If they win…
Maybe the Chicago Bears can’t rescue the 2009 season from the perils of a wasted winter on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. Maybe they can’t put the bloom back on the quarterback’s rose or elevate the coach from his first visit to the warmest of warm seats. Maybe they can’t make us all forget about Cincinnati and Arizona. But they do have an opportunity – believe it or not – to make next week matter. When you’re a game under .500 after nine games, that’s all an organization ask for. If the Bears win Sunday night, Minnesota matters. And right now next week mattering is like the Super Bowl.
If they lose a close one…
And close does not refer to score. If the Bears lose a hard-fought, penalty and turnover-free battle against a better team, so be it. We wake up Monday morning, piss out the previous night’s booze/sorrow, and start discussing where we need to improve to compete with the Vikings and Packers in 2009. The problem is that the Bears haven’t lost one of those games this season. They’ve either been blown out or blew a victory with costly errors. But if, by some chance, they lose a tough one…we’ll cope.
If they lose big…
We kill the beast. We don dark robes, light torches and call for the head of of the absent-faced wet blanket that tells Jamar Williams which gap he should be in (which he’ll subsequently avoid like a Chelsea gigolo at the free clinic). Mike Shanahan is the guy for this job and if the Bears lay another egg in front of a national audience, fans and media should unite to call for his services. We should ask the organization to deliver what we deserve. How? I’m not sure yet. But I promise you all this. If the Bears are blown out Sunday night, this site will be a much different experience Monday morning.