clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Bears reaction: Chicago fans see differences between Bears, Lions

Chicago Bears fans at Windy City Gridiron, SB Nation's Bears blog, see major personality differences between the Bears and the Detroit Lions.

Sam Greenwood

The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions are set for a pivotal Monday night matchup in Week 7. Chicago enters the game at 4-2, and the 2-3 Lions are hoping to get back to .500.

T.J. Shouse, writer for SB Nation's Bears blog, Windy City Gridiron, finds stark differences between the personalities of the teams. Shouse sees the "bad boy" Lions as a team hoping to recapture its magic from last season against the stoic Bears:

But also, the teams appear to be preparing for this game in different ways; the Bears have said very little outside of the standard "they're a good team" comments, while the Lions have had multiple players talk about returning to the "bad boy" style of play that helped them make the playoffs last season.

Shouse sees the Bears and Lions as two teams that take on the personalities of their head coaches. Chicago's Lovie Smith is reserved and rarely shows any public emotion. Detroit's Jim Schwartz, on the other hand, wears his emotions on his sleeve, and he isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers. As Shouse writes, the Lions may know that they are the inferior team on the field, and that changing their attitude is the only way to gain an advantage:

(Wide receiver Nate) Burleson knows the Lions need more going their way to beat the Bears, and if you can't improve your talent, or your scheme, sometimes all you have left is the unknown results of an appeal for greater emotion.

Kickoff Monday night is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPN.