Being a lifelong Chicago Bears fan has come with more than its share of disappointment.

The last time the Bears won the Super Bowl was in 1985, when I was in high school. That was prime time for things like the “Super Bowl Shuffle” and all the swagger that went with that team.

Sadly, we fans have been living on that victory for years, to the point that it’s a little embarrassing.

Not, of course, as embarrassing as the loss we suffered in 2006 at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. That one hurt a lot, mostly because that team had really got our hopes up.

Those years with head coach Lovie Smith at the helm were some of the best years we had. I guess that’s why it was such a shock when the team let him go despite a 10-6 record after the 2012 season.

That seems to be the modus operandi of the Bears for the past few decades: raise fans’ hopes only to dash them as the season wears on.

Every time there was a coaching change, fans were told that this person was going to be the answer.

First there was Marc Trestman, who lasted two seasons and whose best season was 8-8. That wasn’t much of an improvement.

Then there was the attempt at getting a coach who had some pedigree in John Fox. He lasted three seasons, and the best season he had was 6-10.

Some of us allowed ourselves to hope once more when Matt Nagy was hired as the head coach for the 2018 season. With a 12-4 record that first season, the Bears made it to the Wildcard Playoffs, where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. But at least they made it to the playoffs. It seemed that maybe the team had turned the corner.

Nagy lasted three more seasons after that, with one more trip to the Wildcard Playoffs, where the team lost to the Saints, in 2020. The record that season: 8-8.

By the time Nagy was fired, fans probably were wondering what took so long. The team decided to go with the most sought-after assistant coach that season when they hired Mark Eberflus.

We fans were told that this was going to be the answer. Some of us wanted to believe.

However, those three seasons, from 2022 to 2024, were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

I suppose we all can be forgiven if we viewed the hiring of Ben Johnson, who was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, with a hint of skepticism. Here was another highly touted assistant coach who had never been a head coach before.

Yet, all the pundits said that Johnson was the real deal and that we were lucky to get him.

Then there is the issue of quarterbacks. We’ve had high draft picks before. Remember when the Bears passed on Patrick Mahomes and got Mitch Trubisky instead? Then we were told that Justin Fields was going to be the answer, until he wasn’t.

Then we got the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and we took Caleb Williams, another quarterback.

That first year with Williams was rough.

Yet the Bears front office, which also went through a significant overhaul, started making moves that made sense. Building the offensive line so that Williams wouldn’t suffer the same fate as Jay Cutler, who was sacked so many times we all lost count, was a great start.

Still, even with all these positive signs, the skeptic in me kept saying I’d need to see something before I was going to jump on this bandwagon. I’ve been burned so many times before.

The first couple of regular season games ended in losses. Yet, this Bears team was competitive. Watching them wasn’t the struggle it had been in the past.

Then they started winning. That victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the reigning Super Bowl champions, made a statement.

They have a real chance to make the playoffs this season. They might even win the NFC North.

However, the most exciting thing is that they are doing it with so many young players, who will only get better with more experience.

It’s only taken most of the season, but I think I’m finally ready to take my place on the bandwagon. They really are the real deal.

Go Bears!

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.