For as long as I’ve been able to put my thoughts on paper (or, in this case, on a screen), I’ve been fascinated by the parallels between sports and life. One lesson I’ve learned from following my favorite teams over the years that I am starting to apply to my own life is that it is OK to tear something down in order to build again. Let’s face it, sometimes you need to take a wrecking ball to your process in order to properly clean the slate.
We saw that happen last year with the Chicago Bears. In Ryan Poles’ first season as Bears general manager, he took an axe to the mended fences that his predecessor had been trying to keep up and began the process of tearing down what had been built. As a result, the Bears went 3-14, landed the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and cleared more cap space than you could shake a stick at. This part of the Poles plan was successful, but it wasn’t without its agonizing moments.
Because, sure, the Bears were actively losing games to best position themselves for a brighter future. But it came at a cost. Moreover, it came with a feeling that I believe Bears fans can relate to after having to endure a 14-loss season. The MMQB’s Albert Breer’s latest on the Bears rebuild lays it out with words from Poles himself (bold emphasis mine):
Poles, for his part, didn’t sugarcoat the experience. “Extremely hard,” he called it. “It was really, really difficult. It was emotionally draining.”
It was also, believe it or not, rewarding.
That probably sounds strange, because rewards aren’t often cloaked in a 10-game losing streak. But they came in the form of the team’s effort, resilience and determination, all of which doubled as validation that, at the very least, the new guys were filling the building with the right kinds of people—a necessary precursor to getting the right kinds of players in the building.
“It helps set our foundation,” says Poles. “If you came out here for a practice in Week 17—in fact, one of the beat writers said it to me—you would have no idea this team was a three-win team. If you can have that discipline and mental toughness to attack one week at a time, regardless of the ups and downs of the season, I think that pays off big-time when you actually start getting that mentality in the room and start winning games.”
Whew! I’m glad *SOMEBODY* said it. All that losing certainly was emotionally draining. Don’t get me wrong. I took pride in being a tank commander last year. But I’d be lying to you if I said anything other than that there were points last year where losing took a toll on me. Maybe I didn’t show it publicly, but I felt it. And I know I wasn’t the only Bears fan who felt it.
As a Bears fan in his mid-30s, losing isn’t new to me. I’ve worn being a Bears fan despite their foibles as a badge of honor for some time. And even as I was looking forward to an offseason in which the Bears would have a treasure trove of draft picks and enough cap space to make some noise in free agency, that day-to-day and week-to-week stuff that came after every loss made for moments that were tough to handle. Losing sucks. Even when you see it as a necessary evil for brighter days. The night is always darkest before dawn is one of those clichés that is rooted in truth.
Also: Poles is spot on in his overall assessment of the situation. Two things can be true. Losing stinks. But it wasn’t without its perks. Finding the silver lining in a dark cloud can be challenging. However, we saw players like quarterback Justin Fields and cornerback Kyler Gordon make in-season adjustments and improvements. Left tackle Braxton Jones went from Day 3 developmental project to darn good rookie starter. There were other young players who made strides in the developmental stages of their careers. We were also witness to veterans like cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Eddie Jackson handling adversity by taking on leadership roles. It wasn’t pretty, but enduring tough times had its value. As did the bottoming-out process. I just hope we never have to do it again.
A familiar feeling for Cubs and Bears fans
At the start of Theo Epstein’s time with the Chicago Cubs, some friends and I embarked on a “Lose Today For A Better Tomorrow” campaign. The idea was simple enough. Watch the Cubs lose and angle themselves for the best possible draft picks — all while hoping they’d develop some young, useful pieces along the way. Bonus points were given out for providing an entertaining product every now and again.
That line of thinking came back in style during the 2022 Chicago Bears season. With GM Ryan Poles tearing down the tattered remains of what Ryan Pace built and the Bears not looking like a playoff team, there was a vocal segment of the fan base (myself included) hoping Chicago’s football team could do something similar to what the Epstein era Cubs did. Bottom out. Lose games. Entertain us. All while Justin Fields does enough to convince us he is worthy of being a long-term fixture at quarterback. This isn’t a concept that is exclusive to Chicago. And they don’t all work as swimmingly as the Cubs plan did. So while we won’t know if the Poles plan will work for a few years (there are so many games that need to play out before we make a designation one way or another), it is off to a good start. And I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out. Yes, I’m even looking forward to watching preseason games with intent!
There are a bunch of nuggets and tidbits sprinkled throughout Albert Breer’s story. So much so that I’d encourage you to read it in its entirety. Check it out: