Greatness casts a long shadow.

I wasn’t born in Chicago. I didn’t grow up in the long shadow of the 1985 Chicago Bears. Ditka, Payton, Dent, Singletary; I of course knew who they were, but in a distant sort of way.

I’ve been living in Chicago now for more than 7 years and I’ve been rooting for the Bears the whole time. I’ve also begun to notice, especially this season, that the one two decades ago has haunted the franchise ever since … and not for the better.

The Bears won a big game yesterday. When Grossman hit Rasheid Davis, that was big. When Gould’s field goal sliced through the uprights, that was big. Chicago’s collective sigh of relief was even bigger.

But within minutes the media was already criticizing the win for not being big enough, not convincing enough. The newspapers reminded us this morning that the 85 Bears shutout the Giants in the first round of their playoff run. Certain media personalities by Monday morning had already singled out guys who didn’t “bring it” or who made key mistakes. And everyone wanted to talk about Lovie’s questionable calls.

Earlier in the season, the mentality had already surfaced. Utter domination was the only acceptable outcome and when it didn’t happen fans got nervous. When the Bears lost their home scoreless streak to the Bills the disappointment was palpable. When Grossman faltered, some wanted his head on a stick. Some even questioned whether Lovie Smith belonged at head coach despite having put together two of the best seasons the Bears have had in years.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with high expectations. But it’s all too easy to make the perfect the enemy of the good. The demand for perfection breeds failure because perfection exists only as a fantasy. Even the 85 Bears weren’t perfect … as their 1 loss demonstrates tragically. Setting a team up for failure ruins the confidence that comes from playing good. And sometimes good is enough.

The Patriots have yet to have a perfect playoff win. None of their Super Bowl victories have been decisive and many of their playoff successes could just as easily have been failures. But they win just the same.

Bears fans should forget about anyone living up to 1985 and start embracing the imperfect win. The come-from-behind. The nail-biter. That’s the future of the NFL, get used to it. Besides, doesn’t it say more about a team’s character that they win a game they could have lost? Doesn’t it prove more to go up against opponents of similar strength and yet find a way to defeat them?

It’s not a perfect world and sometimes good enough is great.