Da Bears Produce Wins, Not Stars… Shocked? Don’t be

by Steven Johnson

So the Chicago Bears have become respectable again. Let me see, it only took, like, four years to bookend a 2001, 13-3 playoff season. Prior seasons of ineptness now all forgotten. What appears to be a surprise to the world, but just business-as-usual to me, is the fact that the Bears have turned an ominous start into a playoff-bound campaign without any real stars.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Aren’t Brian Urlacher and Muhsin Muhammed stars?”

No they’re not! Muhsin Muhammed was last year and Brian Urlacher plays defense. True stars in any sport are offensive players. Would you rather be Brian Urlacher or Seattle’s Shaun Alexander? Doesn’t baseball have a home run hitting contest during the All-Star break? Anyone ever see a ground ball catching contest? When you do, let me know. You got my point.

Chicago’s problem with stars, or super stars for that matter, can be traced back to the 1985 season, the Bears only championship run. On that Super Bowl Sunday few remember that the Bears, Mike Ditka specifically, refused to let their biggest star, Walter Payton, score. Hell, they even called an offensive play for their defensive force William “The Refrigerator” Perry during that 46-10 rout of New England.

If you knew the Chicago Bears like I do, me being a Chicagoan and all, you’d be no more surprised by the Bears’ lack of “prime-time” talent than by a bright sun shinning on a summer day. The Bears don’t want stars, never have. Not only do they not want them, they make it a practice of ruining potential ones.

Cases in point, let’s start with the draft. In the 2000 NFL draft, the Chicago Bears drafted Brian Urlacher, a good player mind you, but they passed on the current NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander. Is there anyone out there still dreaming of what it would be like to be like Shaun? In the 2001 draft they had the opportunity to take Santana Moss but opted for Davis Terrell. Anyone want to compare those two? I didn’t think so.

Fear of success runs deep.

The Bears lack of having or wanting star power is a direct reflection of a working-class, provincial Midwest City that wears the mask of being World Class. The city of Chicago can’t handle a player whose personality is just as strong as his game. Deon Sanders could never play in Chicago. Ray Lewis could never play in Chicago. Randy Moss. T.O. Chad Johnson. Edgerrin James. Kerry Collins. LaDainian Tomlinson. So on and so on. If your game’s strong and personality stronger you need not apply.

But the Bears didn’t seem to have a problem with a strong personality coach. When Mike Ditka was the head of the snake, you routinely heard the Bears’ weekend match-ups described in television promos as “Mike Ditka and the Chicago Bears face Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins.” Why? Personality. Good for Da Coach, bad for the players. Don’t forget, Ditka is the coach that didn’t let Sweetness go out with a Super Bowl six.

To wrap things up in a nice little nutshell and also solidify my standing as a know-it-all, let’s take a brief look at how the Bears suck the life out of greatness. Start with Muhsin Muhammed. Last year he was an All-Pro receiver with the Carolina Panthers. After twelve games with the Bears he will have to average 3.25 touchdowns and 211 yards over the remaining four games to match what he did last year. Cedric Benson. At the University of Texas last year he was a stud’s stud. In twelve games for the Longhorns he gained 1867 yards on 326 carries and averaged 159 yards a game. After twelve games with the Bears, he’s played in eight, only started once, has 58 carries for 237 yards and no touchdowns. He had 19 touchdowns last year with the Longhorns.

Future free agents regard this as an open letter. If you choose Chicago, change your motto to “Don’t give me the damned ball.”

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