The expectations change, it seems, as the autumn wind blows. One season, a .500 record is acceptable. The next, it is judged a failure. The first-year head coach is given slack. In the second year, the rope becomes taut. And by the third, it forms a noose.
On and on, the cycle continues, the Bears of 2000 swirling somewhere in the middle.
Expectations? This Bears team has only two choices: rise up and meet them or fall back into the abyss of unrealized potential and rising disappointment. And the list is by no means a short one:
– Will they reach the playoffs for the first time since 1994, a goal that seems lofty for a club coming off a 6-10 year but is certainly reasonable considering their off-season upgrades?
– Will second-year quarterback Cade McNown, starting his first NFL opener Sunday, develop into a poised professional and still be the field leader in December?
– Will third-year running back Curtis Enis put a forgettable rookie season and injury-plagued second year behind him and finally live up to his draft status?
– Will free-agent acquisitions such as defensive end Phillip Daniels and cornerback Thomas Smith, along with wild cards such as receiver Eddie Kennison and safety Shawn Wooden, inject enough fresh ability and enthusiasm to make a noticeable difference?
– Will a pair of new kickers be enough to vault an already solid special-teams unit to a position where they might actually win some games for the Bears?
– Will rookies such as linebacker Brian Urlacher, safety Mike Brown, tight end Dustin Lyman and wide receiver Dez White have any tangible impact at all?
Can these Bears rush the passer? Can they rush at all? Can new multimillionaire receiver Marcus Robinson match his numbers of last season? And can fellow receiver Bobby Engram put his disappointing off-season contract negotiations behind him?
If there is pressure, and certainly the sheer number of expectations suggest it should be enormous, then second-year coach Dick Jauron says bring it on. Creating an atmosphere of trust and respect in his first season, Jauron has established a clear edict in his second: Perform or you will be replaced, and for the first time in years, the Bears actually have enough depth at several positions for the coach to back up that ultimatum.
“I think pressure is a good thing,” Jauron said. “Everyone has their own way of applying it. You want your practices to be intense enough to apply pressure. You want to put people in situations where they feel pressure to perform. And you have to have enough talent on your team that every player feels pressure from his competition, and I believe we have a lot more of that.
“You do want them to feel pressure because there is pressure.”
If there is an exception, it is McNown. Jauron, of course, would just as soon his quarterback avoid pressure–both from the opposing defense and from the player’s own demanding personality, which often caused him to force plays that weren’t there last season.
“All he has to do is win, just win, and everything else will be fine,” said Jauron. “That’s all he needs to concentrate on. I don’t think he has to worry about anything else. Clearly, we want him to be a good example for everybody, but he has to perform on the field and I think he will.
“I strongly believe Cade is going to be an outstanding quarterback. He’s got the physical tools and mental tools. He’s going to make some errors, but I also believe he’s going to make a lot of plays. He knows our offense a lot better, he’s a lot more comfortable and he’s a very, very competitive guy.”
Though annoyed during training camp at the suggestion that the starting job was his to lose, McNown made a point of saying: “It’s not just given. As fast as things are given, things are taken away, so you have to keep pushing and give them every reason to have a lot of faith in me, not just the coaches but the guys out there. That’s who you really care about.”
The on-field rapport between McNown and his talented array of receivers will no doubt define the season.
“I think he’s more focused,” Robinson said of McNown. “I think he knows he has his team behind him, pushing.
“That’s a lot of pressure on a young guy to say you’ve got to be the leader and you’ve got to take the Bears to the Super Bowl. First you have to get confidence in yourself, then everything else will follow, and I think Cade is capable of that.”
“I think he thrives on that kind of pressure,” said veteran guard Todd Perry. “That’s his personality. He’s a pressure kind of player.”
The biggest difference, however, between this year and last, when McNown missed the first two weeks of training camp in a contract impasse, is simply a familiarity with both his teammates and the system.
“You can just tell in his eyes he has a full grasp of the offense now, whereas last year I think he knew what he had to know to get by and relied on his athletic ability after that,” Perry said. “You can just tell his demeanor in the huddle is so much better.”
So much better, in fact, that the same teammates who saw an insecure, sometimes selfish rookie now predict greatness.
“I look at Cade,” said guard Chris Villarrial, “and I almost see, with his attitude, a Brett Favre, that little edginess.
“Favre’s first couple years he took a beating, and now look at him–he’s one of the greatest ever and I think Cade has the same abilities. He’s sure got the arm. I think he’s going to be all right.”
But is Enis? A tepid preseason for the third-year running back and a 2-2 Bears team did little but create even more concern for the regular season.
Players and coaches draw encouragement from what they have seen lately in Enis–known for his sometimes flamboyant, other times aloof personality–off the field as well as on.
“He just shows up now,” said offensive coordinator Gary Crowton. “There’s no, `I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that.’ It’s just, `I’m here, let’s just play.'”
The Bears’ and Enis’ contention when Enis averaged just 3.2 yards per carry last season was that he was still far from recovered from a major knee injury that kept him out of the final seven games of his rookie year.
“I have a lot of respect for Curtis and what he went through last year,” said Perry. “And I think a lot of his antics were just him covering up the fact that he wasn’t healthy and just trying to figure everything out.”
Defensively the Bears are literally banking on the addition of Daniels, on whom they bestowed a five-year, $24 million contract with an $8 million signing bonus, to lift a pass rush that ranked among the worst in the league last season.
Daniels, whom the Bears believe to be a rising star who simply didn’t get an opportunity in Seattle with a talented front line in front of him, predicts “double-digit” sacks for himself.
But a seemingly inactive preseason in which he had none forced him to explain himself.
“I haven’t been on the edge a lot in the preseason but I haven’t complained about it,” he said. “I haven’t been in a space where I could work on a guy one-on-one, but the coaches and players know that.
“The fans need to be patient. You’re going to see the pass rush. When that first game comes around, you’ll see guys flying around and making things happen and I’ll be one of those guys. Now, three games into the season if I don’t have any sacks, then it’s time to be concerned, but that’s not going to happen. I feel I’m going to go out there and get the job done.”
Daniels said he is well aware of the fans’ expectations but says his may be even higher.
“If I don’t live up to my expectations, I’m not going to live up to theirs,” he said. “I set my goals high but I have to live up to them. I’ve got to have double-digit sacks. That’s why they brought me here.”
Jauron certainly knows why he was brought here and holds no illusions about the task ahead.
“We’re a better team, we’re deeper, faster and I think we’re more talented,” he said. “But the fact is, we were at the bottom of our division and we have a lot of ground to make up. We’re going to have to find out how much by playing, but definitely we’re a lot closer to the talent level of our opponents. I believe we’ve closed the gap.”
KEY NUMBERS
916: Yards gained by Curtis Enis on 287 carries (3.2 avg.).
19: The longest carry Enis had from scrimmage.
16.7: Average yards per reception by Marcus Robinson.
23.4: Average yards per kickoff return by Glyn Milburn.
4.9: Average yards per play by the 1999 Bears.
36.8: Third-down efficiency (91-of-247).
14: Number of interceptions Bears had (opponents had 22).
38: Number of sacks (Clyde Simmons tops with 7).
8/10: Cade McNown’s touchdowns to interceptions.
21ST CENTURY BEARS
After failing in their 50-year quest to improve their stadium situation, the Bears finally returned to their roots in Decatur, where they were promised a brand new home.
Bears owner Mike Ditka, who purchased the team after writing a passionate letter to Virginia Halas McCaskey, expressed regret in leaving the great city of Chicago but focused on the possibilities that lie ahead.
“Decatur could use a new restaurant,” Ditka said.
For a training facility, the Bears plan to renovate the old starch factory from their Decatur Staleys days.
“We’ve been playing like stiffs lately anyway,” Ditka said.
Nevertheless, Bears fans remain excited about the upcoming season, when running back Jarrett Payton is expected to break his father’s NFL rushing record.
21ST CENTURY DIVISION
How realignment in 2002 could affect the NFC Central:
Could money separate the Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings? Privately, owners of those traditional NFC Central rivals complain they will be relegated to playing in the league’s smallest stadiums.
There is a practical (read: financial) element to all this realignment business. Owners split gate receipts 60-40, so the first thing they notice when they look at next year’s schedules is the size of the checks they figure to bring home during their eight games on the road.
There is too much history in the NFC Central to tinker with any other plan than to kick out the 1976 newcomers, the Buccaneers. The Bears and Packers are the NFL’s oldest rivals. The Lions have no other natural rivals. The Vikings are natural enemies of the Packers.
Vikings owner Red McCombs warned in August 2000 that a renovated Metrodome is unacceptable and impractical. He’s from San Antonio. He’s a car dealer. If you want to entrust the future of the Vikings in Minnesota to Mr. McCombs, step right up.
