Richard Dent Says Mike Dikta Cheated ’85 Bears Out of More Super Bowls
By Josh Hill
The 1985 Chicago Bears had perhaps one of the greatest defenses of all-time. Next to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the ’85 Bears had the best defense of the last 35 years, and at the time it looked like they were going to have dynasty in Chicago that pre-dated the one a guy named Jordan eventually gave the city.
But that never happened, and now former safety Richard Dent is blaming his head coach at the time Mike Ditka as the reason the Bears failed after the 1985 season.
After winning the Super Bowl, the Bears started the 1986 season 10-2 and looked as good if not better than they did the year before. But a violent late hit on Jim McMahon in a game against the Packers ended his season and is where Dent says Ditka screwed the team out of another title. For some reason, Ditka allowed backup Mike Tomczak and Steve Fuller to finish the season undefeated but turned to the unproven Doug Flutie in the playoffs. Needless to say, it didn’t go well.
“More than anything, Mike didn’t manage that quarterback position,” Dent said on 670 The Score in Chicago. “Bringing Doug Flutie in and thinking that he’s gonna come in and be on a team for three weeks and start him in a playoff game? Hell, I mean you’re trying to change the name on the Super Bowl trophy to Mike Ditka (from) Vince Lombardi when you do something like that.”
Ditka talked on ESPN 1000 to discuss what he calls a recurring theme with Dent digging up old bones, and says he could care less about what has happened and only cares about the future.
“I think lot of times you gotta consider the source.” Ditka said. “I never get too upset about it. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t know what it is, I really don’t. It’s been 28 years ago that we won it and I could care less.”
The Bears went to one Super Bowl after the 1985 season, one in which they loss to Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy led Colts team. This 2012 Bears team is poised for a return, and as long as Lovie Smith doesn’t mess with the quarterback situation, he likely won’t have to hear from Richard Dent.