Windy City Gridiron
Earlier this week, we asked you guys to think big picture when voting in our weekly Chicago Bears confidence poll, and these results smell a lot like what was going on during the Matt Eberflus era.
Only 23% of us still believe in the direction of the franchise.
Two games into the Ben Johnson era, and it looks like the talent is further away than we hoped it would be after four offseasons of moves by general manager Ryan Poles.
Poles took over a roster that won six games; he stripped it down, rebuilt it, and last year the Bears won five games.
Do you remember what he said on January 31, 2022?
“We’re gonna build through the draft. We’re gonna acquire young, fast, and physical football players,” Poles said at his introductory press conference. “We’re going to be selective in free agency, and we’re going to connect evaluation with valuation. We’re gonna have a relentless approach to fix our weakness. We’re gonna maintain great self-awareness of who we are. We’re gonna solve problems with open communication and candor, and we’re gonna consistently put players in position to succeed.
“And the last thing, the most important piece is we’re gonna take the North and never give it back.”
The Bears have won three division games under his leadership.
Losing takes a toll on the players, but also on a franchise. It’s hard to break the cycle and change a culture.
Ben Johnson has injected the locker room with a much-needed sense of accountability, but he has a lot of work to get the stink of the previous few years off the team.
Earlier this week, Johnson was talking about the loss in Detroit, and he said they need to clean things up in all three phases. He also said that the Lions played harder than his team, which is a reflection on him. When asked if some players need to practice better, he said, “I think our practice habits are yet to reflect a championship caliber team.”
The practice habits of most of the players on the roster were molded under Eberflus. Sure, there are some new faces in the locker room this year, and Johnson has had several months to put his stamp on the team, but it takes more than an offseason to undo what was.
The talent on the roster has been questioned, and the Poles’ discourse has shifted drastically in the last few weeks, so I can see why 77% of our fans aren’t confident in this team.
SB Nation Reacts is a survey of fans across the NFL, and throughout the year, we’ll ask questions of the most plugged-in Bears fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
