The Bear Necessities: A 2012 Preview from Bears' Fans Point of View

With all the coverage I did on fans of out-of-market teams, I figured I should ask some questions to some Bears fans and see what they thought of this year. I was able to get nine fans to respond to the questions I sent them.

For the record, I have the Bears at 11-5 and winning the NFC North. I like their Super Bowl odds of 26/1 that can currently be found on 5dimes.com, although I don't have them winning it. I just find it to be good value.

Jennette Swick (w/ her b/f Chris)

Most of the people interviewed (ages range from early 20s to mid 40s) have been fans their whole lives. Jennette Swick's parents, whose first anniversary was the day the Bears won the Super Bowl in 1986, raised her on the Bears from a young age. On Sundays in the Fall, you'll catch her in her Dick Butkus jersey at Buffalo Wild Wings watching the game with the guys in her boyfriend Chris' fantasy league.

She admires players like Butkus who she believes played for the love of the game.

"They weren't making multimillion dollar contracts and doing hold outs," she said. "Yet alone, they were out there playing with broken bones."

While she's able to watch her Bears on a weekly basis, Sherman Griffin seems to have issues with getting a job that allows him to be off on Sundays.

Peanut Lovers

Like Jennette and several others who completed this survey, Sherman's favorite player is Peanut Tillman. He likes the way that Peanut plays.

"He hustles and gives me a chance to yell 'BALL' during the game," Sherman said.

Jennette and Brad Zoeteman, the youngest of survey participants, cited Peanut as their favorite based on his off-the-field endeavors.

"He definitely has a big heart when it comes to charities," Jennette said, "and I believe he plays with a lot of heart."

Brad's pre-game routine is similar to Jennette's, except he has a customized jersey that he has to put on before every game.

Concerns about 2012

Unlike many people who cited the Bears' offensive line as a potential worry heading into 2012, Brad is more worried about the health of the defensive core, which includes Peanut, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher & Julius Peppers.

"Finally a great offense, but now the defense is gonna crumble," Brad said.

Brandon Marshall/Jay Cutler

Most believe that Brandon Marshall will have an immediate impact. Don Flynn is predicting 1200 yards and nine visits to the end zone, while Bears fanatic Elias Valaveris is tabbing Marshall for 100 catches, 1300 yards and 10 TDs.

Paul Bodenlos (left), who apparently loves ranch.

Nick Pazoles thinks Marshall will be the best receiver the franchise has had in a long time, but feels his value is being overblown with all the weaknesses they have.

"The two biggest worries are directly tied together: weak offensive line and Cutler's health," Nick said. "People seem to ignore the fact that he has been hurt the last two seasons."

Paul Bodenlos agrees with the Cutler worry.

"This year's team can make a deep run," he said. "But the Bears proved already that a healthy Cutler is the key to the team's success."

As soon as Cutler joined the team, he instantly became Elias' favorite player. He likes his attitude and thinks Cutler is the best quarterback the Bears have ever had.

"I think he is a bad ass and doesn't care what people think of him," he said. "That is a quality that QB's should have. I'm so tired of watching all the scrubs that the Bears have had the past couple of years. I like watching a real QB."

Predictions

Everyone who answered the survey (all nine) believes the Bears will be at/above 8 wins. The most optimistic of predictions have the Bears winning the Super Bowl (Elias, Sherman, Rick Ryzner, Bob Flynn), while others seem to believe the Bears will be around 10 wins, which is slightly above what Vegas projects for the team (over/under 9.5 wins).

"I don't think there are any questions about them besides the O-Line," Sherman said. "They have been phenomenally better than in previous years."

Rick, whose been a fan since the early 80s, is the eternal optimist when it comes to the Bears and their Super Bowl chances.

"I always predict they're going all the way," he said. "Don't care if I'm wrong in the end."

Like many others, Rick's been to multiple games (in his case, a total of 10). He had the privilege of meeting Walter Payton, who was cited the most as favorite Bear of all time.

Pre-Game Rituals/DA COACH

Bob Flynn

Bob Flynn is among those who admire Sweetness. Bob, the man with the mustache, became a fan of the Bears when Ditka grew out his stache. He has the most established and detailed routine of those who participated in the survey.

Bob has a picture sketch of "DA COACH" in a frame on his wall that he prays to before games. Depending on the situation, he will drink Ditka wine during the games.Whether he watches the game out on the deck or in the living room, Bob has to sit in his round Chicago Bears egg chair.

"It's the only way," he said.

Paul was lucky enough to meet Ditka the night of his bachelor party in Vegas.

"Getting to shake his hand may sway my favoritism," Paul said.

He also has a good ritual, at least in my eyes.

"Pregame routine consists of cracking open a beer, drink the beer. And then cracking open another beer. And then another, and another, and another," said Paul, who recently moved to Arizona and will rely on Sirius radio to listen to Bears games. Luckily, he has a Bears bar within walking distance that he plans on attending a few times this year.

Super Bowl Shuffle

Don in his Forte jersey with his friend Christopher.

Bob doesn't remember the words to the whole Super Bowl Shuffle, but he has a chance to memorize them now that he has an original cassette tape of it. He will likely be playing it on a continuous loop if his prediction of a Bears over Patriots Super Bowl comes in.

His brother Don also doesn't know all the words of the hit 80s song, but he has an excuse.

"Years of drinking way too much made me forget a lot," Don said.

No one surveyed said they knew all of the lyrics, but Nick had a particular favorite part of the song that he remembers.

"If you put the music on, I could sing along," Nick said. "Gary Fencik is by far my favorite part."


Memorable Moments

Everyone surveyed has been to at least one Bears game except Sherman, who is hoping to change that this year.

Here's some of their favorite moments:

Jennette (doesn't remember the exact game): It was snowing so hard, we could barely see a thing cause the wind was whipping it around and we were freezing. Now that I look back at that, it was the only way to truly enjoy a classic Bears game.

Bob (opening day of 2005 season): The Bears beat the Lions pretty impressively that day but the awesome thing comes in my personal experience. I got to meet Keith Van Horne of the 85 Bears and got to see his Super Bowl ring right up close.

Don (vs Broncos): Bears over Broncos in overtime. Two run backs by Hester in the game.

Rick (vs Tampa Bay): 7 degrees against Tampa was a fun game - Tampa lost.

Elias (right) and yours truly at SF/Chi 2009

Elias (vs San Fran in San Fran, November 2009): I will always remember Cutler throwing five interceptions and almost somehow winning the game. And then we didn't get that bus back to the hotel for a while and I was pretty pissed.

Brad (vs. Detroit): Some broad was wearing a Favre jersey and they put her on the Jumbotron and the place erupted in boo's. Then she gave the finger.

Nick Pazoles: no memorable moments.

Paul (week 17 game a few years back in a game not featuring the Carolina Panthers): My sister was dating her husband at the time. The Bears were out of the playoffs. But it was one of the coldest days on record. We stayed all four quarters of a meaningless game...My brother-in-law is a Panthers fan.