Fives....

[madlithuanian]

OK, I need to flip the switch a bit and need to vent some positivity. There's a reason we are all Bears fans. Also, there are a lot of things many of us would like to see happen to the current team. I encourage anyone interested to join me in this therapeutic exercise... I'm going to give the five reasons I'm a Bears fan (in no particular order) and give five things that I think the team must do to improve this or next season (that are within the realm of possibility.)

 

Five Reasons I'm a Bears fan:

 

1. Blood. My family is simply from Chicago. Marquette Park to be exact.

 

2. The history. There's just too much. From virtually starting professional football in America to all the legendary players, the Bears exude football. I remember hearing Madden once say something like, "When the Bears are good, it's simply good for football." Damn straight John. We have more Hall of Famers than any other franchise. We have the best team that ever played. The best RB that ever played. The best LB that ever played. I could keep going on and on. The bears history is a rich one. And one that all starts with George Halas. That crumudgeony man made the NFL. Thank you Mr. Halas.

 

3. They were the best when I was in my formative years. I was 13 in 1983...and started playing and loving football. It was at that time, I really emerged myself in it all. All the details. And we know 2 years from there, the greatest team of all time came into existence. In 1985 before we played the Cowboys...I bet my entire school weekly lunch money ($20) against a football friend who was a Dallas fan. I bet not only would we beat his sorry Cryboys, but that we'd shut them out. 44-0 late, it was the best $20 I made in my life!

 

4. The fans. Chicago simply has the best fans in the world. yeah, there are a couple jackasses who could spil it for the rest f us. But, I've never run into a more passionate fan-base! Sure, there are cities that can rival or match, but I don't think they surpass. And seriously, who else has a legendary SNL skit? The Jimmy Fallon Boston thing isn't remotely in the same league. Speaking of leagues...anyone watch that show on FX? Quess where it takes place/ yep. Chicago.

 

5. Of all players, Jim McMahon. Don't get me wrong. I love Walter probably more. I know he meant more. I know he is leaps and bounds better. Walter was an icon that was unattainable. Jimmy seemed normal in is obnormality. For a 15 year old punk kid...McMahon was my personal hero. A brash guy that gave it his all. It wasn't always pretty, but dammit, he cared and left it all on the field. Sadly, today, it appears he left some of his marbles on the field suffering from head injuries. But I love Jimmy Mac. He was the rebel I wanted to be as a punk teenager. His big monster O line loved him. He head-butted with his kicker. And he thumbed his nose at everything, including Ditka. Even now, when visiting Obama, he was still wearing a headband and supposedly mows his lawn in a thing just to irritate his neighbor. yeah, he may border on a-hole...but to me, he was a rock star. But, I will say the only thing I cried more at than when Walter passed was my grandmothers' funerals. Thankfully, I've not experienced a parental loss yet.

 

Five Ways to Improve the Team for this/next year:

 

1. Fire Jerry Angelo. Easy peasy. Force him to retire. Something. Make sure to send Ruskell with him. He's simply made too many error along the way. I doubt the family will want to part ways with Ted or Smith. But, I think bringing in a really strong GM will help tremendously. And it's possible. This could immediately improve our ability to get FA's and draft better.

 

2. Sign Matt Forte immediately. His price is going up by the week. I like Forte. He's a classy guy and solid runner. We may have to overpay. But because we've erroed so much on OL and WR, we've put ourselves in that position by our own doing. He is half the team's offense if not more. yeah, the league is not the same regarding the running game. But he's also a huge part of our passing game. We need to lock him up for a few years. Let's be smart about how the contract is put together. The new GM should make sure of that.

 

3. Purge all offensive coaches. Let Martz walk. As easy as it gets. A "Do nothing" move here solves so much. I could go on and on about his failings, but you know them all. You may disagree with some of them, but you know the reasons why people opposed to him are opposed. Yeah, it'll be Jay's 4th coordinator in almost as many years...but any more time with Martz and he will retire in a bodybag. The GM needs to hire the OC and Smith will have to be happy with it. Tice, Drake, and the lot need to go too. They simply have failed. Tice has done some good, but I say let the new OC bring his own team in.

 

4. Purge all defensive coaches. Bye bye Babich. So long Marinelli. Heave ho Hoke. Coaching up hasn't worked. So, you have failed. We need a new coordinator that will challenge Smith. The defense needs a re-boot plain and simple. As much as I want to purge Smith too, it won't happen. The McCaskey's love him too much for some reason., But by forcing new coordinators on him, he's basically been stripped of significant power. The only thing he can still botch now is timeouts and challenges. There will also be a chance that he may resign with so much power stripped away. He could easily get a job elsewhere with his resume.

 

5. Shop Briggs for a pick. He's unhappy and I'm tired of his BS and so-so play this season. If we can land a high enough pick by a real GM, that'll be a plus.

 

 

 

 

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

I have one reason for being a Bears fan: I grew up in it, my dad had season tickets, and since has left them for me.

 

My 5 ways to fix the Bears: fire Angelo, hire better scouts, sign a solid LT, trade up for Justin Blackmon if necessary, and sign Forte.