It’s always important to remember that Chicago Bears fans weren’t the only ones watching their team’s NFL draft with rapt attention. The same was true of Packers, Vikings, and Lions fans. After all, they know their teams will have to face the Bears twice this season. A good draft for them means a more difficult opponent to overcome for the rest of the division. Tom Grossi knows this well. The diehard Green Bay Packers fan is one of the more prominent personalities on YouTube, having covered the team and the wider NFL for years.
He watched the Bears carefully during the draft, too. However, unlike Chicago fans who were elated with the outcome of the 1st round, Grossi admitted to CHGO Bears that he was not. Part of it was knowing they were getting Caleb Williams at #1, but the real kick in the gut was Rome Odunze falling to them at #9.
You know it’s a good sign when fans of your sworn enemy aren’t happy with your draft. One could make a case the Bears got the best quarterback and second-best wide receiver in the class. If both live up to their potential, Green Bay’s iron grip on the rivalry may start slipping.
Grossi does as well. Yes, elite quarterbacks have helped the Packers control the rivalry for 30 years. However, he also knows that success can be attributed to constantly playing against some atrocious Bears offenses. Since 1994, Chicago has cracked the top 15 only five times. The Bears beat Green Bay at least once in three of those seasons. Defense may have defined their most dominant eras against the Packers in the 20th century, but things have changed. If you can’t put up points, you’re not going to beat that team.
For the first time in forever, it feels like the Chicago Bears nailed the process. They secured the right quarterback at #1 overall, whom many feel is a generational talent. Then they turned around and got that talent a blue-chip weapon he could throw to for years to come. Green Bay’s defense doesn’t seem concerned about the changing situation. Grossi doesn’t share their optimism. Nothing lasts forever in sports, including the dominance of a rivalry. He fears this could be a turning point.
