The March Begins - Bears vs Panthers

RENEWAL. VIOLENCE. NAMASTE.

Cicero Bear has awakened. Not gently. Not peacefully. Not with the serene mindfulness of a woodland creature emerging from a long winter's sleep.

He exploded out of his den at approximately 6:17 this morning, screamed "BEAR DOWN" at the Des Plaines River, frightened three squirrels, startled a family of geese, and immediately began doing yoga.

This is renewal. This is enlightenment. This is football season. Namaste.

The fur has been brushed. The Gene & Jude's inventory has been restored. The Old Style has been chilled. The meditation cushion has been placed beside the river. The Chicago Bears are back. And Cicero is considerably more excited than his therapist would recommend.

THE BEAR AWAKENS

For months, Cicero has existed in a state of deep contemplative hibernation. He has slept. He has dreamed. He has consumed an irresponsible number of Gene & Jude's hot dogs. He has occasionally opened one eye to make sure nobody was talking about the Packers. Mostly, he has rested.

But something happened this morning. A breeze moved through the forest. The leaves whispered. The Des Plaines River shimmered in the early light. And from somewhere in the distance came the faintest sound: FOOTBALL.

Cicero's eyes opened. His claws extended. His yoga mat unfurled. His nervous system achieved enlightenment. Then he remembered: THE BEARS HAVE A GAME.

The meditation ended immediately.

RENEWAL

There is something sacred about the beginning of a football season. Every team is undefeated. Every fan is temporarily rational. Every quarterback is in the MVP conversation. Every coach has a plan. Every offensive line is "much improved." Every defensive coordinator has "multiple fronts." Every fanbase believes this is finally the year. And every Bears fan knows better.

We have been here before. We have experienced the optimism. We have experienced the suffering. We have watched promising seasons turn into existential crises somewhere around Week 7. We have stared into the abyss. The abyss wore a Packers jersey. Yet here we are again.

Renewed. Because last season changed something. Last season, the Bears answered virtually every question thrown at them. They won the NFC North, finished 11-6, and finally gave Chicago football that rarest of gifts: expectations based on evidence.

Now comes the difficult part. Doing it again.

CICERO'S GUIDE TO MINDFUL FOOTBALL RAGE

Cicero has spent the offseason studying mindfulness, psychology and the ancient wisdom of not throwing your television through a window. He has developed a five-step program.

1. Observe the Moment

When the Bears fall behind 10-0, do not immediately declare the season over. Pause. Breathe. Observe your emotional state. Remember how many games the Bears clawed their way back to victory last season.

Ask yourself: "Am I experiencing legitimate concern, or am I simply a Bears fan?"

These can be difficult to distinguish.

2. Remember the Next Play

Football is played one play at a time. This is an ancient truth. So ancient, in fact, that Cicero believes it was probably written on a cave wall somewhere in the Cook County Forest Preserve along side Kyler Gordon’s soft tissue injury report.

A bad play happened. It is over. The next play has not happened yet. Therefore: The next play is innocent. Treat it accordingly. Then scream when it goes wrong. Mindfully.

3. Appreciate Before You Evaluate

Last season gave Bears fans something they haven't always had: Joy.

Do not allow the pursuit of perfection to erase the experience of watching a genuinely exciting football team. If Chicago wins 27-24 but gives up 400 yards: Enjoy the win.

If the offense scores 35 but the defense looks like it has temporarily misplaced several fundamental concepts: Enjoy the touchdowns.

If the Bears win the NFC North but fail to cover the spread: Cicero does not understand gambling and has therefore achieved enlightenment.

Enjoy the season.

4. Practice the Sacred Art of Selective Outrage

Not every thing deserves outrage. Some things do. A dropped interception? Disappointing. A questionable holding call? Annoying. A three-and-out? Unfortunate if we aspire to be the highest scoring offense EVER. A Packers victory? Spiritual emergency.

Cicero believes mindfulness requires discernment. You must know which thoughts to release. And which ones to hold onto forever. The Packers ones. Obviously.

5. Remember Why We Are Here

The goal isn't to predict every game correctly. The goal isn't to prove that your preseason prediction was superior to your brother-in-law's. The goal isn't to win every argument on social media. The goal is to experience football. Together.

To scream. To laugh. To suffer. To celebrate. To occasionally question the structural integrity of the Soldier Field turf. And to do it all again next Sunday.

NOW, ABOUT CAROLINA

The Bears open the season Sunday in Charlotte against Carolina. The Panthers won the NFC South last year at 8-9, while Chicago went 11-6 and won the NFC North. The Panthers may have won their division. That does not mean we have to respect the circumstances under which they accomplished it.

The Panthers have players, coaches, schemes, aspirations. But let us be clear about something.

Cicero did not crawl out of a muddy den beside the Des Plaines River after months of hibernation to experience a rebuilding year.

He has emerged for one purpose. Conquest.

The Panthers are merely the first obstacle. They are the first stone in the path. The first test of whether last year's magic was an isolated phenomenon or the beginning of something much larger.

Cicero expects the Bears to establish themselves early. Run the football. Protect Caleb. Create explosive plays. And above all: Do not screw this up.

There is one matchup that concerns Cicero. The Bears' run defense. Chicago struggled against the run last season, while Carolina has reason to believe it can establish the ground game. So the Panthers will attempt to run directly at the Bears. This is called football.

Cicero calls it: A personal invitation to violence.

CICERO'S PREDICTION

Cicero has consulted the river. He has consulted the squirrels. He has consulted the ancient texts. He has consulted absolutely nobody qualified to make a football prediction.

The answer remains clear. The Bears win. Not because victory is guaranteed. It isn't. Not because football is predictable. It most certainly isn't. But because Cicero has spent an entire offseason sleeping, meditating and preparing his nervous system for this exact moment.

The Panthers may be ready. The Bears are renewed.

Cicero's Oracle:

BEARS 31. PANTHERS 17

And should this prediction prove incorrect, Cicero would like everyone to remember that predictions are merely metaphors for the impermanence of existence. If it proves correct, Cicero has always been a football genius. This is how enlightenment works.

Football has returned. BEAR DOWN.