On the east side of Soldier Field en route to heading inside for the Bears' first preseason game against Miami in August, team Chairman George McCaskey walked almost anonymously amidst The Faithful.
How long would it be before he was noticed, or at least approached, as one of the most approachable NFL owners, who'll occasionally surprise fans who email him with a response?
[MORE: George McCaskey: Bears are 'headed in the right direction']
It took awhile. Many were paying more attention to the family or friends they were walking in with, others focused on their smartphones. There were also a few who noticed until it was a split second too late before putting two and two together. But those who identified him immediately and greeted him, or asked to stop for a picture or a couple of quick exchanges about the team were generously granted a few moments.
Now, six weeks into the first season of the Ryan Pace/John Fox regime with a 2-4 record, what's the feedback he's getting from the fan base?
"The sense I get right now is, No. 1: 'We think you're headed in the right direction.' No. 2: 'We're taking a wait-and-see approach.'"
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McCaskey made the comments during a studio interview with Dan Jiggetts and me during Monday's "Bears Recap" on Comcast SportsNet, while also expressing the disappointment he and his mother Virginia felt in a potential win that got away Sunday in Detroit. While the Chairman himself remains optimistic about where the first-year General Manager/Head Coach tandem will eventually take the league's charter franchise, he's already noticed the welcome return of a trait every Bears fan expects, at bare minimum.
"We like the way this team battles. They never consider themselves out of it and I think that'll help us going forward," McCaskey said. "We like the way this team is looking. We think John and Ryan have them pointed in the right direction."