Chicago Bears training camp will open on July 27th, which is less than two weeks away. It has been one of the more memorable offseason in franchise history as fans went from having no excitement and anticipation for the 2021 season to having the highest of hopes after Chicago drafted quarterback Justin Fields in the first round. Bears fans now have two weeks before the cycle of the NFL season begins again, bringing back all the traditions that make it great.
We are Allen Robinson days away from the start of Bears training camp! pic.twitter.com/Eaworq9rL9
— Johnathan Wood (@Johnathan_Wood1) July 15, 2021
Training Camp And The Preseason Will Be Like Nothing Else seen before
The 2021 Bears training camp will have a completely new feel to it as the team will host camp at Halas Hall. It will be the first time that Chicago fans, although a severely limited number, will view live practices at the Bears’ headquarters. From July 29th thru August 25th, Chicago social media sites will be flooded with pictures and videos of Fields at practice. ESPN 1000 and 670 The Score will have the wall-to-wall analysis of every practice and every throw the rookie quarterback makes, whether be in seven on seven drills or a two-minute drive.
THAT VISOR THOUGH 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
(Clip via: @DaTailGateShow)
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) July 15, 2021
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Likewise, for every pass Fields throws, Fans and media members will severely analyze every throw by free-agent starting quarterback Andy Dalton. Every incomplete pass and interception during training camp will be met with boos from fans in attendance. Many more will call sports radio stations and post on Twitter that Fields needs to replace Dalton immediately.
August 14th will be one of the more surrealist days in recent Bears’ history as the team will open their three-game preseason schedule again the Miami Dolphins. It will be the first time since December 22nd, 2019, that fans will be able to attend a Bears’ game at Soldier Field. It will also be Fields NFL debut. Although the game will take place at an odd time of noon on a Saturday, there is a likely chance that the game is one of the highest attended and highest viewed preseason games in team history.
Scott Morrow, a #Bears fan who survived after being shot recently:
"I was staring at the bright lights thinking of all the things to keep me going … within a couple moments, I thought … I can't die before seeing Justin Fields take the field."
He's on @ParkinsSpiegel now.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) July 15, 2021
If Chicago’s rookie quarterback impresses during his preseason debut against the Dolphins, it will set up even more anticipation for the following week’s game at home against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills game will feature the return of former Bears’ first-round quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky, despite helping Chicago to two playoff appearances in three years, fans in attendance will likely boo the former second overall selection for not living up to expectations. Again, Dalton will be on the hot seat with every throw he makes, as every negative play will make those in the Fields’ camp angrier.
#Bears QB Justin Fields getting resounding cheers at a Cubs game, per @maddie_m_lee.
A long cry from Mitchell Trubisky getting booed at that Bulls game years ago. pic.twitter.com/g4T5phjnBA
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) June 11, 2021
Regardless Of How The Season Turns Out, Every Game Will Be Must Watch
The regular season will begin in primetime in Los Angeles when the Bears open the season up against the Rams. Whether it’s the need for head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace for the team to make the playoffs or Fields taking over as the starter, every Bears’ game this season will be a must-watch event. If the Bears get off to a winning record early in the season, Chicago could see an excitement level that has not been seen since 2018.
You know the Bears are having a good season when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” at one of their performances #BearDown pic.twitter.com/UZbKB7PppY
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) November 28, 2018
With the return of the regular season, a lot of great Bears’ fan traditions will return. Sunday mornings will feature fans waking up to set their fantasy football line-ups and placing their bets for that day’s slate of games. One can tell how good the Bears are by the number of people wearing Bears’ attire at their local grocery store the morning of a game.
This will also be followed by the large amounts of unhealthy food eaten during the Bears games themselves. Chicago fans pride themselves on the food spreads that accompany them while watching the Bears for three hours. Mountains of chicken wings, football-field sausage pizzas, Polish sausage, and Italian beef will all be digested during a Bears’ Sunday.
Peyton Manning: Chicago Bears Super Fan.
We can get used to this, can you?#ChicagoHistory ✔️ pic.twitter.com/0PuOqVTzUZ
— Chicago History ™️ (@Chicago_History) October 10, 2019
After the Bears’ game ends at three, six, or 10:30 at night, fans will immediately look to share their joy or frustration, depending on the outcome. Chicago sports talk post-game shows will air callers’ frustration with Nagy’s offensive play-calls and a lack of running plays. Others will call in to complain that the team will never be good until the McCaskey family sells the franchise. Once Fields is named the starter, every post-game call will say that Nagy is unqualified to coach the rookie quarterback and that he needs to be fired as soon as possible to not ruin the rookie.
The marquee games of the season will do monster rating whether it is the week 3 game against the Browns, Week 5 in Las Vegas against the Raiders, Week 7 against the Buccaneers, Thanksgiving against the Lions, and other slate of Monday Night games throughout the season. The week 16 matchup the day after Christmas in Seattle against the Seahawks will have Bears fans talking, as it could be a game of high-playoff implication or will feature Fields against All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson. When the week 18 game ends, Fans will instantly begin to discuss the Bears’ first playoff opponent or more likely, discuss who will replace Nagy as head coach and what is needed to build a team around Fields.
Bears’ season is like nothing else, as millions of fans will follow whatever happens to the team from the first practice snap of training camp to the final kneel in the season finale. Chicago fans are dedicated to their football team, and the 2021 season could be one of the more memorable seasons since 1985. It all begins on July 29th, and Bears fans should be getting ready for the football cycle to begin again.
