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Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
It was 25 years ago this season that the Bears threw Mike Ditka on with the trash.
After suffering through more than a decade of losing and losing some more, the Bears hired Mike Ditka in 1983. They did it much to the chagrin of Buddy Ryan. Their disdain for each other would eventually create the foundation for which Chicago's only superbowl championship would be spawned.
But by 1992, the luster of Mike Ditka would lose some of its shine. Shortly after the end of the 1992 season, the Bears would fire Ditka after achieving a half dozen division championships and playoff appearances.
Since then, it has been a dry dessert for those attempting to achieve any sort of success in the windy city.
Chicago has had 5 head coaches and about as many general managers in that time. Dave Wannstedt, Dick Jauron, Lovie Smith, Mark Trestman and of course, John Fox.
To give you some idea, Dick Jauron ranks as the 8th winningest coach of all time with a 35-46 record. 13 of those wins came in a single season.
That's right...those coaches records combined come to 179-212. Take Lovie Smith out, and you have 95-146. That's a 39.4% winning percentage folks.
The last four seasons have been particularly bad. Last season marked the worst record in Chicago Bears history at 3-13. Since the 2013 season, the Bears record is 21-43. The arrow is definitely pointing down.
Last night, the Bears once again thoroughly embarrassed themselves on national TV against an organization that perennially embarrasses the Bears. There was something special about last night's embarrassing national TV loss though...
The Packers took the lead in the 1 on 1 series for the first time since the 1930s.
The Chicago Bears are the new Cleveland Browns. They have achieved a level of suckitude once thought unimaginable.
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
Really, the season doesn't look good. Go ahead and put Mitch in. He needs to learn and it's mind boggling they want to wait a year to put him in for him to go through his growing pains next season, so you have another lost year.
They should have put him in the game in the second half last night.
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
I don't think they're in 'Browns' territory yet. You gotta have alot of awful to reach them. I am surprised tho, didn't realize they were that bad all these years, I always think of them as a perennial 7-9 / 10-6 team like the Dolphins or Redskins type frachise. Yeah Chicago really nosedived after Ditka. I feel the NFL hires & fires coaches too quickly. Andy Reids a good example. As much as I didn't like him early on, I started to buy in around year 8 or 10, just, hey he's alright. Better than risking it & bringing someone else in. More owners should look to do that, and rebuild with the current coaches, not toss them aside.
I remember when Ditka was canned, it was a pretty monumental moment. He just seemed like he was such a fit for the town/franchise, had the SNL skits & everything. I felt he'd be there 20-30 years.
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
I don't think they're in 'Browns' territory yet. You gotta have alot of awful to reach them. I am surprised tho, didn't realize they were that bad all these years, I always think of them as a perennial 7-9 / 10-6 team like the Dolphins or Redskins type frachise. Yeah Chicago really nosedived after Ditka. I feel the NFL hires & fires coaches too quickly. Andy Reids a good example. As much as I didn't like him early on, I started to buy in around year 8 or 10, just, hey he's alright. Better than risking it & bringing someone else in. More owners should look to do that, and rebuild with the current coaches, not toss them aside.
I remember when Ditka was canned, it was a pretty monumental moment. He just seemed like he was such a fit for the town/franchise, had the SNL skits & everything. I felt he'd be there 20-30 years.
It was monumental...but do you remember what led to it? One the key factors in deciding to fire him came when he got physical on the sideline with Jim Harbaugh.
Ditka told Harbaugh he's not allowed to audible...what does Harbaugh do? Audible. He switches from a run to a pass...throws a pick that resulted in a touchdown. Harbaugh came into the sidelines
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
I agree with Mitch...Browns territory for sure.
The 90s were god awful. The Wannstedt years a horror show. I was lucky to be in the minority of NFL fans who had TWO favorite teams.....Bears and Bills. As the Bears went into decline, the Bills rose from the ashes. In the late 80s I dreamed of a Bears-Bills SB but it became apparent real quick that it was never happening. That good year with Harbaugh was an anomaly.
What pisses me off is the Bears are the dynasty that never was. A crime that such an amazing team fell apart so quickly and only has ONE SB. Remember...this was before parity. When fans today look back on it, it might not seem so bad. It was a huge clusterfuck. They completely owned their division with ZERO chance of competition. All they had to deal with as competition were the 49ers and Giants....with 'second tier' teams like the Eagles, Vikings, and of course the odd year when the Skins would dominate. They should've had 2-3 SBs just by default.
Didn't happen. Its rarely discussed but one of their biggest fuckups was one that wasn't detected until almost 15 years after the fact.....
Doug Flutie. HE is your guy. Just keep him on the bench until Mcmahon goes in decline...which was much sooner than anyone knew at the time. Instead, he's treated like shit and even bullied to an extent....they dump him....eventually goes to Canada...becomes an elite QB....and then one of the greatest comeback stories in league history when he goes to the Bills. They didn't even give him a chance. It still makes me sick.
Instead...fans get Tomzack and Harbaugh. Ugh...
I know the unstoppable defense falling apart was the achilles heel of the potential dynasty but the QB situation was just as big of an issue. The window was closing. Walter was on the way out and while Neal Anderson was good, he wasn't going to be the long term solution. The QB situation was not stable at all. mcmahon goes down for a week and what do fans/the team have to look forward to? Tomzack starting and the score 28-0 at the half, bench him for Harbaugh, and they lose 42-0. Repeat cycle. They had no legit QB to step into the breach and in that era, backups not named Steve Young were not going to get the job done.
Once they dropped into the cellar of their division, they stayed there. They eventually improved in the mid 00s but if you blink, you missed it.
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
One of my all time favorite games. Magical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co0yiQmFJbA
It was THE year for Cunningham/the Eagles to become Cinderella and sneak into the SB....maybe win it all.
Then the fog rolled in.....
edit: Speaking of the Eagles.....while not a fan, it really is crazy how they were always so close yet so far away. In an alternate universe where parity exists in the 80s, they probably win one.
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
Yeah, it is shocking the Bears 'only' won 1 SB with that team. Such great talent, but I think a few were getting up there in years, the QB situation was a deck of cards capable of collapsing, and Peyton was about to retire. Losing DC Buddy Ryan hurt as well.
I remember that game James. There's conspiracies here that Chicago placed heaters on the field on a muggy day to create the fog, to limit Randall Cunninghams game, plus the Eagles had no RB running game whatsoever. Looking back, you are right, that probably was 'The Year' for those Eagles. Such a great team themselves but never won a playoff game. Still, in my mind, Buddy deserved 1 more year in 1991. A great QB, good WR, and an epic defense, all they needed to do was draft a RB & OL and they were playoff bound. Unfortunately the owner didn't give him that chance.
I remember before the 08 Phillies won the WS they were talking on the radio about how Philly a 4 sport town hadn't won a championship since Dr J & the 83 Sixers. That's 25 years, 100 seasons of all 4 teams. Some mathmetician guy called up the radio in that time and said mathmatically the city should have won 2.3 championships in that stretch, so people were trying to guess which should've won. That era Eagles was the won most ppl guessed, along with myb the 93 Phils or the Lindros years of Flyers.
One of my all time favorite games. Magical.
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edit: Speaking of the Eagles.....while not a fan, it really is crazy how they were always so close yet so far away. In an alternate universe where parity exists in the 80s, they probably win one.
Yeah, they are unique in that way. A big part of that was the Andy Reid years. Gosh, that guy can put together a team. AND win playoff games, he just can't really form a SB winning team or get them there. I hope he does this year, he deserves it.
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
The QB situation was not stable at all. mcmahon goes down for a week and what do fans/the team have to look forward to? Tomzack starting and the score 28-0 at the half, bench him for Harbaugh, and they lose 42-0. Repeat cycle.
remember steve fuller?
Re: The Chicago Bears: 25 years of incompetence
A tale of two halves man. Not sure I've seen an LB/defensive player dominate a game like Mack did in the 1st half (fumbles, sacks, INTs TD the whole nine). Walking into halftime with a shutout & injured Aaron Rodgers it looked like the season was mapping itself out.
3rd Quarter - Enter Aaron Rodgers. A performance for the ages. Probably will go down as his greatest regular season performance. Stuff legends are made of. I remember I think in 94/95 SF & Oakland had a blowout performance of something similar to that. Great game all around, epic. Just wish Notre Dame's Deshaun Kizer had a better showing 
