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Bears Mon Dec 01 2014

Thanksgiving Was a Welcome Distraction from the Bears

Chicago BearsI hate it when the Bears play on Thanksgiving. In general, I like the idea of pro football being on television throughout the turkey-filled holiday, but I also enjoy not caring about the games that are on so I can worry about the food I'm consuming. Oh yeah, I like talking to my family, too.

When the schedule originally came out, I saw the Bears' Thanksgiving game and immediately began trying to figure out how I was going to watch it. A divisional matchup at 11:30am on a day where my wife and I have a massive lunch with my family, followed by a two-hour drive and supper with her family, was something I had to plan in advance for.

My dad has a three-and-a-half inch battery powered television that he used to take with him the one day a year he'd sell tickets at the county fair, but that's been rendered obsolete now that all stations broadcast digital signals only. I could probably stream the game on my tablet, but that would require a strong wireless internet connection at the church we have our lunch at. No such luck.

But as the time got closer, and the calendar flipped to November, I had lost interest in finding a creative way to see the game. The Bears had sucked the goodness of football out of me for 2014. In the few moments I was able to tune in on the radio during Thursday's debacle, the Bears were actually winning 14-3 following Alshon Jeffery's second touchdown catch, but I didn't show any excitement because I knew it wouldn't last. When we jumped in the car to return to the suburbs, the Lions were kicking their final field goal to make it a three-score game. We turned the radio to '90s music.

The game was recorded on our DVR at home, but it's since been deleted without being viewed. I'm guessing the Bears barely used Matt Forte in the running game, Jay Cutler threw enough bad balls to make you gag on the your mashed potatoes, and Calvin Johnson wreaked havoc on the secondary. The gameplan Marc Trestman used probably included the same crap that hasn't worked the past nine weeks, Brandon Marshall likely got either real loud or ignored everyone, and I'm sure the special teams made some sort of bone-headed mistake.

The fact that the Bears still have an outside chance at making the playoffs makes it worse. We're still going to hear the same mindless talk about how the team has to fix problems, despite us knowing the guys hired to do so simply aren't good enough at their jobs. Will changes come after the season? Who knows. It might take three or four losses the rest of the way for that to happen, but rooting for losses is something fans should never have to do for positive change. They should be able to have confidence in the people that draft, the guys that coach, and the players that suit up every Sunday.

I don't. Most fans don't. Bring on the losses with an extra helping of firings. Maybe our Christmas wishes will come through.

 
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