I’ve adjusted expectations for this team for the next 2 years. I’ve seen a change of regime too much and another regression from this franchise to defense first, fuck the offense mentality but talk about how you want a good one/run the ball while ignoring the trenches. Over and over. It’s predictable to me at this point. Leave the fate of the guy who’s the reason you didn’t pick 7 overall a month and change ago in the hands of the worst OL in the Nfl last year that lost its best 2 blockers to Medicare and Pittsburgh and tell yourself a scheme change will help bad blockers somehow become competent.
You’re as blind as visionless. But hey, go nuts—feel great about a 5 win team as much as possible. I see a team that can fix the long-standing offensive problems with patience and a commitment to the least sexy thing—building the OL, but won’t.
Others look at a house that’s smoldering and on fire and are telling us be positive, it’s got a nice garden.
I absolutely agree the OL is the most important position for a football franchise. I will argue that until the end of days. Would I like to see a better OL? Yes, without hesitation. But frankly I would argue that even if we were 'ranked' top 5.
The point in the original post is that I have hope the team is going to start to turn things around, and for now I feel the positive vibes. I don't think next season is necessarily going to be playoff worthy, but I think that there has to be some level of patience with the new management and coaching staff. Coaches in football have the most impact than any other professional sport; we all know that. So a part of my positive thinking here is that maybe, just maybe, the team got it right this time. Why would anyone watch or even follow a team if they thought it was going to be a train wreck every week? I assume that most fans have some inkling of hope that we could win (Any Given Sunday, as one person put it). So until I have a solid reason to believe otherwise, I'm going be positive.
So yeah, maybe the house is a fixer-upper at this point, but smoldering and on fire will be a judgement I make during the season, just not yet.
I've been this way about the team every offseason for the last 23 years, so I guess I'm a creature of habit at this point.
@Zvbxrpl - Off topic, but I did want to comment on your avatar. Are you a fan of the show, or do you have another connection? I'm not a fan, but a few episodes have been filmed in my home town, as a couple of the actors are from here. Small world I guess.
Go Bears!