Dec 6, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning 71 yard touchdown during the overtime against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The 49ers won 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Sorry I’m late in getting this out to you guys, but I needed an extra day to cry.
It’s kinda funny that I helped a friend, who is a 49ers fan, move a couch on Saturday. He said, “Now, because you helped me the 49ers will win.”
I texted him later and said “shouldn’t the Chicago Bears win because I helped you?”
On Thanksgiving when we beat the Packers I said that if we didn’t win another game this year I would be fine.
I was wrong.
I am not fine.
The moral of the story is, a true fan is never happy when his team loses. The loss hurts even more when you know it was winnable.
By my count, this loss makes 4 games that we should have won this season. Lions, Vikings, Broncos and 49ers.
I’m still mostly happy with the progress of our team. It’s kind of a paradox though. In this development year, the Chicago Bears have exceeded many expectations. So much so that I, and some of you, actually thought we could make a playoff push.
We fell short of that, but long on the “big picture.”
Think about that for a minute. Our Beloved are competitive against good teams now and can beat them.
Also, they lose against not-so-good teams, but this is obviously an area where our team can grow.
Home field is no longer an advantage, that really has to change. Our fans deserve it. I like them winning on the road, though. I don’t want to swap one for the other.
Robbie Gould. One of my favorite Chicago Bears of all-time. I still remember him kicking the game winning kick that allowed us to advance to the NFC Championship game in 2006. He said that he was working as a construction worker just a year prior after being cut from the NFL. It stuck with me and has inspired in my own life.
What do I say about him? Do I forget all the good he has done for our team? Some REALLY costly kicks missed lately. Remember, there is a whole lot of other things that can go better in any game to not make a win or loss depend on 3 points. He does make a lot of money for a kicker, too.
I’m just glad as a fan I don’t have to make those decisions.
Jay Cutler. Another of my favorite Chicago Bears of all-time. Pick 6. Yes, again. Usually I give him a pass because he has gotten so much better. This one was paired with some bad throws so the opportunity to erase it was lessened. I like him as our quarterback moving forward.
The Defense. Complete turn around from the past two years. Vic Fangio has done very well. There was a little bit of a collapse/miscommunication at the end of this game. I’m not gonna be blinded to the progress because of it.
Basically, I feel better just writing about this loss. No, it’s not what any of us wanted. I know I, personally, was fantasizing about the post season. What a stretch from last year.
Ryan Pace, John Fox, Adam Gase, and Fangio are gonna have us doing great things soon. They are amazing at talent assessment. They knocked the first draft/free agency out of the park. With one more, I think we can run away with the NFC North.
A year from now, we could be on here complaining that we lost our first game in week 13.
You never know.