SAME OLD BEARS — The Weekly Opine

Will on-field performance improve for the Chicago Bears if they build a stadium where Arlington racetrack now sits? (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

I really don’t care

Several of my football-loving friends asked my opinion (a big mistake) about the Chicago Bears possibly moving to suburban Arlington Heights. As I talk with Bears fans, many of their responses mirror my reaction to team owners, the McCaskey family, ponying up nearly $200 million to buy Arlington International Racecourse.

Currently, there is sentiment, among more Bears fans than you might expect, that many of us could care less if the Bears leave Chicago for greener pastures. My, ahem, opinion is that so long as the McCaskey’s own the Bears, the organization’s befuddled management will prevent the Bears from reaching the NFL’s greenest pasture, a.k.a. the Super Bowl.

Virtually everyone agrees, regardless of whether the Bears stay or go, fans (i.e., citizens) should not be burdened with paying higher taxes to help fund the Bears. Unpopular Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is under intense pressure to keep the Bears in Chicago, to pay rent to the Chicago Park District. Governor J.B. Pritzker is under pressure not to allow the McCaskey’s to cajole their way to a new suburban stadium, dependent on Illinois citizens paying higher taxes.

Not cheap

For perspective, look at the two newest, state-of-the-art NFL stadiums. Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium cost $1.8 billion. In Los Angeles, SoFi Stadium cost a whopping $5 billion.

In Dallas, the more than decade old AT&T Stadium was originally pegged to cost $650 million. The final price tag was $1.15 billion, nearly double what was planned. Also, a few years ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced plans to spend $1.5 billion on a new practice facility.

See how quickly costs can spin out of control? It’s no wonder, with inflation running above 5% and the eviction moratorium ending and news of the super-rich paying little, to no taxes, the “average” fans are fed up. The growing sentiment is, “take your team wherever you’d like, just don’t ask us to pay for it.”

The McCaskey’s made/make their money off the Bears (and their fans). Their wealth comes from owning the Bears. Unlike many other pro sports owners, the McCaskey’s did not become rich in another industry before buying the Bears. Is it possible to build a stadium in the ‘burbs without taxing fans?

Despite their woes on the field, the Bears are still a valuable franchise. According to Forbes Magazine, the Chicago Bears are the 8th most valuable franchise in the NFL, worth $2.45 billion. (The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable NFL franchise at $4 billion.) Regarding the notion that fans should help build a new stadium, or help the team pay rent in Chicago, fans should just say “no.”

The Chicago Bears have not met expectations at Soldier Field. Is it time to move on? (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Stats don’t lie

Of course, indifference coming from many fans is because the Bears have not fielded a consistently top-notch football team for decades. There have been occasional breakthrough seasons such as 2006, when the Bears lost to Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. In 2018, the Bears won their division and promptly lost the Wild Card game. Otherwise, since the 1985 season that culminated with victory in the Super Bowl, the Bears have been mediocre, or worse.

During the first 21 seasons of the 21st Century, the Chicago Bears have made the playoffs just six times, with a playoff record of three wins against six losses. They’ve had a winning regular season record (i.e., won at least one more game than they lost) just seven times this century. In the past decade, the Chicago Bears have had just two winning seasons.

The futility of the Bears was on full display two Sundays ago. On September 26, the Bears played arguably the worst game of offensive football I’ve ever witnessed. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed only six of 20 pass attempts for 68 yards. He was sacked nine times, for losses totaling 67 yards. The result? In an era that is undisputedly primarily about passing the football, the Chicago Bears NFL team had a grand total of net one yard passing.

The Bears’ running attack two weeks ago was nearly as abysmal, with 46 yards on the ground. For the game, the Bears offense averaged an astonishing 1.1 yards-per-play. The Bears offense generated only six first downs, with two of the Bears first downs resulting from penalties against their opponent, the Cleveland Browns.

Last Sunday, versus the lowly Detroit Lions, the Bears defense gave up three consecutive long drives, with the Lions moving the football to less than 10 yards from the endzone. A combination of unusual mistakes, and a great play by the Bears defense, resulted in zero points by the Lions, despite three point-blank opportunities. Most NFL teams would have scored at least 13 points, which would have been enough for Detroit to win the game.

Wise up Bears fans. You’ve been hoodwinked long enough. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Dumb

The general manager, Ryan Pace (the luckiest man in sports), is still employed, making one boo-boo after another. Pace’s nickname should be Dummy. His draft picks and free agent signings mostly have not produced. He pays premium price when he should be negotiating bargains. Several years ago, Pace signed journeyman quarterback Mike Glennon to a $36 million contract, $18 million guaranteed. After a few games, Glennon was benched in favor of…rookie Mitch Trubisky. Dumb.

Pace doesn’t seem to understand that the foundation of a football team is the offensive line. The big guys who do the blocking, so their QB has time to pass, are the most important unit in football. Instead, as evidenced by Field’s running for his life two weekends ago, the Bears O-line couldn’t protect Field’s from the Rockettes. GM Pace, in an era when colleges produce a bumper crop of top-flight receivers, cannot assemble a crew worthy of the title, “NFL wide-receiver corps.” Dumb. The head coach, Matt Nagy should be fired, too.

Unfortunately, team ownership still rests in the incompetent hands of the McCaskey family. As I’ve said before, the Bears are a lumbering Amtrak when the modern-day NFL is loaded with high-speed bullet trains.

Do something fans

Bears fans do not seem to recognize they could exert some control. Start a grassroots movement that spreads as quickly as the legendary Great Chicago Fire.

What’s needed is for the stadium to sit empty, as it did last season during the pandemic. Soldier Field should look like Doc Fauci singled out Chicago and said no fans allowed. No butts in seats might get ownership’s full attention and force them to build a modern, progressive organization capable of winning championships. Or - please allow me to fantasize - sell the team to a competent owner.

As it stands, I prefer spending fall Sunday afternoons in my yard, picking up squirrel’s half-eaten walnuts, rather than watch the lackluster Bears.