The '85 Bears: We Were the Greatest by Mike Ditka, Rick Telander Page B
Authors: Mike Ditka, Rick Telander
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ass!”
Anyway, the Patriots game—Game 2 of the regular season—begins and our defense is back to what it should be, an attacking force. The offense had come from behind in the Tampa Bay game to win that one, and now the defense is returning the favor.
They’re going after Eason and the Patriots runners like they’re free beer. It was kind of funny, because on Friday I happened to see this stupid-ass thing called the Dunkel Rating in a newspaper that was lying open. I also saw that our defense was ranked 23rd against the rush, even though it had led the league in rushing defense the year before. One game. Fricking statistics! And this Dunkel thing had the Bears rated only 12th best out of the 28 NFL teams. Fine. Screw ’em all. Dumb-Ass Rating is more like it. We’ll see how it ends.
McMahon started off the game with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Dennis McKinnon, who was still battling back from off-season knee surgery. Dennis was a skinny guy, but like the guys I loved on this team, just tough and nasty, and he’d give you everything he had. That 7–0 lead was all we needed. New England couldn’t do a thing against our defense. They had 27 yards rushing, and Eason got sacked half a dozen times and threw three interceptions. They wouldn’t have scored at all except for a mistake on coverage when fullback Craig James caught a little pass across the middle and outran Wilbur Marshall for a 90-yard score in the fourth quarter. We were up 20–0 before that, and we won 20–7. Take away that pass and they only had 116 net yards. We had 369.
What I liked was the Patriots had six sacks the week before, and they got none against us. Our offensive line of Tom Thayer, Jay Hilgenberg, Keith Van Horne, Jimbo Covert, and Mark Bortz was developing into a cohesive unit. It’s so important to have that communication and camaraderie when blocking, the same guys lining up together day after day, knowing each other’s traits and techniques andpersonalities. We had that working now.
The Patriots keyed all game long on Payton, who was a little beaten up going in, and he only gained 39 yards. No problem. That opened up other things, including 37 yards rushing for backup Thomas Sanders and a TD run for Suhey. We also got two field goals from our rookie kicker Kevin Butler, a fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia. Butthead’s addition had meant I had to let vet Bob Thomas go at the end of the preseason. Butler went on to set an NFL rookie scoring record in 1985, so Bob knew what he was up against. But I loved Bob Thomas. He was a great guy. Butler wasn’t any more accurate, but he kicked off much deeper, so there was nothing I could do.
I didn’t like cutting Bob. I never liked that part. I sat down with him, and it was miserable. It’s the hardest thing you do as a coach. When I released defensive lineman Mike Hartenstine after 1986, it broke my heart. But there’s a time when it has to happen, and you’re the only one who can do it. Nobody teaches you how. I watched Coach Landry do it, and I watched him break down. I’d hear him tell a coach, “I’m keeping this man because he’s a better football player, but I’m cutting a man who has so much more character.” Oh, it hurt him!
I believe in loyalty. I thought about all that because we were playing without Bell and Harris, and people were saying the defense really missed them. It actually was tragic that they weren’t with us, in a way. But you can’t move on unless better players replace lesser ones, and the guys you have replace the guys you don’t have. Loyalty only goes so far. Character only goes so far. Football is played with talent and speed and mean.
And I think Bob Thomas did okay, too, probably better than any of us. He went back to school, got his law degree, and now he’s the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Make no mistake about it—we were a talented team. Hell, we had 10 first-round draft picks on the club—a lot of them from Jim
Anyway, the Patriots game—Game 2 of the regular season—begins and our defense is back to what it should be, an attacking force. The offense had come from behind in the Tampa Bay game to win that one, and now the defense is returning the favor.
They’re going after Eason and the Patriots runners like they’re free beer. It was kind of funny, because on Friday I happened to see this stupid-ass thing called the Dunkel Rating in a newspaper that was lying open. I also saw that our defense was ranked 23rd against the rush, even though it had led the league in rushing defense the year before. One game. Fricking statistics! And this Dunkel thing had the Bears rated only 12th best out of the 28 NFL teams. Fine. Screw ’em all. Dumb-Ass Rating is more like it. We’ll see how it ends.
McMahon started off the game with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Dennis McKinnon, who was still battling back from off-season knee surgery. Dennis was a skinny guy, but like the guys I loved on this team, just tough and nasty, and he’d give you everything he had. That 7–0 lead was all we needed. New England couldn’t do a thing against our defense. They had 27 yards rushing, and Eason got sacked half a dozen times and threw three interceptions. They wouldn’t have scored at all except for a mistake on coverage when fullback Craig James caught a little pass across the middle and outran Wilbur Marshall for a 90-yard score in the fourth quarter. We were up 20–0 before that, and we won 20–7. Take away that pass and they only had 116 net yards. We had 369.
What I liked was the Patriots had six sacks the week before, and they got none against us. Our offensive line of Tom Thayer, Jay Hilgenberg, Keith Van Horne, Jimbo Covert, and Mark Bortz was developing into a cohesive unit. It’s so important to have that communication and camaraderie when blocking, the same guys lining up together day after day, knowing each other’s traits and techniques andpersonalities. We had that working now.
The Patriots keyed all game long on Payton, who was a little beaten up going in, and he only gained 39 yards. No problem. That opened up other things, including 37 yards rushing for backup Thomas Sanders and a TD run for Suhey. We also got two field goals from our rookie kicker Kevin Butler, a fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia. Butthead’s addition had meant I had to let vet Bob Thomas go at the end of the preseason. Butler went on to set an NFL rookie scoring record in 1985, so Bob knew what he was up against. But I loved Bob Thomas. He was a great guy. Butler wasn’t any more accurate, but he kicked off much deeper, so there was nothing I could do.
I didn’t like cutting Bob. I never liked that part. I sat down with him, and it was miserable. It’s the hardest thing you do as a coach. When I released defensive lineman Mike Hartenstine after 1986, it broke my heart. But there’s a time when it has to happen, and you’re the only one who can do it. Nobody teaches you how. I watched Coach Landry do it, and I watched him break down. I’d hear him tell a coach, “I’m keeping this man because he’s a better football player, but I’m cutting a man who has so much more character.” Oh, it hurt him!
I believe in loyalty. I thought about all that because we were playing without Bell and Harris, and people were saying the defense really missed them. It actually was tragic that they weren’t with us, in a way. But you can’t move on unless better players replace lesser ones, and the guys you have replace the guys you don’t have. Loyalty only goes so far. Character only goes so far. Football is played with talent and speed and mean.
And I think Bob Thomas did okay, too, probably better than any of us. He went back to school, got his law degree, and now he’s the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Make no mistake about it—we were a talented team. Hell, we had 10 first-round draft picks on the club—a lot of them from Jim
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