I know how Bears fans work and I’ve never liked it.  An unarguably poor performance in the Meadowlands and suddenly half the roster needs to be traded and coaches need to be fired.  3-1 after four games isn’t not enough for Bears fans anymore.  The 3 never happened.  All they remember today is the 1.

The Bears aren’t a great team, we know that.  But guess what?  There isn’t a single great team in the NFC this year.  The Rams might win the NFC West.  The Saints have almost been beaten in every one of their games.  The Packers defense stayed true to its roots and was grated like cheese by Shaun Hill.  The Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Redskins…who the hell knows?  But do any of these teams look like they’re winning a road playoff game?

Listen, I know how you felt the last three weeks.  Things were rosy.  The sun was shining.  Beautiful women were approaching you on the street, complimenting your body and giving you keys to their hotel rooms.  But that’s not reality in the NFL.  In 2006, the greatest single season since 1985, the Bears were massacred at home by Joey Harrington and the Miami Dolphins (I know, I was there).  The Bears limped to the finish line behind the interception monster known as Rex.  And they delivered two of the most memorable performances of my lifetime en route to the Super Bowl.

Be practical.  Be pragmatic.  Next week they’ll be favored in Carolina, no matter who they start at quarterback.  They then come home, where they’ll be favored against the Seahawks and Redskins.  Bye week.  Then to Toronto to face the Buffalo Bills, easily the worst team in the sport.  If this Bears team is going to make any kind of run into the postseason, they should be able to experiment with some blocking schemes and still pull out three of these four games and finish the first half at 6-2.

So let’s not make any snap judgments off one performance.  Let’s not be like the four-letter network we all despise.  However bad you’re feeling,and you shouldn’t feel good, the Bears would win the division if the season ended today.  A month ago, you would have signed up for 3-1.  And five weeks from now you’re going to love 6-2.