u/thatBearsFan26

right so my mate watched about ten minutes of it with me yesterday and went "so it's rugby for princesses then"

and I had nothing. absolutely nothing. changed the subject like a coward.

it's been in my head ever since and I'm seeing him monday so.

background, I'm the 18 year old English lad who posted in here yesterday knowing nothing. one of you told me to stop watching the ball and watch the left tackles because Braxton Jones is injured and the backups were auditioning. so that's what I did. 6pm on a saturday in england, staring at two blokes I'd never heard of.

we went 10-0 down and I panicked before remembering none of it counts. took me a good few minutes to actually believe that.

10-10 at half. then Keenum comes on and goes 9 from 10 for 151 and two scores and I'm making noises at a laptop that my neighbour has now heard two days running and said nothing about, which is somehow worse.

Ahmed took a screen and just would not go down. broke one, broke another, gone.

Bishop picked off two in the second half.

34-10.

on the left tackles, Wills got beaten clean for a sack and even I saw it coming, Amegadjie squirmed out of one and bought time. so Amegadjie for me. I've watched one season of football in my life and I formed that opinion in about ninety minutes so please come and tell me I'm wrong, I'd rather know now.

still don't understand why runs that go nowhere make everyone nod. and there was a flag I did not see coming at all.

anyway. rugby for princesses.

I know he's wrong. I can't explain why. it's actually doing me in. I don't want an essay, I want one line I can say to his face on monday without looking at my phone first.

Brian's Song tonight, been told to have tissues ready.

Welcome Back Football!

BEAR DOWN! AND FTP!!!

I'm John, I'm 18, I'm from England, and until September last year I'd never watched a game of football in my life. I picked the Bears because Soldier Field looked class on telly and a mate told me they were a laugh. That was it. That was the whole thought process.

Week 2 we lost 52-21 in Detroit and I nearly binned it off.

What stopped me was stupid stuff. Ben Johnson stood on the sideline in his first year looking like he'd already decided how the season ended. Lads still going full pelt in a game that was over by half time. This sub still turning up every week to argue about a team getting hammered. So I stayed.

Then Cincinnati. 47-42, we're losing with under a minute left, and Caleb throws it 58 yards to Loveland with 17 seconds on the clock. I rewound it three times. Four times. My neighbour banged on the wall and I ignored him.

Two weeks later Minnesota go ahead with under a minute left and I'd already given up in my head, then Santos knocks a 48 yarder through as the clock hits zero. 19-17. Lesson learned. Never turn it off.

Black Friday in Philly, 24-15, Swift and Monangai both over 100 yards on the ground (Monangai had 130) and I remember thinking they've got two completely different ways of doing the same job and Philly couldn't stop either of them.

Week 16 against Green Bay. 16-6 down, Caleb forces overtime, D.J. Moore takes one 46 yards to win it 22-16, and we're in the playoffs. I was stood on the sofa at 11pm in England.

Quick bit on players because I could go all day. Caleb makes horrible situations look survivable. Loveland is a rookie tight end who plays like the crowd isn't there. D.J. Moore shows up when it matters. Swift is gorgeous to watch. Monangai just goes forward. Odunze works on every single play even the ones that have nothing to do with him. Byard and Nahshon Wright spent the whole year nicking the ball off people, and Sweat made quarterbacks' lives hell.

Then the Wild Card. 21-3 down at half time. To Green Bay. At home.

I made an unreasonable amount of tea and then sat back down convinced, with absolutely zero evidence, that we were going to win it. 31-27. Caleb threw for 361, most any Bear has managed in a playoff game. Loveland had 137. I've never been that loud in my own house. Rams beat us 20-17 in OT the week after and it properly hurt, but it didn't take anything away from that night.

Right, the soppy bit, let me get it over with. That season changed how i look at things that have nothing to do with football. I used to write stuff off early. Bad start meant it was finished, so why bother. Then I watched a team lose by 31 in September and win the division in January. If you're losing by 5 touchdowns you can still score 6. Sounds daft written down. It doesn't when you've watched them do it seven times in one year.

The passion, the support, the fact that nobody here actually gives up even while they're moaning. That's what got me. I have never been this excited for anything to come back. No competition, no tournament, nothing even close.

Bears vs Browns today, first preseason game of the new season, noon your time, 6pm mine. I'm making tea.

So, three things. Which 2025 game do you rewatch when you need cheering up? Whose jersey do I buy on a student budget? And can someone explain pass interference, because I've now watched a full season and I still have no clue.

Cheers, John