Like so much of Chicago, the rehabbed Soldier Field puts its best face toward the lake. Seen from the east, the curved glass exterior of the stadium bowl is contained by the distinctive columns of the old stadium. The effect is jarring, but the separate parts almost unite, in the manner of an elegant new office building rising above the classic old library next door. Unfortunately, there’s nothing yet between the stadium and the lake but the torn-up runways of what used to be Meigs Field. Most people see Soldier Field from the west, where some have compared it to a spaceship landing on the old stadium; to my way of thinking, the west grandstand bulges out over the columns like some great metallic blob pouring over the wall to engulf Lake Shore Drive. I suppose one could defend retaining the old exterior as a quaint ground-level facade that gives the building character, like the first floor of Louis Sullivan’s Carson Pirie Scott building–but really, why bother? What about those bland old Doric columns was worth preserving? The new Soldier Field almost single-handedly debunks postmodernism.
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Thanks go to the Cubs for (if nothing else) distracting me from the Bears when they came out this season looking ugly, before emerging over the last two weekends as a team as pleasant as its new home. Thanks also to the National Football League’s scheduling computer. The Bears dropped five of their first six games, including the bitterly one-sided Monday night loss to the Green Bay Packers that christened the new stadium, but then they sandwiched home-and-home games against the even more woeful Lions–the second this weekend in Detroit–around Sunday’s game against the equally awful Chargers, who came in at 1-6. The Bears were coming off a 24-16 win over the Lions that had seen them mix old blood with new. Graybeard quarterback Chris Chandler had replaced newcomer Kordell Stewart and made assistant coach John Shoop’s offense seem almost respectable, with the help of some fine play by rookie wide receiver Justin Gage. The defense, meanwhile, had finally produced critical turnovers, with rookie pass rusher Michael Haynes forcing one bad throw that was picked off by rookie cornerback Charles Tillman, leading to a touchdown. The final minutes even found the Bears catching a break, as an onside kick apparently recovered by the Lions was called illegal in a dubious overruling by the replay official. The question was whether the 2-5 Bears could keep that little bit of momentum going.
The Chargers found running and receiving room for the dangerous LaDainian Tomlinson on the next series and marched to the Bears’ 26. But in the two critical plays of the early going, rookie linebacker Lance Briggs combined with end Phillip Daniels to stymie Tomlinson on third and short, and rookie Joe Odom blocked a 46-yard field goal attempt. (Unfortunately, the fans didn’t see a replay on the grand new stadium TVs because they were playing an auto ad from a Bears corporate sponsor.)
At that point, San Diego head coach Marty Schottenheimer switched to 41-year-old quarterback Doug Flutie, the Boston College miracle man (“Bambi” to the Bears faithful after he cost them their 1986 bid to repeat as Super Bowl champions), and he aroused both the crowd and the Chargers. Azumah nicely broke up a pass but then badly missed a tackle, allowing a big play down to the Bears’ 31. As ever projecting moxie and confidence from that little body of his, Flutie scrambled to the 14. Tomlinson burst through a big hole to give the Chargers first and goal and scored on the next play to make it 13-7. On what had been a near perfect football afternoon, cloudy but comfortable, the skies in more ways than one began to darken.
