Tremaine Edmunds, Jaylon Johnson lead Chicago Bears players in win-now mode

Many NFL analysts have been trying to tap the brakes somewhat on the hype around the Chicago Bears, telling fans to keep their expectations in check. It's good advice, especially for a team that has over-promised and under-delivered as much as the Bears have in recent history.

But don't tell that to Tremaine Edmunds.

The defensive captain, entering his third year with Chicago, spoke with the media Tuesday and said that Chicago has enough pieces that he won't be satisfied with tiny, incremental steps of progress. He believes they should win now and make it look easy, too.

This echoes what Jaylon Johnson said on the same subject, who spoke before Edmunds.

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'Same Ol' Bears' no more

It's easy to listen to these soundbites and dismiss them out of hand. We've been here before with the Bears, as recently as last offseason. On paper, they had a roster that was ready to win now. We all know how that went.

But it's different this time. Yes, even that has been said before, but this truly is a different Bears team when you look at the facts. They're finally acting like a franchise that's serious about winning. They broke with 105 years of tradition by firing Matt Eberflus midseason. They didn't wait around to hire a bargain bin head coach, instead flying in the league's top candidate on a private jet and offering him an unprecedented salary for a first-timer.

And the cherry on top? GM Ryan Poles finally invested heavily in the trenches during free agency, exhausting nearly all of his available salary cap space in just one week on the offensive and defensive lines.

These Bears are not your father's Bears, indeed.

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Of course, more cynical Bears fans are well within their rights to hold a 'wait and see' attitude. No one will blame you for that. As for those fans who are embracing the excitement and accelerating the hype? You might just finally be rewarded for your faith.