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Arguably the greatest team of all time
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Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
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01:12In 1963, George Papa Bear Hallis, the Chicago Bears founder and coach, celebrated his eighth championship.
01:23Yep.
01:25Hallis retired as head coach in 1968, and for decades the Bears were losers.
01:33But fortunes began to change when Hallis received a letter.
01:38Well, the letter basically said that, you know, I'm not ready.
01:41I said, but in time I will be ready.
01:43I'd like to have an opportunity to come back and be the head coach of the Bears.
01:47That letter was from Mike Ditka, the former Bears tight end who had played six years for Hallis.
01:57Ditka spent the next 13 seasons in Dallas playing, then coaching under legendary Tom Landry.
02:05By 1982, Ditka was ready to be a head coach, and Hallis needed one.
02:12When you sat around with Coach Hallis, you didn't talk.
02:15You listened.
02:16So he said, here's what I want to do.
02:18He did ask me a question.
02:19Oh, he says, what's your philosophy?
02:22And I said, Coach, who are you?
02:23I said, my philosophy is the same as yours.
02:26Kick the other team's ass.
02:30Ditka got his dream job, but Hallis was more pleased with his choice than the team was.
02:37Wait a minute.
02:38Mike Ditka, this guy's crazy.
02:41We don't want this guy.
02:42I mean, you got to see this guy.
02:44When he's chewing gum,
02:45I mean, he's choking players, throwing chairs.
02:56We're going to separate the men from the boys.
02:59We're going to find out who really wants to play this game and who does not.
03:04I've already looked at the film.
03:06I wish I said, welcome everybody.
03:09But he said, I want you to know this.
03:12We're going to work.
03:14We're going to run.
03:16We're going to fight.
03:18And when it's all said and done,
03:20if you walk with me, if you believe in me,
03:23in three years, we'll go to the dance.
03:29And I thought to myself right then, I said, you know what?
03:33That's the guy we need.
03:35That's the guy we're looking for.
03:40Defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan had been there for five years.
03:44He thought the Bears already had the right man.
03:48The problem was that Buddy thought he should have been the guy that was hired, not me.
03:53So that always was a problem with him.
03:55It wasn't a problem with me because I was fulfilling a lifetime ambition.
04:00And if he happened to get in the way, then he had to get out of the way.
04:03That's all there was.
04:11That kind of player was undersized linebacker Mike Singletary.
04:18He'd become a 10-time pro bowler.
04:24Quarterback Jim McMahon had set 71 passing records at BYU.
04:29But many thought he was too fragile to last in the NFL.
04:34He was also half blind.
04:39My brothers and I were playing Cowboys in the NBA.
04:42Fragile.
04:44He was anything but.
04:45He was tough, man.
04:48We didn't have PlayStation and all that back in the day.
04:51And I had a gun holster on.
04:54And we got done playing.
04:55I couldn't get the damn thing off.
04:56It had a knot right down by my knee.
04:59So I was fiddling with the knot.
05:01Couldn't get it out.
05:02So I went and got a fork and I was sitting there and trying to undo that knot with that
05:07fork.
05:07And it slipped and had two prongs go into my eye and all the way into my head.
05:11And he did a hell of a job just to save the eye.
05:13But, you know, my vision is still not, I don't see out of it.
05:17I don't really use it much.
05:18It's usually closed because of the light.
05:20It's very light sensitive.
05:22In 1983, George Hallis died.
05:26A year later, an injury sideline McMahon for much of the season.
05:32Still, the Bears fought their way to the NFC Championship.
05:36They were shut out by the 49ers, who taunted them with jeers of next time, bring your offense.
05:44The way Bill Walsh ended the game was even worse than the final score.
05:49He put in number 62, 280-pound guard Guy McIntyre to play fullback.
05:56And, in Ditka's mind, to humiliate the Bears.
06:01I don't hold grudges, but I got a good memory.
06:03And I remembered it very well.
06:05And I said, hmm, that's pretty interesting.
06:08The game's out of reach.
06:09And they're going to do that.
06:11Okay.
06:12At that time, I said, wow.
06:14I mean, they really want to make a statement.
06:17Bill has a way of making statements.
06:19And he made one that day.
06:21When that game was over, I just remember the fans chanting and how happy they were.
06:27And I remember standing on the bench, facing the fans, and saying, we'll be back.
06:35We'll be back.
06:45I remember that.
06:46I mean, just, you know, his weight for his height.
06:48He's not very tall.
06:50I mean, maybe a little bit taller than I am.
06:51But the shape, it was just, it was round.
06:55He lined up on him, just let him have him.
06:57It's easier.
06:59Buddy Ryan was unimpressed by Perry and called him a wasted draft pick.
07:07Like Perry, Chicago's defense seemed confused early in 1985.
07:15In the opener against Tampa Bay, the Bears gave up 28 first-half points,
07:21but still won the game thanks to their offense.
07:25It was a little tough for us, too.
07:27To really get on track.
07:30We were losing sight of, guys, we got to work.
07:34We got to work to make this happen.
07:36It's not just going to happen.
07:45Even though the defense struggled in the first five games,
07:48Chicago won them all despite trailing at halftime in three of them.
07:53They won because of the many skills of Walter Payton and Jim McMahon.
08:03The most memorable comeback took place in week three.
08:06The Vikings were rolling while Jim McMahon sat up with a sore back.
08:14The more the Bears fell behind, the better his back felt.
08:21I said, Mike, if you need me, you know, I can play.
08:24Oh, you're not playing yet.
08:26So.
08:26Oh, put me in.
08:27Come on, I'm okay.
08:28I said, Jim, you haven't practiced one down.
08:30You haven't thrown a ball all week.
08:32I was cussing at him.
08:34I said, you're up, Mike.
08:36We're going to lose this.
08:37And the guy was driving me nuts.
08:38I mean, he absolutely was driving me nuts.
08:40Come on.
08:40So finally, you know, I'm such a genius, I put him in.
08:44And Jim McMahon is on to quarterback the Chicago Bears.
08:47Spent two nights at Lake Forest Hospital for back spasms up near his neck.
08:51And he's on to try to revive the Bears offense.
08:54Had a few painkillers in me, and I was a little wobbly.
08:57I almost fell right on my face as I got the snap.
09:00They got a blitz on.
09:01The only reason the play gets off, the only reason it gets off,
09:05is Peyton gets a piece of two guys.
09:08He blocks one and gets a piece of the second one.
09:10As I straighten up, as I cut my balance, I just happened to look downfield.
09:16He ain't in the game.
09:17Nine seconds, we got a touchdown.
09:19Let him go.
09:19Does that make the over to the shoulder?
09:21Catch it to the 30.
09:22It was 25, 20, 15, 10, 5.
09:24Touchdown.
09:27He came off the field, and Mike started yelling,
09:29What did you call?
09:30I said, hey, I called the screen pass.
09:32What did you call?
09:33He said, why did you throw it to Willie?
09:34I said, because he was open.
09:36I said, what do you bet you that we just scored?
09:38From there, magic happened.
09:43McMahon fired touchdown passes on his first two throws,
09:47three in seven minutes.
09:53The McMahon-led comeback became known as the Viking Miracle.
10:03He's that ace that you have.
10:05You don't know what it's going to be, that wild card that you have.
10:08That's what he is, because you know it's going to be good.
10:11You just don't know what it's going to be.
10:15The Bears thought they were getting a milk-drinking Mormon
10:17until the day McMahon arrived to sign his contract.
10:22They still make a stink about me getting out of the limo with a beer in my hand.
10:26But, you know, I was 22 years old.
10:28I'd just taken a three-and-a-half-hour flight.
10:30I was a little thirsty, so I had a beer.
10:31Big deal.
10:33Outrageousness?
10:37Outrageousness.
10:44They called him the punky QB and Mad Mac.
10:48But on the field, he was decisive and shrewd.
10:54McMahon often changed the plays that were sent in.
10:59It led to easy touchdowns and stern lectures from Mike Ditka.
11:05But McMahon never backed down, never hesitated to run,
11:10and never slid feet first.
11:15By 1985, it was no longer his head coach he was banging heads with.
11:23That's just something we started doing, and it was fun.
11:27You know, you're all keyed up after a score anyway.
11:29I just wanted to hit somebody, so I started hitting my guys.
11:34They kind of liked it, too, I think.
11:37The Bears were 5-0.
11:39Next up, a return trip to San Francisco,
11:42site of their playoff loss the year before.
11:47A humiliating defeat in the NFC Championship game.
11:51The 5-0 Bears were back in San Francisco.
11:55That was payback time for it.
11:57That was when the Bears said,
11:59okay, we're going to either put up or shut up.
12:03That's all.
12:08This time, the Bears did bring their offense
12:11and scored on their opening drive.
12:15Walter Payton rushed for 132 yards,
12:18and Joe Montana was sacked a then-career-high seven times.
12:22With the game in hand,
12:24it was time for that payback.
12:29Mike has a great memory.
12:33Mike could not leave without returning the favor.
12:37The year before,
12:40putting Guy McIntyre in the backfield,
12:42gave Coach Dicker an idea.
12:45The fridge hadn't cracked the starting defensive lineup yet.
12:50So Ditka decided to plug in his huge appliance somewhere else.
12:57Well, I said I got a good memory,
12:58and we were going to do some things,
13:01and I watched him.
13:02Actually, I got the idea by watching him
13:04be running these little,
13:06these 10-yard sprints, the line,
13:08and he had so much quickness and speed for five yards.
13:13I mean, power.
13:14I said, there's no way if I put him in front of Walter
13:17that anybody can get, you know,
13:18he's going to knock him right out of the way.
13:22Instead of using William Perry as a mere blocker,
13:25Ditka had bigger plans for him.
13:29William Perry off 315 pounds,
13:32lining up in the fullback formation.
13:35Excuse me for laughing in your ear,
13:37but I mean, that is something.
13:38All he had to do was run straight.
13:42Tell him to line up, you know,
13:43behind the tackle and just run straight.
13:45He's got a good stance.
13:46The handoff, Barry hammering it.
13:48Left side of line,
13:48Dwayne Moore to shove back by William Perry,
13:51and Williams out to the 41-yard line.
13:53Being Fridge in the backfield,
13:55that was incredible.
13:57It was just incredible to see a guy
14:00that big moving with the football.
14:03An impressive victory for the Chicago Bears
14:05over the San Francisco 49ers,
14:07and what a day for William Perry.
14:11It was all revenge.
14:13Football was all revenge.
14:14Guy beats you one year, you beat him next.
14:16You say, well, I didn't go out for revenge.
14:17Yeah, you did.
14:18I did too.
14:19I went out for revenge.
14:21He had told everybody,
14:22we won the game,
14:24go to your wives,
14:25don't cause any problems,
14:26don't do anything stupid.
14:28And, of course, the next day
14:29we hear about the thing.
14:30The coach was stopped heading north
14:32on the tri-stage shortly after midnight.
14:35He refused to take a breathalyzer test.
14:37I really thought I was bulletproof.
14:39I really did.
14:40I thought, God,
14:41no way this guy's going to take me in.
14:43He's not going to take me in.
14:46He handcuffed me and everything else.
14:47So, uh,
14:49and I guess I gave him a few choice words, too.
14:53I was actually driving by
14:54right when he was getting cuffed,
14:55so that was a little bit later.
14:57But he was, uh,
14:58kind of bent over the police car.
15:00We honked and waved,
15:01and, you know,
15:02see you tomorrow.
15:04In 1985,
15:06the multiple personalities of Mike Ditka
15:08proved to be exactly
15:10what the many personalities
15:11of the Bears needed.
15:15We're all insane.
15:17The players are insane,
15:18I'm insane.
15:19You know, they knew that.
15:20You know, they'd call me,
15:21I mean, I'd go through mood changes,
15:23like, uh,
15:24and McMahon was the one
15:24and he gave me the name Sybil.
15:26Mike was Sybil
15:27because he never knew,
15:28I mean,
15:28from one minute to the next,
15:30whether or not he was going to explode.
15:33You know,
15:35regular old Mike,
15:36and all of a sudden,
15:38it's like his head turned around
15:39and he was somebody else.
15:41Now I'm as nice to be around
15:43as a teddy bear.
15:44Right, guys?
15:46I said, right, guys?
15:48Right, folks.
15:49I might have got out of line
15:51and yelled at somebody or something,
15:52but that's,
15:53I know what I'm doing is right.
15:54I mean, I'm not,
15:55my intent is not to hurt,
15:57my intent was to help.
15:59And, uh,
16:00you know,
16:00some days it probably
16:01didn't come out right.
16:02See that?
16:03That's your IQ, buddy.
16:04Zero.
16:06Hold on.
16:07Turn over or something.
16:08I'd rather talk to him.
16:12Like, I know,
16:13I know I'm smarter than that.
16:16Sometimes he'd join in
16:17with the inmates,
16:18but it was Ditka
16:20who ran this asylum.
16:23He was my nurse ratchet
16:24a few times.
16:25I'd love to choke him
16:26a few times,
16:27but, uh,
16:28like I say,
16:28he was tough,
16:29but he was fair.
16:31Of course, Ditka,
16:32I think,
16:32really settled down
16:34and just said,
16:34hey, you know what?
16:35I am who I am,
16:37and I gotta be that.
16:40You know, people forget.
16:41I played the game
16:41for the wrong time.
16:43No one had more fun
16:45than I did.
16:46When it came time to play,
16:47nobody played any harder
16:48than I did.
16:49I was prepared to play,
16:50but I was also prepared
16:52to have fun.
16:54Ditka
16:54and all of his
16:55many personalities
16:57are still as volatile
16:58as ever.
17:01Come on,
17:02come on,
17:02Cecil,
17:03this is not
17:03the damn epic.
17:12William Perry's
17:13offensive debut
17:14in San Francisco
17:15was just the beginning.
17:17A week later,
17:18on Monday night,
17:19he was introduced
17:20to the entire world.
17:23First and goal
17:24inside the Green Bay
17:25one for the Bears.
17:27Hand off to Perry.
17:28Put the right side
17:28of the line.
17:29Touchdown!
17:30The sounds that it made
17:31when he hit guys
17:32was just,
17:33you just hear it,
17:34you know,
17:34the boom,
17:35and then they hear you go,
17:36oh.
17:36The legend continues.
17:38William Perry
17:39on a one-yard
17:40touchdown run.
17:41You knew
17:42after that play
17:43that something
17:44had been born,
17:46and we had no idea
17:47how big it was
17:48going to be.
17:48It's called
17:49Refrigerator.
17:51Sports writers
17:52dubbed him
17:53the Galloping Roast
17:54and the best use
17:55of fat
17:56since the invention
17:56of bacon.
17:57Hot dogs,
17:58milkshakes,
17:59french fries,
18:00a dollar.
18:00All for refrigerators,
18:02stand up and holler.
18:06Perry's biggest
18:07cheerleader
18:08was the man
18:09who had created him
18:10in the first place.
18:12It became an obsession
18:13with me
18:13to find ways
18:14to use Fridge.
18:15I wanted to use him
18:16as a receiver
18:17and a thrower
18:19and a blocker
18:20and a runner
18:20and everything,
18:21so,
18:21and, you know,
18:22the team had fun with it.
18:23You know,
18:24he can throw the football.
18:30Mike Ditka
18:30and his eight no-bears
18:32were enjoying
18:33the sweet smell
18:33of success.
18:35In week nine,
18:36they faced the Packers,
18:37this time
18:38in Green Bay.
18:40Before the game,
18:41the Packers
18:42created a far
18:43different odor
18:44in the visitors'
18:45locker room.
18:46They opened my locker
18:47and there's a big bag
18:48of horse manure
18:50in there and, uh...
18:51Nice walking
18:52into the locker room
18:52that early in the morning
18:53smelling that.
18:54You know,
18:54you know what they are.
18:55And I showed the team.
18:57And I snuck up
18:57the whole locker room.
18:58And I said,
18:59this is what they think
19:00of us.
19:01And we went out
19:02and kicked our ass
19:02again.
19:06Not surprisingly,
19:07it was Chicago's
19:08real ball carrier,
19:10Walter Payton,
19:11who was the star
19:12of the game.
19:14In 1985,
19:16the Bears took care
19:16of the serious business
19:17of winning
19:19and had fun
19:20at the same time.
19:22McMahon fakes the hand.
19:23He's open!
19:24Fires the right side.
19:25Oh!
19:25Oh, he got it!
19:28You know,
19:29you had Coach Ditka
19:30and the thing
19:31that he was dealing with.
19:32You had Fridge.
19:33You had McMahon.
19:34It was...
19:35It was on.
19:35It was controlled chaos.
19:38Every day.
19:39The Bears were now
19:40celebrities.
19:42Everybody loved them.
19:45The phones were ringing
19:46off the hook.
19:48Well,
19:48it was...
19:49It was...
19:49It was...
19:50It was very much
19:51like a high-pitched
19:53or a high-squeaky voice.
19:54Well,
19:55Coach Ditka,
19:56you know,
19:57I'm Yolanda
19:57and I'm waiting
19:58down at the motel
19:59for you.
19:59Will you come down
20:00and see me tonight?
20:02This went on
20:03for about a week.
20:04And, uh...
20:05Of course,
20:06I never went.
20:07See,
20:07people always said
20:08that I went.
20:09I never went.
20:10That was the big thing.
20:11So,
20:12one day,
20:13I'm out on the practice field
20:14and I'm standing
20:15basically like this
20:16watching and
20:17I hear a voice
20:18behind me
20:19that says,
20:19Oh,
20:20Coach Ditka,
20:20you look so cute
20:22when you meet me
20:22at the hotel.
20:23It's water.
20:27I think we were
20:28just a group of guys
20:29that came together
20:30at a point in time
20:31that really loved
20:32the game
20:33and really
20:34loved each other.
20:36We had
20:37so much
20:40passion
20:41for the game
20:43and so much
20:44pride
20:44in what we did.
20:46In week 11
20:47in Dallas,
20:49the Bears played
20:50more passionately
20:51than ever.
20:51It was the student
20:53versus the teacher.
20:55Tom Landry
20:56always understood
20:57what we did.
21:00We wanted to play
21:02as hard
21:02and as physical
21:03as we possibly could,
21:05but we wanted
21:06to do it
21:06with class.
21:07I mean,
21:08they were
21:08America's team.
21:10It changed
21:11in a big way
21:11that day.
21:13White side pedals
21:14underneath his crossbar,
21:15fires right down the ball,
21:16picked in the air
21:17by Nampson,
21:18picked up by Kitsch,
21:19fit to the end zone,
21:20and down!
21:36the Cowboys.
21:37The Cowboys.
21:38The funny thing is,
21:38the Bears were such a physical team.
21:40Nobody ever,
21:41I don't think anybody
21:42who wasn't a biased rival
21:44ever accused them
21:45of being classless
21:46or dirty players.
21:49You have to be
21:50really good to do that,
21:51which is why
21:52four of them are,
21:55I think,
21:57yeah,
21:57four of them
21:58are in the Hall of Fame.
22:04The Cowboys were shut out
22:05for the first time
22:06in 15 years.
22:08It was the worst loss
22:09in franchise history.
22:11And back to the dog,
22:12the ball that's going to the win,
22:13hurry up,
22:13the middle end,
22:14it's up to my record
22:14to 45-30,
22:15now the right side
22:16of the 20,
22:1715,
22:17and 5!
22:18Touchdown,
22:19Mike Richardson
22:19of the Chicago Bears!
22:21Their offense
22:22could do nothing again,
22:23nothing,
22:23against our defense.
22:25Nothing.
22:25You know,
22:26I had to tell Buddy
22:27to call off the dogs,
22:28but they have a right
22:28to have fun.
22:30And Buddy just told,
22:31hey, you know,
22:31f*** you,
22:32I run the defense,
22:33get out of here.
22:35The Bears did ease up,
22:37but by then,
22:38it was too late.
22:41When it was over,
22:42the student was just
22:43as crushed as his teacher.
22:46I never felt worse
22:47in my life
22:48when he came up
22:48and said,
22:49uh,
22:51you guys are good.
22:53And, you know,
22:54I said,
22:55coach,
22:55I'm sorry.
22:56He said,
22:56you guys are good.
22:57That's all he said.
22:59The Bears
23:01were division champions.
23:02At 11-0,
23:04they were undefeated,
23:05led by a defense
23:07that was unblockable.
23:11The simple aim,
23:12attack the quarterback
23:14with overwhelming numbers.
23:18Mike Singletary
23:19was the 1985
23:20Defensive Player of the Year
23:22and Master of the 46.
23:27The 46 defense,
23:29to make it very plain
23:31and to the point,
23:32is all about pressure.
23:34It is all about pressure.
23:37We're going to come at you
23:39and we're going to hit
23:40your quarterback
23:41until you get another one in.
23:42Trying to lose the horses now?
23:45Better get another quarterback
23:46to make it lose the camera.
23:47It was a nightmare,
23:48I know,
23:49for the quarterback.
23:51First of all,
23:52you have Otis and Wilbur
23:53next to each other
23:54that the quarterback's
23:55looking out of his eye.
23:56Then you got Dent
23:57on the other side.
23:59Then you got Hampton
24:00in front of you
24:01and then the fridge
24:02and then Steve McMichael.
24:03That's not very good.
24:05If you blocked all of them,
24:07then who had Mike Singletary?
24:13If you picked him up,
24:14then who blocked number 45,
24:16Gary Fencek?
24:18In 1985,
24:20no one figured it out.
24:27We're going to keep coming
24:28and we're going to keep you guessing
24:29and we're going to keep you thinking.
24:30We're not ducking and dodging.
24:32We're going to have fun
24:33because the 46 defense
24:35was as physical
24:36and as nasty
24:38as you want to get.
24:55I was a coach,
24:56but I was a fan.
24:57I mean, I watched.
24:58I watched.
24:59I marveled
25:00just like the people
25:00in the bleachers.
25:05It's beautiful to watch.
25:07I enjoyed every minute of it.
25:09I'll tell you,
25:09those guys,
25:10when they got on a roll like that,
25:12it was a work of art.
25:14As that season went on,
25:15it became relentless.
25:16It was everybody did it.
25:18You know,
25:18it was Mingo,
25:19it was Richard,
25:19it was Otis,
25:20it was Marshall.
25:21Marshall was,
25:23man, was he.
25:25I can still see the lick
25:26he pulling Joe Furious
25:27out in Detroit.
25:27I've never seen him like it.
25:29I thought he killed him.
25:35I'm looking at Wilbur
25:36and I'm looking at Otis
25:37and those guys
25:37are just barking.
25:40Mike,
25:41man,
25:42I'm going to kill him.
25:43Wilbur,
25:43I'm going to get there first.
25:44Dent was saying,
25:45no,
25:45I'm getting there first.
25:46And it was going on
25:48and on
25:48and Hampton was saying,
25:49no,
25:49I'm getting there first.
25:51And I'm looking at these guys
25:53and I'm saying,
25:54wait,
25:54wait,
25:54wait.
25:55The guy is bleeding.
25:57The guy is bleeding
25:58at the mouth.
25:59The guy is bleeding
25:59at the nose.
26:00You don't have to kill the guy.
26:03We don't care.
26:05He's the quarterback.
26:07We're going to get him.
26:09That's what we do.
26:15And scored more points
26:18than it gave up.
26:21The fridge soared to new heights
26:23and with McMahon sidelined,
26:26Walter Payton carried them,
26:28rushing for 100 yards
26:29in a record nine straight games.
26:34Chicago was 12th and
26:38determined to end the Bears streak
26:41and preserve the honor
26:43of their undefeated 72 team.
26:48Well,
26:48needless to say,
26:49there was something different
26:50about that game.
26:52And there were some things
26:53happened that night
26:54that were really strange.
26:56I mean,
26:57balls ricocheting off
26:58guys' heads
26:59and flying in the receiver's hands
27:01and
27:02you couldn't buy a break.
27:04It was like a nightmare
27:05when something is happening
27:07and you're in the middle of it
27:08and you're thinking,
27:09this can't be happening.
27:11Please let this be a dream.
27:14In their previous six games,
27:16the Bears had allowed
27:17just 29 total points.
27:19The Dolphins had 31
27:21by halftime.
27:26Coach Dicker comes in
27:27and says,
27:28hey,
27:28you guys better make
27:29something happen over there.
27:30And of course,
27:31Buddy had his words
27:32to say to Coach Dicker
27:33about,
27:33hey,
27:34I'm doing this over here.
27:35I'm handling this over here.
27:37I think I said,
27:37put the goddamn nickel in
27:39and quit being so
27:40damn stubborn
27:41and stuff like that.
27:42And then we almost
27:43got in a fight.
27:43That's all.
27:44And there might have been
27:45a swing or two.
27:45I don't,
27:46I don't,
27:46I didn't see it,
27:47so.
27:48But there was a lot
27:49of yelling in the back room.
27:50Pushing,
27:50shoving,
27:51players jumped in the way
27:52of it
27:52and that was about it.
27:54And,
27:55you know,
27:55I haven't gotten
27:56a Christmas card
27:57from him since.
28:04When that game was over,
28:06we knew that,
28:07wow,
28:08what a wake-up call
28:09that was.
28:11No longer
28:12were we gonna be
28:13undefeated,
28:14but we still had a chance
28:15to achieve our dream.
28:17We came back together
28:18with a renewed focus
28:20and we kept that focus
28:22all the way
28:23to the Super Bowl.
28:27here's to church services
28:29to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
28:37People were like,
28:37hey man,
28:38you guys keep it up.
28:39This is great.
28:40You guys are going all the way.
28:41You know,
28:41those types of things.
28:42That's what happens
28:42in Chicago.
28:45We're number one,
28:47we're number one,
28:47we're number one,
28:48we're number one,
28:48we're number one.
28:49It was on Saturday Night Live
28:50and then it was,
28:51what's the coach doing?
28:52Is he picking his nose?
28:53What the hell?
28:54It became,
28:54it was ridiculous.
28:56In the postseason,
28:58it became serious.
28:59The 15-1 Bears
29:01had earned home field advantage
29:02throughout the playoffs.
29:05Started with good tempo now.
29:07Be smart,
29:07let's go down,
29:08let's pin him in,
29:08let the defense go to work.
29:10Against the Giants,
29:12the first big play
29:13didn't come from the defense
29:14or the offense.
29:16It came from a sudden gust of wind
29:18off Lake Michigan.
29:20Bears look at good field position.
29:21Oh, he missed this!
29:22This is the football!
29:23He missed this!
29:24This is the field position!
29:25All right!
29:26It's Sean Gale!
29:27I've never seen a...
29:29He just missed the putt!
29:32He missed the ball.
29:33Maybe it was the wind
29:34in Soldier Field.
29:35Maybe it was the guys above.
29:37I don't know what it was.
29:38It's pretty amazing
29:39how the wind just took it.
29:41And the next thing I know,
29:43Sean Gale had it in the end zone.
29:46Woof, woof, woof, woof!
29:50The Bears defense
29:51was as cold-hearted
29:52as the weather.
29:55Richard Dent
29:55was a raging
29:56one-man storm.
30:01He and Phil Simms
30:02had something going on.
30:06And the rest of the game,
30:08Richard was after him.
30:09Richard went after him
30:10with a passion.
30:12I'm gonna get you
30:13in so many words,
30:14and he did.
30:18Phil Simms
30:19was sacked six times.
30:21Nine of New York's
30:22first 11 possessions
30:24were three and outs.
30:31Come on, Trubo!
30:35Shotgun formation
30:36for the Bears.
30:37The snap to McMahon.
30:38He pop flies
30:39the right side
30:39of the end zone
30:40for McMahon.
30:40Touchdown!
30:41Great catch!
30:42Great catch!
30:43McMahon back to go.
30:44Pitches the right side.
30:45He's got a fine time!
30:47All right!
30:47The Bears won
30:4921 to nothing.
30:50They were one win away
30:52from the Super Bowl.
30:54This is not the end
30:55of the road.
30:56I mean, there's work
30:56to be done.
30:57There's miles to go.
30:58That's the way
30:58the poem goes.
30:59We've got a little
30:59way to go yet.
31:01The NFC Championship game
31:03would be waged
31:04in the cold
31:05by polar opposites.
31:08Well, I told the team,
31:09I said,
31:09they're the Smiths.
31:10They live out there
31:11in California.
31:12They're the rich people.
31:13They have all this
31:14Hollywood stuff.
31:14I said,
31:15we're the Gabowskis.
31:16We're the working class.
31:18I said,
31:18we're the guys
31:18that take the lunch bucket
31:19to work.
31:20The wives make
31:21the sandwiches.
31:21We come home.
31:23I said,
31:23it's going to be
31:25them against us
31:26in that manner.
31:27I want to put a dome
31:28over this place.
31:29Team that plays
31:30in the third biggest city
31:31doing a blue collar gimmick.
31:35That garbage belongs
31:37to Baltimore,
31:38Cleveland,
31:39Pittsburgh,
31:41Buffalo.
31:42Cities like that.
31:46Big city LARPing
31:48as...
31:50One thing,
31:52kick ass,
31:53let everything hang out.
31:55Hey, my man!
31:55Hey, my man!
31:56Hey, my man!
31:57Hey, my man!
31:58Hey, my man!
31:58Hey, my man!
31:59Hey, my man!
32:00Hey, my man!
32:01The ultimate Smith
32:02was cool Eric Dickerson
32:04who had rolled
32:05through the Cowboys
32:06for nearly 250 yards
32:08a week earlier.
32:10On a key third
32:11and one
32:12in the second quarter,
32:13the great Grabowski
32:14rolled up his sleeves
32:15and went to work.
32:19I knew the gap
32:21that they wanted
32:21to run in
32:23and I also knew
32:24that I had to go
32:24full speed
32:25and hit that gap
32:26right away
32:28or he was going
32:29to lean forward
32:30and get the first down.
32:32The play that I had
32:33anticipated happened
32:34and I knew
32:36here it is.
32:37Dickerson the tail
32:38backhand off
32:39Dickerson
32:39hit by Singletary
32:40back out
32:41and the line
32:42up through it
32:43Mike Singletary
32:44he read it beautifully
32:45and he just hit him
32:46just perfectly
32:48caught him
32:49where he didn't
32:50have any way
32:51to get away
32:52and that
32:53changed everything.
32:56Ryan's 46 defense
32:58held Dickerson
32:58to 46 yards.
33:01Dickerson also
33:02fumbled twice
33:03and Chicago
33:04became the only team
33:06in NFL history
33:07to record
33:08back-to-back shutouts
33:09in the playoffs.
33:20Jim McMahon
33:22ran for a touchdown
33:23and threw for another.
33:25McMahon rolling left
33:27looking to deal
33:28he fires
33:28on the left side
33:29of the end
33:29to a run
33:30to the top.
33:33Ahead 17 to nothing
33:35the stage was set
33:37for one final
33:38magic moment.
33:41And now the weather
33:42that everybody
33:43talked about
33:44I wonder if they
33:45finally arrived
33:45maybe they're cheering
33:46for the snow.
33:47The best thing
33:48about that day
33:51was the last fumble.
33:53Third down
33:5411 yards to go
33:55for Dieter, Brock
33:56and company
33:56Brock back to pass
33:57the rush
33:58on to the right
33:58and hammered
34:01down.
34:01He got the ball
34:02picked up by
34:03Wilbur Marshall.
34:04Marshall running
34:04across the field.
34:05Go on!
34:06Go!
34:06That's ready.
34:0711-5-20.
34:08Here's all the way.
34:0915-5-10.
34:11And a goal.
34:12Oh man.
34:13What a win it is.
34:15Wilbur Marshall has
34:17scored
34:17for the Chicago Bears.
34:21I can still see it
34:23in slow motion
34:24when Wilbur Marshall
34:24picks up the ball
34:26the Fridge is leading
34:27him down the field
34:28and we all
34:29are just running
34:30with him.
34:31Fridge ain't losing
34:32no ground now.
34:33He's right with him.
34:35You can't write a script
34:36for this.
34:37You know,
34:37just the way
34:38it all ended.
34:39Not to get theatrical,
34:40but I mean,
34:41how better can you
34:42write a script here
34:43for Cranell?
34:44The snow starts
34:45coming down
34:45and the fans
34:46went absolutely
34:48crazy.
34:58The Bears
34:59were going
34:59to their first
35:00Super Bowl.
35:01Mike Diffler's
35:02thoughts turned
35:03to Papa Bear
35:04George Hallis,
35:05the man who
35:06had hired him
35:07to get them there.
35:10And I think
35:10right there
35:11the old man
35:12was saying,
35:13we've come
35:14full circle,
35:15guys.
35:15We've come
35:15full circle.
35:16That's the first
35:17time since 63.
35:23Well,
35:24all week,
35:24all we were
35:24talking about
35:25is my ass.
35:26So,
35:26you know,
35:26how's your ass?
35:27How's your ass?
35:28Oh,
35:29this helicopter
35:30kept buzzing
35:30the field,
35:31you know.
35:32And,
35:32you know,
35:32we're doing
35:33these toe touches.
35:33I figured,
35:34what the hell?
35:34You want to see
35:35my ass?
35:35I'll show you
35:36my ass.
35:36I just dropped
35:37trial and let
35:38him see the
35:38mosaic I had
35:39back there.
35:41Wasn't a big deal.
35:42I was just
35:42letting him know
35:43where it hurt.
35:46You know,
35:46I'll tell you
35:47what he did.
35:48He deflected
35:49a lot of
35:49the attention
35:50to himself
35:50down there
35:51and took it
35:51off the team.
35:52The focus
35:53was then
35:54on Buddy Ryan,
35:55who was leaving
35:56to become
35:56the Eagles
35:57head coach.
35:58On Super Bowl
35:59Eve,
36:00he bid a tearful
36:01goodbye to his
36:02players.
36:04After Buddy said,
36:05you'll always be
36:06my heroes,
36:06and he walked
36:07out,
36:08Steve McMichael
36:08got up
36:09immediately and
36:09got the chair
36:10and threw
36:10it to the
36:11blackboard.
36:13And it broke
36:15my heart.
36:16It really did,
36:17because I love
36:18Buddy.
36:22When Super Bowl
36:23Sunday finally
36:24arrived, Mike
36:25Singletary thought
36:26about the coach
36:27who was leaving
36:28and the head
36:29coach who had
36:30made good on
36:31his promise.
36:33And all I could
36:34think about was
36:34three years ago,
36:37this man walked
36:38in the room
36:39and said,
36:40if you just
36:40stand with me,
36:41if you just
36:42believe in me,
36:43we'll be at the
36:44dance in three
36:44years.
36:45And here we were.
36:47There was never
36:48a doubt in my
36:48mind that we're
36:49going to win
36:50that game.
36:50It was just a
36:51matter of how
36:52many points.
36:57Saved its best
36:58for last.
37:10Those guys,
37:11they did look
37:11like a bunch
37:12of mad dogs
37:13in that game.
37:13It looked like
37:14they almost were
37:15that they had
37:16a contest to see
37:17who got to the
37:17quarterback.
37:19MVP Richard Dent
37:20led a history
37:21making defense
37:22that had seven
37:23sacks and allowed
37:24just seven rushing
37:26yards.
37:27In the third
37:28quarter, the
37:28Patriots had
37:29minus yards.
37:31I'll tell you
37:38what, this defense
37:38has been incredible.
37:40They knocked
37:40your socks off
37:41to the Washington.
37:42Total decimation
37:43of the AFC
37:44champion, New
37:44England Patriots.
37:46Like New
37:47England's
37:48quarterbacks,
37:48there was no
37:49escape for
37:50Walter Payton.
37:52On the game's
37:53greatest stage,
37:54Chicago's greatest
37:55player was a
37:57marked man.
37:59Wherever Walter
37:59went, they were
38:01sure going to
38:01keep an eye on
38:02him.
38:03And that was
38:04their focus,
38:04which they did
38:05a nice job,
38:06but they forgot
38:06about everybody
38:07else.
38:08We ran a
38:09play-action pass.
38:10As soon as I
38:11faked the ball
38:11to Walter,
38:12you see in the
38:12film, there's
38:13five, six guys
38:14heading his way,
38:15and Willie's
38:16just running
38:16straight up the
38:16gut.
38:18And had I
38:18thrown a half
38:19a yard further,
38:20he might have
38:20taken it 96.
38:22Peyton's mere
38:23presence allowed
38:24others to shine.
38:27Matt Sui was
38:29one of six
38:30different bears
38:30to score.
38:32McMahon scored
38:32twice, but the
38:34keyed up and
38:35keyed on Peyton
38:36never found the
38:37end zone.
38:42I didn't even
38:44think about who
38:45was scoring.
38:45I could have
38:46cared less, but
38:47if I would have
38:48known what it
38:50meant to Walter,
38:51of course, I
38:52would have given
38:52it to him eight
38:53times in a row.
38:54It wouldn't
38:54have mattered.
38:54But my mind
38:56wasn't going that
38:56way.
38:57Should it have
38:57been going that
38:58way?
38:58Probably, but it
39:00wasn't.
39:00So, you know,
39:01you fault me.
39:02That's the biggest
39:03regret I have.
39:05Eventually, even
39:06Peyton, along with
39:07thousands of
39:08Frozen fans back
39:09in Chicago, fixed
39:11their gaze on the
39:12fridge.
39:15He didn't, you
39:16know, he didn't
39:16just, he just
39:18grabbed everything.
39:19It was kind of
39:20almost a toss to
39:21him because I got
39:21tired of getting
39:22my arm yanked
39:23out of soccer.
39:23First and goal
39:24from the one-yard
39:25line, handoff to
39:25the three.
39:29Yes, William
39:30Perry has scored
39:31on a one-yard
39:32touchdown right in
39:33the Super Bowl.
39:35It was coming
39:37together with a
39:37group of men
39:38and we did it.
39:40I'm a world
39:40champion.
39:42I'm the best
39:43there is.
39:45From the start
39:46of the season,
39:47the Bears won in
39:48their own unique
39:49way.
39:51At the end,
39:52it was no
39:52different.
39:54They carried off
39:55not one, but
39:56two coaches.
39:58I'll be happy to
39:59say that I didn't
40:00carry either one
40:00off.
40:01I love them
40:02both.
40:03And I, no, I'm
40:05not going to do
40:06that.
40:07No, you know
40:08what?
40:08I'm going to walk
40:09in between them
40:09and we're going to
40:10walk all the way
40:11to the locker room.
40:15while Ditka and Ryan
40:16were carried off
40:17separately, both
40:19will always walk
40:20side by side
40:21in history.
40:25How many Super
40:26Bowls did I win
40:27after Buddy left?
40:29How many did he
40:30win after he left
40:31me?
40:32None.
40:33So maybe we were
40:34better together than
40:35we were apart.
40:38Half a million
40:39braved a minus
40:4025 degree wind
40:41chill to celebrate.
40:44For one
40:45brilliant season,
40:47the bear shined
40:48like no other.
40:50Then, like a
40:52comet, they were
40:53gone.
40:56In 1987, the
40:59great Walter
40:59Payton retired.
41:05He was there
41:06for the 10th
41:07anniversary.
41:10After his death
41:11in 1999,
41:13Payton was
41:14remembered at
41:15their 20th.
41:18That can't
41:20play players.
41:21But we were
41:21the man who
41:22had a minus
41:23three football
41:24players of all
41:25time.
41:26The man who
41:27number one
41:28is your payton.
41:29Yes!
41:3420 years
41:35later,
41:38still have
41:39people say
41:43what a year
41:44that was.
41:47What a year
41:48that was.
41:49And even more
41:50importantly, to
41:51hear the players
41:52say, man, we
41:53were special,
41:54weren't we?
41:54Didn't we do
41:55something?
41:56The team,
41:57the coaches,
41:58the players,
42:00they made
42:00me a better
42:01man.
42:03I'm thankful
42:03for that.
42:05It was a pleasure
42:06playing with those
42:07guys I played
42:08with.
42:08for that.
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