Fansided

10 greatest Chicago Bears of all time

By Russell S. Baxter

LOS ANGELES,CA: Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears circa 1987 prepares to play against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES,CA: Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears circa 1987 prepares to play against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO – JANUARY 6: Mike Singletary #50 of the Chicago Bears plays in the Conference Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers played on January 6, 1985 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO – JANUARY 6: Mike Singletary #50 of the Chicago Bears plays in the Conference Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers played on January 6, 1985 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /

5. MLB Mike Singletary

Those eyes and that stare. Chicago Bears’ middle linebacker Mike Singletary manned the interior of the team’s defense for a dozen seasons. A second-round draft choice from Baylor University in 1981, he would eventually become the cornerstone of arguably the NFL’s premier defense of the 1980s. That unit along the way would include the likes of fellow Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Richard Dent and Dan Hampton, as well as big-play linebackers Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall.

That glare became famous but more importantly, his play earned him a bust in Canton, Ohio. Of course, so did his physical play. “Hitting people has always been my style…,” explained the 10-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro (via the Pro Football Hall of Fame). “I’m not tall but sometimes small things are the most dangerous. It’s like a snake when it’s coiled. You don’t know when it’ll strike, and whoosh, it’s got you.”

All told, “Samuari Mike” would earn NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in both 1985 and ’88. Along with nearly 1,500 tackles, Singletary picked off seven passes and recovered a dozen fumbles. And he and the defense put on a show in 1985 when the club won 18-of-19 total games and rolled the New England Patriots (46-10) in Super Bowl XX at New Orleans.

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