Bears Fan’s Dilemma: Loving the Pick You Saw Coming
Table of Contents
- Why I’m Giving Credit When Credit Is Due
- The Power of Consistency: When “Be You” Is a Strategy
- Calculated Risk: Respecting the Move Even When It Hurts
- Matt Nagy: The Coach You Knew Would Show Creativity
- Hope, Patience, and the “I Believe” Button
- What to Watch For: Creativity, Playcalling, and Jet Sweeps
- How I’ll Respond If Things Go South
- Final Thought
Why I’m Giving Credit When Credit Is Due
For a long time, frustration with the front office felt personal. Predictability, repeated gambles, and decisions that seemed to fit a pattern made it easy to be bitter. But there comes a moment when you stop fighting the obvious and start acknowledging the one thing everyone already knew: they acted like themselves.
That’s why I’m giving credit where it’s due. The move was predictable, yes. But predictable doesn’t automatically mean wrong. Sometimes the smartest decision is the one you can see coming from a mile away.
The Power of Consistency: When “Be You” Is a Strategy
Organizations reveal themselves over time. The actions, not the press conferences, tell the story. When a team consistently behaves a certain way, fans learn to expect that behavior. That predictability can feel maddening, but it’s also a pattern you can account for.
“Be you.”
That simple idea—stay true to your philosophy—explains a lot. If leadership embraces a bold, all-in approach, then trading up for a quarterback or swinging for a big upside pick fits the identity they’ve chosen. You can debate whether that identity is wise, but you can’t pretend it’s surprising.
Calculated Risk: Respecting the Move Even When It Hurts
There’s a special kind of admiration reserved for a calculated risk. I don’t gamble for fun, but I understand and respect calculated gambles. When a front office puts its chips on the table—acknowledging the upside and the downside—that’s a decision framework you can respect even if you disagree with it.
The right criticism isn’t reflexive anger. It’s measured, logical, and honest. And sometimes the most honest thing is acknowledging that the move made sense within the context of how this group operates.
Matt Nagy: The Coach You Knew Would Show Creativity
If there’s one thing that gets me genuinely excited, it’s offensive creativity. Call it play design, call it imagination—whatever the label, the possibility of seeing schemes that maximize a talented QB is thrilling. Nagy’s identity as an offensive innovator means certain plays come to mind immediately. Namely: jet sweeps.
The idea of getting a proper playmaker at quarterback is not just about passes completed. It is about the entire offensive toolbox finally having the right joystick. When the tools match the designer, you get to see what the scheme can really do.
Hope, Patience, and the “I Believe” Button
Fans operate on hope. I have a finite supply of it, and I’ll dole it out carefully. Right now, I’m opening a bottle of hope, taking a few sips, and letting it settle. I’ll press the I believe button, but with the awareness that hope has limits.
If the belief breaks, I’ll switch to skepticism. If that fails, I’ll get honest and call out what isn’t working. But until the systems actually malfunction and the results demand criticism, being the contrarian for the sake of drama serves no one.
What to Watch For: Creativity, Playcalling, and Jet Sweeps
If you want to measure whether the decision pays off, keep an eye on a few things:
- Play diversity: Are we seeing creative plays that take advantage of the QB’s strengths?
- RPO and motion usage: How often does the offense use motion and misdirection, including jet sweeps?
- Down-and-distance aggression: Is the team attacking vertically or remaining conservative?
- Quarterback growth: Is the QB developing command, decision-making, and consistent mechanics?
Those signs will tell the real story faster than punditry or hot takes.
How I’ll Respond If Things Go South
There’s a clear line between supporting a philosophy and ignoring reality. I’ll stay critical when necessary. When results contradict the plan—when “I believe” becomes untenable—I’ll call it. That’s not flip-flopping. That’s holding a decision to its outcomes.
For now, though, I’ll tip my hat. The front office took the calculated risk they always take. They stayed true to themselves. They handed the coach a tool he can actually use. That deserves acknowledgment.
Final Thought
Loving a pick you saw coming is weird but honest. It’s admitting that predictability and identity can coexist with smart decision-making. It’s admitting that, sometimes, the best play is the one that aligns with your identity—even if everyone saw it coming.
“I gotta give credit when credit is due.”
So I’ll keep sipping my hope, watch for those schemes that make me sit up, and reserve judgment for when the scoreboard forces it. Until then: be you, play creatively, and let the chips fall where they may.
Vince Douglas Gregory is the ‘petulant puppet master’ of a sports media landscape addicted to scripted rage and performance art. As the architect of VDG Sports, he bypasses the corporate talking heads to expose the unfiltered truth behind the narratives.
An unstable thinker and astute scholar, Vince thrives on dismantling the mediocre click-bait addicts who trade reality for engagement. If you want boring stats, go elsewhere. If you want the raw reality of the game, you’re in the right place. Consider yourself warned.