The 2009 Chicago Bears Fan Expo: A Writers View

After having missed last year’s fan expo, I decided to take my fiancé and go to the 2009 Bears Fan Expo at Soldier Field this past weekend.  I like going to the Expo because they present seminars with current players, coaches, and staff and there is a lot of good information that comes out of these sit down sessions. 

The autograph sessions are also very interesting and the Bears had some of their best players there to sign autographs for the over 5000 fans attending the event.  I do not focus so much on the autographs, although I did get some great ones. I like to listen to what the management, coaches, and players have to say and feel that I get a lot of information from their conversations.

Of course, this was one of the more interesting Expos because the Bears had just signed quarterback Jay Cutler and the fans present were eager to hear more from the Bears new quarterback.  Cutler didn’t disappoint. His interaction with the crowd was very interesting as he articulated himself in an almost comical way at some points as fans were asking him questions ranging from if he felt that the Bears could make it to the Super Bowl this season to what he thought about the women in Chicago. 

Tight end Greg Olsen was almost as entertaining while running back Matt Forte was just about as low key as any of the players could get on that day.  Newly drafted linebacker Marcus Freeman was as well spoken as any of the players that day and head coach Lovie Smith continued to be a master at making people really wonder what he is saying while being tactful and to the point.

General Manager Jerry Angelo and President Ted Phillips really seemed to appreciate the support that they gained from the fans especially because of the Cutler trade and while most of the questions were tame, some of them were straight to the point and left some of the players and coaches appearing frustrated. 

Fans were concerned about the appearance of a lack of talent at the wide receiver position on the team and this concern was voiced to several of the coaches and players.  Members of the Bears stated that they weren’t too concerned about the Bears lack of depth at the wide receiver position and felt that there was more than enough in the cupboard to cover their needs there. 

There wasn’t a lot of discussion about the Bears defense, a unit that struggled at times this season but after seeing what some of the rookie defenders had to say, I am confident that this defense will be much better than last season.

I have to give a lot of credit to the people who put the expo together and feel that each part of the expo, from the vendor tables, to the autographs, and to the seminars was very well planned and very well coordinated.  This was an interesting event with great guests and a great lineup of players.  I am surely hooked and will be eager and ready to attend next year’s event.