Another cycle of Chicago Bears ineptitude is complete. They’ve burned through another coach and are also bringing in a new GM. Nothing will change with the Bears. It’s always the same pathetic product.
Monday saw the Bears unveil new head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. Like many in the franchise’s past, they made promises they would never fulfill. Lovie Smith said back in 2004 that his first goal as Chicago’s head coach was to beat the Green Bay Packers. He went 8-11 as head coach, which included an NFC Championship loss to Green Bay at Soldier Field. Poles echoed a similar sentiment on Monday in his first presser.
Out of nothing more than pure spite, Rodgers should return to the Packers on a new, multi-year deal just to bury this idea before it has a chance to come to fruition.
Chicago fans have taken the bait yet again. A new brain trust means a breath of fresh air, and that abundant oxygen goes straight to the heads of Bears fans far and wide. This is the time of year for optimism. But even then, there should be limitations. Poles feeding them nonsense won’t help anything two, three, or four years down the road when the Bears continue to do what they do. Rodgers can help Chicago in that regard.
Bears fans should want Rodgers to come back to Green Bay. Part of Poles’ overzealous comments stem from a deep-rooted hope that the soon-to-be back-to-back MVP doesn’t return to the Packers. If there was assurance that Rodgers was returning, he might have treaded more lightly. Instead, he promised Chicago that the Bears will take over the NFC North and not give it back. Rodgers could help wash away any fruitless optimism that Bears fans feel heading into next season by returning to Green Bay. Why tease the great people of Chicago? It’s not fair to them! Rodgers dusting them twice next year will help them come to terms with the harsh reality that everything will remain status quo even with the organization’s changes. It’s the least Rodgers could do for them as their unofficial owner.
Add in the Luke Getsy angle, and it gets even better. With Matt Nagy out in favor of Eberflus, the defensively-inclined head coach put a lot of emphasis on who the Bears would hire as offensive coordinator. Justin Fields is entering his second year as the signal-caller, and Chicago wants to make sure he succeeds. So they went next door and plucked Getsy away from the Packers, who was in the mix to be promoted to Green Bay’s OC opening once Hackett left. The opportunity to call plays in Chicago instead of just having the title in Green Bay likely swayed Getsy. It was a petty move by the Bears but not a surprise.
However, Bears fans have an addiction that they can’t kick. They are wrongly influenced by empty promises that continue to be made by whoever is running the show every few years. They get excited when Chicago puts new names in front of their faces after the failures of old regimes. And they are given the offseason to gloat, to hype one another up before the truth sets in. Fans of the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Packers don’t mind.
Chicago is off to another banging start with Poles assuring Bears nation that they will rule the NFC North. Rodgers can help dedicated fans in the Windy City by nixing any misplaced optimism they have entering the 2022 season. It will be better for their psyches in the long run, and they can return the favor to the Packers in some form or fashion down the road. For now, this is truly about Rodgers coming back to Green Bay to beat the hell out of the Bears and help their fanbase stay grounded.
