O’Donnell: Fresh ‘Top Ten’ won't change Bears’ Monday night flop
THE GAME WAS NOTHING if not theatrical.
Even the most dejected hometown fans have to admit that as television drama, the Bears' 27-24 loss to visiting Minnesota outpaced “The Quiz with Balls” on Fox.
Plus, the 2026 NFL draft is only seven months away.
To help wipe away those familiar mourning-after blues, presenting:
TOP TEN THINGS BEARS FANS CAN BE THANKFUL FOR AFTER MONDAY NIGHT
10. With the season opener on the line, fresh head coach Ben Johnson didn't tip too much of his offensive genius to come.
9. QB father Carl Williams can now release his sequel quote, “Soldier Field is where fourth-quarter Chicago leads go to die.”
8. Grossly overpriced Montez Sweat once again didn't have to take a postgame shower.
7. Peyton Manning's on-air “ask” that Chicago-spawned Pope Leo XIV appear on future ESPN2 “ManningCast” can now be downgraded to request for a Roman Catholic cardinal.
6. Poorly scheduled reunion of larger-than-life Super Bowl XX Bears championship team didn't chew up too much TV time.
5. Cairo Santos didn't tease tense Soldier Field crowd by even single-doinking critical field-goal choke.
4. J.J. McCarthy and endless mentions of West suburban La Grange Park took the heat off of tax certainties in Arlington Heights.
3. The 127 penalty yards on the Bears brought no heightened calls for National Guard deployment to South Lake Shore Drive.
2. Kevin Warren didn't pop up in the ESPN/ABC “MNF” booth explaining he was just kidding about hollow 2024 back flip from Arlington Park to the Chicago lakefront.
1. During first quarter at least, Caleb Williams did nothing to tarnish self-crafted “Superman” persona.
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LIKE SWIFTIES TO DETAILS OF A PRE-NUPTIAL AGREEMENT WITH TRAVIS KELCE, Chicago sports media were moths around the Bears-Vikings first over.
Capsule comments on a primary electronic six:
· Troy Aikman and Joe Buck (ESPN/ABC) – Simply the best – no current NFL play-by-play duo comes close. … They have tenure, talent and an eighth-nature feel for each other's rhythms. … Aikman was the perfect analyst for a high-spin showcase between two young QBs who are prompting enormous home-base anticipation. … He has lived the life – from 0-11 as a rookie starter with the hopeless '89 Cowboys (1-15) to three Super Bowl titles.
· ESPN-AM (1000) – Improbable radio flagship of one of the most underachieving large-money franchises in the NFL lived down to expectations. … PxP work of Tom Thayer and Jeff Joniak was fine … After that, the pass code remained “budget friendly.” … John Jurkovic and Peggy Kusinski taking calls after the game pretty much says it all. … About J.J. McCarthy, “Jurko” kept cawing, “In one quarter, he became a world-class quarterback,” apparently unaware of McCarthy's 61-3 mark as a starting QB since his time at Nazareth Academy.
· WFLD-Channel 32 – A very uneven 90-minute pregame show followed by a shorter postgame. … Thayer and Joniak, OK; Anthony Herron, check; Bears “presenter” Jasmine Baker, house; station sports runabouts Cassie Carlson and Tina Nguyen, fine. … Production segments timed out nicely but imagineering was as if Crayola couldn't come up with a 13th color. … “Lucky” Lou Canellis remains the Costco receipt checker of Chicago TV sports wannabes.
· WLS-Channel 7 – Nice that station bothered with a 30-minute lead-in to its Big Broadcast. … Ryan Chiaverini is still one of the most amiable TV personalities in the market, down to the Jerry Taft smile. … Dionne Miller checked in with a fine chat during which Cole Kmet said that there are perceptions of Caleb Williams inside Halas Hall that the Bears public is not aware of (?) … But paint-by-numbers production included Miller segments canned before live shots but presented after, meaning that the Soldier Field crowd behind her got smaller as the show labored on.
· WSCR-AM (670) – They apparently believe in everything but organic fun at the Audacy outlet. … Biggest surprise was Chuck Swirsky – Chuck Swirsky! - anchoring phone-ins until midnight. … Long ago – and oh so far away – he was the freshest young sports talker in Our Town. … By closing hour Monday, he sounded like a veteran good soldier in need of some rest.
· WGN-AM (720) – Ed O'Bradovich and Dan Hampton are 10 times better after a game than before, especially following a baffling Bears loss. … They were holding true to form Monday when “Hamp and O'B” suddenly signed off at 11:30 p.m. in favor of radio relic Rollye James. … She does a live talker from her Arizona home that station boss Mary Sandberg-Boyle must be directing toward listeners 70-plus with preexisting medical conditions. … It was a perfect night to let the two old Bears paddle on until the last paw at Halas Hall had been spanked.
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.