The Chicago Bears fans have struggled to figure out how they should feet during what’s happened the past few weeks. A team that seemed destined for the cellar after a six-game losing streak has suddenly revived. For the first time in team history, they’ve followed such a drought with a three-game winning streak. Now they’re one win away from the playoffs at 8-7. Yet some people out there aren’t happy about it. They feel the Bears just wasted a grand opportunity for a high draft pick and to clean house. One person who doesn’t understand that kind of thinking is JJ Watt.
The five-time Houston Texans All-Pro is enduring one of the toughest seasons in his NFL career. Following a deflating loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the team is 4-11. The frustration has mounted for him going back weeks and it finally boiled over after the game. In front of the cameras, he delivered one of the most impassioned speeches in a long time. One that illustrates why it’s the duty of every player to give their absolute best on Sundays.
Phoning in a season is the greatest sin of any team.
This is awesome. pic.twitter.com/gbhJHSXnMw
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 27, 2020
Watt is so on point here. This is a reminder of why tanking in sports is a travesty. It spits on what all the greats of years past struggled to build. It’s supposed to be about competition. It’s supposed to be about trying to go out there and win a game. To give fans something to cheer for. That is why when people denounce a team trying to win because it gives them a chance at an unproven player makes literally no sense.
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It’s also why the Bears should be celebrated for what they’ve done the past month.
JJ Watt would applaud what the Bears have done.
This team was 5-7. Don’t forget. After a backbreaking loss to the Lions at Soldier Field, everybody was convinced they were done. Stick a fork in them. Then, ironically against Watt’s Texans, they began to turn things around. A 36-7 rout in that game turned into a big divisional win over the Vikings in Minnesota. Now the Bears are suddenly back over .500 at 8-7 after crushing the Jaguars 41-17 in Jacksonville.
They’re playing meaningful football in the last game of the season. A “win and in” scenario against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Nobody ever could’ve predicted they’d reach this point. Not after losing six-straight. Not after fielding a league-worst offense and not after a defensive collapse. Yet here they are. In control of their own destiny.
Bears fans shouldn’t feel guilty. It’s okay to enjoy this.
JJ Watt says so. Remember this team made the playoffs once in the past decade. They were competitive in December for three of those years. Cheering for high draft picks has done nothing for this team in the past. They drafted Mitch Trubisky #2 overall, don’t forget. The smart thing to do is want the team to win. Needlessly worrying about anything else won’t be good for anybody. Enjoy the ride.