You know what particularly excites me in Bear land?

[Mikefive]

I've been trying to reel everyone in. I think we're going to be better than we have been. But I've been being conservative with expectations. But the more stuff I see... There's something that could be really different with this team that I haven't seen since the first quarter of the SB year.........

Could we see quality on both sides of the ball??? When's the last time we saw that? We are pretty well expected to have a top 10 defense. But if we have an offense that can actually score consistently? Think about how that will help the defense if we can make teams play from behind. I'm not sure the offense will be that good immediately. But later on... or in 2019... Holy crap!

You know what could seemingly be meaningless, but that I really like? Listen to these interviews...
Charles Leno...[video][/video]
Akiem Hicks...[video][/video]
And my personal favorite... #29...[video][/video]

These are not a bunch of dumb guys. And when you have complex schemes, having bright players who can wrap their mind around everything is just huge. It's one of those intangibles that matters.

Or maybe I've just been watching too many Bears OTA videos.

[Richie]

Could we see quality on both sides of the ball??? When's the last time we saw that?

Consistently? September of 2006, the majority of the 2nd half of 2010 (plus Seattle playoff game) and 2011 pre-Cutler injury.

Have never put it together for a full-season, though. That is for sure.

I think it's more realistic to expect that we're a year off from that, but teams come in a year before their estimated time of arrival all of the time. No reason we can't. Like you, I just try not to get carried away. It's been tough, I admit.

I've never been more restless about counting the days/weeks until training camp. Maybe following the SB in 07. However, I am extremely excited. Probably too excited. I just want to play some meaningful football games again. That's really what I'd like to see this year. Instead of talking about draft positioning and the upcoming off-season in November/December. Fans rooting for us to lose so we fire a coach, get a high pick... etc... I want to see hype for upcoming games and at least a couple games with a playoff type atmosphere at Soldier Field.

I seriously am desperate for that feeling again. Waking up on a Bears gameday post-September with legitimate anxiousness and excitement.

[UOK]

The relationship to the media is still clearly in the honeymoon stage, but what's terrific is that we're no playing the John Fox games anymore where everybody had to shut the hell up at all times and, if possible, hint at a lie.

Guys are allowed to be themselves. Nagy's got the troops working toward a unified goal, and until he has some kind of freakout after a loss or period of losing, there's only positives thus far.