I imagine that members of the 1972 Dolphins, the last NFL team to finish a season undefeated, are having trouble sleeping these days. You know, the 2024 Bears and all.
Have you noticed that the closer we get to the start of the NFL season, the better the Bears get? And that’s saying something. The way fans and media swooned over the team in, say, June, you might have thought they were days away from playing in the Super Bowl.
Is it too soon to hand general manager Ryan Poles the NFL Executive of the Year award — for the next 10 years?
There’s optimism, then there’s whatever this is. Zeal? Manic belief? Increased dopamine levels?
The fever about a new season isn’t strange, foreign territory for Chicago. The city has been known to get excited by the merest hint of possibility when it comes to the Bears. People want to believe. But this is different. This year, people know. They know the Bears are on to something good. They know they have The Answer in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. They walk around as though they’re part of an exclusive club, one they haven’t had membership in since 1985.
It’s fun and stirring . . . and a bit worrisome. Maybe wait to see how the Bears play in the first few games before talking about a dynasty? Nah, I didn’t think so. That wouldn’t be Chicago and the Bears. Is it possible for a person to be more than all-in? Generally speaking, that’s where fans and media are right now when it comes to this franchise.
I thought I was immune to this sort of thing. Apparently not. I have to admit to some uncomfortable feelings about the way I sprinted to enlist in the Caleb Williams Army of Converts. Totally out of character for me, a confirmed Bears quarterback unbeliever. I think Williams is going to be really, really good. I’ve written it several times. And after years of writing off pretty much every Bears quarterback for the last two decades, that ranks as stunning.
Someone asked me the other day why I’m so sure Williams is going to be good.
‘‘He just looks different,’’ I said, offering in-depth, definitive proof.
I don’t even know myself anymore.
Team chairman George McCaskey was right in trying to inject some caution into the circulatory system of the average Bears fan.
‘‘Typically, the No. 1 pick in the draft comes into a situation where it’s going to take awhile for things to come together,’’ he told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Caleb’s got a lot of support: a solid defense, good receivers, good offensive line, a good running game, tight ends. But I hope people will be patient. There are going to be growing pains. He’s going to make mistakes. That’s part of the learning process for any young quarterback.’’
Patient? Growing pains? Learning process? What’s this guy talking about?
I’ve preached sobriety when it comes to the Bears this season, only to be hit by a couple of empty whiskey bottles. I’m fighting a losing battle. If I point out that the Bears went 7-10 last season, you’ll point out that Poles recently said that the offensive line, so often underwhelming in years past, ‘‘has the ability to be special.’’ If I point out that the Bears haven’t gotten the quarterback position right since the 1940s, you’ll point out that Bears tight end Cole Kmet said that Williams ‘‘has the potential to be a top-five quarterback in this league.’’’
We’ve reached critical mass in terms of Bears hype, and the season opener is still a week away. Let’s try to bring the enthusiasm down a few notches — from ‘‘I feel like fainting every time I think about my heroes’’ to ‘‘The Bears finally seem to be on the right path.’’ Even with my belief in Williams, I have the Bears going 9-8 this season. They’re not as good as the Lions and the Packers, fellow NFC North members. Both teams have better quarterbacks — right now.
Perspective is a valuable commodity. Here’s how far the Bears have come in a matter of months: They’re relevant. After years of being immaterial, now they matter. But mattering doesn’t mean much without winning — unless you’re the Cowboys, that is.
If Williams lives even part way up to expectations, if new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has a scheme that helps the kid succeed, if the defense picks up where it left off last season and if the team can stay mostly healthy, the winning part should come — eventually.
Whatever happens, lots of people will be watching with keen interest this season. Just not the ’72 Dolphins, OK?