NEWSLETTER
It feels like a good time to buy Chicago Bears stock.
This team went from having 3 wins and the NFL’s worst record in 2022 to 7 wins in 2023. And if you like playing the what-if game, then you’d probably be quick to note that this team could’ve easily won 10 games had it not been for three disheartening collapses in which it blew double-digit fourth-quarter leads. But even if you don’t take that into consideration, a team that more-than-doubled its previous year’s win total, upgraded its offensive weaponry in free agency, and owns the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft (presumably Caleb Williams) figures to be an ideal buy-low candidate.
With that in mind, NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit suggests the time is now to hop on the Bears bandwagon…
… which makes sense for the reasons listed above.
However, I didn’t expect this particular bit of reasoning from Herbstreit during a recent appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show (as transcribed by NBC Sports Chicago’s Ryan Taylor):
“When they made that trade (Montez Sweat), and they got a lot better on the defensive side, when Sweat came over, and the second there he got healthy, I’m telling you. Everybody expected (Matt) Eberflus to get let go in the middle of the year. The guy had an energy about him. His team responds to him.”
“You better get on the Bears right now. You better get on the Bears.”
I did *NOT* expect Matt Eberflus’ energy to be a reason for optimism. But I think I get it.
Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus was a surprisingly positive influence
This Bears team was going through all sorts of controversy at the start of the year. Of course, a chunk of those issues were created by the Bears themselves. For instance, this team was wholly unprepared for the season-opener agains the Packers. That was something that could’ve been avoidable had things been done differently internally at Halas Hall leading up to that game. Seeing the first-team offense and defensive units looking clunky because they didn’t spend enough time during training camp and preseason working together was also preventable. And even though I’d like to forget it, there were HR issues that led to the departures of their defensive coordinator and running backs coach.
It was messy. And ugly. It was forgettable and unforgettable all at once. Like a cartoon train wreck, but with fewer laugh out loud moments. It got to a point where we openly discussed the Chicago Bears’ culture problem and Matt Eberflus’ handling of rough waters in the early going. But at the end of the year, Eberflus proved to be a steadying presence. I didn’t see it coming. Then again, who did?
Eberflus guiding the Bears out from a 1-5 start to go 6-5 in the team’s final 11 games was a pleasant surprise. Credit to him for his efforts. Maybe we should see Herbie’s comments on Eberflus as a positive. Someone coming away from the Eberflus experience believing that the Bears head coach has “good energy” and that the team responds to him feels like a good sign. At a minimum, it beats the alternative of the coach being a problem. Plus, it gives us another variable to consider when trying to assess the direction of this team moving forward. If Eberflus can be a strength, then I’ll feel better about handing the keys to a rookie quarterback this fall.
“You better get on the Bears right now”
I was having lunch with a friend and discussing a variety of topics from ballpark beers, fantasy baseball sleepers, the 30-year stadium boom, and of course, the Chicago Bears as a football team. The Bears aren’t usually a topic of conversation for us because their football fandom is more rooted in fantasy football than it is in one particular team. But it leads to intriguing conversations. And it ultimately led me to the following thought.
The time to buy stock in the Chicago Bears is now.
That particular thought sprung to me when discussing our fantasy baseball options. Get a prospect now before their stock shoots up. For what it’s worth, this isn’t a foreign concept. The idea of buy-low and sell-high is as old as time. However, it isn’t something the Bears are familiar with in their history. But the Bears have rarely put themselves in this kind of situation. And they’ve rarely been in a spot where buying stock in the team made you feel good. However, the times are changing at Halas Hall. And I hope it leads to changes in the win-loss column starting this fall.
