The text messages started rolling in even before I had turned on the Bears' second preseason game on Saturday night, an exhibition tilt with the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field.
↵"Super Bears, Super Bowl!!!!"
↵"Yeah, it's preseason, but I love this Bears team already."
↵"If the o-line blocks, the passing game will be sick."
↵Placing too much stock into preseason football is the most dangerous game, but the banality of the results against the Redskins couldn't temper the enthusiasm of my friends. The Bears looked very good on Saturday, and it has everyone in this football-crazed city ready for what should be very fun season in Chicago.
↵The Bears went 82 yards in six plays on their opening drive, only running the ball once. They started with a 41-yard bomb from Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall and ended with a one-yard plunge from Michael Bush for a touchdown. If only for a night, all of the offensive success Chicago has been day-dreaming about was put into practice. The fans weren't the only ones enjoying it.
↵↵↵"We were having a party on the sideline watching them – first down, first down, big play – just a lot of fun," defensive end Israel Idonije told CSNChicago.com.
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If you're like me, you watched that Bears game with your hands over your eyes. The Redskins lost two starters to injuries; the Bears saw two safeties go down. I'm not even sure why the preseason is a thing (aside from $$$$, of course), can't we just roll the ball out there and start this for real?
↵Well, not yet. The Bears still have to navigate the minefields of two more exhibition games. One thing is for sure: when this season starts up for real, all signs are pointing to what should be one of the more enjoyable Bears' campaigns in recent memory.