The state of the Chicago Bears can often be separated into three distinct categories. At least from the perspective of fans. There are of course the optimists. These are the people who believe 2016 was quietly a turning point for the organization. Despite the 3-13 record, injuries hid what in fact is a talented young roster. One that featured an All-Rookie center, dynamic rookie edge rusher, and Pro Bowl rookie running back. Just one more good draft and this team is ready.
Then there are the pessimists. These people believe 2016 was a revelation of just how broken down the franchise is in terms of its overall structure. From the coaching staff to the training crew, and the football gods themselves. They're all combining to prove that this team will never win. Not so long as this ownership remains in charge. Until then, success is a forlorn hope.
While it can be entertaining to hear those sides argue, there is the third group. Ones who fall in the middle ground. They are the realists. They don't believe in conspiracies or luck. Facts and history are what drive their beliefs. Not to mention experience for some. One of those realists, a former fan favorite in Chicago, was asked that all-encompassing question.
How close are the Bears to winning again? His answer pulled no punches.
Charles Tillman is a Bear to the bone. He had his most glorious years in football wearing navy blue and orange. He knows what successful teams look like and understand how they're constructed. After all, he went through the stages himself as a player. That's why getting his opinion on the state of this current generation of Bears was so interesting. Here is what he told WGN Radio 720.
"I mean I think as a Bears fans and a Bears alum, I think they're a couple years away from being good. They gotta get the right pieces. They're not there yet. They're in rebuild mode, they're going to have to address a lot of stuff right now. I mean obviously the quarterback being one of them but they're just a couple years away from being great."It's a sobering statement. Then again Tillman speaks from experience. The Bears were in a bad way by the time he'd arrive in 2003. Even with the arrival of him and Lance Briggs, it still took another two seasons and a coaching change before Chicago finally broke through to the playoffs. They say it typically takes a franchise three years to build a winner but in truth it's closer to five. Particularly when it comes to full, down-to-the-foundation rebuilds like this one. Ryan Pace inherited the oldest roster in the NFL back in 2015. Anybody with a lick of medical knowledge knows that organ transplants can get ugly and time-consuming. It's no different when gutting and reforging a football team. It's about who can stay the course, do the work and not panic in the face of the process. Peanut is essentially telling everybody to trust that process, no matter how much it hurts.
