Regular Reader wrote:
Makaveli wrote:
good dolphin wrote:
Makaveli wrote:
Was the talent great when Ditka took over the team? He did a fantastic job of resurrecting the franchise.
Many of the key pieces were already in place. Having those pieces made his job a little easier. Also having a defensive guru doesn't usually hurt either. Makes it easier for you to focus on 1 thing.
I still contend that Jim Finks & Buddy Ryan were far, far more integral to the Bears' success than anything Ditka did. By the time Finks left in '83-84 all of the pieces were in place.
Ditka had
nothing to do with the defense. Not even from a motivational point of view.
Ditka's ideas on offense were 1) Let Walter run. 2) Force the run. 3) Gimmick pass and/or 4) 3rd down draw to Pinky. Much of the time McMahon seemed to call his own pass plays. Ditka was supremely comfortable with the notion of letting the (Finks) line block for Payton.... & especially for the Fridge.
During Finks first seven years with the Bears,two playoff appearances (no division titles) and no playoff wins. Buddy Ryan's first 4 years with the Bears, one playoff appearance and three losing seasons. Three of those years the division could have been won with a 9-7 record, not exactly a tough division. These guys weren't exactly tearing it up without Ditka.
For a guy who played QB in the NFL, Finks wasted Payton's first 7 years by not complimenting him with a real NFL QB. Finks traded a first round pick for Mike Phipps, who had a -41 td/int differential before coming to the Bears. When hiring a coach in '78 Finks hired Armstrong when guys like Bill Walsh and Don Coryell were available. Instead of drafting Joe Montana in the third round in '79, the Bears drafted Willie McClendon...who you say? thats the point. Finks felt comfortable with the Avellini, Phipps, Evans trio.
If Halas hadn't basically neutered Finks in December '81, Finks would have probably kept Armstrong as coach. And who knows if the Bears would have picked McMahon in the '82 draft if Ditka wasn't coach and Finks still had full power.
Ditka had his issues, but the Bears were a fairly disfunctional organization when Ditka was hired.
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