Sept. 14--For chunks of a beautiful Sunday by the lakefront, a vibe of hope bounced around Soldier Field emitting a sense that a Bears revival was underway.
There was a game plan that was working, a heartening halftime lead and a sincere belief that an upset of the powerful Packers was within reach. Yet by sunset, after a second-half unraveling put a magnifying glass over the Bears' many flaws, a hungry fan base found itself divided.
Was there truly legitimacy to the day's early hope? Or was it all a hollow tease?
Week 1, after all, had finished as everyone but Mike Ditka projected -- with a Packers win and with Aaron Rodgers treating the Bears like a pesky housefly. He let them hang around for a while, couldn't kill them with a few halfhearted swats, then finally rolled up the business section and squashed them into the living room window.
And with that, with the Packers' superiority still obvious, sports talk radio calls and Twitter debates sectioned Bears fans into groups.
Some of the factions included:
--The truly exhausted: "Wait. A defense that couldn't get off the field and failed to make a single tide-turning play? An inconsistent quarterback killing a potential game-tying drive with a fourth-quarter turnover? We're doing all this again? Really?"
--The Cutler apologists: "Forget about Cutler's fourth-quarter interception. Not his fault and not all that important. His 50 percent accuracy was more than acceptable. And it's lazy of the media to continue focusing on his career winning percentage against the Packers (now .077) or his one playoff win in nine seasons. If the Bears could just get him a top-five defense and three Pro Bowl wideouts, he'd have enough to win a Super Bowl."
--The realists: "Decent effort, predictable result. No one thought the Bears were playoff contenders anyway. So let's be patient and give this rebuild the time it requires. Holler at me in 2017."
--The grounded optimists: "Sweep away the inevitable errors and Sunday felt encouraging. The coaches minimized the demands on Cutler, prioritized a productive running game and established a workable strategy that allowed them to be right in the game deep into the fourth quarter. They weren't behind by 42 at halftime, seemed to understand their strengths and established an identity. Seems like a solid formula here. Week 1 could've gone much worse. And this team can get better. Like maybe 7-9 better? That's something."
For now that final group should be allowed to hold the bullhorn. At least through September as the Bears get two more improvement-measuring tests against 2014 playoff teams. Yes, growth is a hard sell to fans who feel entitled to more than four playoff appearances in 20 years. But it's the best hope the Bears can offer at present. For now, that's something.
dwiederer@tribpub.com
