Lincicome: Aikman sees Bears’ residue, and they might be wise to pay attention to him

It is not the Bears’ way to be liked, certainly not by strangers nor even by those who wish them well, as I do and always have. Yet in the time of their greatest glory I was scorned by their coach and insulted by their quarterback, none of which, all these years later, means squat.

So this will pass, this dissing by Troy Aikman, once a quarterback of note and now a commentator of candor who allowed that luck had something to do with the Bears winning a football game.

More so, his suspicion that Caleb Williams is an unfinished quarterback with holes in his pockets (my image, not Aikman’s) is at least ill-timed if not inaccurate.

“Life isn’t fair,” said Williams, getting no disagreement here.

Criticism of Williams tends to excuse his flaws and exaggerate his deeds, the consensus being that young Caleb may not yet be what he should be but will be soon. He is getting better every game, and if luck helps, look at the scoreboard, two one-point wins in a row, by identical scores, practically historic.

So how dare Aikman, someone who knows what he is talking about, actually talk about it. What a buzz kill. Is that still a thing?

The Bears should not resent Aikman, nor any faultfinder, because reproach provides a necessary focus, something all teams prefer over expectation. Disproving critics allows gloating, and nothing is happier than a good smirk.

What all of this also means is that the Bears now must be accepted rather than ignored, or more commonly of late, laughed at.

The NFL wants the Bears to succeed. The greater fandom of professional football wants the Bears to succeed. Certainly the TV network Aikman works for wants the Bears to succeed.

Recall that in Williams’ rookie year another Hall of Fame quarterback, Tom Brady, found Williams wanting, blaming not the No. 1 draft choice but the Bears for not allowing him to learn behind a veteran quarterback.

Whether any of Brady’s opinions had anything to do with the Bears’ coaching change, the first such during the season, the GOAT is listened to. And, honestly, Williams would be better with a season on the bench.

Whether Aikman’s opinion will be more than a temporary diversion will depend on Williams listening to him rather than playing with him on social media. Give a receiver room to run. Not bad advice at that.

If the Bears have found themselves on top of fumbled footballs or zipping alone to the end zone because the other team’s tacklers run into each other, witnesses may leap to the assumption that luck has had something to do with it.

And so what? What’s the proverb? Luck is the residue of design. Well, the Bears have been the residue for quite some time, piled higher and higher for years with no hint of design.

The response to Aikman’s suggestions has caused a notable affront from those who believe that the Bears are 3-2 because of ability and purpose rather than from game closing field goals, the latest coming from a surrogate kicker whose name escapes me.

Summed up Ben Johnson, the coach, “a few people weren’t particularly pleased with how we’re winning right now.”

I believe “surprised,” is a more accurate description, and malice is unintended. The Bears, after all, wear doubt like a hoodie and suspicion like a veil.

It is not luck but the quirk of schedule that sets up a month of soft chew, the next four teams having a combined record of 7-18, tempting the Bears to be, gasp, overconfident.

Or, to put it another way, “We’re starting to believe in each other,” said Johnson, the chief temperature taker.

The Bears now face the challenge of doing the expected, an unfamiliar task for them. They will be favored to win each of their next four games, starting with the 1-5 Saints Sunday, and then the 1-5 Ravens, followed by the losing Bengals and Giants before getting to the unlucky part of schedule, the last eight games having only Cleveland with space to breathe, meaning a losing football team rather than the town.

And to that, I say, good luck.