Meteoric hype surrounding the Chicago Bears causes the NFL to break 52-year streak
All eyes are on the Chicago Bears after a tumultuous off-season. The off-season saw coaches fired and new ones hired. The Bears’ previous first-round quarterback Justin Fields was sent to Pittsburgh. And moves were made early in the free agency window. All of this culminated in a huge 2024 draft for the Bears.
Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze highlight the Chicago Bears 2024 class. Players like punter Tory Taylor have caused a stir online as well. It is safe to say that the Bears have more hype and excitement surrounding them than any other team in the NFL this year.
The NFL wants to try and cash in on this massive Chicago Bears hype as early and as often as possible.
Historic changes
For the first time in fifty-two years, the NFL Hall-of-Fame game will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN. From 1971-2005, the Hall of Fame Game was televised nationally by ABC, whose sports division merged with ESPN, Inc. in 2006.
For the first time in its 52-year history, the Hall of Fame game will officially be broadcasted on ESPN.
Bears-Texans, August 1st at 8 PM ET.
The countdown is on: https://t.co/H7Qwv8Pr6V
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 16, 2024
The Chicago Bears will face the Houston Texans in this year’s Hall-of-Fame game, which kicks off the NFL’s 105th season in Canton, the city where the League was born. The game will take place in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The game is scheduled for Thursday, August 1, at 8 pm Eastern time.
Moving the game to ESPN brings the Monday Night Football crew with it. Joe Back and Troy Aikman will call the game. With Lisa Salters providing sideline and on field reporting during the game.
Good as Gold
The Chicago Bears find themselves in the 2024 Hall-of-Fame game because of their past. Two Bears legends will be receiving gold jackets and busts that will forever be immortalized in Canton.
First is one of the men that earned the Bears the nickname “Monsters of the Midway,” Steve “Mongo” McMichael.
A relentless motor and a kind heart, Mongo became a player loved by generations of Chicago Bears fans.
Mongo was a ruthless defensive tackle for fifteen years in the National Football League. Thirteen of those years were spent in the Windy City, where he became beloved by Bears fans. McMichael recorded eight or more sacks in seven season in Chicago. He ranks second in all time sacks for the Chicago Bears. trailing only his former teammate Richard Dent.
The four time all pro also had a brief career in professional wrestling after his NFL days were over.
McMichael is finally getting the recognition he deserves this August as he joins the greatest football players of all time in the Hall-of-Fame.
The Human Highlight Reel
The second Bears hall-of-fame inductee is none other than Devin Hester. Hester is one of the most electric players in NFL history. Arguably the best kick/punt returner of all time, it was only a matter of time before he got into Canton.
Kicking the ball Hester’s way was always a risk for the opposing team, especially in his legendary 2006 season. In 2006, he returned 47 punts for 600 yards (12.8 average) and three TDs, 20 kickoffs for 528 yards (26.4 average) and two touchdowns and also returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown – one of only five such “kick-six” scores in an NFL game.
He was selected to play in four Pro Bowls (2007-08, 2011, 2015) and earned one of the two spots for return specialists on the NFL 100 All-Time Team. He also was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s.
Looking forward to August 1st
The Hall-of-Fame game is a time to celebrate the players of the past. And serves as a kickoff for the upcoming NFL season. The game will provide fans a basic glimpse of what the Bears will look like in 2024. It is unlikely many starters play, if any. When game time approaches, more information on that subject will be available.
The Chicago Bears have an incredible amount of optimism surrounding them this year. Fortunately for fans, the Bears season starts a bit sooner than everyone else’s.
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