Andy Dalton and The Chicago Bears

Andy Dalton and The Chicago Bears

Author: Dawson Haywood

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Photo by: Getty Images

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Being a Chicago Bears fan is arguably more difficult than being a full time college student. The amount of mental torment I have been through in the last decade because of this team really makes me question why I am even a fan. But, I stick with my teams through it all because hopefully, at some point in my life, I will see the Chicago Bears win at least one playoff game. I'm 21 years old so hopefully I have a good 50 to 60 years on this planet to see this happen. 

When the Chicago Bears announced that Andy Dalton was going to be our Quarterback my initial reaction was "Bruh". My girlfriend and I were sitting outside of a tattoo shop and she probably thought I had a heart attack or maybe someone died. Well, a little piece of me did.

A stat that I really look at when determining if I like this guy or not is his QB record. Dalton has not had a winning season since the 2015 season and he is getting up there in age. I decided to cut him some slack because he was playing for Cincinnati and a Dallas team that had a lot of issues going on, so I did a little more digging. 

The fact that his first five seasons with Cincinnati were winning seasons gives me hope because, like the NFC North, they have two teams, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, that generally can compete for the top two spots in that division. Then they have Cincinnati who, before the Browns became a relevant team, usually fell in the third position in the division. I'd like to compare this division to the NFC North because we have Green Bay, who dominates the division. Minnesota, who generally competes for the second spot with Chicago. And finally the Lions, who look promising this year but have always been last in the division. 

From 2012-2015, Dalton led the Bengals to the wildcard round of the NFL Playoffs but never got past that. They have not been to the playoffs since. With just one year on his contract I am hoping that Dalton is out to prove that he belongs and exceeds expectations. 

Dalton has been successful in the NFL before. Do I think he can do it again? Not really. Dalton has not had a winning QB record since 2015 and he is older now. I'm being optimistic when I say I believe Chicago can make playoffs this year but, like the last few seasons, a playoff berth is going to have to come from the backs of the defense. Now that fourteen teams can make playoffs I think it should be standard for every team to make playoffs.

Based off what us Chicago Bears fans have been experiencing this offseason it is evident that Chicago is in rebuild mode. If Chicago has a losing season this year and does not make playoffs I'll give it to them. It's what I expect. After this season though, I fully expect Chicago to make playoffs every year. If this year turns out to be crap like us Chicago fans expect, Nagy and Pace have to go. That is a whole different topic. 

So, Andy Dalton, you have one year to prove to us that your last five losing seasons were not your fault. I really hope for the best but I expect the worst. That's what you have to do as a Chicago Bears fan.