“Come and play with me,” proposed the little prince. “I am so unhappy.” “I cannot play with you,” the Fox said. “I am not tamed.” The little prince asked, “What does that mean–‘tame’?” “It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. It means to establish ties.” “‘To establish ties’?” “Just that,” said the…
Tag: John Fox
The Bears suck. Nobody cares.
You may or may not have noticed that I’ve barely written about the Bears over the last couple of months. The ascension of Mitch Trubisky into the role of starting quarterback has featured more downs than ups, but he’s clearly got a long way to go. The other stifling factor is that this coaching staff…
Winning Ugly
On a day when the football world was standing against a belligerent tyrant, the Bears stared down perhaps their greatest nemesis: Themselves. There are fewer teams in the NFL more prone to getting in their own way than the Chicago Bears, and recent history has painted an ugly portrait of a team that rarely plays…
A Mission of Mercy
SCENE: In the Chicago Bears locker room, quiet hangs overhead as the roster is joined by John Fox and the coaching staff. Ryan Pace emerges from a door labeled PERSONNEL, trailed by a cigarette-smoking man in a business suit, a gilded label upon his visitor’s badge that reads “BEARS FANBASE REPRESENTATIVE”. FANBASE: Let me have…
The Process
Following the Bears, especially as an amateur enthusiast who lives vicariously through Twitter Journalism™, sports talk radio, team releases, press conferences, and beat writers, can be profoundly frustrating. This is not specifically to point fingers at Fox, Pace, or players – they were not hired for their warmth and transparency with the media. Their hiring…
The Bargain Bin Bears
On March 8th, the Bears found themselves armed with $51 million in cap space, and with glaring weaknesses all across the roster, many fans were rubbing their hands in anticipation, waiting to read headline after headline of one big Bears acquisition after another. Pace’s own words fueled the fire: “We’re going to be aggressive and…
The Quagmire of Offseason Melancholy
The central crux of being a sports fan, particularly of a historically bad franchise, is to hold out hope that one day we can be there to see our team win it all. The Cubs history-smashing title this past November was one for the ages, and is a shining example of what bad teams want…
Learning to Win
What a season. I don’t want you to read that sentence in your head in the voice of a person who has just eaten a satisfying meal, patting their belly contentedly while leaning back in a creaking chair. I don’t want you to read that sentence in your head in the voice of a person…
The Want-To
With his Bears selecting 14th in the 2014 NFL Draft, Phil Emery knew that the team was looking at the twilight season of cornerstone Charles “Peanut” Tillman, and a quality cornerback prospect would be available for the plucking – either Oklahoma State’s Justin Gilbert or more realistically Virginia Tech’s Kyle Fuller. Gilbert went 8th overall…
Reports, Fluff, Rumor…and it’s gone.
On the Sunday morning prior to the Bears/Lions matchup, a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS indicated that Bill Polian, former General Manager of the Bills, Panthers, and Colts, would be open to an NFL return in 2017. La Canfora speculated that one team in particular stood out among the pack: A senior executive,…
The Fog of Bore
The fog rolled over Chicago, and on a day perfect for football, the attitude surrounding the home team was perhaps gloomier than the environs. It's a dark, dreary day at Soldier Field. Unfortunately it looks like the fog will clear out enough to allow fans to see today's game. pic.twitter.com/VAXcAX0mIk — Matt Zahn (@mattzahnsports) November…
Who Will Pay the Butcher’s Bill?
In 2002, the Chicago Bears were coming off of a magical season. A fiery young defense led by burgeoning star Brian Urlacher made countless exciting plays. The offense, led by the sturdy churning of NFC Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas and the veteran savvy of Jim Miller did their part in what was an…
1985 Edition 