Never play the Bears on a day when a team legend dies. Everyone knows this

Let me take you again to November seventh, 1999.

I do know, nobody was alive then.

It was the Bears first sport since Walter Payton, the best Bear of all-time (although when you say Dick Butkus or Doug Buffone, I gained’t argue) had handed. I had $7 to my identify, dwelling in Boston throughout my freshman 12 months of faculty. I had no enterprise leaving my dorm room, a lot much less going wherever to observe an out-of-market Bears sport. Ought to have simply curled up with the leftover pizza, Budweiser within the dorm fridge, what I’m positive was a raging hangover, and listening to the radio through NFL.com.

However once you’re a homesick Chicago boy and Walter Payton has simply handed, and it’s the primary ever Bears-Packers sport you’re set to overlook, what are you able to do? I roped some good friend in to affix me (I do know precisely which good friend it was, however I gained’t identify him as a result of he’s an upstanding citizen today) for causes neither of us will ever perceive, and made our technique to Champions Sports activities Bar behind the Pru (sky level) on Huntington Ave. May I order a beer? No. Did the 2 of us mixed have sufficient for one appetizer? Barely. However generally, you do what you gotta.

And it was an terrible sport. Someway, the Bears of their first 12 months beneath Dick Jauron (HEY BUDDY THAT’S MY DICK JAURON!) and rotating Cade Goddamn McNown in at QB for a handful of sequence per sport have been in a position to drag the Inexperienced Bay Packers (admittedly a middling model of them) to their stage for 4 quarters. I wasn’t totally conscious of the minimal that the bar had for anybody sitting at a desk, although I knew that the only artichoke dip appetizer we ordered actually didn’t justify our existence on the poor server’s part. We tipped in addition to we may for it, however clearly, that was fairly skint. We have been clueless 18-year-olds. However once more, issues needed to be accomplished.

And we did that so we may watch 4 quarters and three hours of fairly turgid exercise of twenty-two guys hurling themselves at one another with no specific plan or group in any respect. However lord solely is aware of I’m used to that as a lifelong Bears fan. It’s what we feature.

Someway, the Jim Miller-led Bears had monkey-humped their technique to a 14-13 lead by a bumbling offense that noticed Curtis Enis run for 88 yards and their main receiver Marcus Robinson amass 66 yards, However, after all, that corn-fed, thieving mule Brett Favre drove the Packers right down to the Bears 10 with the final drive, establishing a chip shot for a sport winner. In fact. Identical because it ever was. That is simply the best way issues have been, the best way they’re, the best way they are going to be. With out ever trying like they cared or tried, the Packers have been going to nick one other one away from us.

Each Bears fan is aware of by coronary heart now that Bryan Robinson jumped 12 toes within the air to dam that area aim. I charged round that bar telling each Packers fan I may discover to suck it (it was the peak of the Angle Period) and hugging the one different Bears fan within the bar whereas screaming, “SWEETNESS!!!!” Our server simply glared at us, rightly. Possibly she’ll learn this and I could make it proper. We paid our invoice of like $18 for 3 hours of sitting there, no matter 1999 costs have been, and I bounced all the best way again to the T.

The lesson, youngsters, isn’t play the Bears on the day and even the week a group legend dies. As quickly because it was introduced that Dick Butkus had handed, the Commanders have been toast. Justin Discipline and DJ Moore have been going to show into Montanta-to-Rice-on-speed it doesn’t matter what they did. And that’s what occurred as Chicago torched Washington, 40-20, on Thursday evening.

At any time when Brian Urlacher dies of essentially the most tremendous pressure of herpes the world has ever seen, the Bears are profitable the Tremendous Bowl.

You possibly can e-book it.

Observe Sam on Twitter @felsgate and on Bluesky @felsgate.bsky.social