Jeff & I recorded a great preview of the upcoming Bears season — check this out for discussion of Hard Knocks, the Preseason, the Titans, season expectations, and more! Happy Labor Day!
— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) August 31, 2024
There were facts. There were hopes. Now there are predictions. Well, one.
No reason to bury the lede. I’m predicting the 2019 Chicago Bears to go to the Super Bowl, face the Kansas City Chiefs, and beat them. For the first time in the history of this blog, I believe the Bears are going to win a championship. Hell, for the first time since I’m four years old, I believe the Bears are going win a championship. I’m not hedging. I’m not putting up qualifiers. I’m saying it in bold letters:
Do any other predictions really matter?
No.
Enjoy Labor Day Weekend! We get to the real stuff next week.
Yesterday, just the facts, ma’am. Today, the hopes. Our season preview continues by looking at six things – that if they happen – the Bears have a chance to be the best team in the league.
Hope 1. Mitch Trubisky will improve.
4,000 yards. 30+ touchdowns. 10-15 interceptions max. If Trubisky hits those numbers, he’s on the road to being one of the best in the game.
Hope 2. David Montgomery will be a very good running back.
The core of the Bears offense is their center and guards. Daniels, Whitehair and Long are angry, tough men. Montgomery is a big back that is hell to bring down. If the rookie is as advertised, the Bears could have the game’s best closer.
Hope 3. Eddy Pineiro will solidify the kicker position.
Here’s what the Bears fan wants: a kicker they don’t worry about from 43 yards. You wanna miss a few 52 yarders? Fine. You wanna be 75% from 45-50? Fine. But just be iron clad from inside 45. Be a steady, reliable figure for the organization. And stay the fuck off morning television.
Hope 4. The Bears will get production from the tight end position.
Trey Burton disappointed in 2018 and then mysteriously no-showed the playoff game. Adam Shaheen is all gravy, no meat. Ben Braunecker is nothing special but he’ll certainly find himself playing meaningful snaps this season. The Bears have a lot of toys (Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson) to move the football but they still need the tight end spot to produce.
Hope 5. Allen Robinson will stay healthy.
Robinson has shown flashes of being an elite wide receiver but he has 56 catches total over the last two seasons due to health reasons alone. If the Bears want their passing attack to be explosive, Robinson needs to be on the field.
Today is the beginning of a three-part season preview, broken into specific categories: Facts, Hopes and Predictions.
After Marc Trestman’s first season in Chicago, fans became irrationally optimistic.
No, the team didn’t have a winning record. No, they didn’t make the postseason. No, they couldn’t play a lick of defense. But the offense was fun to watch and Bears fans didn’t know how to handle that. So they jumped right to, “This team is winning it all in 2014!”
This space fought that optimism from day one. Teams don’t win Super Bowls with terrible defenses and the coach/quarterback relationship looked combustible to any objective observer.
What followed was the most embarrassing season in the history of the franchise. The Kromer Campaign.
This year the optimism is warranted. The Chicago Bears are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And there are three facts to support that contention.
Fact 1. The Bears have the best defense in the league.
Does it require any more explanation? This Bears defense is frighteningly talented and Pace/Nagy added Chuck Pagano – one of the more aggressive defensive play callers in the sport – to lead them. If this group is ranked outside the top five in any of the important categories it’s because they have suffered several debilitating injuries. If the Bears find themselves with home field advantage in the postseason, this defense would make them overwhelming favorites to make it to Miami.
