be a laughing stock.

THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE! I look forward to football season. But now for the 4th year in a row, we're in the 4th quarter of the season playing for nothing? Nothing?!? I go to work and have people walk up to my cube with Bears stuff everywhere and pat me on the head and say "I'm so sorry". My Packer fan son comes over every time we play our biggest rival and I have to sit through a thrashing almost every time. For 2 decades. But this year, they come to our house as underdogs without Rodgers and kick our asses anyway?!? Really?!?!?

I was promised that Ryan Pace was going to turn this thing around. And that John Fox was the experienced guy who would make the needed changes to get us going in the right direction. Solid coordinators were brought in and the ship will be righted. WELL THAT HASN'T HAPPENED! I remember the Abe Gibron era and it was awful. Fox is WORSE! Than Abe freaking Gibron! Are you kidding me?!?

Every year, I see new free agents and draft picks and I allow my naturally optimistic approach to reinvigorate my attitude when I head to TC. Again.

I'm just not sure I can have that faith any more. My belief in the Chicago Bears has been betrayed so many times that they're going to have to prove it to me. I know we're getting a new coaching staff next year. But that doesn't mean sh!t to me any more. Why would I think that this is any different than the last 2 guys we've brought in? Why would I think that the Bears could somehow bring in some offensive guru who turned things around like Sean McVay did with another young QB? When in my lifetime have the Bears EVER groomed a young QB to blossom into a good NFL QB, much less in his 2nd year?

I have no faith in these clowns.

I'm a UOK blog post waiting to happen.

[docc]

..my cousin is a Packer fan..we both lived through shit teams.. He likes to rag..so..when he would come by when I was in the city..

Salt Peter in his drinks and food..
"So..How's it hanging there ?

Yeah..just hanging there