The bears were only dominating in 1985 because of the opposing coaches’ idiocy. I was saying SINCE AT LEAST 1983 that the 46 was so easy to beat that it was ridiculous. You can’t run against the bears’ 46 since they had 8 great athletes up in the box, which is the same reason you can’t sit in the pocket against it. However, quick short passes would destroy it because 8 guys were close to the line of scrimmage, Singletary couldn’t cover anyone, and this area was wide open. It was so obvious, but no one understood this. Every one of these plays worked, but coaches rarely did it. Before the Super Bowl, I wrote Raymond Berry about this (he wrote me back after the game), explaining the successful plays during the season were these plays and giving him examples, and told him to pass on first down, throw quick short passes, pass to the tight ends (which kill the bears), etc. The first play of the game was a first-down pass to a wide-open Lin Dawson, tight end, at the bear 15. He was about to catch the ball when his knee buckled and he went down (needing surgery). As a result, he didn’t catch it, but he was wide open. Next play was a quick slant over the middle to a wide-open Stanley Morgan for a TD, and he dropped it. They kicked the FG. Next few possessions were first-down runs, and despite the refs giving the bears 20-30 points (I have the tape), the game was over since these first-down runs produced losses and led to sacks and fumbles. Everyone argued with me for all these years that the bears were so dominant defensively that they couldn’t be stopped. How did Miami beat them that year? Marino rolled out of the pocket to buy time. How did Washington beat them in the first round the next year? Jay Schroeder threw quick passes. And, to ultimately prove my point, about 2 years later I sent many friends a copy of many articles in national publications saying NO ONE, NOT EVEN BUDDY RYAN WHO WAS COACHING PHILADELPHIA, plays the 46 anymore because teams figured out how easy it was to beat with quick short passes. So, yes the bears looked dominant, but it was due to idiotic coaching. And, Miami and Oakland would both have beaten the bears in 1985, but both blew leads to blow their games and put a bad N.E. team in the playoffs. Many years later, I read a book on Bobby Knight (Feinstein’s?), and they asked him who would win. He said New England would beat the bears because they would kill them with quick, short passes! I guess I wasn’t the only one who figured this out at the time.
1985 bear Defense/Charles Martin
Now, let’s talk about Charles Martin. Yes, Martin should have been suspended for a long time for what he did. However, everyone in Chicago forgot how this started. The second Packer-bear game the year before (in Chicago), and this was before all the cheap shots in the Forrest Gregg/Mike Ditka era, Richard Dent picked up Lynn Dickey after an interception and well after the play was over, turned him upside down, and slammed him down. I was at the game with a bear-fan friend, and the two of us were amazed. He still remembers it, and although he is a bear fan, he’s a witness and we still talk about it. I went home and watched the tape, and it was so late after the play, that as the broadcast was going to commercial, you could hear O.J., I believe, say, “Did you see what Dent just did to Dickey?” and then it was cut off as they went to commercial. After the game, the Packers said the bears started it, and they intended to finish it. That’s what really happened and what caused the ridiculousness on both sides after that.