There is a short list of NFL teams coming off a 5-11 season, sporting no superstars and low expectations that still are desired by the networks.
In fact, there might be only one team: the Bears.
Despite some dire forecasts, Fox’s and CBS’s No. 1 announcing crews will work two of Bears’ first three games: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be in the booth for the Packers-Bears game Sunday for Fox; and Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will be on the call for the Bears’ trek to Seattle to face the Seahawks in Week 3, which will be the national doubleheader game for CBS.
The Bears also will be featured on NBC with a Thanksgiving night game in Green Bay and ESPN gets a shot with a Bears-Chargers Monday night game on Nov. 9.
Now the NFL and the networks didn’t go all in on the Bears in 2015. They would have been tabbed for at least five prime-time appearances if they were expected to perform at a high level.
However, the networks know viewers love the Bears’ heritage and the notion of old-school football, even if the reality is something different. So they will take their shots with early-season games when the Bears still have some hope. Also, the Bears-Packers rivalry always has national appeal regardless of the records. NBC, though, won’t be giving thanks if it gets a repeat of the Packers’ 55-14 drubbing of the Bears on Sunday night last year.
“When the Bears are good, this is a better league. No question,” Buck said. “Maybe this is the year, but there are a lot of questions.”
Nantz actually is in the minority when it comes to the Bears. He believes there is reason for optimism because of coach John Fox’s history of turning around struggling franchises.
“I like where the Bears are coming from,” Nantz said. “They have enough pieces in place to be competitive. A big problem is that the NFC North is stronger too. … I’m going to put some faith that John Fox is going to see his team outperform people’s expectations.”
That faith is not shared by Nantz’s partner. Sims recalled how he felt after watching the Cowboys blitz the Bears 41-28 in December on a Thursday night game.
“I came away thinking, ‘What made you think this team was going to go to the playoffs and do anything special?'” Sims said.
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Sims likes Fox and the coaching staff he has assembled. But he thinks it will be a while before the Bears do anything special.
“It is time to rebuild and it will take more than this year,” Sims said.
This year, the focus, as usual, will be on Jay Cutler.
When ESPN’s Jon Gruden last saw the Bears in a 31-15 loss to the Saints in December, he railed about the poor display from the Bears quarterback. Gruden, though, still holds out hope for Cutler.
“I think he’s got talent,” Gruden said. “He’s smart, he can run, he can throw. He’s got to win some games. He’s got to win over the city. He’s got to win over the team. He’s got to be consistent, No. 1. He’s got to eliminate turnovers. Until he does, the Bears are going to hover around mediocrity.”
Aikman has seen his share of Cutler’s inconsistency through the years. While he thinks the Bears are catching the Packers at a good time in the opener given their injury problems, he believes it will be a “challenging year” for Cutler and the Bears.
“I’m a little surprised with the change in regimes that Jay returned to the Bears,” Aikman said. “There have been a lot of changes, but this is an important year for Jay Cutler. With all the different coordinators he’s had, at some point you have to produce. Hopefully for the Bears, this will be the year he does.”
baiduhai contributor Ed Sherman writes about sports media at shermanreport.com. Follow him @Sherman_Report.