The Chicago Bears had no idea what to expect. No one did.
Playing through a pandemic? Stadiums without fans?
An abbreviated training camp? No preseason games?
What in the world would football in 2020 look like?
As the Bears reported for training camp in Lake Forest in August, charging into an unusual year with the usual combination of hope and energy, no one really knew how anything would go. Yet the opportunity to play football again felt invigorating, even with so many new guidelines and surprise twists.
At the beginning of the Bears’ 101st season, we presented 101 questions without answers, an exercise meant to magnify the uncertainty of such a tumultuous time. Well, now we’ve arrived at Week 17 and the Bears are preparing for their season finale Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field — with a playoff berth on the line — and it turns out all those summer questions now have answers.
Here’s what we were asking back in August and the conclusions we’ve drawn as 2020 draws to a close.
1. How exactly are we going to do this?
Carefully. Very, very carefully.
2. Seriously. Can a full-contact sport built for big groups learn to function smoothly and safely in a world that now calls for so much distancing and caution?
It can. And it did — for the most part. It required NFL teams to go to great lengths to safeguard their facilities and implement new rules and guidelines to keep players, coaches and team personnel safe. It required daily COVID-19 testing and high-tech means of doing contact tracing. It required the NFL to establish protocols — and continually adapt them — for how to handle positive results and new cases and instances in which individuals experienced COVID-19 exposure in some way. It required a ton of scheduling flexibility. It required some games to be played on Tuesdays and one (Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens) to push back six full days — from Thanksgiving night to the following Wednesday afternoon. It required patience and persistence and a surplus of flexibility.
3. With the coronavirus pandemic still flaring up around the country, is it realistic for the NFL to not only start this season but finish it?
Yep, realistic indeed.
4. With a full 16-game schedule?
We’re almost through the whole thing. And not a single game has been lost yet.
5. Plus a new 14-team playoff bracket?
Let’s do this.
6. With an on-time Super Bowl six months from now?
Still on the schedule for Feb. 7 with The Weeknd as the halftime show headliner.
7. Speaking of Super Bowl LV — scheduled for Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. — will fans be allowed to attend at that point?
“As many as we can (bring in) safely,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in mid-December. The league will continue working closely with public officials and health experts to put together its plan. But there will be some bodies in the seats at this season’s Super Bowl. Real live bodies. Not just the cardboard cutout variety.
8. If not, what will happen to Super Bowl week without all of the festivities, without the usual hype and pageantry and hullabaloo?
Super Bowl week will not be anywhere near the same as it usually is. Very few events. Not nearly as much pageantry. Hardly any parties whatsoever. (Though it is still Florida, so maybe all bets are off.)
9. Do the Bears, listed at 20-1 odds to win the NFC earlier this spring, have a realistic chance of playing in the big game?
Depends on your definition of realistic. After Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bears’ odds to win the conference improved to 45-1, according to PointsBet, with their odds to claim the Lombardi Trophy at 90-1.
10. If so, won’t they need their quarterback (whomever that turns out to be) to play at a high level all season?
There’s no doubt the Bears could have used high-level quarterback play all season. Instead, they started with Mitch Trubisky at the controls, then benched him for Nick Foles in the third quarter of the third game. Then, after one riveting comeback victory in Atlanta, Foles lost five of his seven starts and suffered a significant injury to his hip. The Bears then went back to Trubisky, who had his ups and downs. And now he’s having more encouraging ups again. And the offense seems to be finding itself. Go figure.
11. With training camp abbreviated significantly and all preseason games canceled, how will the Bears coaching staff revise the structure of its “open competition” for the starting quarterback job?
They did their best. They tried to create a fair workload split and competitive moments to judge the Trubisky-Foles battle. But ultimately, the comprehensive quarterback competition the Bears envisioned last spring was condensed into basically three weeks.
12. And will there be enough time to judge that competition fairly?
The Bears could have used more time, no question about it. Neither Trubisky nor Foles was all that impressive during the shortened training camp. And with no one really sure how to declare a definitive winner, Matt Nagy chose Trubisky on Sept. 4, nine days before the season opener.
13. Given his status as the incumbent starter and his familiarity with the offensive personnel, doesn’t Mitch Trubisky have an advantage in this shortened competition?
Maybe. Maybe not. It was hard to say.
14. Or does Nick Foles’ experience plus his chemistry with coach Matt Nagy, new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo give him an inside track?
Maybe. Maybe not. It was hard to say.
15. Ultimately, who will be the Bears’ Week 1 starter?
Trubisky.
16. If it’s Trubisky, how long will the leash be?
Not all that long, to be honest.
17. Will Nagy simply be waiting on the first bad loss or the first erratic performance to make a switch?
Nagy didn’t even wait for a loss. Trubisky’s performance was uneven in wins over the Lions and Giants, and some of his early struggles were so reminiscent of 2019 that Nagy needed just one missed touchdown throw and one woeful interception in Week 3 to feel that familiar unsettled feeling in his stomach. Nagy’s gut told him to turn to Foles. So he did.
18. And if Foles is the starter from Day 1 of the regular season, what will happen if he struggles mightily?
Well, Foles didn’t start until Week 4 — but he did struggle mightily. Despite that rousing comeback win over the Falcons and an encouraging Thursday night victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his second start 11 nights later, Foles did little to elevate the offense. The running game sputtered. Foles’ turnover total grew. And the losses mounted.
19. Would the Bears be hesitant to turn back to Trubisky?
Foles left a Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on the back of a cart. He appeared to be broken at the time. It turned out he had a painful hip injury. But it was enough to open the door for Trubisky’s return. Once again, he’s their guy for the rest of the way.
20. How problematic is it that Trubisky has made 42 career starts (including playoffs) and the Bears offense has scored more than 20 points in only 13 of those games?
Trubisky has now made 50 career starts, and the offense has scored more than 20 points in 20 of those games. More recently, in each of his five starts since reclaiming the Bears starting job, the offense has scored at least 20 points. As a team, they have averaged 33 points per game in that span.
21. And given that Foles has changed teams five times since 2015, shouldn’t any optimism for his potential be tempered?
Tempered optimism is always the right approach with the Bears quarterback situation. Always.
22. Isn’t this the conundrum the Bears always seem to be in, struggling to find a quarterback?
Yep.
23. Still?
Still.
24. For general manager Ryan Pace, who chose Trubisky with the No. 2 pick in 2017 and whose teams have enjoyed only one winning season in five years, how much win-or-else pressure is being applied from above?
It’s hard to say exactly. A few weeks ago, with the Bears stumbling through that painful six-game losing streak, Pace’s job security seemed iffy at best. The Bears’ late-season surge, however, could change the thinking at Halas Hall. What if they sneak into the playoffs? What if they make a little run?
25. Didn’t Bears President Ted Phillips say on New Year’s Eve that last season’s 8-8 regression was “unacceptable”?
Phillips did say exactly that. “Unacceptable” was his word.
26. And didn’t Phillips also declare that he “absolutely” expected the Bears to be a championship contender in 2020?
He said that too.
27. So what happens if they aren’t?
One thing we know for sure: The fan base has been angry and frustrated and exhausted … and now suddenly a little encouraged? The calls for major changes were definitely amplified the past two months. The irritation and disappointment were as sharp as they’ve ever been. Yet here in Week 17, the Bears can reach the playoffs by beating the Packers. And now everyone seems confused and conflicted at what to make of all of this. Again.
28. Will Phillips and Bears Chairman George McCaskey demand accountability if the Bears miss the playoffs for the 12th time in 14 seasons?
We’ll know soon enough.
29. Is it possible the Bears spend January hunting for a new GM?
Certainly possible.
30. Or a new coach?
That’s less likely.
31. Or both?
Again, we’ll know soon enough.
32. Or will all of the COVID-19-related obstacles of 2020 influence McCaskey and Phillips to be more forgiving with their evaluations?
McCaskey was asked that question directly before the regular season and acknowledged 2020 would be unlike any season the Bears had ever faced. “Yeah, there are challenges,” McCaskey said. “But we think the team that best adapts to those challenges will have a better chance of winning. And that’s the goal: to win. … Two years ago we made a great run and fell short. Last year we regressed. So we need to find out which team this is. Is it the team that took the NFL by storm two years ago or is it the team that fell back last year?” The answer to that felt pretty clear three weeks ago. Now, with three consecutive wins that felt a little 2018-like, there seems to be an identity crisis. Again.
33. For the enthusiastic Nagy supporters, wasn’t he hired 21/2 years ago to elevate the offense and develop Trubisky into a star?
He was.
34. So how should Nagy’s failure to do either of those things — to this point, anyway — be judged?
Critically. Those are two pretty major failures, with the Bears offense spending most of the past two years as a bottom-five attack and Trubisky falling well short of the stardom the Bears once envisioned for him. The search to establish an offensive identity took longer than anyone expected. Way, way too long. But now with the Bears piling up yards and points on a weekly basis — albeit against lesser competition — judging this recent breakthrough has become more challenging.
35. For the angry Nagy critics, aren’t his Bears still 20-12 over two seasons with a 9-3 record in NFC North games?
Updating: 28-19 overall, 11-6 in division games.
36. Isn’t that an acceptable and encouraging mark for a leader who was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2018?
Probably. Nagy’s high-energy, solution-oriented leadership has been a noted strength. That winning percentage is nothing to sneeze at.
37. And doesn’t Nagy still exude a contagious positive energy that has created a required level of buy-in from players and coaches?
No doubt that’s still one of Nagy’s greatest strengths and most alluring traits. It’s a positive quality. And he has again kept his team from spiraling away, even after that dispiriting six-game losing streak threatened to detour this season down a dark, dark alley. Overall, Nagy’s contagious positive energy hasn’t been enough to fuel the victory train regularly enough for the Bears to win championships. But suddenly, the Bears are hot as they head into the season finale.
38. Perhaps more importantly, will Nagy finally find a way to commit to the running game?
It took him quite some time to do so. But in December, the Bears ran the ball with purpose and effectiveness. They look like a balanced offense all of a sudden. Better late than never?
39. Why has that been so hard?
Really hard to say why it took so long to make that commitment.
40. And does the Bears offensive line have enough of a nasty edge to make that happen?
Depends on which offensive line you’re talking about. The Bears have used a half-dozen starting combinations up front this season. And it wasn’t until Week 12 that they finally seemed to find a grouping that clicked and produced. This current grouping — Charles Leno, Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher, Alex Bars and Germain Ifedi — has been solid. Really solid.
41. Can new offensive line coach Juan Castillo get significant improvement from that group?
In some ways, yes. Mustipher has been a pleasant surprise at center. Bars has done a nice job contributing at guard. And James Daniels appeared to be ascending before suffering a season-ending pectoral injury.
42. If so, is second-year running back David Montgomery poised for a major breakthrough?
Major breakthrough? It does seem like Montgomery is close. Really close. Once the offensive line got settled and some schematic tweaks were made, Montgomery has made a late-season breakthrough. He has had much more room to run and has used hisquickness, vision and contact balance. That has been a positive development.
43. Say somewhere around 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns?
Over the last five games, Montgomery has rushed for 529 yards and six touchdowns. Extrapolate that production over a 16-game span, and it equates to 1,693 rushing yards and 19 TDs. Pretty darn good. (His current 2020 totals are 1,476 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns.)
44. At 33 and entering his 11th NFL season, how much does tight end Jimmy Graham have left in his tank?
He has had something left in that tank for sure — and it has been enough to be a legitimate red-zone weapon for this offense on a regular basis.
45. Will Graham’s production in 2020 be worth the $9 million the Bears guaranteed him in a two-year free-agent contract in March?
Graham has 48 catches, 451 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s solid complementary production in this offense, even if it might not be worth the $9 million in guaranteed money the Bears dished out.
46. What did the Bears see in Graham that no one else did?
A need. Bears tight ends were so unreliable in 2019 that they had to find someone at that position they could count on. Graham hasn’t missed a game and has played pretty well overall. He has also been a valuable mentor to rookie Cole Kmet.
47. Will he be Pace’s latest swing and miss at tight end (see also: Dion Sims, Adam Shaheen, Trey Burton)?
Graham is in no way, shape or form a swing and miss the way Sims, Shaheen and Burton were. He may not go down as a home-run addition, but maybe an RBI single? A double down the line? Internally, there are zero regrets at Halas Hall about bringing in Graham.
48. Or will Graham’s durability, veteran savvy and red-zone potential provide a major boost to a team that got next to nothing from its tight ends last season?
Major boost? Depends on how you define that. (Apparently, we’ll have to be more careful in 2021 about throwing around that “major” descriptor.) But Graham has provided a boost for sure. He had two more touchdowns in Sunday’s blowout win over the Jaguars. He’s playing well.
49. Speaking of which, can’t the Bears offense — a bottom-five disaster a year ago — make a huge leap this season with even modest improvement from every position group?
A huge leap? Well, that didn’t quite happen. Before December, there actually wasn’t any leap for the offense at all. Just a lot of time and energy spent trying to get the engine jump-started but then having the “Price Is Right” failure horn sound every time the key was turned in the ignition. Now, all of a sudden, the Bears seem to have an identity and confidence and rhythm and they’re forcing everyone to reconsider what’s possible for this group. They’ve crept up to 26th in total yardage (329.6 ypg) and 18th in scoring (23.7 ppg).
50. If so, who will be this season’s most pleasant surprise?
Mustipher, the undrafted center, perhaps.
51. Wide receiver Anthony Miller?
Nope. Miller’s game-winning touchdown catches in Weeks 1 and 3 were his high points. He hasn’t had a 100-yard game all season, and even in the offense’s recent surge, he has contributed only 13 catches and 123 receiving yards. His last touchdown — “Run to the ‘L’ “ — came Sept. 27 in Atlanta.
52. Rookie tight end Cole Kmet?
Despite nonstop glowing reviews from the coaching staff, Kmet had only eight catches and 94 yards through his first 11 games. He has followed with 13 catches for 108 yards over the last four games. His potential is obvious. His playing time has spiked. The kid definitely has a bright future.
53. All-purpose back Tarik Cohen?
Cohen was lost for the season when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament while fair-catching a punt in Week 3. It was an unfortunate derailment that came just seven days after he signed a three-year contract extension.
54. And what’s next for wide receiver Allen Robinson, perhaps the only player on offense who can be Sharpied onto the depth chart as a reliable standout?
That question is at the top of the list heading into the 2021 offseason as Robinson’s current contract is due to expire in March. He had his fifth 100-yard outing of the season Sunday and heads into Week 17 with 100 catches, 1,213 yards and six touchdowns. Yep, Sharpie that in. Robinson: Reliable standout. Now what’s next?
55. Which of the Bears’ new coaches will have the greatest impact in 2020?
We’ll put it up for a vote. You tell us.
56. It has to be DeFilippo, right?
He has done a pretty good job down the stretch working with Trubisky.
57. Or is it Lazor or Castillo?
The Bears’ offensive surge late in the season has coincided with Lazor’s increased involvement in play-calling and the jelling of the offensive line.
58. Tight ends coach Clancy Barone?
He has worked well with Kmet and Graham.
59. How much of an upgrade did the Bears make to their pass rush by signing Robert Quinn and letting Leonard Floyd go?
Upgrade? In retrospect, it turns out to be a major miscalculation. Quinn had a strip-sack on his first play as a Bear but has had only one sack since. In Los Angeles, meanwhile, Floyd has enlivened the Rams defense with 91/2 sacks.
60. How much will Quinn’s presence help Khalil Mack?
He hasn’t really helped Mack much at all.
61. Shouldn’t both players be capable of combining for 25 sacks?
Capable of? Absolutely. The actual production, though? Ten sacks combined through 15 games.
62. If Akiem Hicks can stay healthy all season, how good can this Bears defense be?
The Bears defense is pretty good when Hicks is on the field, though his big-play impact has seemed limited over the past month.
63. And if Hicks isn’t able to stay on the field, how much of a drop-off might that create?
A fairly significant one. After Hicks injured his hamstring and left in the third quarter of a Week 10 loss to the Vikings, running back Dalvin Cook picked up 57 of his 96 rushing yards. The next week, the Packers offense lit up the Hicks-less Bears defense for five touchdowns.
64. While the Bears remained solid statistically without Hicks last season, didn’t they really miss his passion and presence?
Yes, his passion and presence helps provide a heartbeat for the defense.
65. Is this the year inside linebacker Roquan Smith becomes a true star?
Yes, he has been a monster. Smith has 136 total tackles, 17 for a loss, four sacks and two interceptions. There’s no question he has emerged as one of the best playmaking linebackers in the league, even if he wasn’t rewarded with a selection to the Pro Bowl. But a big payday is on the horizon.
66. With a new contract extension and an established reputation as one of the league’s best safeties, what does this next chapter hold for Eddie Jackson?
Jackson had two interception-return touchdowns negated by penalties early in the season but eventually got a TD to count with his 8-yard fumble return against the Rams in October. His last interception came in Week 17 of last season.
67. How will defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano adjust in his second season with the Bears to help create more takeaways and sacks?
Pagano hasn’t done enough to increase the splash plays by the defense. The Bears had 50 sacks, 36 takeaways, 27 interceptions and six defensive touchdowns in 2018 under Vic Fangio. In almost twice as many games under Pagano, they have 66 sacks, 36 takeaways, 20 interceptions and only two scores.
68. Can Pagano find ways to squeeze more game-changing production out of his game-changing stars?
Jackson is still without an interception, while Kyle Fuller has only one. Mack is scrapping to try to crack double-digit sacks. For a while, the defense had the fallback excuse that the offense’s struggles weren’t allowing it to play with the lead enough. That’s no longer the case.
69. And with Mack, Hicks, Jackson, Smith, Quinn, Kyle Fuller and Danny Trevathan, isn’t Pagano blessed with a surplus of such game-changers?
So many potential game-changers. And the Bears defense is still good. It probably should be better though.
70. Aside from quarterback, which training camp battles will be the most intriguing to watch?
Listen, just getting the opportunity to watch training camp practices in person was a real energy boost for those reporters who were lucky enough to have that VIP access for a few short weeks.
71. How will the Bears identify starters at strong safety, right guard and right cornerback?
Tashaun Gipson beat out Deon Bush at safety. Germain Ifedi was the obvious choice over Rashaad Coward at guard. And rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson quickly proved he belonged.
72. What needs to happen for second-round pick Jaylon Johnson to lock down a starting spot at cornerback?
He needed to show confidence and intelligence and an ability to make big plays and bounce back from mistakes. Johnson did all of those things.
73. Will Johnson be challenged by former CFL star Tre Roberson?
Alas, Roberson suffered an injury while preparing for training camp and was waived before ever practicing with the Bears.
74. What about Artie Burns?
Burns tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a training camp practice on Aug. 18.
75. Or Kevin Toliver?
He wasn’t good enough and was cut on Labor Day weekend.
76. Are the Bears still searching for stability at kicker?
When training camp began they were. They had Eddy Pineiro as their incumbent and cut Ramiz Ahmed a week before the first practice.
77. Only in a much more low-profile manner than last year?
Everything involving kickers from this point forward will always be more low-profile than what the Bears went through while searching for a new one in 2019.
78. What are we to make of Eddy Pineiro’s up-and-down season in 2019?
That it left him with limited job security. And that job security decreased exponentially when he suffered a significant groin injury early in training camp and had to stop kicking.
79. Is Pineiro a shoo-in to remain the kicker by Week 1?
Nope.
80. For all of 2020?
Nuh-uh. His groin injury opened the door for the Bears to give Cairo Santos a look. And Santos not only grabbed the job for this season, he quickly tightened his grip on it. He’s 27-for-29 on field goals, including a career-long 55-yarder made just before halftime in a win over the Panthers and a game-winning 38-yard kick with 1:38 left against the Buccaneers. Santos has made his last 24 field-goal attempts, a streak the Bears haven’t enjoyed since Robbie Gould made 24 straight in 2006. Santos’ only missed PAT attempt this season was blocked because of shaky blocking up front. The Bears would be wise to lock up Santos for 2021 as soon as possible.
81. How much of an opportunity will Ramiz Ahmed get to challenge Pineiro?
None. He was gone before camp began.
82. If Khalil Mack is worth $141 million, is his younger brother Ledarius, an undrafted Bears rookie, at least worth a practice squad spot?
Indeed, he has been on the practice squad all season.
83. Which other rookies are worth keeping close tabs on during training camp?
Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson, the top of the Bears’ 2020 draft class.
84. Outside linebacker Trevis Gipson?
Gipson wasn’t active on game day for the first time until December.
85. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney?
Absolutely. Mooney has been another surprising bright spot for the Bears, a speed threat on offense and a mature and driven rookie behind the scenes.
86. Undrafted running back Artavis Pierce (assuming he has returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list)?
Pierce quickly returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list. He had three carries for 9 yards against the Vikings in Week 10, and he busted off a 23-yard run Sunday followed by a 3-yard scoring run against the Jaguars.
87. If a “Bear Raid” siren is activated and no one is there to hear it, does it really make a sound?
If we’re implying that beat reporters are truly “no one,” then the answer is yes. The siren definitely makes a sound. A shrill, earsplitting, reach-for-the-Advil kind of sound.
88. Seriously, though, what will games at Soldier Field be like without fans in the stands?
Weird. Really, really weird.
89. How long will that take players to get used to?
Players and coaches adapted fairly quickly to the fan-free environments and realized they had to search for new ways to create that game-day juice. But it wasn’t normal. Not by a long shot.
90. Will a subdued environment on game days be a total buzzkill?
At times, it really was. A prime-time win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in October could have been a special night at Soldier Field. The buzz from Cordarrelle Patterson’s 104-yard kickoff-return touchdown against the Vikings in Week 10 didn’t last as long as it probably should have. And with a 10-point lead over the Lions in Week 13, the home crowd might have been able to push the Bears across the finish line with a win. Alas … 2020, y’all.
91. Or might it benefit a Bears team that was agitated by periodic booing from the home crowd last season?
Well, there was no booing at Soldier Field this season. But that didn’t help the Bears in home losses to the Colts, Saints, Vikings and Lions. Let’s see what happens against the Packers next weekend.
92. In a similar way, with the inflated excitement and anticipation of the Bears’ 100th season removed from the equation, might these Bears have better luck easing into the season with a steadier mindset and sharper focus?
The Bears had better luck easing into this season. They staged a late rally in a season-opening win over the Lions, forged another huge comeback against the Falcons two weeks later and shot out to a 5-1 start, the team’s best start in eight seasons. That provided them valuable cushion in their bid to reach the playoffs.
93. And isn’t it fair to assume the massive disappointment of last year will serve as valuable motivational fuel for the players and coaches who lived it?
The emptiness of 2019 provided valuable motivational fuel for these Bears. It just didn’t translate into winning football often enough.
94. On the surface, don’t these Bears seem loaded enough to win at least 10 games and return to the postseason?
They had that potential, no doubt about it.
95. Especially with seven of 16 NFC teams due to get a playoff invite?
Man, that extra wild-card berth has made the 2020 stretch run so much more interesting. The Bears are alive and well, with every intent on claiming the newly created No. 7 playoff seed in the NFC. (Under the 12-team playoff format that was used for the previous 30 seasons, the Bears’ playoff hopes would have been dead before Christmas.)
96. If that happens, wouldn’t that provide all of Chicago with a refreshing and needed jolt of energy?
A return to the playoffs is always nice, regardless of the path to get there. Don’t forget that.
97. But aren’t there also enough holes on the roster and enough questions about the quarterbacks to foresee a 10-loss season?
The Bears have their issues. And typically, a team that starts the season with the chance to win at least 10 games or lose at least 10 games winds up somewhere in the middle in that no man’s land of mediocrity. That’s where these 8-7 Bears still reside. Middle of the road.
98. Would this city be able to handle that disappointment with everything else on its plate?
Chicago has struggled at times to handle the turbulence and dizzying nature of this roller-coaster season. And understandably so. But the Bears are in the playoff hunt in the final week of the regular season — and it still isn’t enough to appease the large segment of the fan base that has grown tired of mediocrity and wants the organization to set a higher bar. Still, Chicago won’t have to deal with a 10-loss season. They won’t even have to stomach a losing record. So at least there’s that.
99. Still, all in all, if football is back safely in any form, isn’t it better for everyone?
Yep. It has been better. For absolutely everyone.
100. Are we all ready to get this thing started?
We got it started. Now it’s time to finish up.
101. Oh, and one more important thing: How exactly are we going to do this?
Carefully. Very, very carefully.