Remember how empty we felt at the Bears playoff loss in January? Not only did the Bears lose to the Packers, but Jay Cutler was injured and the lockout loomed large. Bears fans were completely devoid of the single greatest commodity known to man -- promise.
Start smiling again, Bears fans. We have reason to hope again.
First up, the quarterback who couldn't play in the second half of the NFC Championship game. His teammates are reporting that Cutler looks good. Kahlil Bell and Rashied Davis both worked out with Cutler in informal, super-secretive sessions and say that there is no hint of injury.
"Jay looks fine, man,’’ Bell said. "The last couple of times I went, we did throwing stuff and I couldn't even tell that he had an injury. A lot of people made a lot about what happened, but I think he’s going to be all right. I know he’s going to be all right. He looks fantastic.’’
Fantastic! Cutler looks fantastic! That's enough to make a Bears fan dance in the streets. But wait, the lockout means that Cutler's fantastic-ness could be for naught. The owners and the players are still in negotiations and those could take for -- wait, what's that you say, Albert Breer of the NFL Network?
A person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the two sides are headed in the right direction ... Two other people familiar with the talks told The AP a framework for a new collective bargaining agreement could be in place before the owners' meetings next Tuesday in suburban Chicago.
Huzzah! At Grizzly Detail headquarters, we're not quite popping bottles of champagne over this news, but it is enough reason to have hope, and maybe an original chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. The owners and players have tons of issues to work out before the CBA is signed, but the latest reports seem like the two sides are in the mood to make a deal, not just shout rhetoric at each other.
So, rejoice, Bears fans. That hole in your football soul that has felt like a gaping wound since Jan. 23? It's time to fill it with promise.
Promise of a better day. Promise of a greater hope. Promise of a new tomorrow. Promise of a Lombardi Trophy. Promise of a delicious chicken sandwich.
