Debunking Meatball Myths: "The Bears are a Cold Weather Team"

[bamainatlanta]

This argument is probably better served looking at the team that played that year not the franchise as a whole

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Brunch is the most important meal of the day.

 

[Leomaz]

WTF?!

Bored.

@bearmick

 

[Novak]

Imagine going to a buffet and then bragging about it in 2019.

Link to brag?

Please stop derailing my thread with your weird e-flex's, none of this has anything to do with the bears not being a cold weather team.

 

[Novak]

This argument is probably better served looking at the team that played that year not the franchise as a whole

Why? We're looking at a huge sample size here... Chances are it would balance out pretty well. No idea why you'd have to dig deeper.

 

[TL1961]

We've all heard this one, probably way more than once.

"Da Baers are a cold weather team. They get off the bus running and they hit hard. They never have a QuArTeRbAcK so we grind out games and win in the COLD like real men."

But how accurate is that statement? Do the Bears actually perform better in cold weather games, or is this just another in a long list of Bears fans fallacies they tell themselves (usually because they only follow the Bears and not the rest of the NFL)?

Lets take a look at the stats. Since "cold weather" is very loosely defined, if defined at all, this is the criteria I'm using:

1) Post-Merger, so 1970 on. Lets be honest, no one cares what happened prior to 1970.
2) Game had to be played outdoors, obviously. No retractable roofs, those are for pussies.
3) Finally, I made the cutoff at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Should it be lower? What qualifies as "cold"? I think 40 is fair. If you've ever played the sport, you know getting hit when its 40 degrees out does not feel great.

Here's the results:

Team Game Stats Finder - Pro Football | Stathead.com

Find teams with most passing yards in home games in single season, combined seasons and many more filter criteria on Stathead.com.

pfref.com

View attachment 1983

15th with a 48.4% win %.... yikes.

No one even competes with the Steelers. One thing I thought was interesting was Dallas' success in the cold. Maybe we should start considering them a cold weather powerhouse? Green Bay actually destroys Chicago when it comes to cold weather performances.

Lets change up the criteria to 2010 and on, just to take a look at where the Bears rank in recent history. Here's the results: http://pfref.com/tiny/mYCn9

View attachment 1984

Holy poop - the Bears are actually trending down in cold weather games.

I guess we can put this fallacy to bed once and for all, the Bears are in fact NOT a "cold weather team".

Maybe time to build a roof? Thoughts?

I really haven't heard Bears fans seriously discuss "Bear Weather" since, like....1990.

 

[Novak]

I really haven't heard Bears fans seriously discuss "Bear Weather" since, like....1990.

You must not read CCS, not that I blame you.

 

[Leomaz]

We've all heard this one, probably way more than once.

"Da Baers are a cold weather team. They get off the bus running and they hit hard. They never have a QuArTeRbAcK so we grind out games and win in the COLD like real men."

But how accurate is that statement? Do the Bears actually perform better in cold weather games, or is this just another in a long list of Bears fans fallacies they tell themselves (usually because they only follow the Bears and not the rest of the NFL)?

Lets take a look at the stats. Since "cold weather" is very loosely defined, if defined at all, this is the criteria I'm using:

1) Post-Merger, so 1970 on. Lets be honest, no one cares what happened prior to 1970.
2) Game had to be played outdoors, obviously. No retractable roofs, those are for pussies.
3) Finally, I made the cutoff at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Should it be lower? What qualifies as "cold"? I think 40 is fair. If you've ever played the sport, you know getting hit when its 40 degrees out does not feel great.

Here's the results:

Team Game Stats Finder - Pro Football | Stathead.com

Find teams with most passing yards in home games in single season, combined seasons and many more filter criteria on Stathead.com.

pfref.com

View attachment 1983

15th with a 48.4% win %.... yikes.

No one even competes with the Steelers. One thing I thought was interesting was Dallas' success in the cold. Maybe we should start considering them a cold weather powerhouse? Green Bay actually destroys Chicago when it comes to cold weather performances.

Lets change up the criteria to 2010 and on, just to take a look at where the Bears rank in recent history. Here's the results: http://pfref.com/tiny/mYCn9

View attachment 1984

Holy poop - the Bears are actually trending down in cold weather games.

I guess we can put this fallacy to bed once and for all, the Bears are in fact NOT a "cold weather team".

Maybe time to build a roof? Thoughts?

What are the Bears record at home/away? I understand cold weather is cold weather but being at home does help.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

You must not read CCS, not that I blame you.

Although it has been better since @Aesopian ,@msadows and @dabears70 stopped posting for the most part.

 

[didshereallysaythat]

To me, 40 is not considered a "cold weather game". I know that number has been used before. I remember at one point the Bucs had never won a game under 40 degrees.

However, I consider a "cold weather game" to be cold enough that it forces teams to change their strategy to be effective. Same could be said for extreme snow and or wind games. I still think almost all teams can perform their strategy effectively in 40 degrees.

Not saying the Bears ARE a cold weather team, however, could you rerun that at say 10 degrees and let's see the results. I want to know how well teams play in bitterly cold games.

 

[SilenceS]

Because we have had long stretches of being a talentless pack of bums.

I would like to see the stats when the talent matches up to the competition and what the outcomes are

That shouldn’t be hard considering y’all have only been good like 6 times in 40 plus years.

 

[SilenceS]

Spot on OP. I have always heard da bears “bear down” in cold weather. Finally, see some real stats and not the hyperbole that is spewed by da bears meatballs

 

[Leomaz]

I really haven't heard Bears fans seriously discuss "Bear Weather" since, like....1990.

Not since we got our ass kicked in that playoff game.

@bearmick

 

[DC]

This is rich, coming from the guy that moved out of Chi cus he couldn't handle the cold. Moved all the way to pussyville USA, ABQ, so he could gargle meth bombs and look at gas stations.

Be gone thot

I like both of you but ABQ does indeed suck giant donkey dick.

 

[DC]

Spot on OP. I have always heard da bears “bear down” in cold weather. Finally, see some real stats and not the hyperbole that is spewed by da bears meatballs

Remember 2006? Good times!

 

[Novak]

To me, 40 is not considered a "cold weather game". I know that number has been used before. I remember at one point the Bucs had never won a game under 40 degrees.

However, I consider a "cold weather game" to be cold enough that it forces teams to change their strategy to be effective. Same could be said for extreme snow and or wind games. I still think almost all teams can perform their strategy effectively in 40 degrees.

Not saying the Bears ARE a cold weather team, however, could you rerun that at say 10 degrees and let's see the results. I want to know how well teams play in bitterly cold games.

10 degrees is far too limiting. 4 teams have never played an outdoor game in that temperature, 12 other teams have only played 1 game.

Just for shits and giggles, the bears still finished 11th going 8-5 (in 48 years worth of football!) But again, 5 of the teams ahead of them have played 1 game and are 1-0.

Football isn't played in that cold of a temperature. Those are extreme outliers.

 

[Novak]

Fun fact: there's only 4 teams that have played 6 or more games in 10 degree or below weather since 1970. Anyone wanna take a guess which 4? We already know Bears are 1.

 

[Leomaz]

Fun fact: there's only 4 teams that have played 6 or more games in 10 degree or below weather since 1970. Anyone wanna take a guess which 4? We already know Bears are 1.

Packers, chiefs, bengals or browns?

@bearmick

 

[Novak]

Packers, chiefs, bengals or browns?

Close.

Here's a hint, Bears are 2nd on the list with 13 games.

 

[Leomaz]

Close.

Here's a hint, Bears are 2nd on the list with 13 games.

I know they have played the packers a few times in that span and the packers have had to of played a few up in lambeau. I’m gonna say Packers, Vikings when they played in the met and Cleveland.

@bearmick