End of the Season

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

-Winston Churchill

I've been trying to figure out what to say about last Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers. I sat in disguised hopefulness throughout the game, knowing inside the outcome before the kick-off. As Del Homme connected with Steve Smith on the second play of the game for a long touchdown pass, part of me felt vindicated and the rest of myself hated me for it. Then something funny happened, the Bears came back. Through the course of the game the offense made enough plays and the defense got out of its own way enough to cut the lead to two points. In the end it wasn't enough, and the Bears' season is now over.

How is a fan supposed to feel? Do you analyze the game and the decisions made, dissecting every play and what could have happened differently? Do you look back on the 2005 campaign nostalgically, enjoying all the ups and downs and neck beards it brough? Do you put this season in the past and move on, looking forward to the upcoming draft and next season? I think in the end a true fan does all three.

I've finally gotten to the third party and hungrily await the 2006 season. I think enough progress was shown in this past year to give even the most cynical of fans hope that Chicago's playoff drought will be eased and they'll bring the Lombardi trophy back to Chi-town. So, as Churchill said, the beginning has ended, so let's see what comes next.