Daily Norseman
Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town
Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around, I love it
Bet your bottom dollar you’ll lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago.
…Not So Fast, My Friend!
Ahhh, glad I figured out a way to shoehorn a quick tribute to the great Lee Corso right off the bat.
First, a quick note. Back in May, I posted my game-by-game season preview. The result? 12-5 and the NFC North crown, with a great deal of optimism for our postseason chances. Nothing has happened to change my mind. Hold that thought as some doomerism – however temporary – creeps in below.
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
Week 1 of the NFL season is finally here, with the Minnesota Vikings traveling to Soldier Field to face the allegedly reinvigorated Chicago Bears. I use the word “allegedly” because, well, we’ve been here before with the Bears. Just in the not-so-distant past, Marc Trestman arrived with Ben Johnson-like fanfare to fix the offense, not mess up the defense, and lead them to Super Bowl glory. Yeah, they should have kept Lovie Smith. Trestman took over a 10-6 team but went 13-19 over the next two seasons and was let go. In Trestman’s defense, he did have to navigate the stormy seas of “Don’t Care” Jay Cutler, which is the coaching equivalent of trying to navigate the Drake Passage on a rowboat.
After John Fox managed to make a bad situation outright apocalyptic for Bears fans, the newest offensive superstar/guru/supposed fix for the Bears – Matt Nagy – stepped in. Just look at what he achieved with the Eagles and Chiefs! With a promising, Top 10 drafted quarterback of the future in Patrick Mahomes Mitchell Trubisky, it seemed the narrative initially had promise with a 12-4 season and an NFC North title. But, alas, the 2018 season turned out to be yet another one of those fluky good seasons the Bears have been known for throughout this century (e.g., 2001, 2006, 2010). A “double doink”, followed by 22-27 stretch, and it was goodbye Matt Nagy.
Fast forward to 2025, and Ben Johnson is the latest offensive wunderkind aiming to turn the Bears’ fortunes around. His resume is undoubtedly impressive, as he led the Detroit Lions to a Top 5 offensive ranking every year as coordinator. Last year, they ranked #1 in points per game at 33.2. As Vikings fans, we’ve seen firsthand the prowess and brutal efficiency of Johnson’s scheme. In the six games he faced us as the Lions’ OC, he scored at least 30 points against us five times. Four of those games were against Brian Flores. The famous poet and philosopher Meatloaf wisely noted that two out of three ain’t bad. Five out of six? Well, that’s lights out.
Will This Time Be Different?
The most interesting storyline for me is how Johnson integrates the contrasting strengths of Jared Goff and Caleb Williams. The former is incredibly skilled at operating on time and in rhythm....
