Eagles-Packers Illustrate the Bears Long-Term Predicament

Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times elegantly drives what is perhaps the most important point for Bear fans about today’s Packers-Eagles matchup home:

If the Eagles beat the Packers in today’s NFC wild-card game at Lincoln Financial Field, they will take on the Bears in the divisional round next Sunday at Soldier Field. If the Packers win today, they’ll head next to Atlanta — and it would keep alive a possible meeting with the Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

That’s the short view. The longer view is more sobering.

The Packers and Eagles not only have elite quarterbacks but were the third- and fourth-youngest teams in the NFC at the start of the season and have only gotten younger as injured veterans have been replaced by backups. The Bears are the third-oldest team and likely will have to fight through these teams again and again if they hope to remain competitive in the NFC in the coming years.

This is the predicament that GM Jerry Angelo and his front office have put this franchise in and this is why I withhold my whole hearted support.  While the window opens for teams like the Packers, Eagles and Patriots, it is rapidly closing for the Bears and it has been for some years.  The Bears do have a couple of young play makers including the recently drafted Johnny Knox.  But the last Pro Bowl position player they drafted were Tommie Harris and Nathan Vasher in 2004.

The Bears have to do better in the draft if they want to keep up with the younger teams in the NFL.

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