Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on November 6, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

How many of you were paying attention in 1985 when there was a team named the Chicago Bears tearing things up in the NFL?  How many of you were alive then?  I remember it very well myself.  I remember the way that this team went on to lose just one game on their way to the Bears first (and only) world championship of the modern era.  

I remember such guys as Walter Payton, Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael, Willie Gault and of course the unforgettable Jim McMahon.  I remember William “The Refrigerator’ Perry, Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall.  All of these guys helped contribute to what has become the most legendary team in modern NFL history.

So what made these Bears special?  Why are they the most talked about team in Super Bowl history?  Are they the best team ever (in the modern era)?

In this day and age of free agency and the salary cap, it’s hard to put together a dominant team.  The most dominate teams of the last ten years have been some of the New England Patriots teams, teams that were balanced on both sides of ball for the most part.  The Bears were the same way.  They had a great defense, perhaps the most dominating defense in NFL history along with a very well run offense.  Having both has always been a key to winning a lot of football games.

How were the Bears able to become successful?  They had the right mix of coaches on the roster to start.  Head coach Mike Ditka was a real motivator with a fiery personality.  He got the most and the best that anyone could have ever gotten out of the guys on his roster and he got them to play well.  

The Bears also had a very creative defensive coordinator in Buddy Ryan and his defense was the driving force behind the Bears run to the Super Bowl in 1985.  Behind his defense, teams were held down in scoring, quarterbacks were sacked with ferocity and opposing offenses were manhandled by the defense game in and game out.  The famed “46” defense worked very well that season and had opposing teams running scared.

The offense was good if not even underrated.  We all know about the vast talent that Payton provided to the Bears in the running and passing game.  He was an invaluable part of that team throughout that season and was a big reason why they went to the Super Bowl.  McMahon was yet another important part of the Bear’s offense despite the fact he was injured at times during the season.  His personality and antics are some of the things that people remember about the 1985 Chicago Bears to this day.

There were also personalities on the defense.  Remember guys like Dan Hampton and Steve “Mongo” McMichael?  These were guys that played hard on each and every down and brought a personality to the field like we haven’t seen before.  They were aggressive and hard hitting and left opposing quarterbacks hurting.  They were quite the combination.

And of course we can’t forget about defensive end Richard Dent, the MVP of their Super Bowl and their leading sack artist.  Dent, brought to the Bears with little hope of making the team, turned into the teams leading pass rusher and had a huge part in their success that season.

So as we celebrate the season that the 1985 Chicago Bears had, the many things that they accomplished and what they mean to the great city of Chicago, we should reflect back on those player’s accomplishments as well as the accomplishments of the team as whole.  There has been no greater single season in Chicago sports history than the one that the Bears put together 25 years ago in 1985.

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