I'm trying really hard not to blast Ditka. I .....um, nevermind. It was called predictable awhile ago.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I don't really see the love or hate for him either way. I love the superfans.

I hate what that bastard turned into. I hated what that bastard & the lucky sperm/ownership club prevented the late '80s Bears from doing.

Jim Finks & Buddy Ryan had much more to do with what that '85 team was....& Ditka/McCaskey fattened up their purses/egos for the six years thereafter.

And fuck George Wendt as well.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I don't know what happened because I was eight. Ryan didn't do too well after, did he?

You're kind of proving my point.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I like Ditka. I like the 1985 Bears. Fuck Bernsie.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Or before. But, shhhhhhh....

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You know me like that.

Its not that I (and a few other luminaries here) feel so old, its just that some of a you are really young, so talking/thinking historically is good for both.

In 1992, the general consensus of WSCR was that as all sports, daytime only radio station with a cast of relatively unknown personalities was that it could fail, would fail. Tom Shaer was the one "name" host, he did weekends on NBC, and Dan Jiggetts was the "name" jock. Dan McNeil was the "radio veteran" who was partnered with newspapermen Terry Boers and Brian Hanley (alternating co-hosts) and the previously unknown Mike North. As daylight waxed Mike Murphy began to get airtime. TV was seen as the undisputed king, cable outlets meant more TV (Chevy Sportsfire with Boers), there was no Internet, and radio was considered a media appendage.

Thus Mike Ditka was perhaps the biggest and best thing to happen to the Score that year. Ditka had already gone through several turns as "Sybil" and the Bears were no longer the feared team that they were in '84-86. So following Ditka was what the local media did and WSCR proved to be the best at both covering and chronicling Ditka, and his having a coach's show meant he was regularly accessed. Where TV didn't want to offend viewer sensibilities and newspaper didn't reach the illiterate, radio was the perfect forum where the "meatball" and the "sports pseudo-intellectual" could gather on equal terms. "Who You Crappin'?" was formed after Terry opened a show with Ditka (after a Bears loss) and Ditka gave his famous quip. Dr. Ken is right in pointing out the true WYC hypocrisy of Bernstein calling Ditka a dinosaur.

The Wilbur Marshall hit on Joe Washington made him, in my mind, the most feared of all the Bears. Marshall laid out many quarterbacks with legal hits that today would draw him fines "just because." After the hit on Washington (a top 5 NFC running back) he was never the same and retired the following season. Regular Reader, no need to apologize for the way you went out to play football as this was the home of Dick Butkus and the Bears were known for being able to play defense.

Buddy Ryan went on to coach the Philadelphia Eagles but he had his own style and it rubbed some the wrong way. His Eagles teams were stout on defense but offensively inept. Later, he went on to be the defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers and his career came to an end when he slugged Kevin Gillbride on the sidelines during a playoff game where Houston lost to Buffalo after being up by 27 points. Ryan was incensed that with the lead, Gillbride wouldn't run the ball and kept using his "Run and Shoot (Duck & Chuck) offense instead of controlling the clock, after another Oiler turnover Ryan lost it.

One final thought on Ditka: As a player he was rare and unique. He needs to be thankful for Halas putting him in the position to have his current successes (hiring a Special Teams coach with no coordinator experience is unheard). As a coach he did nothing innovative, and in many ways was inept (his tenure in New Orleans was mercurially short), but he got Chicago its only Super Bowl trophy. As a broadcaster he isn't too flashy and the current format he is on in a word, stinks. He's on with a panel of yelling buffoons trying to toss around quips and catchphrases to create a new vein of jocknacular. At 74, he doesn't fit and the format is particularly ill-suited for him. But I'm sure it pays.

As a person he is an enigma. Who and what he stands for changes to suit his tastes, from being a "player's coach" to embracing the scab players. From being a huckster who commercially pitched almost anything to criticizing his players for being too distracted with commercials. From self-promoting being a "hard as nails" coach to being someone who cut players who dared to stand up to him because he was wrong. I could go on, but then I start to date myself.

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DRINK BƎTTƎR. @theRIPH

How did he change the TE position?

He split him out and had him catch passes.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

You severely underestimate the offense. They could run on anyone in the league. I believe each of the linemen made the pro bowl at some point in his career. One made the HOF and one other was the best player at his position for a decade. Their backups were starter quality with guys like Beckert and Humphries. Payton was obviously Payton but Suhey was a legitimate threat as a runner and pass catcher. Mc Mahon was a Pro Bowl player in his career. Gault was soft but I believe he lead the league in YPC multiple years.

The defense was the star of the team but that offense was more than legit.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Gault is an underrated receiver. That team had a strong passing game. The offense was really good, simply overshadowed by the most aggressive defense ever.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Buddy Ryan was a DC for a long time before Ditka arrived. He was a DC for the Bears for a while before Ditka got there. I guess his coattails were not big enough to carry Neil Armstrong the way he carried Ditka.

The truth is, the Bears were a dead team before Ditka arrived. Their rise was immediate and meteoric. That was not just Jim Finks and Buddy Ryan.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I assume this was particularly disturbing to you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccfxqQ3TmRU[/quote]

First time I've seen that. I was two at the time.[/quote]

and yet Ditka "anything" is insufferable

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

How is remembering the one Super Bowl win in the history of the franchise a case of poor memories?

Those who say "should have won another" are lacking in sophistication with the topic. A few of the reasons have been discussed. One undiscussed reason for a lack of another SB was Mc Mahon being out due to a brutal injury in the last part of the season. The Bears ended 14-2 but how many other teams have gone on to win a Super Bowl with their backup. I know there are a couple of instances but they are rare.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Nice recap.

I think you're mixing up the Todd Bell hit on Joe Washington in '84 with Marshall's hit on Detroit QB Joe Ferguson which I think was in '86.

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You know me like that.

Yep it was Bell who laid out Joe Warshington and Marshall who concussed Fergie

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

I miss the pro-set formation.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

There was only 2 more they could have had a chance at. After the strike in 87 the team was a shell of itself.

That Washington game was a tough loss for me.

Thought I'd quote this for the edification of the McCown ALS members.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I dont think anyone anywhere thinks McCown is taking them to a Super Bowl.

You're talking to no one

And Ditka can certainly be criticized for that. When the real players came back, they just wouldn't play for Ditka anymore.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Cutler has taken his team to as many Super Bowls as McCown.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Besides that, McCown might not really be a backup anymore.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

So we are now at the point where the knock on McCown is he likely won't win a Super Bowl?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

So then why is he discussed as a starting QB option if he's not taking them to a Super Bowl?

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Jay Cutler isn't either.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Because he's the best they have right now?

If Dallas did the minimum and actually intercepted the three passes that were in their hands, we would be having a different discussion about Mc Cowen.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I don't have every hypothetical interception memorized but didn't at least two of those come on the same drive and therefore we'd be looking at 5 touchdowns and one or two picks?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!