There will be ups, downs and plenty of moments where your stomach drops. Perhaps even some screaming and yelling.
But trust me when I say, you'll all hop on that ride anyhow, rest assured.
Yes, it's finally football season. Break out the nachos, soda, pizza, or your adult beverage of choice. Because win or lose, I'm actually excited about this team for the first time in a long time.
You see, when we last left our heroes from the City of Big Shoulders, they were busy watching an NFC Central Division title slip right through their fingers like the final specks of sand sifting through an hourglass, en route to a .500 record.
Of course, that awful 2013 moment had to be against the Green Bay Packers. Enough said.
We could debate all day if the Bears' secondary was on vacation on the play when Aaron Rodgers broke the hearts of literally millions of Chicago fans nationally and worldwide, but hey ... what's done is done.
We could also talk about why the Bears have failed to address this issue yet another season. I'm even starting to wonder if the Bears are allergic to finding a quality NFL safety.
But this is a new year.
I've toyed with this a long time, looked at rosters, stats, schedules. And I've peeked at almost every intangible factor until it made my head spin the way quarterback Jay Cutler's used to before we had a functioning offensive line (no pun intended with the word offensive, by the way). We also have an offensive genius of a coach in Marc Trestman who helped break records in his inaugural stint.
This guy gets it. He uses the whole field, his tight ends, his fullbacks and spreads things out. He's also holding a hand with three aces in Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey and Matt Forte.
So I'm going to come right out and make a bold statement: The 2014 Chicago Bears will make the playoffs, and furthermore, I feel they are going to win the division in what has suddenly become a pass-happy NFL that resembles arena football more by the hour.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about their defense.
It scares the hell out of me. The Halloween kind of scare, not the fun kind.
Discussion over.
So just what can we expect when the Monsters of the Midway step on the grass at Solider Field against Buffalo at noon today?
A win, for starters. But then things get tricky, fast. After today, you see, Chicago's schedule becomes the thing of nightmares.
Week 2 is a trip to San Francisco, followed by a trip to the other side of America Week 3 to play the New York Jets. Then, the Bears get a short six-day week and return home.
To face the hated Packers.
Once those four games are done, the Bears should be thankful if they emerge 2-2. Winning on the road is no picnic in the NFL. The news gets worse. Week 5 and 6? Road trips to Carolina and Atlanta.
Had enough yet?
The Bears do get a reprieve at home against Miami in Week 7, then guess what the schedule says for Weeks 8, 9 and 10?
At New England, then a bye week. Only to be sent right back on the road to guess where?
Green Bay.
Thanks, NFL.
But the glass is half full, not half empty. The final seven weeks features two games against division foe Detroit, and two with Minnesota. By then, we should be beyond battle-tested. This will be where the Bears' fate is sealed, for better or for worse. The Bears are a better team than both, by far.
I like that we've added defensive end Jared Allen, while Julius Peppers continues to age exponentially up north at Lambeau. Lamar Houston is a stud at the other end who will team up to help Chicago's pathetic run defense. Yes, Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs are starting to show their ages. Yet they are two of the smartest players in the league.
Should we encounter injuries, we will have depth issues on that side of the ball. On offense, if Cutler gets seriously hurt for more than a week or two, flush every word I just typed down an imaginary computerized toilet. I also think it matters that Green Bay lost its first game to Seattle.
Why? Because, you see, I strongly feel this is a two-horse race to the playoffs yet again between us and Green Bay. That should be all that matters right now.
The Packers are a vulnerable team themselves, both defensively and injury-wise, as evidenced by O-lineman Bryan Bulaga leaving yet another game last week with knee issues, alongside a few of his teammates with potential concussion worries.
Without going into detail at every position, I like what I see compared to most teams. And I've rambled long enough for you to get the picture.
Right now, Seattle is head and shoulders above the rest of the league, and I'm predicting a Seahawks repeat.
But beware, my friends in the pacific northwest, should my Bears make the postseason as I predict.
Chicago is the only team with wide recievers big and physical enough to play with Seattle's defensive backs, and you know what they say about any given Sunday....
I'm smirking because I know this Bears team might be one of the best we've seen around here in quite some time. Heck, it's been almost 30 years since the 1985 Super Bowl club captivated the imaginations of football fans worldwide.
I don't think the Bears shock the world this season and win it all, but I do think they somehow finish 10-6, which will be enough to win the NFC North.
Play .500 ball on the road, go 6-2 at home, and we're there. That's not far-fetched, or unreasonable.
Once you actually make the playoffs, anything can happen.
Just ask Green Bay, who almost didn't make the playoffs a few years back because Jay Cutler got hurt, only to see Caleb Hanie nearly pull off a miracle of epic proportions. Yet the Packers survived by the skin of their teeth to win the title.
Pull up a chair. It's kickoff time.
Most of the time, the greatest things in life happen when you least expect it.
