Chicago's Hate

I watched the Bears game last night, and if you're in Chicago, you know that it is not a good time to be a Bears fan. However, the city is in a standoff of sorts with the coach (who is, by the way, one of the most respected coaches in the NFL). The downfall is on the shoulders of one man. "Wrecks" Grossman.

I understand Bears fans' frustration, because I have been a fan of a losing team for years at a time, too. What is not helpful is chastising one player into a fragile little shell that he'll never recover from. For this, the fans suck. I don't care if he is a professional athlete, no man can perform with sixty thousand fans screaming in unison for the backup QB and (miraculously) booing with the momentum of eighty thousand at the same time. He looked so tiny and lost.

On the other hand, Lovie's spite against the fans is only perpetuating the problem. He has stayed with Rex just to simply show that HE is the decision maker, and to protect Rex from the inevitable fate that the city's hate is justified. Now we have a cycle that is good for no one. Rex gets worse and so do the fans. We all know he should've been benched last year, but now, the more he plays and the more Lovie has to protect him, the harsher it's going to be to let him go. And by that time Rex's worth in the NFL is completely shot, even as a back up.

Some of this problem though is just a product of the Chicago sports scene. Brett told me about a Cub's game he went to where a fan was heartily booed for five minutes for bobbling a foul ball catch. This is a fan we're talking about here, not an outfielder.

So that's what sports are all about in this city? So juvenile that home fans are booing home fans?

They don't understand that this is going to ruin Rex's life. His confidence is so far gone that he'll never play football again after he is cut. And outside of the NFL, he will always be known as the worst QB in NFL history, or at least the worst to play that long.

I just feel really bad for the guy and it would be in the best interest of both parties if everyone just laid off the guy. The sound of those sneers will haunt him horribly for the rest of his life. Lest we forget, WE are not in the NFL because we are not good enough to play.

-Anthony